My first trip to Africa was an eye opener to say the least. I have never left the US so to experience the world beyond our borders, was an experience to never be forgotten. Then add a one year old in tow and it sure won’t be forgotten.
The first thing that most people would ask me about when I informed them of my upcoming trip was, air time. No one could believe that I was brave enough to bare 24 hours of traveling, including all layovers and transfers, with a baby. The trick? Earplugs, carseat and snacks. Lots of snacks! Honestly, the flight flew by, pun intended. It seemed so surreal once we got off the plane, it was hard to even recall actually going through it. Needless to say it was very manageable and not as scary as it sounds. I highly recommend the car seat if they have an extra seat on the plane for you to bring it on, or if you can afford to purchase your own seat. We were so fortunate to have an extra seat on our flight there and back, so it made our lives so much easier.
Another trick to flying with a baby is the mounds of items that you need to bring. My mom came with me to help with the baby join in on the fun. Between the three of us we had two large suitcases, one medium, a port-a-crib, car seat, stroller, and four carry-ons. Talk about a work out. It is really impossible to consolidate when you combine a work trip with a baby, there is just not much to limit, but if you can, limit what you bring. Keep in mind they do have cribs available at all of the hotels, but if you are a germ freak like me, save yourself from the minor panic attack that those hotel cribs may give you and bring your own. It is worth it.
Our first stop was Cape Town. We arrived late that night at about 9:30PM, which worked out great because we were so tired from the lack of sleep on the plane that we went right to sleep and woke up in time zone the next day. Don’t let that fool you, it did take a few days to shake off the jet lag, but I do attribute adapting well to arriving in the evening.
The next morning when we woke up we did a small Cape Town City private tour.
As we continued on the drive through Cape Town we made our way over to Cape Point and managed to climb to the top to witness the meeting of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
After we left Cape Point we walked along Boulders Beach to make a quick visit to the Penguins.
The first thought that comes to mind when I think Penguins is ice. However, these little guys know how to do it right, life on the beach, nothing better.
Sadly we missed the boat trip to see the seals, so we finished off the day with a visit to the Bird Sanctuary. It was very neat to see all of the different species of birds and to be so close to them.
We even caught them kissing.
At the end of a long work week we went on a quick half-day tour of the winelands. On our way out there we passed one of the largest shanty town populations that I had seen yet. As an American and that not being something that we experience in the United States, it was an eye opener.
When I passed those towns and saw those babies running around with hardly any clothes I looked over at my sweet baby and I think a piece of my heart was left there.
It makes you take a step back and realize how fortunate you are and what life could be like. When a flight layover, or a red light is the pit of your day, just remember that somebodies baby is out there in a home-made shack with no running water and hardly any food.
This picture doesn’t even begin to describe how far and wide this village goes, it is bigger than 20-30 neighborhoods combined, possibly more.
We then reached our destination, Ernie Els Winery. Let me tell you, it is gorgeous. As soon as we walked in they took us on a quick cellar tour, before we continued onto the tasting.
After checking out the back end, there was nothing left to do but enjoy the stunning views and taste four of the best wines that I have experienced. After we left the winelands we headed up to Durban for a total of three days. I attended Indaba 2013 and my mom and daughter enjoyed the nearby aquarium and the Indian Ocean.
From there we headed to our final South African destination where we would spend two nights at the Shamwari Game Reserve. We arrived at lunch time, so we placed the bags in our room and headed out on to the patio to enjoy lunch poolside.
Not only is this property peaceful in itself, but we had the entire facility to ourselves and got to enjoy this relaxing view with our lunch.
Once lunch was through, we headed back to our room to relax until it was time for our first afternoon game drive. The animal sightings were breath taking. We were blown away at how close the animals actually let the vehicle get to them.
They didn’t spook at all. One of the elephants even started searching around in the back of our vehicle.
I couldn’t resist this sweet picture of momma and baby. About an hour before the drive was due to be over, we stopped for a sun-downer. I think this sent the entire experience over the edge.
The same grounds that all of these wild animals roam freely we were just enjoying some nuts and a glass of wine.
