Hartje's South African Christmas Vacation

Goodbye South Africa

2009-01-16T21:44:00.010+02:00

So on our last night in South Africa we decided to go to a traditional African meal. We were served Kudu, a large antelope, and different African delights. During the course of dinner we all got African tribal paintings on our face, of course everyone gets normal paintings except for Tom who asks to look like a mix of The Coronel and an Antelope, as seen in the photo to the left. We also had walking live music from the African drummers who would come up to your table. The following day we relaxed by swimming and sun bathing in the beautiful Intercontinental Hotel. The plane ride to London was awful as we were cramped in small seats with no personal TV and an awful selection of movies. We were able to see Annie's family during our 7 hour layover including my new cousin, Jayden. It sure helped the time pass by and pretty soon we were back in Novato. The trip overall was an amazing experience and something I will remember my whole life. South Africa is a truly majestic place and somewhere i hope to return to many times in my life. I recommend you all journey but there at some point in your life and you will understand what i mean. I will attach a Picassa Albulm with the best 200 photos of the trip including the Underwater Camera pictures from Great White Shark Diving. Thanks for reading the blog and following our adventure back to normal life now.

The End

Addo National Elephant Park/Soweto Tour

2009-01-10T13:19:00.007+02:00

So our last two days left we decided to visit both the Addo National Elephant Park and the Soweto, Shanty Towns. First we went to the Addo National Elephant Park which was amazing. We took the option of going on a game ride where we saw a herd of around 200 elephants. 200 elephants were roaming in front of us some coming within five feet to the edge of the Jeep. It was such a fascinating sight and a great way to end the Garden Route. Following the Safari ride we flew to Johanesburg and stayed in the Intercontinetal which was a beautiful hotel. The following day we went on a private tour of both the Soweto where over 4.2 million africans live and is considered the dangerous/porous part. We also visited a shanty town where we were able to see how life truly went on by talking to the people. I was amazed at how bad these people lived with tin roofs, no electricity, no running water or showers. All they had was government provided porto potties yet they were still very cheerful and high spirited. They would come up and talk to us as they loved America and California especially because Tupac was born there. It put an elightenment on my life and made me truly see how good Americans have it compared to the African Nation. It was a life changing experience and something i suggest everybody sees in their lifetime. The follwing day we flew home and 34 hours later we arrived in Novato. The plane flight was awful but overall it was worth it. South Africa was amazing and a place i want to go back to many times in my life. Maybe even as soon as 2010 to see the World Cup.

Tsitsikamma National Forest Adventure

2009-01-07T19:43:00.008+02:00

So as we continued our trip we stopped at the Tsitsikamma National Forest. This forest has the Largest World Bungy Jump site of over 650 feet high. We contemplated it but in the end decided not to make the jump. Instead, we went on a Canopy Tour where you slide throughout the forest harnessed to a wire as you can see the Rainforest Canopy from 270 feet high. It was quite exciting as you picked up speed sliding through and your only brake was by putting pressure on the wire with your hand. Annie got stuck once, I did a 360 half way through, and Tom just was unable to break. It was a great experience and something i would do again as it was exciting. After experiencing the Canopy Tour we stayed at the Fernery Lodge which was beautiful as it was situated above a 100 ft waterfall with voews of the gorge and the Indian Ocean. The following day tackled the Waterfall hike, which was 3.5 miles total and leads you to an amazing lagoon situated below an 150 foot waterfall. We chose to bring no water as we all forgot until half way there which was very stupid. However Annie ended up begging water off some hiker who was on their way back. Once we reached the Lagoon it was fabulous and we were so hot that we dove into the water. The water was Black due to the tannen in the trees which made it frightening as you could see nothing below. Kaylie and I climbed part of the waterfall but due to wind conditions we were unable to go any higher. On the hike back we saw over 20 dolphins swimming near the shore. Now we are off to the Addo National Elephant Park and then back to Johanesburg.

