The last leg of our South Africa trip was uneventful from a
wildlife perspective, but nevertheless very enjoyable. We flew from Cape Town
to Johannesburg and from there drove to Sun City (A 3 hour drive). Arriving in
the evening, we were overwhelmed at the sight of the regal, imposing, The
Palace of the Lost City at Sun City. The first sight is truly magnificent and
the scale of the hotel overwhelms you.
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| The Palace Hotel at Sun City |
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| The Palace Hotel at Sun City |
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| The Palace Hotel at Sun City.. evening view |
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| The Palace Hotel at Sun City.. evening view |
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| The Palace Hotel at Sun City .. morning view |
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| Huge Bronze sculpture at the entrance |
After a quick freshening up routine, we
were off on a night safari to the nearby Pilanesberg National Park. Excited by the thought of a night safari and
looking to spot lots of nocturnal animals, my luck finally ran out. I did not
sight any noteworthy animals.. only some gazelles in the distance, eyes
glittering like diamonds and a lone giraffe. But it was bitterly cold and open
jeep safari accentuated the cold even more unbearable.
Dinner and early to bed and a fresh start the next day. But
it was a day of leisure.. exploring the huge majestic Palace hotel on our own.
I got some learned information from a guide who took us on a tour of the
Palace. It was completed in 1992 in the
middle of a tropical jungle. It had 5,000 workers working around the clock to
complete it. It occupies 25 hectares of
land and has 350 guest rooms. The inside of the palace has all artefacts that
one can imagine, a hand painted ceiling dome (reminded me of Sistine Chapel in
the Vatican), intricately carved pillars supporting the 25 meter high lobby.
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| The Ceiling of the Palace Hotel lobby |
We moved around the hotel went to the top of one of the towers
for an exquisite view of the entire Sun City views, lazed around the pool and
took a dip as well. It was a relaxed day and the next day we were off to Johannesburg
to catch our flight back to India.
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| The National Flower of South Africa |
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| Huge Sculptures adorn the entrance to the Palace Hotel |
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| Inside the Hotel.. the entrance to the restaurant. |
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| King sized sculptures inside the Palace Hotel |
And so this wonderful, eventful trip ended. All along on our
journey back, first from Sun City to Johannesburg and then to India, I kept
wondering about the many many secrets that the continent of Africa hides from
the rest of the world. For a true blue nature and wildlife enthusiast, I
thought this was just the beginning of a very long and rewarding love affair
with Africa. In my readings, in my research, in my talks with native Africans I
have found out each country in Africa has its own well guarded exotic secret
which I hope to uncover one by one.
After all I cannot resist the temptations of
visiting places with such romantic names as In South Africa itself the Kalahari
Desert (to see the black maned lions of the Kalahari) and the world renowned
Krueger National Park. In Botswana, the world famous Okavango Delta where the
big cats have adapted to a life in and around water and of course to the see
the Botswana side of the Kalahari. In Namibia, the Namib desert which is
teeming with wildlife. Then there is Zambia with its Victoria falls. And yes
you still have Kenya with the world famous Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru (for
flamingos), Lake Naivasha and about 40
plus national parks including the Tsavo National park (Tsavo was made famous by
the Hollywood movie The Ghost & the Darkness starring Val Kilmer, Michael
Douglas & Om Puri). And not to forget Tanzania with its Serengeti (endless
plains), the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Natron and so on. Whew the list is almost
endless and overwhelming.
But let’s take it one sweet step at a time. So see
you all soon on another one of my fascinating trips that I’ve promised myself.
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