South Africa: I straddled an Ostrich

South Africa, December 2010

We flied from Johannesburg to George where we started our Garden Route of south Africa. Incorporating the picturesque stretch of coastline between Mossel Bay and Nature's Valley, the Garden Route is suitable name for its lush greenery and the vast Tsitsikamma Forest.

From George we headed to the popular town of Knysna which is located on the shores of the Knysna Lagoon - the lagoon is a protected area and is home to over 200 species of fish, including the rare Knysna seahorse.We boarded  to John Benn ship and cruising the lagoon to see the spectacular cliffs at the Knysna Heads which lead out to the Indian Ocean.

flight from Johannesburg to George

Knysna the Lagoon City

beautiful sunset in Knysna

before boarding the John Benn Cruise

cruising the Knysna Lagoon

where to go ? :p

Outdshoorn is a place not to be missed. It's known as the Feather Kingdom because of the ostrich ranch.
We had an ostrich steak for lunch which was super yummy. The meat is very tender and juicy, I'm even drooling just thinking about it now. Actually I did feel guilty because I really like ostrich. They seems clumsy but beautiful nonetheless.
I even tried to ride an ostrich. But the ostrich was not happy being straddled. I think he could smell one of his friends inside my stomach. His neck swerved around, like a preying snake while he tried to throw me off his back :(
Do you know that ostrich egg is very strong? My sister tried standing on it and it didn't break. Apparently
it can support up to 150kgs of weight. And 1 ostrich egg is equivalent to more less 20 chicken eggs.
No wonder they served a giant size plate of scrambled eggs for us.

Ostrich ranch in Oudtshoorn, the Feather Kingdom

pretty ostrich

my sister standing on ostrich eggs

riding an ostrich :p

lunch in Mossel Bay

Diaz's ship. No ! not Cameron Diaz but Batolomeu Diaz who found the southern tip of Africa

the Milk wood tree, used as the first “post office” in southern Africa

Cango Cave

When I found out that we were going to visit Cango Wildlife Ranch, I was super excited ! They have a huge variety of animals, so it's like a heaven to me. I love big cats; lion, cheetah, puma, leopard, Bengal tiger.....all of them. And if you need more adrenalin rush, you can dive with the giant Nile crocodiles in their World First Crocodile Cage Dive. 

energetic Lemurs

I was so tempted to kidnap those adorable cubs

Meerkat in action

What's your favourite animal ?

South Africa: Ox Testicle for Dinner

South Africa, December 2010

I had ox testicle for dinner in Johannesburg !!!
But before I tell you more about that. I'd like to show you some places I visited during my city tour in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

First stop was Gold Reef City, a large amusement park in Johannesburg, located on an old gold mine. There is a museum dedicated to gold mining on the grounds where it is possible to see a gold-containing ore vein and see how real gold is poured into barrels.

my sister with the native

exploring the goldmine

Soccer City Stadium, South Africa 2010 World Cup Stadium

beautiful Pretoria

the Union Building

Pretoria

The Voortrekker Monument is prominently located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854.
On each outside corner of the Monument there is a statue, respectively representing Piet Retief, Andries Pretorius, Hendrik Potgieter and an "unknown" leader (representative of all the other Voortrekker leaders). Each statue weighs approximately 6 tons.

Voortrekker Monument

And highlight of the day would be dinner at Carnivore which was a very unique experience. It's a meat speciality restaurant, where you can find every type of meat imaginable. From crocodile, ox testicles, camel, ostrich, etc. I'm really glad they have limited selection of game meats nowadays. They used to have elephant, giraffe, zebra and hippo on the menu. I would be terribly sad if I saw that. All meats are roasted on traditional Masai swords, and the waiters come around with the meat on a sword and carve it off onto your plate at your request.
So yeah....I did try the ox testicles which I think it tasted quite good and chewy. As for crocodile meat, it tastes just like chicken but with more fats, I don't like it.

tribal interior

what would you like to order?

the chef and the roast station

this is how they serve the roasted meat

So have you tried any bizzare food before ?

South Africa: a Stylish Baboon & My Dream Safari

Palace of  the Lost City

Sun City is South Africa’s premier holiday resort,  known as Africa’s Kingdom of Pleasure. There are 4 hotels in the resort and Palace of the Lost City is the most luxurious of all. You can find many activities in this resort. Stayed there for 3 days was not enough for me to explore the whole area.

entrance to the Palace

the most extravagant hotel at Sun City

a fairytale African palace that towers over the scenic valley

The Crystal Court restaurant serves heavenly breakfast

The room and bathroom is very spacious with exotic interior. What I found funny was the sign on the glass door to the patio. It says "Please keep door closed to prevent monkeys from entering". Apparently it's a common case in that hotel. The guest forgot to lock the patio sliding doors then some baboons broke in and stole their food and belonging. I even heard the story about a lady who lost her designer bag. Geesh ! I think the baboon has read too many fashion magazines, she became a stylish baboon.

my room

surrounded by lush garden

having breakfast next to this pond. Bliss!

the Valley of the Waves - a man made beach

Bridge of Time, the entrance to Entertainment Centre

I joined the game safari to Pilansberg National Park that depart at 6 o'clock in the morning. It's third largest game reserve in South Africa and has a dramatic landscape that supports a wide variety of plants, animals and birds.
I was lucky enough to see 3 from the famous Big 5 of south Africa (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino). Since I was a kid I had always dreamt about doing safari in Africa. So I was really happy to be able to meet those beautiful creatures.

Impala at Pilansberg National Park

Wildebeest

Rhino, one of Africa's Big 5

can you spot a female lion resting on the right ?

the big 5 of Africa

our safari vehicle

a Vervet Monkey

a beautiful female Kudu

isn't he gorgeous ?

For more information, please visit: Sun City South Africa