SA Part 8: Joburg continued

Besides all the regular day to day activities we also managed to do some fun excursions on the weekends. It's amazing what Joburg has to offer especially for kids. Check out www.jozikids.co.za for some ideas. Don't let anyone ever tell you that Joburg is boring.

The Lion Park is situated on the northern outskirts of Joburg. We did a lovely game drive, saw a few different lion families doing what lazy lions do on hot sunny days, caught glimpses of wild dogs, hyhenas and cheetah, fed some very tall giraffes and played with some fiesty little lion cubs.

A few years ago we discovered a real gem not far outside Joburg called Heia Safari Lodge. It's a rustic and unassuming safari lodge with comfortable rondawels in a perfect setting on the banks of a beautiful dam. They offer game drives, guided hikes, fishing trips, canoes trips and cultural shows not to mention delicious food. Best of all the animals are tame and can be seen roaming inbetween the rondawels and around the main lodge. It's very exciting indeed. For us the main attraction is relaxing in the peace and tranquility and African atmosphere.

We joined Rebecca, Jackson and his cousin Mathew for a steam train trip on Reefsteamers to Magaliesberg where we had a picnic under a tree near a stream. Nicholas had a huge fall on the platform resulting in grazes not only on his forehead and cheek but also his eyelid and inside of his lip - yes he cried and yes I cried too - he felt quite special after the nurse on the train treated his wounds and gave him a lollipop. Thankfully he has no scars. Other than that we all thoroughly enjoyed the outing.

Not everyone likes Montecasino but we don't fall into that category. The bird park with its impressive collection of birds and reptiles is a tranquil place to hang out. The piazza is a great spot for a bite to eat while the kids run wild. Sometimes there's live music, it's a perfect spot for street artists, there's lots of entertainment for kids and the dancing fountains are a big hit (but please someone tell them to let the kids play in the water like they do in the rest of the world).

Don't miss the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve. It's awesome and not just for tourists. What a good idea having a real nature reserve only a stone's throw from the city. Besides the feeling of being in the bush and the abundance of game there's lots of great entertainment at the main camp for the whole family.

Boating on the Vaal is always fun especially has the means hooking up with the Van der Bijl gang: my aunt, 3 cousins and their families. Mikaila and Ayden are between Nicholas and Daniel in age so hopefully they will be friends one day like us. This time the outing was extra special because Gogo was with us too.

(I decided not to put any of my animal pictures up now because it would simply take too long but let me tell you we saw loads of animals and I took some lovely photos even if I must say so myself. Maybe one day I'll have enough time to do something nice with them.)

SA Part 7: Joburg

So after a month of holidays we spent the next 7 weeks in Joburg. Dad was lucky to get a project there but unfortunately he had to work really hard. For us, however, the holiday continued. After spending two luxurious weeks in the Hilton we moved to a equally luxurious town house in a great complex in Sandton which had 3 swimming pools, a gym, a spa, playground and pond. Best of all was the fact that children were always playing happily in the streets. I wouldn't like to live in a place like that but it suited our temporary situation perfectly. The big plus points were that we managed to see a lot of family and friends, we swam nearly every single day, did some different activities and got up close and personal with some wild animals.

It was great being able to see the local-yokels regularly. Thanks to all of you for making us feel at home in Joburg and involving us in your daily lives and activities. Needless to say it made all the difference. Unfortunately I don't have photos of our get togethers with people like Anton, Warren, Gareth, Marthie and Phillip, Danie and Lisa etc etc. Thanks also go to Oupa and Marlene, Monique and Tyler and Gogo who made the effort to come and visit us. It meant a lot to us.

Oupa and Marlene

Cousin Tyler (and Aunty Monique)

Gogo

Great Uncle Bull

Aunty Annphia and Uncle Brian
Debbie and her boys Andrew and Mark
Jackson (and Rebecca)
Jordyn and Ross (and Deanne and Grant)Mikaila and Ayden (and the rest of the Van der Bijl gang)

It was great spending so much time in the pool with the boys. Besides the swimming lessons that we went to twice a week we spent a lot of time just playing different pools which made a huge difference to the boys' confidence in the water. Nicholas reached the point of swimming about 5m on his totally unaided and Daniel happily went under the water, humpty-dumptied off the side and clung on to the edge for dear life. We miss pool life a lot now that we are back in London. On more than one occasion Nicholas said 'Joburg is better because it's got more swimming pools that are outside in the sunshine'. For now Putney Leisure Centre twice per week will have to do.

One of our favourite regular activities was the Clamber Club. Besides the singing and learning the outdoor play area was awesome and worth the membership alone. The next set of photos was taken at the messy play day. Nicholas and Daniel was the stars of the show and attracted quite a crowd of supporters. Nicholas started off by covering Daniel in custard, and who knows what else, and then rolled him in rice crispies. They both thought it was hillarious and so did everyone else.

I was never a big fan of zoos but having kids made me take a step back and looked at it from their point of view and there's not denying that it's fun, interesting and adventurous. The Joburg Zoo is great and well worth a visit. In addition to all the regular animals one hopes to see it has some weird and wonderful animals too and it also feels spacious. We spent a lovely day there with Monique and Tyler and even lost track of the time and were the last people there.

While Oupa and Marlene were visiting we went to the Military Museum followed by a feast of, you guessed it, ribs and chips. The military museum exceeded my expectations by far with its a fine selection of aeroplanes, tanks, jeeps and other military paraphanalia. As you can imagine Nicholas thought it was totally awesome. I better get used to going to places like that since I have two sons.