Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

Walter Sisulu is one of the gentleman who spear headed the African National Congress’s anti-Apartheid movement, a co-worker and close friend of Nelson Mandela’s. In Mandela’s autobiography they always seem to be at each others side. And so a Botanical Garden is named in his honor.

Cathy thought it would be a delightful outing for my day off and I assented because it sounded like a good time indeed. Problem: Cathy didn’t remember the way, and no one around here uses Google Maps (which may not work in South Africa, I’ll try it soon). The adventurous trip took two and a half hours and involved stopping for directions three times. The second time we stopped for directions at a gas station a committee of three employees eventually deferred to a customer who gave very specific directions with wild gestures and I watched from the car. But as I said, this was the second attempt at directions, and it required a third before we arrived.

The Gardens themselves were quite nice! There were indigenous plants from all over South Africa, an open veld (look it up) for a small concert venue, a “Hide” from whence to view birds, decent walking trails, a photogenic waterfall, and nesting Black Eagles by the waterfall. These are the prize of the Gardens, as indicated by the camera they’ve pointed at the eagles nest so it an be viewed by visitors as well as security. There are signs posted on the trails advising you not to disturb the eagles or else!

It is noteworthy that I felt right at home, as if I were at Enchanted Rock State Park in Texas on a cool day. The terrain is a couple hundred million years older, but it is still a comparable granite and the temperatures floated in the 60s and 70s. I was ready to start climbing, except for the posted fines. I decided Cathy did not need to get in trouble on my account.

Enjoy the pictures, look for the eagles’ nest to the left of the waterfall, the nests in the tree of some sort of bird, and Cathy sitting in the “Hide” – from which we saw zero birds, wrong time of day I guess, they must have been on U.S. time and sleeping in, or having a siesta.

As for the return trip, it took 40 minutes with the flow of traffic, and no wrong turns. We clarified our directions with another guest of the Gardens and left the way Cathy remembering coming on occasions past.