Soon after breakfast I received word we would head to Table Mountain first while it was open.  The valuable tip about visiting Table Mountain is that when there are strong winds and/or clouds they close the visitor center to go on top of the mountain.  I’ve had a friend attempt to visit four times and leave home without making it up.  Knowing that made the change of plans more exciting because the weather was perfect and it wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

photo credit: @darodi

photo credit: @darodi

We leave the Radisson Blu Hotel and take a 25-minute ride to the entrance.  It was pretty busy but only took about 30 minutes to ascend to the top on the cable car that rotates 360 degrees during the ride up.

Once you reach the top you see it completely flat.  It was absolutely amazing to see in person.  A unique fact about Cape Town is that is it has its own flora kingdom with thousands of plants indigenous to the cape.

photo credit: @Darodi

The top of Table Mountain was bustling with people running around taking pictures with Cape Town behind them, looking for various flora and admiring the various view points the mountain has to offer.  My favorite part was watching the mountain smoke from devils peak.  The story is that a Dutch man named Jan van Hunks lived at the foot of the mountain.

photo credit: @darodi

He smoked so much his wife kicked him out the house to smoke. He met a stranger and they had a smoking contest and they smoked so much a cloud covered the mountain.  The stranger happened to be the devil and the mountain has been smoking ever since.  The funny thing is it was clear as day when I arrived to the top and suddenly clouds started to form over Devil’s Peak.

Table Mountain was the perfect kick off to our road trip to Cape Point; next stop Hout Bay via Chapman’s Peak Drive.  Chapman’s Peak Drive is an absolutely gorgeous road the hugs the side of a mountain that shoots in and out of beachfront neighborhoods.

photo credit: @darodi

During the 25-minute ride, our driver would explain all the details about each neighborhood on the ride to Hout Bay.  Hout Bay overlook provided a panoramic view of the suburbs.

photo credit: @darodi

After taking a few photos we continue down Chapman’s Peak Drive to Simons Town to visit a Penguin colony at Boulders Beach.  The African Penguins migrated to South Africa in the 1980s because of their high sardine population.  Penguins living on the beach, can you believe it!  I’ve always seen penguins in cold climates and to see them hanging out on the beach popping in and out of the water is pretty cool.

photo credit: @darodi

A  boardwalk brings you to boulders beach and it creates a border that prevents direct  access to the penguins.  I was able to catch two penguins mating and it was hilarious, no inhibition at all.  Here is my fair warning, South Africa has strict penalties and are very protective of their penguins.  When you visit don’t get any smart ideas with trying to take one home as a souvenir.

By the time we left the colony it was time for lunch and we headed a couple blocks down the street to Seaforth restaurant.  Seaforth is a charming seafood restaurant that happens to sit on the ocean, with an open-air patio that would be our dinning location.

After surveying the menu I decided to go with the Mozambican Tiger Pawns with a vegetable medley and chips.  Nothing beats eating fresh seafood with the Atlantic Ocean as your vista while you dine.

My stomach is full and the grand finale awaits and we proceed for 25 minutes to drum roll…Cape Point.  Cape Point is special because theoretically this location is where the chilly Atlantic Ocean and the warm Indian Ocean collide.  We arrived and boarded a tram for a quick ride to the base of the look out point.

From here you can see infinite views of the Atlantic Ocean.  The next step is to climb zigzagging stairs to the lighthouse.  The closer you get to the top views of the Indian Ocean side are revealed.

Arrival to the lighthouse releases a feeling of accomplishment.  I have made to the bottom of the map!  The only place to go from here is Antarctica and I wasn’t dressed for that trip today.

photo credit: @darodi

Panoramic views of Cape Point lead me to wonder about how the Dutch found this place?  Who had the guts and determination to keep sailing in this direction?  So many questions with so little time and not enough answers.  I came back from my daydream and enjoy the surrounds from the top.

photo credit: @darodi

There was a sign that gave the miles to cities across the world and from this point I was 7792 miles from New York City, which meant I was 8000 plus miles from Los Angeles.

