June 16: Youth Day

June 16, 2013

June 16th is a public holiday in South Africa; while I will take any and all holidays I can get (and go to Drakensburg, as the case would be), this is a very significant day for a number of reasons. June 16th is Youth Day; it commemorates the start of the Soweto school riots of 1976, and is now a day where South Africans recognize the role of youth in the liberation of South Africa from Apartheid.

When we toured Soweto back in April we learned that on this day crowds gather at the famous Hector Pieterson memorial in the centre of town, young and old dressed in traditional school uniforms, to remember Hector Pieterson and the other youth that lost their lives in their fight for equality. Here is a shot of the square I took on our initial visit:

Hector Pieterson memorial, Soweto

While without question a somber day, the fact that this day is now recognized as a public holiday is monumental in representing how far South Africa has come and how much has changed since 1976.

June 16th also happens to be Father's Day this year. While we couldn't be there in person, both M and I are thinking of our Dads today, on Youth Day. We love you!

Introduction to the Drakensburg

June 14, 2013

It's hard to imagine coming from the Canadian Rockies to South Africa to go hiking in the mountains. But that is precisely what we did, and it lived up to, and far exceeded, every expectation we had.

Drakensburg means "Dragon's Mountains" in Afrikaans, and the Zulu name for the mountain range is Quathlama, which translates to "Battlement of Spears"; the locals simply call it "the Berg". This mountain range is located on the eastern border of Lesotho and South Africa, with the northern part of the range sitting approximately 300km from Johannesburg, making it a popular weekend destination. There are several national parks that make up the Drakensburg mountain range; we visited only the northern-most section (finishing in the Royal Natal National Park). The main goal being to reach the Ampitheatre: a sheer wall of rock with nearly perfect symmetry extending over 5km in length from the Eastern Butress to Sentinel Peak in the west. The wall rises up over 1000m from the valley below, and is nearly 3000m above sea level. Our trip included three day-long hikes, that were strung together to allow us to see a huge amount of the area, covering over 40km on foot in our three days.

Given the stunning beauty of this place, here is a bit of a photo-essay of our trip (photos are courtesy of yours truly, M, S, G, our guides, and my gorilla tripod):

DAY 1

Distance: 13.64km, Elevation gain: 984m

Starting out from Ledges Guest Farm (bottom photo: cliffs on the drive in the night before the hike).

Reaching the top of Sugar Loaf Gap, above the Sandstone Cliffs; taking a break to capture the view.

Cold Ridge: walking along the border of two provinces, with KwaZulu Natal on one side and the Free State on the other.

Last leg of today's hike, passing Broome Hill to reach the Basotho Gate and Witsieshoek Mountain Resort, where we spent the next two nights (seen in bottom left photo); thanks Chellock and your son for making sure we made it safely to Witsies! Also, yes, that is snow in South Africa!

How we spent our evenings at Witsies: putting our feet up, reviewing the day's photos, drinking a few well deserved beers, and playing Settlers by the fire. 

DAY 2

Distance: 13.39km, Elevation gain: 1021m

Waking up on Day 2 with a frosty coating and ready to take on the Ampitheatre! Taking a rest under Sentinel Peak and looking out over the Malutis and Witsiehoek plateaux.

Tackling the chain ladders up the 30m rock wall (not for the faint of heart!).

View from the top of the ladders, before heading across the escarpment to the Ampitheatre.

The famous Ampitheatre views. Thanks Samson for making this day a true highlight for all of us!

DAY 3

Distance: 13.02km, Elevation loss: 757m

Weaving down the mountain through the Mahai River valley.

Random cliff-side rocks make for good jumping photos...

The only day without a guide, we relied on GPS and a very cryptic map to make our way down the mountain. We made it! A very well deserved round of milkshakes and pizzas before heading back to Joburg completed our incredible weekend!

Irene Village Market

June 8, 2013

I love a good market. Not a surprise, I am sure, considering that we've already been to several markets here. And this one is amazing. The Irene Village Market takes place twice per month, and is located in the town of Irene, approximately 45 minutes from Joburg. On offer is pretty much everything one can dream up: art, furniture, second-hand wares, fresh produce, beer and everything in between. Our loot included an incredible sunset painting, a scarf pour moi, a belt for M, a bag of massive KZN avocados, and the perfect little letters to label our time-zone clocks. A truly local market with endless treasure-finding opportunities.

Exploring the market and enjoying the warm sun in the middle of "winter".

The Union Buildings in Pretoria (Capital city of South Africa): a quick sunset stop after Irene.

Welcome to the World, Abigail Sinclair!

June 6, 2013

On June 6th, 2013, at 2:18pm (Atlantic Standard Time), my third niece entered the world at a healthy and modest five pounds, seven ounces. While I am on the other side of the planet, Google+ made it possible for me to be a part of this incredible moment in my family's world. I was on a video chat at the hospital with my sister before Abigail was even born, and then was there again to witness my sister introduce her oldest daughter to their family's new addition. An incredible experience and not one I will soon forget. Welcome to the world sweet Abigail Sinclair, I cannot wait to meet you in person someday soon!

