Johannesburg, Cheetah Center, Kruger National Park, Blyde River Canyon.
Day 1, Oct.25, Tuesday.
After two 10-hour flights (I wasn't happy at 1am my time having to walk 20 minutes between two terminals and to go through another lengthy security check at AMS - why?), finally arrived at Jo'burg. Good that it was past 9pm, we were the only plane landed. Only took me 30 minutes to clear the immigration and customs. So early that my R100 pickup hadn't arrived yet.
Cold water tap on the left here! Funny electric plug, not compatible with my universal outlet!
Day 2, Oct.26, Wednesday. ~30°C.
Looked like only 2 rooms at Ghandi's Backpackers 1 were occupied. Met an Israeli couple at breakfast. They rented a car. The girl at the reception desk was useless in providing direction and suggested taxi to any destination. I walked out of the hostel at 8am heading to downtown, but got bored and hot walking along the big avenue lined with flowering jacaranda trees and fenced houses. After consulting an old lady at a bus stop, I realized that I was going to the opposite direction. So I joined her on the bus to downtown, which was maybe 15 minutes. Ghandi Square is the major bus terminal in town center. There's a bus information center that pointed me to #55, which I took to the direction of Gold Reef City (a casino and amusement park). Bus ride was only ~15 minutes, but had to wait for half an hour, and walk another 15 minutes to Apartheid Museum. I wasn't dare to flag down a passing minibus (discouraged by wiki-travel), which are many.
Apartheid Museum was well arranged and constructed. It tried to tell the history of Jo'burg, the cause of Apartheid, and struggle against it. A temporary exhibition (not sure if it's really temporary) of Mandela. It did try to point out some misconception of his father's dismissal from his official position (over an ox). But I don't understand the museum's location, nor the fame. Nothing really exceptional. The only interesting thing I found is the faucets in the washroom. Admission is R55 (~$8), not sure worths the money and effort.
Walked about in downtown. Wide streets (4 lane one way streets) full of cars and parking spaces. Visited the small Standard Bank Gallery (housing a temporary exhibition of some student video contest winners and an artist's sketches in the 1990s of human body parts, especially feet), and the tiny Ferreira's Mine shaft down a slow elevator of 3 levels (sealed shaft originally goes down 1km, and some tools and photographs). Both free.
The library square looks quite nice, with stone stools and tables. One side is the library, the other is the legislation building. Walking further NW towards Newtown past many stalls and street vendors. Saw quite a few selling blankets under this 30° sun. Strange. Each street corner sells advertising space on a pole or a garbage can. One in front of ABSA bank is shared by "Prophet XXX, call ### for blessings" and "Specialist, penis enlargement, ####".
Visited the small Workers Museum, a remnant of 1913 migrant worker compound. The inscription tried to sell a bleak picture. Okay, it was not comfortable, but not horrible either. When I was in college and a brief month in military "re-education", we had similar housing (the Africans had concrete bed shared with larger number of people, I had wooden bed shared with fewer people, very similar washing area with cold water and no privacy at all). Some history was told here as well, some identical photos as in the Apartheid Museum. In the green square outside, 2 theatres, 1 science museum.
South African Brewery is also next to the square, who offers a guided tour.
In downtown, I found a couple of Internet cafe for R5/hour, instead of R25/hour at the hostel. Then bought some mandarin (called: easy peel orange) and hard tomatoes (equally bad as in US) at one of the 2 supermarkets next to Ghandi Square. For some reason, beer (Windhoek lager from Namibia seems to be the cheapest: R35/6 pack) is only sold in liquor store, even though I saw a store selling wine and 0% alcohol beer.
A long wait for my bus back, during which, many minibuses came and went. Cooked dinner in the ultra modern kitchen. Seems I was the only guest today.
Day 3, Oct.27, Thursday. Rained briefly in the morning — overcast — sunny. 35°C.
6:20am picked up by LivingstoneTrails 2. Forgot my beer in the fridge:(
Over 2 hours picking up 10 tourists 3 in an 12-seat old minibus with a small trailer. No AC. Cramped seats, not all windows are operable. A 4-day Kruger tour under the guide Dion.
A long hot drive and 3 stops for gas/food, rather flat and boring landscape, but saw cattle egrets and guinea fowls by the road. Arrived at Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center ~14:20. R130 (included), free WiFi, a nice cafe while waiting. Last program at 3pm, which starts with a 15 minutes DVD show on cheetah and the history of the center, then 1 hr drive in open game vehicle lead by uniformed guide to see the various cat species in the enclosure.
