Tintswalo Two

by | Jul 25, 2025 | Uncategorized

As I explained yesterday, our two full days at Tintswalo were identical. Up early (5:30 wake-up call), meet in the main lodge for coffee and snacks, jump in the bush cruisers and drive around looking for game for a while.

Then breakfast, a break, and back out to do the same thing from 3:30 to 7:00 or so, and then dinner and sleep. Sounds pretty easy.

But there are a couple of things to mention that you might not have realized. First, the temperature. When we arrived at Tintswalo from the airport on our first day around lunchtime, it was a balmy 78 degrees. During the days, the temps were in the high 70s to the low 80s. Since it was the dry season, we never saw a single drop of rain, which was a good thing since there were no tops on the vehicles. We asked the guides what they did in the rainy season, and they said…ponchos. No, thank you. Driving around, soaking wet for three hours? Not me. I was glad we were there in the dry season.

But the 70s and 80s in the sun do not translate to the 60s and 70s in the dark. Unlike a city, the bush has no concrete or blacktop to soak up the sun. And it gets cold quick, just about as fast as it gets dark. You know all those pretty African sunsets I have been showing you? Did you notice there were very few mountains (none at all) or hills? That means when the sun goes down, it goes from light to dark very quickly. The same thing happens every morning. The sky would get a little light and then BANG! Full sunshine.

But the coldest ride of the day was always the first one in the morning. With no sun for eight hours, we were already cold when we got out of bed, but leave it to the wonderful folks at Tintswalo. When we arrived at the trucks, every seat not only had a blanket but also one of the biggest hot water bottles I have ever seen. And it was HOT! In fact, it stayed hot/warm until we came back three or four hours later.

I tell you all this just to let you know that when you go on safari, you need to layer up. I would start with a sun-protection long-sleeved shirt, a sweater/sweatshirt over that and my windbreaker on top of that (and yes, shorts on the bottom—my legs never get cold). Then you shed those as the sun gets higher. Worked pretty much that way every day. And a hat and LOTS of sunscreen.

I also need to mention how lucky we were to be there in their winter. Not only does it not get as hot during the day, but the days themselves are shorter. We didn’t have sunrise until almost 6:45. If we had gone in December, it might have been raining, but we would have definitely had to get up more than an hour earlier for the game drive because the sun rises before 5:00 am in their summer.

So, enough of the weather stuff, how about some photos? Here’s the morning game drive on our second day in Tintswalo. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. If you can’t read the caption while watching the slide show, click the little i in a circle below the photo, and you will be able to see it.  And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

After the drive, it was back to the lodge for breakfast, a nap for most (AJ worked out, and I worked on photos), and then a late lunch that Tintswalo called “Substantial High Tea” at about 2:30 (which looked like lunch to me). Then, it was off on the afternoon game drive by 3:30. And here are the photos from that one. It was not our finest hour so I had to embellish with some deck shots taken during tea.

As you can see, the afternoon/evening game drive was a little bit of a bust that day. It seemed to me that there was one animal that stood out during each game drive (except this one). The day before we saw the cheetah, we had lions and our first zebras this morning, although there were fewer animals in the afternoon. You will have to come back tomorrow to see what we got on those two runs. I can tell you the best ones by the number of photos I took. For most, it was around seven to eight hundred. For this one, I barely got 100. You can’t win them all.

One more thing. I wanted to show you how many animals we could see just lying in bed. Seriously. But for some reason, when I was in bed, I never seemed to have my camera with me ?. So here’s one I shot out our window while sitting on the edge of the bed. Take a look at what our view was like most days. Always something out there hanging around. Mostly tiny monkeys, elephants, Cape buffalo moving by or baboons. I think the baboons bother me the most. You never know what a baboon is going to do, and they seem to be the least phased by humans.

