Hope to see you soon

The Mara

2009-06-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya
June 9th, 2009

We entered the Mara early taking advantage of a 6:30 am game park opening time. Noticing the high number of lodge vehicles touring the park with long radio antenna (even though it is still low season) parked on a hillside we decided to investigate. This did not disappoint. There was a pride of lion snacking, actually more like feasting upon a buffalo carcass. We stayed here watching them with fascination as they pulled and tore the meat off the bones. Incredible.

Noticing our neighbours were slowly leaving we decided to follow them once more. This time we were led straight to a leopard lunging in a tree. The leopard was huge. We happily snapped away.

Again we saw that people were leaving and we decided they must be on route to cheetah because really what would you leave a leopard for. We were right. There were three cheetah. It was only 8:30. In two hours we saw eleven lion, a leopard and three cheetah. We stayed with the cheetah for awhile, seeing them lying down, sitting up and then going hunting.

At 9:00 we then headed towards the Mara river. This is the river that the wildebeest cross when they migrate from the Serengeti towards the grass here. This river is also home to many crocodile that supposedly eat only once a year- when the wildebeest cross. The river was stunning and we did see a massive crocodile along with some hippo.

After eating a huge lunch and enjoying the views at the Serena Lodge we made our way once more. We saw huge herds of giraffe numbering more than twenty in each, elephant, buffalo, gazelle and birds. We were also lucky enough to see another leopard and to later see an impala carcass in a tree- the leopard unfortunately wasn’t there any longer but it was impressive to see the carcass nonetheless.

Hell’s Gate

2009-06-20T02:17:00.000-07:00

Near Lake Naivasha, Kenya
June 7th, 2009

I suppose it would surprise you to know that our next stop was another National Park. This time we went to Hell’s Gate, the only National Park where you are allowed to hike and cycle due to the absence of lion, elephant and rhino. It’s a stunning park filled with rocky hills and areas to go mountain climbing. It’s quite hot and humid in the area and fairly dusty. Calling our inner Indiana Jones we sported our safari hats, rented some bikes and headed off in the morning ready for adventure.

As we cycled we spotted zebra, buffalo, gazelle, baboons, and giraffe. Heading in the direction of the Lower Gorge, we arrived about an hour later. After eating our picnic lunch we opted for a guide and made our way down. It was crazy walking through the gorge. In places we had to scale the side of the gorge inching our way along by sliding our feet and clinging on to whatever ledge we could. Other places we had to climb up two metres using a strategically placed branch (later we needed to descend in the same manner). It was brilliant though and we were able to access the natural hot water springs where in areas the water is boiling (locals actually bring eggs to the water to cook them). Apparently parts of Tomb Raider II were filmed here.

After our two hour trek we hopped back onto our bikes and decided to access the gate via a different route- the Buffalo circuit. Off we went. The path started off okay, fairly level and not too rocky. This did not continue sadly. For forty five minutes we ascended, every time we thought we finally reached the highest point another turn we prove we indeed had not. Channelling our inner Kii strength we kept going, when we finally reached the top we enjoyed free cycling down whilst admiring amazing views of the nearby lake.

The Pink Ladies

2009-06-20T02:16:00.000-07:00

Lake Nakuru, Kenya
June 5th, 2009

After some more R&R at a gorgeous campsite in Elderet we headed towards the famous National Park- Nakuru. This park is especially known for the volumes of flamingos which flock there due to the tremendous soda lake.(the park’s namesake). We were not disappointed. We saw thousands and thousands of them. It was amazing to see how they moved- in little groups no more than ten following a leader, moving tightly together and making sharp turns. The nice thing about the lake is that you can get out of your car close to the shore for those all important pics.

Besides the birds we also saw loads of Rhino. We saw two before heading up to a viewpoint and then proceeded to see another two- mother and child. By the end of the day we counted twenty six of them (twenty five white and one black). It was so nice to see the rhino close up and watch them graze completely unconcerned. Apparently Lake Nakuru has the highest concentration of rhino in East Africa parks with a total of 76 rhino, the Serengeti by comparison has only about ten and they are kept under armed guard due to the serious nature of poaching. Curious fact for you- a rhino’s horn is actually made up of hair. Completely unrelated but still interesting a hippo’s skin is four inches thick and bullet proof, and it’s skin can weigh up to a ton (the skin is 25% of its total weight).

We also saw huge, and I mean huge herds of buffalo, giraffe, zebra and buck. Most exciting though for me was seeing a Black and White Columbus monkey, two of them to be exact. These monkeys are endangered and to see them you often have to pay a guide and go on a primate trek without any guarantee that you will see them at all. They are very funny looking with long black and white patches and their little faces make them look like small old men. Very cute.

The Source of the Nile

2009-06-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

Jinja, Uganda
May 29th, 2009

Our last touristy stop in Uganda was the source of the Nile (well supposedly the source of the Nile- there are several claims to the fame). It’s an adventurer’s haven with bungee jumping, white water rafting, kayaking and more. The closest K and I came to major adventure was watching the white water rapids from the comfort of our campsite. It was a major veg-out for us with me reading books and K watching rugby. We did later explore the Bujaguli Falls which were stunning.

Inconsiderate Driving

2009-06-20T02:14:00.000-07:00

Kampala, Uganda
May 28th, 2009

Most of you have probably heard me brag about how proud I am of Karel’s driving, I’ve made statements to the extent of “Karel’s driving like a true African” where he navigates through traffic like locals without any obvious rules or regulations with confidence (thanks bulbar) and bullies through seemingly impossible traffic build-ups. Now imagine my surprise when we get stopped by a police officer for a ticket for none other than and I quote “inconsiderate driving”.

Let’s begin our story. Karel and I are driving back from enjoying a movie, at a cinema watching Angels and Demons which we both think is a much superior film to the Cyborg special we saw on route to Zanzibar. Anyways so we are driving along minding our own business following the GPS. No problems. Following along we reach a round about and slightly distracted we noticed we were about to go off on the wrong exit so Karel merged lanes and thus was slightly out of lane. Along comes one of the police officers supposedly “directing” traffic (although the only thing they direct are traffic jams!). Ok, not a problem. We unwind our windows. The officer asks us what we are doing. We say we are from out of town, new to Kampala and we got a bit mixed up with what turn off we needed to take. He tells us that what we are doing is inconsiderate. He then asks if he can come into the car to explain to us what we are doing wrong. Karel and I exchange looks. Next thing we now the police officer, who I should say is armed with an AK47, opens the car door by manually unlocking the door from the open window and climbs into the passenger sit. We are then informed that he is taking us to the police station.

As we aren’t new to Africa anymore and slightly unfazed I figure, now how can I get us out of this. I first started my strategy by trying to appeal to the fact that we’re foreign and weren’t sure what we were doing, surely this is some sort of misunderstanding and I am cared of not knowing what is happening. Many minutes pass and no luck. I then up the anti and bring on the tears. Still no luck. Karel then starts with a strategy of his own and asks what exactly is happening, are we under arrest because we need to let our embassies know what is happening. Karel also says at this point that we need to let the embassy know that the officer entered our car without permission. The police officer gets a little nervous at this stage. Bring on the grand finale…we are now quite close to the police station. Stopped at a light another officer notices that there is a police officer in a car with mazungas (whities) and wants to know what’s going on – just curiosity. This is the point where I unleash massive waterworks and between tears say that we were lost in Kampala and the officer stopped us, unlocked our door and got in, and we don’t know what’s happening, and we’re very scared, and he has a gun, and we’ve called our embassies, then cue major tears. The other police officer says something to the guy in our car, who responds by jumping out of our car. Alas ticket free we were safe to go home, mind you a ticket for inconsiderate driving would be the ultimate souvenir from Africa

Winnie's Winning Combination of Kew Gardens + Zoo*

2009-06-20T02:13:00.000-07:00

Murchison Falls, Uganda
May 24th & 25th, 2009

Our next stop was Murchison Falls, a National Park which was frequented by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Sir Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway. This of course was before the massive fighting occurred- the park is now in a period of regeneration. The main reason I especially was keen to go, was because of the boat safari you can do.

We spent the night of the 23rd just outside of the park gates at a camp site with a brilliant view of the river, and headed inside the next morning. Our first stop was to see the falls from a viewpoint. Off we drove seeing men with machetes cutting the grass in the ditches of the road. We arrived and made our way down a trail leading to the view. It was noting short of amazing. The waterfall has been described by some as the most exciting thing to happen to the Nile and it certainly earns that reputation. The roar of the falls was spectacular and the foam you could see below was stunning.

After we finished ogling the falls we made our way to the ferry port where we could take our cruise. At 2:00pm we boarded. Deciding we wanted to avoid the German tour group sitting below we climbed up a small staircase to the top deck. After standing for a few minutes I had a brainwave and thought we should get our camping chairs for ultimate comfort. Karel asked the park staff if he could quickly get something and off he ran to collect our chairs. Sure we looked like hill billies but we had the best seats in the house and had the feeling like we were the only ones on the boat.

The cruise was great. Along the way we saw buffalo, elephant and buck along with tons of hippo and some Nile crocodile. We also had great views of the falls and saw amazing amounts of foam beaded along the river.

The next morning we took a ferry over to the other side of the park where the highest concentration of wildlife live. It was stunning scenery with palm trees and lush grasses. We saw tons of buck,giraffe, elephant and buffalo. More interesting though, was seeing some fisherman who came across from the Congo. They were using simple netting and dhow boats. Karel and I spent time speculating on what their lives must be like on 'the other side' and what do they think about seeing white people or any people really in game vehicles taking photos. What a different world they must live in.

a.k.a. The “Pearl of Africa” as coined by Sir Winston Churchill himself upon visiting Murchison Falls which he described as Kew Gardens and the London zoo of infinite scale

Chasing Chimps

2009-06-20T02:10:00.000-07:00

Mabale National Park, Uganda
May 22nd, 2009

We arrived early at Mabale National Park, a park known for its vast numbers of primates, and headed to the Park Headquarters. Once there we enquired about the Chimp Habituation Experience (oh, yes every capital is needed- it's quite the experience). Essentially this experience involves making an early start at 6:00 am and tracking chimps in hopes of seeing them rise from their nests and following them throughout the day until they make their new nests for the night. Extremely excited we set up our camp and signed up for the next day's tour.

Arriving promptly at 6:00 am we met our guide, Austin, a man who has been tracking chimps in this rainforest for the past twenty years. He was a lovely man who led us on our epic journey. It was amazing to see a proper tracker in progress. Every little thing which we were essentially oblivious to was an important clue to where we needed to go. A few seeds here, a smell there and faint,an almost non-existent sound led us to four hours later finding the chimps. Apparently chimps spend 68% of their lives on-the-go scavenging and socializing, they even make new nests in trees every night.

After those four hours sweating in the humid forest, avoiding huge ants (not to worry our trousers were stylishly tucked into our trousers), walking through some steep inclines, and jumping over small river crossings we made it. High up in the canopy were a large family of chimps. We strained our necks for ages staring up at them, it was a Sistine chapel kind of moment- well except for the fact that the chimps frequently pee and spit out seeds and pieces of fruit! Luckily we weren't hit.

Sitting down and eating our lunch, Austin told us that soon the chimps will be coming down. We packed up our belongings and the chase began. It was amazing to watch the chimps navigate themselves down the tall trees with such ease, it was something like a fireman sliding down a pole. As soon as the chimps hit the ground (which they did in quick succession) they ran off. And so did we. The rest of the day was spent catching up with a small group and watching them either groom or eat. It was an exhausting and exhilarating experience as once the chimps were satisfied with whatever they were doing off they went deep into the thick forest and off we went stumbling along to find them.

Lake Kivu

2009-06-15T04:07:00.000-07:00

Rwanda
May 17th, 2009

After enjoying the gorillas and the Parc des Volcans we decided to go on the lake route (as recommended by Alex) and follow the eastern side of Lake Kivu. It was definitely worth it. Beautiful views of lush tea plantations on rolling hills were abundant. It was definitely a fairy tale atmosphere.

Meeting the Susas

2009-06-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

Parc des Volcans, Rwanda
May 16th, 2009

We were lucky enough to meet one of Rwanda’s most prestigious families- the Susas. The Susas first came to fame thanks to Dian Fossey who originally habituated them several decades ago. This family is the largest of the gorilla families in East Africa and has 40 members. It is also the only family to have successfully raised twins (usually at least one twin dies).

In order to meet them you have to hike in the forest alongside a guide and tracker. You also have armed guards. We were told that these guards were in case we met some buffalo along the way leading Karel to ask “Does that make them Buffalo Soldiers?” – no one got the joke. As it is bamboo shoot season the gorillas head to the lower part of the mountain so luckily we didn’t have to trek very long before we reached the family as it’s very humid and steep in the forest.

Two hours of walking later we spotted them. It was nothing short of amazing. The first one we saw was still in his nest on the tree top and as we rounded the corner we spotted four more. It was brilliant. There were two younger gorillas that were super curious about us. For health and safety reasons (I know health and safety in Africa?) we weren’t allowed to touch or let the gorillas touch us. We share 70% of our make-up with gorillas and apparently that means any disease is contagious, although it can manifest with different symptoms. Anyways these two small gorillas kept creeping closer and closer so our guide had to keep shooing them away by moving branches to scare them off. The curiosity behind those gorillas’ eyes was intense.

We trekked another hundred metres and came across the rest of the group. It was brilliant timing as they were having their ‘social time’. Everyone was on the ground. We saw the gorillas eating, grooming each other, playing with each other, banging their chests- it was amazing.

