Gandhi’s Other Home

In the bustle of Gandhism, history, culture and game parks in South Africa, there’s a quiet gathered around its misty mountains and rivers.

As we disembarked at the OR Tambo International Airport, the first thing that struck me about South Africa was how friendly the people were. Everyone, from airport staff to security personnel, waiters to toll booth managers, greets you with a loud and boisterous “Hello!” Not used to such effervescent demonstrations, I reply back shyly. As our tour guide explains later, “the population density is so low that it’s a pleasure to see new faces”. Any wonder we Indians are a grumpy lot?

The weather was most temperate. There is a hint of winter in the air as February heralds the end of summer. The entire city of Johannesburg has flat, rather pretty mountain ranges running through it and the purple-flowered jacaranda trees are in full bloom. Jacaranda is found through much of Joburg. So much so, one of their most popular radio stations is also called Jacaranda. Our driver suddenly stops to point out a tree and asks us to recognise it. He informs us that it is a cellphone tree. The cellphone towers here are disguised as trees so they don’t stick out like eyesores.

We head to Sandton, one of the poshest suburbs in the city. Just next to our hotel is the Nelson Mandela Square, with open-air restaurants and shopping malls. Don’t be too tempted by shopping at the glitzy malls, pick up African curios and mementos from smaller shops instead. Joburg, in the Gauteng (place of gold) province, is steeped in history.

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Day 1 is for education. We begin with a visit to Maropeng or the Cradle of Human Civilisation. It was at the Maropeng caves that the fossils of Little Foot were found. A visit to Constitution Hill, formerly one of the most notorious prisons in South Africa, which also has the dubious distinction of having housed both Mandela and Gandhi, and the Apartheid Museum leaves us in a sombre mood.

Gandhi is, but naturally, quite a brand in South Africa. We stopped for a quick cappuccino at the Gandhi Café in Gandhi Square, one of the central squares in the city. But what really got us miffed was Gandhi misspelled as “Ghandi” at the Apartheid Museum. Most South Africans are curious to know more about Gandhi and his status in India. Our guide at the museum was even aware of Lage Raho Munnabhai.

The next day, we are taken on a tour through the Cullinan Mine (an hour’s drive from the city) where the Cullinan diamond (at 3,106 carat, the largest diamond in the world) was found. There we are shown the Great Hole, where the mine is located. But, any hope I nurtured of actually seeing a diamond in the rough were dashed, as tourists are not allowed into the mine. However, at the Gold Reef City, a gold mine turned into a theme park in the heart of the city, we are handed mining helmets and torches and allowed to go in.

When in Joburg, there’s no missing out on Sun City. A perfect weekend getaway, the resort has been built around the legend of the Lost City and the Palace of the Lost City is the final word on lavish lost African tribe culture. The palace is surrounded by a golf course and overlooks the Pilanesberg range where one can go for a safari.

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But all this is ra ra stuff compared to The Real Thing. The Real Thing being the African jungle. Most people who go to South Africa for wildlife go to the Kruger National Park. However, we went to Waterberg in the Limpopo district, which is home to four of the Big Five. The Big Five are the biggies of the jungle, the most dreaded: the lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. And no, unlike India, where the buffalo is mostly docile, the African buffalo is aggressive and will not appreciate a friendly pat on the back.

We stayed at the Clifftop Lodge in the Welgewonden game reserve which really is on top of a cliff and overlooks the Waterberg mountain range with the river flowing beneath. It’s so quiet here you can hear your own thoughts. After the evening game drive, as we have dinner on the terrace, there is a carpet of stars in the sky. As we sigh, our game ranger is surprised. “But, don’t you see stars in India?”

The last leg of the South Africa holiday is to the south coast, near Durban which feels like Mumbai. When in Durban, don’t miss out on the Bunny (from the word Bania) Chow, an Indian roadside fast food dish with spicy curry.

There are many resorts a couple of hours away from Durban. We stayed at the San Lameer, which has a golf course where antelopes regularly stray in. Besides, there is a lovely private beach and the water has the warm Indian Ocean current in it. On our last morning, we go dolphin watching in the ocean and are lucky enough to see a school of bottle-nosed dolphins that give our boat company for more than 15 minutes, as they do their special flips to bid us farewell.