The Western Cape, South Africa (07/27/2019 - 07/30/2019)

Following the 'work' part of my trip, I headed down to the Western Cape province, beginning in its capital, Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to.

Anyone who has seen photos of Cape Town and its iconic view of Table Mountain likely saw it from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a trendy part of town with many small artisanal shops, and great places to eat. This is by no means the only place to enjoy the city - there is no shortage of colourful and unique neighbourhoods, as well as many opportunities to enjoy nature. I ended up hiking Lion's Head one afternoon, and discovered it was fully of dassies (or the rock hyrax), an animal that looks like a rodent but is actually more closely related to elephants and manatees. 

Playing the culinary tourist, I couldn't resist visiting GOLD Restaurant for a 14 course 'pan-African' dining experience on one end, while sampling more local fare like bunny chow, a dish originating from Durban, invented by Indian labourers brought by the British to work the sugar cane plantations.

Outside of Cape Town, I had a chance to visit the vineyards of Stellenbosch (no good photos :)), a colony of cape penguins, and going down to the Cape of Good Hope, which is *almost* the southern-most tip of Africa, and where the currents of Indian and Atlantic oceans sometimes meet (including the day of my visit). 

Overall, I really enjoyed my first trip to South Africa (and Africa, period0, and would love to spend more time here in the coming years. 

Note: I just realised the videos below don't show up unless you click on them outside of the gallery viewing mode.

Pretoria and Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa (07/21/2019 - 07/26/2019)

I'm almost embarrassed that it took me nearly 39 years to set foot in Africa for the first time, and even more so that it took a work-related trip to get me there. 

South Africa is a melting pot of tribes and traditions, brought together through a complicated and painful past whose scars are still fresh (especially when politics is involved).  The result of this melting pot is a very rich culture, 11 different official languages, fantastic food, and set upon the backdrop of one of the most beautiful countries I've visited. 

I landed in Johannesburg but actually didn't set foot in the city this trip - after a quick overnight stay in Pretoria, it was off to Pilanesberg National Park, a much nearer alternative to the Kruger National Park, which is where most tourists going for a safari will head to - sadly I just didn't have the time.

I'll save my commentary on the country and food for the later posts, whereas this one just showcases the flora and fauna I had the fortune of observing during my quick stay at the safari, followed by a few photos of my time in Pretoria outside of work. 

I will say that South Africans *love* their meat, especially braaied and dried (as biltong).