South Africa -- A Working Holiday

I will be writing in here every week about the things to do, places to go, and what you should not miss . . . keep watching.

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Absolutely amazing . . . everything from beef to ostrich to wildebeest to zebra . . . well worth a try. Very nice family atmosphere. Buffet-style where they actually bring the courses to you . . . eat as much meat as you want . . . when you are done . . . put your flag down and they will stop serving.

After a long and busy week, it was time to relax so on Friday evening, we all got together at Carnivores. This restaurant is absolutely amazing!! It specializes in game and the meat is cooked over a spit in the middle of the restaurant. When you arrive at the restaurant, you are greeted by a "native" in full dress. He takes you down to your table. The waiters come around to take your drink orders and to put metal plates at your place. When everyone has their drinks, the waiters come back with a bean soup and bread for you to start off with along with a tray of different salads and sauces for the meat. Once your soup is done, they remove that and the fun begins. The waiter arrives with the game. He is carrying a sword that has been going around on the spit with the meat on it. If you wish that type of meat, you nod and he puts the sword on your metal plate and carves off a piece. There is a flag in the middle of the table and when you have had enough of the game, the last person eating puts the flag down. We ate everything from beef and chicken to ostrich, wildebeast, kudu, worthog, crocodile and zebra. It was great!! The atmosphere in the restaurant is amazing and it was a real pleasure to eat there.

On Saturday it was off to the Archers for supper. Their neighbors were making a poike which is a layered dish cooked in a cast iron pot over the fire. They start with spices and oil then add the meat and brown it. Next comes potatoes and other vegetables. It cooks for a few hours and all of the flavors come together. It was very tasty.

Sunday was Wendy's birthday so it was a big celebration. There were 15 invited for lunch so it was quite a busy morning from getting the food arranged to decorating the eating area. Lasagna was the meal that was made by John. It was great and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Monday it was off to work again. Finally at 4:15, we got our computers and phone log ons so we could actually get on the phones and take calls. The week was pretty uneventful as we were working all week but on Thursday night I went to Wendy's rehearsal for "Joseph and the Techni-colored Dream Coat" with her. It was quite enjoyable as I had done the musical when I was a little girl and remembered all of the songs. Friday night was the New Member Evening. This is an evening that is sponsored by RCI South Africa and is put on to welcome new members to the group. It is an information session as well as a social evening. There were 500 new members there and they were entertained by the Soweto String Quartet who are exceptional!!!!! They are an amazing group of 4 men who really know how to play. It was a great evening for both the members as well as the staff who were there to answer questions as the members could get a one on one with guides who they will be working with in the future. Of course, another full week....4 more left. This place is amazing!!!

This has been another fun filled week. It started off on Saturday with a day trip to Gold Reef City. Tinus and I met up with Lynn, Valerie and Sandy to enjoy the day. We arrived at Gold Reef City in time to see the GoGo dancers and the Gum Boot dancers at the entrance doing their first show. We were then off on the train around the park to see where we wanted to go. When the train ride was over we decided to have a little breakfast before going any further. When we were done eating, we were just in time for the gold pour. This is a demonstration put on showing how the gold is mined and then how it goes through the whole process of being crushed to powder, heated till it melts and then poured into a mold. Quite interesting. Next it was off to the mint where they had all sorts of coins and such that they make for countries all over the world. We then decided it was time to go to the amusement park part of Gold Reef city. What a great idea that was. We started off slow with the lazy river where you just float around on a boat. Then it was off to the Runaway train. For someone who has never been on a rollercoaster before, this was quite intense. Fun, but intense. We decided that our next ride would be the Rapids on a tube. The tube sat all 5 of us so we were able to enjoy it together. It starts out slow and then as you hit the rapids, the water starts splashing. We were a little wet so decided that we may as well go on again. At the end of four trips on the ride, I was soaked and enjoying myself immensely. Lynn and Valerie decided to try the Anaconda which was quite the ride as well so Sandy and I decided to go the calmer way and go on the Ferris wheel...however....this ferris wheel is about 5 times larger than the normal ferris wheel and when you are at the top, it is a very long way down but the view from up there was phenomenal. We decided after that to head to the town part of the park and were just in time to experience the Zulu dancers as they did their show. After the show, it was time to head home to get ready for the Braai.

It was very relaxing with everyone sitting around chatting for hours. Sunday was a tour around Joburg with Sandy joining John, Tinus, Wendy and I. We went by Nelson Mandella's house first and when we pulled up in front to take a picture, an armed guard came out and stopped traffic as a security car, Mandella's car and 2 more security cars came out of the driveway. Quite an experience. John then took us to look at some of the most beautiful homes in Joburg.

