We are back in Japan after our summer trip. After spending the last few summers in Europe, we took a different approach and decided to visit the southern part of Africa instead. There were a few reasons: we were looking to escape the increasingly hot summers in the northern hemisphere, we thought it would be good to try some slightly more challenging areas before we got too old, and also because a cheap ticket showed up at the right time.

This trip was shorter than our usual summer trips, so we ended up packing it full of activities. As usual I wrote up a journal of how we spent our time and our impressions of what we saw. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll do my best to get these transcribed here in online form. 

Once again, these journals really serve as a way to preserve our memories and aren’t written with an outside audience in mind – but if you do have any questions feel free to let me know!

Despite the early bedtime Kuniko didn’t sleep well, and woke up with what looked like bug bites on her arm and leg. I slept in the same bed and was unbitten, so she was really getting the worst of it. It felt like our roles were reversed – usually if someone gets sick or bit it’s me. 

But we still went out for some coffee – there was a cool place called “Father” around the corner from our hotel. It looked like a cafe but evidently they changed to a wine bar in the evening, and the wines looked really interesting – too bad it was so early. Our cappuccinos were served in stylish mugs without handles – I liked the design!

Since we had a late flight out we arranged for a slightly later check out, with the plan to have lunch and then stay as long as possible in our room in a horizontal position. We did some shopping for souvenirs nearby, checking various shops and trying to balance between authenticity, resistance to high temperatures and weight. Getting good souvenirs is tough!

Our early lunch was at Proud Mary, a stylish place that was listed online as having South African food. I’m not sure about that, but they did have a beautiful bar and excellent wine list. We had arrived 15 minutes before lunch service began so we sipped drinks – a Semillon for me and a mimosa for Kuniko. That was her idea of staying healthy.

When lunch came it was really good – we focused on small plates and had eggplant fries, sea bass teradito, and chicken kabobs. The flavors here were intense but much better integrated than our last meal in Stellenbosch. It was a leisurely lunch – we sat by the window and watched people walking by – both inside and out. There were a lot of people walking with food delivery bags. Pretty much everyone in our restaurant was black except for us – and they had great music playing in the background. I enjoyed this place.

Finally we went back to the hotel for final packing and then we checked out. We did the reverse route of yesterday, taking the train back the way we came. At the airport we had lots of time so we played games on a bench, sent some messages and did some journaling. Kuniko was still coughing so she went to buy some cough drops to help with the long flights back. 

Finally we could check in, and so we waited in a short line to drop off our bag. The staff was surprised that we were going all the way to Japan with just one suitcase. She didn’t know that it was half full of souvenirs.

Again there was a very long line at security, but once we waited through that the immigration line was short. We had a snack at a restaurant that was located in a big window wing that overlooked the planes at the gate. We watched Rwanda Air and Turkish Airlines pull from the gate and take off – they seemed like they were going way too slow to get off the ground but as usual they did. We had a couple of wraps – one chili chicken and the other beef and onion – some fries, and glasses of wine. Our last chance for South African wine for a while!

On our flight to Singapore we had seats at the very back of the plane (guilt-free reclining) and in the window seat next to us a Korean guy talked to us a little. He seemed nice and I encouraged him to just wake us up if he had to run to the toilet. Later he ordered two quick beers with his dinner and then did indeed wake us up to escape. Despite that brief interlude we were sleeping a lot – I think I slept about 8 hours which is pretty impressive for economy class.

While landing at Singapore the Korean guy suddenly jumped up and asked us to let him use the toilet. We were on approach for landing and the cabin attendants yelled at him to sit down from their seats but he ducked into the toilet anyway. They were knocking on the door and giving him deadlines, but he was on his own schedule. He made it back just in time before landing – I thought he came close to getting arrested.

With a couple of hours in Singapore airport we had time for two proseccos at a Heineken sports bar (we later found out the two glasses cost more than 8000 yen!) and then we were boarding our longer flight to Japan. That was an easy flight and I spent most of my time playing games and listening to music. Kuniko got even more sleep in – which showed how tired she was.

Upon arrival at Kansai Airport we had a smooth entry – I got through immigration faster than Kuniko and our suitcase came out early as well. But then we had a run of bad luck. Our online customs form didn’t load correctly causing a delay while the officer decided what to do (he let us through eventually) and then as we left the customs area the two people in front of us decided to stop in the middle of the walkway to consult their phones and caused a temporary road block. We rushed around them but when we went outside our bus to Kobe had just closed its door. The staff outside turned and saw us, but then instead of stopping the bus he turned around and left, leaving us with 45 minutes to kill until the next (and last) bus. 

So we went inside and did the old beer/highball/Jagarico combo and killed time drinking and laughing while we recalled our trip. Eventually we made it to the bus and then on to Kobe. Kuniko ran into a former student who works for Peach Airlines, and we learned a new way to get from the bus stop to the train station. We just missed the fast train so had to wait another 20 minutes on the platform, and then just missed the last taxi at Nishi Akashi station. We arrived at home at 2 am – but luckily we had the next 24 hours all to ourselves to recover.  

As usual the summer trip was a success! This was a little different – shorter, more intense, more dangerous? But we made some great memories on this one and as usual we spent time during the trip thinking about next summer’s destination. We’ve got plans to head back to Europe – but before that we’ve got a trip to Australia and the USA planned – and possibly even an area that we’ve never been before.

Thanks to our drunken escapades the previous night we were able to sleep in a little later. We went out to get some coffee, and found a nice cafe in the center of the waterfront. There were security guards posted on the corners, but as usual it didn’t look like they had anything to do but make people feel safer.

After our cappuccinos I thought it might be a good idea to see if I could get some new shoes at the shopping center next door – shoes my size are hard to get in Japan. We poked around but didn’t find any that I liked or that were in my size. I did find a tea mug that matched our set at home at the Le Creuset shop – in South Africa they make a color unavailable anywhere else: black. As we walked around we discovered that the pedestrian bridge over the waterway that we had been using was actually a sort of drawbridge – we needed to wait while it rotated out of the way to let a small ship go past – cool!

We had to wait a while to get our appetite and were hoping for some seafood, but all the restaurants were still serving just breakfast. After a few misses we decided to give up and grab something to eat at the airport instead. We packed up our room and went downstairs to check out of Radisson Red. No gin & tonics at checkout so we rolled our bag out the door and set off to the nearest street to hail an Uber to the airport. As we approached the street a security staff in a golf cart came up from behind us and commented that we looked lost, and asked where we wanted to go. She pointed out an area on the other side of the hotel that would be great for catching a ride, and after she left I realized that perhaps we had been walking in a dangerous direction. 

The Uber came quickly, and it was about a 20 minute ride to the airport. On the way we passed more “informal settlements” but it was really an easy trip. The whole time we could see Table Mountain looming above us – hard to believe we got to go to the top of it. 

