Food Worth Taking A Picture Of…
BG has a neat habit of taking pictures of the food we eat in restaurants. Actually, she only takes pictures when we travel-guess it seems more exciting (plus no one knows us-we might hear from somebody if we took pictures of our McDonalds hamburgers in Texas). But South Africa has a lot more to offer than fast food…
I love seafood and there is plenty in South Africa, especially along the Garden Route and BG’s hometown of Port Elizabeth. The quality is great, the price reasonable, and there are many restaurants-all of which are lacking where we currently live.
You can get all types of “exotic” food (BG helped me with the rest of this article): ostrich, kudu, oxtail, and mutton are often seen on menus. One of my favorite meals (besides “braai” of course) was bobotie, a Malay curry dish that is very popular in South Africa.
Some of the food is common in Texas but South Africans call it something else. BG and I had fun with the names “scone”, “biscuit”, and “cookie”. A “scone” is a U.S. biscuit and a “biscuit” is a South African cookie-makes my head hurt…
The desserts were delicious: custard and caramel became my new “best friends”. “Milktart” deserves a much more prestigious name-how about Queen’s Cream Pie? I think that would go well after a delicious filling of chicken a la king!
Now I’m getting hungry-time for a hamburger (unfortunately!)…
What do you think? Please add your comments by clicking on the above title (“Food Worth Taking A Picture Of…”)
October 21, 2009
Posted in: Culture and Customs 
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Whatever You Do, Don’t Run…
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I read an excellent book by Peter Allison called “Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide” during my first trip to South Africa. If you love African animals, this book is for you…
There is a slight South African connection to the book – Allison began his career as a safari guide in South Africa before moving on to Botswana. But you can see the same animals in South Africa that Allison encountered in Botswana.
Allison describes how he progressed from a “newbie” wildlife guide to an experienced one. He encountered fascinating animals, people, and situations along his journey. You find out what safari guides really think about their clients (and they are typically right!).
The book is well written – I could not put it down. Allison relates many hilarious (and also life threatening) stories about his encounters with wildlife. One of the (many) great things about this book is that you will learn about the habits of key African animals – and you might be surprised…For example, Allison relates how one of the most dangerous animals is actually the foul-tempered cape buffalo.
I read this book before I took my first South African safari and was very glad I did. It brought the experience to life – at least to a certain degree, since Allison experienced the wildlife from the guide side rather than the client.
Check out this book - you will enjoy it (fyi, you can view it on the Amazon link above)!
What do you think? Please leave your comments by clicking on the title above (“Whatever You Do…”)
October 19, 2009
Posted in: Adventure!, Wildlife One Comment
Hotel Tsitsikamma Lodge – A Very Special Place
BG and I love to stay at the Tsitsikamma Lodge located on the N2 close to Stormsriver Mouth and Tsitsikamma National Park. We even went there for our honeymoon!
It is on the highway but seems miles away due to the dense forests and mountains that surround it. All the accomodations are in individual wooden cabins (with very comfortable beds). We enjoyed hiking through the trees and sitting by a natural brook – beautiful scenery!
It is very relaxing and the food is spectacular – you will not go hungry. I enjoy seeing the birds up close and personal there. There are weavers in the trees and the ubiquitous har-dee-dars stroll around the grounds (and call out in the morning and evening!). Plus the flowers are beautiful, even in the winter (Eastern Cape winters are very mild – always a great escape from the summer Texas heat!).
BG and I think it is the ideal place to stay – you are surrounded by natural beauty and are very close to other great attractions (like Tsitsikamma National Park). It is typically our first overnight stop during our treks from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.
By the way, Tsitsikamma means “place of clear water” – and this is one place where the word actually matches reality…
Tsitsikamma Lodge is very hard to describe (and spell!) but great to experience – check it out the next time you’re in the area!
What do you think? Please add your comments by clicking on the title above (Hotel Tsitsikamma Lodge…).
