aroundtheworldwJudy: AFRICA: Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa

Many of the Semester at Sea community had intense and meaningful cultural experiences in the townships of Cape Town – service visits, school exchanges, a “jazz safari”, homestays, cooking classes, and city orientation tours. At the Post Port Reflection (an open-mike event which always takes place on our first night back on the ship) students and faculty alike discussed the sharp contrasts seen in South Africa: contrasts of poverty and wealth; contrasts of unbelievable beauty and street crime; contrasts of beautiful colonial architecture and the squatters communities; contrasts resulting from Apartheid and it’s end just 18 years ago.

Melvin arrived in Cape Town and our experiences there were less social/cultural and more related to nature and geography. In Cape Town we ascended Table Mountain – notice I did not say “climbed” because we waited 2 hot hours in line for the cable car up, hiked around on the top, took pictures, enjoyed ice cream, and then descended again via the cable car. Many of the SASers did climb and/or descend on foot. Much more challenging.

From the Victoria & Albert Marina, Table Mountain rises in the center of Cape Town. The commercial piers and other districts nestle to the south, east and north of Table Mountain. The different townships range further to the north and south of the mountain.

Melvin sends greetings from the V&A Marina district.

Its a rigorous hike but we chose to take the cable cars up instead.

On many days, clouds (called "the Tablecloth") gather on the top of Table Mountain. As we walked around enjoying the views the visibility was diminishing. One takes the cable car knowing that it may, at any time be shut down due to wind or rain. This photo was taken on our ride down - so we made it!

Louise, Linda, Melvin and I enjoyed High Tea in Cape Town at the Mt. Nelson Hotel where we dressed “Smart Casual” oh yes. The Mt. Nelson is a lovely colonial era hotel with gracious gardens outside and ample historical architectural drawings and botanical etchings inside. Lovely. The tea (or coffee) was very good and the crumpets, petit fours, and sweets were extraordinary!

Smart Casual

With a SAS group Melvin and I flew to Zimbabwe and Botswana to experience Victoria Falls and thrill to the wild animals on a game drive and two river cruises intended for spotting animals coming to drink and bathe.

In the small city of Victoria Falls we stayed at the Kingdom Hotel, visited the local craft market, and enjoyed the Zimbabwe dancers and drummers who welcome visitors at the airport, at the hotels, and at restaurants. The hotels and restaurants are lovely inside/outside open-air structures with numerous attentive staff waiting and working to make the visit extremely pleasant. And beds in the rooms have classic mosquito netting to prevent night bites. A sunset boat ride on the broad Zambizi River some miles above the falls was enchanting….capped off by the full moon rising over the river.

In Zimbabwe there appears to be an entire job category: dancers, drummers, and singers in traditional costume doing traditional songs to greet the foreign visiters. It's very nice!

This is the Zambizi River several miles above the falls. This great magnitude of water is peacefully heading toward the massive Falls.

"King George" was combination tour guide, local color, and security guard to keep people from sitting on the edge of the barge.

Lovely open spaces in the hotels and restaurants.

Necessary at night to prevent the malaria mosquitos from getting their blood meal - from us!

WHAT? Is that a GIANT standing bird...or a feathery monster.... beside those two elephants heading toward the river to drink?

Open-beak cranes in the tree tops at sunset.

No sooner did the sun sink to the west than the full moon rose to the east.

Crossing the border from Zimbabwe to Botswana was fascinating – and exactly as one might imagine a rural border crossing in the middle of Africa. Photography was PROHIBITED at the border!!!

(Hey Joe Lattuada – does this remind you?)

All the people were required to get out of their vehicles and stand in the hot sun in a long line entering one door of a small building, present documents face-to-face with a couple different immigration officers, and then file out the other door to enter a different vehicle. Our group of 34 did this both going to and coming from Chobe National Park in Botswana where we enjoyed the morning game drive and the afternoon in a broad, flat, covered barge on the Chobe River. We saw 4 of the “Big Five” – and that’s because Rhinos do not live in this region of Africa. At first we “flipped out” when we saw Impala and later we got to …“Oh,….. there are some more elephants…”

Nevertheless, very exciting for us city folk.

Our guide said this lionesse was waiting and stalking a nearby Cape Buffalo .... but then she yawned, got up, and sauntered around the bush. Did not look like a hunt to me.

A Saddle-beak Crane and two Egyptian Geese.

A white Egret and another bird are unconcerned about this lurking crocodile. They must know he is waiting for something larger - like an Impala who is vulnerable when the head goes down to drink.

This black Heron spreads it's wings to cast a shadow on the water so that it can spot the fish below - and quickly eat them out of the water.

What is a multitude of hippos called? Yes, these are many mothers and babies enjoying the afternoon river.
We did also see solitary males as well as hippos in much smaller groups.

By afternoon the thirsty elephants head toward the river or to a watering hole.

First the elephants drink then they soak in the waters. As they come out they blast sand and dirt all over themselves which gives them protection from the sun, protecting their delicate skin, like sunscreen.

Watchful guides drive and teach about the animals and birds, the vegetation and the ecosystems.

This buck Impala has a flock of females numbering 20-30 that he minds attentively. From time to time he will be challenged by males from the bachelor group, and if beaten will lose dominance and retire with the guys.

Visiting Victoria Falls was exhilarating! It was thundering sounds of cascading water, it was moist smells of tropical rain forest, it was wet, wet with mist both rising and falling, it was a rainbow-filled world of sensations! Very exciting! Even with raincoats and ponchos we were thoroughly drenched by the end of our 2+ hour walk along the opposite rim from the falls. Sometimes the air was opaque with water mist then suddenly the sun would shine through revealing the mighty falls and lighting the world up with multiple rainbows. Magical!