White Shark Africa

Cabo San Lucas

You know, I could be perfectly content to vacation on a beach somewhere hot and tropical with a beer or an umbrella adorned cocktail in one hand and a book in the other. A little shopping, a spa treatment or two and all my meals expertly prepared by somebody (anybody) else. But I had two sons. And every time I would suggest such a vacation, they would stare at me open-eyed and inquire, "yeah, but what are we going to do there?" So what we did or rather what they wanted us to do became the driving force behind our family vacations.

Crkey! It's a long way down into the glacier!

Zip-lining in the Costa Rican canopy, underground snorkeling in cenotes and cave rivers in the Yucatan, heli-skiing in British Columbia, ice-climbing on glaciers in Alaska and fly-fishing alongside bears catching salmon in the Brooks River.

with the bears of Katmai

And if that last one does not sound adventurous to you, let me tell you it most certainly is. As soon as the seaplane lands on the Katmai shore, you are greeted by a National Park Ranger at the waters' edge who instructs you on the way to behave when you encounter a bear on the lodge grounds, in the river when you're fly-fishing or on the hike from the lodge through the woods over to the observation platform.

Don't run!

Not if, but when. (Clap and make a lot of noise with your bear bells, slowly back up, and whatever you do, do not turn and run.)

And that is how I found myself on a boat speeding out of Mossel Bay towards shark-infested waters in order to climb into a steel cage and encounter great white sharks face to face. Yes I could have stayed back at the resort, had that cocktail and read that book but I never would have heard the end of it from my son and husband if I did.

And like most things I have done as a result of indulging my sons and husband, they end up being a ton of fun. It was a beautiful morning, the water was super warm and the shark sightings had been very good in the preceding days. We were in for some fun.

White Shark Africa came highly recommended by my friends at Kariega, all of whom survived their encounters with their limbs intact. And everyone who was on the boat with us that morning looked sane to me and non-suicidal. Ok, let's do it!

As soon as we dropped anchor and lowered the shark cage into the water, the crew started chumming. It didn't take long before several silhouettes started appearing in the water. Once some sharks were committed to the dance, the diving began. I climbed into the cage with only a snorkel mask on. The crew threw a large chum bait float on a rope into the water in front of us to attract the sharks and lure them over towards the cage.

The spotter yells either "down ahead" or "down left" or "down right" depending on where you should look and down you go under the water looking through your mask in that direction.

If you're lucky, you watch the shark swim at close range by the cage. If you're really lucky - or really unlucky depending on your level of nervousness - he crashes into the cage right at your face. Yes I was really lucky and let me tell you, it scared the freakin' crap out of me.

See?

I survived! And yet ...

Not without a little post-traumatic-shark-syndrome.

I cannot really describe the chilling feeling you get when you see the shark grab the bait and do his death roll right in front of your face.   

His crooked teeth inches from your nose.

His cold steely eyes looking right at you while he does it.

I was so happy to be behind bars!

Karoo Olives

We first discovered the culinary pleasures of freshly pressed olive oil when we were on the Mayle Trail in Provence. Peter Mayle had talked about his source for olive oil in his book A Year in Provence which we tracked down on our Michelin map by his landmark descriptions and visited when we were in France on one of our annual anniversary trips.

We bought an empty jug and filled it with EVOO straight from the cold press. The taste is indescribably delicious!

After that we brought our trusty jug with us whenever we traveled to France or to Italy or to Greece or even to exotic Napa Valley and we refilled it with the local olive oil harvest. The olive oil estates would usually oblige us with a waxed seal on our cork stopper so that we could safely bring the jug home with us in our suitcases to our very own kitchen without incident. We never once sprung a leak!

Unfortunately we left our trusty jug in storage during our recent holiday in the Klein Karoo. It is packed away in the USA. But just as fortunately, we didn't need it at De Rusticus Olive Estate.

They provided their award-winning premier extra virgin in secure olive tins. Easy to pack and transport, they are a perfect Christmas souvenir. And it will be just as easy to enjoy in the new year back home in Joburg.