We then drove through Hilbrow which used to be a nice area of Joburg but is now quite rundown and there is quite a lot of crime there. Next it was up to the Fort and the prison where we were able to see where Nelson Mandella was held. The cells were quite small and there was definitely no luxury there. We then went next door to the women's prison which was a little better than the men's but not much. Our next stop was the Carleton center which is the tallest building in South Africa and from the top you can see the whole city.

When we left the Carleton center, we stopped at the Standard bank which has in it an original gold mining tunnel done up as an exhibit. Quite neat to realize that underneath where the bank is there was actually a gold mine. We then headed off to see the Electric Workers Museum. They had housing there for their employees where there were 36 men who had to sleep in enough space for 12. Very cramped quarters but they were used to it I guess.

Monday was a very relaxing day at work with speaking with members and planning their vacations. Tuesday I attended a Story Telling Workshop which looks like we are going to have a great future with using both RCI communities as well as any feedback we can get from members and employees to make our members vacations even more memorable. It is 3 weeks into my trip and I feel like it was just yesterday that I arrived. South Africa is an amazing place with so much to do and so much to see.

After leaving Saint John airport at 4:25pm on April 24th, I knew that I was in for a long flight. It was off to Montreal and then Frankfurt, Germany. After arriving in Frankfurt, it was off to the Sheraton hotel where I would spend my 15 hour layover. The airport is huge and the hotel was very nice. After a sleep and freshening up, it was back to the airport for supper. After supper of Weiner Schnitzel, it was up to my gate to wait for my connecting flight on to Johannesburg.

I arrived in Johannesburg at about 8:50am local time on Saturday, April 26th and after going through passport control and customs, I finally met my host Wendy. We jumped into her car and it was off to Hakunamatata Conference Center where the house that she shares with John and Tinus is located. The house is beautiful with windows all around and a patio and garden where it is nice to sit and chat. We got to know each other a little bit, had visitors, watched a movie and then it was off to bed.

Sunday was a fun filled day as we left the house by 9am and our first stop was at the cheese farm. Here they make cheese as well as sell it. You can take a tour and they will show you all of the steps they go through to make the cheese. It was very nice. After leaving there, it was off to the Hartebeesport dam and flea market. The dam is nice and you can see Dikhololo resort from there. The flea market was quite interesting with all of its handmade wares. When we were done there, it was off to the Leopard Lodge.

The Leopard Lodge is situated on land that is conserved as it is the home to the endangered vultures. You could see them flying about the mountains behind the lodge. The front of the lodge overlooks the whole valley and it is a very breathtaking view. The other exchangees arrived and there was full introductions around the table and then it was off to the buffet which included warthog. Warthog tastes somewhat like stew beef back home.

After lunch it was back home to Hakunamatata, and while leaving the Leopard Lodge there was 3 large giraffe standing on the side of the road eating off the high trees. They are magnificent! There was a baby as well, but of course the adults kept it back from the road for security purposes. We arrived home at about 5:45 with just enough time to freshen up as we were invited to a Braii (bbq at home) at a friends home. It was very nice and everyone is very hospitable.

Monday was a lazy day with lunch at Spurs with friends. They have the most amazing ribs and the restaurant is also enclosed and caters to families so has a full playground for the children to play in while the parents chat. Quite a nice idea.

Tuesday, it was off to work. We were given a quick overview on the center and a tour. At 3 it was off to the Diamond factory where we saw how diamonds are cut and polished and shown the difference in the colors, cut and clarity. Well worth a look. Wednesday, we sat with each different department at work to see how they all operated.

Thursday was another public holiday over here so it was off to the Lion Park. There we saw antelope, zebra, and many lions. After driving through the park, it was off to where we could play with the lion cubs. In this area, they had warthogs, giraffe, ostrich, leopards, and hyennas. The lion cubs were quite playful and one had my sneaker in his mouth. Of course you would never try this with one of the larger ones..they just don't have that idea yet that my foot could have been dinner.

After the lion park, we went down the road to the Animal and Reptile Park. Here all of the animals are hand reared. From monkeys to lions to cougars to snakes. We played with wolves who acted more like the family dog and a baby lynx who had to have one leg amputated due to cancer. It is a family owned business and they count on people going to see their animals in order to defray the costs of feeding them.

Next it was off to the Ngwenya Glass Village. Here they have blown glass as well as a number of different little shops. Nice variety of South African arts and crafts. We then sat down there for a late lunch of pizza. It is a very neat place where you decide what you want on your pizza and it is all the same price. From the standard ground beef to bananas...you choice. After lunch, it was back home for a bit and then off to the Wibbly Wobbly that is a Sue and Tyrell's house (friends of Wendy, John, and Tinus) for a nice relaxing time.