At the airport we checked in to our domestic flight, and then had to wait for an especially long time at the security checkpoint. So many people – it was good that we were arriving early. We ate breakfast at another Mugg & Bean restaurant. Rather than coffee we had two (full) glasses of Sauvignon Blanc – served with a cup of ice cubes on the side. Kuniko had a mushroom pot pie and I had two sliders with fries. The staff who helped us at this place were super-friendly – there were so many nice people that helped us during the trip. 

After breakfast we waited at the gate and I had enough time to update this journal. Our flight was on Safair Airlines, which is apparently an LCC. Our seats were in the front row, so we were able to watch the flight attendants go through their routines. The air conditioner was releasing condensation right over Kuniko’s seat – she had some wet pants to deal with and the crew looked embarrassed and handed over tissues. The airline had a unique system where they asked passengers not to stand up after the plane stopped, and instead called row numbers to stand and leave in order. Since we were in the first row it worked out well for us, but hard to imagine this catching on for big international airlines.

At Johannesburg we took a bus to the domestic arrivals area, got the suitcase and then we were back in the airport that we had arrived in a week ago. It always amazes me that just a week ago felt like ages. I guess the more new experiences you pack into a day the longer the adventure feels.

We caught the train, called “GauTrain” from the airport to the downtown area where our hotel was. The system was smooth – we just tapped our credit cards to board – and the platform and trains were quite modern and clean. One surprise was the price – we paid about 2700 yen one way, which would get us a lot farther back in Japan. But I guess that is the price you pay for clean and safe transportation. Looking out the window we passed plenty of traffic jams and dodgy areas so while it was totally worth it for us, I’m not sure it was practical for locals.

We changed trains once at Sandton, and a nice man in that station pointed us to the train to Rosebank, our destination. It was just one stop on that train and we were there. When we arrived on the street level there were three security guards walking around the entrance, and then it was only about 100 steps to our hotel entrance – which also had a security guy out front. Those 100 steps were felt safe, but I did notice a long line of guys sitting on the side of the street watching us (and everyone else) go by. Annelize had put the unemployment rate of the country at between 20-40% (the lower number from the government and the higher number a more realistic estimate).

But the Rosebank area where we were staying was considered one of the better neighborhoods, and our hotel was in a sort of “zone” that was established for safe shopping and dining. It felt like an initiative of the government to create spaces where people could safely spend money and develop the economy on a small scale working upwards.

Within this zone – which we didn’t leave for the 24 hours or so that we spent in Rosebank – we felt perfectly safe and there were a lot of upscale stores and shopping to go with the hotels and accommodation. Our hotel, The Holiday Inn, was nice enough, and despite some trouble with their credit card machine we were allowed to check in to our comfortable room. The view was nice – parks and the parking area for Hop On Hop Off buses. 

Rather than go out for dinner we decided to do a picnic in our room. Kuniko wasn’t feeling great and her cold symptoms were continuing. Usually on our summer trips we pick a night to buy stuff at the local grocery store and enjoy them in our room. That way we can try odd items we run across. In this case we had the bottle of wine from Annelize’s winery, and we ran to the local Spar Super for some South African feta cheese, a smoked cheddar block, some roasted vegetables, crackers, yogurts, and a wine opener (that barely worked). We also had some leftover chocolates and ostrich biltong that we had been carrying on our travels, so we were well-stocked. 

This was a slow, relaxing evening and we went to bed early to give Kuniko a chance to recover.

Once again we were up at 6 am – it seems like our default waking time. Down at breakfast we once again enjoyed the hotel’s hospitality. I had an omelette and Kuniko had avocado toast, plus plenty of yogurt and coffee. The breakfast area was a little busier today, but the staff remembered us and brought cappuccinos out – nice touch!

We had a little time before checking out so we went back up to room for packing and journaling, and then left our room with a sigh – it was really one of the best we’ve stayed in. We met Annelize and Robert out front of the hotel and once again popped our suitcase into their trunk. Today we had plans to see the area south of Cape Town. We knew the basic idea was to explore, but as we drove we got a little more detail. They pointed out interesting sights along the way, like their old workplace, or a particularly nice winery, or a place you would never want to go at night. We overheard them discussing whether to take a road that could wash out or come too close to “informal settlements” – in the end they decided to take it and it shaved quite a bit of time off our trip.

Once we passed the aforementioned settlements (people were driving cattle through to forage on the other side of the street) we drove for quite a while next to sandy windswept beaches. The sun was shining brightly and the surf wasn’t too high, and all around us a sort of lily was blooming everywhere and making things more dramatic. We then passed an area famous for brightly colored changing cabins for beachgoers, but we didn’t stop as it looked like all the parking lots were jammed up already. Instead we continued along the coast, until we reached Kalk Bay. 

There is a harbor and fish market located there, so we pulled over to stop and look around. Along the coast here ran a train line, and as I asked about the timing of the trains one decided to show up. Although the train was quite modern the stations along the coast were quaint, historic. It seemed like to would be a fun trip to take, but later Kuniko did some research and said they were not very safe in this area.

But the harbor was quite nice. We walked out, passing a lone seal basking in the sun. Robert told a story of an acquaintance who bent over a seal too closely and lost his nose. Lost his nose! We gave the seal a wide berth and instead just strolled down the quay. The weather was perfect, cool but not cold, and beautiful views of the ocean and the town around the harbor. There were tables next to the water but the fleet hadn’t come back yet – only one guy was trying to sell sea bream. They didn’t look too nice to me, but it is how they taste that is important. 

Back in the car we continued on to stop at the African penguin preserve. The parking lot had signs posted saying that we should check under our car for hiding penguins before leaving – I guess there have been some escapees in the past. We didn’t have far to walk before coming across some penguins, and then pretty soon they were everywhere. They waddled around in the underbrush, nesting in small spaces that were built to protect them. So cute, quite smelly, and entirely unexpected. I didn’t have penguins on my list of things I expected to see in Africa.

We went back to the car, and Robert chose the moment to give us a few gifts. We had given them a big box of local rice crackers and also a box of different Japanese teas. They said that they liked the rice crackers (yay!) and then they gave us a bottle of wine from Annelize’s winery – a Rupert & Rothschild 2021 Classique. Also Robert gave us two bottles of his homemade peri-peri sauce – one Smokey and one pineapple flavored. He also gave us a big jar of curry pickles… nice! 

We drove on down the coast, proceeding towards the Cape of Good Hope along the eastern coastline. We passed a squad of baboon monitors – people whose job was to locals if baboons were liable to approach or damage something. Interesting job! Then we arrived at the gate to the Cape of Good Hope, a national park. We lined up in our car and paid the admission, and then drove about 10 minutes through lots of empty space before we arrive at the parking lot. 

Once there we had a choice – to hike up or use the funicular. We chose the funicular because we like riding around on different vehicles, but they decided to hike up the hill. They ended up beating up to the top. But the funicular was cute and fun to ride. Once we got to the top we climbed up to the abandoned lighthouse on the hill, and from there we could enjoy panoramic views of where the Indian and Atlantic oceans met. There was a big carbo freighter out on the water turning the corner – a timely illustration of the significance of this point.

