Now for the long flight home . . .

After six weeks on the road, it will be nice to go home! This has been a fabulous trip. It has definitely altered my way of seeing the world, especially the world of animals. I saw and experienced a lot of amazing things. I was so fortunate to be able to do this. Thank you for joining me on the journey.

It will take 24 hours of travel time to get back to Atlanta, which includes a stopover in Amsterdam of 2 1/2 hours. The long flights are the price I pay for the fun of traveling.

Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town

My last two days in South Africa were spent in and around the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, with its upscale shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions.

After I turned in my rental car, I stayed at a lovely Airbnb condo just a short walk from everything.

Other things in downtown Cape Town: Walking tour of historic sites and a visit to the South African Jewish Museum.

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned

Took a ferry to Robben Island --- once a leper colony. Very sobering tour of the now-defunct prison where Nelson Mandela and other anti-Apartheid political prisoners were incarcerated.

This was Mandela's cell for 18 of the 27 years he was imprisoned. He was eventually released and served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He died in 2013 at the age of 95.

The tour was conducted by one of the former prisoners. He was in prison for the last five years that Mandela was at Robben Island (1977-1982).

Ironically a lovely view from Robben Island of Cape Town's Table Mountain.

Planes, Vans, and Automobiles: Recap of my trip to Africa

Six weeks.
Six African countries, plus the Netherlands.
2,861 photos and short videos.
Animals: Everything except an ardvark and a rhino.
Untold numbers of buses, vans, Jeeps/Land Cruisers.
Boats: Mokoro (canoe) and fast boat in the Okavango Delta. Ferry to Robben Island.
Rental car: 9 days in Cape Town (driving on the left)
Planes: 17 take-offs and landings.
One cable car ride (round trip).
One hot air balloon ride.
Thirteen different hotels, safari camps and private residences.
Three church services: Tanzania (Lutheran) and Cape Town (Baptist and Pentecostal).

Fond Farewell to the Penguins

I will be sad to say goodbye to the penguins. Have made multiple trips to the beach to see them, sometimes more than once in a day. Staying in Simon's Town just a short walk from the beach has been a delight.

Judging by this picture, two of these penguins are just as sad to see me leave, and the third fellow is being stoic about it.

Of course, I could be reading too much into the picture.

World of Birds

A friend recommended that I go to the "World of Birds" just outside Cape Town. Saw lots of birds at the aviary that I had seen elsewhere in Africa.

One of the most pleasant surprises of this trip was the numbers and variety of birds all over Africa!

Yellow-billed Hornbill

I have three favorites (other than the African Penguin, of course): The Yellow Billed Hornbill (shown above), sometimes called "the flying banana."

Lilac-breasted Roller

I didn't see a Lilac-breasted Roller at this aviary, but I had my own photo from Botswana.

Unfortunately I never did get a good picture of the Secretary Bird, which was one of my other three favorites, so I snagged this picture from the Internet. It looks as though the bird is wearing yoga tights.

Secretary Bird (picture taken from the Internet)

A small sample of the hundreds of other birds that I saw in the wild:

Marabou Storks

Black Crowned Crane

Wine Country

I drove to the town of Stellenbosch in the center of South Africa's wine country. The region has soil favorable to growing grapes and a Mediterranean climate.  I visited just two of the many wineries.

Like California's Napa Valley, there were often vineyards on both sides of the road.

Cape of Good Hope, at the far southern tip of Africa

Drove south from Simon's Town to the Cape of Good Hope, allegedly the southern tip of Africa.

Actually, I was told that the true southernmost point of Africa is on a different peninsula, and that this is NOT where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. Believe what you want.

Whales, Ostriches, and Dassies . . . but no Baboons

I saw several whales off the beach (including a mother and baby) near Simon's Town, but my only picture is a bit of white on the water's surface.

My encounter with the ostriches was much closer. A father, mother and their chicks --- and a different ostrich beside my car. Glad my car window was closed.

This Dassie (Cape Hyrax) looks somewhat like a guinea pig. Very docile and coexists with penguins nicely.  The closest living relatives to the hyrax are the elephant and manatee.

Despite all the dire warnings, I did not see any baboons at the Cape of Good Hope.

Boulders Beach Penguins (second visit)

Walked down to the beach to see the penguins again. Sunny day but very windy. The penguins didn't seem to mind the cool breeze.

Lots of penguins on the beach, but also in their burrows on the hills overlooking the beach. The penguins readily accept manmade/manufactured burrows.

The African Penguins make a braying sound, similar to a donkey's "Hee Haw!" In fact, the African Penguin was once called the Jackass Penguin until they realized that some other penguin species (in South America) make similar sounds.

Church at Strandfontein Baptist outside of Cape Town

At the suggestion of my friend Maria, I attended church where Maria and her Briarlake Baptist friends in Atlanta have done service projects.

Very welcoming group and a wonderfully enthusiastic church service. Pastor Daniels and his wife Sandra sent their greetings back to Maria.

Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town

A picture perfect day on Table Mountain

The V&A (Victoria and Alfred) Waterfront is to the right. Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, is farther out in the water to the left.

Really enjoyed the cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain and down. The cable car could hold up to 60+ passengers and rotated 360° so everyone had a good view.

A different view from the top, including Lion's Head on the left. I didn't quite see the head of a lion, but I think it's more obvious from the other side.

African Penguins at Boulders Beach (first visit)

Walked a short distance to the beach and saw lots of penguins!

Mother and baby on the path

Arrived in Cape Town, South Africa

Flew into Cape Town and rented a car at the airport. Driving on the left, even with GPS, required great concentration. Plus, I was driving during rush hour traffic on unfamiliar roads and looking into the sun (which made it hard to read signs). GPS directions were given in kilometers and meters. Somehow made the hour's drive to Simon's Town with a few minutes of daylight to spare.

The Airbnb apartment in Simon's Town where I'll spend the next 9 nights is totally charming. It's a short walk to Boulders Beach, where the African Penguins live year-round.

In the footsteps of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, is the setting for the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, by Alexander McCall Smith. I stayed at the President Hotel, where the main character, Mma Ramotswe, often has Saturday tea (bush tea, also known as Rooibos) on the veranda. I ate breakfast at the corner table set aside for her.

Later I had a tour of some of the places in Gaborone mentioned in the books. I looked for her tiny white van, but did not see it.

The San Tribesmen of the Kalahari

The San Tribe (sometimes referred to as Bushmen) once had the Kalahari Desert to themselves.  Several of the San Tribe members are employed at the safari camp as trackers and other workers.

Replica of San Tribe hut

Our San tracker demonstrated how he can start a fire by rubbing two sticks together

These three San trackers shared how their tribe's way of life has changed in the last 25 years. For example, there is no hunting of animals allowed anywhere in Botswana.

Safari camp in the Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari Desert provided a contrast to the Okavango Delta.

2 Lionesses drinking at the water hole

Oryx

Black-backed jackal

Bat-eared Fox

There were wild melons with white flesh inside growing everywhere on the desert, providing moisture and some nutrition to the animals.

A few of the many animals of the Okavango Delta

Elephant's mock charge at our boat.

 

Leopard in the grass

The Lilac-breasted Roller (my favorite!)