One thing I have learnt during a pandemic and having toddlers is that no matter how big your house, it is not big enough for a threenager diva and one that has her mother’s temper plus just entered the terrible twos.
Life is an adventure; we get out of it what we put into it.
Richard Daly, God’s Little Book of Hope
We have visited many little nature reserves here in Gauteng and it was lovely. We saw the usual and got a little too close to rhinos – you know, the normal stuff. (Just kidding, it was spectacularly unforgettable!) We were however also limited to Gauteng…
I’ve had my eye on visiting the Upside Down House near Harties (Broederstroom) for a while. It didn’t take much to convince hubby to get in my car with the 2 hooligans with snacks…
It was fun! Lexa was in awe of the Upside Down House and Lily slapped her hands over her mouth. Hubby was impressed with my activity pick of the day.
Once inside the Upside Down House all the furniture is hanging from the floor above you. The “ceiling” you walk on is slanted… so we felt a little woozy after a few minutes. Don’t even get me started about walking upstairs – or is it downstairs up???
Entrance at the Upside Down House in South Africa is a bit steep for adults, but once you’ve seen it you probably won’t go back unless you have kids that nag you to go back. That said, I had fun and the kids had fun – it was worth it for the almost 30 minutes we were there on our very own.
Rietvlei was one of my favourite nature reserves discovered during lockdown level 3. It has an abundance of wildlife, lots of roads to drive and of course… very affordable.
Our first road trip in Rietvlei was so amazing that we returned for a second visit the very next weekend…
We thought we had left early enough on the day and arrived at the gate just to end up in a queue just after 8am. We didn’t know at the time, but during level 3 only 100 cars were allowed to enter at a time – and we were number 100 in the queue.
We drove through the gates and down a hill with a view of a dam glistening in the sun. The kids excitedly yelled ‘water’ and ‘swim’ in the back. The water was a dark blue-is/grey-ish tint with flashes of silver bursts. We drove along the water’s edge while I snapped a few pictures of the beautiful view.
We took the first right onto a dirt road and not 20m later we spotted our first animals of the day, a few zebra and ostriches. The kids started getting excited and hungry and we pulled over for a picnic in the car (as the picnic spots were closed under level 3).
A short while after we resumed our self-drive safari in Rietvlei we drove downhill to be greeted by 3 rhinos munching on short grass – very close to the road. We were so excited!
We drove through a herd of buffalo and zebra, spotted more ostriches and even a ‘hartbees’ or 5.
The kids started falling asleep after hour 3 of driving on the dirt roads of Rietvlei and we made our way back to Johannesburg.
Rietvlei Nature Reserve at a glance:
Adults R59, Pensioners R32, Kids up to 17 R32, 2-6 year olds R11 and 0-2 year olds free
It was probably not my best decision to take the kids hiking in Johannesburg at Rietfontein and insisting to hike to the top with them. Rietfontein’s hike is about 2,2km with a moderate first 1km but then over some treacherous terrain up a koppie – and I had to carry the little one the last 1km up the koppie…
“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”
Mary Davis
The hiking trail is clearly marked at Rietfontein and if you are lucky you will spot a small buck or 2 during your hike. The view towards Woodmead and Sunninghill on the first half will be worth the hike. The 360 degree view from the koppie over Kyalalami, Fourways, Woodmead, Sunninghill and Petervale is definitely worth the effort.
You have 3 options to get to and from the top on this hiking trail in Johannesburg:
The trail to the left on the far side from the entrance that is more even but over quite a bit of loose gravel. It is still good exercise, but doesn’t have panoramic views.
The trail on the right of the entrance gate which is more scenic, but also has 2 sections where you will have to clamber a little more carefully over rocks that crumble under your shoes.
The secret from the lawn that passes to the left of the house passed a living quarter area which is very short but with only a short hill.
Where is Rietfontein?
Hiking in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg is amazing – and who would’ve guessed that there is such a little jewel in the middle of a residential area? Rietfontein is on Estelle road in Paulshof. You can’t miss it, it is right at the T-junction before driving to the German club to the left.
There is something about cats that I love. It may be that they have always bonded to me or that they can sit on your lap for hours without a care in the world. It might even be that they will pick the person that dislikes cats… All I know is that I love cats, I’ve always had a cat and cats love me.
I would like to introduce you to 5 cats in South Africa who entertain guests at a hotel, retreat and even restaurant. If you know of any other cats in hospitality, pop them in the comments below.
Skabenga at Oyster Box
Skabenga (which means hooligan or vagabond in Zulu) is a Tabby cat who permanently calls The Oyster Box, KwaZulu-Natal, home. He wandered onto the hotel property and was persuaded to take up the hotel-life by guests feeding him taste titbits.
This feline is a guest-favourite and he continues to receive piles of fan mail. There is even a book about him, he has his own Facebook page and Instagram account! His favourite day of the year is his birthday = and of course they make a big thing about it with cake and guests showering him with extra attention.