I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy. – Ernest Hemingway

 

Game Drive for the Big Five

by | Jul 24, 2025 | Uncategorized

When you go on safari, much of the activity is centered around game drives. This means you go out twice a day to look for game (you know, wild animals). That’s what life was like during our stay at Tintswalo. We got there around lunchtime, ate, had half an hour to unpack, and we were out the door on a game drive.

And what were you looking for on the game drives? Mostly, you were looking for the Big Five. If you have never heard that expression before, the Big Five are the five most dangerous (to man) animals you find on an African safari. We also found out that there is a Magnificent Seven (not to be confused with the western films) to look for as well. Your goal on safari is to see (or, in my case, photograph) the Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, Cape buffalo, and elephant. According to the folks at Tintswalo, there was also a Magnificent Seven, which consisted of the Big Five and two additional species: the African wild dog and the cheetah. I will let you know right now that we didn’t find the Big Five. Of course, we (those of us on this AmaWaterways trip) had already seen three of the Big Five while we were in Chobe National Park (elephant, Cape buffalo and lion), so we were more than halfway there. We just needed the rhino and leopard for the Big Five and the African wild dog and cheetah to complete the Magnificent Seven. I won’t keep you in suspense. We never saw a leopard. Darn ?!

But there were other animals we hadn’t seen yet, and we would see many of them on our six possible game drives. I will pause the story for now to include our first game drive, which took place around 3:30 pm on our first afternoon at Tintswalo. Don’t forget: if you click the first shot, you can scroll through it using your arrow keys or by swiping. And please, don’t view my photography on a phone. Please…

That’s day one at Tintswalo. We had found another of the Magnificent Seven and only needed a rhino, a leopard (we never got), and an African wild dog to complete the set. More game drive news tomorrow. See you then. I leave you with another incredible African sunset.

Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on Earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. – Brian Jackman

 

On to Tintswalo

by | Jul 23, 2025 | Uncategorized

Our final stop on our African odyssey was Tintswalo Game Lodge, situated in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve, directly adjacent to the world-renowned Kruger National Park. That means LOTS MORE ANIMALS!

After our night of discussion in Johannesburg, we were off to the airport early in the morning for our shortest flight of the trip to Hoedspruit, South Africa, which is the home of Eastgate airport—the gateway to Kruger National Park. It was a very short flight on Airlink (which seems to be the go-to airline for getting around within Africa). They are a very nice airline that primarily flies smaller jets (four seats to a row—we flew all our flights with them in Embraer E-90s, which we liked.) This flight was the shortest flight we have ever taken. We were in the air for less than an hour. If you don’t count the time spent taxing on runways, it’s around 35 minutes. It’s a short flight.

One funny thing did happen on the flight. They actually serve food on these very short flights—to everyone, even those in the cheap seats. On the way to Hoedspruit, the flight attendant comes on and says, “We will shortly be coming around with drink service…and your choice of a cheese bagel or (are you ready for this?) a Krispy Kreme donut. Seriously. When he said it, the plane erupted in a combination of cheers and laughter. Sure enough, they came down the aisle and handed you a tiny box with a single Krispy Kreme donut inside. Just cracked me up.

I should mention here that when we left Johannesburg, we also left behind the amazing Delia, our guide through the entire trip. It was a sad parting, marked by lots of hugs. She is a gem among travel guides and humans. I would not have wanted to do this trip without her. She would not need to accompany us to Tintswalo, as we would be completely under the lodge’s care while there.

We were met at the airport by Welsent, our driver. (Isn’t that a great name for a driver that was sent to pick you up??)  After about an hour’s drive, we arrived at Tintswalo. If you have been following this entire trip, you know we have had some amazing lodging experiences, and this would pretty much be the topper. Tintswalo is not a hotel but a beautiful main lodge connected by raised boardwalks to six individual lodges, each housing one or two people. Walking in is an experience you’ll never forget.

Not because the front door looks like this, but because you walk through to the deck that sits behind the door, and you see this. (Full disclosure, I stole the photo above from the lodge because I was not happy with any of mine.)

