South Africa- safari and camping
We started and ended our safari in South Africa. Our initial exit to Botswana was a breeze. Re-entrance from Zimbabwe was a complete cluster. I think I went back into immigration 3 times, as no one could tell me all the pieces of paper and stamps I would need to cross the border until we would get to the gate. Going from Zimbabwe to South Africa was much less than desirable. Rude and grumpy workers and travelers alike. Signs were wrong or nonexistent. No one wanted to help. The place was a maze of buildings with long lines and no signs. So you would wait through one line only to be told you were in the wrong building. The South Africa customs officer might take the cake for lazy. He walked around the vehicle opened doors peaked inside and then wouldn't close them. He couldn't be bothered to lean into the bed of the truck to look into the refrigerator, so he made Brian unhook it and pull it out. The officer looked in the refrigerator for about 2 seconds and moved on. He seemed most concerned about Brian's travel box for his soap bar. We showed him what was inside and finally we were flagged through.
Surviving the annoyance, we continued on to Loius Trichardt for the night. We stayed in a guesthouse that I wish I could soon forget. It was dark and raining when we arrived, so camping didn't sound like much fun. The guesthouse was freezing, smelled like swamp, had carpet from 1980, and was dirty.
Next we stopped through Hazyview, South Africa. We camped at a great caravan site called Numbi Hotel and Garden Suites. Yay for clean showers and scully. It seems campers around the world are the same, helpful, nice, and look out for each other. We had at least 3 couples stop through our camp to make sure we had everything we needed. One couple even shared their firewood with us. So nice and it made my steak even better that night! Also, there was a landing strip in the back for light aircraft. The aircraft was so tiny it only held 1 person and the pilot. It looked like it shouldn't be able to fly. This was a great stop over point for Kruger National Park the next morning.
We had made reservations to camp in Kruger National Park. We chose the area by likeliness to see lion, not by best campsites. Not our usual camping. There were game fences that were locked at night, so definitely no animals in our site that night. Sites were close together and unorganized. We were able to pick our own site but it was really difficult to figure what a campsite was and then if it was open. We learned that you stay next to a small bbq stand in a big dirt parking area with lots of other bbq stands. Eventually, we found our home for the night. We dropped off our table and chairs and headed out for the day.
We loved Kruger NP, but it was wildlife for dummies. Thankfully, they had many rules to protect the animals, because the people visiting there would do anything for a photo. One example is the camp grounds being fenced in. Most of the tourist had no concept of keeping a clean campsite. Another great rule was no walking outside the fence anywhere in the park. Of course you know it would be the lion's fault that it ate you in its homeland because you walked up to it to get that perfect photo. The roads were nice, but there were cars everywhere. If you saw a mass of cars pulled over, it apparently meant you should join. Then instead of looking for yourself you roll down the window, ask your neighbor car what they see and ask them to point it out for you. Another great, what should be obvious, rule were the signs posted in the animal hides that stated you couldn't talk in the hides because it would scare off the animals. Really? That's necessary and not well known. At the picnic areas the signs stated choosing to feed wildlife is choosing to kill them with very vivid pictures to match. I loved the bluntness of the signage. It even said not to let the pesky monkeys steal food and be on alert. During our lunch we watched 3 different parties chose death over life. With all that said we had a great time, even though it was different for us to search for wildlife in a vehicle instead of hiking. However, foreign lands and ideas is why we travel.
In Kruger NP we finally got to see lions! We saw several groups. The first group were all lionesses and their cubs, there were about 11 or so. I was lucky enough to get to watch a lioness try to catch a wildebeest. The lions were lazing by the waterhole and the wildebeasts were thirsty. As the lion leaped to her feet and began chasing the wildebeast the dust bowl began. They kicked up so much dust it was tough to see what was happening. However, it appeared the wildebeest ran in a few circles then took off across the road. The lion dropped the chase to go back to relaxing. The second pride was 3 full grown males. Yikes, they were huge! The third time we saw lions it was a couple sleeping under a shade tree. They were sleeping back to back without a care in the world. The occasional tail flip would keep the flies off while they snoozed.
We stayed at Skukuza campground and the fence allowed us to walk about the grounds. It was so nice because they had informational signs about the parks history, animals, and plants. Also, there was a great store with all camping necessities and a great gift shop. We walked along the river and hung out near the restaurant to use some Wi-Fi. This area even included a gas station.
After heading out of the NP we decided it would be fun to drive the coast and camp along the way. We still saw animals, just aquatic ones instead of land fairing animals. Our first stop was St. Lucia wetlands. It sat near the coast, along a river leading to the Indian Ocean. We would walk the quarter mile boardwalk to the ocean. We saw many crocodiles (hence the boardwalk), hippos, and bull sharks in the river. The walkway opened up to a huge white sand beach. No buildings, no people which was perfect to rejuvenate the soul. Our campsite was great, we overlooked the river through the trees giving just enough privacy. The bugs were, of course, worse being close to the water. They loved coming out to feast on us around the hour before dusk until dark. The entire safari portion was this way, too. We called it "malaria hour" even though malaria wasn't much of a risk in the areas we visited, but welcome to my strange sense of humor.
