South Africa – wee little lovelys

Last Africa trip! Clarens, SA

November 22, 2013

Last weekend we adventured on our last trip in Africa. We decided to go to Clarens which is situated in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains in the Free State province of South Africa. The sandstone mountains were really pretty and reminded us of the drumheller region in Alberta.

This town is an artists haven with so many cute shops, restaurants etc. that surround a town square. It also has a golf course which draws tourists in. The weather was overcast and rainy but it was a fun little get-away that the kids enjoyed.

We are now getting ourselves organized and packed as we leave South Africa at the end of November to begin our journey back to Canada. We will be traveling through Australia to visit friends and family- fun!

Stay tuned for our parting thoughts on our time in South Africa as expats & for more travel/ life stories….

Whether it’s falling asleep with a lolli stuck in his hair or general hi-jinx, Rhys kept us entertained:

Claire & Rhys stoked on the 4×4’s sunroof (whilst parked):

Golf Village

November 11, 2013

Since our arrival in Johannesburg, we have had a list of things to do and places to visit. Golf Village was on our list and with only weeks away from our departure from Johannesburg back to Canada we finally found time to visit.

The morning we visited golf village it was fairly sunny but once on the greens it turned to wind and rain. We had fun anyway and both realized we were really out of practice.

Lory Park Zoo

October 30, 2013

The sun was shining as we headed to Lory Park Zoo in Midrand, a quick 30 minute drive from home. With our remaining time in South Africa now measuring in weeks, we are trying to make the most of it by seeing as many nearby attractions as possible.

This animal park ended up being very well maintained and it was the weekend hot spot for birthday gatherings. There must have been 4 parties going-on at picnic tables etc. I thought Claire & Rhys could be burnt out on animal observation but they were so excited to see them all…. We saw lots of birds, cats, and reptiles. We had lunch, played at a little playground, walked around, fed the bunnies then made our way back home for nap-time.

Pretoria

October 25, 2013

What you just scrolled down from is a pretty photo of my stunning wife in front of a jacaranda tree. They are starting to bloom here and their bold purple colour is quite a sight. What you also scrolled down from is the inspiration for our latest Miller roadtrip; Pretoria.

Pretoria is one of the South Africa’s three capital cities; it serves as administrative capital while Cape Town handles legislative business and Bloemfontein tackles judicial issues. Pretoria is also dubbed “The Jacaranda City” due to it’s high volume of this variety and at only 45 minutes away (and limited time left here in SA) we opted to pack up the car and go for a visit.

We have to be honest though, the trip ended up quite stressful due to high traffic volumes, muggy heat and less than cooperative children. After our obligatory tourist stops we found an outdoor park for all of us to blow off steam. The kids nodded-off easily on our return ride and we arrived back home thankful, collapsing back into routine.

– Jimmy

Southeast Gauteng Trip – Part 4 of 4 (Sterkfontein Caves)

October 3, 2013

In 1992, my family & I spent Christmas in Texas and New Mexico. During that trip we visited the Carlsbad caverns in New Mexico. The caves were gigantic and amazing to wander around in! Ever since that family trip I’ve loved exploring caves. Perhaps this early exposure led me to be a geologist in some sort of way…

The last destination on our long weekend trip was to the highly anticipated Sterkfontein Caves. They’re world-acclaimed as many fossils have been discovered in them. First discovered in 1896 by an Italian miner, they endured 40 years of mining activity before scientists started more serious archeological excavations in 1936.

We left Maropeng in the morning and made our way through vast farmlands to Sterkfontein. The visitor centre was very nice yet sadly the first thing you see is their gift store. This is not such a welcome sight when you have kids. Claire had a hard time with us saying no to a new stuffy so we bartered a purchase in trade for no-fuss during our hour long underground tour. Yes, sometimes you have to erm, ‘cave’ if you want to get things done as a parent.

