South Africa: Where Will Carling and family found a winning formula
By Will Carling (Daily Mail UK)
One particularly good night followed Rob Andrew's late drop goal that beat the Australians in the quarter-final of the 1995 World Cup, something we celebrated in style (well, high spirits) around the V& A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Buzzing: Cape Town's V&A Waterfront sits in the shadow of Table Mountain
I dare say the British and Irish Lions will do the same next month when their tour begins in this vast and great country.
And many of the players will want to return on another occasion when they can spend more time travelling and less time training.
For me, there are two compelling reasons for a holiday here: Cape Town and going on safari.
On this trip, I managed to do both, accompanied by my wife Lisa and our two children, Jack, eight, and Mimi, who is five.
In Cape Town, we stayed at the Table Bay Hotel, which is a brilliant location for those wishing to enjoy the V& A Waterfront. For one thing, it's within easy staggering distance late at night from the city's best restaurants and bars.
It is also in the shadow of Table Mountain, where we ventured one afternoon on a trip organised by the ever smiling concierge at the hotel.
I am not a great one for heights, but the views from the top on a clear day are staggering and it was good to see the children were in awe of the setting, too.
Cape Town lacks the tension of Johannesburg and even Durban, and yet there are certain parts that are best avoided, so we took the advice to stick to the beach areas and the Waterfront.
Fit for all the family: Will Carling took his wife and children to Cape Town
The hotel offered the biggest breakfast we had ever seen, and Lisa maintains that she had the best massage she's known in the hotel's spa.
We spent a great afternoon at Camps Bay, which was a 20-minute car ride from the hotel. The children loved charging in and out of the sea, dodging sharks — in their vivid imagination.
Most of the numerous Atlantic seaboard beaches are much the same — the likes of Clifton, Bakoven, Llandudno and Hout Bay, with shops and cafés either on the beach or a short distance away.
Cape Town's Newlands Stadium will host the British and Irish Lions against Western Province the weekend before the first Test and it is a must for any fan wishing to follow the tour.
The stadium rated by many players as one of the best because the crowd is so close to the pitch.
Speaking of being so close to wild beasts, we felt privileged to find ourselves in such close proximity to some of South Africa's prized animals when we moved north for a safari at Londolozi, situated in the Sabi Sands among the dried-out river beds and scrubs of the African Bush.
It borders the Kruger National Park in the North West province, and was, simply, the best experience we could have hoped for.
The lodge is family-owned, and, as a result, the passion that flows through it is palpable and the service manages to balance attention to detail with relaxed informality.
It began more than 80 years ago when two friends, Charles Varty and Frank Unger, stood for the first time on the banks of the Sand River.
The concept that they both saw in the then-untouched Bush turned out to be as solid and as enduring as the granite rocks anchored in the river.
Water sight: Hippos were just some of the animals the Carlings saw
For two generations the family played host to presidents, princesses and film stars — and sacrificed its wild beasts to the hunter's gun. The latter practice came to an end almost 40 years ago when it passed into John, Dave and Shan Varty's care.
The farm is named Londolozi, derived from the Zulu word 'to protect'. The name symbolises the family's aim to provide a sanctuary for all living things and is the flag-bearer for Safari lodges Africa-wide.
Reneus, our tracker, was born on Londolozi's land — how special is that? We saw lions with a fresh kill, leopards with the same; we saw hippos wallowing in mud pools and both black and white rhinos; and last but by far the most memorable, we spent a magical hour watching a herd of more than 50 elephants as they slowly moved past our vehicle, close enough to touch.
In fact, Jack developed a huge respect for elephants during our time at Londolozi. We had a young bull in our boma (the area where you eat), and Jack was suitably in awe, as he was later that day when a bigger bull elephant flapped his ears at him from only ten yards or so.
We watched buck and deer drink from the river below us. The joy of watching your children, staring in complete silence at these wild animals is hard to explain.
One evening, as we arrived back from another bewitching safari, we were welcomed by the glow of lanterns surrounding the pool and dinner table.
This was the real deal — dinner by candlelight in the middle of the African Bush.
The following day, Jack and Mimi spent the late afternoon swimming in the pool near our room — the perfect way to cool off.
There are a variety of rooms available at Londolozi, from the stunning granite suites to the more traditional Founders camp. But all are gorgeous, some with outside showers and baths, others with fires.
Leaving the Londolozi is also a unique experience as you take off on from its own personal air strip in the middle of the Bush. Out Of Africa becomes reality. We had to pinch ourselves that this was real life.
4 Opinion(s):
Every time I read stories like that, especially about Cape Town, I almost want to break down in tears for leaving.
Its been 10 years since my family and I left, and like the rest of you South Africa will never stop being home for me. As much as I miss it, leaving the country was the best thing my family could have done for my younger brother and I (I am turning 26 in a few weeks, he just turned 24).
Living in the States I have been given the opportunity to start my own company, and am on my way to earning more than people twice my age.
A lot of people ask me why I have not been home, and besides that the flights are horribly overpriced, I am scared that the South Africa I remember(pre-99) is too different from the South Africa of today, and would ruin what memories I have of it.
Keep up the great work on the site guys, I read you every day and it serves as I reminder to why we left in the first place.
Much love.
Darren
Hi Daren
Yea it sure is the most difficult thing one can do in your life, and we will remain South African until we push daisies.You made the sacrifice but at least you now have a future for your family.
Hi Darren. Good for you boet. For those that are worried about leaving, let me say this, on average South Africans earn more than the indigenous populations.
As for the site, thanks for the feedback, it is almost like a daily soap opera fix for many of us, and we know there is a large silent majority that read frequently.
@ Darren, I hear you bru. We are all where you are at. It was/is very hard to leave and what makes the leaving very difficult is that unlike expats from other countries who can return whenever they want, we can never return.
As for making more money, there is this false assumption that money is easier to make in SA. That's not true. Whereas I was working my butt off earning rands, when one starts to earn real currency like Aus/NZ/US dollars etc, one realises there is much more money to be made outside the country. I earn three times as much as I did in SA and three times as fast. You did the right thing and also keeping your connection with the homeland is important. It keeps you grounded. Our blood will always be green and while there is a will there is always hope. Never give up on SA.
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