October 16, 2009
Posted in: Places You Must See, Uncategorized No Comments
Geysers, bonnets, and silencers…
I love bumping in to word confusions and accents when I travel to South Africa. I wish I would write all of them down as they happen – they are typically pretty funny…
I wrote a previous article about BG’s accent in Texas. But there are plenty of other stories…
One of my favorite “objects” in South Africa is the geyser (hot water heater for us Texans). I don’t know where the term “geyser” came from – maybe a comparison to hot water in natural geysers. It certainly doesn’t seem to relate to old folks…
South Africans are usually very frugal (a very good trait) so geysers are connected to a switch. You can easily turn them off when you do not need them. U.S. hot water heaters run all the time – maybe they shouldn’t…Regardless, I really like the word – it bears no relationship to the actual function (at least to me).
South Africans can have a hard time with words in the U.S. also. When BG first came to Texas she had a problem with her car muffler – which is called a silencer in South Africa. And to complicate matters (at least for Texans), the car hood is called the bonnet.
BG went to an auto shop and wanted the mechanic to fix her muffler and also check under the hood. So naturally she said: “Would you check under my bonnet? There’s a problem with my silencer because it’s making an awful noise!” It took more than one “communication cycle” to clear that one up – and she was lucky he did not call the police…
Maybe I will have some new ones after our next trip to South Africa – I promise I will write them down this time…
What do you think? Please add your comments by clicking on the above title (“Geysers, bonnets, and silencers”)…
October 15, 2009
Posted in: .First Time Here? Some Good Posts To Read, Culture and Customs One Comment
Interesting Link About South Africa
I heard an interesting news story on CNN International today concerning the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Apparently this is a well recognized group that provides an assessment of governance quality of African countries (South Africa ranked in the top ten).
I plan to research it in more detail but wanted to pass the link on to you:
http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/en/section/the-ibrahim-index
It looks very interesting – let me know what you think! (by clicking on the title above: “Interesting Link…”).
October 13, 2009
Posted in: Culture and Customs No Comments
The Har-Dee-Dar Bird: One Of My Favorites
One of my favorite birds in South Africa is the “Har-dee-dar” bird. It’s proper name is the Hadeda Ibis so I can understand where the informal name came from.
Even more telling is listening the Hadeda – it truly sounds like it says “har-dee-dar” as it flys over your house. And it is LOUD – you can’t miss identifying a har-dee-dar.
B.G.’s mom once had overseas guests that stayed in a local hotel. When they heard the “HAR-DEE-DAR” call in the middle of the night they quickly got dressed and came out of their hotel room – thinking they heard some type of emergency siren!
Har-dee-dars are everywhere in South Africa (at least around the Garden Route where I spend most of my time). They especially like urban neighborhoods and can be seen grazing next to the roadsides. They are large birds – not your typically sparrow or grackle.
Each evening they fly in small groups to a nesting location, typically a tree in the neighborhood. You can hear them call (scream!) ”HAR-DEE-DAR…HA-DEE-DAR” in the evening before they roost (and first thing in the morning on the rare days I try to sleep in!).
Even though they are wild birds they seem very familiar and “part of the family” – kind of like the cat that hangs around your house. They won’t eat out of your hand and fly off when you get near them, but that doesn’t stop them from having the run of your yard and neighborhood. They just keep coming back…
I miss the har-dee-dars when I return to Texas. There are lots of great bids but none quite as prominent (and loud!) in the neighborhood as the har-dee-dar. At least I can try to sleep in on those rare days – now if something could be done about the neighborhood dogs…
What do you think? Please add your comments by clicking on the title above (“The Har-Dee-Dar Bird”….)
October 12, 2009
Posted in: Uncategorized, Wildlife 2 Comments
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-10
- iluvsa.com was down shortly due to web host data center problems – it is back up and running with a new article! #
October 10, 2009
Posted in: Twitter Tweets No Comments
Where Else But South Africa?
One of the (many!) amazing things about South Africa is that you can do activities and experience things that you typically cannot do in your home country (or anywhere in the world for that matter).
Where else can you jump off a bridge on the highest bungee jump in the world, dive in a cage and watch Great White Sharks inches from your face, or pat a lion? Some countries would not let you get anywhere close to these experiences, even if they were available.
