We Survived The Animals!

We arrived in Johannesburg and returned the car after our eye opening experience of the rural side of South Africa with no issues. With a couple days at our disposal before our safari we took in the local sites such as The Cradle Of Humankind, city tours of Johannesburg and Soweto and the Apartheid Museum.

The Cradle Of Humankind is exactly as it sounds and is based at the Sterkfontein Caves just outside of the city. With ongoing archaeological digs and recent finds of full humanoid skeletons dating back somewhere between three and four million years this has been named a World Heritage site as proof that we have all evolved from this area. It also made for an interesting geology lesson which we had not received since Australia and New Zealand. Although we visited many caves in Asia there was no science lesson in those and it was more of a sight seeing tour of what things look like with your guide saying...."this looks like an elephant" or "do you see the Virgin Mary?".

Next up was our guided tour through Jo'Burg and the Soweto township. This day trip only solidified what we had already determined on our own, that crime is a huge issue and there is a massive gap between the rich and poor and as whole the gap between black and white. We saw palatial houses, boarding schools, government housing and slum housing. We were able to stop and visit a slum village with their corrugated metal roof and walls, no heat, no water and no electricity. The houses are approximately 6' x 10' and contain all belongings and incredibly where six person families sleep. However this lack of hygiene and condensed housing, HIV is rampant and the average lifespan of the lower class is in the mid forties. Our last stop was the Apartheid Museum which was interesting but was more about the civil conflict at the end of that era than Apartheid itself. Although Apartheid is over and races are considered equal, there is very much a social class segregation which will take much more than the last 17 years of non- Apartheid government to erase the 50 some years of Apartheid. I am quite sure that Mr. Nelson Mandela did not envision his South Africa with rampant government corruption, violent crime and the lower class becoming poorer when he was in detention for 27 years fighting for freedom and a democratic government.

Lastly, it was off the grid to Kruger National Park for our four day safari (www.wildlifesafaris.com) with our guide, Hoppy, who incidentally reminded the kids of their Grandpa Leedahl . The safari experience did not fail to impress and I think it was even better than expected. Hoppy was fantastic and quite the character who not only pointed out large mammals, birds and plants which the kids soaked up but as an Afrikaan (South African white male) we really got to understand the history and problems of this nation from his politically incorrect standpoint at times.

We spent two nights at a lodge in Kruger and one night at an upscale private game reserve (www.mohlabetsi.co.za) which is attached to Kruger and were able to do early morning, evening and daily game drives. With it being winter the vegetation is scarce so the animals are easier to spot but it is cold in the single digits which we are definitely not accustomed to anymore. We were extremely lucky with the wildlife we spotted, as we saw the Big 5 in the first day and we think we spotted everything with the exception of a Cheetah. Quick recap of the major animals we saw: Elephants, Hippos, Zebras, Giraffes, different sorts of Antelope (such as Kudu, Impalas, Steenboks, Duikers, Waterbuck...), Leopards, Cape Buffalo, Wildebeest, African Wild Dogs, Hyenas, a pride of Lions and Rhinos but unfortunately the Rhinos came with a price as we actually lost our tracker in the bush (long story). I think the highlight for all of us though was a male Lion which we got within five feet of and he got up and roared at us...there may have been a few drops of pee in our truck at that moment.

This safari was by far the highlight of our SA visit and was much needed as an escape to fully process our time here. This a beautiful country which does have many issues but should not be ignored as a tourist destination because of them. Maybe just don't take our route...lol!

Big Apple here we come! Bye for now.