In the summer of 2025, I was impatiently waiting for the vacations to begin. A month and a half planning was taking a concrete shape which was drawing me with irresistible magnitude. The affirmations and manifestations in my mind were producing oxytocin and all sorts of happy hormones, considering the fact that it was our first ‘family trip’ abroad.

And then unexpected dark clouds loomed over when we almost called off our trip and resorted to regular ‘black out’ drills at home in Northern part of country. Operation Sindoor, India declared a close to all out war on Pakistan after Pahalgam episode with air defence, artillery, air force and army on guards as we faced consistent drone attacks and threats. I vividly remember fighter jets flying over my rooftop at half past two in the morning that sent chills to my spine. “Is that it ?”, “Another war in 2025?” The scenario of 1971 repeating before my eyes. Some schools announced summer vacations by second week of May. A struggle of week and diplomatic talks began to seep in between two nuclear power countries. White House interfered and a middle ground was attained. A war meant economic backlash of a decade which no country was willing to put on stake. After all memes and reels flooding the social media, regular people resumed work by mid May.

We almost called off the trip, luckily all VISA were by then processed that took about ten days. The ‘yellow fever’ vaccines didn’t go waste, especially for Eddie. All worth for Africa trip. It was much of a chaotic work now. We stood with the plan, booked tickets, hotels and itinerary at the last moment. Less than ten days in hand, speaking to the travel agent (RAHI travels), going through the final check list wore out my brother who did the entire homework. But the idea of heading towards the most awaited adventure of our lives rejuvenated his as well as our spirits. We started out from Chandigarh on 29th May, it was my hush- hush packing as I had to take leave from work which was unplanned. My sciatica was also gaining on me, took a med course of 15 days. This trip had to go right, I went to great lengths.

It was a memorable road journey with my ‘fab fam’ from Chandigarh to Noida. We stayed for the night at Aman and Nikita’s (my brother and sis-in-law) house. I always tend to test my potential in unexpected ways. Thought of giving an exam of Psychology with little preparation on next day, at brother’s home. Locked myself in room for three hours, glanced through my last minute notes, gave exam and ticked on the third paper of first semester. A little burden off my shoulders, a workaholic could surely enjoy better now.

A Long Long Flight
I was told that flights would be long, taking considerable time of ours. First six hours from New Delhi to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. We slept through the flight as it was 2 AM in the morning from T-3 terminal. A lay over of two hours, few hot coffees and then seven hours flight from Addis Ababa to Johannesburg in South Africa. By the time we reached Johannesburg airport, we were all so excited that there was no sign of jet lag on our faces. We could drag ourselves later in those white linen of hotels but now was the time to explore! Now was the time to explore the ‘Urban Jungle’ of the world. Let’s call out for Johannesburg!


Johannesburg: The City of Gold
No backpacker element this time in the trip. I enjoyed the chauffeur driven vehicles, no cabs, no locals, it was all pre booked, keeping it as comfortable for my mother. The cars were spacious and cushy to accommodate six of us with a guide. Our guide was a very jolly person who runs his own tour and travel business, Mr Bilal Khan, in Johannesburg. A fluent Hindi speaker who kept us safe and entertained throughout our stay in the city. The tour to the hotel was filled with country side meadows, scenic golf courses and gold mines sites. Johannesburg is known as the ‘city of gold’ because they have gold, like literal gold in the air. One can even see gold in the dust. All those mines are privately owned and not by government. They still dwell and drill in their constant approach to extract the precious element via deep shafts and machines.

Drinking water was our first concern the moment we reached our hotel Southern Sun Rosebank. We four just dropped off our luggage and went out in search of packed drinking water. It’s all in Rand currency in South Africa, this time no Thomas Cook but NEU card for international transactions. Around 50 K each were kept as cash in Rand. We were delighted to discover a mall next to our hotel and bought 20-25 water bottles from a pharmacy. The Sun was bidding adieu and we landed on the rooftop of the hotel. It was the golden hour, chilly and windy. By now we were really drained after 14 hours of flight journey and 2 hours of trotting in the mall. My room ‘bath tub’ was calling out my name with warm water to dip in and snooze out in white sheets. The evening was all about getting over the jet leg and prepare for the super busy sight seeing day ahead.

