Last Supper

Hamming it up at the Polo Bar

Our Last Supper as a group was spent at the gorgeous Westcliff hotel in Johannesburg, overlooking the bright city.  The hotel staff is the quintessence of South African hospitality, treating guests as if they were welcoming you into their own home.  I think this was the best meal of the trip. The chef's food presentation was as fun as his personality, and the pastry chef's desserts were divine.  Even if you don't stay at the Westcliff you must come for dinner when in Jo'burg! Of course we indulged in an after dinner drink (or two or three) at the Polo Bar and then kissed our goodbyes - until Vegas in August!

Ferrari Safari

Our experience at Singita Pamushana has been so much fun, very luxurious, and went by way too fast... but that is not what I mean by Ferrari Safari...

We arrived at Singita Pamushana, the only lodge in Zimbabwe's Malilange Reserve, just in time for sundowners... We watched the sun set over the water from the lodge's perfect clifftop location above the savannah. Then it was right out on an evening game drive - my first safari experience! (Although we had already been greeted by giraffe on the ride in!)  Within a few hours I had already checked of 3 of the Big Five: buffalo, elephant, and rhino.  The park has some of the rare black rhino in addition to lots of white rhino.  We also saw more giraffe, zebra, hippos, monkeys, baboons, impala and lots of other antelope.  The big cats (my favorite!) would have to wait til Day 2, so after our morning game drive, I had seen the Big Five within 24 hours of my first safari experience - many thanks to our phenomenal guide Fortune's good fortune.  He spotted the leopard (no pun intended) in some brush under a tree - of course it took us about 3 min to find the camoflauged cat, but his keen eye led the way.  We watched her nap for a bit then I swear we made eye contact when she woke up.  She checked us out for a minute before relocating to continue her nap.  Amazing to have met my first big cat in the wild! A few minutes later Fortune got a call from fellow trackers who had spotted lions in another area of the park.  Queue Ferrari Safari.  We held on as Fortune navigated the bush to get us there quickly.  Just in time to meet Nala and Simba!  A lioness was lounging by the river bed with her two new (3 month old) cubs, who had only been sighted once before in the reserve.  They were accompanied by her older male son (a few years old) who was just starting to grow his mane.  The feeling of being 10 feet from a lion in the wild is an indescribable experience.  Our 4 game drives at Singita Pamushana were an amazing introduction to safari for me.  I met Simba, Nala, and Sarabi (lions), Pumba (warthogs), Zazu (hornbills), Rafiki (baboons), and so many other members of the African animal kingdom!

Singita Pamushana's mountaintop location over the reserve offers stunning views over the Malilangwe dam. This made possible two other amazing experiences for us. One evening we took a boat safari on the lake, where we met hippos up close (but not TOO close - they aren't very friendly!) and the rare clawless otter (Fortune had only seen the otter once before!).  They also have crocodiles and lots of fish and birds.  Our villa was perched at the peak of the property, giving us a bird's eye view over the water and savannah.  Yesterday in our room relaxing before lunch, Cassie spotted an elephant wading in the water so she called us all to see. We took turns scoping him out with our villa's scope when we realized the hippos weren't too happy to have an elephant on their turf.  They surrounded the now nervous elephant starting a staredown.  Finally Ellie got his gumption and began trumpetting and splashing around (did you know an elephant can do a barrel roll in the water??).  We knew the standoff might last a while, so we called our friends and hosts, and everyone came up to our villa for the show.  In the end, the elephant showed those hippos who was boss, but not before many exchanges of trumpetting, grunting, water splashing, and victory strutting.  What an amazing interaction to witness!


Our game experience was incredible, but not the only meaningful things to do at Singita Pamushana.  Yesterday we went to see a typical village where we learned how the local tribes lived traditionally... I am certain I wouldn't last a week! We practiced our archery and trapping skills, made porridge from scratch, and tapped along to their traditional music and dance.

This morning made real the incredible impact the tourism industry can have on local communities.  Singita feeds breakfast to 22,000 children DAILY in Africa.  They provide the resources and training, and the communities themselves carry out the services.  We went to meet some of the children and the ladies of the community who serve them breakfast thanks to Singita.  Ansley and I played soccer with the little boys and we helped feed them their nutritious porridge breakfast. Then we went about 45 min to the local school, also supported by Singita, where we saw 3rd graders learning fractions, 4th graders practicing grammer, and 7th graders getting ready for their annual standardized tests. The school also offers extracurricular clubs to help expand the children's goals for what they want to be when they grow up.  We saw the dance troupe in an impressive performance and then got lessons from these professionals - they made it to the finals last year, and Singita paid their way to the competition.  Finally we stopped at the clinic Singita has built, also operated by the community, which also includes HIV education clinics and a natal ward - we saw a new mother and her 30 minute old twins!  This experience really brought together my passion for travel with my former professional path in international development. Singita's community outreach programs are a perfect example of the notion "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for life." Their dedication to educating and empowering the local community is admirable and inspiring.

Never enough time in each place, we are back to Jo'burg now.  Tonight is our last night together as a group and we are already mourning our last supper! Tomorrow I am off to Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa for three more lodge experiences.

