2018 ZIMBABWE, BOTSWANA, SOUTH AFRICA ADVENTURE

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ZIMBABWE, BOTSWANA, SOUTH AFRICA ADVENTURE
September 15-27, 2018
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September 15-27
ZIMBABWE, BOTSWANA, SOUTH AFRICA ADVENTURE BY GATE 1

SOUTH AFRICA FLAG

Sept 15-16
JFK*DOHA*JOHANNESBURG
Flew Qatar Airlines from JFK to Johannesburg for 13 hours, arriving the next day, then checked in at the Southern Sun O.R. Tambo Int'l Airport Hotel. Had dinner at the Bernoulli's Restaurant then went to bed early.

ZIMBABWE FLAG

Sept 17
JOHANNESBURG*VICTORIA FALLS
Had breakfast then met with the Gate 1 Tour Manager before we went back to the airport to fly to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where we checked in at a nice hotel, Victoria Falls Safari Club. After a short orientation, we went to a short talk about David Livingston, the famous man who was responsible for discovering and naming Victoria Falls among his accomplishments in Africa. Later on we went on a boat trip with dinner on the Zambezi River. We saw several hippos and an elephant who crossed the river.

Sept 18
VICTORIA FALLS
This morning's guided tour of Victoria Falls, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, begins with a walking safari, saw a bunch of baboons along the way through the exquisite rainforest; viewed the cataracts, and a wide variety of wildlife, colorful birds and plants. Later had lunch at the Safari Lodge where we watched the feeding of the vultures. Then followed the very exciting 30-minute helicopter ride over the falls into Zambia and also saw herds of elephants.

Later had lunch at the Safari Lodge's Buffalo Bar where we watched the feeding of the vultures.

Then followed the very exciting 30-minute helicopter ride over the falls into Zambia and also saw herds of elephants.

Dinner that night was an interesting local fare and entertainment at the BOMA. I tried local delicacies like the impala stew and the mopane worm (roasted and crispy). Delicious! There were indigenous dancers and singers and drummers.

Sept 19
VICTORIA FALLS*CHOBE NATIONAL PARK, BOTSWANA
Breakfast at our hotel, the Victoria Falls Safari Club: champagne, eggs benedict with salmon instead of ham, cappuccino, fruits, healthy cereal. On our way to the border I bought a Zimbabwe souvenir paper money from the old regime - a $10 Billion note!

BOTSWANA FLAG

CHOBE NATIONAL PARK (KASANE)
Arrived at Kasane, Botswana where we checked in at the Chobe Bush Lodge, had lunch then went on a river safari cruise where we viewed elephants, hippos, crocodiles, impalas, giraffe, several species of birds like various egrets, ibises, anhingas, kingfisher, yellow-billed stork, etc. Beautiful sunset again.

Sept 20
CHOBE NATIONAL PARK MORNING SAFARI
Very early morning safari drive (6am) but saw giraffe, leopard (up a tree), lioness and lion, enumerable impalas, guinea fowls with their iridescent head plumage, kudus, painted dogs, elephants, hippos, buffalos, and several other species of birds. The birds were numerous: african fish eagle, blacksmith lapwing, sacred ibis, egrets, jacana, african open bill stork, etc.

After morning safari, we had breakfast, then went swimming, then lunch and afternoon safari. Saw more animals plus a parliament of baboons, lots and lots of impalas, kudus, herds of elephants, hippos, various birds, etc.

Sept 21
CHOBE NATIONAL PARK MORNING SAFARI*OKAVANGO DELTA
Went to another morning safari and saw more lions, giraffes, baboons, impalas, kudus. At noon we flew to the Moremi Crossing in the Okavango Delta for 2 nights. No internet in this place in the darkest Africa!