Victoria Yards, Apartheid Museum and Lesedi Cultural Village
Victoria Yards were full of amazing workshops, craftsmen stores, galleries, and small scale business owners. The place brought a countryside vibe where each article was hand crafted and out on display. A mix of European and Afrikaan artists who filled the corners with vibrant colors, be it pottery, dream catchers, macrame articles, pickle, cheese, honey, hand made soaps, handbags or wine. The vibe was meditative and I was welcomed by their warm smiles.

A quick tour, I didn’t feel like leaving the place but a long day was planned ahead. We headed straight towards Apartheid Museum. From vibrant hues, to black and white shades. As we reached our destination, I saw a helicopter landing within seconds on a helipad just few meters away from me. Quite an entry made an impression though but, never mind. It was a sad place. Over two and a half centuries of enslavement in Africa put me in melancholy. The stories on walls and the atrocities endured by Afrikaans. Those iron bars, the brutal massacre of tribes, those left over identity cards, the ruthless discrimination, the inexplicable fear is buried deep within the veins of generations. It was a struggle for me to go through first few parts of museum followed by inspirational biographies of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Albertina Sisulu, Steve Biko, Desmond Tutu, and Joe Slovo. Do you know Desmond Tutu was a close friend of Dalai Lama? They wrote a book together. People in South Africa have high regards for Desmond Tutu, a selfless man who worked for natives throughout his life asking for nothing in return. ‘A silent messiah’ some say. The day moved on and we headed to the last spot ‘The Lesedi Cultural Village’.

The Lesedi Cultural Village
After a hearty Punjabi lunch, we geared up for this much applauded cultural village that has made it’s mark in the itinerary on Nikita and my request. The village is far away from the city, the weather was getting colder and we slipped into our leathers and wind cheaters. Lesedi was a set-up village promoting 12 tribes of continent. A Zulu tribe man was our guide through the village. Observing through local tribal handicrafts, linens, souvenirs and popular tribal dance where men showed their lean abs and women danced with enthralling flexibility. The jungle of tribe was debatebaly cold, my pre conceived notion about Africa brought me to hit the six, I shopped and packed all summer clothes. It was the last moment packing when Aman and Ajit told me to shove some woolens. South Africa is cold in June, forget about Meryl Steep in ‘Out Of Africa’ or ‘Duma’ , or ‘Hotel Rwanda’ etc. By the time we ended in our rooms, it was eight in evening. The idea of visiting the ‘Mandela Square’ had to be dropped. I sigh ! Nevertheless, next day we were off to KRUGER

Kruger: The Road Taken
Mr Bilal Khan, our travel guide, offered his black Mercedes out of hospitality for us to travel to the Kruger’s Unembeza resort. The road journey had lovely country side highways, some parts were Savannah and wide range of wildlife could be seen such as zebras, wild ox, ostriches and few species of antelopes. Imagine, travelling by the roads and you end up seeing wild range of animals even in front of KFC. People of the country usually eat chicken but you also find pork, beef and venison on their menu. In South Africa, food is never a problem, tourists enjoys wide range of vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. I saw a Gujarati family visiting same places and apart from their ‘Khakras and fafadas’ , they could sail through their trip without much hassle in terms of food. It’s always interesting for me to see these people packing almost a suitcase with just snacks while travelling. I was never disappointed with food, mostly continental cuisine, didn’t try anything tribal. I was once offered roasted caterpillars in tribal village as a snack which I happily declined. Ajit and Eddie ate those and described the taste as burnt wood. Anyways, the journey resumed.