The views were fantastic and because of the weather we could see so far! There was a hidden beach that could only be spotted from up high, but it looked like a secluded hideaway that would be fun to visit – sort of like the hidden Thai beach in The Beach movie. It was so cool to be up there – I had never expected to visit this place, and imagined that we’d spend more time just close to Cape Town. We were so glad that Annelize and Robert could take us to places that were a little out of our normal way.

Back down on the funicular and then we were off again in the car. We continued around the coastline of the cape, heading north on the western side. The countryside had a very European feel – like we were driving the French countryside, but then things would open up and the ocean on your left reminded you of where you were. We passed many sandy beaches, small little towns for vacationers, and tried to visit one winery but it ended up being closed that day. We had decided to wait for a light lunch at the next winery but this meant we continued on without eating – hopefully nobody was starving. We had eaten so much yesterday and for breakfast that we were fine.

Past the winery we drove along Chapman’s Peak. The roads were carved into the cliffs and we had to hope the engineering was sound as we passed under so much stone above us. We hugged the cliffs and stopped for pictures as we reached Hout Bay – these places were looking like postcard photos. In the town of Hout Bay we passed a restaurant called Veldt that they had wanted to take us to, but unfortunately they were booked that night. But as it turned out later, this was probably for the best.

Finally we reached the next winery on our list, Groot Constantia. There were several buses in the lot so the tasting room was packed and very noisy. It took a while to order up our tastings – unfortunately the only food they had was a chocolate tasting and that seemed like a bod idea so we just tasted five of their wines. All of them were of a certain style – I liked the style and especially enjoyed their red wines. The staff poured pretty heavy there, and even gave us a taste of their dessert wine, which was nice. 

On the way to the winery Kuniko privately told me that she was starting to feel like she was having a cold. She was starting to sneeze and cough, and so when we got to the dessert wine we donated our glasses to her as a sort of cough syrup remedy. We talked with Robert and Annelize while there and thought that although our original plan was to stick with them through dinner, we didn’t want Kuniko to get them sick and instead maybe our next stop would be our hotel at the waterfront in Cape Town. They understood and were worried about Kuniko – we all were worried – as it seemed to come on suddenly. As I write this a week later she is still coughing pretty aggressively so maybe it was good to be cautious at that point.

 

The winery was quite close to the waterfront, and so despite my efforts to get them to let me fill up their gas tank we ended up arriving at the hotel before the gas station. There we said goodbye to them, and unlike the friendly handshakes we exchanged when first meeting, the day ended in big hugs. They were so nice to us and made our trip into something much more special. 

We went inside our hotel, our first time staying at a Radisson Red hotel. The vibe here was aiming for young and hip – kind of the opposite of us. But at check-in they offered to mix us up a gin and tonic for a welcome drink so that made a good impression. Kuniko and I carried our drinks up to our room – juggling our cocktails and our luggage, and then spread out our stuff to rest. The view from the room was nice – the waterfront, a shipyard, and Table Mountain in the background. 

At this point Kuniko was sneezing three or four times a minute, and her cough was getting worse, but we felt like we should probably go out and get some food – we still hadn’t had anything since breakfast. After a little research we found Cape Town Time Out was nearby. We had a great experience at the Lisbon one, an overpriced experience at the Osaka one, and this one fell somewhere in between. We found only one “local food” place so we ordered from there – BBQ lamb ribs and grilled corn, and an oxtail stew with dumplings. We also got a couple of glasses of Pinotage wine – and since the drinks arrived before the food and combined with the gin and tonics we were getting pretty drunk.

But that made the food taste that much better, and Kuniko even requested a bowl of noodles afterwards – a sure sign of inebriation! We had some soupless noodles that were OK, but nothing amazing. Hard to compare with Japan on that front. We walked back through the waterfront – the area was quite nice and we were looking forward to doing more exploration the next day. Back at the hotel we were still hungry and went to the rooftop bar/restaurant for some snacks and a few more drinks. Beer, Cinsault, pulled lamb croquettes, grilled cheese sandwich – lots of food and we were feeling good. The alcohol was a temporary salve to Kuniko’s condition. 

While we were partying on the rooftop there weren’t any other customers around. Some people came and looked at the situation and then left again, but we were enjoying the time to ourselves. Eventually we made it back to our room, killed off the leftover wine from Spek & Bone, and then off to bed. It was a wild finish to our day!

Long sleep in a giant comfortable bed was everything we had hoped for. The room was actually a little chilly outside our comforter – what a great way to wake up. We got organized and wandered downstairs to have breakfast. The system was a little different than most hotel breakfasts – of course there was a big table full of cold cuts, yogurt, fruits, cheeses, toast and rolls, a table with fresh fruit juice, coffee and tea, and a table of hot food: eggs, bacon, sausage. 

But then on top of all that they gave you a menu and you could order whatever you liked – Kuniko had smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and hash browns. I had already loaded my plate with the other stuff so I didn’t partake from the menu that morning. They also had an espresso machine behind the counter and made cappuccinos for the guests. Near our table a real wood fire was burning. It was a seriously cozy environment. 

Back up in our room we lined up our plans for the day. I made reservations at two restaurants for lunch and dinner, and we targeted a couple of wine bars that advertised wine tastings. Then we headed outside to walk around. The weather was cool and clear, with vibrant blue skies that contrasted nicely with the white-painted Dutch colonial buildings throughout the town. A couple of security guards were standing outside our hotel (more for guests peace of mind than anything, I’d wager) and this was a continuing theme in South Africa. Later we were glad to see them in Johannesburg. 

Around us the neighborhood was waking up – the cafes were full of young people having coffees and breakfast, and shopkeepers were opening up their stores. I couldn’t help making comparisons to the Sonoma Plaza back in California – everything was geared to wine and wine tourists. 

We paid a visit to a big supermarket called “Checkers” and enjoyed poking around their selection. There were cheap, high quality vegetables, cheese and meats. A lot of meats – the section was three times bigger than other markets. On the other hand I didn’t see a seafood section – it might have been just frozen items there. The snacks and souvenir aisle was also good for us to look through – we’ll be buying omiyage for Japan soon.

It was about time to do some wine tasting, but we ran into a hitch in our plans when two of the wine bars that we hoped to visit were both closed. One for a seasonal deep cleaning and the other without explanation on the outside. Instead we ended up at Simon Wine Emporium. From the outside it was unclear if they were open and I was a little worried, but once we walked in we were pleasantly surprised.

It was a big place, looking rustic with plenty of portraits of famous winemakers and an elegant high ceiling. Through a passageway we could see another big room that had a stylish bar – and it looked like it had been open since we had woken up for breakfast. Although they had wine tastings listed on the menu we found that they were by appointment only, so we ended up have two glasses of sparkling wine made by Simonsig – because they can’t call it Champagne they call it Cap Classique. One was a rosé, and both were nice, although I preferred the Blanc de Blanc.

As we sipped the bubbles the sun fell across our table and quiet environment really helped us relax and chill out. The heat and stress of working in summertime seemed a long way away. 