The random moment of the day was when I was photo bombed by a group of tourist from Shanghai.  It funny being black around Chinese tourist, they always want to take a picture with you LOL.  Nevertheless it was the icing on the cake for an awesome day!

photo credit: @darodi

Oh one more thing on our way out we came across a couple of baboons that hangout near the exit.  They’re cute but viciously smart and will hangout on your car while its moving. They will act harmless and approach your car only to try and open your doors or windows to enter looking for food.  Check this guy out trying to get close!  Now its time to escape to the hotel for some rest after an amazing road trip to Cape Point!

photo credit: @darodi

We left Kruger Park later then expected and arrived to Cape Town in the evening.  I was tired and ready to go to the hotel but we had a change of plans and headed directly to Signal Hill aka Bo-Kaap courtesy of Escape to the Cape.  Bo-Kaap sits on a hill and gave way to stunning nighttime view of Cape Town and Table Mountain as the backdrop.

Shaheed the owner of the Escape to the Cape would provide transportation to all of our destinations during our stay.  He would eventually bring us to the home of Mrs. Latiefa Larney.  Mrs. Larney townhome style house gave a warm welcome and it was a nice change up from the fancy restaurants we previously dinned in to eating a home cooked meal.  Mrs. Larney had her tablecloth set with matching tableware

If you have the opportunity to enjoy dinner with native residents I encourage you to dine with them and take in their culture.  Mrs. Larney prepared a traditional delicious Malay dinner.  While she served the meal she gave us history about Bo-Kaap including how her parents migrated to South Africa and settled in Bo-Kaap during Apartheid.

Here are all the dishes we ate:

Vegetable Soup

Samoosa(s) (pronounced  sa-moor-sa): fried triangular pastry with savory filling

Vegetable Dhaltjie(s) (pronounced dull-chi): fritters, often with chilli and spinach

Minced meat or vegetable pies

Naan bread, flat bread, tomato and herb

Penang Curry (pronounced pi-nung): fish (usually snoek, a barracuda-like local staple) in a spicy coconut cream sauce, with Roti Chapati (pronounced roo-ti), a traditional flatbread

Tomato Frikkadel (pronounced frir-kir-dell): meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, with fluffy basmati rice

Koeksister(s) (pronounced koo-see-stir by our people, and cook-sister by white Afrikaans people): a donut-like savory snack covered with caramelized sugar water and coconut flakes

Mrs. Laney was a great cook and delightful host paving the way for a great time in Cape Town!

The impalas are lean with a beautiful tan skin and cute little ears.  Their run is a sight to see with their unique hoping forward action.  You are guaranteed to see impalas on every game drive.  I become spoiled and thought to myself, “dang more impalas”.

The zebra don’t look like your typical image of a white and black zebra.  The African Zebra have brown skin between their black stripes.  It makes since for them to be tan from the scorching sun they’re exposed to daily.  It was interesting to see them because a few days earlier I was eating Zebra.

The wildebeest were more on the shy side and took off when we were around nevertheless it was cool to see one up close.

The wart hogs were quick on their feet and I was totally caught off guard when I saw them.  It reminded me of Lion King when they ran into a clearing.  I must say Disney did a great job of capturing the African wild life.

Baboons are so intriguing to me; they say there intelligence level is right below humans.  I was the most nervous around them, prior to visibly seeing them they kept making loud screaming noises.  Even though we were well protected my heart started to beat a little fast.  I thought planet of the apes was about to happen and they would swing out the trees and attack me.  When they finally appeared they didn’t pay us any attention.

The best part of the game drive were the three times we got out of the range rover and tracked animals on foot.  The first time we exited the vehicle was to track a rhino.  Our tracker Brian would give us the ground rules:  keep quiet, walk in a straight line and turn off all beeps on our cameras.

Spotting the Rhino was fascinating seeing him from eye level and grasping how big he is.  During the track we saw giraffe and an astonishing thing happened, while standing 50 yards away from the giraffe, they ran from us.

When we were in the range rover they would eat, stare or pay us no attention.  But when we’re on foot they feared us and hauled tail away from us.  Brian would explain it is a natural instinct to run from centuries of being hunted by humans.