 Google+ photos, top row: Family of three at the hospital the day before Abigail was born; 

middle row: Abigail and her Mama on her first day home from the hospital; 

bottom row: introducing Abigail to her big sister, photo of all the girls, close up of little miss Abigail.

Abigail, together with Grampy (thanks Grampy for sharing your photos!)

Journey from Separation

June 2, 2013

Something we've talked about doing since we arrived is visiting the Apartheid museum. Every guide book and every local is quick to put this on the top of everyone's must-do list for Joburg. The reason for the delay had nothing to do with not wanting to go, and everything to do with the fact that M and I find it very difficult to justify going inside a museum when it is gorgeous outside. I said this to someone shortly after we arrived, and they very accurately pointed out that there is no need to ration the sunny days here, since there is no shortage of them. While not fully being able to trust this just yet, having been here less than three months, we waited until one of S's last weekends in the city before finally making a point to go, regardless of the weather. As it turns out, there is a considerable portion of the museum that is actually outside. Go figure.

The museum has 22 exhibit areas that create a dramatic picture of the story of the state-sanctioned racial discrimination that ruled South Africa up until 1994, and the struggle to overcome it (and the journey to continue to do so).

When we visited the museum there was a temporary exhibit paying tribute to Nelson Mandela and showcasing the story of his life. Mandela has been centre stage in South Africa's struggle against apartheid over the last 70+ years and served as the first president of South Africa as a democracy. There is no doubt that the country would not be what it is today without him and his tenacity for change. 

Outdoor artwork on the museum grounds; representing a connected yet piecemeal world. So true.

The Art of Distance

June 1, 2013

Can distance connect people? In strange ways sometimes, I think it can manage to bring together people whose paths might not otherwise cross. When someone knows someone who knows someone who is also where you are, it only makes sense to meet up. Such is the story with B, a good friend of my brother-in-law, who has spent the last seven years living and working abroad, and found himself very recently working in Africa. Thanks for coming out with us B, we loved hearing your travel anecdotes and we look forward to meeting up again next time you're in Joburg!

A fun night out at Tokyo Star and Mish Mash, followed up by a repeat visit to The Office. 

Given an enthusiastic Saturday night out, Sunday was decidedly chill. Once a month Zoo Lake Park hosts "Art under the Sun", where local artists camp out for the day displaying their paintings, carvings, etc for sale. Earlier in the week our UK buddy S purchased his first DSLR camera, so we thought this would be a good venue to play around with the camera. As such, these photos are courtesy of S. I think he did a great job! So much so, in fact, that I think he might be pulling my leg that this is his first experience shooting in manual! 

Wandering through the art vendors on a crisp Sunday afternoon. Thanks for letting me share these, S!

This is Africa

May 24, 2013

It's what you picture when you think "Africa". It doesn't matter where in Africa, but mention the continent and everyone automatically conjures up images of giraffes, lions, and elephants all mingling with straw-coloured grasslands and perfectly-shaped acacia trees. That is Africa. And while I have attempted, and will continue, to show off other sides of the southern tip of this amazing continent, what would time in Africa be without a safari?

While Kruger may be the household name for safaris in South Africa, there are literally hundreds of National Parks/ Game Reserves in this country. For our first SA safari experience we thought we'd try somewhere a little closer to home, so we opted for Madikwe- closer to Joburg than Kruger, and known for having great game viewing opportunities. 

Despite the lack of hot water or electricity, we had a phenomenal experience at Mosetlha Bush Camp; it really was the best of both worlds- being in the bush but also having our meals prepared for us and having access to a hot shower (even if it meant extracting the hot water from a donkey boiler and using a bucket shower...).

Here are some of my favourite shots from the weekend:

Once we entered the park gates we had the opportunity to do a bit of a self-guided drive en-route to meet our guide, and we spotted these guys hanging out in the sunshine and decided to stop and visit with them for a bit.

The animals of Madikwe: a collection of some of the creatures that call Madikwe home.

While cheetahs are mostly solitary creatures, they can sometimes form coalitions; we spotted this group of four cheetahs hanging out in the shade together and making their mark on a nearby tree.

Madikwe is known for having a very healthy lion population; we saw 16 lions on our two-day safari.

These two mothers were on the move with their six 11-week old cubs; the cubs were very curious about us and the mothers had to keep redirecting them as they strayed from the pack.

Two mother lions with their four "teenagers"; we saw this pride early in the morning, and later on we saw them again post-kill...see below.

We watched these guys feast on their kill for almost an hour; while not easy on the stomach, it was surreal to watch them in the element of such a natural (if gruesome) experience.

One of the benefits of going on safari in the winter is that since the water is more scarce in the park the animals tend to congregate around the watering holes making for awesome sighting experiences.

Landscapes of Madikwe.

The many sides of the acacia trees during the course of the day.

In and around camp: morning coffee stops, sundowners, and evening fires complete the "camp" experience.

And of course, what would a road-trip be without the quintessential jumping shots?