22, 23, 24 January

Well everything is still on hold.  My local travel agent is having a difficult time findting me a safari in Tanzania since it is the busiest time of the year to do it.   To compound the problem, there have been severe electrical storms almost everyday at about 5 pm.   The one yesterday knocked out the internet connection in the mall where the Travel Agency is located !    @(%&$)@_+%^($&

Tomorrow is the deadline.   If she has not been able to confirm before 11 am, I'm checking out of the hotel (I'm back in Sandton by the way) and taking a flight to Zanzibar ! 

Keeping my fingers crossed that everything will work out as fate wants it to.

January 19, 20, 21

Still veg'ing in Hatfield, Pretoria,   but my travel agent may have found me an excursion in Tanzania.   Keeping my fingers crossed.

January 18, Thursday

January 18, Thursday 

Checked out of the Protea Hotel and moved to the Hatfield part of Pretoria, which is more “up-class” in the embassy part. 

 View from my 8th floor bedroom.  Building on the far left with red roof is the Canadian Consulate

A lot more trees here than in the downtown core,  much better maintained, and A LOT cleaner.

Canadian Consulate is only one block away;  I want to check with them about Egypt before I make my final decision.   I’m also waiting to hear from my travel agent in Sandton;  she has found a great package for me, but has not been able to confirm availability dates yet.  

First full grey day in South Africa;  it actually rained most of the day, so I took advantage to rest again a bit more.

January 17, Wednesday

January 17, Wednesday 

Happy Birthday Gilles P, wherever you are.

Today is another “walking around” day, heading for the zoo (the largest in SA) and then Union Buildings where the house of the president of the country is located, as well as other buildings.

I made it to the zoo after about a half hour walk.   I sign at the entrance addressed the matter of emergency evacuation:  A horn will blast twice to indicate Fire; it will blast 4 times if  “A dangerous animal has escaped”   ! ! ! YIKES ! ! !

  Banyan Fig Tree

  Scimitar-horned Oryx

 Zoo grounds

 Baboon licking the post

  

  Lion-tailed macaque

  Fighting buffalo

 Black Rhino

  Zoo grounds

  Very sad gorilla in a very dark enclosure

 It may be the largest zoo in SA but it has been seriously neglected.   Although the grounds appear to be well maintained, many of the enclosures are empty and have not been used in quite awhile.  The enclosures for the seals and sea lions were filthy and being cleaned (see pics below)  but why let it get so dirty in the first place.  Some of the birds were in bad shape as well and windows in some of the viewing areas had not been cleaned in a long time.  

 Disgustingly dirty pools for the seals and sea lions

  Addax

 Tiger

  Nubian Ibex

  Springbok with sacred ibis

  Zoo grounds, largest enclosure for the white rhino 

  Red River Hog

 Another rhino but in a small enclosure

 Hyena smelling food that a family is eating on the other side of the fence

 Baby monkee hanging on to mama

  Servel

  Suricate

  Steenbok

 "There must be an easier way to get to this grass"

 Old elephant who has lost his/her tusks

 Large elephant in better shape

  Madagascar Lemurs

Actually fairly disappointing, although I did enjoy walking around since the zoo grounds are huge.  The brochure did not say how many acres, but I know I walked around for 3 hours in there.   The day was partially cloudy making less hot.  

I decided to walk over to see the Union Buildings, where the president lives.  It was about an other half hour walk away.   As I made my way along Boom to Edmond street, I realized that it probably was NOT a safe area to walk in.   Definitely getting some strange looks today and there is garbage everywhere as well as feces (not necessarily dogs’ !)   As I reached Nelson Mandela Avenue and saw that the rest of the way would be uphill, I decided that enough was enough, so I turned right on Mandela and made my way back to my hotel.   I was dripping wet again by the time I reached my room.   I think I’ve made up (exercise wise) for my weeks in the car. 

Movie time !

January 16, Tuesday

January 16,  Tuesday  

I spent a number of hours walking around downtown Pretoria.  I visited the National Museum of Natural History, pretty much your usual stuff, except for their South African bird collection.   Amazing !   It took up an entire wing and two floors.    Took pictures of the stuffed ones I had actually seen in the wild, or photographed, just so I had the correct information in my notes.    

 

National Museum of Natural History

 Tawny Eagle in Kruger

 Fish Eagle in Chobe

 Kingfisher in Chobe

 Hornbill at picnic area in Kruger

 Starling in Kruger

I finally learned the difference between horns and antlers (don’t laugh…. I honestly did not know !)   Horns last a life time and form part of the skull as they grow;  this is what most African animals have.   Antlers are bone outgrowths, covered in velvet skin that supplies blood and drop off after mating season is over  (deer, elk, moose, etc).  I therefore apologize for using the term antlers when referring to antelopes and boks.

 Pretoria City Hall in front of NMNH

  Native statue in front of City Hall

 I then went to visit the Museum of Culture, which housed some great San rock carvings as well as an exhibit on weaving.  Yvette you would have loved it. 

  San stone carvings

 

Weaving

Among the items were a pair of sandals made by Mahatma Gandhi in 1914 and given my him to President Smuts, his political adversary to symbolize the mutual respect the two great leaders had for each other.

From there I walked to Church Square where many of the historical parliament buildings are located. 

 Parliament buildings in Church Square

 Historic building in Church Square where I had lunch

 Another historical building in Church Square

 Monument to Paul Kruger in Church Square

 More historical buildings in Church Square

I had lunch at a local café and then went to visit Paul Kruger House;  the house he occupied with his wife in the latter years of his life.  I was quite surprised to see that he had been honoured by both France and Russia during his exile years, for his fight for South Africa against the British.

Somewhere along the way this morning, as I looked at the people in the streets, I realized that there was not one single white person among them.  First time this has happened to me and I found it very strange.  Not scared obviously, just a bit disconcerting and very interesting. By the end of the afternoon, when people started coming out of the government office buildings, I started to see some white people;  maybe 20 in total.   I’m definitely a minority here.

Got back to the hotel for a much needed shower.  I don’t know how hot it was today, but there was sweat coming out of every pore in my body.