Cape of Good Hope

Wild baboons were ever present.

Penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

Daisse - distant relative of the elephant.

Rock polishing at Scratch Pad.

Dinner at Kalk Bay. Calamari was a huge hit.

Having visited many of the sites in Cape Town, we headed for a full day trip down to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope, followed by a stop to see a penguin colony and an unexpected visit to a rock polishing company. Though the latter shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that has been to the Beaver Creek General Store and watched the girls take great pains in selecting various polished stones that can be purchased at General Store pricing!! We have read and heard so many stories of the Cape of Good Hope so it was an amazing experience to actually go there and look out at the same area discovered by da Gama and Vasco in the late 15th century. The views were spectacular and we enjoyed seeing baboons, ostrich and Anna spotted a dassie - an small evolutionary relation to the elephant based on feet and teeth. After visiting the Cape, we headed back on the eastern route of the Cape and stopped at Boulders Beach to view penguins and stop at Scratch Pad - the rock polishing company. We enjoyed dinner in Kalk Bay while watching the fisherman bring in the day's catch. 

South African Winelands

Tasting at Simonsig.

Simonsig tasting facility - beautiful.

The drive to Franschhoek.

Statue at La Motte.

Cheers from a gourmet lunch at La Motte.

La Motte tasting room and art gallery.

Fermentation tanks at Klein Constantia. 

We knew that there is a great deal of excitement around South African wines. South Africa ranks 7th in the world in wine production and the quality gets better and better with each vintage. Wine has been made in South Africa for 300 years and a late harvest wine from Constantia was a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte and is mentioned in the writing of Dickens. The country's signature grape - pinotage - makes interesting, full-body red wines. We had no idea that this excitement translated into a blossoming food and wine culture. The wine farms (what wineries are called in South Africa) are as beautiful as they are impressive. Steve was awestruck at the investment made in relatively small production wine farms. We visited the wine farms in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek Valley and Constantia, including Simonsig, La Motte and Klein Constantia. We enjoyed gourmet lunches (Steve tried Springbok) which cost less than 3 pizzas and a bottle of water in Switzerland. While the world is now starting to catch-on to these wines, happily the pricing of these wines is still accessible for most wine lovers. 

South Africa's Garden Route

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Monkeyland - fantastic stop for the family.

Breakfast at Bitou River Lodge - really nice.

Bitou River Lodge came with dogs, cats and ponies.

Dolphins accompanied us on our whale watch.

A day in the life of a sea. 

It was difficult to leave the beauty and comfort of Camp's Bay, but our South African friends advised that a trip up the Garden Route would be worth the drive. The Garden Route is a popular and scenic stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa. We left Cape Town and enjoyed the drive, getting to see both coastal and in-land parts of the country. We stopped in Kynsa on the way, then checked into the Bitou River Lodge - a lovely 6 room inn on the banks of the tranquil Bitou River. Equipped with dogs, cats, ponies, and easy access to Plettenberg, it had something for everyone. Cindy, the lovely host, helped us make arrangements for dinner at Enrico's, a eatery sitting on the beach with fantastic views and equally fantastic food, and whale watching the next day. A trip to Monkeyland, a refuge for pet monkeys abandoned by their human owners, was a hit with the entire family. The Brydes - a shy and little understood whale reaching 50 feet in length, cooperated as much as these shy whales do. Never fear - the Bottlenose dolphins were out for some fun with our boat and swam with us most of the way. The seals were out in force in both number and smell. Even better - we only got mildly seasick and didn't have to join the other passengers in feeding the fish our partially digested breakfast!We enjoyed viewing them and watching the complex social life on a seal colony. It was a fantastic adventure out of Cape Town and we relish the opportunity to experience this part of South Africa's paradise.

Zambia and Victoria Falls

Livingstone, Zambia.

Greeters at Zambizi Sun hotel.

Guided tour of Victoria Falls.

Activity along the shore; really close to the Falls.

Spray from the Falls.

Despite the rain gear - we were totally soaked.

View of Victoria Falls from helicopter.

Livingstone International Airport.

Having spent a fantastic week touring Cape Town and the Cape area, we headed to Livingstone, Zambia, to celebrate Steve's birthday. We stayed at the lovely Zambezi Sun Lodge. We immediately took a guided tour of the falls. Victoria Falls is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and is the largest sheet of falling water in the world. We visited during the high water flow season - the falls were absolutely incredible. At over 1 mile wide and 360 feet tall, the water thunders over the falls creating a plume of water spray rising hundreds of feet above the falls. Despite wearing rain gear, all of us were completely soaked. We were joined on our tour by two couples from Johannesburg and had great fun marveling at the power and beauty of mother nature. It is difficult to appreciate the width of the falls when viewing from the ground - the spray created by the falling water limits the ability to see. We were told that a helicopter ride over the falls is a must - so we treated ourselves and are glad we did. Seeing the falls from above creates a different feeling of awe.

We celebrated Steve's birthday with a wonderful dinner at the Royal Livingston Lodge, where we sampled African cuisine and lovely wines from South Africa. Like the other peoples of Africa we've met, the people of Zambia are friendly and welcoming. We were sad to leave and would love to go back.