OKAVANGO DELTA
Transferred to the airport in Kasane to board a small 10-seater plane then a 4-seater to Moremi Crossing in the Okavango Delta. A World Heritage Site, the Okavango is a vast and virtually untouched freshwater wetland at the heart of Botswana's arid Kalahari Desert. Arrived in time for lunch at the lodge. Stayed 2 nights at the Moremi Crossing and did trips on a canoe and small boat to look for wild animals. We saw a lot of elephants, hippos, red lechwe antelope, cape buffalo, warthogs, and a few lions, hyenas, crocodiles, and several species of birds.

Sept 22
OKAVANGO DELTA
Took a canoe ride in the morning then a boat ride in the afternoon for wildlife sightseeing.

Sept 23
OKAVANGO DELTA*MAUN*CAPE TOWN
Following breakfast at the lodge, we boarded a light aircraft flight (4-seater plane) to Maun for our flight to Cape Town. Late afternoon we arrived in Cape Town and checked in at Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel. Later I took the hotel shuttle bus to the Waterfront Victoria Wharf where there are restaurants and shops. Dinner at a nice Italian restaurant Balducci’s where I had a draft beer and veal limone.

Sept 24
CAPE TOWN
At breakfast, the ladies were so beautifully dressed in their native costumes.

TABLE MOUNTAIN
Our morning tour took us to the famous Table Mountain.

Then on to the Bo-Kaap section where we saw colorful houses and visited a museum, a spice store, and a private home for cooking lesson and lunch. Later we drove to the Waterfront to visit a diamond display center then spent some time on the Waterfront.

Dinner tonight was at Baia, back at the Waterfront. We had a very nice table overlooking the water. I started with a nice glass of Kir Royale, my appetizer was Pernod Lobster Tail, then my main course was a Linefish (Kabeljou) Papillote which is baked in parchment paper with thyme, marinated tomato, courgettes, fennel and extra virgin olive oil; this accompanied by a South African Sauvignon Blanc La Motte. Very exceptional dinner!

Sept 25
FRANSCHHOEK***STELLENBOSCH
Today we started with a drive to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch where we first stopped outside the Drakenstein Prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. We visited next the Huguenot Memorial then the shops along Huguenot Drive. I bought a couple of native paintings. Then we went on the Franschhoek Wine Tram (they served us a glass of rosé). First stop was Rickety Bridge Winery where we tried 4 different wines.

Next we visited Grand Provence Winery where we tried five Angels Tears wines: Moscato, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Le Chocolat.

Lunch was at Sir Richard Branson’s resort: Mont Rochelle. At Miko I started with Beef Tartare (with capers, caper berries, Japanese mayo, 7 Chinese spices, and crispy brioche) followed by medium rare beef fillet (with bone marrow and mustard crust, beef short rib croquette, pea purée, shiraz onions, HP gel, straw wine jus). Dessert was delicious strawberry steri stumpie mousse (with cranberry, white chocolate and pistachio bark, cranberry gel, meeboss gummies).

Sept 26
CAPE POINT***CAPE OF GOOD HOPE***BOULDERS BEACH
This morning we drove to the Cape Peninsula passing through beautiful beaches and mountains: Signal Hill/Lion's Head, Clifton, Oudekraal, Hout Bay.

CAPE POINT
At Cape Point we took the Flying Dutchman funicular to see the Cape Point lighthouse and take in the wonderful view. Cape Point is a promontory at the southeast corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometers at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent. My eyeglasses fell off the rocks and a nice younger man climbed out and retrieved it for me.

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa. This misconception was based on the misbelief that the Cape was the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Contemporary geographic knowledge instead states the southernmost point of Africa is Cape Agulhas about 150 kilometers to the east-southeast. The currents of the two oceans meet at the point where the warm-water Agulhas current meets the cold-water Benguela current and turns back on itself. That oceanic meeting point fluctuates between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point.

SIMON"S TOWN***BOULDERS BEACH
Next on the bus tour was Boulders where we enjoyed looking at African penguins! Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders. It is a popular tourist stop because of a colony of African penguins which settled there in 1982. Boulders Beach forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. These African penguins are only found on the coastlines of Southern Africa (South Africa & Namibia) and are currently on the verge of extinction.