It was a very busy week but the most amazing experience. South Africa is fabulous and I am looking forward to my next 5 weeks.

Well, we are into week four. I can't believe that the time has gone so quickly. This is a beautiful country with so much to do that time just flies by. This week was wonderful.

We left on Friday afternoon for a weekend away at Sun City. Sun City is the Las Vegas of South Africa. After arriving at our unit at Sun City Vacation Club(Resort# 4144), we settled in and looked around a little. We then decided to take a drive over to Bakubung Lodge (Resort# 2598), which is right next door. Bakubung is basically in the Pilansburg Game Reserve, so the potential of seeing animals is quite high. The units are mostly thatch-roofed and quite a nice size. The resort itself is very beautiful and the staff is very nice. We sat down to have a cool drink on the patio of the dining room and watched the sun go down over the trees. Beautiful. At about 7pm or so, we headed back to the Vacation Club and met up with other members of our party. Some people headed off to the Casino at the entertainment center while others felt like listening to music and dancing, so they headed off to Traders, which is the dance bar at the resort. Both were very nice and everyone had a good time. The dance bar is on one side and overlooks the slot machines of the casino. Very nice.

Saturday morning, we were up and on the road to Pilansburg Game Reserve. John, Tinus, and I drove around the park for five hours. There are so many roads and so much to see that even in five hours, you don't see it all. We saw giraffes, baboons, kudus, waterbucks, crocodiles, blue wildebeests, warthogs, hippos, rhinos, and a caracal (which is very nocturnal and is usually never seen during the day -- it was quite a sight, as it looks almost like a lynx only smaller). It was standing right beside the road and looked more scared of us than we would have been had we not been in the van. On our way out of the park, we saw a brown hyena, which is also something you do not see every day.

Next, it was back to our unit and a group braai with everyone. Phillip and John cooked while everyone else socialized. After dinner, it was off to the entertainment center again. Another wonderful night was had by all. On Sunday, it was up early again and Valerie was getting a ride home with us so she arrived and it was off to the Pilansburg for another three hours of searching for animals. This time we even saw elephants!!! They are absolutely huge. We saw one group of four or five and another group of seven. They are amazing animals. On our way home, we stopped at the Hartbeesport flea market. They have a lot of native carvings at quite a good price. We arrived home at about 5pm and Wendy had made a great supper. Lynn arrived with her dad to pick up Valerie and they ended up sitting around till about 10pm chatting. Sun City is a definite must if you are in South Africa as there is so much to do for everyone in the family. It is home to the Palace of the Lost City, Crocodile farm, Valley of the Waves, and so much more. Only two weeks left to go . . . I can't believe how fast it has gone by.

Well, this has been a very busy week.

Friday night, we were off to "Joseph and the Technicolored Dreamcoat", which Wendy was preforming in. It was great.

Saturday we were up and off to do a tour of Pretoria. We went to the Voortrekker Monument, which is all about the moving of the English in on the natives and the walls are full of plaster depictions from start to finish of how it happened. The next stop was Paul Kruger's house where the treaty was signed after the Boer War. We had a picnic on the lawn of the Melrose House before doing a short tour of that. Pretoria is the home of most of the world's embassies in South Africa. They are huge homes with the U.S. Embassy looking like an office building with guards. Absolutely stunning. Next it was off to the Union Buildings of Parliament and the Police Memorial, which lists all of the police that have died in the line of duty. Quite sad but very moving. After leaving there, we took a drive up to a look out where we could see all of Pretoria down below us. The day was very full and it was nice to head home to relax and think about everything that we had seen.

Sunday it was up and on the road again to Nigel where we had been invited for lunch at John's aunt's house. It was very nice. Then we were off home again for a quiet evening of watching television. The kick off for "Big Brother Africa" was on, so of course we were glued to the television to see who the contestants would be who would spend the next 106 days locked up together in one house. The house looked almost the same as the one in the U.S. version of Big Brother except that they do not have a swimming pool in their backyard as theirs is filmed in their winter season. Although they do not get snow, it can be rather chilly.

Monday was another work day.

Tuesday we were up early and off to work. After work, we went out for supper at Dros which was quite nice. I never imagined I would ever eat something called Monkey Gland Steak . . . It was really good . . . steak with a sauce that was made up of chutney, and spices. Quite nice. After dinner, it was off to the Barnyard theatre. The show was called "Roll Over Beethoven" which was a review of how music has changed since Beethoven's music. The music was great and the actors and musicians did a fantastic job. It was very interactive and at the end of the show, no one was sitting down but were up singing and dancing along with the preformers. It was great!! Definitely worth seeing again.