Skabenga thoroughly enjoys the spoils that come with being the ‘Main Cat’ on the block! He loves regular treats of Catnip, has a favourite couch and chair and chosen spots around the hotel, which he retreats to, when not taking ‘inspection’ strolls around the property.
Skabenga has gone on a few adventures but has always managed to make his way back home.
At Graceland Eco Retreat in Limpopo you will find 3 ginger cats. These very pampered farm cats are called Hermes, Dolce and Gabana. This little fashion trio is friendly with the resident giraffes and dogs.
Hermes is a very small cat with white legs and chest. He is very cuddly and often goes and knock on the guests’ doors as he loves to snuggle up. He is known to follow guests on hikes.
Dolce aka butternut, is the fat cat and the nickname comes from that he looks like a butternut. He loves to sleep, and eat and is a lazy Garfield type of cat.
Gabana is the old female ginger cat who loves to sleep in the office. Her favourite office bed is of course a keyboard. She is extremely social and will never turn down a cuddle.
Wallis is a Miniature Norwegian Forest Cat and lives at Mrs Simpson’s Restaurant, Dullstroom. This feline has her own Zebra Crossing in front of the restaurant called “Wallis’ Crossing”. She has 17 official godmothers and many unofficial ones too!
This is quite a famous cat! Wallis has been featured on the Travel Channel, Pasella, Top Billing and many more. She has also appeared on the pages of Sunday Times, Country Life Mag and air travel magazines.
Wallis loves attention and knows the regular visitors. She senses when you have allergies or dislike cats and will most likely stare at you until you invite her onto your lap.
You’ll be most likely to find Wallis sleeping in a hidey hole upstairs in a box under the bar, on a pillow in front of the fireplace, or on a heated sleeping pad.
Johannesburg is everything you think it is but also so much more. It is a city of riches and struggles, people on the run and knowing who your neighbours are. It is filled with South Africans, Africans from so far as the Ivory Coast and Ghana and of course people from ‘overseas’ that fell in love with the city’s energy.
Johannesburg CBD
I thought I’d share 20 cool facts about my city:
Eish, this Joburg!This is a phrase I have heard a million times. It could be thrown in to express that you share in the misery of being stuck in traffic or that you were a victim of crime. It can be applied to just about anything that can go wrong in the city.
Johannesburg is known as the City of Gold, eGoli, Jozi or Joburg. If you see references of 011 or 010 it is the landline area code for the city.
It is not the only Johannesburg in the world. When some of the gold miners that worked the gold fields here made their way to California in the US they named their new town Johannesburg too. Our US counterpart is of course not nearly as big as my beloved Joburg.
The Hillbrow Tower has been the tallest structure and tower in Africa for 45 years. It stretches 269m into the sky. Before I was born you could visit a floor 197m up… my mom told me about it.
The Carlton Centre is the tallest office building in Africa. You can take a ride up to the viewing floor for a great view of the city. Back in the eighties this was also a destination for school groups from towns far-far-away. I was scared breathless my first time that high in the sky.
Johannesburg is one of the youngest big cities in the world. The first tent-town iteration sprung up in 1886 during the gold rush. The official date is 4 October 1886!
Johannesburg is also Africa’s second biggest city. Egypt’s Cairo is the biggest… but then again, they have a couple of centuries on us!
An estimated 4.5 million people call the city home. I’ve been here since 1999. You will be able to find a person from almost every African country in the city.
Don’t fret if you feel a little dizzy while visiting, the city lies 1753m above sea level. It takes a little longer to boil an egg here than in Durbs or Cape Town.
On the upside, Johannesburg has a fairly mild climate with lots of sunshine. Summer months stretch from September-ish to late March. Our seasons are better than Cape Town’s but Durbs always takes the cake with warmer weather.
Vilakazi street in Soweto is where two of South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize Winners used to live. Locals will proudly point out former South African president Nelson Mandela and former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s houses.
The city also boasts one of the largest man-made forests in the world. There are between 5 to 10 million trees depending on who tells the story.
The Johannesburg Zoo was founded in 1904 and is sprawled over 55 hectares. Just imagine the exercise you’ll get by visiting!
OR Tambo International Airport, the busiest airport in Africa, was opened in 1952. It was first known as Jan Smuts Airport, then as Johannesburg International Airport in 1994 and since 2006 as OR Tambo. It’s a good thing we have such a big airport as we’ve hosted the finals for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2003 Cricket World Cup and 1995 IRB Rugby World Cup.
First National Bank Stadium or simply FNB Stadium is the largest sports stadium in Africa with a capacity of almost 100,000 spectators. It has hosted everything from sporting events to international musical acts. It is an must-snap spot.
Sandton is known as the richest square mile in Africa . The richest gold field in the world was discovered right here many moons ago. Now it is the most important business and financial district in South Africa – with the worst possible traffic. (I worked here for 6 years, just ask me.)