Town was an easy kilometer walk. It felt very safe and people were so nice. St Lucia offered shopping, dining, and hotels. It was a great start to the exploration of the coast.
Our next stop along the coast was Port Shepstone. It was the perfect combination of isolation and people. We camped at a great hostel called The Spot Backpackers. It was nice to have access to a kitchen to cook and access to the beach to walk. They even had a dog on the property, Roxy. I felt like I cheated on our dog, because I accidently called her Emma. It made me miss her even more! The Spot also offered a wonderful staff and fun guests from around the world.
I walked the beach for several kilometers one day and saw about 10 people in that time. Of course, Roxy tagged along. This was the day I feel in love with the Indian Ocean! Beautiful beach, cool water, and powerful waves crashing into large black rocks. The water would hit the rock, waterfall back down, and funnel back into the next wave. I stood on the the water's edge and felt the power behind the waves. I watched the water churn and take sand out to sea with each crash. It made me want to wash out to sea and move with the fluidity of the ocean, just as tall buildings cause people to feel as though they want to leap to experience the free fall. I don't believe this will be the last time we meet, Indian Ocean.
Port Shepstone offered a wide variety of food at the Spar Grocery store. I nearly cried when we walked in because i was able to find gluten free products! It was so exciting! Homemade gluten free mac and cheese was definitely on the menu. We mostly ate in, but the area did seem to have restaurant and bar options.
Port St John's was next up. We stayed at a hostel, because the first place we tried to camp had recently burnt down...oops! The hostel was clean enough and the food was great! It had a very hippy vibe. We were fairly isolated, as we were staying near the beach.
We hiked to the blow hole that was about 20 minutes from our room. It was a bit precarious. The hike along the beach and through the area with dried vegetation wasn't so bad, but as we approached our destination things got more interesting. We hiked down a slick rock face with only an uncoiling, rusted cable to hold onto. All I could think about was being grateful for being up to date on my tetanus shot. Then down a 'ladder' held together with zip ties. Finally, up another ladder to the top of the blow hole. The water would spout way up into the air, then filter down the rock and back into the ocean.
We were near 2nd beach and hiked over to 3rd beach. It was mostly shaded, which was nice for my sun poisoning on my hands that hadn't recovered. Leave it to me to have to wear gloves in 80+ degree heat. We started to continue on passed 3rd beach but the bugs were too fierce for me. Both 2nd and 3rd beach had wonderful white, soft sand beaches. I had read bad reviews online about trash and broken glass. I saw none of that on our adventures on the beach. The hiking trails through the jungle were a different story however. It appeared someone had really taken care to ensure the beaches were cleaned up.
Lastly, we made our way to Coffee Bay. Small, cute little town with various camping and hostel options. The first night we camped right along the ocean and the second night in town. The 2nd night we camped on the grounds of a hostel. There were only a few dining options in the area.
Camping along the ocean was great. Calming sounds of the waves crashing and a nice breeze. Cooking breakfast in the morning felt completely the opposite. There was a chain link fence dividing the campground from the beach and the locals used the other side as their walkway. Fine, no big deal, right? Except the part where people would literally come and stand on the other side of the fence and stare. They would just stand there and watch me cook breakfast. I would smile and say 'hello' but typically they said nothing, just staring. Occasionally, they would offer something for sale. I felt like a zoo animal with no escape. My exceptional camp cooking skills couldn't be that interesting. The town was so small and with it being low season, all the locals knew where the tourists (all 10 of us) were in town.
We switched locations, much less staring and still near enough to the ocean to be able to hear it. We walked the beach and enjoyed the river that flowed to the ocean. We played ping pong (I received punishment from Brian) and we played pool (I kicked some Brian booty).
We had to turn back and head to Johannesburg at this point. The truck was due to be returned. We left 2 days to get back. The mileage wasn't bad, but road construction was terrible! Both down the coast and on the toll roads. That's right, we were paying to sit and wait to drive down half torn up roads. It appeared that crews would tear them up and leave them to be repaved at an undetermined time. The flag team was always out to warn of the deconstruction, but literally I can think of two times I actually saw work being done. I am guessing we drove through a hundred road construction zones.
We stayed the night in Bloemfontein. I only mention it because we stayed at Odessa's guesthouse and they were so kind. It was right off the N1. Bloemfontein is both the capital of the Free State and judicial capital of South Africa.
In Johannesburg we hit up the Apartheid Museum. It was really interesting and hard to believe the apartheid existed so recently. The museum was well done. It's exhibits were organized by the timeline of events leading up to and through the end of the segregation. There were videos, thousands of photos, artwork, and many people highlighted throughout the era. The Nelson Mandela exhibit wasn't open yet (but we did visit Robben Island in Capetown, more on that later).
Most of Johannesburg was just meh, but I did enjoy the Maboneng neighborhood. Can't say we will be rushing back to Johannesburg, but we will definitely be heading back to South Africa. We caught a flight from Jo'burg to Capetown. Read about our Capetown and Stellenbosch experience in our next South Africa post!