Friday – Sunday, Mar 24-26. Visited the Cape of Good Hope. Beautiful day. The Funicular to the lighthouse was closed, so we hiked along the cliff. Difficult. Lots of birds, but too far away. Had lunch near some penguins. I went out to eat dinner on my own. Excellent, though spicy, pasta.

On Saturday we visited a few wineries. The first was a disappointment. The offered tastings were unsatisfactory, served by a woman who knew the script, but little else. The second winery was excellent. The host knew his stuff and appreciated that I knew my stuff. Gave me some extra tastes. Good wines, nice location, lots of history. Bought some wine.

Had our farewell dinner. Delicious lamb, but in a confined space. A band played. Good time.

Our departure the next day wasn’t until the evening, so I just puttered around. The 16 hour flight to Atlanta was incredibly comfortable. Slept three separate times, which is unheard of. Got home fairly refreshed.

Overall I have to say the trip was lacking of substance. The viewing drives were much less interesting than others (with the singular exception of the rhino orphanage). The urban areas were either remarkably European or intensely destitute. The almost universal cheerfulness of everyone I met contrasted sharply with their social and living conditions. An acceptance that their government is both corrupt and incompetent, with little interest in making a change. Shanty towns, where many tiny ramshackle huts are sporting satellite TV dishes. I was reminded of Churchill’s “A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”. I won’t be going back.

Tuesday, Mar 21. Took a tour boat across the lagoon where a high hill stood. Rode a trolley to nearly the top, then walked back down on a trail. Marvelous views, perfect day.  Buffet lunch (including spicy pasta) before the return boat ride. Virtually everyone on the boat was white. Clearly this is a segregated vacation spot, intentionally or not.

The afternoon was spend on a short walk to the grocery store and relaxing by the pool.  I had spotted a promising restaurant earlier and returned to it for a private dinner. Bangers and Mash, prepared to perfection. Apple tart was equally delicious. 

Returned to the hotel in time to use the pool. No one but me. Warm water. Stars. Silence. A good day.

Monday, Mar 20. This was supposed to be a national walkout day, but the results weren’t deserving of capitalization. The protest was intended to motivate the government to Get Things Done. Power and water shortages are rampant.

Our morning began with an overview from a university professor about the dire situation in SA. She didn’t really tell me anything I hadn’t already learned and seen. She did not end on any high note. “Revolutionaries do not make competent administrators.” Duh. If you’re thinking of visiting SA, do it now. The Way only leads downward.

Next, on a happier note, we visited a penguin hospital/orphanage. They’re doing great work protecting the seabirds. Watched feeding time. Anyone who doesn’t find penguins cute doesn’t have a heart. At my suggestion, the group paid the adoption fee for one orphan in Sowa’s (our trip leader’s) name.  She’s blind.

We stopped at a lighthouse on the Indian Ocean’s shore. Beautiful day, great views.

We then began a drive to our next destination: Knysna. Beautiful scenery along the way, sometimes getting a peakat the ocean. Some very high bridges crossing deep canyons. One, a popular suicide bridge, had high fencing as a deterrent. A very late lunch was at a tiny village that’s popular for ziplines, ATVs, etc. Had delicious pizza.

We arrived in Knysna in time for a short walk around the gift shops, where prices were about double what they were in Johannesburg. Clearly I should have done more buying earlier. Food prices were still insanely low. We had a group dinner at a great restaurant, BUT, it was there that I realized that the only black people were servers and Sowa. My appetite decreased. This is clearly a vacation destination for whites. Sobering realization. 

SA has a thing for spicy. It’s become a keynote of the food. Particularly for pasta dishes.

Sunday, Mar 19. Walking tour of downtown. Some nice historical memorials and artwork. An ad-hoc discussion with a “Green Party” member. They were having a rally, which are a common occurrence. A brief, depressing walk through a seedy part of town. 

Visited a private home of a confident, casually dressed Afrikaner, who had lived for a while in Chicago. An African friend was there, dressed in a very formal traditional dress. It was a pretty extreme contrast in style. Plus a young businessman selling leather goods with his wife. And a chef. Lunch included an entree with curry and a side dish with coconut. I skipped the meal and had a discussion with the young man about rugby. The visit was fun, but the message they were trying to send was not the one I received. Port Elizabeth is the most segregated city in SA. The visit exposed a hint of why it that is true. Among other things, the neighborhood had massive security. 

