Thursday, July 10, 2008

Final post from South Africa


Last night we ate at the Carnivore Restaurant – and thoroughly enjoyed the great variety of meats offered as well as the company of friends, including a professor from Perth who was celebrating his birthday. The food arrives on skewers and included ostrich, wildabeast, kudu, crocodile, and warthog.
This morning my tour group headed for a day in Pretoria which is the administrative capital of South Africa (Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa). Our first stop was the Voortrekker Monument, a tribute to those who trekked across South Africa.
The story reminded me of the U.S. westward expansion treks in many ways. The monument was HUGE – and quite impressive. Inside were huge marble slabs depicting the story of their advancement from Cape Town. There were also 15 incredible needlepoint murals of the same events. The grounds were the most beautiful gardens we have seen since we got here. (Remember it is winter) I was very intrigued by the double poinsettias.
We then traveled into Pretoria to see the capital buildings and central city. Then, after being quite overwhelmed by the traffic and noise, we headed out of town to see the Hartbeespoort Dam/Lake. This area was artificially created to provide water and electricity to this area. It is now a thriving recreational area where the homes are very expensive. We went to a craft market there – but it all seemed to be the same stuff we have seen elsewhere.
At 5:30 I returned home. Fortunately, the power is back on at Misty Hills after failing during the night. Tonight we will eat here and then pack for our departure for Namibia in the morning.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

What a huge pile of meat!!!!! Looks great! If we were in China and saw that, we couldn't really be sure WHAT kind of meat that would be!

Things are going pretty well here. Kajsa is still having some sleeping issues, but then again, wouldn't you expect that from a one year old whose body clock is trying to shift!

HI Phil!

with infinite hope, Jim