15 Year Anniversary

2009-06-15T02:13:00.000-07:00

Remembering the Genocide
Genocide Memorial Centre, Kigali May 14th, 2009
Technical College Memorial, near Butatare, May 17th, 2009

We entered Rwanda not knowing much about the horrors which took place in 1994. Typically Western maybe, or perhaps just naïve we were only just aware that there was a genocide. They say knowledge is power, but sometimes it feels like a burden. Past mistakes weigh heavily on guilty western conscience. Starting at the Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali we started reliving the sickening events. Historically there were always tensions between the Hutus and the Tutsis, however this tension escalated due to Belgian colonialism. In efforts to control the colony, the Belgians decided to divide the region placing strong emphasis on the differences between the groups of people including measuring physical differences in nose shape and making people carry status relating identity cards indicating belonging to either group. They then ‘rewarded’ the minority population, the Tutsis by giving them all positions of power and declaring them to be superior. Time passed, the country gained independence, a more balanced population gained positions of power (both Hutu and Tutsi), but hatred grew.

Plans emerged, sickening detailed plans. The UN had a small presence in the country at this time including Romeo Dallaire and ten Belgian soliders (Beligan was the only western country to offer soliders). Romeo Dallaire received information that an organized genocide which was going to take place from an informant. He repeated sent word to New York UN headquarters only to be ignored. Days later the plans took shape. A helicopter was shot down carrying the Rwandan Prime Minister and the Burundi Prime Minister. The Hutu faction took control of radio and t.v. stations beginning a propaganda campaign blaming first the Belgians for this event and later the Tutsis. The ten UN Belgian soldiers were killed and mutilated beyond recognition- so much so that when Dallaire saw the bodies he thought there were eleven men not ten. The UN was then unwilling to send any additional troops and Dallaire was left. He gained a force of Ugandan troops and began his battle to end the genocide.

The facts which remain are disturbing. The amount of soldiers used to evacuate the western population would have been enough to prevent the genocide from occurring. A French bank funded the Hutu weapons. Churches where people fled to for safety were often locked and set alight- sometimes the Minister himself would alert the Hutu to kill his congregation. Innocent people fled to the hills where they would fight against machine guns by using sticks and stones. Women were systematically raped by known HIV positive men. Children were killed in front of their parents. Neighbours killed neighbours. In three months over 900,000 people died. The death toll is greater than that though, as the killing continued in refugee camps along with other killers such as cholera (killed 1.2 million) and estimates are as high as four million people died as a result.

In times of travesty true heroes emerge. We read stories of individual rising above and helping the victims. One man dug out a trench in his yard and had 19 people live there. Over the trench he put planks and dirt and planted sweet potatoes to disguise what he was doing. A woman who was known in her local area as being a witch doctor housed people in a shed in her garden. When demanded by rebels to open it, she told them if they did terrible things would happen to them. Luckily they believed her.

Besides the information we learned at the Memorial Centre we went to a Technical College Memorial site. During the genocide Tutsis were told that they would be protected if they came here. Thousands fled here. They were held here for two weeks without any food and water. Then they were systematically killed. 50,000 people died there- men, women, children and babies. They were then buried in shallow graves. After the genocide the mass graves were excavated. Many of the bodies were cast in lime and are thus preserved so one can see them. The sadness and horror Karel and I were able to witness first hand was powerful. We were taken to see volumes of bodies in room after room until we could stomach no more. They were small bodies which are just bones now, some wearing clothing, some missing limbs which were macheted off, some with crushed skulls, I could go on. We both felt the sensation of wanting to be sick. The smell and stuffiness was thick- even though the rooms were ventilated. Conflicts were between wanting to see and wanting to avoid seeing. The corpses were so fragile, so vulnerable that I wanted to pick them up, cradle the bodies and rock them like a small child.

It is now the 15th anniversary of the genocide and the country is working hard at building relations and a status of being Rwandan- there are no longer Hutu and Tutsi. It may seem like the violence is over- and it may be in Rwanda- but it’s not. During the genocide the French provided safe passage for Hutu rebels into the Congo where the murdering and raping continues- we might not hear about it in the UK, Canada or elsewhere but its happening. Yesterday on BBC Africa we heard that remote villages in the DRC on the eastern side of Lake Kivu (which also borders Rwanda) were being burnt. Woman raped. Limbs cut off- arms, legs, breasts. The UN is present in the DRC, but is not currently in access of this region. Let’s put pressure on them and not have another empty promise of “never again”.

We Aren’t in Kansas Anymore

2009-06-15T01:53:00.000-07:00

Kigali, Rwanda
May 10th, 2009

We arrived in Rwanda a bit unsure of what to expect. The country’s international reputation is shadowed by the events of 1994. What we weren’t expecting was the modernization of the capital. We’re talking traffic lights, working traffic lights. We’re talking motorcycle taxis where the drivers wear helmets (!) and there is a spare helmet for the passenger. We’re talking coffee, proper café latte coffee with croissants! And dairy products- not just Blue Band solid vegetable oil (which apparently even flies avoid) but butter, sweet salted butter with fresh baguettes! And did I mention high-speed internet. Needless to say Karel and I were extremely comfortable and loved our stay. We quickly became locals at our favourite spots (bakeries, restaurants, coffee shops, internet café, and forex). In addition to these comforts, the beauty of the city comes from its multiculturalism. Locals outnumber foreigners in atypical or non-traditional African activities, if I can call it that. Rwandans love going out and having espressos, eating at posh coffee shops and surfing the net. It was fantastic to be a minority when enjoying these things.

Sweet Sixteen Plus Thirteen- My 29th Birthday

2009-05-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
May 7&8th, 2009

After the previous days excitement of Ngorongoro Crater and rekindling our love of the bush we were extremely excited to go to the Serengeti. The beauty of the park is incredible and we had a fantastic two days. Serengeti translates as ‘the plains’ in Swahili and proved to be so. The plains are mainly made up of short pale yellow and green grass with the occasional shrub, but change to more heavily bushed areas with thorn and acacia trees where elephant and giraffe frequent. The landscape is extremely conducive to game spotting and we were once again lucky in our sightings. Our timing was near as perfect as one can get as the wildebeest were making their way from the central Serengeti where we were towards the west.

I don’t know how many wildebeest we saw but it was surely in the hundreds of thousands. At the heaviest of our sightings we spent ten kms in the thick of them, seeing them as far as the eye can see. It was incredible. The fresh smell mixed between fresh air and manure and the sound mixed between a donkey and a sheep. Along with the wildebeest we also saw hundreds of zebra tagging along for the ride. It was impossible to capture on film what we witnessed, but we sure tried (translation- hundreds of photos).

Along with all the prey come the predators. And boy did we see plenty. We saw several groups of lioness lounging about in the sun, cubs hidden from predators on the top of rocks, lions lying in the shade, lions lying in the grass and our favourite- lions lying in a tree. We also got to see a group of five cheetah sunning themselves on a group of rocks.

Besides the wonderful wildlife we enjoyed the comforts of a lodge celebrating my birthday in style. Thanks to my parents. It was full board so we ate brilliantly, sipped G&Ts, and again enjoyed the comforts of hot water. Africa is heaven.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight*

2009-05-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania
May 5th, 2009

The world famous Ngorongoro Crater was our next destination. Hearing so much about it we were curious what we would see. We arrived at the park around ten and paid our hefty park and vehicle fees and crossed our fingers that it would be worthwhile. It didn’t disappoint. Driving through the park towards the crater we admired the stunning views and beautiful thick green vegetation. It was also striking seeing so many people walking about either with cattle or goats or just walking. We almost wanted to stop and say “you know there’s lion out there right?” but we didn’t.

We went to the park office and picked up our mandatory guide, Daniel who turned out to be a delight. His English was fantastic as was his knowledge surrounding the park. Driving down the steep descent into the crater we were glad the brakes were working well.

The crater itself was stunning. Absolutely stunning. Views of grayish and red soil with faded green grass and pale green bushes were beautiful. The wildlife sightings were equally impressive. We saw a male lion drinking at a water hole, loads of elephant in the distance, a black rhino, tons of zebra, impala, gazelle, hippo and a huge amount of birds- including a kite who wanted to share my lunch and several hundred pink flamingos. All in all we spent about seven hours in the crater.

That night we camped at the only public campsite in the conservation area- called Simba (which is Swahili for lion). We set up our camp, did our laundry, enjoyed a cuppa and went to bed. In the middle of the night I woke up after hearing a roar. I knew it was a lion. I woke up Karel. There’s a lion I said. Karel thought it was just baboons. We heard it again and got the torch. Opening the tent window we shone the light. Five metres away from our tent was a lion. Amazing. I love the bush.

*actually we slept, he roared

Climbing Killer Hill*

2009-05-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Mount Kilimanjaro
Near Moshi, Tanzania
April 27th, 2009

Do we or don’t we. It was a big debate for me rather than Karel as I am the one who reads the guidebooks religiously and likes researching the goings on and the possibilities of goings on. The books were truthful saying not to “underestimate” the mountain and “be prepared mentally” for the challenge. I must say I was torn. Enamored with the thoughts of climbing but hindered by the warnings of caution. Then in Zanzibar we met Chris and Christine, a fun couple who had just climbed the mountain. It was tough they said but amazing. They also passed on the details and phone number of the guide they had who was brilliant. Sold. We were sold.

We arrived in Moshi and called the number requesting to speak with John. Meeting John at The Coffee Shop we discussed details. The Machame route – the whiskey route would be our path and Monday we would start our six day five night epic climb. He arranged to meet us the next day to get equipment – tents, warm down jackets, warmer sleeping bags, ponchos, you name it. Kitted out we then helped by driving John and his right hand man and brother-in-law Alex to the market to pick up all of the things we needed. We were invited back to John’s house for lunch and were led into a lovely living room with a lace covered blue couch and large poster of a young Bob Marley. Toasting our upcoming journey over Fantas and Cokes, we ate a delicious lunch of a coconut milk based stew with cooked bananas.

The next day, slightly nervous we made our way in a mini-van with crushed orange velvet seat covers towards the Machame gate. Our ponchos were a must have item as the rains certainly came down. The first day of hiking was easy with a slow and steady ascent. Following our guide John we carefully made our way through the rainforest admiring the many beautiful mountain flowers. We also made many pee stops as we drank the recommended four to five litres per day of water. The porters didn’t move as slowly as we, instead they steamed along sharing the weight of the food stuffs and equipment between their backs and their heads. Once we arrived at camp we had the pleasant surprise of having a bowl of hot water ready for us to wash our hands and faces, and the even more pleasant surprise of having a tent lined with a red and black checked cloth, lit by a candle and filled with every hot drink mix imaginable along with a thermos of boiling water. We ate well enjoying spaghetti with a beef sauce and fresh fruits. Alex was our cook and what a cook he was. After eating we peacefully feel asleep at Machame Camp.

Day two was more difficult. It was a short climb of three hours but it was extremely steep. We went slowly taking one step, then another in slow motion. The scenery changed from rainforest to a mossy coated forest. Again it was stunning. We stopped frequently and admired the views. The last hour of the hike Karel and I got drenched. It really poured and the poncho didn’t quite earn its keep. When we at last arrived at our camp, Shira Camp, we spent the majority of the day in our tent avoiding the rain and doing our level best to dry our shoes and clothes. Karel had a slight headache due to the altitude but luckily a few tablets later was fine.

Thankfully day three was sunny. Our shoes dried quickly along with our clothes. We had a longer day of hiking- about seven hours. This time it was proper mountain climbing with some scrambling up bits of hardened lava. The scenery change this time moved towards a rocky and barren landscape. Karel’s headache worsened and by lunch he was really struggling. We switched bags as I was feeling strong and had the unusual occurrence of an increase in appetite, which is highly unusual given normal altitude adjustments. Karel downed another couple of headache pills and had a nap once we reached Barranco Camp. He was feeling better by dinner and I made Karel eat as his appetite was affected.

On day four we were speaking to a French couple about the trek and talking about altitude sickness. The woman who is a neurologist said she had some mountain sickness tablets and would give us some. Karel eagerly took them and downed them along with additional headache tablets. He was told to take some now, and then some later that night when we would wake up to make our final ascent. The day was taken up by two three hour hikes. Slowly and steadily we made our way, happy to have a rain free day. The landscape continued to be rocky. We arrived at Barafu Camp at four in the afternoon and had a quick nap. Waking for dinner at six we ate quickly and went to bed for a restful four hours sleep as we needed to wake at eleven to begin our final ascent.

Day five was long. Really long. We woke at eleven, dressed in several layers and had our head torches ready. We began our ascent at eleven thirty. A six hour ascent. Uphill all the way. On four hour sleep. The first few hours went quickly enough but the last two hours for me were killer. I don’t know what was worse the pain in each step or that fact that I had Madonna’s “Time goes by so slowly” in my head- actually it wasn’t even the whole song just that line on repeat. We reached the top. We saw the glaciers. It was heaven. One of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever been lucky enough to witness. We snapped photos until we could no longer feel our hands as they were frozen with cold (we have several blurry photos as a result). Sadly the saying what comes up must come down also applies to people who have climbed a mountain. And so down we went. It was a three hour descent. I’m not sure what happened to me, I was doing so well climbing up not feeling sick but on the descent I felt totally out of it. Karel was doing fine thanks to the tablets, but he said I looked so vacant. I don’t fully remember the descent I just know I was out of it and struggling to move. John and Alex helped me down and we went very quickly. Once we were back at our camp I was feeling 100% again. We had a two hour nap followed by a soup lunch and then continued our descent. Another four hours downhill. Each step was difficult as the route was extremely steep. Essentially day five consisted of walking for thirteen hours out of sixteen. We reached camp enjoyed an African stew and feel peacefully asleep trying to block the next day’s walking from our minds.