After lunch we attempted to visit the penguin hospital/orphanage. Due to some kind of fun run going on, roads were closed. The effort was finally abandoned. We returned to the hotel. Some of us bought wine and snacks and camped out at the pool. I alone got into the pool. Nice, restful afternoon. In the evening some gathered at the hotel restaurant and had dinner. I bought wines that went from bad to only poor. Delicious pizza.

Saturday, Mar 18. No photos. Bus to Durban Airport, flight to Port Elizabeth, check-in to a “normal” hotel. The city is experiencing both a water and power shortage. They ask for two minute showers, which is no problem for me, but impossible for ladies who wash their hair. So far the city looks extremely upscale, a far cry from most of the country.

Had an above average dinner at a swanky restaurant. Power went out for a short while as they fired up a generator. No Exclamations from the locals, showing that it’s a routine occurrence. Very fine cocktails, but those who choose wine were disappointed. Food was great. Social anxiety did not make an appearance for once.

Friday, Mar 17. Another tough day to choose photos. A morning viewing drive that featured lions and birds, then an afternoon boat ride that featured birds and hippos. In the evening we had another troupe doing a Zulu wedding dance that looked painful and tiring. They moved way too fast for any action photo, but I got a nice still photo. At dinner we bid farewell to our bus driver who returns to Johannesburg tomorrow. I bought a cake. The staff made a big deal of it, dancing and singing as they presented the cake. Tomorrow we fly to Port Elizabeth, which is no longer called Port Elizabeth. Its new name is literally unpronounceable by me. Gqeberha, where the “G” is pronounced with a clicking sound.

Wednesday, Mar 15. “A Day in the Life” event. Visit to a “typical” family. First we went to a market and, using OAT money, bought specific vegetables, without knowing what we were buying. Fortunately, we were given the item’s name in writing. I bought unusual pumpkins, beige on the outside, yellow on the inside. Next was a grocery store where we had the option of buying whatever we thought the family would like. I bought a huge (reusable) bucket of ginger cookies, neatly layered. $5.50.

Our guide was a member of the family’s village, wearing the traditional dress and carrying the traditional stick. The family’s head was married to three women.  He was especially proud of the chapel he’d created. A large collection of family members wandered around whose relationships were too confusing for me. The men wore western cloths, the women beautiful dresses. A very cute little girl became my good friend after I made her a balloon hat. 

I helped cut firewood and then tried to split wood. The hardest wood I’ve ever experienced. The axe just bounced off. But it was a fun effort. We all then spent an hour or more sitting in a round house having a vegetable meal. Lots of questions about family life. It was, as usual, uncomfortable at first but then great fun.

From there we visited a souvenir outlet, centered around a candle factory. I had a “death by chocolate” brownie and a beer with combined cost of less than $5. My charging cable failed, leaving me unable to charge my printer (which continues to be the star of any encounter). Trip Leader Sowa was able to find me a new one later in the day.

Bought two bottles of wine at a minimart that was 25% wine. I had one bottle at dinner. A $10 zin, which was a reasonable price. Ugh. Spent time at the bar meeting locals and having a good time. Drank Taiwanese whiskey, of all things. 

Tuesday, Mar 14. Left Kruger and entered Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). Immigration was simplicity. Stopped at a glass factory/tourist stop. Very nice glassware at a fraction of Venice pricing. Very tempting. Bought an awesome Eswatini t-shirt for $9.

The new hotel is at the top of a short mountain, looking down into a large valley. Gorgeous. Nice bar. Food and drink continues to be insanely inexpensive. Wifi is awful.

Monday, Mar 13. Skipped the morning Nature Walk. I’ve done three in the past six months, didn’t want to do another. 

Later we all visited the local school. So much fun! Terrific principal. I gave him all the running/bicycling medals I’ve collected and they were a much bigger hit than I expected. I didn’t expect them to understand “St.Patrick Days Fun Runs” or “Turkey Trot” medals, but they didn’t seem to care. One was my only Marathon medal, but who cares? Took photos of kids based on who they were assigned to among my group printed them out. Another huge hit. Gave them a package of balloons but didn’t have much time to show how they’re used. 

Afternoon game drive was a bust for me. A kudu, some Cape buffalos and hippos. People who haven’t done a safari before were very satisfied. If they only knew what the northern countries had available. In the morning I’d taken photos of flying birds, which was largely successful.