After our bubbles we hit the road and went to get some lunch. We had picked a place called Spek & Bone. We sat outside under a big vine that was more like a tree, and the staff were super friendly in helping us choose what to eat and drink. We ordered a bottle of Ken Forrester Renegade (2013) which served us well for this meal and beyond. The food in this place was very high quality – smoked foods were done a few steps away from us. Across the menu there were a lot of Asian influences that maybe felt more exotic for the locals than for us. So what did we have? We started with some local cheese and a big pile of sliced zebra salami – first time for us to eat zebra and it was fantastic. The chef had made the salami himself just yesterday – wow! Also a smoked cauliflower dish, smoked ham hock risotto, and a plate of lamb kofta. Everything was great – really well integrated flavors and the staff made it an even better meal. We couldn’t finish the bottle of wine or the zebra salami so they gave us a bag to carry it with us. 

When paying I picked a tip of about 20%, double what the local tipping culture was. It wasn’t a big deal for us but the staff had us both double check that we wanted to do that before running the card. 

Next stop was the Bartinney Wine & Champagne Bar. They didn’t have tastings but they had their own wine by the glass. We tried their Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. We both really liked the Chardonnay – but the Cab would have been a lot better with food. We sat outside in the sun and watched people walk by on the streets. It was a luxurious feeling to bask in the sunlight without being roasted.

Afterwards we went to Brampton Wines, and did a tasting of their line up. They had seven wines to taste. Kuniko enjoyed their Cinsault (rare grape for us to see), but most of their wines were on the simple side. Our server was a fast-talking British (I think?) guy who reminded us of a member of the Weasley family from Harry Potter. We soaked up the wine with some chips and dip, but they weren’t all that special.

After so much wine we went back for a rest at the hotel, and then it was off to eat and drink more! Dinner was at a place called Post & Pepper. Constructed in a former post office, it was a very stylish restaurant – they were just opening when we arrived. We went with a three course menu – each course was a choice between two dishes so we ended up sharing six (small) dishes between us. We forwent the optional oyster starters and dessert – that ended up being a great decision. Here was the dinner lineup:

First course – Malay prawns with fresh herbs served with roti, Pork lollipops with a crispy and sticky doenjang glaze over a spring onion dip. We liked the prawns a lot – especially wrapped in the roti. The pork lollipops were a little over the top – and the spring onion dip didn’t quite match the intensity of the meat.

Second course – Tuna tataki served in a Szechuan dressing with spice, nuts, lime and coconut. And also fried gnocchi with a truffle mushroom cream sauce. The tataki was overwhelmed by the intensity of the flavors of the sauce so we really couldn’t get much fish flavor. We quite liked the gnocchi but there was no bread to mop up all that extra yummy sauce.

Third course – Fried kingklip fish with limoncello cream and mussels, and then lastly pork ravioli with artichoke cream. Again, lots of creamy sauces leftover – but everything was delicious. 

Not the lowest calorie meal that we’ve eaten. We were pretty stuffed by the end of it, and we also had some glasses of wine with dinner. I had ordered a glass of Pinotage and got Pinot Noir instead – rather than correcting the waiter we just went with it and it was quite nice. 

The day was a full-on culinary extravaganza, and we sort of staggered back to our room fully stuffed. Kuniko headed right off into bed, but since I had a half bottle of red wine and leftover zebra I stayed up a bit longer journaling before retiring myself.

Despite our hope to sleep in, we ended up awake at 6 am. I guess we are just naturally early risers. Breakfast was served at 7 am, so after a leisurely shower (we didn’t try the outdoor shower) we headed out under the tent. We loaded up on coffee – and realized how much we missed it yesterday. It was unlimited and flavorful – we had some great coffee on this trip. 

Breakfast was nice – a veggie quesadilla and a waffle sandwich that had some serious bacon and grilled pork layered in. While we had a nice slow breakfast the sun rose over my shoulder and a cool breeze drifted through the dining area, passing between the tropical plants and the tent. I took a deep breath and enjoyed the cool air – sometimes great memories derive from simple moments like this. 

We went back to our room and packed up our stuff – today is a travel day and we were moving on to Cape Town, South Africa. We settled up at the front desk, and gave them a box of Japanese rice crackers to share with the staff. The clerk said thank you but I could kind of tell he would have preferred a cash tip. He called a taxi for us, and while we waited I asked him to change my $20 bill to smaller notes. He disappeared and was gone a surprisingly long time before returning with four $5 bills. 

Our taxi driver introduced himself as “Panel”, and was a friendly sort. He pointed out the sights along the way to the airport, including the new stadium being built for the Cricket World Cup. His vehicle was a Japanese minivan, and we noticed that the navigation screen had an error message in Japanese, telling the driver to insert a navigation map card. We explained it to him because he was curious what it said, but without a card we couldn’t fix the error for him. Apparently this is where Japanese trade-in cars end up. Chatting on the drive he expressed a wish to move to Japan for work, and even gave me his WhatsApp number to keep in touch. 

We were back at the Victoria Falls airport. It is quite a small airport so it was easy to find where to check in. In front of us a family of four looked slightly overwhelmed but they had a good sense of humor. We later saw them in Cape Town near the end of our trip. Then we went through security (shoes off here) and a clearly unhappy man angrily stamped our passports to leave. He was one of the few people we met in Zimbabwe that was not friendly at all.

We had time to kill before our flight – we walked around but covered the whole airport in just a few minutes. I had the bright idea to get a soda to drink, and we found a place that was serving drinks from a cooler. I found a strange drink in a broken cooler – Pine Nut Soda – and the staff was nice enough to get a cup of ice for me to pour it over. 

Our flight was running a little late, so I spent time journaling. There was a big Korean group lined up to board the flight, and once we got seated on the plane one of their members asked the flight attendant if they could sit in the empty exit row seats. The flight attendant explained that those were paid seats – the Korean lady who asked thought she had figured out a loophole and was clearly disappointed.

We were flying a new airline for us, Kenya Airways, and things were a little different. For example, the food they served was labeled as “traditional Kenyan cuisine” which I was excited to try. It was certainly different, but not as flavorful as I had hoped. I did get to order a Kenyan beer which had a distinctive taste that I found hard to identify. The food was served by a flight attendant that wore a sort of gold tiara that apparently reflects the traditions of Kenya. Hard to get a cultural read from a short flight on an airplane. 

As we descended into Cape Town we were treated to some great views of the city, the ocean and Table Mountain overlooking it all. The weather was slightly cloudy, and I was surprised to see a black cloud of smoke just outside the airport property rising as we landed. By the time the plane was taxiing into the gate there were visible flames under the smoke cloud, but a few minutes later it the fire was out. Ominous signs for our visit?

Immigration and customs were a piece of cake and soon enough we had our suitcase and went out to meet Annelize and Robert. Annelize was an intern at Benziger Family Winery years ago, and thanks to her connection with my parents they graciously offered to show us around Cape Town and the wine country while we were there. They drove us around in their little Mazda, and our first stop was to go up to the top of Table Mountain. 

