There’s a movie called ‘Blended’ with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore set in the Palace of the Lost City at Sun City. There are scenes with them dining in the restaurant at the bottom of a grand staircase that leads down from Reception; a huge space with an elephant fountain in the middle beneath a large, ornamental ceiling of panelled squares about 10 metres high. The walls are lined with decorative columns, resembling tall shoots of bamboo. The place is connected to the outdoor terraces through tall, open, extravagant window-doors that usher in the fresh air.
Breakfast is an elaborate affair. One could have oysters, various cereals, potato curry or other curries, a traditional cooked breakfast with eggs done in any way one could think of, all manner of sausages, including lamb, bacon, and grilled tomato. There was myriad fruit, and coffees and juices to wash it all down.
After breakfast, we face timed both our daughters, and headed outside for a swim in the pool. The pool is a fancy thing; its bottom is painted with the Sun King, and it is lined on one side with a children’s pool which has statues of African animals beside and in it, such as turtles and crocodiles. We relaxed on pool chairs beneath palm trees, swam, took photos, and enjoyed a cocktail. A lady came and massaged my back, neck and feet. Her hands were perfect. Among the deck chairs are two circular bars.
We went to Cascades Hotel down the road and had a bit of lunch. At 3pm, we were collected by the zip line people, who took us up the mountain that looks over the Palace from its south. I paid R600 (about $60 Australian) to do the zip line, while Jean paid R100 to watch. We ‘sliders’ were all strapped up for the flight down the mountain, while the spectators were driven away to the landing site. As we waited to fly down the line, we studied the landscape. Looking out into the vast expanse of territory that is the Province of North West, I could see about five platinum mines in various places. Two thirds of the world’s platinum is found here in South Africa. To our right, a mountain or two were major features on the landscape. Far away, a haze of ‘small’ mountains skirted a portion of the horizon.
We could see the landing site, roughly a mile away, outside of the 1,500 hectare complex of Sun City. The first couple of ‘sliders’ were harnessed to the zip line, a process which takes a few moments, and off they flew down the mountain, invariably to a scream or two. I followed their respective flights as long as I could – hurtling down above the trees of the mountain and onto the plains below. When each person before me took off, I could no longer follow their flight once they reached a certain strip of green on the landscape far below. Finally, I was the last person to fly. Having done it once in Wales and twice in ‘Vegas, I didn’t feel any fear. I took off, and was very impressed with the scenery as I flew into it and became a part of it, from a bird’s eye view. I peered in all directions quickly to absorb the moment, and the winds flapped me about, so I pushed my arms out to the side to stabilise myself. The scenery was impressive, and I was high up, but soon the plains below rushed up to meet me, and I came whizzing past the others, who sat on a spectator stand.
After the zip line people returned everyone to Sun City, Jean and I visited the maze. We got badly lost inside it, taking 17 minutes to reach the end, where we found a bar. Then, we visited the Bridge of Time, which is lined with African elephants, and surrounded by trees which house baboons who come out to raid the bins and scare some of the visitors while delighting photographers. Just down from the Bridge of Time is the Valley of the Waves, where the water hits the shore like the surf does at a beach. There are rides and slides in this area. We’ll visit tomorrow.
Last night, after our arrival, we’d visited the casino, where Jean lost some money on the Roulette table. This evening, we returned, and Jean won the money back. I’m currently enjoying a Windhoek beer, my favourite in South Africa – and Africa.
To the Drakensberg with Love 