The Nails and Hair
My sister-in-law Nikki, got an eye for details. The ladies always have their hair done right that’s quite evident but most importantly, they get their nails done too. Nail art with extensions and hair job with braids, twists, cornrows and weaves. An average time taken for just nails and hair job in salon would take them several hours and ceaseless patience. Now it was brought to my notice, I was amazed to find every two out of three women with nail extensions and hair protective practices irrespective of their field of job. So much for grooming and I on other side of the globe would take several moments to decide whether to wash my hair in three days. We never have enough time. Don’t we ?

Kruger: The Big 5 Safari
Back to journey, the famous safari. Our resort was nestled in dense forest. At first, I couldn’t understand the exact location of our stay. The path to our villa was filled with dense forest and few roads. I could see zebras and antelopes accompanying our vehicle to the reception of resort. An open jeep to travel to and fro from villa for breakfast and dinner. The villa costed us a bomb but it was worth every penny. The baths in the nature, the pool, the coffee machine, the tree house, the Victorian styled rooms and if you don’t keep the doors locked, you get wild boars, giraffes and fawns as frequent visitors. The mornings were pretty active, we had to wake up by four in the morning, get ready and hop in the safari jeep with packed breakfast in cold box. The way to the Savannah was terribly cold in the morning. I could feel the chilly wind on my face numbing my nose and cheeks. The temperature could drop to zero in the morning and rise up to thirty five degrees in afternoon. It was a luck factor that we could find three out of five from the big 5. One horned rhinoceros are rare species now and cheetahs don’t come out in winters. About a thousand pictures were clicked in Kruger safari. On Day 1 we spotted African buffaloes, greater kudu, blue wildebeest, warthogs, antelopes, and there they were, the king and queen of jungle. A lion and a lioness, basking on a sunny day amidst the music of chirping birds. Almost catching a game drive where a lioness didn’t want to hunt a deer in broad daylight but surely she created chaos in the herd few meters away. On day 2, we headed out much earlier in the morning , well clothed than before to witness more animals, more elephants, more lions in the Savannah so that we could wind up early and dive into pool in afternoon. The dinner always surprised us with amazing dishes on the menu. I enjoyed the food and much more the ambience. Photographers and National Geographic explorers often spend days or months here to study animals and landscapes. Three days comparatively were less to explore.

The Quest to Catch the Flight
The journey to airport was more interesting than I could have thought of. Out of the two airports near Kruger, we presumed that our flight would take off from the one nearby which was an hour away from Unembeza. While last moment casual glancing through the itinerary during breakfast, to our surprise, it was the other one that was three hours away and we were sprinting from the villa, frenetically checking on the luggage with palpitating hearts and crossed fingers “Oh God! Spare us from the utter ignorance we displayed this time”. The drivers in Africa follow strict driving rules irrespective of a tourist missing their flights, the road was vacant on the right side, an expert driver would have taken a leap and save time. I missed the expert drivers from India so far to my knowledge, who never let you miss your bus, flight or train. Meanwhile we were coming up with alternate plan in case we miss the flight, the booking of next flight would have costed us over a lakh on the budget. So we devised a plan that one of us would sneak on to a ‘wheelchair’ to show some ailment once we reach the airport in order to get a priority check in. We almost saved ourselves from missing our flights by half an hour. The airport authorities well accommodated our situation and a sight of relief was all over our faces. The deal was done, the money was saved and with much joy we embraced the beauty around. Kruger Mpumalanga international airport is perhaps, one of the most beautiful airports I have witnessed so far surrounded by scenic beauty of hills, walking to the plane in breezy air and a single runway. It is spacious and I felt what retro airports looked like in Africa.