Just outside the back door of the lodge were (at that time) probably 8-10 elephants. The lodge leaves a hose hanging from a tree and turns it on in the afternoons. If you would like to see these elephants in person, Tintswalo has a webcam pointed directly at this spot 24/7. You have to figure out what time noon is in South Africa because they are pretty much just there in the afternoons. You can check it out by clicking here.

Elephants come and wiggle their way (in one case, a young male bullied his way) to get a drink from the hose and just generally frolic around under the running water. If you want a site to greet you when you arrive at a lodge; this one tops them all. At this point in the trip, I thought I had seen all the elephants I could ever want to see when we were in Chobe, but I guess that wasn’t true. This small herd would return almost every day we were there, along with other animals that walked through, including Cape buffalo, impalas, wildebeests, and others.

During our stay, we would eat out on this deck numerous times. I would sit and work on photos and write posts while the elephants drank, and other animals walked by. It could be very distracting.

I’d like to show you around, so here are some photos I took upon arrival with both my Nikon and my iPhone. Enjoy.

We sat down to lunch and when we were done, it was time to see our private lodges. Each was named after a famous African explorer. We were staying in Speke named after John Hanning Speke. I love a good, stupid joke, so if someone called on the phone, I would just say, “Speak,” because that’s how his name is pronounced. ?

Here are a few pics I took of the path leading to our lodge and the inside as well. One thing to know about the path. You were not allowed to use it at night without calling the Night Porter. He would sit up all night in the main lodge, and when you called, he would come down and get you to bring you to the main lodge. The main reason for this was that elephants could walk right up to the walkway. When we arrived on the first day, they were fixing an electric fence that a rogue elephant had knocked down the night before. On our last morning there, the staff informed us that the same elephant had returned the night before, and they had to rouse the staff who scared it off by beating pots and pans. However, it still managed to damage more of the fence and a couple of trees. The night porter became our friend when he removed what we thought was a HUGE spider from our bathroom.

I was going to delve deeper into the rest of the first day, but this post is already quite lengthy. Our first major activity was going on a game drive. More about that in my next post. Keep a sharp eye open for it coming soon.

In Africa, you have space…there is a profound sense of space here, space and sky.  – Thabo Mbeki

 

 

Johannesburg and Africa’s People

by | Jul 22, 2025 | Uncategorized

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I always include a quote at the bottom of each post that relates to the topic. I just Google “quotes about xxxx,” and use the one I find that best fits my topic. Yesterday, when I was looking to find one to finish our first day in Johannesburg, I found one about South Africa in general. But when I was looking for it, I found the quote below by, of all people, the actor Ryan Phillipe. And it pretty much encapsulates what I want to say about Johannesburg, South Africa and pretty much the people of Africa everywhere we went. Here’s the quote:

Working in South Africa, the people in Johannesburg get under your skin. It stays with you. It’s a place I want to take my children back to. It’s a place that filled me with great joy and inspiration, but also sadness. I think it’s one of the most complex places on the planet.   —Ryan Phillippe

Editor’s Note: No trip we’ve ever taken has affected me like this one did. And I realize that this discussion will seem like I have a point I can’t get to. So  as much as I want you to read and understand how I feel, I won’t hold it against you if you skip all the text and look at the pictures. 

When we first arrived in Cape Town, we drove from the airport to the tourist area near the harbor where we were staying. On the ride in, we noticed a number of areas that were in what I (at that time) would consider extreme poverty. Our driver explained that those were areas where the poor lived. He told us in no uncertain terms to stay out of those areas unless accompanied by someone familiar with them. We had been told the same thing by our friends at home — that certain areas were worse or slightly dangerous than others.

