Postcard from South Africa- Part 2

In South Africa, the Western Cape is about as far as you can get from Zululand.  Both provinces were easing into the summer season. In KwaZulu-Natal, winter is the dry season.  Summer is wet.  In Cape Town, winter is the wet season. Summer is dry. Everywhere it was early spring, i.e. weather was changeable, temperatures variable, and there was plenty of wind. On the plus side, in KwaZulu-Natal we saw baby rhinos, elephants, giraffes, etc. In the Western Cape, everything was in bloom.
Plants like Bird of Paradise grow wild in the Western Cape, home to a particular plant community called Fynbos.The pink-ish King Protea is the national flower of South Africa.

While in the Cape Town area, we visited nine of the “top 10” sites- the Company’s Garden, the V&A Waterfront, the District Six Museum,Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Groot Constantia Wine Estate, Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach, Stellenbosch, and the Cape of Good Hope. Also Robben Island (where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars), the Cape Flats Townships, the colorful Bo-Kaap (Cape Malay) community and Hermanus (best place in the world for land-based viewing of the southern right whale).

Thanks to travelling companions Ski and Dicy, we stayed in a beach-town time-share. As it was a self-catering unit, we quickly developed a routine of elegant lunches out, with breakfast and dinner at “home” in Strand.  This worked particularly well in the Western Cape, home to what might well be the best food and wine I've ever enjoyed, in the most spectacular settings, and for the most reasonable prices. Too bad it’s not an easy weekend getaway!

Of course we saw birds.  Endemic to the Western Cape are many lovely sunbirds, including the Orange-breasted Sunbird and the Southern Double-collared Sunbird. 
Also African Penguins and Blue Cranes, the national bird of South Africa.

It wasn't all gorgeous scenery and birds.  Apartheid ended less than 25 years ago. While there is much to admire in this “rainbow nation,” South Africa still has a long road to walk. Income and opportunity disparities are huge, and fall largely along racial lines.  For more on this topic, try this recent New York Times Room for Debate feature.  We were lucky to visit the Cape Flats Townships and the city of Soweto, including the pre-prison home of Nelson Mandela (for black South Africans, think Mount Vernon).

If you would like to see movies set in post-apartheid South Africa, I would recommend three very different films: ”Invictus,” “Searching for Sugar Man” and “Material.” On the book front, I’ve read two series of thrillers- Deon Meyer’s Benny Greissel novels (first is “Devil’s Peak”) and Jassy Mackenzie’s Jade de Jong investigations (first is “Random Violence”). Despite translation (rom Afrikaans), Deon Meyers is the better writer and gives readers more of a window into the dynamics of 21st century South Africa. Alan Paton’s "Cry the Beloved Country,” first published in 1948, is still a beautiful and insightful read.

Postcard from South Africa- Part 1

Although we’ve been home for a couple of weeks, South Africa still looms large in my thoughts and dreams.  We spent a week or so in the northeast (KwaZulu-Natal Province), a week or so in the southwest (Western Cape Province), and (after missing our flight from O.R. Tambo to JFK) a bonus day in Johannesburg (Gauteng Province).  Along the way, we viewed game of all sorts, dipped into South African history and politics, and sampled some amazing food and wine.  Trip highlight- Mary saw 122 new bird species!
We began with a stay at Zulu Nyala, a private game reserve not far from the town of Hluhluwe. Our accommodations included early morning and late afternoon game drives, during which we saw cheetah
,
rhino,
elephant, buffalo, hippo,
 
giraffe, nyala, zebra, impala and more.

  
Seeing game at Zulu Nyala is not quite the same as seeing game “in the wild.” That we were more able to do on day trips to the St. Lucia Estuary (iSimangaliso Wetland Park) and Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Park, established in the 1890’s.Thanks to a massive conservation effort, Hluhluwe/iMfolozi has the largest concentration of white rhino in the world. 
This monitor lizard was bigger and faster than a gila monster. 



During our week in KwaZulu Natal, we saw the Southern Red-billed Hornbill, a very wet African Fish Eagle,
,
the Lilac-breasted Roller,the Marico Sunbird, the Brown-hooded Kingfisher,

and a four-foot tall Secretary Bird.
The Western Cape will be a separate post.