South Africa - www.jennathan.com

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Cape Town
Garden Route
Oudtshoorn
Safari

Links relating to
my trip

Accommodations

DeWaterkant Village (in
Cape Town)
Backpacker's Paradise (in
Oudtshoorn)
Intercontinental Hotel (at
Johannesburg Airport)
Park Hyatt Johannesburg
(in Rosebank)

Tour Companies

i-to-i - This is the company
we used to do our volunteering
trip.

Wagon Trails - This is the
company we used for our
camping safari.

Other Links

Geldhof Chocolates

Graham Beck Winery

Springfield Estate Winery

Bon Courage Winery

Van Loveren Winery

Jemima's Restaurant

South Africa Facts

Restaurants

Royale - On Long Street.
Great for lunch!

The Nose Wine Bar - In the
Cape Quarter (in De
Waterkant); free wireless; tons
of South African wines by the
glass

Capella - Excellent restaurant
with beyond-excellent
atmosphere (in De Waterkant)

Soho at the Village Lodge
(in De Waterkant) -
Brunch/Sandwiches/Salads by
day and Thai food at night

Jemima's - One of the best
meals I have had so far! (In
Oudtshoorn.)

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South Africa...

July 1 - August 1, 2006

My South African Experience...

Highs: My hotel in the De Waterkant Village; seeing the penguins at Boulder Beach; viewing Cape
Town from the top of Table Mountain; wine tasting in Robertson Valley; abseiling in Knysna; holding
and kissing and playing with white lion cubs.

Lows: Coming to terms that I might never see a Russian visa in my passport (after two different
trips to the consulate); buying the wrong bus tickets from Oudtshoorn.

Best Moment: Being able to hold a tiny little lion cub in my arms.

Smells: Wine (of course!); slight penguin stench; the 'meat' that the animals ate (could also be
considered 'carcasses').

Sounds: Musical performers at the Waterfront; hearing Afrikaans being spoken; elephants and
monkeys; lions; cheetah purrs; South African music.

Sights: V&A Waterfront; Slave Lodge (10 rand); Long Street; Table Mountain making an
appearance from under the clouds; cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain (115 rand); Malay
Quarter; Penguins at Boulder Beach (20 rand); Cape Point; Cape of Good Hope; boat ride down the
Breede River; Knysna Elephant Park; Monkeyland; town of Knysna; town of Plettenberg Bay; Cango
Wildlife Ranch; Cango Caves; Cango Ostrich Farm.

Activities: Quad-biking; abseiling (i.e. repelling); canoing; zip-lining; wine tasting; working with
animals.

Tastes: 'Biltong' (jerky of all sorts of exotic animals); wines; seared Ahi tuna burger with mango
salsa and sweet potato fries; meringues with crushed amaretto cookies; snooek (a type of fish) quiche;
potjie (a South African stew); curry chicken with chutney on the side; ostrich carpaccio; rusks (similar
to biscotti); delicious chutneys; crocodile sausage; ostrich filet with cranberry port sauce; crocodile
nuggets; chakalaka (a spicy blend of vegetables); Geldhof chocolates.

Purchases: Biltong; dried tropical fruit; fleece sweatshirt for my tour/safari; adapter for South
Africa (since my universal adapter does not have this one); UV lens for my camera (since I broke
mine when I dropped my camera in the jeep on our Wadi Rum trip); two bottles of wine; set of four
ceramic bottles at an artsy store in Cape Town; lens cap for my camera.

Street Food: Burgers; chips and nuts; biltong; savory pies.

Fun Food Finds: Potato chips flavored like fried chicken; snack sized bars of Cadbury's Crunchie
(my favorite!) and Lunch Bars; fruit flavored chips; crocodile and springbok pate.

Western Companies Out Here: KFC, Nine West; McDonald's; Burger King; Toys 'R Us.

Other General Info...

Visa needed? No.

Type of currency? South African rands. Approximately 7 equal $1 US.

Wallet Friendly? Extremely! Can eat excellent food at excellent restaurants for about $25
(including wine). Hotels were also a great price (in Cape Town we paid less than $40 for a place with
kitchen, bedroom and bathroom with a clawfoot tub and separate shower).

Transportation: I flew in on South African Airways - which was a great airline. I then had a
driver take me from the airport to my hotel. Otherwise, I would have taken a taxi. We are flying from
Cape Town to Jo'Burg on Kulula (a low-cost airline).

Things South Africa Is Known For: Apartheid; wines; Kruger National Park; Table
Mountain; hosting 2010 World Cup.

Electrical Outlets: They use plugs here that I have never seen before. My universal adapter
doesn't have this one so I bought an adapter at one of the stores at the Waterfront.

Local Spelling of Cape Town: Kaapstad.

Religion: Christian and Muslim. Some Jewish neighborhoods, as well.

Costs: $1200

View from Table Mountain.

Sun setting against the lagoon in Knysna.

Plettenberg Bay.