Table Mountain is a landmark in Cape Town and is always subject to variable weather conditions. Annelize explained that while the weather was fairly good we should go up there, and we were happy to take their advice. On the way her husband Robert drove us past what I had earlier called “slums” or “shantytowns” but Annelize gracefully referred to as “informal settlements”. They were truly hand built homes, gathered in clutches with wires haphazardly strung between. It didn’t look like a place you’d want to walk through unless you lived there. Then a few miles later we saw upscale homes with heavily secured gates and windows – so interesting to see how close together the haves and have nots were living.

Robert was an excellent driver and Annelize gently gave directions as they went, finding the best route to the base of the mountain. It looked a little bit difficult to drive here – we were glad we had a pro at the wheel. 

We went and found a parking space near the base of the mountain, and then lined up to buy tickets for a ropeway that ran up the hill. Apparently our timing was good – the parking attendant said that the wait was a couple of hours but now it was just 30 minutes. He turned out to be wrong – the wait was less than 15 minutes! The ropeway itself was impressive – it was a big, rotating room (sponsored by Corona Beer) that went to the top of the mountain (1000 meters!) in less than a minute. The rotating floor was cool – everyone had a chance for great views on the ride up and down.

I had imagined that there would be a small observation area at the top but we had access to almost the entire mountaintop. There was plenty of room to walk around and that made it feel less touristy because everyone was spread out. The views here were spectacular – not just overlooking the city but views far to the south and the beaches and coastline as well. The weather cleared up while we were there – Annelize commented on how lucky we were with the weather as it was raining hard last week.

While walking around Annelize and Robert mentioned that they had a day of wine tasting planned for us the next day, mentioning three wine farms that they want to bring us to visit. While it was really kind of them to make these plans, Kuniko and I were hoping to get a day of rest in Stellenbosch. We had been running hard since our departure from Osaka (just three days ago!) so I tried to diplomatically break the news to them. It was tricky because I imagined that perhaps they had made reservations at some of these wineries, and some of them may have required a deposit – who knows? But they were totally cool with us taking a rest day.

On the top of Table Mountain were some interesting plants and wildlife. Annelize seemed to be very interested in the natural aspect of the mountain and pointed out some native flowers. We even ran across some “dassies” – a sort of groundhog that was really cute and clearly thriving up there. 

Eventually we decided to head back down, so we lined up for the ropeway. The wait was a little longer to go down as we were approaching the end of the afternoon, but again we got great views on the ride. We walked back to the car, and I was interested to see that Annelize passed a tip to the attendant – she said that it is not formally expected but having the guy around was a sort of peace of mind thing.

As passengers we were kind of along for the ride. Sometimes I had trouble with Robert and Annelize’s accents, so I know that it must have been even tougher on Kuniko. I’m sure they explained our next steps but since we were total newcomers it occasionally came as a surprise where we turned up. The next place we turned up was the beach at Camps Bay.

With a sort of Malibu feeling the white sandy beach spread out before us, and the sun was just starting to go down. We walked along the beach and the cool breezes of South African winter were refreshing – much better than the sweaty Japanese summer we just left. As we walked I was taking pictures of the palm trees, the stylish restaurants lining the streets, and I was surprised when a woman walking her dog asked me if I had taken her picture. I told her that I didn’t intentionally take her picture but together we checked my phone and she was not in the shot that I took. She thanked me and said, “at least you speak English.” Hmm… strange interaction. 

For dinner Robert and Annelize recommended a local chain restaurant called “Mozambik”. We’ve never been to Mozambique and this was the closest we’d ever been so why not? Plus it was an opportunity to try some peri-peri sauce, which was new to both of us. The restaurant was really stylish – a cool vibe and it smelled good in there. There was a twist of paper with spiced peanuts to munch on while we considered the menu.

I had chicken curry with coconut rice (excellent) and Kuniko ordered a quarter chicken with prawns, and a side dish of “pap & ushatini” which was a potato and stewed veggie dish that I really liked. The food was really good, and with some peri-peri sauce spread around it was even better. I drank a glass of Merlot from KWV winery and Kuniko had a Cabernet Sauvignon from Nederburg winery. Annelize had a Sauvignon Blanc that came with a glass of ice cubes. I tried to hide my shock as she dropped ice cubes into her wine now and then. 

While talking about peri-peri sauce Robert mentioned that now that he was retired he had been making some homemade peri-peri sauces to sell. He sounds like an interesting guy – he is newly retired and seemed to be trying to keep active. They both were genuinely easy to talk to, which was helpful as Kuniko and I are not naturally social people.

So after a great meal I picked up the tab to try to offset some of their expenses of driving us around, and we went back out just as the sun set over the ocean horizon. We walked down the beach a little and some local kids were singing and dancing – the rhythms of the dance were banged out on an upside down plastic bucket, and the dancers were just three or four young kids. We watched for a while but I didn’t take any pictures – I was carrying zero local currency and wouldn’t be able to leave a tip.

We got back in the car, and then Robert and Annelize were nice enough to drive us about 30 minutes past their own home to drop us off at our hotel in Stellenbosch. As we entered the town they mentioned that this side was a bit dodgy, and I was surprised to see people camped on the streets and some rough characters watching cars pass by. Some of the vibe might have been because it was dark now and it was an unfamiliar place. But after we turned a corner we got into the historic district and then we saw nice restaurants with people eating outside, and our hotel was well-lit with a couple of doormen keeping watch out front.

We said our goodbyes to Annelize and Robert and thanked them for showing us around. We made plans to meet back up after our day of rest, and then they drove on back home. At the hotel check in the staff passed us a map of the town, and then drew a rectangle around the hotel and a few blocks in each direction. She told us that we would really enjoy this area for walking around – and I joked out loud that it was the “safe zone”, she acknowledged my comment with a brief nod and a smile, and so we had the info that we’d need for our next day in town. 

With check-in came a couple of vouchers for a welcome drink in the hotel bar, and that was how we came to be sitting by a warm fire, sipping a Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Bosman Wines before we went to bed. There was a chill in the air outside – a complete contrast to where we had started our trip.

Our room in the hotel was one of the nicest we’ve ever stayed in. The design and layout were comfortable and there was a huge bed, a hotel breakfast was on the menu tomorrow morning – life is good! We tucked into the giant bed thinking about the upcoming day of relaxation and wine tasting.

Even though we’d have liked nothing more than to sleep in and lounge through the morning we had to get up early to go on a safari. Our hotel was nice enough to arrange an early breakfast for us, and once again the meals were great. We had a frittata with grilled veggies and crispy bacon, and also a poached egg shakshuka. We passed on coffee due to the long drive ahead of us, and as we finished to go brush our teeth we saw someone waiting near the reception desk. They waved at us and we waved back and continued to our room. 

Almost immediately there was a knock and it was our tour guide who had just waved at us – they were ready to go. We were told to be ready to depart at 7:20, and it was only 7 am at the moment, but they were eager to get started. We hustled out of there and left by 7:05, so we didn’t affect the schedule. 