First, I want to mention that every South African (and those from Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana) we spoke to were the most open and honest people we have ever met (as a group). They were willing to discuss their countries’ triumphs and failures, as well as their foibles and achievements. We had more open and frank discussions with a wide range of people, from our guides and drivers to ship directors and nearly anyone we asked questions of. Never have I felt or heard such openness about a country I was visiting from that country’s people.

This is Delia. She guides people around a country she loves—South Africa. She is an amazing woman whom I greatly admire.

Foremost among those open to discussion was our guide, Delia. Her insights into the facts of apartheid, as well as her discussion on how far things have come and how far they still have to go to achieve true racial equality, were truly interesting and a shock to me. I am still not sure I am ready to write about it, but I do look forward to discussing it. Then, when we reached Johannesburg, our city guide, Beverleigh, joined us for dinner on our last night at the hotel, and that table for seven was one of the most eye-opening and intense conversations I have ever had while traveling.

Let’s get back to Johannesburg. AmaWaterways had planned a day for us that included an introduction to some of the charity work they do, a stop in the township of Soweto as well as visits to the Nelson Mandela home, a lecture on the diamond and gold trade (which was also open and beyond interesting to me due to the nature of the discussion of economics), followed by dinner.

I must be honest, when I first saw this day scheduled, my thought was… what a bore. Maybe I will skip it and just rest. But after hearing Delia speak about it, and Beverleigh discussing it, and the enthusiasm that Lucky (the man from Ama who had met us at the airport) showed about it, we had to go. Our first stop was the Township of Soweto. If you are unfamiliar with what a township is, I pulled this (via AI) from Google:

In South Africa, a township is a residential area established during the apartheid era to segregate non-white populations, primarily Black, Coloured, and Indian communities, from white residents. These areas were characterized by limited infrastructure, overcrowding, and socioeconomic challenges. While apartheid ended in 1994, the term “township” continues to be used to refer to these historically designated areas, which have since undergone significant transformation.

As we drive to Soweto, the things we see outside our windows get progressively worse. The poverty and conditions start at a level below what would be considered the poverty line in the USA, and they go down from there. No running water, no toilets except for some porta-potties, no facilities to wash clothes, no place to wash yourself on a regular basis, and eventually, nothing. Lucky told us how bad it was, and his stories were worse than what we were seeing. Garbage was everywhere. Not because people didn’t care, but because there was nowhere else to put it. One large apartment-size bin that would have served 100 apartments in the USA and been picked up once a week had to serve thousands of people and be picked up once a month.

We finally pulled into a part of Soweto that was as bad as anything we had seen. Lucky told us that his new trainee, Colin, would take over the tour from here because Colin lived here…in this part of Soweto. Colin invited us to leave the bus and walk through the area. He said not to take photos of adults unless we asked permission first, but that kids would happily say, “Shoot me!” and want us to take their photos. We walked through some of the saddest urban blight I have ever seen and finally reached an oasis in the midst of all the despair. That oasis was the Kliptown Youth Program. It is a school, a community center, and so much more. They had an American donor who was introduced to the place via AmaWaterways. They gave the center $2.5 million to build the building, and since then, Ama and their guests have supported the center in many ways.

When we got to the center, we met Thando Bezana. He is one of the many people who run the center. Over the next two hours, we toured the center and discovered how incredibly successful they have been in helping kids achieve success. Touring the center and walking through Soweto was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I think I will shut up here and let you see some photos I took that day. We will start with a walk through a part of Soweto. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping. And PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

A couple of things to add about this walk. We went into a home, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos inside. It was dark, and it smelled of the paraffin stove they used for cooking indoors. There was makeshift furniture and no electricity or running water. Outside, laundry that had been done at the local faucet (the area’s only running water) was hanging out to dry. It was both a home and total squalor.

However, the most remarkable aspect was the people who lived here. They may live the hardest life I have ever seen in a modern city, and yet their spirit seems indomitable. Smiles were on the faces everywhere we looked, especially those of the children. The adults we saw seemed to genuinely love their kids and were great parents, trying as hard as they could, but just unable to break free and move on.