 

Cape Town: Tavern of the seas where clouds gather
The first European settlement in South Africa and since then generations have been inhabiting this place. At one side I could see the famous ‘Table Mountain’ , ‘Devil’s Peak’, ‘Lion’s Head’, and on the other side, the vast South Atlantic ocean. Cape Town completely gave in European vibes. The weather was cold and cloudy. Rain accompanied us in those three days. We stayed in The President Hotel which was inaugurated by Nelson Mandela in 1998. Our room had a view of Lion’s Head which I really planned on to ascend. If you ever happen to visit Cape town, dive into some adventure. Lion’s Head is a two hour ascend and two and a half hour descend. Let the mountaineer within you be impressed. Cape Town was a three day plan. On the very first evening, Ajit and I dropped our baggage in rooms. Ah! Another fancy coffee machine (PLUME), created a perfect cup of cappuccino and we were off to bid farewell to the sun beneath the cloudy sky and beside the rocky shore. The Bollywood music from an Indian wedding on the pool deck made it more classy. We sneaked through the deck, a five minutes walk and reached the rocky shore. Aman and Nikita followed five minutes later. The sun hid behind the clouds, the sky turned orange. It was interesting to see Europeans running and walking on the walkways like super health fanatics. Whereas we were still muscling through the weather. Why on earth did I pack summer clothes, a gesture of despair because most of my pictures are either in brown leather jacket or pink wind cheater, all the beautiful dresses hiding inside those two life savers, crying in corner. Never mind, focus shifts back to Cape Town after a little whining.

Day 1 in Cape
Cloudy, cold and breezy. The agenda of first day was visiting Seal island, local shopping! Cape of Good hope, National wildlife park, Boulder’s beach to view penguins, shopping again and last stop, Table Mountain (due to the shape, a mountain with flat top). We took a boat from Hout Bay to reach the middle of island where families of seal were resting, fishing and breeding on a rock in the middle of Atlantic ocean.

Dear Atlantic Ocean: The Coldest Of All
Somewhere Lana Del Ray’s song ‘Say Yes to Heaven‘ was playing like a background music in my mind when I witness something majestic, the sea currents were so cold that it felt like ice needling my face and my nose turned red. As if these currents had some stories to tell, like ancient mariner held hand of a wedding guest to tell a story of great escape on an unfortunate sail. So many ships sailed by, so many ships anchored on famous harbor known for it’s Cape Floristic Region, how Europeans, Portuguese, Dutch, and British period were witnessed by this sea. This sea was like a living immortal embodiment to me where my literature persona was on high asking me to listen to the whispers of the wind. A splash of cold water on my face from the sea woke me up from my dreamy trance! The ferry was going through bumpy waves in water as if it beckoned that rain was paving it’s way. Seals, penguins and some seagulls could be spotted. On the way back after boat ride at the harbor, some local artists and shop owners owned local stalls. While we collected some things keeping in mind the luggage capacity back home, men were sent to bring the much required ‘hot chocolate’ to beat the cold. Next stop, Cape National park, Cape of Good Hope.

Cape of Good Hope: The End of the Continent
The Cape of Good Hope is famous for its historical significance as a crucial way point for ships traveling between Europe and Asia, particularly before the construction of the Suez Canal. It’s also renowned for its dramatic scenery, diverse wildlife, and the challenging weather conditions it presents to sailors. Initially named ‘Cape of Storms’. As we were driving through the national park, the trees were sizes of bonsai (a dwarf plant), park is situated on sea, that makes the flora like shrubs (small and compact) inhabited by baboons, antelopes, wild goats, wild cats and more. On our way to reach the cape, we first went to the lighthouse to get the perfect view. I climbed those stairs for about 10 minutes to reach the lighthouse. At one side, I could feel the warm breeze of Indian ocean on east coast mingling with cold breeze of Southern Atlantic ocean on west side, a confluence. This cape many centuries ago served as a promise to open gateways of port to the Asian countries. That is how it earned it’s importance. The end point, the famous board point had terrible storms (Cape of Storms) we wrestled through the wind, my hair was flying in all direction, as if the winds were angry and aggressive. We quickly clicked a couple of pictures (well, most of them were bad pictures) and bolted to our car to warm up ourselves. This time, the brown jacket was replaced by pink jacket, the two life savers of mine.

