A perfect on schedule flight with British Airways from Nice to Johannesburg via Heathrow with
no baggage or car renting problems. Because of a lot of rain in Nice there was only one flight between Heathrow and Nice and that was ours :-).
We rented a Hyundai IX35 from Avis on a mini lease deal - big excess but that is covered by our credit card and max 100 km/day. Now after being in SA for 2 weeks we have found out that 100 pr day is not enough but we think it's still cheaper to rent the car on a mini lease. Until now we have been happy with the car.
We had decided that this trip should be a little different from our others South Africa trips. We would this time book accommodation from place to place and travel after the weather. Only one thing is sure and that is that we arrived in Johannesburg and we are leaving from Cape Town.
We bought our telephone simcards (MTN for our mobile and Vodacom for the tablet to go on the internet via mobile system. That is cheap in S.A.). We were arriving early at African Rock Hotel (a small boutique hotel with 9 rooms) where we had booked their best room (No 1.) on a good last minute deal. All their rooms are a little dark like a lot of hotel rooms are here in South Africa, but no 1 has a least a window to the pool.
Our room is at left
After
being installed we took off to shop necessities like golf balls (in our favorite shop - , wine and water
etc. We even bought (on sale) a 12 V electric cooler to cool water and food.
We stayed 5 nights at African Rock hotel in Kempton Park (west of Johannesburg) and it was
golfing every day. We golfed, wined and dined - same cook as last year – very
good food.
We started playing Serengeti, a Jack Nicklaus designed course, which is a very good well maintained course, very difficult and also expensive - compared to other SA golf courses. Luckily we had a voucher from last year so we played incl. a cart for 850 Rand - 600 DKK.
We started playing Serengeti, a Jack Nicklaus designed course, which is a very good well maintained course, very difficult and also expensive - compared to other SA golf courses. Luckily we had a voucher from last year so we played incl. a cart for 850 Rand - 600 DKK.
Serengeti
Eye of Africa
Sunday we played Royal Johannesburg East Course, the famous old course in JoBurg.. We were out the last day before closing for preparation of this year Joburg Open. It is a difficult old park course and long compared to courses we play in Europe. OK it lies in 1600 meter above sea level. The balls fly a little longer. You can walk this course with a pull cart which is quite unusually here in South Africa.
Next day we played the Royal Johannesburg West Course, not so famous, but certainly worth a visit. It was the first time we played it, but not the last.
Niels on hole 10 on The east course
Our guru for golf courses in South Africa is the rating from Golf Digest may 2012:
Our original plan was to drive to Dragensberg which is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to 3,482 meters but the weather forecast was absolute not good so we changed plans and drove instead to The Battlefields.
We loved to get to play, but there are other things in life, so we entered a historic part of our tour. We stayed at Penny Farthing CountryHouse , where the owner 74 years old Foy made a full day trip round the Anglo/Zulu batlefields.The Anglo - Zulu War rested 6 months. It started 22 January where 1,300 soldiers were massacred by the Zulu impi at the Battle of Isandlwana
Foy explaines everything about the battles, showing – on place - how the Zulus massacred the British in the first battle (Isandlwana). There were more battles, and as we all know the British won in the end. The riffles were new but not really good, though good enough to win. In the Rorke`s Drift battle 600 Zulus were killed, but 6.000 rounds were fired. The mission/church has been rebuilt on the original Foundation as it originally was, and the church is in use.
415 km and 5 1/2 hours
We loved to get to play, but there are other things in life, so we entered a historic part of our tour. We stayed at Penny Farthing CountryHouse , where the owner 74 years old Foy made a full day trip round the Anglo/Zulu batlefields.The Anglo - Zulu War rested 6 months. It started 22 January where 1,300 soldiers were massacred by the Zulu impi at the Battle of Isandlwana
Foy explaines everything about the battles, showing – on place - how the Zulus massacred the British in the first battle (Isandlwana). There were more battles, and as we all know the British won in the end. The riffles were new but not really good, though good enough to win. In the Rorke`s Drift battle 600 Zulus were killed, but 6.000 rounds were fired. The mission/church has been rebuilt on the original Foundation as it originally was, and the church is in use.
The Zulus memorial
The hospital at Rorke's Drift
Anne and Foy at Isandlwana - The white stones is British Mass graves.
We also heard about the Boer
war where 20.000 British soldiers were killed, and 6.000 Boers. Why? In short. The Boers used horses, had Mauser riffles, used guerrilla war techniques (hit and run), and could shoot from horses due to their hunting
abilities. What the Boers did not loose on the battle fields, they lost in the
British concentration camps. 26,000 died there of hunger and deceases. Among them
were many children.