I assume liability concerns play a big part (along with a culture that says I will sue you if you do anything at all to hurt or offend me). I am certainly not an expert in this area - hope I don’t wade into deep water on this one! But it appears South African culture allows people to pursue these activities without (reasonable) fear of being sued.
When I was child (many years ago!) I loved to roam my grandparent’s Texas farm for hours. My mother would give me two warnings – watch out for snakes and stay away from the bull in the pasture. And when I walked to the creek I would steer clear of the water moccasins (very poisonous snakes) sunning themselves on the bank and I always checked the cattle to make sure one of them was not a bull (from a very long distance, of course!). I never had any major issues and the experiences will be with me for a lifetime.
Fast forward “XX” years and the world is very different (at least in my country). Parents would not think of letting their young children roam a pasture that contained snakes and a mean bull (which is understandable, to be honest! – I grew up and became a parent myself…). Still, liability concerns shut down even the most innocuous activities.
For example, I enjoy railroad history and like to ride historic steam trains. There are some good places to do that, but many companies cannot even operate their vintage trains for fear of being sued in the event of an accident. Hey, some of them don’t even go much faster than 20 mph – but there could still be an accident…
Fast forward back to South Africa – where you can jump off bridges (bungee cord supplied!), pet lions, and dive with sharks. All of these activities are safe – each organization could not remain in business without this assurance. And they seem to operate without fear of being sued – providing the experience for many is more important than fear of the few.
And that is a very special privilege I hope does not change in the future (in my opinion). Where else but South Africa?
What do you think? Please click on the above title to add your comments (“Where Else But South Africa?)
October 7, 2009
Posted in: Adventure!, Culture and Customs No Comments
South Africa Broadband Access – The Best Is Yet To Come
I use broadband heavily when I travel – it is one of the amazing things of our modern society.
I can do productive work in the U.S. via laptop when I travel to South Africa. I can also send travel pictures back to friends and family practically in “real time” (great sights to see – wish you were here!).
One thing that really stands out though is broadband speed (at least for an American who is used to everything fast and right now). South Africa does have broadband and it is fast – it is just a lot slower than the U.S.
South Africa will get additional broadband capacity through use of the Seacom cable. It runs underwater from Europe along the east coast of Africa. The technology still amazes me – the distance, underwater, etc…You can read a good article about it here (BBC News).
I am not certain about the timing or the cost but it will certainly be welcomed by South Africans. It is even difficult for me to get clear information about it from “my side” in the U.S. I would appreciate any information you can provide…
In the meantime I will blog from this side – and look forward to my next opportunity to blog directly from South Africa!
What do you think? Please add your comments by clicking on the above title (“South Africa Broadband Access – The Best Is Yet To Come”)…
October 6, 2009
Posted in: Culture and Customs No Comments
Where To Pat The Lions – Seaview Game And Lion Park, South Africa
Lions truly are dangerous creatures – we became well aware of that when we travelled to the larger game reserves. However, there is a place in South Africa where you can actually get “up close and personal” to them (at least the “tame” ones).
BG’s mom took us on a day excursion to Seaview Game and Lion Park, a short drive from Port Elizabeth. It is one of those “smaller” game parks that still blows away the zoos I have been to…
You can actually drive in an enclosure and watch the lions romp around (safely from inside your car, of course). We also took a short walk to see a white lion sleeping next to the fence. It was a beautiful animal – I recommend you read the Wikipedia white lion entry to learn more about them.
Seaview also lets you actually pat the lions. Fyi, BG told me that you “pat” the lion in South Africa while you “pet” the lion in Texas – if you can find a lion in Texas…Younger children are allowed to pat the lion cubs (extremely cute!) while adults and teenagers can stroke a larger lion (they look like teenage lions to me!).
We even saw a litter of newborn babies in the reception area – unbelievable!
Seaview was definitely one of the “surprises” I encountered during my travels to South Africa. Sure can’t do that in Texas…
What do you think? Please add your comments by clicking on the title above (“Where To Pat The Lions”)…
October 5, 2009
Posted in: Places You Must See, Wildlife No Comments
Pat on 
Alicia on 