Wednesday, November 8th 2006
Safari, So Good
Living on two coasts in a seasonal manner, I have to fly often. I always thought the coast to coast flights were a pain. That was until I returned from my trip to South Africa. 27 hours it took! I will never scoff at a 7 hour flight again!
I won this safari about two years ago at a local club in Boston over Columbus Day weekend. If I never win anything else again it will be fine by me. I decided to take my friend Sarah, who had a dream of going on a South African safari; it was nice to help make that happen.
I found the safari to be like Disneyland meets the San Diego Zoo. They did not tell me that I would have a group of 8 other people to drive around with and we would have to co-ordinate with each other the time we went on the game drives. By the second drive I was sort of over it all. I had seen an elephant before, I had seen a rhino before, I needed a bit more. Sarah could have watched the animals stare at her for hours; it’s her thing, not mine. It all felt very staged to me. The drivers knew where the animals were most of the time and communicated through walkie talkies. I was glad to be there, but also glad I didn’t pay the bill!
Our next part of the trip was Capetown. I have a friend who has a house there. He was in Boston so he gave us the keys. This house was AMAZING!!! It had three levels. The top floor looked out to the ocean where the sight of whales was not uncommon.
Being in Capetown was odd in itself. It reminded me of South Beach meets Europe, mainly Germany since the language there, Afrikaans, was Dutch influenced. Getting an iced coffee was difficult since they interpreted that as ice, ice cream, instant coffee and water blended. We were not in Kansas anymore that was for sure.
The difference between the classes was remarkable. Some people were very poor and other people were very rich without much in between. There was definitely tension there.
To break up our time Sarah and I decided to take some small trips down and around the coast to Simonstown and Hermanus.
Simonstown was home to a colony of some 200 African Penguins and Hermanus was the breeding ground for Right Whales at this time of year.
Driving around the tip of South Africa, I saw some of the most breathtaking land I have ever seen. It also was the most challenging experience Sarah and I have shared together. The day before I was to leave for LA I noticed that my drivers license had expired, that left Sarah as the only driver for our entire trip. It wasn’t easy. Being on the “wrong” side of the road in a right hand drive car is a trip and a half. Sarah did great though.
The best part for me was to travel to the Cape of Good Hope, the southern most part of Africa where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic. There was no further South in Africa you could go. It was quite remarkable. I was glad to have been given the opportunity to travel to such a far away place. Having friends in low places doesn’t hurt either.
Johnny, everyone is very happy that you are back safely on U.S. soil. I am also glad you had fun. The pictures were absolutely stunning! Penguins are certainly one of my favorite animals but it does not get any better than Jackass Penguins! The trip to the Cape of Good Hope must have been spectacular. I suppose having nothing between you and Antarctica was a surreal experience. I am hoping there will be more installments to come detailing your adventures.
Inquiring minds would also like to know if you adopted an African baby since they are this seasons “must have accessory”.
Welcome back Johnny! Glad you made it safely home!
I think the most impressive thing about your vacation was your gifting your friend Sarah with the trip. I don’t even know what one would call that kind of friendship — readers’ suggestions are welcome!
LIT: You take the cake, man, Your inquiring minds question was gonna be my first question!
Thanks for sharing those fantastic pictures with us, Johnny. Being there must have been a breathtaking experience indeed. Next time, be sure to bring a penguin back for Lost In Tennesse. Just pretend it’s an adopted baby to make it past the customs.
* (Of course we’re aware you’d never stoop so low as to adopt a real African baby, like some common pop tart. We know that you know that only mixed-race babies go with Lacroix, darling.)
Thanks a lot frog! Your post made me laugh so hard I almost popped a stitch! Since I already own three parrots I guess having a penguin around the house would not hurt. At least I could get creative with selecting a suitable name for my adopted African Penguin. I was thinking along the lines of Dasheekee, Shaniqua, or perhaps even Neutrogena. Perhaps I would go with Trevon or Raheem if the penguin happened to be a boy.
Rita, I fully concur with your sentiment. Apparently Johnny makes an exceptionally generous friend. I tell you, the only thing I get from my friends is a friendly punch in the arm (I really don’t understand straight guys).