Big Five Safari Trip

2009-01-06T23:38:00.020+02:00

After leaving Cape Town we decided to venture out and go on a Safari Tour. We stayed at the Garden Route Game Lodge which was a Big Five Safari with Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo, Giraffe, ETC. It was great as we went on both a morning and afternoon game ride which allowed us to see all the animals. We were unable to spot the Leopard as they are very hard to find. The Rhino gave birth while we were there and was very protective over its babies. We stay in thatched roof huts that overlooked the Watering Hole. It was a great experience as we were able to see all the animals up close. Also Tour Guides gave great insight on animals and we learned quite a bit about every species especially some interesting stories between the Rhinos and the Elephants. As an Elephant had killed a Rhino that year after it tried to mate with the Rhino and was rejected and then for revenge the other Rhinos killed the elephant. Overall I think the Cheetah or the Lions were by far the coolest animals we saw.

Tom Struggles in Cango Caves

2009-01-06T23:38:00.018+02:00

Cango Caves are a series of caves that contain some of the oldest stalagmites and quartz rocks in the world. Some which are up to a million years old. As a result they now do popular tours throughout the Caves one which is the Standard Tour which does the first 4 chambers and the other Adventure Tour which leads you 1 mile deep into the cave as you crawl through tunnels as small as 11 inches tall. So when we first arrived at the Caves, Kaylie and I instantly decided to do the Adventure Tour whereas Annie chose the Standard Tour. Tom however stupidly chose the Adventure tour after seeing the real life dimensions where he clearly didn't fit and by seeing the Danger Caution signs advising anyone over 170 LBS and 50 years old to not take the Adventure Tour. Tom being Tom however disregarded everything and attempted the Adventure tour. The start of the tour was simple going through the basic Chambers and then the two groups split up and the adventure tour began. First we descended into the Love tunnels 4 feet high and 3 feet wide which were fairly easy compared to what was coming up however Tom was panting after coming out which got quite a few laughs from the other group members. So as we slowly descended further into the Cave reaching 1 mile deep we came to the two hardest tunnels The Devils Peak and The Letterbox. The Devils Peak was a climb of 20 feet up crawling through a 2.5 feet wide tunnel. Kaylie was first to volunteer and made it up in 30 seconds. Then after several more people climbed up it was Tom turn. As he tried to climb up the first step he struggled taking over a minute to get up the first step getting chuckles from the other members and the tour guide. So after finally getting up we hear silence for several minutes finally after 5 minutes passed we finally hear that Tom is ok. Next came the Letterbox which was an 11 inch tunnel where you are supposed to slide down headfirst. Tom thinks that it will be easier going feet first disregarding all of the guides tips crawls into the small space. I am behind him laughing histerically along with others at his decision. When he finally reaches the Letterbox he goes to slide down and is stuck. His belly was to large to get in so the guide pushes him back out. Next Tom has to flip over in a 2 foot high tunnel which amused me amazinly. Then he decides to try headfirst. Tom gets stuck again. He tries to push but his legs are just waging in the air as there is nothing to push off. The guide tells him he is turning blue but he still tries and after a minute of effort finally falls through. He is completley out of breath, drenched in sweat wearing his tight red shirt. It was definetly one of the funniest occurences i have seen in my life. Truly histerical. We stayed at Knysna the night and had Oysters at the Knysna Oyster Company on top of the Oyster beds. Tom got flashed on the way so we think he got a speeding ticket. Was not his best day. We are now off to the Tsitskamma National Forest for Canopy Tours and Nature Walks.

New Years Eve 08'

2009-01-01T22:36:00.004+02:00

New Years Eve was a great night. We started during the day just exploring Cape Town and the different shops/markets in the city. That night we went to a fabulous African Dinner where we had T-Bone steaks which were awesome. After dinner Kaylie and I split up from Tom and Annie and went off to the Clubs. Kaylie and I went to this one club Vertigo for the countdown which was a lot of fun especially since we were allowed to buy drinks from the bar. We left Vertigo at 1 AM to the dismay of the many Capetonians that we had met. We then headed down to the other part of Long Street which is where all the action is and went to some clubs Long Street Cafe and Baghdad. The streets where insane we cars honking, people drinking, and complete chaos. We ended up staying at Baghdad until it closed at 4:30 AM where we then headed to a party at an apartment with these people from Jo'Burg that we met. Finally at around 6:30 AM Kaylie and I stumbled our way home and passed out. It was an eventful and tiring New Years. Tom and Annie roamed the streets a bit, Tom with an open bottle of wine in hand walking down the streets and watched the Cape Ministrel Carnival before heading up to our balcony and watching the parade. On New Years Eve we went to lunch which took 2 hours as all the waiters in Cape Town are extremely slow and it takes forever to get food, drinks, bill, etc. Tom gets really angered by their pace. After lunch we headed to the Botanical Gardens at the base of Table Top Mountains and took a nice stroll through the forests. We then drove around the Constantia Winelands. We are all tired from an eventful New Years and are leaving Cape Town tomorrow, sadly, and heading up the Garden Route to the safari. Will try to post pictures when get computer running as we are currently using internet cafes. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hiking Table Top Mountain