The car we used was a big comfortable van with air conditioning, and the driver was named Tinashe. This caught Kuniko by surprise because she had arranged the tour with him all the time thinking that he was a she. We drove around to two more places to pick up five more people. The first pair were two American ladies, then we picked up a family of three – a husband, wife and their little daughter. The family seemed to be locals as they knew the driver and guide, and the husband in the family brought a giant bag of drinks in one hand and a six pack of tall beers in the other. It was unclear at first to us whether they were actually tour participants or not, but in the end they were locals who were doing the tour that the tourists usually do.

As soon as we were on the road the dad opened up one of the beers and enjoyed it from the passenger seat up front. Our tour guide’s name was “Wise” and he led a philosophical discussion among the passengers – it was a lot to handle for us that early in the morning. Everyone else seemed to enjoy the conversation, however. Even before we got to Botswana we occasionally passed animals on the side of the road. There were giraffes, impala, and some baboons. We stopped at one red billed bird foraging on the side of the road. Our guide Wise explained to us that the bird lays two eggs every seven years, and determines which of the babies is the strongest, then kills the weak one and concentrates on raising the stronger child. The van became quiet as everyone contemplated this somber fact, and so I took the moment to say, “My mom did the same thing.” It caught everyone by surprise and was one of my best timed jokes ever. Since we were quiet during the philosophy conversation it was a seriously WTF moment for everyone else.

The road from Victoria Falls to the Botswana border is long, straight and full of potholes. The driver earned their salary by avoiding these, but it took about 70 minutes to get to our destination. We got out and lined up to leave the country and walk across the border. The crossing itself was easy and our visa included a 1 day excursion to Botswana so piece of cake. The system was that our guide handed us over to a guy on the Botswana side, and then he ran the show from there. We had to step in a muddy tray of disinfectant (doubt) first, and then walk to the office. Our guide got us through immigration on this side, also an easy check.

In Botswana we rode in an open-sided safari vehicle, seated up high with good views. The guide drove the vehicle through a larger puddle of disinfectant (really?) and after a bathroom break we could load up and get ready to go. Kuniko tried to use the toilet but the door was broken on the stall, so she decided to wait it out. In the safari vehicle we drove about 20 minutes on the open road to get to the park, and it was pretty windy with the open sides! But it was exhilarating to be on the road and getting ready for the adventure.

Our safari was inside the Chobe National Park in Botswana, and we pulled over at the office to check in with the rangers. The dad in our group took the chance to use the toilet – he had been enjoying beer this whole time. The daughter – who I think was named Melle – slept most of the time, but little did we know at the time that she was charging up her batteries to get into trouble later.

Before entering the park, our Botswana guide Tiki cautioned us to be safe, be as quiet as possible around the animals, and that a safari was like fishing and that there were no guarantees that we’ll see animals. All of this was good advice, and then we set off down some bumpy trails in the safari vehicle. Luckily it was 4 wheel drive, and Tiki  called the bumping and rocking an “African massage”. You could tell he used this line a lot.

Right off the bat we turned a corner and saw a single elephant pulling up tree roots and enjoying a snack alone. Everyone was taking pictures and taking in the sight. The elephant was not far away at all, and I at least was thinking about which way the driver would go if things went wrong. But the elephant was calm about the whole thing and eventually we moved on. There were so many animals to see – we passed herds of impalas, giraffes, crocodiles, and Kuniko even spotted a zebra that turned tail and walked away. The guide said that zebras were very rare in the park and so we were lucky to see even one. The only picture I got of it was its butt as it walked away.

But maybe even more dramatic than the animals was the beauty of the park itself. The park is huge, right up against Namibia on the other side of the Chobe River. There are high areas and lower ones next to the river that attract plenty of animals when they want water. We passed through many different ecosystems and some of the views across the plains were stunning. 

Little Melle – the little daughter of the family – was by now awake and being pretty noisy. She was grabbing things from her parents and other tour members, and screaming when she couldn’t have what she wanted. This caused animals to be scared and move away, causing consternation for the guide and other members of the tour. The mom was pretty embarrassed that she couldn’t control her kid, the dad had completely checked out and was enjoying his fourth beer, and Kuniko and I were both glad we don’t have kids.

We spent around three hours tooling around just a small area of the huge park – roughly the size of a small country. We took a break for a while under a large tree that offered shade, and the driver pointed us to an area behind which he called the “bush bathroom”. Our beer chugging dad walked over to use it, but we were still holding strong. While sipping some sodas provided by our guide we waited patiently for the tour to resume. One odd phenomenon was how quickly we became used to seeing the animals – the single elephant that took our breath away would just a few hours later fade into the background: “Oh, more elephants…” I can’t imagine how the driver must feel every day doing this.

Suddenly our driver hustled us into the vehicle, and we joined some others heading the same direction – someone had spotted some lions.

There was a group of about 10 lionesses, resting in the low savannah grass. Most were sleeping, a few keeping lookout. They were tired from hunting in the evening and being the top of the food chain they had little to fear from taking a cat nap in the afternoon. The drivers of the vehicles approached and slowly encircled the lions, who for their part didn’t really care about us as they were used to this kind of treatment. The passengers of the vehicles were snapping photos like crazy but otherwise everyone was quiet, and even our little troublemaker Melle seemed to realize that it was a good time to keep it down. I was impressed how the drivers all worked together to slowly move the vehicles so that all passengers in all of the cars had an opportunity to get close. At one point I was within a few feet of a sleeping lioness – it would take just one step out of the car and I’d be touching a sleepy killing machine. But they were so cute!

Correctly judging that it was a good time to take a lunch break, our driver took us towards the entrance of the park to leave for lunch. On the way we were stopping by a very large group of elephants staying in the shade of a tree. There were a few babies – they slept lying on the ground while the adults kept watch. I was sort of startled to see that the mother elephant had boobs – they looked oddly human and I guess I wasn’t expecting that. After a short time the elephants all started to move across the road and towards the water – they had the right of way so we just watched them all pass before we could move on.

At the gate once again we took a bathroom break, and the dad got off to empty his bladder – by my estimation he had only one beer left. Once he was back we drove ten minutes out of the park to a safari lodge that was sort of a hotel/restaurant/ rest stop combination. Out front there was a big Baobab tree, and one more in the center of the hotel. I had always wanted to see one in person but didn’t realize they were growing around here. 

We pulled into the parking area, and Kuniko was eager to get going and use the (hopefully) clean restroom. However, the mom wanted to change the kid’s clothes, the dad wanted to finish off his last beer before lunch, and the guide wanted us to all stay together. I spoke and said we’d meet them inside, and the guide could see that the rest of the tour members were getting a little fed up with the local family’s antics.

The restaurant was pretty crowded, set up in a buffet style. The food was standard and not that interesting (pasta, meat stew, rice) and the staff looked overworked. For a time they ran out of plates so newcomers couldn’t eat and had to wait around. The restaurant made money on selling drinks, but we just had a light lunch. I held our table and watched people’s stuff while they went to the restroom. Soon the mom came with her daughter and loaded up two huge plates of food – they were making sure they got what they paid for. For a while I sat alone with the mom and kid, who ignored me (possibly sensing our judgement) and powered through the plate of food.

