As we rambled down a South African highway in my friend Joy Dean’s truck, thoughts of Homer’s “The Odyssey” flashed though my mind. “This trip is a cornucopia of different experiences and sights” I thought to myself.
 

Fort Klapperkop	Melrose House	Kruger House	Dopper Church

After spending the first night of my South Africa trip at Joy’s home near Johannesburg, we started our week-long driving tour in Pretoria, the country’s administrative capital. In Pretoria we visited Fort Klapperkop, an old Dutch fort built during the Anglo-Boer War, and Melrose House, the home of businessman George Jesse Heys. Named after Melrose Abbey in Scotland, the house was the headquarters for the British army during the Anglo-Boer War and the Peace Treaty of Vereeniging which ended the war was signed there in 1902. Next we stopped at the home of Paul Kruger, the first President of the Republic of South Africa, and the nearby Dopper Church, the Dutch Reform church where Kruger was pastor. After a brief stop in front of the Union Building, the office of South Africa’s president, we headed for the countryside.
 

Dutch Reformed Church in Dullstrom		About two hours from Pretoria, we stopped in Dullstrom, a quaint town where many South Africans go for rest and relaxation. On the edge of town I noticed a small, picturesque Dutch Reformed Church.  The
Voortrekker Church in Lydenberg		church’s cornerstone was written in the Afrikaans Language and indicated that the church was built in 1905. “This cornerstone was laid by President Burger, the last Dutch State President” Joy said. Just outside of town,
"The Pinnacle" at Blyde River Canyon		we stopped at a monument to British soldiers killed during the Anglo-Boer War.  Further on, we stopped in Lydenberg, where some of the original Dutch settlers in South Africa built the first Voortrekker church and school in 1838.  “The Dutch settlers in South Africa were called Voortrekkers” Joy explained.

 Traveling on, we passed through the small town of Pilgrim’s Rest. “It is said that the name came from an early settler who said ’now this pilgrim can rest’ when he arrived” Joy said. Next we proceeded to Blyde River Canyon where we saw a huge quartz pillar called Pinnacle by locals, and God’s Window, where Xi threw the coke bottle back to the gods in the closing scene of the 1984 movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy.” Then we saw the potholes, a place where milling water has caused holes in solid rock where the Blyde River and the Trevr River meet. Near the end of the day we saw the “Three Rondavels” which are rock formations that resemble local rondavel homes. Just before dark, we rented a cabin at the Adventura Resort-Blyde River overlooking Blyde Canyon.

"God's Window"	The Potholes	Blyde River	Three Rondavels

 As we ate steaks we grilled over an open flame, I noticed a curious sign on our door. “Beware of the Monkeys! For your own safety and comfort, please keep your doors and windows closed.” Waking up the next morning, we realized there was a reason for the sign. “What the heck was that” I said as I sat up in bed while something was stirring around in the kitchen. “Shoo, Shoo, get out”   I heard Joy shout as she chased two baboons that were eating our leftovers out of the kitchen. “Bloody monkeys, they’re just a nuisance” Joy remarked as she closed the windows.

Leaving the Blyde Canyon area, we traveled through the scenic Drakensburg Mountains on winding roads and through long tunnels. As we drove along I noticed several native South African women wearing colorful clothing walking along side of the road while balancing huge baskets and boxes on their heads. “That is how they carry things around” said Joy as we entered the J.G. Strijdom Tunnel, which was named after a former Prime Minister. On the other side of the mountains we entered the small town of Hoedspruit, where we visited the Kapama Cheetah Breeding Center. “Stay inside the vehicle” said our guide as we pulled into the gates of the breeding center. While there we saw several cheetahs lounging around in the shade, and a pack of wild dogs. “These dogs cannot be domesticated” said our guide as we drove past them. “They may be subservient for a while, but at some point they definitely will attack” she said.
 

Wild Dog	Cheetah	Zebra	Water Buffalo

Impala	Giraffe	Ground Hornbill	Baboon

A couple of hours drive from Hoedspruit we entered the Orpen Gate of Kruger National Park where we rented a cabin in the Skukuza Camp. “Skukuza is the Tsonga word for ‘he who sweeps clean,’ a reference to the first warden who removed the original inhabitants to make way for the park” Joy said. On our first game drive that afternoon, we spotted several elephants, a wildebeest, ground hornbill, impala, saddle billed stork, buffalo, giraffe, and a gray duiker. The following morning’s game drive afforded us the opportunity to view a leopard tortoise, wattled plover, more baboons, rock monitors, guinea fowl, brown snake eagle and some dung beetles. As we drove along the dirt road, Joy remarked that everything one needs to survive is in the brush. “Here is a toothbrush bush” she said as she demonstrated how one could use the bush to brush his teeth. “And this is a toilet paper bush” she said as she plucked a large, soft leaf from the bush.

When we left Kruger, we headed for the Kingdom of Swaziland, a small country bordering South Africa. “Swaziland is one of the last absolute monarchies in Africa” Joy said. “King Mswati III rules by decree” she added. As we headed for Mbabane, the capitol, we had to stop several times for cows to cross the road. As we arrived in the capitol, we stopped at the Ngwenya Glass Factory and watched as several skilled craftsmen blew white hot glass into everything from wine glasses to Christmas ornaments. “The name ’Ngwenya’ means crocodile in Swati” said a clerk as she showed me a crocodile shaped Christmas ornament. We then visited Swaziland’s Parliament Building and the tomb of King Sobhuza II, the kingdom’s previous king. Just before dark we stopped at a huge roadside crafts market where I found some wonderful bargains on some hand carved bowls and masks.

