SOUTH AFRICA, THE RAINBOW NATION...CHARM BEYOND WORDS

Two years of preparation for this adventure brought my family & close friends to South Africa. Since this is the farthest destination we’ve ever planned, we decided to cover at least two neighboring countries including Zimbabwe and Botswana to save on travel. Our expectations of these places were a little sketchy but surprisingly it turned out to be the most amazing adventure! Our long journey from the US (33 hours) brought us first to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. You could go to any of United’s European destinations & take Star Alliance from there. Due to the distance & multi segments, we chose to buy confirmed tickets from SFO months in advance while they were still reasonably priced for peace of mind. ZIMBABWE Our first stop was the city of VICTORIA FALLS, a gateway to the iconic, massive, and most beautiful waterfalls of the same name. It is referred to as “The Smoke That Thunders”, one of Earth’s great spectacles, the Seventh Natural Wonder of the World, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It consists of multiple series of gorges and falls with major forceful drops of sheer power. We also planned to witness the “Lunar Rainbow”, or moon bow, which can be seen for three nights of each lunar cycle during a full moon. The moon bow is created by the ever-present misty spray of the falls as light from the moon is refracted by water particles creating a rainbow effect. Although it is something different, I must say that it was more fun to see the falls at daytime. Next day’s highlight was the much-anticipated Zambezi River sunset cruise. What could be better than an open bar sunset cruise soaking up the beauty of Africa on the Zambezi River? As we peacefully drift along the river, we admire the splashes of color that the setting sun paints in the sky as well as the wildlife in the serenity of this place. At the end of the cruise, we immersed ourselves with the taste of unique cuisines such as impala meat, buffalo meat & worms (yes worms!) in BOMA restaurant. BOTSWANA An easy land transfer from Zimbabwe is a day trip to this wonderful safari destination. Botswana is an astonishing place home to wildlife spectacles where we did both the Thebe River boat safari, and the mobile safari in Chobe National Park. Chobe is famous for its massive elephant population, which overwhelmed our travel buddy Delano’s professional cameras, as well as our phone cameras. The baby animals are so cute, glued close to their mothers or underneath them. What a sheer display of wildlife in their natural habitat! It was an amazing experience, from seeing herds of buffalo swimming across the river like a migration, to the sunbathing crocodiles and hippos in the bank. From herds of kudus under the trees and crossing our way, to families of monkeys walking along our path. Even the baby elephants were just so adorable you would want to take them home! After our delicious lunch we embarked on a land safari in Chobe to watch more interesting wild animals in action in this wilderness. It is very clear that the strength of family ties is evident among these wonderful animals. From Zimbabwe we flew confirmed via our Star Alliance partner, South African Airways to Johannesburg as our point of entry into South Africa. SOUTH AFRICA, THE RAINBOW NATION To my regret, I had put off visiting South Africa for such a long time. Despite my travel experience, I was worried & discouraged by its reputation for crime as well as the distance. On the contrary, people were friendly, and it was peaceful and just plain beautiful! The distance was all worth it. We touched down in Johannesburg & after a night’s rest, we made our way to the CRADLE OF HUMANKIND, known as the Birthplace of Humanity. We put the origins of humans into perspective at the Sterkfontein Caves just outside of Johannesburg and witnessed an intriguing window into our collective past. It is here that some of the most important fossils were found. The network of limestone caves and old mines at Sterkfontein holds one of the most renowned paleontological sites in the world, made famous by a breakthrough in 1947 when an almost perfect adult skull nicknamed “Mrs. Ples” was found. The skull dates to over 2 million years providing valuable evidence for the origins of human evolution in Africa. Next stop was Kruger National Park for another safari into the wilderness. There we witnessed a hyena family, leopards, lions, zebras, giraffes, kudus, buffalos, and elephants. We even experienced monkeys roaming our rest stops, stealing our fruits or chasing us. What’s more interesting is where we stayed for a couple of nights called “Hippo Hollow” with cute chalet bungalows and a resident hippo roaming in the backyard, and peacocks roaming about. I swear the hippo was in the vicinity of our chalet one night making loud noises. On our third day we went to a place called GOD’S WINDOW on the Drakensberg escarpment in Mpumalanga, which is known as Paradise Country. Gods Window is named for the panoramic view of the Lowveld more than 900 m down into lush forest clad ravine. Despite the fog during our early morning visit, the incredible view was still evident and so enigmatic. By the time we reached our main destination, the “Mother City” of CAPE TOWN, we were hooked on South Africa! Its beauty is incomparable with any other country we’ve seen! We filled our 5 days here (not enough) climbing TABLE MOUNTAIN with an incredible sweeping view of the city. Flanked by Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head, Table Mountain makes up the northern end of the Cape Fold Mountain range. Legend has it that the tablecloth of clouds that pours over the mountain when the southeastern wind blows is the result of a smoking contest between the devil and a retired sea captain called Jan Van Hunks. Blessed with crisp blue skies, we rode on a cable car and enjoyed the spectacular view from the peak. V&A WATERFRONT by the Atlantic shore was a relaxing place to chill and enjoy the view of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. From here we caught the ferry to ROBBEN ISLAND where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, learning the history of the “Apartheid” period. Robben Island is known as the unique symbol of “triumph of the human spirit over adversity, suffering, and injustice” with a rich 500 year old multi-layered history representing the important aspects of South Africa’s past. BO KAAP is one of the most photographed places in Cape Town. This place is formerly called the Malay Quarter where these rental houses called “huurhuisjes” were built and rented to slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia, and other African countries. It was told that while on lease these houses were originally painted white. When that law was lifted and the former slaves were allowed to buy the houses, they painted them bright colors as an expression of their freedom. They are indeed very attractive & unique. Ready for African wine? WESTERN CAPE is home to world-class vineyards of South Africa where the country's two most famous wine regions, Stellenbosch and Paarl are located. What a wonderful “African Wine Tasting” experience complete with views of the mountains from the terrace of the vineyard. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE is where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet at the Southwestern most tip of Africa, offering a stunning view of the sea. Along our way on each stop are smaller charming Victorian villages which are absolutely adorable, really giving us a different view on South Africa that you wouldn’t feel anywhere else in the world. A visit to Seal Island and Boulder beach of African penguins was a bonus! Finding awesome beauty & wilderness in South Africa changed our perspective. South Africa possesses dramatic mountain ranges, golden coast lines, wildlife-stalked wilderness, vibrant cities, and centuries of history. South Africa is amazing! It is worth traveling 30+ hours to.