September 25, 2025

September 25, 2025

It rained on us all night and we awoke to cool and rainy weather. The rainy season for Kruger National Park is not supposed to start until next month. So glad we had great weather yesterday. This is a good day if it has to rain as we are going to spend most of it travelling.

From Hazyview, South Africa we drove west. For the first two hours we steadily climbed higher. We are scaling the Great Escarpment that divides the South African plateau (Highveld) from the coastal lowlands. Our destination is almost 6000 feet elevation.

At our first bathroom break, we browsed the grocery store and bought some Rooibos (Red Bush) Tea packets. It is a local herbal tea we have heard a lot about. Rooibos is native to the Cape Floral kingdom.

Back on the road we reached the Highveld (high field) and found a flat grassland prairie. Just off the highway, I am amused by this huge coal-fired power plant with six giant hyperbolic cooling towers. We normally associate them with nuke plants. Surprisingly I see two more identical plants a few miles down the road.

I almost didn’t make it in time to reach our next rest stop. I had to make a mad dash to the men’s room. I am pleasantly surprised to discover I am using the coolest urinal in the world. I am facing a glass window with a watering hole that is surrounded by Africa’s finest; Rhinos, Cape Buffalo, Ostrich, and three different kinds of horned Antelope. What a menagerie! Aimee and I share a Grilled Cheese lunch and watch the animals feed at several troughs. It is fascinating. There is a definite pecking order with the Rhinos on top. But the Cape Buffalo are not far behind.

We finish in Johannesburg, the City of Gold. We are in the Transvaal Region, meaning “over the Vaal River”. When the British took Cape Town, the Dutch Afrikaner Boer farmers migrated north to escape British rule. Unfortunately for them, diamonds and then gold were discovered here, making this area irresistible to the Brits. After a short rest we took the hotel shuttle to the Sandton City mall. It is huge and upscale. We walk through it to reach Mandela Square which has a giant statue of Nelson.

We have dinner at a Greek restaurant. Aimee and I share a Moussaka. It is served with Peri-Peri Sauce. This is an African-Portuguese spicy pepper sauce. Aimee and I think it is delicious. We washed it down with a local beer with an unusual name. Afterwards back at the hotel, we celebrated the birthday of our friend with Champagne and a piece of cake.