It's one, small step for Matt... One 14 hour flight to Johannesburg...

Dates of travel: 26 October 2008 - 07 December 2008

I can honestly say that South Africa had never even registered on my radar as a place to which I would one day go. When my boss told me on the first day of my new job that I was to be assigned to South Africa as my initial region of responsibility, I said "I know absolutely nothing about it!" Luckily for me, I was going to be working with an ex-pat colleague from RSA, so that made getting used to the country a whole lot easier. This first time I went there was along with this colleague, and I have to say it was comforting to be there with a local!

Now, as I write this on 01 December 2014, I have been there 17 times. How things change!

Rustenburg, North West Province

The first major place I visited, apart from flying into the rat's nest bedlam that is Johannesburg, was Rustenburg. I was there for the large platinum reserves and our customers of the mines that dig the stuff up. However, there was also a bit of downtime! We stayed in a quaint little guesthouse - or "gastehuis" in Afrikaans - called Masibambane. It's not in the city centre, but not a long drive. Over my first few years of this job, I stayed there several times, and it was always enjoyable. The last time I stayed, they had changed owners, which was a shame. Still, if you're in the area and need a place to stay, I can certainly recommend this one, assuming it's still running!

My room in Masibambane Guesthouse.

The front entrance to Masibambane Guesthouse.

Before I move along, I must mention this fantastically fun experience </sarcasm> I had at Masibambane Guesthouse... One morning, around 4:30am, I awoke to a scratching and "ticking" sound on the wall by the door that led to outside. I ignored it at first. Then it continued... and got louder... and then suddenly: WOOV WOOV WOOV over my head. I quickly switched on my light (and tried not to make a mess of my pants) to find some kind of bird flying in circles around my ceiling fan. I was bewildered at first and didn't know what to do. Then, it landed on the top of the wardrobe. It was only then I realised it wasn't a bird at all...

My good buddy, Bruce Wayne.

It was a BAT!

He didn't stay landed for long, and soon took back to the skies. But he couldn't seem to see (or hear?) an exit. I armed myself with a notepad, ready to swat at him if he came too close. Then I ducked under his flight path and made my way to the door and opened it. It took a few more laps around the room, but then he obviously picked up the void in his sonar, and BAM! He was gone.

I don't think I got back to sleep after that!

Magaliesburg Canopy Tour

Just outside Rustenburg sits the stunning Magaliesburg ranges. One weekend, we went out there and took some flying foxes across the main gorge (as you do!). It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but after you get used to it, it is great fun, and some stunning views to be had! Highly recommended!

Magaliesburg Canopy Tour.

Cradle of Humandkind

The Cradle of Humankind is the name given to the area in South Africa where some of the oldest human (and ancient ancestor) fossils have been found; where human life on Earth is thought to have begun. There is a nicely set out museum whose exhibits track the formation of the Earth through to life and the development of Mankind, and all without expecting a prior knowledge of science, which is nice! Though I do have such a background, but I am by no means a professor. Give it a look if you're into that sort of thing!

Cradle of Humankind Museum.

The rolling hills around the Cradle.

Game Parks

Seriously, what kind of trip to Africa would it be without going to look at some of the unique and breathtaking wildlife? You are certainly spoiled for opportunities in South Africa. Of course, there is Kruger National Park which is definitely worth a visit. But there are some smaller ones around too. You can easily taken your own car and drive around the parks - some have paved roads, others dirt, so it's worth checking first if your car might not be suitable.

These first few photos come from Krugersdorp Game Reserve, about 30km to the north east of Johannesburg central.

A female Impala.

Some majestic Rhinos; these guys are very cool.

Who could forget Zebras!

And, of course, the most dangerous animal in Africa (believe it or not!).

Just on the outskirts of Johannesburg is another park called the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve. This park has a couple of activities that set it apart from any other I have visited.

1) Feeding the lions (not you, personally... you just get to watch).

2) Playing with baby lions and panthers!

The first is pretty cool: everyone parks their cars in a big circle around the feed reserve. Then, from over the hill, the lion handlers will come in a flatbed with some kind of dead meat on it (I am told its usually horse). If they aren't there already, the full size lions will soon be all around you, following the food, and let me tell you - they are phenomenal beasts to take in! They don't really care too much about all the spectators - though they do, for some reason, occasionally take an interest in car tyres, so you have to be careful not to end up with a chunk bitten out of your Bridgestone. They will mostly focus on the meat, and after some time and photos, you can just depart to leave them to it.

The king of the jungle... which is a strange title for something that lives on the plains.

Sleeping Wild Dogs.

Lions can sleep up to 18 hours a day... lazy sods!

A confused-looking Water Buffalo.

The latter was one of the coolest things I have ever got to do. The lion and panther cubs are simply adorable and are so playful. They will grab your hands and nibble on your fingers. You get about 5-10 minutes of play time for only a few dollars, equivalent. Do not miss this!

Playing with the Black Leopard and White Lion cubs at Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve.

And of course, the largest and most famous Game Park: Kruger National Park.

Giraffes are very cool to see in real life.

A herd of Impala.

The majestic bull Elephant.

Hakuna Matata!

A mischievous baboon. These guys are such attention whores.

Baby hyenas are deceptively cute!

The Kalahari Desert

The last major stop of this first visit to South Africa was out west to the Northern Cape. This is certainly not a direction most tourists would go, unless en route to Namibia or the coast. There isn't a whole lot to see out this way, but that's what some people love about it!

We were specifically visiting a town called Kathu, which is the heart of Iron Ore country. It's about a 7 hour drive (if you obey the speed limit... which a lot of South Africans don't!) from Johannesburg, and the road is mostly bordered with farms. Back then, Kathu was still a fairly small town with not a lot to draw in anyone except mine workers. In my visits since then, I have seen the town develop and steadily grow in population.

Standing proudly at the main entrance to Kathu is some decommissioned mining equipment. Unless you use or see this on the mines, you probably never quite understand just how massive the equipment can be. For anyone reading this that doesn't know me in person, I am 191cm (6'4") tall, just for a bit of perspective!

A standard truck used for transporting some 200t of ore at a time.

The tracks of the shovel used to load the ore into the truck.

Standing inside the bucket of the shovel.

The shovel, in all its glory.

The view of the plains out side the main entrance to Kathu, from the top of the shovel.

About two hours' drive south of Kathu, you can get right out into the real edges of the Kalahari Desert. It is quite a sight to see! We visited an area called on Witsand, which is known for its uncharacteristically white sand; most of the sand in the Kalahari is more red in colour. Here, you can go wandering through the wilderness, stay in a chalet, and sand-board down the Kalahari sand dunes! While I tried to skate at a younger age, I never got very far... and this lack of skills was entirely transferrable to sand-boarding, as you will see in the video below. 

A highly recommended stop for the adventurous and nature-lovers alike!

The road to Witsand.

The dunes down which you can sand-board.

The white dunes that give Witsand its name.

Sunset over the Kalahari... perfection!

Some curious squirrels came to investigate the dinner we were eating at out chalets.

Back to the East, and home to Australia

And that about wraps up my first "tour of duty" through South Africa. We made our way back to Johannesburg for the last few nights. We went to a place called "Adventure Golf" which was a bit of fun; super long and jungle-themed mini golf course.

Adventure Golf, Johannesburg.

And before long, we said farewell to the ridiculous Johannesburg traffic and hopped on a plane back home to Australia!

Looks like a good day to call in sick. Oh wait, it's like this every day!