this is specially for celine, rachael, and anyone else coming here for the convention, or for any other reason...
my friend elsa lives in saudi arabia. she wrote this for the south africa day they are having later in the year:
1 Visit Cape Town where you can see the Castle of Good Hope built by the VOC between 1666 and 1679 and the oldest building in South-Africa. Go to Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip where the Atlantic ocean meet the Indian ocean or take a scenic drive down Chapman's peak. Visit the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront ( V & A waterfront) and the Two Oceans Aquarium. Take a cable car or hike up Table Mountain for breathtaking views. Frequent the botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch. Book a boat trip at the V & A Waterfront to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 17 of his 27 years of imprisonment after being convicted of treason.
2 Visit the Cape wine lands with its unrivalled scenic beauty to sample some of South-Africa's top wines.
3 Take a trip along the Garden route - over 9000 species of plants occur in this area of which 6200 are endemic i.e. do not occur anywhere else in the world. Indulge in whale watching in Hermanus (July-December). Or get up close and personal with a Great White shark from behind a cage in Mossel Bay where you are also able to see a replica of the caravel Bartholomeu Dias used in 1488 to sail around South-Africa and visit the Post office tree. Board south-Africa's last operational steam train, the Choo-tjoe that runs between George and Knysna. At the Knysna Elephant Park guests have the opportunity to touch, feed and photograph the gentle giants. Or have a look at the coelacanth in Knysna. Bungee at 216 m at Bloukrans Bridge - the highest commercial bungee jump according to the Guiness Book of world records. The Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve is not only well known for its beauty, but also hosts a variety of activities for the adventurous. Ride an ostrich or visit the Cango Caves in Oudshoorn.
4 Board the Blue train to glide in the only 5 star hotel on wheels in the world through the fertile wine lands before you turn inland to the sweeping landscapes of the Great Karoo.
5 Visit Namaqualand in early spring (August) when for a short period of time a normally arid area becomes covered with a kaleidoscope of colour during the flowering season.
6 Visit Johannesburg to book a tour to Soweto to visit the Apartheid's museum, the Hector Peterson Museum and drive down the only street in the world where two Noble Prize winners lived next to each other to visit the Nelson Mandela Museum in his former home. 25 km from Johannesburg is the Cradle of Humankind a world heritage site and home of Mrs Ples - a skull estimated to be between 2,6 and 2,8 million years old. Excavations continue to this day and Sterkfontein is the richest site in the world for hominids. Visit the Voortrekker Museum in Pretoria as well as the Jan Smuts Museum in Irene, close to Pretoria. {Visit Benoni, where world famous J blogger and scrapper, jacki janse van rensburg has her shop – tee hee}.
7 Sun City is more than a casino complex and entertainment centre. Stay in the magnificent Palace of the Lost City and play golf where the annual $2 million Nedbank Golf Challenge is played. Take a car, elephant or hot air balloon trip to observe animals in the Pilansberg National Park adjacent to Sun City.
8 Drive through the beautiful Mpumalanga to enjoy the spectacular 10 mile Blyde River Canyon. Enjoy sweeping views from God's window, gushing waterfalls and the Burke's Luck potholes ( an amazing system of cavities sculptured by erosion). Visit Pilgrim's Rest - replica of a mining town during the late 19th century gold rush period.
9 Enjoy the beautiful beaches of KwaZulu Natal and visit the Venyane cultural village. The Drakensberg mountain range is a must if you enjoy hiking/mountaineering or rock climbing. Also visit the battle grounds of Isalwandla - the best preserved battle ground in the world where the Zulu's inflicted one of the most humiliating defeats on the British army. Close by is Rorke's Drift: the successfull defence of this outpost is held as one of history's finest defences and 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the British defenders, the most ever awarded in a single battle by one British regiment.
10 Visit the Kruger National Park where there are more species of mammals (147) than in any other African game reserve! Not only will you see the big five but also the following record breakers:
Girraffe: the tallest animal on earth
Cheetah: the fastest landbased mammal in the world
Eland: the biggest antelope in the world
Ostrich: the biggest bird in the world
Cori Bustard: the heaviest flying bird in the world
African elephant: the biggest land based mammal on earth
Shrew: the world's smallest mammal ( the size of a human fingertip)
If you can't go to the Kruger Park, enjoy the wild life at any of the multitude of game parks, national parks or game lodges.
this all will keep you busy for a few weeks. and you'll love it!
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
