Some fotos from the trip

Some fotos which I could not integrate in the narrative, but which I feel should share as part of this blog..


At ITC hotel near Mumbai airport when our onward flight got delayed ....

Suzuki Swift parked in a road in the Garden route..
Reminded me of Maruti Suzuki Swift back home in Indian roads...

Random click when travelling in the coach... Indian Cuisine caught my attention..

Joggers in the road......

Group photo in Cango Caves..

Charl paying toll..

Flying Dutchman... I was sure this was a fictional name in the Pirates of the Caribbean Sea series of movies, but Charl gave an anecdote (which I dont remember now) that the Flying Dutchman is not a fiction of imagination but real...

Have been fascinated by crystals & minerals... saw this collection in  a shop near the hotel at Knysna

Ostrich eggs..

This really looked unique.......

Another car model..Celerio..

Mahindra signage on the way to SAICA.........

Sun Palace .... No cash...

South African Funeral Practitioners' Association .... Probably they were having a conference at this hotel...

The gentleman in the cap - 3rd from left - was our Segway guide, we bumped into him the next day when we visited the supermarket...

Women power..

The bag in the foreground is the one which Geetha lost & got back...

Fun dancing...

The gigantic elephant head mounted high on the wall - Mabula .

The magnificent entrance of Hotel palace of Lost City

About the Author

Monday 20 May 2019 - Return to Mumbai

Monday 20 May 2019

Sunday night was conclusively the last night we spent in South Africa. Monday morning dawned bright but chilly. After a hearty breakfast everyone proceeded to pack their bags for the return flight to India. As instructed by Dev the coach would be picking us for the airport drop by 945 AM. By 930 AM one by one the group members started to assemble at the reception. Kulin Kumar had made arrangements for a packed lunch; Dev & the maharaj handed over the lunch packets to the passengers as they boarded the coach.

We reached the O.R.Tambo International airport by 10 AM. 

It was time to bid adieu to Dev who was our constant companion,  guide and friend for the past 10 days.

The passengers who wished to have the GST reimbursed (on the purchases made by them in South Africa) proceeded to the relevant Government counter at the airport. This entire process of claiming the GST took about an hour. This involved getting the invoices & merchandise checked by the officer who stamped the said documents. The stamped documents were to be handed over at another counter, where the passengers were handed over a voucher. The vouchers were then encashed at the exchange bureaux which handed over cash.

After checking in the luggage and completing the security we reached the boarding gates. Some of the passengers used the waiting time to open their packed lunch box & have the lunch in the spacious waiting area rather than have it in the confined space within the aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines’ ET 808 to Addis Ababa from Johannesburg took off at 210 PM local time. After a flying time of around five and  half hours we landed at Addis Ababa. The connecting flight to Mumbai was scheduled for 1120 PM. Effectively a waiting time of around 3 hours. Someone suggested, don’t remember who, & an impromptu game of dumb charades began in the waiting area. The theme was Bollywood film names. Very soon the area where we were playing became a sort of centre point with several other passengers joining & cheering the players. 

 

Eventually we boarded the Ethiopian Airlines' ET 610 around 1130 PM. Another five and half hours. flying time & by around 7 AM next day (Tuesday 21 May 2019) we landed at T 2 Terminal of the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at Mumbai. I am sure this trip will remain in the memory of all the group members for a long long time, if not for a lifetime!

 

 

Click here - SOme fotos which I could not include in the text of my narrative..... 

Sunday 19 May 2019

Sunday 19 May 2019

Sunday morning we reported at the safari boarding station at 630 AM. It meant getting up atleast half an hour earlier and getting ready for the trip. After yesterday’s super cold night travel, everyone was wearing suitable clothing which would protect them adequately from the cold morning wind.

The day started luckily for us. Within 10 minutes of starting our trip we could sight a Giraffe. We almost missed it, but for the sharp eye of Heena Shah, who requested Nuria to drive back a few metres. The reason Nuria too with her sharp trained eyes missed the giraffe was because the animal was in a sitting position. Nuria mentioned that a giraffe usually sits / rests in this position for only about half an hour in a day.

After the giraffe sighting we drove along pleasantly for half an hour, enjoying the sun rise.

Around 0700 AM we came across a herd of wild buffaloes. There would have been around 50 animals in this herd, whether this was a full herd or part of a bigger one I was not sure. They leisurely walked over from one side of the road to the other eyeing the safari jeep & its occupants lazily. Nuria informed that an adult male buffalo can weigh upto 1000 Kilograms.

In some time Nuria’s vehicle phone cackled with a conversation from a colleague ranger. The message was that the lions have been sighted. After a quick drive to the said area, we reached the clearing where we could see the pride at a distance of around 200/250 metres away from the vehicle. Initially 3 lions, which were joined by 2 more; Nuria was happy that we were able to see the full quorum.

On the way back to the lodge after sighting the lions, we managed to catch a glimpse of a couple of varieties of deer, a few zebras and some other small native animals. 

In all a morning which I feel we spent usefully. After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel & boarded the coach for what would be the last destination of our beautiful tour, Peermont Metcourt Suites at Johannesberg.

Before proceeding to the hotel  we had a city tour of Johannesberg, seeing most of the points from the comfort of our coach seats. On reaching the Gandhi Square area, we alighted from the coach to get a feel of the place, with strict instructions from Dev to stick together and always be with the group.