Day six I was back to feeling totally energized and enjoying the descent through the rainforest. Karel was feeling the pain. It was only a two and a half hour walk down to the gate. Upon our arrival we received certificates for reaching the Uhuru peak at just over 5896 metres. I think we’ll frame them. Once we arrived back at the car, we decided that we deserved a hotel. In fact the idea of having a bath kept me going for most of day five and it turns out Karel was thinking the same. We checked into the Impala hotel for two nights where Karel enjoyed the rugby and I had a bath for three hours. It was our second taste of Heaven that week.

* A slightly different Killer Hill than the one in Saskatchewan hey dad

Overheard at the immigration counter in Zanzibar

2009-05-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

A tiny vignette I hope you enjoy as much as we did (and still do)

As overheard at the immigration counter in Zanzibar:

Immigration officer: “What profession are you?”

Young adult: “Do you want my profession here, or at home? Here I’m a teacher. At home I’m a cleaning lady.”

Beach or Bust

2009-05-12T08:04:00.001-07:00

Nungwi, Zanzibar
Tanzania
April 21st, 2009

The next stop on our tour of Zanzi was Nungwi, one of the northern beach spots. We headed there using a daladahi (a public bus which is really more like a minibus). It cost next to nothing for the one and a half hour trip and was quite an experience. The speed limit postings were for 30kms/hr and we spent most of the time 100kms/hr. It was a mix of incredible speed for an aging vehicle and a liberal use of braking to pick up passengers along the way. At some stages we had twenty six people in a space which comfortably would seat twelve.

Arriving at our stop at the end of the line we picked up our bags and headed towards the beach. Unsure of where to stay we ended up asking each hotel and guesthouse their prices. Again low season played into our favor and we scored a clean but decaying hotel room for $30 a night including breakfast- the same price as the decaying and dusty backpackers a few doors down.

The beach was amazing and Mozambique like in status with warm clear aqua waters and fine white sandy beaches. We spent our afternoons there and evenings admiring the ocean views, sipping delicious G&Ts (which we never drank before, but somehow in Africa they just make sense) and eating pizza (a mini-holiday from African cuisine).

We spent our last day in the North on a snorkeling trip to a protected marine area. The boat ride was smooth on the dhow and we saw several groups of flying fish. The snorkeling itself was brilliant too and had all the requirements of a healthy coral reef life. We saw starfish, barracuda, eel, trumpet fish, paper fish, several cleaning stations and feeding stations, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and more. After snorkeling for over an hour and enjoying the gentle rain whilst we were in the water we headed to a nearby beach for lunch. Treated to freshly caught grilled fish and beautifully steamed rice we were very content with our trip.

An Arab Venetian Wonderland

2009-05-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Zanzibar, Tanzania
April 18th, 2009

Hearing mixed reviews of Zanzibar (“highlight of our trip” and “too touristy”) we made our way to see for ourselves what it would be like. We took a luxurious ferry, especially when compared to the Ilala of Malawi, but paid a luxurious price of $140 return for the two of us. The ferry was smooth sailing, air conditioned and comfortable. I slept and Karel watched a pirated movie about Cyborgs trying to take over the world (yes it was as good as you imagine it could be). I woke up just in time to see the end of the movie (don’t worry the humans won) and a few episodes of Mr. Bean.

We arrived in good time, around noon and started to make our way to a friend’s recommend of St. Monica’s guest house. Unfortunately we picked up along the way a tout and it took the best part of an hour to get rid of him. There were a few touts about on the island and we learnt that the only way to avoid having them following you was to completely blank them. A bit uncomfortable to do in the beginning as it feels so rude but we quickly adjusted and enjoyed our free status.

We found St. Monica’s and booked a room. It’s a beautiful place to stay, on the budget end of things but extremely clean and supporting a good cause. The church itself was built on the former slave market and gives tours of the slave chambers where slaves were kept for three or four days without food and water awaiting market day. Market day would involve the slave being tied to a tree post and whipped so that buyers could see the strength of their potential purchase. East Africa’s slaves were sent to Persia, Arab nations and Madagascar. These slaves were separated by sex. The females were essentially added to harems and the males were castrated and used for work thus having a very different history to those in Europe and America where those slaves were encouraged to procreate as more slaves meant more laborers.

Our days in Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar were spent wandering around the narrow alleyways and getting deliciously lost admiring the beautifully carved doors, hearing children running and laughing and enjoying the men drinking their strong coffee. It really was heaven, especially as April is extremely out of season and the number of Muzungas (whites) is so low. We loved eating in local restaurants and tasting all the traditional dishes and going for our tea and cake at the church café. We also spent one day on a Spice Tour seeing the array of spices grown from the vanilla which is hand pollinated, to the nutmeg, lemongrass, cloves and more. It was brilliant fun and we met some great people.

Welcome to Dar Es Salaam

2009-05-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Tanzania
April 17th, 2009

We arrived in good time into the city of Dar. Or so we thought. It was late morning, around 11am on Friday so we presumed we would be able to navigate the city with relative ease. A lesson my friend, presume nothing when in Africa. It took over an hour of maneuvering before reaching our destination- the Sudanese embassy in hopes of acquiring some much sought after information. After parking the car on the pavement we headed inside, following a security guard. We were delivered to what we assumed was a waiting room- a room with lovely burgundy sofas and two other gentlemen sitting down. So we sat. It turns out we weren’t in the waiting room but rather in the company of the officials themselves. We chatted with the gentlemen and discovered what we needed to know.

Glancing at our watches and feeling our stomachs rolling the next stop had to be lunch. We stopped at a busy local café and ate brilliantly while politely declining the offers of watches, sunglasses, pirated DVDs and other bargains. Once finished we jumped back into the car and headed towards Mikadi Beach, our camping spot for the night. Driving along in busy traffic once more, we stopped at a light. Waiting in traffic a young man, a street child grown up, walked past our car. We thought nothing of it. Suddenly he ran back and with tremendous speed and technique he ripped our left side mirror completely off. It took less than thirty seconds. WTF!!! I know. We were completely stunned. I jumped out of the car first but couldn’t see the guy, then Karel jumped out. It was complete reaction no thought process at all. Luckily we were fine and so was the car, besides the mirror.

Deciding we needed to pit stop at Toyota to find a replacement mirror was our next move. No luck. It would take six weeks to order. The manager kindly told us this sort of crime happens all the time. He also said he would try to call around the black market and see if he could get our mirror back for us. No luck. Unfortunately for us, we need the side mirror as we don’t have a rear view mirror due to the steel plate in the car. Driving towards the campsite we decided we would deal with everything once we got back from Zanzibar.

April 24th, 2009

Armed with directions from ex-pats (behind Shoprite there’s a place, look for Shama’s), our point-it picture book and our Swahili phrasebook we set off. We found the place with relative ease. Karel parked and jumped out beginning the search. Finding it difficult due to language barriers we changed our strategy and took a picture of the missing mirror (got to love the digital age). Quickly thereafter we found a place that could help. They said they had another mirror at a different shop and would get it for us. Only fifteen minutes they said. In reality it took about half an hour, but they did return with a mirror that fit. It wasn’t exactly the frost free heated luxury mirror of former, but it did the trick. Whether it was a stolen to order we’ll never know. What we do have now is a strategy- the mirrors have our license number in tip-ex/white-out on them, are double cable tied and in every major town we go through I ensure that I have the Tabbard bug spray handy so if anyone loiters around the car they’ll be sprayed. Watch out F@%$ers!

Swahili for Beginners

2009-05-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

Iringa, Tanzania
April 14th, 2009

Entering the border at Tanzania proved to be an expensive experience with the two of us shelling out $50US each for visas and an additional $25 for the car. Once we crossed the border and were driving along the road we were struck by how beautiful the country is. The south has an amazing landscape with thick deep green leafy trees and bushes and rolling hills. Admiring the luscious views we worked our way towards the Old Farm an infamous campsite near Iringa known for its amazing culinary delights. We arrived as it was dark, set up our tent and fell fast asleep.

In the morning we woke up and organized for breakfast. We may have missed the famous dinner but wanted at least a sample. On route to breakfast we met the owner, an amazing woman named Nicky. She brilliantly runs the camping and lodging and manages the farm and has a staff of over 300. After asking a few questions, we decided to stop at the Toyota dealership in Iringa rather than Dar Es Salaam for a few things we needed to get done on the car.

After enjoying our breakfast of fresh bread, eggs, yoghurt, fresh fruit and fantastic coffee we made our way in to town. Finding the Toyota dealership proved to be dead easy given the instructions we received from Nicky. Unfortunately the car couldn’t be looked at that same day and instead we booked an appointment for the following day. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the market and struck by how different Tanzania is from Southern Africa. We were experiencing our first communication complications and stuck easy language had been until now. Stopping for a quick lunch in the market of mostly rice and a few pieces of meat (which actually couldn’t be cut and had to be swallowed whole) we chatted happily as best as we could to the woman running the restaurant who in return for conversation gave us some more lumps of meat (joy!). Following our lunch we went for a Pepsi, yep Pepsi not Coke (we were super surprised). Over our Pepsi we spoke to the owner who taught us our first Swahili. He was a lovely man, very patient and kind and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with us. It was wonderful speaking to a person so proud of their culture and so anxious to share it.

Livingstonia

2009-05-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Malawi
April 12th, 2009

Bidding a rainy farewell from Nkota Bay, we headed further North to Livingstonia. Adding an extra couple to Nessie’s load, Alex and Veera- friends from Chizzy, we made our happy way. The company was great and the drive wasn’t too long, but the last section of the road was extremely steep. This particular section of road had been shut the previous week due to rains and mud slide, but was fine now- well drivable anyways. We set up camp at the Mushroom Farm (a few kms short of Livingstonia) and admired the views of the hills and lake below while enjoying a G&T. I do mean a G&T – there was a whole bottle of gin but only one tonic, we had to make due with soda which worked rather well as the four of us polished off the bottle quite nicely.

The next morning we headed up the final few kms to Livingstonia. Arriving we drove straight to the church, which is the main attraction of the town. Climbing out of the car we headed for the wooden doors. Locked. What? Yes it was locked. Not people to give up we decided to try and find the vicar to open the church for us. The vicar it seems was away in South Africa for a Sunday School meeting. However we did enjoy a tour of the cathedral (set up specifically in a Malaria free area) given by the vicar’s son of twelve. The tour consisted of a pointed out impressive stained glass window, a tour up steep and rackety steeps past the church bell and on to the roof of the church for lovely views, and the back room of the church where meetings are held.

Satisfied with our tour we wandered around town. Feeling hungry we asked two people sitting on the steps of the town department of antiquities (yes I know) where we could eat. They told us we could eat there. Deciding to be forward thinking we thought it best if we ordered our lunch then, so we could wander as meals often take about an hour to prepare. No problems. Order taken and we happily continued to explore. An hour later we returned and waited an additional half an hour. At last the meal was ready. Unfortunately it just wasn’t the meal we ordered. No beef stew only fried chicken- but fried chicken African style with maybe three bites of meat on the poor roadrunners wing. No fair.  Our next stop was to find a bottle shop where we stocked up on beers and an interesting bottle of gin with an illustrated label consisting of a man without hands eating you guessed it, fried chicken.

The final destination of the day was to see the waterfalls nearby. Not exactly sure where to go, we heard some children shouting ‘waterfall’ and stopped. Parking the car we had another tour, this time led by four boys aged 10. Quite cute they led us to the first waterfall, and then to the second. On route to the second though, they decided it was too dangerous but only after we jump crossed some water and navigated some slippery mud. All in all it was a fun couple of days, and we enjoyed your company so much A&V. Thanks for the good times.

All Aboard, Next Stop – Paradise

2009-05-12T03:42:00.000-07:00

Cruising the Ilala
Nkota Bay, Malawi
April 5th, 2009

After visiting several of Lake Malawi hotspots (Cape MacClear and Kande Beach) we decided to continue to follow the lake and enjoy the islands. Once a week on Monday, there is a public ferry which departs from Nkota Bay at 8pm and makes its way towards the islands of Chizimulu and Likoma. We decided that on this particular Monday we would be on it. Upon hearing the ferry horn blow and announcing its arrival, we grabbed our backpacks and walked down towards it.

We bought our tickets and then climbed aboard the white ship up a steep wooden plank, which has seen better days. Standing on deck we had a fascinating time people watching. Every possible person you could imagine climbed on board, carrying with them every imaginable item from bananas to TVs to bread rolls to mattresses to boats to well you get the picture. There was a very Titanic feel to the whole thing.

Deciding to get something to eat we entered the ship’s restaurant. The beef stew was nice, but the cockroaches running around were not. With a TV present in the restaurant Karel was hopeful for a DVD especially as there was a Wesley Snipes Chinese illegal pirated collection, but alas it wasn’t to happen. Wandering on the top deck and using our backpacks as pillows we slept for a couple of hours.

At midnight the ferry horn blasted and we gathered our things and were amazed to see the two lifeboats being lowered down. The chaos which followed would have been entertaining if it wasn’t so confusing. Luckily the owner of the backpackers on the first island affectionately known as Chizzy was on board and told us what to do. After several boats left we headed downstairs and navigated ourselves through thick crowds and got on board. One five minute boat trip later and we arrived- paradise.