The bronze statue of Mandela in Sandton’s Nelson Mandela Square weighs 2.5 tonnes! The statue stands 6 metres high and measures 2.3 metres from elbow to elbow. The statue depicts Mandela wearing his Madiba shirt while dancing in what was referred to at the unveiling as the “Madiba jive”. This statue was unveiled on 31 March 2004. It was the first-ever public statue of Mandela.
Mponeng Gold Mine is the deepest mine in the world (currently). It takes an hour to get down the 4km deep shaft. It is located towards Westonaria – the western area of Johannesburg.
Johannesburg is the world’s largest city that isn’t located near a coastline or navigable river. However, it has the world’s largest dry port that was developed in 1977 already.
Johannesburg’s traffic is hectic, but not as bad as Cape Town’s. Joburgers are generally more aggressive in their driving style but only because they have places to go and people to see.
SowetoJohannesburg CBD
Next time you think that there is nothing to see in or near Joburg, think again.
We have Orlando Towers and of course Vilakazi Street, Maropeng, Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Liliesleaf, Gold Reef City, Museum Africa, South African Museum of Military History, Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, the Nelson Mandela Bridge, James Hall Museum of Transport, Wits Origins Centre Museum, Lindfield Victorian House Museum, Wits Johannesburg Planetarium, more than 1 Mandela statue and even one of Gandhi…
If you want to kick it old style you can still catch a steam train. You can get to any part of the country via train from Johannesburg – just not by steam train.
This one is the kicker, we also have our own winery! Gerakaris Family wines ferment and bottle grapes from the Cape Winelands in the heart of Jozi.
Eish, this Jozi is a strangely wonderful place to live.
Here are some cool things you can do while in Johannesburg:
It has been 106 days since lockdown started in South Africa. For the kids and I, it has been 118 days. Since the country entered Lockdown Level 3 we have been out and about most weekends to little nature reserves in Gauteng. It felt great to be out and feel the sunshine, see a lion and hear the wind in the trees.
Modderfontein Reserve in Edenvale, close to the airport, was our destination for our last weekend outing. It was a 20-minute drive from Fourways. Entry fees are quite affordable (R30 for adults and R15 for kids with Cyclists paying R50).
We were surprised to see so many people out, there were cars upon cars. People were out picnicking on the banks of the dam, walking along the trails and even enjoying a sit down at the Farmers’ Market.
The website promised a number of herbivores, but we didn’t see any. We did see a lot of birds during our walk.
I probably wouldn’t go back hoping to see animals, but I would definitely go back to have a picnic next to the water! I really enjoyed the walk in nature too.
Find out more here: www.modderfonteinreserve.co.za
Cape Town is also known as the Mother City. Some Vaalies (people living in the northern parts of South Africa) also call it Slaapstad thanks to Capetonians’ slow way of doing things.
The Castle used to have a view of the sea but land reclamation put an end to that. The Castle of Good Hope is also the oldest building in South Africa.
The world’s first heart transplant occurred at Groote Schuur in Cape Town.
Cape Town is geographically divided by Table Mountain.
Bo-Kaap is home to one of South Africa’s oldest mosques.
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway took its first visitors up the mountain on 4 October 1929. Don’t worry, they have upgrade everything now.
An old cannon at the top of Signal Hill is fired off every single day at midday – since 1806.
They have shitty weater most of the time. Their summers run from November through to March, and their winters span May to September. Thank goodness I live in Gauteng!
Robben Island was once used as a training station for WW2. It was also used to house leprosy patients. It also hosted South Africa’s first democratically elected president as a prisoner.
You can kick out a “lekker Afrikaanse mense” just about anywhere. It is the most spoken language in the Western Cape.
Who knew Gauteng had so many (little) nature reserves that we could escape to? I used to jump over into Limpopo to get my “wild fix” – but now I am forced to make do with what’s inside a provincial border… and it’s not that bad.
Last weekend we decided to check out Groenkloof Nature Reserve by Pretoria.
Pros
It is a hikers’ paradise with little footpaths up and down hills
There are herbivores like wildebeest and rooibokkies – and ostriches (we didn’t see anything else)
There are horses
You don’t need to pay for your car if you are just going for a hike
Cons
Not much to see and takes about 20 minutes to drive around once (including to stop and watch animals)
You can however get out of your car and hike to a viewpoint for some fresh air
They don’t let you know how far you will wander to a viewpoint
It costs R120 for a vehicle plus then some per person
The horse pictured was surrounded by grazing wildebeest. Suddenly it neighed wildly and the wildebeest scattered over the road. A few minutes later they were right back next to the horse. I wonder what that was about?
While driving you’ll even catch a glimpse of the Voortrekker Monument and if you walk the first viewpoint route up the koppie, a view of Pretoria.
There is also a 4×4 track, but obviously we gave this a skip. I’m not really a bundu basher.
