Just jump. Oh, and hang on.: June 2014

Thursday 19 June 2014

The Magic of Victoria Falls

April 4, 2014

Victoria Falls in all her glory.

While M and I did make a trip to Victoria Falls in November, we visited during the dry season when the water levels were very low. Knowing that we weren't seeing the falls in their full glory, we hoped we'd somehow make it back during the rainy season.

When my Mom and Dad were planning their visit here, I knew just the place for us to go together. At less than a two-hour flight from Joburg, it's a very feasible weekend getaway. But the close proximity to Joburg and the opportunity to see the full effect of the falls were not the only reasons I wanted to come here with them.

Nine years ago when I first travelled to Africa I really wanted to try and make it to Victoria Falls, but it just wasn't in the cards for our mostly east-African itinerary. Since then, my Dad and I flippantly said "someday" we'd see it together. I don't know if either of us ever believed this would actually happen.

Fast forward to April 2014. M and I landed in Zimbabwe with Mom and Dad for a jam-packed two days of bucket-list-checking, once-in-a-lifetime experiencing, family bonding time.

Having now seen the falls at both extremes, I can confidently say that no matter the time of year, there is something very special about this place. Unlike Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls makes you work for your glimpse of the beauty, but I've come to realize that is all part of her magic.

Enjoying warm weather, rock pools and sundowners at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge.

Elephant and buffalo at the watering hole in front of the hotel. Not bad, Zimbabwe, not bad.

Mom learning to dance. Or something.

Drum lessons at the Boma.

Helicopter flight over the falls? Yes, please.

At this time of year the best way to actually see the falls is from above. With the very high water levels and insane amounts of spray, this is the only way to see the full scope of the 1.7km ledge of falling water.

I love the "smoke" of spray.

So.Much.Mist.

Excited chatter after our 12 minutes in the sky. Totally worth every minute.

Big Baobab.

Ah, the Africa I know and love- locals taking advantage of every entrepreneurial opportunity.

Walking in the mist across the gorge from the falls.

Father and daughter at the falls. Bucket list = check.

Mom and Dad walking in the rainforest.

No, we weren't in a torrential downpour...this is the spray from the falls.

Doing a little bartering.

No big deal, elephants might be crossing.

The hippo photo ops on the Zambezi river are insane...

Cruising the Zambezi at sunset never gets old.

Sunday 8 June 2014

Bucket lists, Markets and Monuments

March 27, 2014

As with a lot of people I know, travelling to Africa was a bucket list item for my parents. While they did spend a day in Morocco as part of a high school trip a few hundred years ago, they have always talked about wanting to see Africa (and by they I really mean my Dad, but Mom was definitely up for the ride). And so, after having last seen them in December 2012, my parents made their way 12,000km from eastern Canada to visit us in Johannesburg and take advantage of the opportunity to cross a few things off their bucket list.

We spent their first weekend here exploring Jozi- mainly, the monuments and the markets of the city. Don't worry, there's a lot more adventure to come with Mom and Dad, this was only the beginning of their six-week long travels in Africa.

Monument #1: Checking out the statue in Nelson Mandela Square.

Taking advantage of family photo ops.

Market #1: Bryanston Organic Market. This was M & I's first visit to this particular market, and it did not disappoint. The assortment of high-quality local handmade wares combined with a nice layout that allowed for equal amounts browsing/resting/eating made for a great morning.

Monument #2: Another first for M & I, the Voortrekker Monument. It was built between 1938-1949 to honour Afrikaners who trekked north over the coastal mountains of the Cape to get to the centre of the African dry-lands ("veld").

The monument has impressive views of South Africa's capital city of Pretoria.

Monument #3: This nine-metre-tall bronze statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled just eleven days after his passing on 5 December, 2013. It stands proud on the grounds of the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Madiba with the people.

The artist that created the statue apparently made his mark by engraving a tiny bronze rabbit into Mandela's right ear; while not visible to the human eye (even with a 300mm telophoto lens), there is talk of taking the statue down to remove the engraving.

Market #2: Arts on Main is a favourite of M & I's. Over the course of the past twelve months M & I have noticed a huge difference in the rejuvenation that has taken place in this area of inner city Joburg. There are loads more people wandering around, more vendors and activities in the streets, and new shops popping up every time we visit.

The compulsory visit to "I was shot in Joburg". I love this picture: Dad and M look like they were posing for a very different shot than Mom and I.

Guitar lessons on the street!

Love these guys so much.

Wednesday 4 June 2014

365 Days Above Zero

March 22, 2014

While it's probably not surprising to anyone reading this that we have now officially been in South Africa for a full year, allow me to be a bit nostalgic as I reflect on our first year in SA. I promise I won't get too mushy. Well, I actually shouldn't promise that...but read on all the same. You know you're gonna anyway...

At the start of all of this we set out some goals for ourselves and we also jotted down a few things about what we thought this experience might be like for us. I thought about going through our lists and seeing how things size up so far, but in the end it really doesn't matter. We knew we could never truly predict our new reality, nor the impact the experience would have on us.

What I can say is this: we are living in the moment, and doing our best to make the most of every opportunity to see and do as much as we can in this part of the world. We have a deep appreciation for the incredible climate and the sunny and bright people we've met here, both of which have far surpassed our expectations.

While we do miss home and the things that come with it, we have fallen in love with so much about this country. We know we will forever live between different worlds, and we are okay with never quite having everything in one place at one time. We might one day go home to Starbucks and hockey, but we'll be leaving behind cheap incredible wine and year-round outdoor soccer.

Some of the things we were most scared about (okay, I was most scared about) turned out to be not so scary at all. The driving is more bad-ass than frightening, and while we've become well acquainted with the concept of "load-shedding" here, this hasn't stopped us from "virtually" being a part of many major moments in their lives of our family and friends back home. Also, we have the added bonus of looking forward to hosting several close family and friends here in South Africa this coming year- a great side effect of us living here!

In honour of our first twelve months here, I've put together a few photos in an attempt to capture the essence of our experience so far in southern Africa. Thanks for an incredible intro, SA!