But one reason to rejoice in the midst of all this was the aforementioned Kliptown Youth program. Here are the photos I took at their center.

Kathleen and I have decided that this will now be our chosen charity. The good work they are doing there is making a dent in one of the worst situations I have ever seen. It is not a solution. As I discussed later with A.J., this problem is generational. But it has to start somewhere, and KlypTown is a good place to make that happen. If you are interested in exploring this further, you can see their website by clicking here. I encourage you to take a look.

Here’s a quick video of the guys dancing. They were amazing and talented.

After our emotional morning at KYP, it was time to immerse ourselves in some South African history by first visiting the home of Nelson Mandela. I don’t have to say anything about apartheid or Mandela, because it is almost certain you know the story. Imprisoned for years, he is finally able to unite his country and put all of apartheid in the past (we later found that sadly, that was not true). After that visit, we headed to another neighborhood to visit and have lunch at the last home he lived in prior to his death. Lunch was wonderful, and it was wonderful seeing both homes. Mandela is to South Africans what George Washington is to the United States. Just about ten times more important. His photo and legacy are everywhere. Not only is it on the 100 rand note, but his face is on every single other piece of money I had in my pocket from 10 rand notes. We were shown around the house by David, a grad student who knew his stuff and explained the complicated relationship between Winnie and Nelson Mandela. It was a great experience. Here are some photos I took while at the two houses and on the street outside, where dance groups were circling constantly looking for tips.

After our lunch, we had a free afternoon. Some of the folks wanted to shop, so the bus dropped them off at an upscale shopping mall. Others, like us wanted to go back to the hotel, Kathleen to nap and try not to cough, and I wanted to work on a post. But first, we needed just a couple of things from a local pharmacy. The hotel provided us with a driver and van (at no cost) to transport us to the pharmacy (approximately eight to ten blocks away), wait for us while we shopped, and then return us to the hotel. I mention this mundane piece of information because in any other city that we have ever visited, I would have just walked those eight to ten blocks and picked up what we needed. While driving there and waiting with the driver, he and I had a frank discussion about the security at the hotel, the reasons that I couldn’t have walked, the fact that in Cape Town we were told not to leave the tourist area and why we should feel unsafe.

Some quick stats that blew us away:

  • Overall Unemployment:

    South Africa’s official unemployment rate rose to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025. 

  • Expanded Unemployment:

    The expanded unemployment rate, which includes those who have given up looking for work, is 43.1%. 

  • Youth Unemployment:

    The unemployment rate among young people is particularly high, with one report indicating it was 53.5% in the first quarter of 2022. 

  • Gender Disparities:

    Women generally experience higher unemployment rates than men. 

  • Racial Disparities:
    Black Africans face significantly higher unemployment rates compared to other racial groups. 

When you put all this together, you get a country and urban area that is primed for crime. People have to steal just to survive. And there are no jobs. And the jobs that exist for those at the bottom of the spectrum (youth, Black Africans, and women) pay very poorly. (The minimum wage in South Africa is R28.79 per hour—equal to $1.64. That’s $65 for a 40 hour week and $261 for a month.) No wonder places like Soweto still exist.

After our free time ended, we gathered in a hotel meeting room for drinks and a quick talk (about an hour) about the gold, diamond, and precious mineral trade in South Africa, and how it shaped the country’s history and continues to do so today. A historian specializing in South African history (whose name I can’t recall) joined us to provide facts. She was very knowledgeable and knew her stuff. As it turns out, South Africa is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources. They are among the top producers of gold, diamonds, platinum, and many other precious minerals that keep the world turning. However, much of South Africa’s wealth has been, and still is, owned and exploited by foreign interests.