And I bought a new ceramic Karoo olive oil jug to bring with me on future tastings!

Sun City, Sin City

Just as I do not enjoy betting at the horse track, I do not enjoy gambling in the casino. And although I have been to many of the world's biggest gambling playgrounds -  Monte Carlo, the Caribbean, ... Connecticut - I have never pulled a single slot handle or placed a chip on a roulette wheel board in them. I go for other reasons. For instance, even though I lived in New Jersey for all those many years, I only visited Atlantic City once. And that was to see the Monopoly Boardwalk, the Margate Elephant and the Absecon Lighthouse. Didn't ante up at the gaming tables once.

And I could have lived my entire life quite happily without ever setting foot in Las Vegas had it not been for the fact that our Colorado River white water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon began and ended with a helicopter ride from Sin City. But unless seeing Cirque du Soleil in Vegas is a sin, I am still pure as the driven snow.



Pilanesberg National Park, where we went on safari at Christmastime, borders on Sun City, South Africa's closest equivalent to Las Vegas. And since we had a couple of hours to kill before our flight took off for Port Elizabeth for the next leg of our holiday vacation, we spent those hours visiting South Africa's Sin City, ... Sun City.





But once again though we did not take in the pleasures of the dome that is the Palace of the Lost City.





 

Instead we visited Kwena Gardens with its Nile crocodiles living in their natural habitat.

Kwena Gardens is a crocodile sanctuary right on the grounds of Sun City.












 And it is also a refuge for the tiny (compared to the croc) Nile monitors.

 
They also have a meerkat colony and a bird sanctuary. It was all quite nice.

And for those of you keeping score, technically I am still a gambling virgin.

After the Rains

It is the nature of the safari guide / guest relationship that the guide feels a responsibility for his guests to see the animals they came on safari to see. Dare I say it? The Big Five for starters. Not that he or she can really do much about it. Wild animals have a territory and a terrain they prefer. They sometimes leave clues, and there is some predictability in their movement. But basically that is it. Weather is a factor. Water availability. The thickness of the bush. The last kill or the amount an animal needs to eat to survive. After that, it is just luck.

And yet there is the palpable undercurrent of responsibility that weighs heavy on the safari guide and a (mostly) unspoken expectation of the guest. I cringe when I hear someone say, "If I do not see a leopard, I will not be satisfied!" And I am sure it sends a chill up the spine of the guides as well.

giraffe in the mist

But even though I know in my heart that it is only the wild animal itself that is in control of its movement and viewing availability, I have felt the responsibility as well when I bring guests on safari. I want them to see all the animals I have seen. I want them to come away from Africa feeling full of love for it as I am. And I have even less control than the guides do.

When it is just Vince and I, we have the luxury of taking on the attitude that we will see what the park wants to show us a la Peter Hall. We can come back anytime. But when Alex was visiting from California for a finite amount of time, I felt much more of the pressure to deliver.

So I knew Bert, our guide at Tambuti Lodge, was feeling the pressure too on the morning after Boxing Day. The Boxing Night drive had been pretty much a wash-out. The mist and fog had made game viewing difficult and the subsequent rain made it impossible. The animals had all taken cover and were shut in for the night. Only the hippos did not seem to notice the rains!



But just as every cloud has a silver lining, there is a bright side to a game drive wash-out. Even the animals get cabin fever!

So the next morning they were out in full force. We saw the elusive leopards, more rhino, elephants, a couple of male lions (up to that point, we had seen only females and cubs.) And much, much more.

I will never forget the sounds too. The bush sounded alive with a cacophony of birds all singing their individual songs.

Bert was visually relieved. And quite frankly, so was I!

Tambuti's Spotted Eagle Owls

When I was in high school I needlepointed an image of an owl which I subsequently framed. It was probably the easiest kit available at the shop at the time and I was just starting out.