Once the other members got back we chatted a little – the two American ladies were planning to stay in Africa longer. One was going to Cape Town after a few days for sightseeing and winetasting, and the other doing a business conference in Durban. They seemed like nice people, stopping to pray before they started to eat.

After lunch and a little shopping we went outside to ride a boat for the second part of the safari. The cruise was on a small flat boat with lawn chairs set up on top. There was a toilet in the back and a different guide who pointed out the wildlife and sights as we went. The boat was a different way to see animals and from the water you could get quite close to them without scaring them off. The sun was shining down hard on us as we cruised up-river, with the country of Namibia on our right and Botswana on the left. All this water was going to go over Victoria Falls soon – it gave me a sense of the volume going over the falls that we saw yesterday.

While we traveled the family was busy – Mom taking selfies, Dad sleeping off the beers, and little Melle trying to steal the binoculars from one of the American ladies. When she wouldn’t hand the expensive equipment over Melle went into a tantrum again – ugh. She tipped over their lunch leftovers and spilled her soda on her clothes in frustration. 

But meanwhile we tuned them out and focused on the animals. We saw many snake birds – named because of their snake-like appearance while swimming. These birds were seen drying off their wings in the sun, sort of ominous but with beautiful colored feathers underneath. We got up close with some Cape buffalo, saw semi-submerged hippos, and even had a chance to see a big group of elephants swimming across the river. Once they made it across all of them (including the babies) proceeded to spray mud and water over themselves, and the babies rolled in it to give themselves a little sunscreen. 

As we headed back, a couple of swallows were flying around our boat – sometimes resting on the roof – and they stayed with us for quite a while. We saw many birds on this trip, and everyone agreed that they were some of the most vividly colored and beautiful birds they’d ever seen. I imagine that bird watching might be a popular activity here as well. Everybody was sleepy on the way back – the beautiful weather, cool breezes on the water – it was nice to chill on the boat and enjoy the ride. I looked around and other than the boat captain, Kuniko and I were the only ones still awake. It was a peaceful moment – one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Once we returned to the dock at the restaurant, one of the American ladies tried to get the bar to make a particular cocktail – but it was sort of odd timing and it sounded like the bartender didn’t want to do it. We waited a while for the last trip to the toilet, and the dad came over to me and apologized for falling asleep during the boat ride and all the bathroom breaks. I told him not to worry about it and we bumped fists (maybe only the second time in my life to bump a fist) but I think he knew that their behavior wasn’t the best. But never during the trip were we at all upset – I think mostly we were surprised at how the family was acting and taking it in stride. Nothing could ruin the fun we had during the safari. 

So, back in the car – this time a closed air conditioned van – and back to the border. We were not alone, many tours were doing the same thing, and we had to wait a little bit longer in line. The border was super casual, just a matter of formalities, and the Melle was running around playing and causing trouble. She was literally running back and forth across the border while her parents waited in line for processing. Her mom was looking more and more pissed off. I was interested to see that there were very few guards at the border, and I didn’t see any guns. One of the most casual border crossings I’d ever done.

Before leaving I talked with the American ladies about tipping, and they said they planned on giving a tip of about $7 for the driver, and the same for the guide on the other side. Like me they weren’t clear on how much would be expected and how much was covered by our original payment. We tipped the same as them – but I can’t help but feel like the staff had a sort of glum reaction. 

On the ride back dad was asleep in the front seat, and the mom was busy negotiating the price of her family with the staff, who originally seemed like her friend but now were in a weird situation. As I listened to the negotiation happening in a combination of English and a local language we passed a long train of baboons that seemed like they were looking for trouble. 

When we dropped off the family the mom got out of the car quickly without saying goodbye so I guess she wasn’t happy with how things worked out. We said goodbye to the American ladies, and then the staff dropped us off at our hotel around 6 pm – not too late and a solid day of exploring overall.

We were bushed and bellied up to the bar to order some cocktails. Prices at the resort were not as expensive as I expected – premium/local beers were $5 a pint, with cocktails the same. For dinner we were feeling carnivorous after seeing all those animals so we had a pulled beef croquette for an appetizer, I had a rump steak and Kuniko a large hamburger. After a big glass of red wine with dinner we were ready for bed. There were only about five other couples staying at the resort – and they were just starting to show up for dinner as we left.

The good news was that we’d be able to sleep in tomorrow and enjoy a leisurely breakfast and coffee.

So many of our trips have us rushing to the airport after work, which can be stressful and occasional collapses, so we decided to make things easier and take the departure day off completely. That meant a morning sleep-in, which feels better knowing that it is the last time to sleep horizontally for 36 hours. It also makes things easier to organize and clean up the house and get it ready for a week without us around to cool it.

We took the train (and our suitcase) to Sannomiya and craving yakiniku we went to a place that Kuniko found online, called “Yazawa”. It turned out to be a little bit upscale, primarily catering to overseas Chinese visitors who feel like they need to eat authentic Kobe beef. We avoided the tourist-focused items and prices and chose a good meal – beef roast, rib fingers, skirt steak, liver and kimchi, along with a cold noodle soup that was not quite authentic but still not bad. It was a pricey restaurant but the quality was excellent. 

We caught our usual airport bus to Kansai International, and despite traffic we arrived with plenty of time to check in. After dropping our bag we had trouble getting our frequent flyer numbers into the code share system, so we had to wait at a special desk for them to input it for us. 

Once we got through security we were walking to the convenience store and we suddenly realized that we had forgotten to pack the travel outlet adapter – I peeked in my bag and it wasn’t there. While I waited in the huge line Kuniko went and found one in the convenience store – it was like 5000 yen! But just on the off chance that we were making a mistake I dug more deeply into my backpack, and just in time found our adapter. It was a silly mistake but not as silly as we would be finding it after we bought a replacement. We laughed about that while sipping convenience store drinks and eating Jagarico. 

Our flight to Singapore left on time. It was about 6 hours, and Kuniko was in the middle seat next to an old lady at the window who didn’t really move and didn’t need the toilet. The food on this leg was surprisingly good – I had chili crab that had an actual crab claw on top of it – impressive! 

In Singapore we took the inter-terminal tram to the right terminal, but had a little time. We enjoyed some bubbles at a bar while the Singaporean staff giggled and offered refills. The local time was around midnight, and since I didn’t sleep on the previous flight I was a little bleary-eyed. We hydrated with some water and a coconut shake that I found in a convenience store – Kuniko wasn’t a big fan of it so it was all mine!

We went through the security at the gate and our flight ended up being delayed by 20 minutes, but since we had lots of time on the other end it didn’t affect us much. The flight was pretty full – mostly Asian and white people – not what I expected for a flight to Africa. We both slept well on the flight, getting around 6 hours of sleep out of the 10 hours in the air. I slept through dinner service, but Kuniko had pepper chicken with red wine – not bad! 