But the Boers could not win over troops from the whole British Empire.
In this part of SA the countryside is full of tragic war memorials.
But the Boers could not win over troops from the whole British Empire.
In this part of SA the countryside is full of tragic war memorials.
31st January.
From war to nature. We drove to the east coast to stay 3 days at Thonga Beach Camp. We couldn't drive all the way to the camp but have to drive the last hour in a 4x4 - we were picked up by the camp.
Here we are in the Simangaliso Wetland Park (close to Mozambique) to see turtles come ashore and lay their eggs, snorkel along the reefs in the Indian Ocean and relax. We were unlucky the first night. No turtles were seen. They have had the biggest turtle Leatherhead on the beach, 1 ton and the smaller Loggerhead 40 kg. But we try again. In the mean time we got a drop in the wind, and could swim inside a small low water reef with a very strong current. You can also go out to sea to a reef where you scope dive or snorkel seeing fish, dolphins sharks etc. But the wind was too strong; you could not pass the breakers without great risk of capsizing. The tide is very strong, and dictates the time for water activities.
In the last evening at 23:30 low tide, we drove along the beach to see if the turtles came in to lay their eggs. But we were not in luck. We had to give up :-(
375 km and 6 hours plus 1 hour in a 4x4
From war to nature. We drove to the east coast to stay 3 days at Thonga Beach Camp. We couldn't drive all the way to the camp but have to drive the last hour in a 4x4 - we were picked up by the camp.
Here we are in the Simangaliso Wetland Park (close to Mozambique) to see turtles come ashore and lay their eggs, snorkel along the reefs in the Indian Ocean and relax. We were unlucky the first night. No turtles were seen. They have had the biggest turtle Leatherhead on the beach, 1 ton and the smaller Loggerhead 40 kg. But we try again. In the mean time we got a drop in the wind, and could swim inside a small low water reef with a very strong current. You can also go out to sea to a reef where you scope dive or snorkel seeing fish, dolphins sharks etc. But the wind was too strong; you could not pass the breakers without great risk of capsizing. The tide is very strong, and dictates the time for water activities.
In the last evening at 23:30 low tide, we drove along the beach to see if the turtles came in to lay their eggs. But we were not in luck. We had to give up :-(
Sundowner at the biggest fresh water laker in SA
It was beautiful and quite windy
What activities are we going to do?
The viewing deck
3rd February,
We left Thonga to go to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park where they have Black Rhinos and 1,600 white rhinos.
It is a beautiful park, fantastic views over the hilly countryside with all shades of green. It had been raining a lot in this region, the grass was up to 70 cm. high, bushes and trees were green and growing, so it was difficult to see animals and their movements. Any animal with less high than a Zebra could not be seen except on the roads. We saw many animals, even 2 wild dogs, which are very rare, but it was on the road. We gave up and left one day earlier, the bush was too thick and honestly we did not like the bush camp we were staying in. The standard of this camp was far below the standard of the camps we have been staying t in Kruger Park.
Two times we were hold back by the same big male elephant that would not allow us to pass so we had to turn the car and find another route.
We left Thonga to go to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park where they have Black Rhinos and 1,600 white rhinos.
1 hour to the parking and 4 hours to drive (200 km)
Two times we were hold back by the same big male elephant that would not allow us to pass so we had to turn the car and find another route.
This was outside the park on our way to St Lucia
5th Feb.
We left to go to to Princes Grant Golf lodge 70 km. north of Durban. On our way we took little detour to St Lucia which is a small town with a lot of beaches to the border of the wetlands.We had a nice lunch with sole on Ocean Basket which is a restaurant chain we already have visited three times.
Princes Grant Golf Lodge is good golf hotel with a fantastic situation and view , and a golf course falling down towards the Indian Ocean, exposed to the oceans wind and weather. It is a very difficult long course, but hopefully a little easier the second time it is played. We try tomorrow again, there is certainly room for improvement. Here at 18:00 hours the thunder is roiling over the sky.
We left to go to to Princes Grant Golf lodge 70 km. north of Durban. On our way we took little detour to St Lucia which is a small town with a lot of beaches to the border of the wetlands.We had a nice lunch with sole on Ocean Basket which is a restaurant chain we already have visited three times.
250 km and 4 hours
Princes Grant Golf Lodge is good golf hotel with a fantastic situation and view , and a golf course falling down towards the Indian Ocean, exposed to the oceans wind and weather. It is a very difficult long course, but hopefully a little easier the second time it is played. We try tomorrow again, there is certainly room for improvement. Here at 18:00 hours the thunder is roiling over the sky.
Hole no 15 - the signature hole
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