2008-12-31T09:48:00.007+02:00

On this day we decided as a family to hike to the 2,500+ feet summit of Table Top Mountain. We started off the day by visiting the Green Market Square which is a local flee market with many curio shops. Kaylie and I stocked up on many African goods. Following that around 1:30 PM we drove to Table Top Mountain and began our hike. Since it was such a beautiful day the Cable Car was packed so it was a smart idea to hike up and avoid the hour+ line. Less than 5 minutes into the walk Tom was already complaining because we parked the car closer to the Cable Car and it was going to be a 10 minute walk to the trail. Once we reached the trail however it was a steep climb up. Tom took his time but did make it up in a little over 2 hours. Annie however had to get into deep conversations we every person on the trail slowly our pace. The hike was amazing though as the views of the Cape Town City Bowl were extraordinary. The hike was tiring due to the steepness but was well worth it when you reached the top. Once on Top of Table Top Mountain we had extraordinary views of the City, Atlantic Seaboard, Winelands, Cape Point, etc. Good thing however we read the guide books and brought sweatshirts as the wind chill made it freezing on top. Due to the fact that there were so many people and neither of my parents wanted to hike down we ended up waiting in over an hour line for the Cable Car Ride. The hike made us all extremely exhausted so after going to the African Cafe for a traditional 16 course African meal we all passed out. Now we are resting up for New Years where we are going to the V&A Waterfront for dinner.

Cape Winelands

2008-12-31T09:35:00.004+02:00

So after being on the Atlantic Seaboard for a couple of nights we decided to travel out to the Cape Winelands. The drive out was beautiful as we winded through winery to winery. The first stop was a winery called Fairview. It was an old/new stone looking building where we sat in this old fashioned dining room where we were served a 8 course wine meal of 8 wines paired with 8 types of cheese. I wasn't a big fan of the wine but the estate itself was awesome. After that we roamed to a couple more winieries before staying in Franshoek at a little bed and Breakfast called Klein de Oliphants. There we had an amazing dinner of lamb and prawns. Tom drank quite a lot and woke up the whole house that night by making Annie scream. Tom thought he was being sneaky so he went outside and tried to stick his hand into the bathroom window where Annie was taking a bath. Annie did her usual scream waking up all surrounding guests and this was already at midnight. The next day unfortunately it was raining so not much was accomplished except for seeing two wineries. Then again we stayed in an equally as nice bed and breakfast called the Villa Grande in Stellenbosch. Here we went to a great dinner where Kaylie was hit on by a Lionel Richie look a like. The third and final day, Tom woke up early and went to 8 wineries while Annie and Kaylie went shopping. I however was not informed properly on the plan and was left at the Guesthouse with all the bags and no car to store them in. I was stuck there for around three hours. After that we went to a fabulous lunch followed by a visit to the Cheetah Outreach program where Kaylie played with Cheetah Cubs. We then made our way back to Cape Town where we currently have a fabulous centrally located apartment with stunning views of Table Top Mountain. Lastly we went to Jardine for dinner which is rated as one of the Top 100 restaurants in the world. The food was fabulous as we had Tian of Prawn/Salmon, Oysters, Duck, Steak, Springbok, and plenty of desserts and wine. We all decided to make it an early night as we planned to hike Table Top Mountain the following day.

