The journey began in Cape Town at 9 AM, after 30 hours of travel. Yolanda and I checked into our bed & breakfast (in the suburb of Wynberg) and in spite of promises that we wouldn't waste any time sleeping we promptly collapsed into our beds. We roused ourselves for dinner at a nearby restaurant and returned for more shut-eye. Denise Moody--our new friend--called to offer to take us to the IBSA meeting to be held the following afternoon.

At 3 AM we were up and ready for our coffee--such is jet-lag! We didn't fight it, since we had planned a fairly easy morning at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and afternoon at the IBSA meeting. By the time we reached the IBSA meeting we felt like zombies.

Day three, and we were off for another quick visit to Kirstenbosch before Denise picked us up for the drive to Goudini Spa--the site of the IBSA symposium and our home for the next week.

Our route to Goudini took us over Du Toits Kloof, a scenic mountain pass. I had butterflies in my stomach at the steep drop-off beside the road. We were excited to see baboons sunning on the shoulder of the road as we went up in elevation. There were many turnouts along the way, so we stopped often to photograph the stunning scenery.

We arrived at Goudini Spa in a couple of hours. It's not a spa in the sense that we think of here in the US. Goudini Spa is a hotel/conference facility that is owned by a branch of the Dutch Reformed Church, and is located on the site of hot springs (the "spa"). No masseuses, mud facials or champagne served by the pool!

Early September is the beginning of springtime in the Western Cape, and we were up in the mountains: in other words, the nights were cold! While our rondavels (cabins) were unheated, the hot springs provided warmth and relaxation to attendees of the symposium. Thankfully, Yolanda brought a heating pad (plus electrical adapter) and a hot water bottle that she kindly loaned me. As long as I kept my feet warm at night, I slept like a baby.

The first two days of the symposium were spent in conferences, learning about everything from "Indigenous Bulbs in Traditional Medicine," to "How DNA Analysis is Influencing Our Knowledge of Taxonomy and Evolution." Speakers presented slides showing how they grow South African bulbs in their corners of the world, ranging from northern California to The Netherlands.

Later in the week, we went on field trips. We visited private land, primarily farms, that had uncultivated areas where the native flora thrives. With the permission of the farmers we hiked, photographed, lunched, and hiked some more. Fortunately the weather was beautiful and it was a great way to see the countryside as well as the plants.

One day, we visited a small nursery (what we would call a specialty nursery) in the lovely town of Caledon. It featured the traditional Dutch architecture typical of many of the buildings and homes in the region.

On the last day of the symposium, we went to the Karoo National Botanical Garden in Worcester. (Karoo is Afrikaans for "desert.") I was amazed at how much it reminded me of the Desert Botanical Garden near Phoenix, Arizona. I guess it's not surprising, considering how many South African trees, shrubs and succulent plants are grown in the American southwest. (See the "Flora" section of my travelogue to view some of these plants.)

Actually, I saw quite a few areas that were reminiscent of home. The wheat fields were like the Palouse region of northwestern Washington state; fruit orchards and vineyards were similar to those I've seen in Washington and California; even some of the scrubby fynbos (see "Flora" for more on fynbos) looked like the high deserts of the Pacific Northwest.

After an exciting week of study, hiking and visiting with symposium delegates from around the world, we headed back to Cape Town.

We returned to a different neighborhood in Cape Town, an area called Camp's Bay. It is a beautiful, oceanside suburb that's not unlike Santa Barbara or other coastal towns of north/central California.

After our week of 40°F nights in our unheated rondavels, we were happy to be greeted by warm weather, a luxurious soaking tub and an ocean view from our bed & breakfast, Finchley House. We spent our first week-and-a-half on a budget, and if felt good to live large for a few days. We enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner our first night and made arrangements to join a small group going to the Cape of Good Hope the next day.

Our route took us south along the western side of the Cape Peninsula through seaside communities to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. I was excited about this trip because I enjoy wildlife and animals almost as much as I do plants. I wasn't disappointed. (Visit the "Fauna" link on my South Africa Travelogue page to see the birds and animals I photographed at the Cape.)

As my visit to South Africa began to wind down, I had one more exciting excursion to look forward to: a game drive at a private reserve outside Ceres. I left Finchley House with a small group at 6 AM, just in time to cross Bain's Kloof (another mountain pass) a little after sunrise. I didn't think that a mountain road could be narrower or have a steeper drop-off than Du Toits Kloof--but I was wrong! At the top of the mountain, it looked like boulders had been cemented in place along the outside edge of the road. There wasn't even a shoulder for the baboons to sun themselves on. Occasionally, I'd see one clinging to a boulder. The winding road was popular with motorcyclists, and I saw two groups of bikers as we headed down into Wellington.

In late morning, we passed through the fruit-growing region around Ceres, and left the paved road behind. When we arrived at Inverdoorn Game Reserve, we were offered refreshments, a bathroom break, and then we piled into our oversized Range Rover to ride cross-country in search of animals. (Again, I've posted my photos from this trip on the "Fauna" page.) We headed back to Cape Town late in the afternoon, arriving just in time to enjoy a lovely sunset over the Atlantic.

I spent my last day in Cape Town shopping for gifts for friends and family, made a last quick stop at Kirstenbosch, then packed and tried to rest before my evening flight. I was thrilled with the sights I'd seen--homesick for my husband and pets--and had a suitcase full of dirty laundry.

I hope you enjoy reading about my travels--if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me. I'm happy to offer any pointers I can if you are planning a trip to Cape Town.

Mary