Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Postcards from South Africa 02.28.11
This is Noerdhoek Beach about 20 min outside of Cape Town. We LOVED it here! The beach is without reservation the most beautiful I have seen. What sets it apart from other beaches is its sheer size and the massive white sand dunes that line the beach. It is also a popular surfing spot.
Postcards from South Africa 02.27.11
The diversity of animals and scenery in S. Africa is breathtaking. These pics are from the beach near Simons Town. The Penguins are surprisingly friendly. When they hit the water, though, they are in their element. They zip around and spread their wings out like a bird in air!
This is way cooler than a deer sign.
The Penguins have a great view!
Best friends?
This is way cooler than a deer sign.
The Penguins have a great view!
Best friends?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Postcards from South Africa 02.25.11
So, to make a long (and fabulous) story short, Drew and I flew to Cape Town for a week's vacation, where we had the opportunity to stay with Harry -- our dear friend Nicky's brother. It was a true treat to get to know Harry better and we loved every moment of our time with him and exploring his city (one of South Africa's true jewels)! Over the next few "postcards" we'll be sharing images from our time there.
Been wondering where our blog posts have been? Well, let's just say the blog has been on vacation with us, enjoying our first extended break from internet in too many years to count.
Our first day was initiated by a search for where to purchase maps of the city (no GPS?? what do we do?!), remembering how to use said maps and exploring the very tip of the cape. We drove down the eastern side of the cape toward the Table Mountain National Park and the Cape of Good Hope, stopping in numerous sleepy beach towns along the way. Each beach town stop necessitated another con panna (=2 shots of espresso with a healthy dollop of whipped cream)... and one coffee shop surprised us with a GLUTEN FREE, CORN FREE, OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS chocolate cake! Let's just say we had no regrets when it came to eating dessert for breakfast this day.
A view from our breathtaking drive...
At the national park we were amazed by the striking change in scenery and rugged coastlines. BEAUTIFUL! Also beautiful? The wildlife. These baboons will jump in your car, roll up the windows, lock the doors and laugh at you for hours if you let them. They are amazingly intelligent animals and they fool tourists on a daily basis (aah, yes, you enjoy taking photos of me? see how you like it when I sneak up behind you and steal your camera!).
We parked the car at the Cape of Good Hope and hiked to Cape Point and back. By the end of the hike I'm sure Drew was sick of me reminiscing about my high school World History class, babbling on and on about Vasco de Gama (who I called Rosco) and all of the failed attempts to find a route to China via Africa. The shipwrecks in this area abound and it was fascinating to see how many of them were still visible from the coast!
Fun fact: the park actually has three capes! I had only remembered the Cape of Good Hope, but to fully round the cape you must also pass Cape Maclear and Cape Point.
By the end of the day we were already in love.
Been wondering where our blog posts have been? Well, let's just say the blog has been on vacation with us, enjoying our first extended break from internet in too many years to count.
Our first day was initiated by a search for where to purchase maps of the city (no GPS?? what do we do?!), remembering how to use said maps and exploring the very tip of the cape. We drove down the eastern side of the cape toward the Table Mountain National Park and the Cape of Good Hope, stopping in numerous sleepy beach towns along the way. Each beach town stop necessitated another con panna (=2 shots of espresso with a healthy dollop of whipped cream)... and one coffee shop surprised us with a GLUTEN FREE, CORN FREE, OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS chocolate cake! Let's just say we had no regrets when it came to eating dessert for breakfast this day.
A view from our breathtaking drive...
At the national park we were amazed by the striking change in scenery and rugged coastlines. BEAUTIFUL! Also beautiful? The wildlife. These baboons will jump in your car, roll up the windows, lock the doors and laugh at you for hours if you let them. They are amazingly intelligent animals and they fool tourists on a daily basis (aah, yes, you enjoy taking photos of me? see how you like it when I sneak up behind you and steal your camera!).
We parked the car at the Cape of Good Hope and hiked to Cape Point and back. By the end of the hike I'm sure Drew was sick of me reminiscing about my high school World History class, babbling on and on about Vasco de Gama (who I called Rosco) and all of the failed attempts to find a route to China via Africa. The shipwrecks in this area abound and it was fascinating to see how many of them were still visible from the coast!
Fun fact: the park actually has three capes! I had only remembered the Cape of Good Hope, but to fully round the cape you must also pass Cape Maclear and Cape Point.
By the end of the day we were already in love.
Postcards from South Africa 02.24.11
Here are a few more pics for the all the animal lovers out there.
Postcards from South Africa 02.23.11
Here are a few more pics from our safari in Pilanesburg National Park.
The Warthogs eat in fine style - from their knees!
Here is Dana looking for Hippos and Crocs from a little lookout area.
If you run out of gas on this road, don't walk home!
The Warthogs eat in fine style - from their knees!
Here is Dana looking for Hippos and Crocs from a little lookout area.
If you run out of gas on this road, don't walk home!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Postcards from South Africa: 02.22.11
Peek-a-boo!
