Eastward toward Kruger Park

After two nights at the charming Zebra Chalet, we left Pretoria and drove about 4 hours east to Malelane, a town across the Crocodile River from Kruger National Park.  We shared the road with a bunch of motorcyclists involved in some sort of a race.  Tonight we're staying on the river immediately across from Kruger Park in a very pretty guest house.  Looking down-river late this afternoon I counted (through the binoculars) about 12 elephants, 2 rhinos, and a whole lot of steenbok  (didn't see any crocodiles, but we were told they're out there and really big).  Tomorrow we pick up some supplies and then head into the park for nine nights  The first rest camp supposedly has some sort of WiFi in the bar, but the other two do not, so will not be blogging much for awhile.

Citrus Groves Along the N4 Highway

Motorcycle Racers

Belvedere on River Guest House

Belvedere on River

Elephant Standing in River

Pretoria

On Wednesday we slept late and then picked up a rental car and drove to Pretoria.  Pretoria is the administrative capitol of South Africa, and has a lot of government buildings and government employees.  The city center isn't particularly attractive, but we stayed in a northern suburb in a lovely cabin with a thatched roof - the Zebra Chalet (Zebra pillows, pictures, etc. but no live zebras).

Nick on the Porch of the Zebra Chalet

  In Pretoria, we visited the Voortrekker Monument, which bills itself as the largest monument in Africa (but what about the pyramids?)  It actually is extremely large and visible from much of Pretoria.  It's also somewhat controversial.  It was completed in 1949,  just as the extremist advocates of apartheid were taking control of the government, and celebrates the Great Trek of the (mainly) Dutch settlers who left the Cape Colony and trekked northward to escape British taxes and British abolishionists, stopping to annihilate some of the natives on the way.

The Voortrekker Monument

Replica of a Voortrekker Covered Wagon

The Freedom Park in Pretoria offers something of a counterbalance to the Voortrekker Monument. The park contains a very large museum with extensive exhibits detailing mankind's African origins and the history of Black Africans up to the present day.  The park also includes a large outdoor section honoring and commemorating those who struggled for freedom.

One of the Many Exhibits, Freedom Park

Ampitheater, Freedom Park

Eternal Flame, Freedom Park

Freedom Park is located on a rise above an entirely Black and relatively poor section of Pretoria.  A few of the houses had fences; most did not.  In the area we stayed, the far-more substantial homes were entirely behind high fences and gated.  We picked up some items in a large supermarket in the neighborhood.  All of the signs were in Afrikaans; all of the shoppers were White and all of the workers were Black.  

Into Africa

We left MSP at 3 pm Sunday, March 22 for Atlanta.  Overnight 15 1/2 hour flight to Johannesburg, or "Jo'Burg" as the locals say, arriving 5:30 pm South African time.  Very long lines at immigration, with checking for ebola very prominent.

Airport pick up by courtesy van from our guesthouse and a good night's sleep and excellent breakfast got us in shape for a full day tour of Jo Burg.
Our very informative guide, Sibusiso Melaza of Ntandokazi Tours, spent eight hours with us showing us the major sights of the city and townships, and, most importantly,  sharing his personal insights into the struggles against apartheid and the current problems facing South Africans.

Our guide, Sibusiso with Nick

We started the tour at the downtown business district, then made our way past the historic gold mining area and the National Stadium, site of the 2010 Soccer World Cup events.

The National Soccer Stadium

We then visited the Apartheid Museum.  The museum documents this dark period of South African history with extensive exhibits incorporating sight, sound and objects.  It was a very informative and a very moving experience.

A Casspir, an armored vehicle used against anti-apartheid demonstators

 We spent much of the afternoon in Soweto (the Southwest Township), which was created by a forced relocation of Jo Burg blacks from areas the government wanted to be white inhabited. Soweto still has a number of very poor areas, with shacks constructed of wood or corrogated metal and lacking basic facilities, but it also has more middle class residences and even an upscale area called "Beverly Hills".

One of the strangest sights in Soweto was an activity area housed in and around two brightly-painted towers of a decommissioned power plant.

The activities available included go karts, paint ball, rock climbing on the face of one of the towers, bungee jumping from the top of the other, and free falling (no harness) into a net in the middle of the tower.  No one was doing any of these "sports" when we visited.

The net in the tower.  It's spread out if anyone's nuts enough to jump.

Soweto was the center of much of the anti-apartheid struggle.  We visited a number of sites of historical significance, including the Hector Pieterson memorial and museum.  In 1976 the government passed an edict requiring all instruction be in Afrikaans.  Almost none of the students in Soweto spoke Afrikaans, nor did most of their teachers.  The students from the middle and high schools had assembled to march from their respective schools to the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, where they were to hold a protest meeting.  A 12 year-old student, Hector Pieterson, was shot and killed by government forces during the march.  This was a key event in bringing world attention and condemnation to the apartheid policies.

School Kids Visiting the Hector Pieterson Museum

Vilakasi Steet in Soweto is only street on which two Nobel Peace Prize winners had homes.  Nelson Mandela lived in a very modest abode on the street with his (first) wife Evelyn and then with his second spouse, Winnie.  Bullet holes remain in the walls of the house from a police attack against Winnie during the time of Nelson's imprisonment.  Nelson Mandela briefly lived in this house after his release from prison, but then moved to a home in "Beverly Hills".  The house is now a museum.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived a block away on the same street. Family members still live there, and he stays there when in Jo Burg.

Nick at the Mandela House

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Archbishop Tutu's Home

Getting Ready to Leave for Round 2

We leave on Sunday, March 22 - 1 1/2 days from now - for another 3 months of roaming the globe.  We're frantically trying to tie up all the loose ends, both at home and for the trip.  Hope to start blogging again whenever we have access to the internet.

Back to the West Bank and Farewell to the Sonesta St George

Howard Carter's House, Luxor

Howard Carter's Study

Kitchen at Howard Carter' House.  Achmed (2) from Cairo Explaining.

Climbing Down to One of the Tombs of the Nobles

Tomb of Ramose, Governor of Thebes, Showing His Funeral Procession with Weeping Women in the Cente

Shave and a Haircut?  Tomb of the Scribe, Userhet, Depicting Barber Cutting Hair

Workmen on Lunch Break, Tomb of the Royal Inspector Khaembet

The last night of the cruise, we bid farewell to our guide, Achmed (el Prince).  He took the 11 PM train back to Aswan from Luxor.  The next morning (December 8) we disembarked from the boat and three of us returned to the West Bank with a new guide, Achmed (2) from Cairo.  Had a very interesting morning, stopping at the house where the archeologist Howard Carter lived following his discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb.  We then visited three of the more than 400 Tombs of the Nobles (15 actually open), burial places of high-ranking officials to the pharaohs. Unlike the royal tombs, with their emphasis on their passage to the after-life, these tombs are decorated with scenes from the daily lives of the nobles. Climbing down into the entrances was a challenge, but the scenes we found were well worth the exertion.

From the Nobles' Tombs, we headed to the Medinet Habu, the last of the great temples constructed during the New Kingdom.  Built by Ramses III, it exists as a somewhat exaggerated record of the king's reign.  Ramses, learning from the eradication of previous pharaoh's names and exploits, had carved his record deep into the stones and