2006-12-14
13904
52
2
作者：长音
--今年2月在找埃及的信息时，认识了穷游，于是赶快第一次发贴，把一年前的南非三周游记与众游侠分享。只是文章全用英文写的，受累了，辛苦了，各位！
• Introduction
During last November’s International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, a South African film NiKiWi came to my attention. It is about how a 15-year-old girl struggles and survives with two young brothers after their parents’ death of AIDS. I was so touched by their sympathetic but cheerful way of living that I decided to visit South Africa and see its people. My boyfriend Roy, after China and Peru, negging all the time to also have his footprint in Africa, was very delighted for my impulse and guts to explore together in Africa. From March 26 to April 17, we covered 2000 km with a rental car. We survived and what left behind is a gorgeous memory. For those who are interested, I try to provide you a few brief glimpses of the country and its people, of course, you can get more details from Lonely Planet or Inside Guide. But maybe, probably, if you can get a tiny bit touch of this “rainbow” country from the story, my heart would bloom like a flower. By the way, a picture worth thousand words, hope you enjoy them too!
• Johannesburg to Kruger Park: Waterfalls and Panorama road
March 26
Taking the KLM direct flight, we fly from 10.30 am in A’dam to 21.30 pm arriving Johannesburg, that means we fly from the north to the south hemisphere, from cloudy Europe to sun-scorching Africa, and outside land temperature rise from 7 to 27 degree. The landscape outside airplane looks as if we flew above Mars. We can see nothing but Sahara desert, coving the north, west and middle of Africa. Occasionally, some small black dots come to our sight. They are probably the villages and towns, the signs of human existence in such deserted emptyness. We wonder how there can be people living there. How would South African look like, like these? After sunset, I cannot see anything from outside and we arrived in the light-lit city Johannesburg. Without knowing how it looks like, we were taken to our first night staying place Airport Game Lodge.
March 27
Early morning comes our rental car. It is a small Nissan, just big enough to fit everything in. It is to more extent regarded as a safe babble separated us from the outside world. Before our departure, some advised us to lock our car all the time, some said never step out of your car even in the gasoline station, because we are in the dark Africa, dangerous! On the way to Sabie, we stop by many places. We get out of car, eating ice cream in the broad light. We see Sunday church people wearing blue-white uniform singing beside gasoline station. We are amazed by African women, who carry big luggages on top of their head and hitchhiking next to the highway. We bought two mangos next to the road and bargain for a pair of handicraft. Due to my inexperience in navigation, we missed a trail where supposed have a lot of waterfalls, but anyway we saw one from another route. A black guy guided us 200 meters through a dark tunnel to view a waterfall. Before darkness, we find a comfortable guesthouse to stay.
March 28
Generally, guesthouse provides Bed & Breakfast, cheaper than hotel but more expensive than hostel/backpacker. The one we stay has a very nice terrace where when we have breakfast, beautiful landscape of green mountains and villages come to horizon. No free lunch, neither free view, so it is not cheap but worthwhile. Tonight we have to reach Phalabowa, the border gate of Kruger Park. We drive, drive and drive while still enjoying ourselves by the panorama views of Pilgrim’s rest, God’s Windows and three Rondavles???…. Later afternoon, it is alternatively raining and sunny, creating rainbow hanging up there in the blue sky, sometimes even two. I then for the first time realized why South Africa is called a rainbow country. We lost our way at last 100 meters to our destination. Helped by of local police, we arrive in pre-booked Sefaphane Lodge in Phalabowa. We were treated with a jummy BBQ for dinner. We are very excited about tomorrow’s safaris, because the real adventure will soon start…