But this fluke decision must have sent a signal like an APB to friends and relatives far and wide. The next thing I knew, I started receiving owl motif presents as souvenirs from people's travels, as birthday presents and as gag gifts. Bookends, jewelry, statues, paintings. They would all say, "oh I noticed you like owls" or "I saw that you collect owls so I bought you this." And although I wanted to say, "No, not especially," I didn't want to be rude so I found myself saying instead, "Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you so much." The gifting kind of died a natural death as owls in the 80's stopped being the rage they were in the 70's, but by that point I had amassed quite a collection of them which I moved with me from house to house.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago in the autumn of 2011. My niece Jill came to visit me in New York from Boston where she was going to college. As we were shopping for clothes at the newly opened Joe Fresh in Union Square, Jill pointed out an owl-patterned tee shirt on a rack. "You should get that," she said. "My mom told me you like owls."

I hadn't really noticed but owls had made a comeback while I wasn't looking. Maybe it was Harry Potter or maybe the hard-to-fathom 70's revival. They were suddenly hip again and they had showed up everywhere. But I didn't want to acquire another flock! So I came clean. "Your mother is wrong! I do not collect owls. I never really did."




But you know what? I was oddly attracted to it. It was a cute tee shirt. And owls are pretty cool. This snow owl was the centerpiece for the Bergdorf Goodman Christmas windows display right after Jill's visit in 2011.












And I had just bought these new Warby Parker eyeglass frames that kinda made me look like a snowy owl when I wore them. What the heck. So I bought it!

And now I must admit, I am kinda happy I have my old 70's owl collection. It reminds me of a wonderful time in my life and not to mention, it provides endless opportunities for gag gifts from my family and friends, ... and in this case, as a muse for my very own Christmas decorating that year.







And as a matter of fact Tambuti Lodge, where we recently stayed in Pilanesberg National Park, reminded me once again of my owl collection. They collect owls too. Granted, they are rescue owls and they are alive, but it's a collection nonetheless.

They are part of an owl breeding program the Lodge is initiating. They give injured and abandoned owls an opportunity to live in comfort and safety in their natural environment. And the hope is for them to successfully breed and increase the population of spotted eagle owls in Pilanesberg.












As it happens I had brought that same Joe Fresh owl tee shirt with me on safari. What a coincidence! I checked Tambuti's owls out and I have to admit, they had me at "Whoo!"

Boxing Day Firsts

I do not think I will ever tire of seeing the wild animals of Africa in their natural habitat. Every sighting is a blessing and every encounter a gift. Even the repeats like the ever-present herds of impalas which you find around almost every corner. Each time I see them, my appreciation for these beautiful animals only intensifies. Their innate gracefulness, their delicate features, their balletic agility.

But there is something just so exciting about seeing something brandy new for the very first time. Whether it is a previously unseen species of animal or a unique characteristic of a particular sighting or a new display exhibited by a familiar animal. Boxing Day in Pilanesberg proved to be another day of firsts.

We saw a new example of the many species of antelope, the Tsessebe  We have seen many varieties of antelope on safari, multiple times. From the Springbok to the Gemsbok, the Nyala to the Kudu, the Hartebeest to the Wildebeest. Each species of antelope has its own distinct horn shape and design, its unique fur colors, markings and patterns. I do not know if I will ever be fluent in antelope!

The Tsessebe has a hump-back similar to the American Moose or the African Eland, but it is reddish in color and its horns point backwards.

 

 


We saw a Kori Bustard out in a field in full courtship display. He was all puffed up prancing about like Mick Jagger on stage, but there was no prospective mate in view. I don’t know whether he was practicing his moves like Jagger for the disco that night or was just satisfying his own narcissistic needs.

We saw a whole flock of Marabou Storks standing on top of the dam wall. They are so vulture-like. It is amazing anyone saw past their ugliness to admire their necklace of snowy white feathers.

And a near-death experience provided another sweet animal encounter. Our guide Bert almost ran over this cute little terrapin crossing the road. I am sure he is smiling because he won this battle of terrapin over machine. Stay safe, little friend!

