Spectacular scenery and indelible history are just a few things that come with a South African tour
AFRICA is undoubtedly the most charismatically beautiful continent on Earth, probably because modernization was last to visit it. And it was part of this beauty that we saw on our recent visit to South Africa.
We reached Durban in the west of the country, a 15-hour drive from the Zimbabwean border. A soft-drizzle accompanied us as well as the green mountainous and meandering roads. Gentle gradients of lush green land added much more beauty to the panoramic paradise that leaves you speechless.
Our holiday also coincided with Christmas as well as Eid holidays. For three days the whole white-sand Durban beach was packed with people dancing and dining well into the night. And if you weren’t enjoying the beach then you were surfing in the strong currents of the Indian Ocean, keeping company with the sharks at the same time. The vitality of the sea-side enhanced as night approached; the moonlight illuminating the pavement swarmed with souvenir-selling-vendors and the wild roar of the shore broadened the sensation of the thriving colourful African culture.
Following our brief stay, we arrived in Cape Town next. The drive, through Port Elizabeth, was nine hours long but the Garden Route made it too short a time to absorb all the beauty. Green hilly pastures surrounded us as we covered mile after mile under the hazy sky that delicately wetted the plants. Grey-fluffy haze densely enveloped the peaks around us, afore the silver rain clouds that seemed to incorporate the landscape into heaven.
Cape Town itself is not a part of Africa; rather a misplaced city of the First World. It has great historical significance, holds economic interest for investors and is notorious for its gangster activities. Rather similar to the developed world, but certainly excels in natural splendour. As we entered Cape Town we saw the entire settlement from a hill including the blue ocean it cradled within.
Cape Town’s history is full of ships that were wrecked as they approached the harbour. Subsequently, a lighthouse, a massive black and red structure, was built on this coast about three hundred years ago. But its weak light and its extreme height (200m above sea level) meant the beacon was often obscured on misty days. A smaller, more powerful lighthouse (one billion candlepower) was later built, lower on the cliff and is used to date.
On the southern most tip of this continent (so south that if you travelled on you would reach Antarctica) we saw manifestation of Quranic verses. The Indian and the Pacific Ocean, varying in shade to exhibit geographical differences, confront each other yet remain separate, as though partitioned by a barrier!
The Table Mountain, which lies between part of the city and the ocean, is 1500 meters high. Cable cars (carrying capacity 65 persons) and hiking trails take you to the top. One can have an eagle’s eye view of the city, hear one’s voice echo in the canyons or stand charmed by the clear blue water bordered by the white beach. Every Thursday noon, a routine firing of cannonballs is followed, which was initially, a couple hundred years ago, the traditional method of providing the elite Dutch class with the time.
The Malls were aplenty, massive and full of variety. This city is very tourist friendly. There are many holiday homes available for rent and signboards play as perfect guides. There is not much chance you’ll get robbed either, unless you’re looking for trouble at the rail tracks after sunset.
South Africa’s oldest living tree, The Big Tree, 800 years of age, is about a hundred feet tall and wide enough for eight people to spread around its circumference holding hands. It is situated half-a-kilometre into dense vegetation in Swellendam. Also here, is a sign that signifies the presence of the Tropic of Capricorn. Though not particularly well maintained, it is a self-explanatory board marked with bullets.
Kimberly, a 10-hour long desert through the dusty desert was spotted with small whirlwinds. The western half of South Africa is a sharp contrast to the Eastern, because here are the diamond mines that give South Africa its economic fuel.
The Kimberly Mine Museum is in the appearance of a district where life had frozen about a century ago. The Victorian style of the early European settlers engulfed the old shops, homes, dresses, carts, graveyard and even mortuary!
This place preserved history because of the landmark discovery in 1914 of the first and most productive diamond mine, The Open Mine. The Big Hole was excavated 800m deep, with the first sign of debris at 215 m below the surface. It has a surface area of 17 hectares and is 1.6km in perimeter! Excavation was ceased when water miners hit the water table. The museum boasts the presence of old machines used for separating the diamonds and other particles in the soil. Furthermore, the museum is host to famous diamonds including the Kohinoor; the replicas that is.
It took us seven hours to reach Johannesburg and complete the network of the major cities of South Africa. The route wasn’t as pretty as the Garden Route, but the lodging home we booked into was contemporarily decorated and revived memories of the Kimberly Museum. We were allotted the entire attic, with a carpeted delicate bathroom. This cottage, designed to provide an air of comfort for the visitors, was hosted by an old British couple that endlessly told us memories of the wife’s sons — as she put it. And it was here, that our two-week and 11000km holiday came to an end.
Not everything is fair and beautiful in this country. Apartheid was very common in South Africa until a few years ago. Despite immense efforts to incorporate all races into the progress of the country, racial incidents still take place. However, putting this matter aside, we proudly claim to have done something few people have even thought of; a safari through the better half of the world.
Spectacular scenery and indelible history are just a few things that come with a South African tour 