We spent three nights at Chizzy in a fantastic backpackers, Wakky Retreat, and enjoyed swimming in beautiful waters, snorkeling and wandering around the island. Wanting to visit the other island, Likoma, we took a fishing boat across the waters. Another interesting experience to stay the least. It was a short trip, only about two hours in length, but extremely long in terms of the current and sea sickness feeling factor. However once we arrived all was forgotten. Likoma was much like Chizzy, except the beaches are sandy and the island is bigger. There is also an incredible Cathedral there, the beauty of which was an unexpected surprise. A big recommend if you’re in Malawi.

Unexpected Kindness

2009-05-12T03:39:00.000-07:00

Meeting Ernesto, his family and the Head Mistress
Near Cape MacClear, Malawi
March 29th, 2009

We cleared the Zambian and Malawian borders easily mid-day and started driving towards our first destination in Malawi- Cape MacClear on the famous Lake Malawi. It was a long day spent driving in shifts and darkness approached sooner than either of us expected. With the huge population of Malawi and the villages built next to the roadside, as dusk approached we knew we needed to find a place to stay for the night. Soon after we decided we needed to find a place to stay we saw a sign for a school.

Pulling off the main road onto the school grounds we asked a man if it would be alright to stay there for the night. He told us we should ask the Head Mistress and guided us towards her house. I spoke with the Head Mistress and she said it would be fine, but she needed to speak with the others- the others being another well respected teacher Ernesto. All was cleared, we met Ernesto and were told to camp right next to the house.

We unpacked our tent surrounded by a host of children and various adults. Ernesto then invited us into his house. Bringing a flask of herbal tea we entered. We got the seat of honour sitting in comfort on a faded pink loveseat facing the household’s two televisions. The lovely Ernesto, our host, introduced us to his lovely wife and two children. It was an exciting night we were told, as Malawi was playing the Ivory Coast for a place in the World Cup! The atmosphere was incredible as we were surrounded by every person in the village- either camped out on the floor or peering through the house windows. The t.v. had extremely poor reception however and was mostly a series of black and white dots, but one could gather that the Ivory Coast were giants compared to the small Malawian footballers. It was almost painful to watch as in the first few seconds of the match Ivory Coast had already scored! There was a definite David vs Goliath feel to the whole thing.

The next morning we were woken by the school bell and packed our belongings up. Greeted by the Head Mistress, we were told that there was water for us to have a bath and we were thought very unusual indeed when we politely declined. Ernesto was also up, saying he hoped we had a good night’s rest and thanking us for staying with him. He then said he had something for us and went inside his house. Returning outside he presented a beautifully carved dhow (canoe). I was almost in tears thinking of how unexpectedly kind this man and his family are. Our words of thanks didn’t seem to match his actions of kindness. I can only hope that one day we might be able to return the same level of thoughtfulness to someone else.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatca Gonna Do When They Come From You

2009-05-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

Police Stop
Lusaka
March 28th, 2009

After a “restful” stay at ChaChaCha Backpackers (a complete hole- we don’t recommend to anyone) where Karel awoke to hear an ex-pat lovers quarrel (kissing followed by ‘no Murray, no, don’t hit him!’) we ran some errands around Lusaka. Once achieving our objective of obtaining our African yellow card for inclusive third party insurance for East Africa we headed for the hills. Unfortunately before we could successfully leave the city limits we were pulled over by a traditional built Beyonce haired (well not exactly as glamorous, actually it’s probably completely unfair to mention the two in the same sentence, perhaps a “badly wigged braided blonde and red haired extravaganza” is more appropriate) police woman.

We pulled off the main road to the appropriately directed position and waited to hear the news. There was a speed gun on the main road so needless to say I was thinking about what was coming. As we waited Karel was already in the pooper, another bloody speeding fine. The woman approached us and asked for Karel’s liscence and wrote down all our details. Handing over the documents she said something like “Did you know you were speeding? You were doing 72 in a 65 zone. What do you have to say for yourself?”. Karel responded by saying he wasn’t sure how fast he was going, which he didn’t. The police woman replied by saying that we have a fine of 540,000 Kwacha (about $100 US) payable now and that she has a receipt book. I said we don’t have that much money, that’s too much money to carry, and was wondering if I might be able to negotiate us out of this. She immediately dropped the fine to 270,000 Kwacha. Karel and I knew then that something didn’t add up. We said we didn’t have any money, but we would happily go to the police station and pay there. The police woman was stuck explaining that as she has the receipt book the police station wouldn’t be able to accept any money. She then asked us what money we had. Nothing we said. She looked us up and down, wandered around the car and told us we could go, but “next time carry more money, the next police officer won’t be as nice”.

Lord of the Flies

2009-05-12T02:45:00.000-07:00

Kafue National Park
Zambia
March 26th, 2009

Our next destination was Kafue, a National Park about 150kms from Victoria Falls. Following our trusted Tracks 4 Africa GPS, we made steady progress on potholed roads which then lead us to a very remote dirt road. We kept checking our route as this particular path was single lane and passed small village after small village. Yep, we were right on track. Steadily steaming along at about 20kms an hour we loved seeing what normal life would be for a rural Zambian. Small huts dotted the roadside along with cyclists. We saw a man riding his bicycle with a live chicken under his arm ready for dinner. We saw a young man with a homemade wooden guitar strumming along with his mates. And we saw loads of children running and playing eager to wave to us. Brilliant.

Time ticked on and we had to set up camp. Judging by the amount of traffic we encountered (none) we pitched the tent right on the road. Hearing the nearby villagers chatting along we wondered if we would have an audience. Inside the tent we planned our escape- waking up at five and packing up just before sunrise. Satisfied with our plans we settled in to reading our books. About half an hour later we heard two bicycles coming down the path. Looking at each other listening and unsure about what to do, we heard the bicycles stop suddenly and the two men chatting animatedly to each other most likely about their near miss of running straight into the back of the vehicle.

The next morning we followed our plan and packed up the tent promptly. High fiving our foresight we were well chuffed. Just before we left, two children came walking past. Expecting them to be interested in us we wondered what they would do. Well, they didn’t do much just walked past as if they see white people camping on their road everyday.

We entered the park early, at about seven in the morning. The scenery was beautiful with thick trees, tall elephant grass and leafy bushes. The most amazing thing was the lake in the park. It was stunning. Crystal clear blue water with huge boulders dotted along the shore set the tone for a peaceful afternoon lunch. We later discovered another part of the lake with dead trees patterning the water. Again it was beautiful. We set up camp there and enjoyed the sunset. Hearing hippos grunting as we slept was the perfect lullaby.

The most memorable moment for this trip was our introduction to the tshe fly. Mother f***er. The flies look peaceful enough, somewhat like a large housefly. The exception is though that they bite, and that bite hurts like hell. Anytime the window or door was open for even a minute they would flock in. Their entrance was followed by either Karel or I (whoever was in the passenger seat) stalking each and every one of them. We stopped counting at how many we killed after several hundred. The scary part about it is that once you have smashed one (sorry for the gory details but the satisfaction about killing one is immense) you see how much blood they have sucked from you.

Go to Africa- Become a Trillionaire*

2009-03-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Victoria Falls, Zambia
March 24th, 2009

Our first stop in Zambia was to one of the seven natural wonders of the world- Victoria Falls. We first saw the falls driving from the border post in the direction of Livingstone. The spray we saw was from over 30kms away. Amazing. Arriving in Livingstone we were struck by how untouristy the town is. Besides the addition of several craft stalls and some backpackers the town could pass for any other small African town – I mean there isn’t even a KFC (I know, crazy).

Seeing the falls in the flesh didn’t disappoint. The sound was of thunder, the spray was finer than rain, and the smell was of fresh dew. It is truly spectacular especially as we were lucky enough to see it during it’s finest. The Zambezi River levels are incredibly high at the moment and the famous Victoria Falls rapids are closed to rafting due to the water levels (and will mostly likely be closed until May/June).

Spending the better part of the day at the Falls we wandered around the different paths and admired the views. It was spectacular. And crossing the knife edge bridge was fantastic- walking a few metres we got completely soaked. I mean not just wet totally drenched. Fantastic.

*We also scanned the craft market and picked up a few of the Zimbabwe bills to become instant trillionaires!

Entering into the unknown

2009-03-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Zambia Border Crossing
March 22nd, 2009

Making our way to the Botawana/Zambia border crossing proved to be an experience we’ll never forget. Advised by several fellow travellers and some locals we followed instruction to pass the huge line of semi-trucks waiting for the small ferry, which carries one semi-truck, one vehicle and as many passengers as possible. What we weren’t prepared for though was the amount of trucks waiting to be loaded we counted more than 150 before we gave up. Incredible. These truck drivers set up camps doing their laundry and cooking. We guessed they would probably have to wait at least a week. If anyone has some money to invest may we suggest a toll bridge over the Zambezi.

Waiting for the ferry we were approached by a ton of entrepreneurs wanting to assist us. Assuring them we were fine wasn’t enough and the lovely Karel listened to one man’s business pitch, shall we say for at least twenty minutes. Catching the ferry however wasn’t the exciting point, which was only five minutes long and we luckily were able to catch the first one. What was really exciting was the Zambian immigration malarkey. It took us two hours- and we knew what we needed to do! First we cleared immigration and had our passports stamped for which I needed a $50 visa. Next we had to pay council tax ($3.50) which we paid with some leftover pula (Botswana currency). Second we had to pay for the ferry which was $20 (accepted in American currency). Then we needed to pay carbon tax (about $25) which we weren’t allowed to pay with American dollars. This meant we needed to exchange the money for Zambian currency. After the exchange we went back to pay the carbon tax. Lastly we needed to get third party insurance for the car ($30). All of this business was conducted in a random array of buildings some consisting of little more than a tin roof. One also had a man sleeping on a bench snoring loudly. If this is Africa- I love it.

Chobe

2009-03-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Botswana
March 21st, 2009

Our final stop in Botswana was to yet another one of her stunning National Parks. Due to wet conditions we were unable to drive to Chobe through Moremi and Savuti, and had to make a slight several hundred kilometre detour through Nata. What’s in Nata you ask? Well Nada. However it was well worth the detour.

Staying at Kasane we entered the national park gates promptly at six and were the first to arrive. The park had stillness to it and dawn was just beginning to rise. The only fresh tracks on the sandy roads were of animals not of wheels. Heaven. As we winded along the trail we saw a spotted hyena and some giraffe. The complete peacefulness wasn’t to last as it soon became apparent that we weren’t the only ones in the park. The pimp wagons, as Karel fondly refers to them (a.k.a. the game trucks), rolled in- in incredible number. They did prove useful though, as they were the first to spot lion. There were two lioness moving across the thick pale yellow grass into some bush. Luckily one of the lioness sat in a perfect viewing point and we happily watched her for thirty minutes whilst enjoying some peanut butter sammies.

Driving for the better part of the day we mostly enjoyed taking in the incredible scenery. The park is largely based around the Zambezi River, which flows powerfully this time of year (the wet season) and creates one of the seven natural wonders of the world also known as Victoria Falls. We were constantly amazing with how full the river is and how stunning it looks carrying with it large clumps of grass and wood.

We spotted some game during the day, but the really exciting viewings happened around 4pm when all of the animals started making their way to the river to drink. Navigating through a field of elephant was amazing. Literally hundreds of them were on the river banks, on the hillside and bathing in the river. In awe and just starting to process what we had just witnessed, we arrived in the mist of even more elephants. Especially amazing were the little ones. We think we saw around three hundred- three hundred in the space of an hour. Sheer magic. We were also lucky enough to see a huge herd of seventy plus buffalo grazing around and in the water.

p.s. Also had snake sightings four and five- both from the safety of our car. Four was a black mamba making it’s way very quickly across the road. Five was a boa who stopped in the middle of the road and we were able to take a quick snap before it raced into the thick bushes

Moremi

2009-03-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Botswana
March 18th & 19th, 2009

After several sunny and rain free days we decided to head to Moremi, a game park based in the Okavango Delta. Meeting up with another couple, Sarah and Michael (who had just travelled from the UK doing the same route we are in reverse order), we decided to brave the various rumours about the muddy and rainy conditions and see what Moremi was like in the flesh. Arriving early in the morning we entered the gate and weren’t exactly sure what we signed up for.

The beauty of the Delta was intense. Imagine scenes of tall grass coloured green and yellow, patches of water clear and shiny blue reflecting the sun, mopane, palm and dead lead trees scattered around sparsely, white tyre track roads and rickety bridges made of mopane. Now add to that picture herds of elephant with babies small enough to walk underneath them, giraffe contently eating leaves, hippos lounging in water, small crocodile soaking up sun, baboons cunningly getting fruit from trees and zebra munching grass.

The road conditions were, well, an adventure. Dry at times, muddy at times, sandy at times and swampy at times. Thanking our lucky stars to be in the company of another equipped vehicle with fantastic drivers we made our way through. Water washed over the bonnet at stages, mud was splashed about gritted by tyres, and sand was treaded through. Feeling braver with every obstacle successfully navigated we decided to make a curious crossing and got stuck. Mud was thrown every where and decorated the stirring wheel and windows. Thankfully our friends in their Land Rover (yep that’s right Cruiser fans) managed to easily pull us out. The next day however it was our turn to even the score and the rescues were tied one-one. Karel eager to use the winch tried it out. It managed to get the vehicle out safe and sound but unfortunately the winch was rolled out too far and the connector snapped. But don’t worry friends, the repair for the winch was 9 pula thanks to our friend Mike the Mechanic (not to be confused with the band).