Only one week left and I am sure that it will be as interesting and fun filled as the past five weeks. If anyone wants to travel but does not have an idea where to go, South Africa is a sure bet!!!

Well, what can I say . . . the last week was amazing!!!

On Friday, we were off to Mabula Resort, RCI resort #1550. This resort is in the middle of a game reserve and very nice. The units are quaint and clean. We arrived at Mabula around supper time, just in time for check-in. After getting to our unit, it was time to check out the immediate area. We were in the bushcamps so there were three units sleeping four with a central entertainment unit where the full kitchen, television, dining table for 12 and couches etc. were. This was very nice as this "camp" is booked out as a six-bedroom unit for 12 so everyone using this unit is together. Very nice for family gatherings or groups. Everyone in our party finally arrived so we all set about getting dinner. Lots of conversation and sitting outside with the sounds of the hyenas in the background and all of the wild animal sounds . . . it was great. We had a pretty early night as we were going to be busy the next day.

Saturday, we were up early and had breakfast. The view from our unit was absolutely amazing. It looked out over the plains so you could see animals wandering and could sit there and watch for hours. We didn't have time for that this morning though since we were off for a horse ride through the bush. My first time on a horse but it wasn't too bad. We saw giraffe, warthog, and, of course, birds while we were riding. The next thing we came upon, was a mother rhino and her baby. Since you are on a horse, the animals do not distinguish human smell. They just think it is just a horse, so they don't really pay attention to you. We were about 20 feet away from them . . . amazing!! The horse ride took about 2.5 hours. We were then off to have lunch and then onto a game drive on a truck.

The game drive was more bumpy, but we did see more animals. Zebra were plentiful here as well as antelope and waterbuck. This game drive, since it was in the middle of the day, was only for an hour and a half.

After the game drive, it was back to the unit for a nap . . . up again to have a huge Braai with everyone else. The dossies (rock rabbits) were plentiful once again . . . hopping around all over the place. The area is so quiet that you can hear everything over the night air. Absolutely beautiful.

Sunday morning it was up and off for another game drive. This morning we saw hippo, which was amazing, as well as a VERY large crocodile. The game ranger took us out of the game vehicle and we walked up to the crocodile . . . about 10 feet away . . . wow. The crocodiles are starting to hibernate so he was lying quite comfortably on the bank of the pond and was not too interested in what we were doing.

After finishing off the game drive, it was back to the unit to pack up and head for home. We stopped at the flea market at Warmbaths, which was quite reasonable for local crafts.

Back to work on Monday. I can't believe this is the final week. On Wednesday, we decided to all go out for supper as a group as our last "exchangee" night out. We all met at Rodizio. It was a very nice. We all had a very enjoyable time and I believe that we have made lifelong friends.

Thursday, our manager took us out to lunch at Santi's. This was a very nice Italian restaurant in Sunninghill, just down the street from the center. Thursday night, it was off to the Wibbly Wobbly for a final supper and evening there. Sue and Tyrell are awesome as well as their boys Hayden and Damien . . . they are going to be missed.

Friday was our last day at work so we spent all day on the phones, booking members vacations. At 5pm, there was a going away celebration for us to say goodbye to all of the good friends that we had made. Six weeks definitely does not feel like six weeks . . . it all went by so fast.

Saturday, we were up early and off to shop. Big night tonight. We are having prawns, lobster tail, calamari, and rice!!! How is that for a "last supper"? It was a very enjoyable day and we just took our time. Supper was enjoyed by John, Tinus, Wendy, Sue, Tyrell, Hayden, Damien, and myself. The people in this country are very friendly and very proud of their country.

Sunday morning was a lazy day. I wasn't flying out til 7:15pm, but didn't want to think about it as I didn't really want to leave this beautiful country. We left the house about 4pm to get to the airport for me to check in. My flight left at 7:15pm and arrived in Frankfurt at about 5:30am. I had a few hours till my connecting flight so I wandered around the airport and then went to the duty-free . . . quite an interesting array of things. Got on my plane at 10:30pm to head to Montreal. Someone did not get on the plane so we were delayed while they removed their luggage. This of course delayed our flight out so we were late arriving in Montreal. After going through passport control, claiming my luggage, going through customs, then rechecking my baggage, I missed my connecting flight to Saint John. This meant seven extra hours in the Montreal airport before the next flight to Saint John. I finally arrived home at 11pm on Monday night . . . 33 hours after I had left South Africa.

I would recommend that EVERYONE make at least one trip to South Africa!!!! I can't wait to go back.