Table Mountain

Today I decided to make up for a week of no exercise - "too busy" pre-travel, then on a plane for 20 hours, followed by the last 2 days being "too busy" hotel hopping, Cape boating, wine tasting, and eating fabulous meals.  In our few free hours in Cape Town, Jamo and I were up for the challenge of hiking Table Mountain.  An hour and a half later (yes we did it in 1.5 hours) we arrived at the top, sweating and out of breath, and with new Capetonian friends we made along the way.  Well worth the trip.  Amazing views of Cape Town, the Twelve Apostles, Robben Island, and Cape Point from the top of the world down here!

Now I am sure I will make up for any calories burned tonight - Cassie's birthday dinner with our gracious Ellerman hosts in our villa! Then it's down to Camp's Bay for some celebration! 7AM departure will certainly come too soon but then it is off to Zimbabwe to experience Singita Pamushana!

Real World: Cape Town

We have moved into The Villa at Ellerman House and I am not sure we will ever leave! This has been an amazing opportunity to experience another side of Cape Town, outside the bustling Waterfront. This perfectly charming 11-room home is walking distance down to Camp's Bay and Clifton areas with great dining, nightlife, and shopping.  Their fully staffed villa is great for families and couples traveling together... or six Friends That Fam! We joked that we felt like we were moving into the Real World house (but more tastefully decorated :))... but since Jamo is our only male maybe this is more like The Bachelor... lucky guy.  The views over the Atlantic and Cape Town are stunning.  We hardly want to leave our pool deck.  Food and service both in our new home and in the main house have been perfect.  Anticipating every want, down to Cassie's course mustard. After all, she is the birthday girl today!

Points South

I just realized I have been to the two most southerly points in the world in the past 3 months... Ushuaia, Argentina and now Cape Point, South Africa.

Shark/Cheetah Encounter

This morning we woke up before the sun to head to Simon's Town to see if the sharks would make an appearance for us today.  Cape Town is even more stunning from the water! The city is spread out from the ocean up to the mountains with Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles proudly presiding over the city.  Unfortunately our optimism was not enough to lure the sharks... and neither was the seal decoy... or the sound baiting... or the tuna head bait... but that just means I have to come back in July when predatory season is in full force.  I did still get in the cage - I was in a wetsuit off the coast of Cape Point - why not? - and saw a million fish, to go along with the million seals, lots of dolphins, and a few penguins we spotted.  I would do it again, sharks or no sharks.  

After our sad morning animal encounter (well, lack thereof) we decided to try again in the afternoon. We took a trip out to Stellenbosch - gorgeous wine country, rolling valley under the mountains. The winery we visited was not only about the vino, but also had many interesting animals to meet. After a traditional Moyo lunch (I tried oxtail, without knowing what it was, and it was delish) we ventured over to the farm.  Many of you know the large cats are my favorite animals, of which I hope to meet many later this week! But my first real encounter with a big cat (outside the zoo of course) was a unique one! The farm cares for 10 endangered cheetahs and some cheetah cubs and we were able to meet Joseph, a ten year old (that's old for a cheetah) and even pet him! Petting a purring cheetah is certainly a breath taking experience! I wanted to bring Joseph home as a house cat but don't think Lamont would approve... We also pet owls - did you know you could pet an owl?? Needless to say, I am looking forward to the authentic wild animal encounters to come!

Cellars Chefs-in-Training

Last night we had an authentic Cape Malay dinner at Cellars hosted by the gracious GM Tony and his lovely wife, one of our fabulous Africa partners, Dani.  Cellars' main restaurant The Greenhouse was named the #1 restaurant in South Africa this year - congrats! We were treated to their unique and interactive private dining Cape Malay Experience. I was not the best at wrapping samosas (see right) but thankfully Martha the Master of Cape Malay was patient with me. The typical cuisine of Cape Town is heavily influenced by Southeast Asian food - spicy, curries, chutneys, yum! While the food was fabulous (needless to say) the company really made the meal.

Again not even close to enough time at Cellars (story of this trip), Jamo, Lindsey, and I had a 5AM wake-up call to go cage shark diving! Unfortunately we got a foreboding call in the evening... no sharks have been seen for a week... very unprecedented for this time of year and the current weather.  We remained optimistic...

Good Morning, Table Mountain!

This was my view when I woke up this morning... magic!

I arrived in Cape Town last night but well after dark and after 20 hours of traveling (well worth it) so this morning was my first real view of the city... and what a view it was! I slept like a baby thanks to 1) 20 hours lack of sleep on a plane, 2) comfy bed at O&O, and 3) a few welcome glasses of vino with Cassie, Ansley, and Jamo!  The most important factor in my recovery though was the 50 minute massage Friday AM at the One&Only's amazing spa.  All guests of McCabe World Travel and Virtuoso get a complimentary massage - SO necessary.

Not enough time anywhere here! After a lovely lunch hosted by O&O at their restaurant Rueben's (by South Africa's celebrity chef... they also have a Nobu) where we got a taste of Cape Malay flavor and South African wines, we headed 20 min outside the city to The Cellars Hohenort.  How charming! I felt like I was at an English country home - complete with perfectly manicured gardens.  Each room is unique and so tastefully done - some very traditional, some contemporary - designed by owner Liz McGrath herself. Off to enjoy before dinner with our gracious host and hostess...