The most memorable moment however came after our first day in the park. We arrived after a long day of driving and navigating at our campsite Xakanaxa. Braiing a gorgeous feast of meat and potatoes we sat around the fire exchanging stories, laughing and enjoying a cold beer. Just as the sausage was cooking, I went to retrieve a knife from our car. As I was opening the drawer, a huge thunderous sound was coming closer and closer. Turning I saw a huge cloud of dust filled with a huge black shadow, heard ‘oh my God’, noticed everyone running and heard broken glass. Jumping inside the car, the cloud of dust passed. Climbing out again, we realized that a spooked hippo just ran past our camp at speed. Karel had jumped on to the roof of the car, Michael inside the back of their car breaking a glass inside, and Sarah was hiding behind the car ladder. Luckily everyone was safe as the hippo sidestepped our camp as he saw our fire. With the adrenaline pumping we thanked our lucky stars and had a much needed drink.

N click ai Pan *

2009-03-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Botswana
March 14th & 15th, 2009

Waiting for the puddles to dry before heading North, we decided to go to the famous salt pans which are best seen this time of year as the animals from Makgadikgadi, a pan further south migrate north during the rainy season. Just over a hundred kms from Maun we made our way.

Our first stop was Baines Baobabs, a cluster of trees made famous by a painting made over a hundred years ago. It is stunningly set as it is essentially a tree island in the middle of a flat salty landscape. A definite must-see.

We then headed into the park where game viewing is enhanced by a barren landscape of low grass plains spotted with sparse trees. Numerous elephant were spotted happily munching away on some bushes and grass. A zebra was noticed having a huge gash on his rear looking distinctly like a claw slash nonchalantly snacking. Huge herds of springbok were seen lying on the grass. And amazingly a group of 26 giraffe were counted. These giraffe weren’t too shy and once they got used to the car they continued as if we weren’t even there. They showed us just how flexible they are as they bent down somewhat awkwardly and ate the grass. It was fantastic.

Our big adventure however came at 6:30pm, just as we were heading to set up camp before dark. We drove into a puddle and well, couldn’t drive out. Yikes we were stuck. Out came the shovels. Moving like crazy we shovelled and shovelled. Trying again to move we had no luck. More shovelling, a bit of deflating and some complicated navigating, we got out just as the sun was giving its final light.

Nxai Pan pronounced with a click for the x, yep one of those cool African languages – see if you can say it 

Moroko Trip

2009-03-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

Okavango Delta
March 13th, 2009

After reading countless guidebooks highly recommending a Moroko trip we decided we better give it a go. Various campsites and tour operators offered the trip in the dug-out canoe for prices ranging from 550 to 750 pula per person. Looking for a bargain if there was one we asked around town and Mike the Mechanic told us that next door to his workshop was the man who owned the boat station and he could maybe get us a deal. Enquiring next door the man told us that if we drove down to the Buffalo fence we could arrange our own tour for much less.

Guided by the trusty GPS we went on our way only vaguely knowing where to go as the ‘Buffalo fence’ didn’t feature we headed towards the river. One wrong road lead to a dead end with a massive puddle green with moss and home to many a duck. We turned around and tried another. The next road was sandy with a few muddy patches. Driving along we noticed a few people in small groups working. We waved to them, being friendly. Later we noticed a large building, a prison!, and found out that our new ‘friends’ were doing time. No wonder they looked at us a bit strangely.
Turning on to a final sandy road we met up with a village. Approached by several men, our trip was quickly arranged and we met Steven our guide. We walked towards the boat station where several mokoro boats were parked and were immediately in awe. Having no perception of what a mokoro would really be like, we were so pleasantly surprised. The boats were surrounded by thick green and yellow reeds, and amazing lily pads. We got into the boat and headed towards an island Madikubu, named after a female tortoise. It was so relaxing and peaceful floating along at a slow pace admiring the lilies and the flowers. We were also struck by how clear and clean the water was.

An hour and a half later we arrived at the island. The landscape was a curious mix of large trees, palms and tall grass. Walking along we saw some hippo. These were the largest hippo I think I’ve ever seen. One bull was not too happy about our presence and loudly grunted and rose out of the water to look at us. Feeling relieved to be on dry land we snapped a few photos before heading back to the boat.

It was one of the nicest experiences of my life – a slice of heaven I would say where the rest of the world melts away and a complete atmosphere of tranquillity takes over. And the icing on the cake was it was only 150 pula (24 dollars) for the two of us.

Central Kalahari

2009-03-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Botswana
March 7th & 8th

First on our list of must-sees was the Central Kalahari. After travelling on 40kms of sand roads we arrived at the office. Greeted by an empty office at the Matswere gate we signed ourselves in and were ready for adventure. The landscape was flat with sandy roads, green and yellow grass measuring ten to fifteen cm and small bluffs of trees. The birdlife was amazing and we had fantastic sightings of social quelea which moved from tree to tree by the hundreds, saw loads of guinea fowl who stubbornly refused to move from the road and one in particular who seemed to be training for a marathon of sorts, and loads of Kori Bustards. We also saw jackals on the trot looking for their next meal, gemsbok with babies, funny little ostrich babies which are basically fluffy ducks with poor balance (they run and keep falling over) and huge springbok herds.

We were also lucky enough to see some lions. Just beside one of the main roads a group of lions with two lioness and four cubs. They were sitting under the shade of a camel thorn tree enjoying their gemsbok kill. Quite relaxed we enjoyed their company several times. It was pretty amazing to see them eating, grooming and sleeping as their characteristics are so similar to house cats. We also spotted another group of lion with a male and two lioness.

With eagle-eye Stroebel we saw some cheetah at Piper Pan. There was a mother with two older cubs in the distance. They weren’t too interested in our company so sadly we didn’t spend too much time with them. We also saw some cheetah at Tau Pan and were lucky enough to be a lot closer to them. After snapping a few photos from a fifteen meter distance they quicky moved on.

Our best sighting on the trip was a leopard. Amazingly we were at the right place at the right time. The leopard crossed the road right in front of us and then it sat next to us behind a bush for a few minutes making eye contact with Karel. It was so special to be right next to the elusive cat until his curiosity of us was satisfied.

Maun

2009-03-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Botswana
March 5th- 20th , 2009

Heading for the Metropolitan of Maun we were pleasantly surprised. It has a small town atmosphere full of African beauty. The people are so lovely with complexions the perfect combination of black and reddish brown, easy smiles with glowing teeth full of laughter and always beautifully dressed with style alternating between traditional and western. The town has a completely safe feel absent from curious or watching eyes and feels so comfortable.

Exploring the centre we became regulars for the beef stew at the local taxi rank take away restaurant. Fourteen pula (two dollars) would fill us with a gorgeous melt in your mouth stew and fat cakes, a non-sweetened savoury doughnut (perfect for Canadians and so similar to Tannie Bessie’s vetkoek- of course not quite as good). For two pula fifty (fifty cents) we enjoyed numerous meat pies which were essentially a large fat cake filled with a gravy based mince. Gorgeous. We quickly became addicts and for several days lived almost entirely off them. The stalls were interesting too with containers of spice sold by the cup, a second hand shoe store selling high-top trainers which funnily enough are the latest style in London with the 80’s revamp fashions, and several seamstresses repairing and sewing new creations.

We used this easy going city for our base, going in and out of the unbelievably wonderful National Parks. The parks office also became another one of our hangouts. Laughing with the easy going and incredibly friendly parks office staff was one of our favourite things to do. Hearing about where is best to stay, joking about the rain and mud (‘you came for adventure’), and asking about the staff members was fantastic (one woman especially loved Karel as he was always asking about her pregnancy and joking about the baby).

Nessie also had a few ‘spa’ treatments in Maun. The men and women at Toyota were fantastic. Our air conditioning sprung a leak and needed replacing. As they didn’t have the correct part they sent us to Mike, another business in town who could repair it. We also went to see Longman, a short man in fact, who filled the air-con for us and replaced a relay for our spotlight. Later we had to return to Toyota to replace our brakes which were retired from 20,000 miles of service topped off by an amazing trip to Moremi for a final hurrah. Also (I know even more) a trip back to Mike for a winch repair (a total cost of 9 pula – not even two dollars- it helps having friends in town). And finally another quick trip to Longman where we chatted and even had our photo taken by the local mechanics there.

Who Do You Support?

2009-03-05T00:23:00.000-08:00

We’ve noticed a few familiar fashions here in the form of sports jerseys. Deciding to keep track and selecting which team to support (K- Man U, H- the Gunners) we have some early results.

Manchester United – 9
Arsenal – 4
Liverpool – 2
New York Yankees – 1

Tsodilo Hills

2009-03-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

Botswana
March 4th, 2009

The Tsodilo Hills are mentioned in every guide book as a must see in Botswana and thus we decided that we must see it too. Finding the road on the GPS and following a few randomly located signs we made our way. Arriving at the World Heritage site we read about the spiritual and archaeological significance of the area. This area is believed by some to be the site of creation. People have inhabited the area since 800 A.D. and the rock paintings are as old as 3,000. There are over 4,000 paintings across more than 400 different sites. The overall atmosphere of the place is the most memorable thing about it. It’s amazingly calm and peaceful and is a place of reflection. Our guide Ollie took us around the female hill (there is also a male and a child hill) pointing out paintings and areas where the original people lived including bits of pottery they have found. It was amazing.

On our way out, after preparing some peanut butter bread, a group of people sitting underneath a tree waved us over. They wanted a ride to the main road. We politely said we didn’t really have room as the back was filled with jerry cans, oil and various other items. As it turns out ‘room’ is defined culturally. When you’ve been waiting for a lift underneath a tree for half a day, an inch is sufficient. We moved everything around and squeezed a woman, man and child in. Sharing our resources we enjoyed peanut butter sarnies and water. The baby loved hers, ended up a right mess and once she finished she dozed off. Adorable. Making our way on the road, another man with a donkey flagged us down. Now we seriously didn’t have any space. Luckily he just wanted some water. Karel passed over his water bottle and the man guzzled it. He then proceeded to have a discussion with the other man in the back of the car for about five minutes. Perhaps we’ll start our own taxi service.

Operation Nessie

2009-03-05T00:21:00.000-08:00

March 4th, 2009

Filling the car with much needed diesel from our trusty jerry cans after leaving the park we felt proud of our foresight. Karel was just finishing and took out the jerry cans, however nozzle had become too comfortable and decided a life just inside the petrol tank pipe was much nicer than his life inside a plastic bag in a spares box. Attempting to remove it with all sorts of kitchen utensils, knifes, forks, you name it and an assortment of tools, we were at a loss. The next town we were due to be in had a garage so we decided to enquire as to what to do. Advice given by a toothless mechanic (yes, seriously) was to just leave it, it wouldn’t do any harm. We were fine with that, but when we went to fill up at a fuel station the attendant was unable to get the nozzle properly down the tank. He could fill up but not without a massively annoying beeping of the tank warning that something wasn’t quite kosher. This wasn’t on. We had to remove it somehow. Karel came up with a plan. Fashioning a tool from a braai/carving fork and some tape, he began to work. Five minutes later and Operation Nessie was a success!

Etosha

2009-03-05T00:20:00.000-08:00

March 1st, 2009

Our next stop was Etosha, one of Namibia’s National Parks. We woke up early and were the first to arrive at the gates. The park definitely lived up to its reputation of beauty. We saw huge herds of springbok, giraffe and zebra. The zebra were especially amazing as they moved around nodding their heads up and down and occasionally baring their teeth. They also snuggled each other by placing their heads on the dip of the other’s back, almost like hugging one another.

In the afternoon we saw a large group of lions. There were supposedly fourteen in the group, but we only saw twelve- all lionesses and cubs. They didn’t stay around for long and basically just crossed the road and heading out for a hunt. We were lucky enough to see them the next morning as well. This time they were closer to the road, resting after a busy night and we were able to watch them for 30 minutes.

The most memorable moment of the park was meeting an elephant. Taking Rhino Drive, one of the few side roads open (again due to massive rainfalls), we drove. Tracking the elephant due to its massive fresh poo we drove along. At last we spotted him. He didn’t look super excited to see us and just looked at us for a few moments before continuing his feeding. He peed a few times (which strongly smells of the circus interestingly enough) and moved forward. As did we. He stopped, looked at us, I told Karel we needed to go, Karel responded by snapping more pics, then the elephant stepped towards us a few times and we reversed the car in a hurry. It was a total adrenaline moment with us having heart rates higher than ever before.

Petrified Forest

2009-03-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

Near Twyfelfontein, Namibia
February 28th, 2009

After a peaceful night’s rest camping in the bush, we decided to check out the Petrified Forest noted on our map and on Tracks for Africa, our handy GPS. We noted signs with arrows indicating the forest and were both a bit sceptical about them. As it was still early there wasn’t anyone around so we had our own self-guided tour. The wooden rocks were interesting but didn’t quite match what we had read about it.

After our tour we met some other Over Landers. After some good coffee and discussion we went on our way. About five to ten kms later we noticed much more official looking postings for the Petrified Forest. We then became aware that several entrepreneurs had created their own versions of the official forest.

The official P.F. was very beautiful with massive petrified wood trunks up to ten metres long and one metre wide on display. You were even able to see the tree rings on some of the rocks. We also got to see welwichzia plants which grow up to two thousand years and are either male or female.

Namibia Rocks

2009-03-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

Twyfelfontein, Namibia
February 27th, 2009

In search of the desert adapted elephant and rhino we headed for the Brandberg Mountains. Arriving in the area we noted how un-desert like the area seemed and questioned the desertness of the elephants. It was quite lush and green. Still optimistic for a sighting we drove around for ages specifically near the riverbeds and ended up asking a few locals whether or not they knew of the whereabouts of the mammals. According to the residents the recent rains have made the area too wet for the elephants and they think the elephants are more around the Twyfelfontein area. We were also warned that the animals are very difficult to spot.