The very next day the first animal we caught sight of was the elusive leopard. We actually got to see the male and female interact and our driver explained that they must be getting ready to breed.
Then we caught sight of this sweet little fellow and since he was posing and all I had to snap a quick picture.
Finally we pulled up to a large pride of lions, which we were really looking forward to and caught these two guys taking an afternoon nap in the warm sun with bellies full.
After the lions we caught sight of two cheetah brothers out on the hunt and then they too decided to save some energy in hopes of a hearty lunch to come.
The last animal of trip that we caught was this lone male hippo surprisingly munching on some grass outside of the water, our ranger informed us that it was very rare to see a hippo out of water during the day.
We opted for a leisurely breakfast instead of our final morning game drive since we had a transfer come to pick us up at 11AM to take us over to the Oceana Beach Resort. We didn’t get as much time as we would have liked there, but we managed to get a walk in on the beach and a delicious lunch, dinner and breakfast. I think we were spoiled by the end of it all. Then we were off to the United States the following morning.
This was an experience that I will never forget and one that I hope to enjoy again soon. I am so thankful to have been able to have my daughter along to capture these memories with. To be immersed in the culture and lifestyle of South Africa is a true eye opening experience and something that should be on everyone’s agenda. I think it is safe to say I have been bitten by the travel bug.
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Nigeria’s tanking currency has left its airline industry on the brink of collapse
By Max Bearak September 14 at 4:30 AM
A Boeing 737-7BD Arik Air airplane is seen parked on the tarmac at the local airport in Lagos in 2012. (Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)
Nigeria is between a rock and hard place, and every day it is getting more and more difficult to leave it — literally.
The country is grappling with two full-on rebellions — one by Boko Haram in the north and the other by armed gangs in the oil-rich Niger Delta — as well as persistently low crude oil prices that have stripped away revenue from an economy significantly dependent on them.
In June, the government decided to deregulate the naira, Nigeria's currency, allowing it to devalue. Since then, the flow of dollars into the country has drastically decreased, as traders and companies hold on to them, fearing an unstable naira. The currency has lost more than half of its value against the dollar as of early September.
The relatively stable naira plunged against the U.S. dollar after it was allowed to devalue in June. (Bloomberg)
The move has devastated Nigeria's airline industry, which uses dollars to pay for imported jet fuel. On Tuesday, the country's largest airline, Arik Air, announced that it would be suspending operations because it couldn't afford fuel (though it indicated it might be able to reopen very soon). Aero Contractors, the country's oldest airline, indefinitely suspended operations two weeks ago. Another airline, First Nation, has also suspended operations, though unlike the others, it did not cite fueling costs as a reason.
Soaring jet fuel costs have also led United Airlines and Spain's national carrier, Iberia, to shutter their Nigeria routes. As the fuel gets more costly, it also becomes more scarce. That means other international airlines have begun flying there with extra fuel, using smaller planes, or refueling their jets on newly-added stopovers outside the country instead of doing so in Nigeria. Otherwise they risk stranding their planes due to sudden shortages.
According to an airline executive reached by Reuters, major fuel companies such as Total, Sahara and ConocoPhillips have nearly doubled their prices since June.
The volatility has sapped investor confidence in the country with Africa's biggest population. How can companies — airlines or otherwise — invest in a country they can't even be assured of flying to?
CONTENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPANJapan in Africa – Building Resilient Health Systems
TICAD VI is set to further advance Africa as a growth center of the world.
"It's an impossible situation. The oil marketers don't want to sign long-term agreements anymore so we have to accept whatever prices they demand," one airline executive told Reuters. "We sell tickets in naira and now they want us to come with dollars."
Emirates, one of the world's largest airlines, now has an added stopover in Ghana on its once-daily flight to Nigeria's capital, Abuja — a route that once had two flights a day. Emirates' route to Lagos has similarly been chopped to once daily.
When push comes to shove, however, everyone needs food more than they need to fly. If airlines keep failing to pay up, suppliers will inevitably sell the fuel through middlemen to local buyers. Jet fuel, after all, can be substituted for the kerosene that many Nigerians use to cook and heat their houses.
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