Believe it or not, giraffes were hard to spot. I figured they'd be easy given their height.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Postcards from South Africa: 02.21.11
This hefty porker trapped our safari companions (and three small children) in the van for a good 30 minutes, determined to share their lunch. Fortunately, we hopped out of the van to explore the visitor's station (and eat some Simba Chips) just before he made his entrance.
Our host warned us that warthogs can be very unpredictable, so I kept my distance (this shot was definitely snapped by Drew as I pleaded for him to return to the car!).
I had "When I was a Young Warthog" from the Lion King stuck in my head for far too long yesterday. Thanks a lot, porker.
Postcards from South Africa: 02.20.11
SAFARI!! Our hosts were taking a visiting professor and his family (from Finland) to Pilanesberg Nat'l Park and they invited us to occupy the free spots in their "combi" (a high seated 10-passenger van). We headed out early in order to arrive to the park by 9am (still too late to catch animals at the watering holes but early enough to find them before the hot afternoon heat pushed them into the shade). We drove around for 2 hours and saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, wildebeasts, warthogs, a springbok, wild boars, and many other animals (most with funky horns) that we don't know the name of.
So? I'll devote a few posts to these beautiful creatures. We're still just overwhelmed that we had the opportunity to see them up close. We completely understand how so many people die in parks like this every year due to getting too close (and... um... out of their cars! that's all kinds of crazy) to the animals. They seem so serene and harmless, even when they tower above you and shake the ground when the walk.
Our hands down favorite animal took us both by surprise: the elephant. We were able to see a few throughout the day, but were most impressed by the elephant that strolled alongside our vehicle for a few minutes. These are simply majestic creatures. Their muscle mass is astounding and they seem so composed.
So? I'll devote a few posts to these beautiful creatures. We're still just overwhelmed that we had the opportunity to see them up close. We completely understand how so many people die in parks like this every year due to getting too close (and... um... out of their cars! that's all kinds of crazy) to the animals. They seem so serene and harmless, even when they tower above you and shake the ground when the walk.
Our hands down favorite animal took us both by surprise: the elephant. We were able to see a few throughout the day, but were most impressed by the elephant that strolled alongside our vehicle for a few minutes. These are simply majestic creatures. Their muscle mass is astounding and they seem so composed.
Postcards from South Africa: 02.19.11
Braaaai!!!
We celebrated the end of the week with our two Dutch flatmates, Maarten and Wietse (I've been trying to get that 2nd name right for two weeks now...), by braaing in the backyard. Our hosts have two braai pits, and Drew enjoyed doing things the South African way--warming the coals in a tin can and then spreading them out into the stone enclosure. We've been eating a lot of mutton, which is very popular here, and we absolutely love it. This here might be the longest (mutton) sausage we've ever worked with. It pretty much took up the entire grill.
Have we mentioned how much we love our Dutch flatmates? Laughter is never far away.
Happy Friday!
We celebrated the end of the week with our two Dutch flatmates, Maarten and Wietse (I've been trying to get that 2nd name right for two weeks now...), by braaing in the backyard. Our hosts have two braai pits, and Drew enjoyed doing things the South African way--warming the coals in a tin can and then spreading them out into the stone enclosure. We've been eating a lot of mutton, which is very popular here, and we absolutely love it. This here might be the longest (mutton) sausage we've ever worked with. It pretty much took up the entire grill.
Have we mentioned how much we love our Dutch flatmates? Laughter is never far away.
Happy Friday!
Postcards from South Africa: 02.18.11
After all I've learned about the role of communist ideals in shaping the anti-apartheid movement back in the 1970-80s, the spray paint I noticed on this house seemed photo worthy.
Postcards from South Africa: 02.17.11
The dirty remains of mining in South Africa. Gold, platinum, diamonds -- you name it, it's been tapped here in SA. This leave drinking water polluted, soil stripped, the earth eroded and piles of dirt visually polluting the African landscape. This mining mount is located just outside of Joburg, but they're everywhere. The government has been slowly trying to re-disseminate the earth and flatten these piles, but there's no doubt that it'll take ages.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Postcards from South Africa: 02.16.11
Can you believe how almost caught up I am, here? Fortunately, Drew's been fast asleep for the past hour and I'm making good progress.
A friend reminded me that we hadn't yet posted a photo of the house we're staying at (which happens to be at the intersection of "E. 6th and Why St"). The buzzer to the house reads "Why not?" Cute, no?
Our flat is the small building on the right--I believe you can just see the roof, here. There's where we are most days, typing and reading away! Unless we're up sipping espresso at our nearby cafe...
A friend reminded me that we hadn't yet posted a photo of the house we're staying at (which happens to be at the intersection of "E. 6th and Why St"). The buzzer to the house reads "Why not?" Cute, no?
Our flat is the small building on the right--I believe you can just see the roof, here. There's where we are most days, typing and reading away! Unless we're up sipping espresso at our nearby cafe...
Postcards from South Africa: 02.14.11
Goodbye, Dierk! Our German flatmate went back to Germany, and a few days later we welcomed two new flatmates from the Netherlands. Here, a photo of a braai we enjoyed with the Steyns as a goodbye to Dierk.
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