By 300 PM we checked into Hotel Peermont Metcourt Suites which was situated very close to the airport. After a short rest, we spent the evening roaming around inside the hotel. 

The lavishly done interior of the hotel was a treat to the eyes & other senses. The tourists started realising that the tour is gradually coming to an end. Rather than preferring to go around seeing places in and around the hotel, people preferred being with other group members, talking to each other and reminiscing about the experiences of the past few days.

At dinner time that night, Dev informed everyone that next day morning the coach would leave for the airport by 10 AM.

Click here - Day 10 - Monday 20 May, 2019, Back to Mumbai

Saturday 18 May 2019

Saturday 18 May 2019

Saturday morning was time to check out (after a two night stay) of the Palace of Lost City. After breakfast and a quick round at the shopping centre, the members boarded the coach for the next destination, Mabula Private Game Reserve. After a drive of around three hours we reached the Mabula Game Reserve. As we neared the destination we could feel the gradual change in the surrounding. The terrain become flatter, drier & rougher. 

Also after being used to the luxury of the grand Palace of Lost City the boarding & lodging quarters at the Mabula Game Lodge looked more down to earth ( (i) as in furnishing & decor AND also (ii) as in horizontal & not vertical unlike the multi storeyed lodging in earlier hotels) & basic. 

The passengers were instructed to take along (by way of luggage) only enough clothing for the over night stay as the rest of the luggage would be locked in the coach and we would not have access to the same.

As we reached the Game Reserve, the weather was bright, sunny & hot. After a good lunch we proceeded to the rooms for a small rest. Some visited the small curio shop. From the room we could see deer and wart hog roaming in the grounds outside. 

The Reserve authorities gave strict instructions to always keep the room doors closed.

By around 330 PM we left for the evening safari. Groups of 7 to 8 persons in vehicle with an experienced ranger who also doubled up as the driver of the vehicle. Nuria was the ranger in charge of the group to which I belonged. She informed that jackets / blankets were available in the jeep, should we require them. The safari started quite pleasantly with everyone participating enthusiastically. Initially our group was able to sight wart hogs, several zebras, monkeys, different types of deer, a couple of jackals & several birds & small animals native to that area.

As the evening approached it started getting cold. As it was an open jeep we felt the fall in outside temperature even more due to the wind rushing in as we traveled. By 600 PM our focus was more on keeping ourselves warm than in observing the beautiful sunset in the south African forests. 

So far we could not see any of the big five. After sunset the fall in the atmospheric temperature was felt even more & we had to request Nuria for the jackets and/or blankets which she had offered earlier. After sunset it became very dark & much more colder than ever. However towards the end of the safari we managed to sight a group of elephants near a watering hole. Immediately after, we returned to the lodge. After a wholesome dinner which everyone relished, I retired to bed with my favourite novel as most of the others moved to the hall where a Bollywood DJ party awaited them.

 

We had to meet Nuria in the safari jeep next day morning at 630 AM for the early morning safari where we would hopefully sight the remaining 4 of the big 5.

 

 

Click here - Day 9 - Sunday 19 May, 2019

Friday 17 May 2019

Friday 17 May 2019

Probably for the first time after starting the tour we were free to get up at whatever time we wanted, except that the hotel would wind up the breakfast by 1100 AM. As far as the activities for the day were concerned one had choice of hot air ballooning, para gliding, speed boat, horse riding, jet ski, lion park, and several other (optional) activities listed in the  itinerary distributed by the tour arranger Kulin Kumar. However after the hectic activities of the past 6/7 days, most members preferred to either rest in their rooms or indulge in some relaxed activities.

After a leisurely breakfast by the pool, a group of members of whom I was a part preferred to visit the Wave pool, lazy river & other local water activities. Wave pool looked to be relatively easier option, where one had to enter the pool and wait for the artificial man made wave to hit you. One had to wait for around half hour for the wave. Most of our group members who are used to moderate climate, found the water temperature  too cold, and had to wait in this cold water for 20 / 25 minutes for the wave to be generated & hit us.

But the experience was worth the wait. This is another experience which I would remember for a long long time, as I lost my spectacles in one of the waves. Anticipating the tremendous force with which the waves would hit us, I had removed my glasses & was holding it in my hands. The force with which the wave hit us made me lose my balance, as a result of which the glasses became a victim. The metal frame got twisted and one of the glasses got lost in the pool. Probably time to buy myself a new set of spectacles. Fortunately I had a back up set in my bag in the hotel room.

The visit to the Wave pool & back gave us an opportunity to see the entrance of a  Platinum Mine!

Back to room, bathe, & off to lunch. A mini siesta later it was time for the next activity. A group of us had booked a segway gliding tour.

After a little bit of tutoring, & with a little bit of getting used to, the segway transportation scooter was a pleasant way of moving around. The terrain which we covered was the Sun City golf course and this was along the track which was laid especially for the segway scooters. The tour lasted about an hour.

Later on in the day, dinner time at the hotel called for a birthday celebration. Seema Narayan Tibrewal’s birthday was celebrated by the entire group, ending the day for most of the group members on a joyous & happy note.

The rest proceeded to the casino to make the most of the last opportunity available, as the next day after breakfast the group had to check out of this luxurious Hotel to proceed to Mabula Private Game Reserve for our tryst with the “Big Five”.

Click here - Day 8 - Saturday 18 May, 2019