The second time we tracked an African elephant, which was another amazing experience.  Brian also explain the likely hood for a human to get killed by an African elephant is greater then a lion or leopard.  Needless to say I was extremely careful not to startle the elephant.

The third time was probably my favorite when we came to a river with a gang of hippos.  They would stare and pop in and out of the water keeping a close eye and marking their territory.  Hippos can hold their breath underwater for seven minutes at a time.

Right before we left I was able to get footage of the hippo yawning and it was awesome to see his mouth open to a flat 180-degree angle.  Prior to this encounter the closet I had been to a hippo was playing the game Hungry Hungry hippo as a child now I’m 20 yards away.

All the little things of the birds, flora, tortoise and crocodiles add the to the experience of being in the bush.  I would definitely suggest visiting Singita in Kruger Park if the budget permits.

After the evening game drive the Singita Lebombo staff surprised us with a sunset picnic on Green Apple Hill.  The food spread was beautiful and delicious!  My concierge Lucky remembered I like Rose and brought two bottles for us to enjoy.  The picnic was a wonderful way to top off a surreal experience with nature.

Photo credit: Darodi and Pause the Moment

After spending a fantastic evening at Singita Lebombo it was time to head out on 6 a.m. game drive.  The early call time is due to the temperature.  The animals are up early while the temperature is cool, around midday they go in heading to cool off from the blazing sun and appear later in the afternoon towards sundown as temperatures cool off.  When you go on a game drive a ranger and tracker guide you.

Luckily we were assigned with the best duo, Brian and Exon.  The two were actually on their second run together 10 years later.  Exon sits on the front hood spotting various animals and Brian drives the range rover explaining all aspects of the bush.

The thrill driving out to experience your personal national geographic encounter is overwhelming.  You have a childhood relapse wishing you don’t wake up to find out this is really a dream.  The relapse would persist for the entire drive while continuously asking Brian questions about everything in sight.

Brian is a humorous down to earth guy who made every moment of our journey memorable.  It is astonishing to listen to him speak about every facet of the bush in great detail.  Exon is a quiet spoke fellow with phenomenal vision spotting every animal seamlessly.  His eyes are trained so well from years of growing up in his village tending to his family’s livestock.

photo credit: Darodi

photo credit: Darodi

Our first sighting of the big five is a group of African Elephants.  We pulled over and took in the moment watching them eating and fanning their ears to cool themselves.  Brian explains elephants sleeps only two hours per day and send the rest of the time eating.  A few babies accompanied the group and I learned when they give birth the baby comes out standing up.

photo credit: Darodi

In the same area we did a 180-degree turn and saw rhinos eating as well.  The rhinos have a dramatic presence with their large low to the ground body and huge horn.  The sad thing is poaches are threatening the rhino population.  In Thailand there is a black market demand for their horns.  Poaches kill rhinos just for their horn to see them to the Thai who believe its an aphrodisiac.  They will shave the horn down and drink it.  Poaches get paid $65,000 per 2.2 lbs.  The average weight is around 7 lbs so were talking about $200,000 per horn.

photo credit: Darodi

The Cape Buffalo was our third friend who was out playing with a gang of his friends.  They were wadding in a marsh eating, seems like that is the main activity in the bush.  The Cape Buffalo has a high rate tuberculosis is more likely to die from TB then predators.  The look of the buffalo is interesting, reminds me of the British parliaments wigs when I look at the top of their   head.

photo credit: Darodi

Mangela was a regular during my visit.  The day prior I was able to enjoy him eat a waterbuck for dinner.

DINNER WITH A SOUTH AFRICAN LEOPARD, MAIN COURSE…BABY WATERBUCK

This time we saw him scale the side of a mountain wall.  I marveled at his agility as he maneuvered his way across the wall.

photo credit: Darodi

Last and certainly not least we saw a pride of lions.  The male lions were away searching new territory but seeing a lion period is an amazing site to see.  A male lion without his main was amongst the group.  I would learn that lions are pretty lazy cats.  They sleep around 14 hours each day, wake up and go hunt for food.  When we approached them they were lying around yawning and not concerned with our presence.  They also have dirty skin and are prone to carry tuberculosis too.  Up close and personal with the king of the jungle although there isn’t a jungle in South Africa.

photo credit: Darodi

Spotting the big five in one day and knowing how difficult it is to see them made the day more special.  The entire time I was in awe of the raw energy being in the wild.  No cages or gates, just you, the animals, a tracker and ranger with a shotgun.  These animals have been roaming the earth for thousands of years and I felt privileged to enter their domain and see them in their natural habitat.

