Giraffe Woman

One of several nicknames I was given as a 17 year old exchange student living in South Africa was (translated) “Giraffe Woman.”  I would like to think that it was my graceful walk, relaxed demeanor or lovely eyes or lashes that earned me the name, but I suspect it was my height (6 foot tall). 

Regardless, the giraffe is one of my favorite animals and one of my favorite sightings of a giraffe happened on what to that point had been a fairly uneventful game drive.  I can’t recall the location, although it must have been southern Africa.  

When we came around a bend in the road, the area was fairly heavily wooded and to our utter amazement and surprise (not very far from our location) witnessed the very last moments of the birth of a baby giraffe.  What a privilege, I have photographic proof, only the memory of how it made me feel to see such a unique thing. 

Moral of the story:  YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT A DAY ON SAFARI MIGHT BRING.

Termites are Amazing

On a recent safari in Thornybush Game Reserve adjacent to South Africa’s Kruger National Park, our ranger stopped next to a termite mound. It was about 8 feet high and as big around. The ranger explained that the mound was twice as deep in the earth as it was tall! “Like an iceberg” he said. Astonishing! Now, I’ve never thought much about termites. (Except when I lived in Florida and didn’t want them munching on my house) But when he said the mound was twice as deep as it was tall, I was amazed.

Some mounds can grow to 90 feet high! The mounds contain millions of termites living underground. Deep Inside the mound is an extensive system of tunnels and conduits that serves as a ventilation system for the underground nest. There are also numerous gallery chambers. One chamber contains the queen of the termite colony. Our ranger said that one queen can lay up to 30,000 eggs a DAY!

The mounds termites build are extremely complex in there architecture. They might just look like a pile of dirt but they serve the insects well. The mounds surface at ground level is very porous. So, the outside air can penetrate the mound’s walls and cool the hot air rising from the underground chambers where the termites live. The mound acts as an “air conditioning system” keeping the insects cool in the hot African environment.

The mounds help to create biologically diverse habitat that helps the survival on many, many species. Ants are termite’s natural enemies. When they battle the dead from both sides provide nutrients for the soil around the mounds. A few times that I’ve seen cheetahs they also seem to be lying or sitting up on a termite mound. Cheetahs or leopards climb a tall termite mound to scope his territory for predator and/or prey. Other animals frequent the mounds including monkeys, elephant and mongoose. Their feces and scraps of food also add to the nutrients in the surrounding soil. This allows plant life to flourish and attracts animals. It is a never ending cycle of life around the termite mounds.

Nature is truly a wonder.

South Africa's Wonder - Table Mountain

When I first visited Cape Town, South Africa it was in early December 2008. Arriving at the airport I was met and transferred to my hotel by an African Travel sister company representative from Thompson’s Africa. It was nighttime and city was ablaze with holiday lights. 
“You are lucky” the driver commented. “Table Mountain is illuminated for the holiday season and not too many people have a chance to see this.”

I stared in amazement. High intensity spotlights flooded mountainside with light. A sight to see. 
Interestingly, the first time Table Mountain was illuminated was in 1947 during the British Royal Family’s visit. It was also a sight to see for English explorer Sir Frances Drake who gazed upon it around 1580. “The fairest Cape, the most stately thing we saw in the whole circumference of the globe.” Drake wrote in his ship’s log.

Now, I’ve seen other magnificent peaks in the world, namely, the Matterhorn in Zermatt and Sugar Loaf in Rio-De-Janeiro. These giants are taller but Table Mountain is one of the most recognizable mountains in the world. It stands 3,280 feet high, ending on a virtually flat top mesa. That’s about 3 Eiffel Towers stacked on top of each other.

Table Mountain also stands right in the middle of the smallest and richest floral kingdom in the world with 2250 different species of flora surrounding it. It also stands on the tip of the African Continent. No wonder Table Mountain was declared one of the new Seven National Wonders of the World in 2011. It also earned the prestigious title of one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites in 2004.

This past May, I had a chance to return to Cape Town and see Table Mountain once again. But unlike my first visit in 2008, I had a chance to go to the top of this magnificent peak. Ascending to the top was a thrill in itself. Unlike other gondola cable cars, Table Mountain has what’s called a “rotair” car. The floor of the cars rotate through 360 degrees during the ascent or descent, giving passengers a panoramic view.

Once on top of the peak the views are incredible. One could see the infamous Robbin Island the “Alcatraz” of South Africa. Here, Nelson Mandela was incarcerated, along with some 3000 other anti-apartheid activists, for two decades of a life sentence. In 1996, Robben Island was declared a National Monument and a World Heritage Site in 1999. Gazing down upon one of the most beautiful cities in the world, I felt so grateful that I finally succeeded in reaching the top of this incredible mountain. And, when you go to Cape Town, you must also take that cable car ride to the top of South Africa’s wonder – the Table Mountain.