Great White Shark Diving

2008-12-27T09:10:00.006+02:00

Great White Shark Diving was amazing!!! It started by us making the 3 hr journey out to Gansbaii. It is the Great White Shark Diving capital of the world. After arriving to the harbor we all boarded the boat after listening to our Dive Master Vien. He seemed to be very well-informed about sharks. First the boats battery did not work so we were all worried. After replacing the battery we were finally off. Driving through the narrow rocks and the heavy waves we went about 3 miles in to Shark Alley, a place in-between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock (The Mecca of Cape Fur Seals as their population exceeds 50,000 there). They dropped down the cage and we are quickly put our wet suits on. While we were being briefed on the top of the boat the first shark came up to the side of the boat, it was about 8 ft long so a small one but still pretty impressive for barely chumming the water 5 min. Next we started to jump in the cage the first 5 got quick site of that shark as it came up to the cage but then disappeared quickly. After around 10 min one of the girls in the cage got cold and jumped out so it was my turn. I jumped in with my Under Water Camera and full-body wetsuit. The water was not cold at all i thought, roughly around 65* and the wet suit made it 75*. After waiting 35 min i became very anxious on where the sharks were, for an instance i was scared it would be a dud and we would see nothing more. Then finally a great big shark was spotted. Around 10 feet long he came right up to the cage and it was amazing to see him underwater. Problem was underwater visibility wasn't that great so you only saw it when it was close up which was indimating. Then both Kaylie and Tom jumped in and again another great big beast came crashing up to the cage trying to chase the tuna bait. The site was incredible as at one point i was less than 2 feet away from the sharks mouth underwater. I think i got some incredible photos underwater but we will not know until they are developed. Overall we ended up seeing around 4 different sharks ranging from 8-12 feet. The sharks came back multiple times and the 12 foot great white ended up eating the bait twice, he was very vicious. After being in the cage for just less than 2 hours i finally got out. Out of all the divers i stayed in the water the longest and was rewarded as many who didn't wait it out missed seeing the Great White Underwater. I was able to see great views from the boat as in the last instances we had two sharks come up quickly. Shark Diving was a once in a lifetime experience and was such a worthy experience. We are now off to the Wine Country for three days.

Christmas Day

2008-12-25T22:29:00.009+02:00

Christmas Day we set off early. I wanted to leave at 9:30 but thanks to Kaylie and Annie we didn't get out the house until 10:10. However we went to Boulders Beach, the African Penguin Colony. The drive was beautiful on the way passing by some Dutch wineries and the Silvermine Nature Reserve. The Penguin Colony was really cool as there are over 3,000 penguins on this beautiful beach sheltered by huge Boulders, hence the name. It was amazing to see how many African Penguins there were and how they did not seem to be scared of humans. In fact i got up to 1 foot away from some of the Penguins. Following this we drove down the windy road to the Cape of Good Hope. We had lunch on this beautiful patio overlooking the Indian Ocean. Lunch was delicious with Norwegian Salmon, Lamb, and Turkey. The long island ice teas and wine was great to see. After lunch we decided to hike the trail to the Lighthouse atop Cape Point. This hike was amazing with the views of both oceans. Even better was the trail down to Cape Point which was tight and if you looked to your side there was an 100 foot drop off. Once reaching the farthest southern point, tom and I decided to be adventurous and cross over the fence and stretch our limits. I have to admit it was worth it as we were able to see straight down the cliff to the crashing waves on the cliff. The adventure was such an experience and the views were out of this world. After hiking for quite awhile we decided to leave and on the way back we stopped off at the Penguin Colony again. This time we went onto the beach itself where we truly saw the Penguins up close and personal. Tom, Kaylie, and Myself crossed over through many of the boulders and went to a secluded part of the beach. This time we saw the main part of the colony as hundreds of Penguins were sunbathing, mating (it was breeding season), and just playing around. We got rather close again and even got some of them to snap at us as we put out our sun glasses. The beach was amazing and we drove back to Camps Bay after where we had a wonderful dinner of Fish and Meat. The next adventure is Great White Shark Diving as we are off tomorrow. (More pictures will be loaded later so check back soon)