There was quite a bit of turbulence during the second meal service, and one of the flight attendants was having a pretty bad day because of it. The chaotic scene played out while we sat around observing – nothing else to do for us but watch. Kuniko sat next to another quiet older woman, whose only interaction with us was to ask me to open her water bottle. 

Our plane landed on time in Johannesburg, and the arrivals area of the airport was pretty cool. The architecture was different from what we are used to, with colorful tiles and African-themed artwork prominently displayed. While we waited for our suitcase we were surrounded by a big group of Japanese people on a tour chatting, and it felt briefly like we had never left Japan. That group were heading to Mauritius – not a typical travel destination for Japanese people.

Since we arrived early in the morning local time the immigration and customs were super easy, and we had quite a bit of time to kill. We did some shopping and eating – the staff here were so outgoing and friendly it was immediately apparent that the social culture is very different from what we were used to. For example: I handed over my passport at immigration and the officer asked how I was doing today – a rare friendly government official – and I internally scolded myself that I should have been the first to greet rather than him. 

We luckily could check in for our next flight to Zimbabwe Victoria Falls. Unfortunately we were seated separately but since it was a short flight we didn’t mind too much. The check in clerk tried to make a phone call to a superior to get us together but it didn’t work out. 

Waiting for our flight we decided to get some breakfast at a coffee shop restaurant called Mugg & Bean. The menu was western style – we had a ranchero omelette – and two cappuccinos (you could order them short, easy, or serious). We heard that you should tip in South Africa, but the system was different – you told them how much the total price is before they run your card – I was scribbling away doing math while the staff waited for me to get it done. Our waiter was a really nice guy even before the tip – another example of great hospitality on this trip.

The way to the check-in counter was gated off, and you had to prove to a security staff that you belonged in the line. We had checked in somewhere else, so unlike everyone else we had boarding passes, so that got us through the security check. However, we didn’t know where to go until we realized that after checking in people walked behind the counter to security. That was completely new to us. It also involved a weird luggage handling system that lifted the checked luggage somewhere overhead so that it could be sent out to the planes. 

We were totally clueless so we walked to the check-in counter that was the same number as our flight gate, but then we were walking down a long hallway that everyone else was using. We were slightly confounded by this airport system.

Past security and immigration there were lots of interesting shops to look through. Of course they had a few duty-free places that are the same as every other airport, but they also had local shops with art, and some shops selling “biltong” which is a kind of jerky made from various animals. I enjoyed seeing the colorful patterns and textiles, there were painted ostrich eggs, dried worms, amarula chocolate, and tribal statues. 

We had time to kill so we walked among these shops, back and forth to the gate (down a long, long escalator that was only one-way). We found more Japanese on our plane joining a group tour, so we were still hearing lots of Japanese language. Finally we could ride a bus to our plane, and a nice lady switched seats with me so that we could sit together on the two hour flight to Victoria Falls airport.

Once the plane took off we could see how quickly the city of Johannesburg thinned out to the north. There were shining reflections on metal structures gathered around a large dirty lake, which I took to be shanties or homemade housing. But soon everything disappeared and we were flying over the open African savannah.  Despite the short flight they gave us lunch and we could try a few South African wines, both were not bad. 

We circled over the tiny town of Victoria Falls and landed at their airport. The immigration processing was really disorganized. At first everyone lined up while some poor staff tried to answer each and every question that came his way. Later after thinking about it I believe his job was to sort of triage the incoming passengers but it ended up just clogging the passageway. Once past there another guy looked at our prepaid QR code and sent us to one more line, and then we could be admitted into the country. I was surprised to hear other people asking what they need to get a visa and it seemed like the absolute worst time to be wondering about this. 

We picked up our suitcase almost immediately and then went out to meet our hotel driver, who introduced himself as “Bambino”. As we left the airport a group of native locals started singing and dancing together and it felt a little touristy to me at this point. Luckily things improved.

Bambino was a smooth talker and hoping for future work so he gave us a presentation of his services as well as local points of interest while we rode the short way to our hotel. Once we paid him at the hotel ($30 USD + $5 tip) he insisted on me taking his number to call him for rides later. We didn’t like his vibe so we didn’t call him back. 

We were staying at the Shongwe Oasis, one of three resort-style hotels in the same area. It was quite nice, mainly under a huge tent that provided shade in the afternoon and kept the birds out. There were lots of tropical trees and a small swimming pool and jacuzzi surrounding a big bar and restaurant. We checked in, the staff being extremely friendly – one guy named “Brad” asked us how long Victoria Falls had been on our bucket list – but we got our key and checked out our room. It was nice – even an outdoor shower if we were brave – but the big comfortable bed and clean bathroom were what we were really after. 

Right after dropping our suitcase off we went right back out and requested a taxi ride to the Victoria Falls National Park. The taxi took us there in less than 5 minutes, agreeing to meet us again in two hours. On the drive to the falls we could see that the town was interesting – sort of developing based on tourism, and some big baboons causing trouble in some areas. Most of the buildings felt modern with some strange names, but it was definitely not a primitive village in the jungle.

At the park we paid the (steep) admission fee and then made a short walk to the western part of the park to start at the viewpoints. We skipped the first few to try to get to the best of the viewpoints first, but in the end they were all excellent in their own way. The falls were roaring and misting and they were spectacular. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as Niagara Falls was, with just a handful of people at each viewpoint. Our favorite area of the falls was just after the powerful main falls where we could see a thousand smaller waterfalls splitting and cascading down. The mist made rainbows pretty much inevitable everywhere, and we couldn’t stop taking pictures. 

Along the way we saw lots of different types of people. Some were clearly locals enjoying a day trip to cool off, others were tourists like us. I was snapping a photo of a fallen tree that was leaning across the pathway – just as I snapped it a girl had jumped on part of the tree, and the girl’s mom apologized for interfering with my photo – I was just afraid she thought I was taking photos of her daughter.

We spent about an hour and a half enjoying the falls, with plenty of time to go back and see what had initially skipped over. The viewpoint called “38 steps” near the beginning of the falls had exceptional views down the gorge and the Zambezi river – we both liked the spot. 

We did some shopping for a Christmas ornament/keychain and then sat out front to wait for our taxi. As we sat we were surrounded by wild monkeys that played and chirped at each other but (luckily) didn’t approach us. There was also a big group of school kids on a school trip that showed up (late in the day on a Saturday). Once the taxi came back we took some time to unpack in our room.

Before dinner we hit the bar area to have some drinks and snacks – Kuniko had a mango daiquiri (a little too sweet) and I had some local beers. The snack plate was pretty big – beef biltong, spiced peanuts, and cheese flavored crisps.

Dinner at the resort was pretty good. The menu was international – it was hard to find local dishes here and I guess I understand why. Our first night Kuniko had a vegetarian lasagna that was filling but a little bland, and I had a spicy prawn curry that was slightly sour (in a good way) that really was excellent. We ordered red wine and they poured extremely heavy – so by the time we went back to our room to sleep we were ready to crash. Hard to believe that we accomplished so much in one big travel day.