A man takes white-hot     glass from the oven to be blown into shape.	The Swazi Parliament Building	The Tomb of King Sobhuza II	Making bees wax candles at the Swazi Candle Factory

After staying overnight at the Bethel Court Hotel, we started the next day at a local Swazi cultural village. As our guide, Mbaluzi, showed us around the village of thatched huts, he explained some Swazi customs and traditions. “The youngest son of the king who has no brothers or sisters becomes ruler when the king dies” he said.
“Our current king has 11 wives at the present” he added. “For a Swazi man to marry a virgin, he must pay the girl’s family a dowry of about 17 cows” he said. “If the girl is not a virgin, then he negotiates” he added with a chuckle. Next, we drove to the Swazi Candle Factory and watched as several people hand made candles from bee’s wax.
	Above, The Swazi Cultural Village

 “The method of making candles has remained the same for hundreds of years” said a lady as she hand sculpted a candle. We then crossed the border back into South Africa and drove to the largely resort area of St. Lucia. As we walked up to the beach, we saw a sign that said “beware of crocodiles and hippos.” Taking a closer look, we saw two crocodiles and a hippo sunning themselves on a small island across from the beach. “I learned my lesson with the monkey sign at Blyde Canyon” I said as turned around. “I don’t think I want to get on a first name basis with those fellows” I bellowed as we got back into the truck to head for our room at the Cormori Guest House.

Crocodiles and Hippos in St. Lucia	A giant Hump Back Whale	This whale showed his tail!!

 The following morning we boarded a small boat for my first whale watching trip. As a large tractor backed the boat trailer into the Indian Ocean from the beach, the captain said ”put your hands between your legs, grip the bar tightly and pull yourself down onto the seat. Don’t let go for any reason.” Just at that time a huge breaker crashed over the bow and left about a foot of water in the boat. What followed was a five minute ride more breathtaking than any theme park ride I have ever been on. As the captain dashed between breakers, he would alternately thrust the boat full speed ahead and then stop, looking for just the right moment to jump the next overwhelming wave. As we jumped the mammoth waves, the boat would shoot into the air and then drop what seemed like twenty to thirty feet while simultaneously filling up with salt water. Just at the moment that I decided in my mind that we may not make it, we were past the breakers and on to smoother sailing. “That was pretty fun, eh” said the captain with a laugh while noting that my usually red face had turned bright green. Ten minutes later we were within feet of colossal hump back whales. This is spectacular I thought as whales weighing several tons jumped out of the ocean seemingly with ease. “Try not to make them mad. They are several times larger than this boat” I joked with the captain. Later that afternoon, we were off to Durban, South Africa’s second largest city. On the way, we made a detour into Stanger to visit the grave and museum of Shaka Zulu. “King Shaka’s royal village was called Dukuza, and his grave is on that site” said a guide at the museum who was also salting down cow hides to be used in drums. When we arrived in Durban, we made a whirlwind pass through the city visiting City Hall and Farewell Square, which has more monuments than any other square in South Africa. We then drove to Pietermaritzburg and checked into a small family owned guest house for the evening. The following morning we began to tour the city in earnest. It was hard to escape both the English and Dutch influence in this area. We visited the City Hall, an old ornate building which houses one of the largest pipe organs in the Southern Hemisphere, the Judicial Building, the capitol building of KwaZulu-Netal Province, Pretorius House, named after a founder of South Africa, and the Church of the Vow, with its adjoining museum with relics of the Voortrekkers.

Durban City Hall	Pretorius House	Pietermaritzburg City Hall	Pietermaritzburg Depot

Of particular interest was the train station monument to M. K. Gandhi, who was evicted from a first class train car here in 1893 and who developed his policy of peaceful resistance as a result. Traveling to our next stop, we visited Fort Durnford near Estcourt, and then stopped in Howick, where we saw a spectacular water fall and shopped in several antique stores
Just outside of town, we saw a monument which marked the spot where Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962. Moving on, we headed back through the Drakensburg Mountains where we stayed at the Berghaven Cottages.
“This view is breathtaking” I said to Joy as we sipped some fine South African wine and ate grilled steak.	Above, the water fall at Howick, and Fort Durnford near Estcourt

Making friends with a falcon!	Great picture of an eagle	View near our cabin	Playful springbok!

The following morning we went to a fowl sanctuary where we saw a demonstration by owls, eagles and falcons. I almost felt like a child again when I had the chance to actually hold one of the falcons. On the last night in The Drakensburg Mountains, a playful springbok came by the cabin to play. “That it pretty unusual” Joy said as I petted the animal. “Usually they are pretty shy” she said. The next morning, we drove back to Johannesburg for me to catch my flight home. “I have seen so much on this trip, it is almost impossible for me to comprehend” I thought to myself as my plane took off for the United States. “What a great odyssey” I thought.

A few more pictures of South Africa.  Click on the photo to enlarge.