Photo credit: Darodi

photo credit: Pause the Moment

The action took place in the Singita concession of Kruger Park.  We were riding in the bush spotting impalas when Brian, our ranger got word that Mangela was having dinner.  The rangers at Singita have tracked Mangela since it was a baby, hence the formal name.  A interesting fact is that once a leopard is born they’re on their own to fend for themselves.  The parents don’t take care of them or protect them from danger.

photo credit: Darodi

When we arrived to the dinner location I see Mangela perched on a tree branch feasting on the waterbuck.  It was interesting to see him focus on the head of the waterbuck licking its head repeatedly before taking his first bite. It looked like a ritually as her repeated licked this face as if he was enjoying the flavor of the waterbucks skin.  Once he decided to sink his teeth in you could hear the skull bones breaking.

photo credit: Darodi

Eventually the blood started to appear as the waterbucks face disappeared onto Mangela’s palate.  It was such an organic and raw experience as we sat 30 feet from the action.  Mangela paid us no mind as we obeyed the rules of no loud talking or standing up in the Range Rover.  I must say the National Geographic experience is person dwarfs what you see on any TV!

photo credit: Darodi

WARNING GRAPHICS PHOTOS ARE BELOW

photo credit: Pause the Moment

photo credit: Pause the Moment

When we arrived at The House of Harley, we were greeted with a warm welcome filled with bright smiles.  The outing felt like being inducted into a community of people who share a passion for the culture and community of Harley Davidson.  Our group was split into smaller teams and assigned starting points for our tour; my group started in the merchandise section.  We were instructed to pick out a jacket we liked and participated in a human show and tell demonstration.

A sales associate explained the special features of the jackets and the purpose of each component.  Their working knowledge of the apparel with was very impressive.  My jacket was the Illumination 360 Functional Jacket.  The weight of the jacket was heavy, but necessary in case you fall from your bike.  The leather felt like it could absorb a few tumbles and the reflective element would be ideal for riding at night, especially on poorly lit roads.

The whistle blew and we rotated to the bike section where we were introduced to various models of the brand.  Learning about the different models was eye opening!  We were able to see how many different types of personalities they catered to.  However, if you’re going to purchase your first Harley it will not be an easy decision.  Harley Davidson has created a fleet of bikes to suite everyone’s personality and needs.  Some of the bikes that caught my eye were the Softtail, SuperLow, Nightster, Street Bob, and Fat Bob.

All of those bikes were very impressive, but none of them put a jones in my bones like the Night Rod Special!  I’m a contemporary man with an appreciation for the past and Harley Davidson got everything right with this bike.  The features that peaked my interest were the low-rise handlebar, double-barrel exhaust, fat rear tire and the black out paint job.  I could see myself going hog wild on the Night Rod Special!

Another cool thing is House of Harley offers Riders Edge.  Riders Edge is a bike riding class given at House of Harley’s around the country.  It’s a huge benefit for newbies like me interesting in jumping into the biking culture.  Think about it, who else would be a better teach on how to ride then the staff who spends time with these bikes daily.

Another whistle and the next section is House of Customs, an innovative concept that provides the opportunity to customize the bike to the customer.  The options include seating, lowering kits and handles bars.  We also were introduced to an impressive social media campaign they created called, “The Bike Social Media Built”.  The interactive campaign allowed fans to vote on what customized part of the bike to be included in the final design.  Once the final results are in the House of Customs will customize the design, paint, seat design and various options.  After completion the bike will be donated to Fisher’s House Wisconsin for Veteran Affairs families in Milwaukee.  I found the campaign to be engaging and patriotic. It demonstrated how social media could be used to generate attention and give back to the men and woman who fight for our country.