Since it was Boxing Day, we were visiting Pilanesberg in the middle of winter summer. There are advantages and disadvantages to a safari in summer. The bush is more dense which can make viewing more difficult. It is also the rainy season so there is a greater possibility you will get rained out or at least fogged out. And there is plenty of water to go around so the animals are not drawn to the watering holes for their daily drinks.

On the plus side though, the weather is much more pleasant for game drives. It can get pretty chilly driving in open vehicles in the summer winter! And the biggest advantage of all … lots of babies! 

The elephants, antelopes, rhinos and monkeys all had babies in tow.

We even came upon a Wildebeest mother who must had just given birth in the last few hours. The baby was still trying on his spindly legs and we watched as he got stronger and stronger and stayed up longer and longer. We knew he was a newborn because there was even evidence of the afterbirth. He still had part of his umbilical cord dangling underneath.

Another first. Amazing!

Christmas Dinner at Tambuti Lodge

When the Travel Consultant suggested we stay at Tambuti Lodge in Pilanesberg National Park, I immediately looked up the resort in my Complete Guide to African Safaris. But the Lodge was nowhere to be found. I looked it up online and found some pictures. It looked pretty nice. The price was right and there were two rooms available for Christmas. So I booked.

this patio has a wet bar and refrigerator

We were so pleasantly surprised when we checked in on Christmas morning after our hot air balloon safari. It was perfection. The reason it wasn't in any of my guide books? It's only been open for less than a year!

We were greeted at the door by Maritza and Lyndi holding a tray of passion fruit cocktails and were shown around the property's shared amenities. Dining room and lounge, swimming pool and boma, a second floor tree house loft and internet cafe, office and TV room with a stocked bar and fireplace.

It is an intimate lodge. Only 10 guests can be accommodated in the five private guest lodges, each named after a different safari animal. Each private lodge is huge with a very spacious bedroom, several patios and porches, an outdoor and an indoor shower and a center bathtub in the middle of the large bathroom. Even the water closet is large with a commode and a bidet.

The very high ceilings everywhere under the thatched roofs added to the general feeling of openness and spaciousness.

And so did the decor. Everything is in soothing shades of white, sand, celadon and aqua accented with graphic black and white touches and splashes of orange. The furnishings are clean and streamlined. The lodge would look just as much at home in Big Sur, California or in the Finnish woods.

It was a nice change of pace after staying at many other lodges with the more expected jungle-y African decor or the colonial "Out of Africa" looks.


As it turned out, it was a great choice for Christmas too as its diminutive size made it feel more family-like. We all sat around a single dining room table set for 10  instead of the usual multiple tables of 4 or 8. The lodge managers even ate Christmas dinner along with us! There was another family staying at the Lodge for Christmas. A Nigerian couple who live in Pound Ridge, New York and their Joburg resident daughter and her new South African husband.

 



Christmas festivities started early with Christmas Cakes for High Tea.

 



 




Christmas Dinner was delicious as well as pretty to look at. A cucumber, cream cheese and salmon appetizer, a roast beast, with plenty of veggies for the main course! Roasted potatoes, mashed gem squash and a root vegetable medley with snap peas.

Dessert was a festive tiramisu.

We popped silver Christmas crackers and lit sparklers around the table in front of the twinkling Christmas tree. Vince provided the piped-in Christmas music via his shox spin bluetooth speaker and we sang Christmas carols from around the world. Christmas Party on, Dude!






Lyndi looooves sparklers!

Santa even came and left a basket of presents for us while we were at dinner. Some spa products, a couple of safari animal-embroidered washcloths, delicacies to snack upon while on game drives, a picture frame, ... and a bottle of Amarula. How did they know?

But before you get your heart set on a Christmas holiday here next year, I have bad news for you. The word's got out. It is fully booked already for the Christmas triad next year. That's Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. But we plan to return during the dry winter months anyway next year. It's just that good!