Read Previous Episodes of Travel Diary: Nigeria Meet South Africa

Hello people. I know I have deprived you of your daily dose of South African tales and I am so sorry. Things have been happening quite rapidly that on some days I am only able to write my diary in bullet points hoping to expand on them later so as to serve you full accounts.

In between, I kept filming and have been uploading videos and pictures on our Youtube and Instagram pages. Today however, I bring you unabridged versions of my experience in the Republic of South  Africa. It’s piping hot and as detailed as possible. My goal is to ensure that you thoroughly enjoy these fun accounts such that you decide to visit South Africa. So help me God. That said, let’s delve right in!

 

Farewell North west

It’s our last day in the glorious Sun City and I truly do not feel like leaving. The three nights spent here have proven too short to explore the entire resort. There’s been lots of fun activities, remarkable meals and sights yet there’s still a lot more to be covered. I really wish we didn’t have to leave for Pretoria. Sigh. But on the other hand, I trust that our hosts know exactly what they are doing and that the rest of this trip will be even more remarkable than these past days.

After breakfast at the Cascades in Sun City, we bade farewell to Didier and Linda. They were really helpful during our stay. And as we began our road trip out of Sun City, I called to mind what I could of Pretoria:

The Republic of South Africa has three capital cities and Pretoria is one of them . It is the seat of the President and his cabinet hence is referred to as the Administrative capital – call it South Africa’s Abuja. This will be my third time visiting.

 

Meet Themba and Khumba

 

Just before heading into Pretoria, we stopped by the Elephant sanctuary. I didn’t realise how popular I was until a worker here called me by name as my group filed in. I was shocked but quickly composed myself to offer a friendly wave, smile and ‘hello’.

We passed through the Monkey sanctuary on our way to the elephants. I love adventures; and our guide, Sam, was really helpful. He taught us a lot of things: the anatomy of an elephant, how to take care of them, how to understand and influence their moods, and the government’s plan to relocate the sanctuary.

My highlights for the day were;

Feeding the elephants.

Walking with the elephants.

Touching and feeling that old, leathery skin.

And meeting Themba and Khumba.

Themba and Khumba are two of the oldest elephants in the sanctuary. Themba means Trust and Khumba means Memory. Themba is my favourite. She’s as sweet and peaceful as her name. I think ‘Trust’ is sacred and so are elephants. I will not forget Themba; I will commit her to memory.

After our tour round the sanctuary, we headed straight to Pretoria.

 

Hello Pretoria!

Our trip lasted over an hour courtesy of traffic snarls here and there. As a Naija babe, the traffic was very bearable – in fact, almost non-existent. Anyone who’s spent at least a decade in Lagos, Nigeria, knows the drift with moving around Lagos. In fact, on days you do not find traffic jams, there’s a high chance that something unusual occurred on that road earlier. But here in Pretoria, South Africans are dejected with traffic snarls. They need a week vacation in Lagos to shake the gratitude out of them.

When we arrived Pretoria, it was 4 pm already. We went straight to Protea Hotel Fire and Ice in Menlyn.  It was my second time staying in this hotel. My first experience here was sometime in May last year. I love this hotel. It has a lot of art and graffiti inspired works. The dining area is so beautiful I could spend hours just staring. And my room? *exhales* Awesome, doesn’t begin to describe it.

I hurriedly freshened up in 20minutes and regrouped with others for dinner. Home Base is a Nigerian restaurant and that’s where dinner happened. The meal wasn’t nice; I didn’t enjoy dinner at all. I certainly prefer Home Base in Sandton, Jo’burg to Home Base, Pretoria. At least I have the night tolook forward to. Tomorrow is another day.

  

 

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