The midnight flight from Libreville to our rest stop in Johannesburg began without air conditioning but with thumping music coming through scratchy speakers. Before takeoff, the flight attendant generously sprayed the aisle (and us) down with a can of eu de toilette... insecticide. Had we made a mistake? I wondered, envisioning southern France, our alternate vacation choice, ruled out due to higher costs and longer flights from Gabon.

Our doubts were cast aside once we arrived in Cape Town. We stowed our luggage and strolled to the pier. The refreshing 65-degree weather and sensational scenery revived us all. Seals floated and lolled in the harbor with panoramic Table Mountain as a backdrop. Fog horns echoed and a heron fished in the water beneath the twinkle lights from nearby eateries.

At the Watershed artisan co-op, we met Grayton, an artist who creates images on rawhide. He happily showed Ramsay how to carve leather with a soldering tool (and they even made a personalized key chain ).

At Boulders in Simon’s Town, the penguin colony was amusing to watch. Some nested on eggs and nuzzled their fuzzy brown baby chicks. Others darted with speed under waves then popped up at the shoreline to shake sea water from their tuxedos before waddling in our direction.

In Kalk Bay, we walked through an abandoned metro stop to a seaside restaurant known for fish and chips. The food was decent, but the view of the glittering sea and the small lighthouse on the pier made it feel special.

We headed to Stellenbosch wine country and made a detour to a toboggan park. (Think “Cool Runnins,” if you’ve ever seen the film about the Jamaican bobsled team- this was similar). Runnels of metal had been carved into a hillside. We climbed onto our narrow-wheeled carts and serpentined the way down with glee.

My husband abandoned his hand brake altogether and left the track at one point. (He later had to take an anti-inflammatory for his back). I’m all for trying new modes of transportation, but I admit, three toboggan trips were enough for me. I was ready for a glass of Creative Block #3 when we arrived at Spier Vineyards. Ramsay used all six of his ride tokens.

Back in Cape Town, I visited nature photographer Carolina Gibello’s gallery. I discovered her work years ago and love how she captures light in her wildlife images.

In the lush garden of the Mt. Nelson Belmond Hotel, even the patio cushions were iconic pink. Three geese flew by as I penned a postcard to Mama and enjoyed the live piano that was piped outside. I chose roobois, cinnamon, orange peel, and mint iced tea from the menu, along with a tapas plate of tiny salmon blinis that tasted even better than their adorable presentation.

The next day at the Aquarium, sea anemones, clownfish, and a striped pajama shark topped Ramsay’s list.

On the return to Johannesburg, a little girl with her forehead glued to the plexiglass plane window exclaimed, “We’re flying.. over the WHOLE EARTH!” I shared her enthusiasm and wonderment as I peered down at the vast topography etched with crop circles and tributaries snaking like spidery veins through the russet African desert.

On our last day, Ramsay and I took a safari to Planesburg, a national park a few hours away from Jo’burg. We grabbed our “knosh pack” snacks (apples, cheese and crackers and juice) from the concierge and set out before dawn.

At daybreak, we saw a bright moon on the left and bands of tangerine light on the right; a majestic African sunrise. Backlit acacia trees dotted the golden savanna and fields of sunflowers angled skyward to greet the day.

On the jeep tour, we spotted guinea fowl, a wildebeest, a zebra, a giraffe, a hippo, and a cow, which the guide called “a walking stop light.”

In the end, two sparring elephants appeared from the bush. It was an unforgettable sound, the trumpeting, and clash of their tusks.

In the Flamingo Room of Tasha’s in Mandela Square, the server asked what we hadn’t seen yet in South Africa, but hoped to. I mentioned the Blue Train route from Pretoria to Capetown. “Oh, well, the Blue Train isn’t running at present because someone stole some of the tracks, so you’re not missing out on anything.”

Cheers to adventures ahead!

-Tracy