Somewhat disappointed we drove in the direction of Twyfelfontein. The gravel roads weren’t in great condition due to the heavy rains received so we dodged massive craters and managed to stay on the parts of the road which weren’t washed away due to water erosion. Following a few road diversions due to dry river crossing roads which weren’t what I’d call dry, we arrived at the Twyfelfontein lodge. No elephant sightings. Climbing out of the car and towards the lodge we noted the amazing rock engravings of animals near the entrance. After thoroughly enjoying a cold one at the bar, we decided to go to the nearby ‘gallery’ of rock art. This certainly didn’t disappoint.

The World Heritage site was spectacular to say the least. A picture says a thousand words, but an experience like this makes one speechless. I will however try my best to capture the moment for you. The surrounding area is still and calm, with rich red and brown rocky hills and green rocky lowlands. Tall dark and pale green grass grow beside tidy dirt paths edged with fist sized rocks which lead to different areas of carvings. Some of the carvings are circular, symmetrical patterns and others depict animals including lion and giraffe. These works of art are approximately 2,000 to 3,000 years old. Absolutely awe inspiring.

p.s. Also had our third snake encounter here, Karel saw a snake on the rocky part of the path and said ‘move back snake’ which I took as ‘look closer a snake’ hence the photo

Google It

2009-03-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

You may wonder whether or not conversation comes to a standstill when you spend 24/7 with one person. The answer is surprisingly not, well at least not yet. The topics of discussion do become increasingly, well I’m not quite sure what the word is perhaps unique, interesting or bizarre, take your pick. Anyways such we have created a ‘Google’ list in the car where the unanswerable queries are documented and then researched at various internet cafes (only after a quick peek at Perez Hilton of course). Our top three questions (and I do hope you enjoy them) are what nationality is Enya, is there a difference between bucket and pail, and my personal favourite just how tall is Tom Sellick.

Sossusvlei

2009-02-25T03:14:00.000-08:00

February 24th, 2009

Namibia’s number one attraction was our next destination - the place where the famous red sand dunes offset by the deep blue skies live. We entered the park and started the 64 km drive from Sesriem to Sossusvlei. Along our way we saw springbok and gemsbok in the fields and delighted in taking several hundred photos of the landscape where to the left we saw small rocky mountains and the right the sandy dunes.

Our first stop was the famous Dune 45, 45 kms from Sessriem and 45 dunes from Sossusvlei. Climbing out of the car and stretching, we packed some water and began to climb. It was surprisingly easier than we had thought it would be. Perhaps it was the rains the night before or maybe the angle which we climbed. At the top the views were spectacular. We sat and admired the view, snapping another 100 pics.

We drove further on to Sossusvlei and decided to hike the 5kms return to the Dead Vlei. This was amazing and we would recommend that everyone do it if in the area. Although hot, the hike wasn’t too taxing. Arriving at our destination it felt as though we had entered a Dali painting. It felt so surreal, like another world. Karel summed it up well when said he felt as though we entered another world, or that we were in some sort of Science fiction film where you went away in a space ship or submarine and when you surfaced the world had been destroyed. Again another 100 photos were taken.

Our final stop was hiking the Hidden Vlei, a four km return hike. Under instruction to follow markers, we were slightly perplexed as the so called white markers turned out to be wood coloured twigs. The walk was stunning. Views were of perfectly shaped orange, coral and red coloured dunes, sparse glowing green bushes and small flat pans. And guess what, we took another hundred photos.

Judge a Book by its Cover, I mean Contents

2009-02-25T03:13:00.000-08:00

Luderitz
February 23rd, 2009

After reading our ‘trusted’ guidebook, we headed in the direction of Luderitz a place that the Lonely Planet describes as “a surreal colonial relic- a 19th century Bavarian village…It has everything you’d expect of a small German town- delicatessens, coffee shops and churches”. Setting off with high hopes we made the 280km detour.

Along the way we stopped just outside of Aus to see the amazing Feral Desert Horses. These are a group of wild horses most likely having escaped from German cavalry horses during WWI. Numbers vary but there are over a hundred of them. We waited inside a hide by their main source of water, the Garab Pan- essentially a fancy well/bore hole. It was fantastic. Groups of three or four came to drink.

Doubly excited now, we entered the hub of Luderitz. It felt like small town Saskatchewan with fairly average buildings. Where were the delicatessens – we only saw a biltong shop painted in zebra stripes, where were the quaint coffee shops- we only saw one in a modern building, and churches- okay there was one and it was spectacular, but still where was our 19th Century Bavarian village. The answer my friend is in the authors dreams. Perhaps Karel and I are just too spoilt living in London and being exposed to Europe and European villages, but perhaps the writer has no idea what a Bavarian village should look like. The statement “just about every view in Luderitz reveals its German Imperial and Art Nouveau architectural heritage” is shall we say slightly optimistic. We found one street. It was a beautiful street, but really when you expect to see a whole town a street doesn’t quite cut it. We did however stay at a stunning campsite, Shark Island and we did stock up on some fresh produce.

The next day on our way out we headed to Kolmanskop, a ghost mining town. We booked our place on a tour and headed out of Luderitz. It was really interesting. The mining town was a roaring place where diamonds were abundant. No luxury was spared for the Europeans who came to work and live in this harsh environment. The shop keepers book shows imports of caviar and the finest of champagnes. The town essentially closed down the mining industry after much richer diamond deposits were found at Oranjemund. Buildings have a slightly eerie feeling as they are slowly eroding away and filling with sand. They are now making efforts to reclaim and restore some of the buildings.

Fish River Canyon

2009-02-25T03:12:00.000-08:00

February 21, 2009

Preparing to leave the National Park we noticed our fuel was a bit low and decided it best to fill up. Parking by the fuel pumps we noticed a sign stating that no credit cards can be used and that there aren’t any cash machines. A quick count of money revealed 160 rand 15 cents. Yikes. We were about a quarter full, but decided to put it all in. Asking the attendant to do the exact amount, he did surprisingly well and went two cents over. We then headed to the Namibian border. A very friendly and kind gentleman completed our forms and passports without problem. We then needed to pay 160 rand for the car’s insurance. No problem. We have cards, we have the all ‘important’ American dollars. Problem. This particular border post, the only one, doesn’t accept either. Thankfully the customs officer kindly called superior after superior and they decided that we could go without and just pay on our exit with them keeping the all important completed document there. The officer also gave us his name and number in case we encounter any hassles. (Watch this space).

Crossing the border we headed off to Fish River Canyon, a highly recommended point of interest. We cruised along at a steady pace of 80kms per hour as diesel was at a bit of a premium. Map reading was interesting as what I supposed were towns like Wegdraai (Turn away) and Twee Rivier (Two Rivers) were actually their definitions- a turning point in the road and a place of two rivers meeting. Reaching a small town, and I mean small (yes, this is coming from a girl from Saskatchewan) we thought we would try our luck. A quick enquiry of asking a man on his horse drawn cart (seriously – it was the second one we’d seen) revealed that there was a cash machine and a fuel station in town. Fantastic. No luck though as the only cards accepted were visa affiliated ones, no mastercard or maestro. No fair! We steadied on and made it to a major town centre of approximately two thousand, fuelled up and instantly felt lighter.

We approached the Fish River Canyon and weren’t really sure what to expect. Paying a fee of 130 Namibian dollars we entered the gates and drove the ten kilometres towards the viewpoint. Reaching our destination, we climbed out of our car and saw the most incredible sight. A massive canyon, chipped harshly from red and warm brown rock and a beautiful winding river flowing at the bottom. We also took the “4x4 ish” (direct quote from the sign) trail to another viewpoint and saw a very different landscape. This landscape was filled with large rounded rock hills instead of the relatively flat and stony plains of the first viewpoint. We also were lucky enough to see a small herd of the elusive Namibian Cape Mountain Zebra – timid but stunning.

Kgalagadi Transfronter Park

2009-02-25T03:11:00.000-08:00

February 16-21, 2009

We headed towards Upington and further North to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for our first official destination. Karel had heard good things about the park and the park certainly didn’t disappoint. On route we noticed the amazing social weaver houses built on top of telephone poles, awesome quiver trees, and massive social spider nests. Arriving at Twee Rivieren we booked our campsite for the night and headed to the water hole. Driving on the dirt and sand roads we couldn’t believe the amount of millipedes and the size of them. I measured one (using the useful measuring tape- thanks Georgia) and it was 21 cms. Apparently they can live for 8-10 years.

Deciding that we wanted to camp in the Botswana side and eventually exit on the Namibian side, we booked our campsites and went through customs. No problems all around. We then set about exploring our surroundings. It was incredible with red earth, mostly dunes with brilliant green plants, and thorny trees. Gemsbok and springbok were in abundance. It was truly beautiful.

Setting off the next day for Botswana we weren’t really sure what to expect. The roads were certainly 4x4 but in pretty good nick. Landscape changed dramatically into tall grasslands, green and yellow with huge pans. Along our way we met some meercat, who were exceptionally cute and continually scouted out the area. We also encountered some massive Eland (could possibly be on steroids). Our national park map however left something to be desired as the road markings weren’t accurate. We ended up driving around looking for our campsite. Once found it was truly magnificent. Built without fencing, in true Botswana style, and essentially in the middle of nowhere, it was stunning. We had thought we were the only people on the Botswana side, but later noticed a group of vehicles. Going over to say hi, we gained an invitation for dinner from a lovely group of people who were just finishing their tour of Botwana, and ate fantastically well. A lasagne cooked on the fire. Amazing.

The next day we woke early and went on a drive. We turned a corner and there were eight lions, one male, three lioness and five cubs. About four metres away, we gently unrolled our windows and watched them for about an hour. It was one of the most amazing experiences. The cubs were busy play fighting with each other and a few brave ones attempted to play with their dad until he threw them off and a lioness was busy giving a cub a bath during which he growled gently the entire time. Fantastic. There is nothing quite like being in the bush.

Back on the South African side our most memorable sightings included seeing two jackals out for dinner, busy trotting along like crazy checking out every bush in hopes of finding a quick snack and getting a bit too close and personal to a puff adder. Yes, that’s right a puff adder one of the most dangerous snakes. Okay, maybe not too close and personal. At a picnic site I headed towards the ladies. Opening the sliding door, I just happened to notice something in the corner. Thankfully I spotted him, and again thankfully he didn’t seem to notice me at all. After calling Karel and daring to go back to the car for the camera for a sneaky pic (I did it all for you readers) I decided it was best to use the gents. We saw more lions, cubs behind a bush, a lone male and a another small pride. We were also lucky enough to see two cheetahs working together hunting a group of springbok. With one on each side of the herd they took turns rounding them up. It was amazing to watch. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to see the final kill as it was fast approaching night fall and we had to return to camp. We had an amazing time, and hope that in reading this you can share it with us.

We Heart Cape Town

2009-02-25T03:08:00.000-08:00

February 14, 2009

We departed from Cape Town eventually on the 15th of February slightly behind schedule due to a quick stopover in London for me to attend my British Citizenship ceremony, a comfortable stay with friends – Emile and Alinda, quick drinks on a Friday leading to staying overnight with Piet and Mia, and a final Saturday stop at an internet café with me bent on completing the blog. The completion of the blog left us both slightly dazed due to its intensity. We hit the road with a vengeance. Travelling along the R301 we stopped to take a quick photo. Reaching for the camera and buzzing with excitement we discovered that in our haste we unfortunately left the camera in the internet café on Long Street. We reversed and retraced our steps. Karel driving and me trying to find a phone number in hopes of hearing from an employee whether or not the camera was in fact there. Calling every directory assistance number we knew, we achieved nothing. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t necessarily the directory assistances’ fault, we weren’t sure of the name of the internet café so were vaguely asking for the number of any internet café on Long Street and apparently none are listed. I decided on a long shot to get the number for Mama Africa, a touristy restaurant on Long Street although having never been there the name stood out as memorable. I called Mama and spoke with a waiter there and just asked if he knew the name of the internet café down the road because I had left something behind. When asked what, I unsurely said a camera. He told me he would check if anything was left behind, and to just call him back in ten minutes. Calling back, he said yes, there was a camera there and I just needed to pick it up. Racing back we happily collected our camera and couldn’t believe our luck. Incredible. We still can’t believe it. We heart Cape Town.

One Huge Thank You

2009-02-14T04:11:00.001-08:00

We don’t really know where to begin with this one. We’ve been in and around South Africa for about six months now and have had one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. It has been incredible and even now when I think about it I almost want to cry as it has been so unbelievably perfect. Maybe you’ve read or will read about our experiences but the stories about our activities are just a part of our adventure. The people we’ve met and connected with and the incredible kindness and love they have shared with us cannot be translated with words.