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T19:52:00.011+02:00

Christmas Eve was calm and relaxing. We visited Hout Bay that afternoon which was rather eventful. Bunch of curio shops and african jewelry shops. We were bombarded by street salesmen trying to sell us African junk such as wire ornaments, african

drums, etc. My mom fell for the trick and ended up buying quite a bit. Visited a Liquor store where i was able to buy beer and a 6 pack of Captain Morgan coke drinks. Quite eventful with the exchange rate the best wine bottle he had was only $22 so Tom stocked up on some of the best. Christmas Eve dinner we cooked Lamb Chops with yorkshire pudding and vegetables. Sat out on our balcony and watched the sunset which was beautiful. We all ended up going to sleep early because we

had busy Christmas day following as we were going to visit the Penguins Colony at Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope.

First Days in South Africa

2008-12-23T17:28:00.009+02:00

Sorry for the delay our computer was not working so we are currently in Apple store getting it fixed. So on with our journey after boarding the plane dreading the upcoming 17 hour journey i saw we had a celebrity on our plane the black guy Warrick from CSI was with his super model girlfriend. Flight was bad like expected as i was squished between dad and sister and had no air-conditioning during layover in Senegal. Stayed in Jo'Burg at Intercontinental which was really nice as we all got massages and women got facials. Flight to Cape Town sucked as we had over 30 babies on the small plane. It was shear crasiness as there was a constant noise of crying. First night in Cape Town was eventful as we went to dinner and Tom set a new record for himself. Ron and Marian and anyone who was at Marys that one time in Laguna Beach know about when Tom asked 20 or more questions to the poor waitress. Well, this time he hassled the poor waiter more than 40 times asking for drinks, spoons, extra spoons, small forks for seafood, napkins, crayfish, wine, water, sparkling water, the list was endless. So far it has been pretty the trip. We slept a lot to get over get lag, went to the V&A Waterfront for nice dinners and shopping. Went to one of the worlds largest aquariums and some different craft markets. Weather is nice sunny and mid 80s today, rained yesterday though. Sure glad not in the U.S. right now with the weather problems. We are going to Penguin Colony Beach today which has over 3,000 african jackass penguins roaming the beach. Now staying at Camps Bay where we have an apartment with great oceanic views, reminds me a lot like Laguna Beach. Happy Christmas Eve we are cooking a turduckden tonight for Xmas Eve dinner and then tommorow off to the Cape of Good Hope for Xmas Lunch.

Flying to New York City

2008-12-22T16:31:00.003+02:00

So we set off on Thursday at 9:45 as we had an 1:00 PM flight to New York City via Dulles Washington. Flight was awfully boring but time passed as i slept the whole time. Then as we landed in Dulles we connected on to a small plane to take us to New York City. Unfortunately i was stuck in a two seater with a man who took up half my seat as well as his so it was a dreadful 40 min as i was squished throughout the flight. When we arrived in New York we stayed at our ex-neighbor Marjorie's house which was located right next to Central Park and the Saint Regis. Since the weather was supposed to be terrible the following day we decided to take a walk throughout the city at 1:00 AM. We went into the huge Mac store, strolled by Radio City Hall, NBC Studios, and Time Square, which was a cool site as it was all lit up. We didn't get back till 3:00 AM so it was quite an adventure. We even met a man who walked around with a cat on his head. After settling back in i decided to not fall asleep whereas the rest of the family passed out. It was already 3:30 AM and i had intentions on walking to NBC studios at 5:30 AM so sleeping was not going to walk. Around 5:30 i went to wake my dad as he promised he would wake up to go with me. Unfortunaly he had not slept in the past couple days so he told me to go away. As a result i had to wait until 7:00 AM before we departed for NBC studio. Reaching the Today Show studio at 7:15 AM we waited in line to get a glimpse of Al Roker and the gang. At this time rumors were spread that Brad Pitt was showing up to promote his new movie so we changed our position to get a chance to see him. Unfortunately he never showed up and after waiting out there i have to admit it is not much fun watching the today show in 30* weather. So we strolled back to the apartment as it was starting to cool down and even saw some camels on the way back. So we then decided to nap and when we woke up New York was a blizzard and we were forced to take the Subway instead of a Cab to JFK Airport. Fortunately the trip was fine and we reached the airport awaiting our 17 hr flight.