When she finished, a question-and-answer session followed, and she was joined by Beverleigh, our Johannesburg AmaWaterways specialist. Both were very candid. I asked, “Why, when Mandela took over, considering his relationship with Castro and other socialists, why did he and his party not nationalize the mines and the sources of these other minerals?” Their answer saddened me. The answer that both women gave was that Mandela had to contend with other, mostly Western countries dictating terms to him. If he wanted recognition and support for the new government, then they needed to back off on any thoughts of socialism or nationalization of the white, foreign business interests.

I guess that about sums it up. Our day concluded with the aforementioned dinner conversation. My conclusions, (yes, I know I need to do more research) were that we (the rest of the world) have been exploiting this country and others in Africa and still are, to the detriment of its people. And to make matters worse, while we were in the country for less than two weeks, there were at least two breaking news stories about national corruption in the South African government.

Now that I have said all that, I must tell you that in over 20 years of travel, visiting 55 countries, we have NEVER experienced better service—complete with smiles and genuine graciousness—than the service and caring we received in Southern Africa. These are people who have been downtrodden for so long, yet their spirit is incredible. Some of the hardest working and most joyful people we have ever encountered. Even in Soweto, or in a village just beginning to form alongside a river in Namibia, or among those still living under the shadow of colonialism in Victoria Falls, there was happiness and authentic caring. People going above and beyond to take care of us.

I’m about to step down from my high horse. Please just understand that I (like Ryan Phillipe) have very mixed feelings about Africa, but I completely appreciate the openness and spirit of its people. Let’s wrap this up on a positive note with one more video showing some of those incredible dancers.

PS: I will be back tomorrow with more animals from our four day trip to Tintswalo Safari Lodge just outside Kruger National Park.

Johannesburg

by | Jul 20, 2025 | Uncategorized

Editor’s Note: We are home. I was about to type that words can’t describe the length of our journey, but that’s not true. One word can. That word is…exhausting. More on that in a couple of days. I hope to do one post a day, as if we were still in Africa. It all depends on the extent of my jet lag. 

After our FULL day in Victoria Falls, we were up early to catch our flights from Victoria to South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg. As someone who believes that airports are the worst part of travel, this is not my favorite trip. We had spent way too much time in airports so far, and we still had at least four more flights after this one before we would be home (we took eight total—some of our fellow travelers took 12, depending on how many connections they had to get to Africa or home). This was another case of boarding a bus, sitting in the airport, flying, and clearing customs in another country. You get the idea. It’s almost as if you trade boring, exhausting days in airports for the glorious days in between seeing Southern Africa.

We basically spent one full day in Johannesburg. We got into our hotel, the Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa. If you remember, we stayed at the Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town to start this trip with AmaWaterways. We thought that place was a truly beautiful hotel. Our next hotel was the Victoria Falls Hotel in Victoria Falls, which was older, more staid and colonial, but still (as much as I hate to admit it) beautiful. But this place knocked our socks off. It was so impressive that I actually remembered to whip out my phone and give you a short video tour.

This “room” was not only bigger than my first apartment, but I think the Springboks (South Africa’s national rugby team) could play a match inside (okay, that’s hyperbole…but good hyperbole ?). This place was beautiful. While the Cape Grace was very nice, it was a little too prim and proper for me, and I was saddened by the colonialism of the Victoria Falls Hotel—but this one, decorated in what I would have to call “African Safari,” was (and still is) my favorite hotel of the trip.

By the time we had arrived from our travels, it was fairly late in the day. I had forgotten to mention that two other amazing representatives from AmaWaterways met us upon our arrival. And we still had the amazing Delia with us. The amazing Lucky (yes, that’s really his name) met us at the airport and took us to the hotel, as well as leading our full-day tour the following day. Once we arrived at the hotel, we met Beverleigh, who is basically like the Ama fairy godmother of Johannesburg. If Delia is the queen of Southern Africa touring, then Beverleigh is the princess in Johannesburg. Both of these people would play a significant role in my thoughts on South Africa in general.