We want to thank Andre and Elize for organizing so much for us, spending their valuable time with us, letting us stay with you and making us feel like we have another set of parents. Wichard, Izelle and Sune, thanks for being so nice. You are such lovely people. Thank you Tannie Bessie for all the amazing vetkoek and the precious time we spent together. We want to thank Oli for letting us crash in his room time and time again, and his parents Dirk and Marindi for Botswana, good conversation and introducing us to the Bowling Club. It’s been great spending time with you again. Special thanks to Andre and Natalie for the fun time in Botswana. Thank you Kallie and Karen and kids for a brilliant Christmas and the amazing meals you prepared. You are such an important part of our family. Ina and DeVille, thank you for sharing your time with us and getting to know you and your children, it’s a real pleasure. Thank you Gerrie and Micheal. It’s been fantastic to reconnect with family after such a long period. Your generosity has been greatly appreciated. Thank you for all the meals together and having us to your beautiful homes Gert and Leanne, Freda and Andre, Charle and Linda, Hein and Rojanne, Bridget and Byron, and Duncan and Tanya. It’s been fantastic meeting you all. Mat and Rene, it's been so great seeing you. We've really missed you. A big thank you to Lance and Gaye, we loved staying with you and the boys. It was great catching up. Thanks for the time we spent together. Thank you to Emile and Alinda for your amazing generosity in letting us stay in your homes, having our parents and consistently demonstrating what kind and thoughtful people you are. You are so special to us. Thank you, Linda, for inviting us to your birthday party. It was really fun. Thank you, Chris and Louise, for your unbelievable kindness. I hope one day we can repay you. Piet and Mia, thank you for an amazing time in Rawsonville and Cape Town. It’s been fantastic getting to know you and spending time with you. We are so lucky. Thank you Lindy for the drinks and good company. Thanks to the Up the Creek crew Tammy, Georgia, Patrick, Arian, John and Will for the amazing weekend- it was incredible. And thank you Johann and Jackie for the drinks and food. Also thanks to Kirk and Dale, Jane, and Niel and Nicolene for the London leg of the trip. It was great seeing you mid-trip. Thanks for letting me stay.

We wish you all well and cannot thank you enough. You have all influenced and changed us for the better. We hope one day we have the opportunity to repay you in kind. Thank you so much, you have really spoilt us.

Up the Creek without a paddle, only a lilo

2009-02-14T03:39:00.000-08:00

Near Swellendam, South Africa
February 6th, 2009

With news of my British citizenship ceremony invitation for the 10th of February, we postponed our departure from South Africa by a couple of weeks and joined friends for a music festival, Up the Creek. As Glastonbury regulars and big fans of outdoor festivals we were looking forward to it. Being unemployed meant that we volunteered to set up camp ahead of the arrival of others. We left Cape Town around one thirty, to arrive just as the gates opened at four. Unfortunately we were unaware of the vast road works going on and didn’t arrive until about five. Luckily there was still enough area left to set up a group of six tents. Shortly after we arrived so did Will and John, two of our fellow campers. Setting up tents in rapid succession, we were able to enjoy a Savannah or two before the others arrived.

It was a brilliant weekend, with brilliant company. There are two stage areas- one main and one secondary, food stands including the best pizza ever and caramel coated ice cream, and a few standard festival shops filled with cleverly sloganed t-shirts, colourfully printed skirts and fun hats. The best thing about the weekend besides meeting and spending time with some amazing people (thanks Tammy, Georgia, Patrick, Arie, John, Will, Lindy, Piet, and Mia), was the creek. A few meters away from the main events, there is a creek where people are encouraged to swim and cool down, and float on lilos. Bringing two specially purchased silver lilos from Game was basically the best idea ever. Floating along the creek was fantastic. I think the next time we go to Glastonbury we will need to take lilos, not for the creek but for the mud.

Cederberg

2009-02-14T03:38:00.000-08:00

February 1st, 2009

Ready for a change from city life we headed to the Cederberg on the N7, about 160 kms from Cape Town. We turned onto a gravel road, which is currently undergoing major construction to widen and pave it, and arrived at our camp, Algeria which is part of the National Parks. It was a stunning camp, situated underneath massive trees and provided a welcome shade from the heat. The surroundings are amazing with rust coloured mountains, beautiful field flowers, little creeks and waterfalls and interesting rock formations.

In an effort to offset the effects of Christmas (i.e. increasing waistlines) we went for some amazing hikes. The first day we arrived we walked to a waterfall. It was breathtaking beautiful with icy cold water and moss surroundings, very much worth the uphill and somewhat painful effort. The next day we hiked around a river, again with stunning scenery including lush plant life, beautiful field flowers, tall grass and the occasional lizard sighting.

The Cederberg is also home to a collection of San bushman rock art, the most famous of which depicts elephants. After reading about this we decided we had to check it out. Obtaining a world heritage permit pass we drove up to the Stadstill caves. After punching a ‘secret code’ into a lock, we entered the gate driving along a narrow dirt road. We pulled over into a side road and read the signs talking about the Elephant paintings. They are estimated to be approximately 1,000 years old and painted by a religious leader who most likely depicted the elephant due to it’s connotation of power, whether the man wished to draw some of the elephant’s power for himself or for a group purpose is unknown. One thing for sure is that the place where the paintings are is unbelievably calm and serene.

After admiring the paintings and sitting atop some of the rocks nearby we moved unto the Stadstill caves. We weren’t prepared for the beauty of these rocks. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen and again is stunning. Wandering for ages we admired the magnificence. Again it is a very peaceful location and we were lucky enough to experience this alone as there wasn’t anyone else around for miles.

Cruising Kruger- Part II*

2009-02-14T03:18:00.000-08:00

Kruger National Park, South Africa
January 12th, 2009

After seeing Andrew and Shannon off at the airport in Cape Town and heading towards the romantic city of Paris, the rest of us flew to Jo’burg. After staying with Andre and Elize and having a brillant mini-Christmas reunion, we drove up to the Kruger. Booked in advance on the advice of a trusted friend and Kruger connoisseur, Riaan, we checked into Olifants. Enjoying sundowners overlooking the river, we sighed with contentment and admired the beauty. After spending two nights there, we moved to Lower Sabie for two nights and then Satara for another two nights.

At each camp we booked a night drive, an evening drive, a morning drive and a morning walk. They were run by the highly knowledgeable park rangers, who were amazing. We lucked out completely and had cooler than usual weather with temperatures in the high twenties rather than the high thirties, and also had amazing sightings despite warnings of the thick vegetation. Seeing the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) four times over was unbelievable. We also were lucky enough to see all of the Small Five, the babies of the Big Five, who are unbelievably gorgeous and really look like they would like to be your friend, even though it would not be a good idea.

The highlight sightings would be seeing a leopard grooming herself after a long night’s hunt, seeing a group of eight cheetahs stalking something in the bush, seeing a herd of about a hundred buffalo and being right in the midst of it, and seeing two lion cubs half sleeping in the early hours of the morning, waiting for their pride to collect them after a hunt.

*This time without any tickets!

Oh Mother, what a city*

2009-02-14T03:16:00.000-08:00

Cape Town
January 5th, 2009

We moved into Cape Town on a beautifully clear, sunny day and decided that before doing anything else we must go up Table Mountain. We drove towards the mountain and quickly noticed that we weren’t the only people with the same idea. Traffic was hectic, the car park was overflowing and the q for tickets stretched for what seemed like miles. I jumped out of the car early to line up, luckily the line moved fairly quickly, although we did wait for just over an hour. The trip up on the cable car was very quick with the advertised ‘three minutes’ up being a true fact. Not being much of a fan for heights, I was pleased that the trip was surprising smooth and the rotating floor was actually nice and not as scary as I imagined it might be. Our waiting was worthwhile, as when we arrived the viewing was perfect. Without a cloud in sight and without wind we wandered around, first on our own and then with a free guided tour. We could even hear the 12:00 cannon fire from down below on Signal Hill . It was spectacular and a must for any clear day.

The next day we woke up early and headed into the V&A to the Red Clock Tower to have a tour of Robben Island. We took a ferry housing about 250 people across to the island. Once arriving, tour buses waited and the large group was divided into smaller groups of about 50. The tour buses went around the island pointing out places of interest including an Islamic shrine, guard housing and villages, WWII defensive armaments and more. We then got off the bus and had a guided tour of the prison by an ex-political prisoner. It was fascinating to see the infamous prison along with Comrade Mandela’s cell and its shocking smallness.

Other highlights included shopping at the V&A and wandering along the waterfront, exploring Long Street and making many brilliant purchases, renting motorcycles and cruising the twisty roads, seeing the penguins and walking to the lighthouse at Cape Point and braaiing on the balcony of Emile and Alinda’s beautiful Blouberg flat (thanks again).

*Cape Town is known as the ‘Mother City’

Visiting the Goat Father

2009-02-14T03:13:00.000-08:00

Stellenbosch
January 4th, 2009

The family inched closer to Cape Town and enjoyed a couple of nights in Stellenbosch. We started off our tour by going to Moyo, a brilliant African entertainment experience. The set up of the restaurant is amazing with different eating areas. We were in the more touristy location, sitting at a table under the main tent with perfect views of the stages. The other areas included tables at tree houses, tables around a garden, and couches around a bar. Each different area would provide a completely different experience. The food we ate was really nice, a massive a buffet African style spread with virtually anything you could think of. Entertainment was provided by dancers, traditional and modern, and bands, the best of which is courtesy of the Congo with an amazing female singer.

We decided to do what all people do there – foreign and local- and go wine tasting. Heading in the car, we hit the Fairview wine and cheese farm. As you drive into the parking lot, you see a small fenced in tower with three goats roaming around. This scene is pictured as a logo on some of their wine collection. Moving inside the building we had two choices for wine tasting; a general wine tasting tour or a master wine tasting tour. Andrew, my brother, connoisseur that he is, suggested the master tour and it turned out to be potentially the best decision of his life (well, just under his choice of wife who is unbelievably fantastic). We were escorted to a glassed room at the back of the wine tasting area that was finished in beautiful woods and stones, and introduced to our very own wine master. At the table in front of us were rectangular white plates with eight little squares of cheese, a basket with bread and three different olive oils. Presented with menus we learned that we would taste eight different wines chosen to correspond perfectly with the cheeses. The tasting began and it was incredible. The combinations were heavenly. After a very happy tasting session, we loaded the car up with just under a dozen bottles of Fairview’s finest along with a sizable collection of cheese.

Feeling snackish after our tour we decided to go for food. We headed towards Boschendal for a picnic. And not just any picnic, a Renoir style picnic complete with fresh linens, delicious wines, newly baked baguettes, salads, quiches, pates and brownies. Karel and I knew how fabulous the picnic was as dear friends of ours, Alinda and Emile, had taken us previously on our first visit to the Cape Town area. Once utterly satisfied we headed to Franschoek to pick up a few essentials, you know, some woven baskets, a few carved hippos, and elephant or two, essentials.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-02-13T04:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008

We were extremely spoilt for Christmas this year. My parents, John and Shirley, and my brother, Andrew, and his wife, Shannon joined us for a brown Christmas (the opposite of white- warm weather and beaches). We picked everyone up from the airport in Cape Town and headed to join our extended family in Groot Brak, in between Mossel Bay and George. There Karel’s cousin Elize and her husband, Andre organized up to 27 of us at times. Company included Andre and Elize and their beautiful children Wichard (24), Izelle (22) and Sune (21) with their partners and guests Marijke, Devon and Fredrik, Karel’s cousin Karel and his wife Karen and their lovely children Stephen (15) and Gerhard (9), Andre’s sister Ina and her husband DeVille with two of their fantastic children Alida (26) and Denel (24), and Karel’s cousin Nico with his family Hannelie, Leani and Hanku. We were also joined for a couple of days by Karel’s cousins Micheal and Gerrie. We stayed in three houses, only a couple kms apart for about two and a half weeks. We had amazing meals, all traditionally South African, including Cape Malay dishes, potjies, a spit roast and of course braais.

Besides eating and sleeping like Kings, we did some amazing activities. We went on a game drive at the Garden Route Game Lodge with an amazing guide who knew loads of interesting information and facts about the animals. Amongst other things we saw elephants, lions, rhino, buffalo and learned about the vegetation and soil (remember we did have a farmer who asks loads of questions on our tour  ). We feed elephants at Botelierskop which was fantastic. Elephants have such thick, coarse skin and such dark thick hair, with the longest eyelashes I’ve seen (even longer than a giraffe’s) and seeing them use their trunks so close up was fascinating. Karel and Andrew went bungee jumping at Gouritz , a more than 60m drop (check the video out on K’s facebook). We went to the stunning Cango Caves near Outshoorn (definite recommend) and divided into two groups to go to either an ostrich farm or an adventure park with cheetahs. Both received rave reviews. We attended the largest church service I have ever been to, which was outdoors, in Afrikaans and really special. Spending New Years together was so much fun. We all went to the Fete du Mossel, a beach party with a twist. There were ten seafood courses, freshly prepared on the fire, an unending supply of bread and pumping Afrikaans tunes with a very memorable lion number. And amongst all these activities we also found time to lie on the beach feeling the heat of the African sun and also to shop (Canadians heart Cape Union Mart).

Thanks to everyone for making our Christmas so special. We’ll treasure it always.

Looking for something officer?

2009-02-13T03:30:00.000-08:00

Maputo, Mozambique
December 13th, 2008

Heading back to South Africa in time for Christmas and the family and fun that lay ahead of us, we went south to Maputo. Hearing mixed reviews and gathering the general opinion that you either love it or hate it, I was extremely curious. Entering the city you could sense it was buzzing. Busy road side shops lined the streets. Informal shops you could say where a cloth or wooden sign stating the services offered was displayed and related materials and goods surrounded the area. These shops included hubcap and muffler sales, haircuts, snack stands, phone services, shoe repairs, second hand clothing and bars.

After reading our guide book we decided to find the train station, a station designed by Eiffel (of Tower fame). It was fairly easy to find and is definitely worth a peek. Apparently the former Prime Minister also commissioned his house to be designed by Eiffel as well (corruption perchance?). We went to the Saturday craft market as well. Admiring the many handicrafts and superior wood work and craftsmanship we left empty handed. (We are starting, well make that I am starting, to be much more practical as we travel, and need more motivation than beauty to buy something, there needs to be a purpose for it.)

