South Africa Adventure #2 Ezulwini River Lodge, Balule Nature Preserve, SA

Pinky & I were fortunate to have stayed at the Clico Boutique Hotel in the Rosebank district of Johannesburg, SA. We stayed three nights in room 9 of only 9 rooms, and the food was truly gourmet. Our guide for two of the three days, Famous Amos, took us to an elephant sanctuary, where elephants are rehabilitated and readied to return to the wild and where we touched and rode an elephant.

Another day we visited Soweto (southwest township), where we saw firsthand living conditions of the poor blacks. Amos, who is black, explained the "order of importance" that prevailed during apartheid: 1. White male, 2. White female, 3. Colored & Indian male, 4. Colored & Indian female, 5. Black male, and 6. Black female.

The Hector Pieter Museum was particularly fascinating. It was named for the boy killed in the June 16, 1976 uprising and shown in the famous photo with his grieving sister, who now conducts tours at the museum and who we saw there. Our day at the Lion Park was highlighted by our seeing and photographing Layla, the white lion that killed a woman tourist when she stuck her head out of the window of her car while taking photos. (I stayed well within our Land Rover!) From the Clico we were taken to the Maritime Bushveld Estate for the 1st 2 days of our 7 day package that I "won" at the PiAf gala & where we were graciously hosted by Brenda & Conrad. The estate accommodates a maximum of 8 or so people, so our stay was intimate and personal. Our hosts couldn't have been more gracious. Conrad & I enjoyed watching together over a few beers an exciting quarterfinal World Cup rugby match where SA defeated Wales 24-19.

Our stay was highlighted by a visit to the Leseda Cultural Village, where we learned about the several pre-colonial cultures in Southern Africa and were entertained with dancing from those cultures. We bade farewell to Brenda & Conrad on Monday, when we took a 45 min. SAA flight from Jo'burg to Hoedspruit Airport, from which we are transported to Ezuulwini River Lodge.