Penguins: Happy Feet
Boulder’s beach is famous for penguins. African penguins in Cape Town, specifically at Boulders Beach, are a naturally occurring colony that established itself in the 1980’s. They are not brought to Cape Town by humans, but rather migrated and swam their way from Dyer Island. The penguins found the area with abundance of food and suitable nesting conditions, to be a favorable habitat. I was amazed to find their size, much smaller to the penguins of Antarctica. It was joyful to watch these little creatures with their flipped wings and webbed feet walking funnily. A perfect habitat by the sea with wide range of flora but their nests smelled repulsive of rotten fish, a quick walk through the nest could be challenging. An attractive souvenir shop by Boulder’s beach to buy articles as a contribution, a promise to save the seas. Gladly I bought some bracelets, earrings, and bookmarks made out of leftovers from the sea.

A dreamy Wineland: Fairview
Table top was off the table because it was engulfed by clouds, so we tried the next day. And, it rained. The only option left with us was to visit the world- class award winning famous vineyards of Cape town. Wine tasting was one visit I was eagerly looking forward to. Visiting a vineyard is a fairy dream of every wine lover and this vineyard was the best of all. The grand entrance of “Goats Do Rome“, followed by a big hall where all sorts of cheese were displayed with gourmet on one side and wine tasting tables on the other side. I tasted varieties of cheese that are even hard to recollect, dipped in lavender oil and consumed with wine. This regime was repeated after every wine tasting. Which cheese goes best with a particular wine. Too hard for me to remember and recall. I mean to say that, I got ambushed with about 10 types of cheese and 10 types of wines to be gulped down in fifteen minutes while the wine expert spoke her scripted knowledge super fast with no time for me and my folks to comprehend. There must be hundreds of people visiting the yards each day. They had options for children too and Eddie was the only child in the hall. He neither liked any cheese nor he enjoyed lemonade except the chocolate fudge. I loved them all except blue cheese, there was this one bottle of ‘Rose Quartz’ that I bought and I knew I surpassed the limit of my baggage back home but I had to buy it. I was smitten by the place, the vibe and the wine. I thoughtlessly bought items as if I was on shopping spree, silly things like scented bath bombs made out of goat milk, some more lip balms, some essential oils, I really wanted to buy this cream onion cheese but the lady at the counter advised that it would go stale by the time I reach back India. I sadly placed the tin back on the shelf. I was so charmed and beguiled by Fairview that each product looked like a memory for me to collect. I controlled my urge, got a grip and bought limited stuff in my basket which surely didn’t look limited to my husband and brother. The rain and mist was romancing with the vineyard and I was ecstatic.

Driving Through Bo-Kaap
The oldest residential area in Cape town with colorful vibrant colored houses. The history of the Bo-Kaap’s colorful houses in Cape Town is rooted in the end of slavery and the expression of newfound freedom by its residents. Initially, during the period of slavery, the houses were all painted white, and after the abolition of slavery in 1834, residents were finally able to purchase their homes and express themselves through vibrant colors. I saw a lot of graffiti art on walls of these houses to express their views on current Palestinian situation in Gaza to the tourists. The freedom of expression via various artistic styles is quite evident in Bo Kaap. Citizens have active day life, mostly indulged in athletic sports, they enjoy cycling, running and hiking on most of the days. The night life is quiet and not much to discover.

Overall South Africa was welcoming and I discovered much more than I bargained for. Next day, after eating to our heart’s content at the breakfast buffet, we left for airport. A long 15 hours journey was awaiting us. Ajit and Aman parted ways at Addis Ababa for Lebanon and we reached back to New Delhi on 9th June. Those magical 9 days are etched in my memory. Maybe travelling is my muse that inspires me to account and create.

From urban jungle to dense Savannah,
Traveling country side roads to hear Kruger’s roar,
Discovering mountains by the magnificent sea shores,
South Africa welcomed people from far off lands,
Evolved strong, delivering gold to many hands.  

Stayed tuned for my next adventure
signing off
Makleo