The final station was the repair shop, filled with hundreds of bikes.  The herds of bikes were on standby for repair or being stored of the winter.  Being in Milwaukee riding season has its limits and House of Harley provides a storage service to fellow Harley Riders.  The joy ride in the repair shop is the road-testing chamber.  Outfitted with monitoring computers and exhaust system that allows technicians to open up a bike and make sure everything is firing properly.  The grand finally of the evening was being able to hop on a hog and open it up in the road-testing chamber.  It was like having training wheels on a motorcycle! Nevertheless, it was a great experience that made me a believer in the brand.

Overall, House of Harley is overflowing with a classic brand made with a rich history and a dynamic staff to get you in a ride and on the road.

To learn more about Harley Davidson, click here

To learn more about The House of Harley, click here

Lebombo is a five-star lodge with only 15 suites to accommodate 30 guests.  Your time here is very intimate among guests and from the moment Laurenz our guest manager sat with us for a brief orientation of Lebombo I felt at home.  The staff is spectacular, my concierge person, Lucky, would let me know I could have whatever I wanted; now that sounds like home to me.  Most importantly your stay includes three meals per day, all drinks including premium wines, spirits and liqueurs (excluding champagne), high tea, two game drives, and laundry service.

The main attraction of Lebombo is the room!  The designer who created the open floor plan is a genius!  The features in the room read like cum laude graduate resume.  The king size bed was uber comfortable, six foot long desk with mini bar stocked with snacks, fruit, wine and champagne.  The bathroom had an open closet, two vanity sinks, indoor/outdoor shower and sunken bathtub.  The balcony was outfitted with two chairs, coffee table and day bed.  At night you can request a mosquito net to sleep under the stars.  The room is equipped with iPod audio and power jacks that I used to listen to music while enjoying my favorite amenity, the outdoor shower.

The main lounge has splendid line up.  The open lounge and bar area where high tea is served.  Plush sofas line the walls and my favorite feature is the fridge.  I was instructed that I was welcome to have anything in the fridge!

A few feet away you will see the inviting Olympic lap pool by solely by length.  A sala and deck with lounge chairs accompanies the pool also.  The dinning room is where a professional eater such as myself went to work on every meal.   The circular wine cellular is stocked with an enormous selection of South African wines and I was invited to attend a wine tasting with friends.

Lebombo is a place we all wish we could afford to visit every week.  You might only get one chance in a lifetime to visit Lebombo but your treated as if the door is open anytime for your return.  I look forward to the day I return to Lebombo and I hope you have been inspired to work on your arrival to a place I was blessed to call home!

Over the years flying commercial in the States has become a tiresome job.  The labor of buying three ounce bottles for liquids, paying extra fees for checked bags, strip searches to go through security, figuring out where to park, getting dropped off or taking a train and/or bus to the airport has become quite cumbersome.   Today, I had the chance to fly private and kicker is I’m going to Kruger Park for safari!

Federal Air, operating from Johannesburg International Airport would make this journey a seamless event.  The check in counter resembled a hotel’s front desk.  The waiting area had a guesthouse atmosphere with its leather sofas, chairs and complimentary sandwiches and drinks to enjoy before take off.  Did I mention I didn’t have strip to go through security!

The ride in our 16 seat bird was pretty smooth at 15,000 feet hovering just above the clouds.  We would land at Skukuza, a Sabi Sans airstrip and change planes to our final destination Singita.  It was cool experience fly on two different planes. The second bird was smaller and exclusive to my group.  Flying on the second leg, 10 seat bird, produced greater build up flying at a lower altitude that gave a birds eye views of the land.  As we descended I saw an elephant drinking water and the Jurassic Park theme music keep playing in my head.  I was moments away from planting my two feet in the bush and having a childhood dream come true!

The landing strip was a simple dirt road and the Federal Air pilot nailed the landing with ease.  The entire Federal Air voyage was quick, surreal and first class; can’t wait to fly them again!  Upon arrival we were greeted with a tasty welcome snack table filled with dried fruits, snacks drinks and a refreshing chilled towel.  After the van was loaded with our luggage we were off to our final destination Singita Lebombo!!!!

Photo credit: Uncle Dave