South Africa

We started off our South Africa portion of the trip with a visit to Durban, the setting of our first African Christmas years ago.  Here are the highlights of this segment of the trip:

·       Surfing – Only Steph and Kev have surfed before, but the rest of us thought we’d give it a try!  Despite some injuries and a broken board, we had a good time!  After this, Nate and Taryn left us for a few days to go on their mission retreat.

·       Kayaking – Kev, Steph, Keith, and I rented two tandem kayaks to take on the Durban waves.  We had lots of tumbles and collisions, but it was fun!

·       New Year’s Eve at Little India – For New Year’s Eve, Kev, Steph, Keith, and I went to an Indian restaurant and ate on the balcony.  The food was so tasty!  We celebrated by going to bed early and waking up at 7am so we could FaceTime with Mom and Dad at midnight in Canada.

·       Valley of 1000 Hills – We woke up early in the morning to make it to these stunning hills and valleys with their many villages and colourful homes.  We drove around for hours in this beautiful area, taking a lunch break to eat some yummy pies.

 

Valley of 1000 Hills

·       St. Lucia – We drove from Durban to St. Lucia to take in more spectacular scenery, and enjoy more beaches and game-viewing.  While we still didn’t see any big cats, we did come very close to getting speared by a cape buffalo (one of the most dangerous animals in southern Africa!).  We swam at Cape Vidal, ate delicious fresh pineapple from the local market, and witnessed a proposal by the beach!  I will only briefly mention the gigantic spider that was so big its eyes reflected the light of my headlamp.  Of course, Keith had to get out the camera and take pictures of it!



Sunrise in iSimangaliso Wetlands Park, St. Lucia

iSimangaliso

Keith and I in iSimangaliso

Sisters

The beautiful Indian Ocean

Steph and I buying pineapples in St. Lucia

Sharks, crocs, and hippos are all dangers
in St. Lucia!

Vervet monkeys at our campsite in St. Lucia



·       Uncle Marv – My uncle had meetings in Jo’burg while we were in South Africa, and we were able to meet up with him on our trip!  We had a whirlwind of a weekend with him, but it was great!  We went on a sweltering hike to Tugela Falls in Royal Natal National Park and spent time at a farmhouse called Swinburne.

Hiking with Uncle Marv in
Royal Natal National Park

Steph and I hiking in Royal Natal National Park

·       Swinburne – We stayed at an amazing farmhouse situated just below a small mountain with great climbing routes.  Needless to say, Keith was in his element!  This place was so incredible and, besides Gaborone, was the place where we relaxed the most.  We made meals together, read a lot, and climbed a lot!

 

Nate and I at the top of a climb
(Long Bolt to Freedom) in Swinburne

Keith and Nate at the top of Long Bolt to
Freedom in Swinburne

Keith pretending to fall off

Kev halfway down The Long Bolt to Freedom

Taryn getting ready to belay me

Nate, Kev, and Keith with Swinburne in the
background

 

·         Injisuti – We enjoyed more spectacular scenery here.  We went hiking through the hills to a cave with an icy waterfall, enjoyed a lightning show in the evening, and then endured a night of heavy rain!  Besides some dampness (or wetness for some people!), we made it through!



Keith hiking in Injisuti
 

The siblings in Injisuti

·         Nelson Mandela’s House – Our last stop on this epic trip was to Jo’burg.  We visited the Apartheid Museum, which was enlightening and interesting, although also sad and mind-boggling.  The next day we made a trip to SOWETO to see Hector Pieterson’s memorial and Nelson Mandela’s house.  It was so neat to see where Nelson Mandela lived - especially so soon after his death!

 

We had an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime trip with our siblings! Despite unfortunate circumstances at the end it was an incredible five weeks!