One of the things I may have mentioned is that about three weeks before we left, we met Dave and Janine Marcus, who live here in Trilogy with us. Dave and I did Trilogy Tech Support together one morning, and I mentioned (like I could shut up about it ?) that we were going to Southern Africa. It turns out Dave and Janine are native South Africans. They still have a place in Cape Town. They travel to Johannesburg regularly and have friends there. They were of great help, providing valuable advice and information. We had one free evening in Cape Town for dinner, and they had recommended a restaurant, which, alas, we had decided to skip because of our late arrival at Table Mountain. Dave had also gotten us a restaurant recommendation in Johannesburg from a good friend he described as a “foodie.” Well, you know me, I love food, and the amazing restaurant prices in South Africa make it almost a sin not to eat out in a superb restaurant at least once.

On the other hand, when we arrived at the Fairlawns, we were exhausted. Beverleigh had offered to make arrangements with the hotel for us to eat in their dining room (which was superb at breakfast). I told her to do that for us. I also told her that we had reservations at a highly recommended restaurant in the city, but we were tired and decided to stay in the hotel instead. Without me saying where we had reservations, she turned to me and said, “I bet you have reservations at Marble. You have to go!” She went on to regale me with how much we would be missing if we didn’t go, how the hotel would transport us there, come back and get us and that we would have a “WONDERFUL experience.” Well, you can’t pass up that kind of recommendation, so we said, “Set up the car.”

Editor’s Note: At this point, I have a lot to say about South Africa and Johannesburg that some may find controversial (it has to do with being transported by the hotel’s car), but I want to reserve my thoughts until my next post, when I detail our full day in Johannesburg. 

Let’s talk food.

I haven’t said much about the food. At this point, we had experienced some great food. None of it was bad (except for the cold breakfast at the Victoria Falls Hotel), but there also wasn’t much to write home about. But let’s discuss Marble. We ate, we took pictures (below), and we left stuffed. Everything was perfect except for the one tired impala or antelope I had as an entrée. (I ordered their “game assortment” as my entrée and the “game”—which I now believe to have been impala—was so tough I joked that it must have been the one the lions chased for days but it got away just in tme to wind up at this restaurant ?—but the sauce on it was amazing.)

Here are the pics. The captions pretty much describe the meal. I took them with Kathleen’s iPhone because I stupidly forgot mine at the hotel. Feel (guilt) free to look at them on your phone ?.

We can’t thank Dave and Janine (and their friend in Johannesburg) for the recommendation, and Beverleigh for ensuring we went. It was (for me) the best dining experience of the trip. This place fully passed the “Steve Test.” Not only would I eat there again, but I would make it a go-to place for special occasions, especially with the price.

Let’s talk restaurant prices. Prior to the trip, when I was reviewing restaurant menus, I was scared by the prices. Most were in South African currency (the rand), and when I looked at Marble’s menu, I saw that my favorite dish (anything with octopus) was 230 rand. At first glance, that seems like A LOT OF MONEY to pay for one dish. It does, right up until you pull out your calculator (thanks, Apple, for including a constantly updated currency converter right inside your iOS calculator) and realize that R230 is only $ 12.99 US. So, our entire meal, with two appetizers, two entrées, two drinks for me, one for Kathleen, and her glass of wine, as well as a split dessert (in one of Johannesburg’s best restaurants), plus the tip, came to less than $ 140 US. Seriously. Would I dine there if it were in my own city? With those prices? I would eat there weekly. I would try everything on the menu…twice. Two of us could not eat at a place like Marble here in Seattle for twice that much.

After that amazing dinner, we were picked up by the hotel van, whisked back to our luxurious suite at the Fairlawns, where we slept like babies. Which was a good thing because our next day would be a stunner in so many ways. I believe it will be the most joyful post I have ever written and the saddest. See you then.

Now that we have a democracy and you can go back and the airport air is not laden with evil any more, you can actually breathe oxygen when you land in Johannesburg.  —Janet Suzman