I figured we would walk into the side of a mountain to get started but no, we entered by way of the earth down a very long & steep staircase, ducking at times to proceed. In fact, the entrance isn’t visible at a distance as it blends into the grassland so well. It was intriguing and the kids were amazing on the tour. I thought for sure they would be scared as it was dark and we had to crawl through few a few sections, but no. It was a hot day and the caves were a cool 18C which was soothing for us heat sensitive Canadians. After our unique tour through the dolomitic limestone depths we climbed out of the earth, squinting much of the walk back to the visitor centre.

After buying the promised stuffed animals (a giraffe and a hippo) we made our way back to our cooked car. Onwards back to Johannesburg.

We had a great little trip that provided us with plenty of memories and photos. Perhaps one of the kids will find future inspiration as I did with my geo work.

Southeast Gauteng Trip – Part 3 of 4 (Maropeng – Cradle of Humankind)

October 1, 2013

With a drive time of one hour, our next destination of Maropeng was a breeze. The Cradle of Humankind was located right beside the boutique hotel we booked which was convenient. Upon arrival we noticed the turmoil of a large concert area being set up. Turns out it was a free concert the following day in honour of Heritage Day in South Africa. Sidestepping the descending swarms of people, we quickly made plans to get our visit to the Maropeng exhibition completed on this arrival day rather than fighting any chaotic crowd the next day.

Maropeng was very pretty and the surrounding grassy fields reminded us of the Canadian prairies during summertime. As I enjoyed the breeze and the kids slept with car doors open, Jimmy the Sherpa graciously unloaded our parked car. As it turns out, the hotel was pretty fancy and not really set up for kids as they had touted. They did provide an extra mattress that fit on the floor though and the kids enjoyed jumping from our generous bed to it.

The Maropeng exhibition wasn’t quite as scientific as we thought and rather it was set as part theme park/ part exhibition. We started our visit with a boat ride through air, water, fire, and earth (very fun for the kids!) then we walked through the exhibition centre which introduces major themes, such as evolution, the formation of fossils, extinction, DNA, and the birth of the Earth and the Cradle of Humankind.

We walked outside the centre in the warm sun and found a playground which was taken over by African teenagers. They performed a bunch of dances which were fun to watch. Rhys liked the dancing but thought they were too loud 😉 After tiring ourselves out we headed back to the hotel for a drink on the patio while the kids put their feet in the freezing cold pool. The view was fantastic!

After a nice bath for the kids and further fun jumping off the bed, it was time for slumber. All in all it was a nice visit to Maropeng. The next morning we planned to visit the Sterkfontein Caves then onwards to home….

Rhys is a HUGE fan of dinosaurs!:

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Southeast Gauteng Trip – Part 2 of 4 (Harties Cableway)

September 29, 2013

Offering panoramic views from the top of the Magaliesberg Mountains, Harties Cableway was our next destination. Thankfully, the somewhat overcast weather burned-off lending us hope and excitement for the views to come.

After a nail-biting ascent (Deanna) we reached the top of the mountain. We walked around finding a pizza joint -always a favourite (Jimmy) and a well placed playground got some mileage (Claire & Rhys). It’s safe to say that the playground may own the best view of any playground anywhere!

Having spent an hour at the peak running amuck, getting sun baked and snapping photos we felt spent. We then made our descent to start our drive to the more educational Southeast region of Gauteng Province.

Jimmy channeling his inner Fabio:

Tired monkeys enroute to our next destination:

Tunney Industrial Area

September 19, 2013

Prior to being a terrain-hungry skateboarder, urban industrial areas attracted my attention. As a child my Mom would take me to greasy spoon restaurants in these areas. I think she liked the early-hour start and hustle and bustle of it all.

Recently while scouting around, I discovered a massive dump truck bed that had just been manufactured. It lay lonesome on the roadside awaiting transport to its buyer. I can only imagine the cost of it; as monstrous as its size I’m sure. Taking mental note of the location I promised myself I’d bring the kids back to check it out. Like most boys, Rhys loves trucks and machinery. Claire enjoys them too. Our visit was obviously a hit!

Manufacturers website: http://efficient.co.za/

– Jimmy