Cheetah, the fastest animal, has only 30% hunting success. Female lives alone, brothers stay together, 2 weeks of mating time, 3 months pregnancy, cubs stay with mom for ~1 year. These are fed 3 times a week, 4-5Kg each of beef and organ. Other cats in the center are Serval, Caracal (which I never saw any of these in wild) and two 10-year-old castrated lions rescued from a bankrupted circus. The center also houses 2 packs of wild dogs, ugly Ground Hornbill & Maribou Stork, SA's national bird — Blue Crane, Nyala. Many Go-away bird, and Hadada Ibis. Cafe leftover is fed to vultures. Quite a lot hang out here. 
Permanent camp sites in a hunting lodge, one of the many private reserves around Kruger. Nice tents with real mattress and night stand inside and front extension (some larger tents with real beds and ensuite bathroom), 24/7 electricity & heavily chlorinated running water, charging outlets in bathroom or kitchen, fridge, stupid dogs who shared the swimming pool with us, nice dining room and outdoor fireplace (for better paying guests - especially those who come to hunt). Giraffe, impala, zebra, warthog hang out in the property. It's surreal when a giraffe walks next to the vehicle at night: only its lower half can be seen in the headlight.
8pm: night drive in a neighboring wildlife reserve. It consists of a white guide/driver from the reserve, and a black spotter sitting on the hood shining a bright light left and right. In ~1.5 hours, saw 4 rhinos pooping, a finger-size green chameleon (picked by our guide on a leaf, don't know how he spotted it), a rabbit and others. Somewhat disappointing.Day 4 Oct.28, Friday. Thunder and lightening, rained until ~9am.
Early start, got into the Orpen Gate of Kruger National Park by 7am.
Chilly in the speedy truck on the bumpy ride in the rain. As soon as the sun is out, its smoldering heat drives animal to shade. Saw numerous impalas (a dead one on a tree), wildebeest, zebras, guinea fowls, some kudu, elephant, giraffe, ostrich, hornbill, buffalo, 2 hippos, 2 male lions, 1 waterbuck, 1 jackal, 1 shiny lizard at the gate. The landscape here is monotonous in color and feature. Most of the park is flat, with dry grass, brown shrubs or short trees. Nwanetsi Lookout on a small hill probably has the best view. Large curving seating area with roof overlooking valley below and possibly Mozambique. Nudzandzeni and other picnic sites provide running water and boiling water, rent butane stove and clean pan (ZAR20) for cooking. We made a big late breakfast each day frying eggs and sausages. Lunch was at 2pm, boring sandwich in the picnic area outside of hotel. Stores won't sell me beer, unless I were a hotel guest.
Exit the park ~4pm. Did laundry. Deon cooked donkey and beef steaks for dinner. I couldn't tell the difference. Got 4 serious bites on my ankles. Spray!
Day 5 Oct.29,
Friday. Rained ~3am with lightening and thunder. Didn't stop until ~9am.Another day with the same schedule. More of the same. Saw 1 rhino, 1 tortoise, a family of baboons. A couple of red-beaked hornbills fought for leftovers at Timbavati picnic area. 1 bushbuck. More ostrich, more elephant. Lots of hippos, monkeys and baboons in Gdzani water hole. Nearby has the highest concentration of animals. On the way out, one of our Spanish brothers spotted a leopard.
Despite the lengthy rain the previous night, the air was dry and hot. Walked about the compound hoping to meet some animals up close. But none. Sunset was quite nice. Frangipani were flowering. Everyone hung out by the pool. Shared dinner with the next group who just arrived 4: beef stew with rice.
Day 6 Oct.30, Sunday. ~27°C.
Elephant roared at 3am!
5:45am depart for Blyde River Canyon. 3rd largest canyon in the world (? after Grand Canyon in US and Fish River Canyon in Namibia). Arrived ~7:30am. Walked around the cliff ~800m high for only 30 minutes. A couple of warning signs and short iron railings. Very scenic: winding river, red sandstone shrouded in green vegetation. The surrounding area are fields, apparently more rainfall than in Kruger.2 hours later, a gas station/food mart on the highway has an enclosure of antelopes, a nice big wall drawing of the map, and a panel display of fauna in Kruger. Good bath tissue!
Over 3 hours delay 5 on the way back to Jo'burg. After dropping off everyone else, ~5pm, I was housed in Moonlight Backpackers Lodge 6 at the food of Magaliesberg range in Hartbeespoort, a short distance north of Jo'burg. Internet down. Only 3-4 other tourists here. More thunderstorm in the evening.
Notes
