Our African Adventure

Happy new year everyone and welcome back from your winter holiday.  I have just returned from almost two weeks in my homeland of South Africa.  This was my first time back since I was eight years old and what an incredible trip.  Of course this journey was made even better as I got to share it with my incredible wife Michelle.  We started our trip with a quick stop in Atlanta and then a 14 hour flight to Johannesburg.  It had been a long day but our travelling continued as we took another flight to Cape Town.  We spent the next week in Cape Town taking in the absolutely incredible scenery, food and ambiance.  Every turn you take in Cape Town meets you with another spectacular view of the peaks surrounding the city.  We visited Table Mountain and quickly realized that we better make another new years resolution to hit the gym because there was no way we were walking up.  We drove down the coast on our way to Cape Point and watched ostriches search for food at the Cape of Good Hope.  We next travelled north up to Stellenbosch and the wine country to take in the magnificent vineyards and flavours that South Africa has to offer.  We ended our stay in Cape Town on the day after new years, which we had celebrated with our new friends having a braii (a bbq).  Cape Town is a spectacular city and I cannot wait to return.

After our stay in Cape Town, Michelle and I hopped on a flight heading to Hoedspruit where we then took a two hour car ride to the Sabi Sands Game Reserve. We spent the next three days on safari where we met some incredible people both locals and tourists.  We have made some lifelong friends.  We stayed at the Arathusa Lodge and were treated like absolute royalty.  The accommodations, food and service was phenomenal.  Not to mention, the game drives, which happened twice a day, were amazing and our guide and tracker, Ryan and Debeer, were knowledgeable and friendly and made sure that we saw everything we wanted to.  

Our trip ended in Johannesburg where our experience was very different.  I was born in Johannesburg and moved to Canada at the tail end of the apartheid years.  Though we had learned so much on our trip already about the people, the food and the animals in South Africa, Johannesburg showed us some of the darker side of what is truly a beautiful country.  Apartheid ended in South Africa in 1991 and we were fortunate enough to visit the Apartheid Museum and learn about the history and how it shaped South Africa today.  I know it was especially significant to Michelle because growing up in Toronto, she had never experienced anything like apartheid.  The separation of everything from transportation, to park benches really hit home for her and me as well.  We learned so much from touring around Johannesburg and seeing the dichotomy that exists between the rich and the poor and we have both agreed that we would like to return to Africa one day and perhaps do our part to help those who are less fortunate.    

Overall our trip to South Africa was a really special and educational experience.  I went to South Africa to have a relaxing vacation and came back with so much more.  I cannot wait to share my experiences with my students and colleagues.