[The Mountainous Regions] [Cape Town Area] [Kruger Park] [Ndebele Village]
) In the
Okavango (see Map) the traditional mode of travel through the
marshes is
the mokoro, a dugout canoe made from local mahogany trees. These vessels are
propelled by polers standing in the back, who maintain their balance while gliding
the canoe wake-free through the reeds. Freeboard on the mokoro is a scant few
inches but never does the dark water come over the side. However, mokoros dry out and crack producing
leaks and by the end of the trip those sitting in the back often have wet backsides. [See
Mokoro Images] | ||
) Another traditional
mode of transport
is the donkey cart.
A modern
innovation seen in Maun is the use of
pick up truck beds for the cart.
|
) Our usual mode of transport in the
Moremi was the Kaleidoscope safari
vehicle, a former ambulance in the
South African army. Here one of
our guides, Ben, sits on top to spot
wildlife as we cross the log bridge
across the Kwai River. Does anyone
ever inspect these bridges? | |
) The better roads in the Moremi were gravel (left), but the worst one, the main
road in, was deep, deep sand. As in the US though, there, was no shortage of
intrepid adventurers at the other end. | ||
) |
Our Camp in the Moremi Wildlife Refuge was a public camp near the north gate, where we stayed in small tents. Several private lodges nearby tempted us with their thatched huts or stand-up tents and "en suite" facilities. However, I'll bet their clients didn't have lions and hyenas sniffing at their tents at night! | |
)
We each had our conquests, Coenie had his snake, I had my hippo. [See conquests] |
Our guides were quite knowledgeable and also accommodating, grilling our lunch while we relaxed, providing canned margaritas (we told them that's what we drink) for our "sundowner", and stopping to investigate the "little things", like the Rock Python on the right. | ) |
 We had sundowners with elephants, sundowners with lions, sundowners with
hippos, and sundowners on the banks of the Kwai River across from the Kwai
River Lodge. | ||
) After 5 nights in little tents we really wanted a room in order to get cleaned up
and organized for our flight to Victoria Falls. [See also
Victoria Falls Websites]
So our guides got us a room at the Sedia Hotel. The sign said "Pool, Satellite TV,
Patio Bar". Lloryn gave the thumbs up sign. It was a palace by Okavango
standards. | ||
) The level of
accommodations
rose dramatically at
the Zulu Nyala
Country Manor in Sandton, near
Johannesburg. A glitch with our intended
destination sent us to this luxurious suite.
We could get used to this! |
) Good middle of the road
accommodations were the huts, or
rondavels, in the camps of Kruger
National Park. All had en suite
facilities and refrigerators and many
had kitchen areas. The interior of these huts can be seen in
this composite photo.
| |
) ) In an Ndebele village located in the
Botshabelo Nature
Preserve near Middelburg visitors can see traditional
construction and painting, as well as women in costume
making and selling traditional crafts. [See Nedebele
Images]
The Botshabelo historical town, 12 km west of Middelburg, set up by the Middelburg town council no longer exists in its original form. The historical town used to be a German missionary station in the 19th century. In 1971 a South Ndebele village was created. Performances of song and dance by Ndebele women are on display. Another traditional Ndebele village is a short journey away from Cullinan to the north-east of Pretoria. Situated near Bronkhorstspruit, the village provides demonstrations of traditional artwork forms, including beadwork, weaving and the famous Ndebele hut painting. Villagers wear traditional dress as well as headdresses and ornate jewelry. | ||
The Mountains
[see Map] The great escarpment mountains of the eastern Transvaal, known as the Mpumalanga Drakensberg, mark an abrupt transition between the South African Highveld and the subtropical bushlands of the Lowveld. Although not nearly as high as the Natal Drakensberg (with which they are sometimes confused), the Mpumalanga Drakensberg region overflows with historic and scenic attractions. Beautiful waterfalls leap into deep chasms [see Blyde River Canyon], while scenic roads wind over mountain passes that offer momentos of gold rush days and Boer War skirmishes. | ||
Cape Town and The Cape Peninsula
Cape Town [see Cape Town cityscapes], and the Cape Peninsula, is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, comparable to San Francisco, Rio De Janeiro, Hong Kong and other spectacular settings. A trip along the Cape Peninsula to the Cape of Good Hope takes you to beautiful bays with crescent beaches, rugged coastline, and quaint and cozy villages. Along the way you might see whales, penguins, ostriches, rock hyraxes and other exotic animals.
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