Monday, 17 October 2016

Diary of trip to South Africa 1984 : Part 1 by Dorothy Carlton


Monday – flew from Joberg to Richards Bay
wonderful way to see country
had lunch in hut at Umfolozi
went first trip in reserve
saw zebra giraffes different antelopes baboons monkeys
meals cooked by natives in main kitchen we can’t do anything

Tuesday – went for 4 hour walk in bush with guide saw more animals mainly giraffes zebras & buffaloes 
late afternoon went for drive saw lots of animals in lights of car along road on way back.

Wed – I stayed home minded Jolene & Melissa while others went on another walk through wilderness area. We walked a little way along road but only allowed to go little way afternoon went for longer drive through reserve saw both sorts of rhinos more antelopes @ other animals passed white rhino in water going to somewhere else.

Thursday – Came back to Pietermaritzburg to Lorna’s house
Christine lives in small house in back yard. She and children get on very well

Friday – went to Durban spent day walking around town and fixing trips
met Lorna’s mother and father one brother Ron & wife one sister Debbie & Lionel – different ideas – Alan cooked tea – fish dish, kebabs, curry, salmon mousse

Saturday – in morning went into Pietermaritzburg Voortreeker museum – walked around town

Sunday – came in early to Durban started bus tour
left sugar for dairying – cattle goats sheep – black pigs to clean up – bad erosion
roundavels everywhere
night at motel Umtata   

Monday – spent night at Umtata – Transkei
university @ minister’s homes
travelled through Transkei to Butterworth
lunch at East London
onto Ciskei
between SA and homelands
like a day from musical comedy

Tuesday – left Ciskei back into SA lunch at Grahamstown   at 1820 monument high on hill overlooking town formally signal station went over Fish river good cattle country but no grass – euphoria – acacia low bushes
Tea in Port Elizabeth view from window overlooking harbor like Geelong

Wednesday – through Jeffrey’s Bay long wide beaches
Through Tsitsikamma rainforest doesn’t grow again after fire which is very seldom but where burnt planed with pines or eucalypts trees numbered so you can name them
Lunch at Forest Inn through Knysna where furniture made from yellow wood @ stink wood very expensive @ very scarce
Spent night at wilderness – home of Mr Botha seaside place
Went through several narrow passes bus driver blowing   horn most of the way


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