We also went to a drive along the coastline of the city looking for a specific restaurant/bar, the one filmed in Blood Diamond. As we drove a police officer pulled us over. We did as instructed and handed over our many documents including passports, driver’s licence and third party insurance papers. It was the insurance paper that had the policeman most interested. We weren’t worried as we paid and did as we should have. Taking our papers, he did a pointed look around the car with a few exaggerated expressions, most likely to instil a sense of fear. Returning to our car he pointed out that we didn’t complete a box indicating how long we were planning to stay in Mozambique on our insurance form. The customs officer who stamped and signed the form for us wasn’t concerned, especially as the insurance document expires 30 days from when stamped. Without much we could do, we just pointed out that a) the customs official who signed it was happy with the form and b) we could fill out the box now if he wished. Not satisfied with either response he continued to say over and over and over again that we didn’t fill in the box. Yes, we said, we do realize that, but a) and b). He decided to call over his superior, who once had heard about the situation in our presence merely looked at the officer who brought him over and walked away. This led to our ‘release’ and off we went.

We weren’t victorious on finding the film location; however we did find a brilliant place where we ate the most delicious prego rolls ever. I mean ever. As I type I am still staring off into the distance thinking about it (somewhat like Homer – the Simpson, not philosopher- mmm, prego roll).

Vilankulos

2009-02-13T03:03:00.001-08:00

Mozambique
December 10th, 2008

The road we travelled was unbelievable. The scenery was stunning with forests of palm trees, cute villages with neat yards, stalls alongside the road with neat stacks of firewood, papaya trees sprinkled alongside the road, and heavily loaded vehicles with people and goods stacked miles high. It was amazing. What wasn’t as amazing was the potholes. I’m not just talking about one or two potholes, but a road stretching about 100km filled with them. There were no lanes; you just drove wherever you could to avoid them, which often meant that we drove with one tire on the road and the other in the ditch, and occasionally driving totally in the ditch. It was madness, but quite an experience.

We reached our destination, Vilankulos, sometime later. Finding a place appropriately called Babab Backpackers we set our camp up suitingly underneath one. We arrived and thoroughly enjoyed some cold drinks served by an Irish bartender full of charm. Talking amongst some fellow travellers we decided to go exploring on a nearby island the next day. There are several islands close by, all World Wildlife Fund protected. To reach these islands you need to take a Dhow, a small boat with a tiny motor and a sail. It’s an expensive journey costing about $80 US per person and a long one. It took us about three hours to reach the island in the morning and about two and a half to return (with winds) in the evening. The distance isn’t far, only a few kms but the technology is well, charming shall we say.

Words can not really describe how amazing the experience was. We arrived during low tide, kicked off our sandals and walked 25 metres to shore. In the pockets of water left by the tide there were little fishes and gorgeous shells, all sorts including stunningly beautiful sand dollars. The beach was perfect with fine white sand and lush vegetation growing from the sand. It was like being on a private beach as there were only five of us. The water was warm, most likely at least 25 degrees.

Once we reached the shore we grabbed some kit and snorkelled. When we finished we relaxed on the beach and had lunch. Lunch was included with the trip and one of the loosely termed ‘sailors’ prepared the food for us. We had fresh calamari cooked with tomatoes and onions in a stew of sorts, salad, fresh bread, fire cooked line fish, and fresh mango for dessert. Food never tasted so good. After lunch we went for a walk and saw loads of crabs hunting for their lunch, and later for a swim. In a word it was amazing.

Quick…Sand!

2009-02-13T03:02:00.001-08:00

Praia do Tofo, Mozambique
December 7th, 2008

Checking into a campsite in the backyard of Fatima’s backpackers, we were guided by a member of staff as to where was best to camp. They unlocked the gate for us and in we went, directed towards the shade of a tree. Part way there we got stuck. And not just stuck, completely stuck. The sand was impossibly thick and we were without any warning. Hot as it was, we took the tire compressor out and deflated the tires once, twice and three times. Each time the sand burnt us as we cleared it from the tires. Eventually 0.8 bar later we were free, free to continue for about 4m to our destination. We weren’t the only ones to get stuck. University holidays had just begun and a couple groups of male students were arriving for a bit of a celebration. I tried warning them about the sand, explaining that we got stuck and had to deflate our tires, but seeing as I am just a girl, I was politely thanked then ignored. I did however enjoy watching them struggle as they attempted (and failed) at pushing themselves out.

Once set up we hit the water, the Indian ocean with a temperature of about 27 degrees. Heavenly. The sands were white and the beach stretches miles. The whole area has a bit of a backpacker/hippie vibe with brightly patterned cloth bags and pants for sale, beers and coke sold from coolers on the street, prawns sold by the kg, and children of about 12 selling bread, buns and friendship bracelets. The weather was beautiful, sunny and hot and we completely relaxed, swimming, reading, and sleeping for a few days. Bliss.

Richard the Baker

2009-02-12T23:58:00.000-08:00

Xia-Xia
December 6th, 2008

Our next stop was Xia-Xia (pronounced Shy Shy), a decent sized town near the coast conveniently located midway between the National Park camp and our recommended destination of Tofo. We found a decent campground, set up, and went for a swim by some rock pools. The next day as we were leaving we saw a man riding a bicycle cart selling bread. We pulled over and looked for some change. Karel told the baker that he had read about him, a baker who goes round the campgrounds and sells fresh bread. Introductions were made and we found out the baker’s name was Richard. Richard was dead excited that we had read about him and that he was as Karel termed it ‘famous’. Karel then asked Richard if he could take his photo. The baker was so excited. Yes of course we could take his photo. But not just a random casual photo, oh no, we were treated to a range of posed and narrated photos. “Here is me on my bike selling my bread. The bread is in here (pointing towards the cart). Here is me with the bread under my arm. Bread for sale. Bread for sale. Here is me opening my cart. How much bread, how much bread...” It was fantastic- the photos and the bread. So please if you are ever near Xia-Xia ask for Richard he’s famous!

Aquia Pesquiero

2009-02-12T23:57:00.002-08:00

Parque Nacional do Limpopo
Mozambique
December 5th, 2008

Crossing from the Kruger National Park into the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique highlighted the vast difference between the richness of South Africa and the continuing development of its neighbours. Roads were made of rough gravel with huge speed bumps. Only 4x4’s need apply. Wildlife was sparse with our only sighting being a snake crossing the road.

Once we arrived at the camp, its beauty surprised us. The reception was stunningly decorated with arranged rocks and plants creating sidewalks and welcoming signs. The campground itself was situated above the Massingir Dam providing breath taking views. Out of season, or perhaps in season, we were the only campers present.

Camp was set up and I busied myself cleaning up and getting dinner ready. The abolitions were basic and tidy. I went a couple of times to a kitchen sink area to wash my hands and get water to boil. Karel later also went to the sinks area. When he came back he asked “Did you see the snake?” Alarmed I asked “what snake?” “The snake wrapped around the tap.” “What do you mean?” “Go take a look.” I did as suggested and my eyes nearly popped out of place as I noticed a small greyish snake coiled around the base of the very tap I turned twice. My hands were centimetres if that away from the snake when I used the tap. Thankfully the snake didn’t seem to mind. For the rest of our stay I watched very carefully for snakes and made sure I tread heavily on the ground to give snakes a warning I was coming.

Fancy a Cool Drink?

2009-02-12T23:57:00.001-08:00

Giriyondo Border Post
South Africa/Mozambique
December 5th, 2008

Packing up early at Kruger after our customary breakfast of oatmeal sprinkled with granola, we headed for the Mozambique border post inside the Kruger Park. Encountering an unexpected traffic jam in the form of an elephant taking the piss (no, not a piss, the piss), walking nonchalantly in the middle of the road oblivious to the mounting traffic behind him, we slowly made our way.

Carnet in hand we checked out of South Africa and into Mozambique. While the SA customs agent knew exactly what to do with our carnet (the car’s passport for temporarily import), the Mozambique officials were a bit unsure to say the least. Once guided, they stamped the forms, which I later completed by completing information and copying the official’s signature (as seen on a different document) as best as I could.

When the forms were completed, two customs officers came to inspect the car. The jerry cans filled with diesel were a “big problem, big problem”. Luckily Karel who keeps all his receipts found a fuel receipt for only 200R, which was a reluctantly acceptable amount.

The inspection continued. Karel went with one of the officers and I the other. Comparing notes later, Karel’s officer kept asking about whether or not we have a fridge and what would be kept inside. My agent said he “would like a cool drink”. Feeling the same as the heat was intense, I said “me too, it’s so warm out here”. It was a bit of a blonde moment as I didn’t even register that it was a request for a bribe. My naivety must have registered as being legitimate with the official as no other requests were made and we continued on our way.

Cruising the Kruger

2009-02-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

Kruger National Park
December 4th, 2008

Driving with the air con pumping we still felt the intense heat. 37 degrees. Very. Hot. Our next destination was Shingwedzi, a camp in the Northern Kruger, which happens to have a swimming pool. Yes, an icy cold swimming pool. Steadily chugging along Karel decided we needed to get to the pool faster, and faster we went. We went around a bend in the road and low and behold there was a park ranger with a radar gun. Pulling over the gentleman informed us we were going 79kms in a 50kms zone. Karel, being a bit of a sweet talker said “Oh, I’m sorry. Our car is marked in miles. I thought it was 50 miles (which conveniently happens to be about 80kms)”. The ranger peered through the window and looked at our gage. Laughing he said “it’s marked in kms too”. Chatting with the man we later left with a 250 rand fine. Karel’s formula one ambitions will have to be appreciated in a different context.

Senior Central

2009-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

Tshipise, South Africa
December 3rd, 2008

Recommended by friends we decided to hit Tshipise, a haven of natural hotsprings and a hotspot for seniors. We quickly settled in popping up the tent, hitting the waters, and making friends with our neighbours. The latter were an 84 year old man and his younger wife (82) from Zimbabwe or “Rhodesia” as they fondly refer to it. He was in the air force during the second World War and relocated once the war ended to what he considered was the great country on earth (although he did say Canada was in the running for his relocation). They currently spend three months in their caravan staying in the campground, and then loaded up with supplies for their employees and neighbours return for a month before repeating the cycle. The most interesting thing about meeting them was hearing their concerns about our trip, when they are living in Africa’s current dark hot spot. Perspective is relative.

In the evening we braaied some steak and made some braai brekkies (a la Nicoline). As we were eating we noticed something in the bush coming closer to us. Assuming it was a monkey our eyes followed the movement. Soon all was revealed as the creature became increasingly confident. It was a bush baby. Obviously used to being fed and none to shy he came right up to us, climbed our tent ladder and stayed beside us for some time. He was very cute.

Mapungubwe National Park

2009-02-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

December 2nd, 2008

We headed to Mapungubwe, a National Park basically in the corner bordering Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, on the Limpopo River known for its leopard population due to the rocky landscape. We felt hopeful, especially as we haven’t seen any of the big cats yet. Receiving a map once we checked in at the park gates we noticed the babab tree landmarks. It turns out Karel’s “turn left at the big tree” isn’t as much of a joke as it is a reality. These trees were phenomenal and in flower, extremely rare and as Andre explained you’ll see that once in a lifetime if you’re lucky. As we drove on we noted once tree had a wire hanging from it with a metal pole looped through- it was a swing! Super fun. Parking alongside the babab you can see just how big it is. It dwarfs our car.

Without any leopard sightings we decided to sign up for a guided night drive. We obtained special permission to drive in the park after hours as the park closes to general public driving after 6:00pm, and we were only due to finish the game drive around 9:00pm. All sorted and excited we met our guide, an amazing man with a gift for the bush. Spotlight in one hand, shifting gears and stirring with the other he pointed out Mopane tree leaves which would soon be covered with worms – a local delicacy served with onions and tomatoes, elephant bulls, zebra, impala, a smaller spotted gerevet, wildebeest and more. We also saw baboons clinging to rock faces in hopes of avoiding becoming the leopard’s lunch. Several times our guide stopped the vehicle because something didn’t smell right or feel right. It was incredible to spend time with someone so knowledgeable. Our best spot of the night was seeing an African wild cat, a cat which looks like a domestic cat who should be sleeping on a windowsill or playing in a garden not with the big boys. The closest we came to seeing a leopard was seeing two green eyes on a hillside, reflecting from the spotlight.

After thanking our game driver and wishing him well we started our drive to the campground. Prayers were heard as we didn’t meet any elephants or other potentially aggressive animals. We did see a larger spotted gervet in action though, climbing up a tree and a gorgeous bush baby. We arrived at the campsite, set up our tent and fell fast asleep. It was just as well we weren’t able to set up camp beforehand as we later encountered a German couple who stayed in the campsite two days previous and had baboons unzip their tent and cack all over their sleeping bags. Ewww!

39 Degrees C in the Shade

2009-02-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Matombe, Botswana
November 28th, 2008

Waking at 5am in Jo’burg, packing our car and friends (Dirk, Marindi and Kids), we set off for the infamous Matombe. The. Legendary. Matombe. Home to many a crazy week where Spring Hares are treated to running races rewarded only when they lose by feeding them a shot of Brandy. Home of the black Mamba snake who frequents the camp visiting people on hammocks and in huts. Home to the unpredictable elephants who often surprise vehicles on the road. And home to many cat lives lost by all who visit (well maybe that’s just Karel and his youth).

A decent drive by our standards and a difficult or rather delicate drive by parents of children under six, we arrived at the Tuli-Block border post mid-afternoon. Able to drive across the river crossing due to dry conditions we headed to the camp. We arrived and it was perfect. There were basic traditionally built huts, an open air bathroom with shower and a kitchen under a lapa. It was magically rustic yet charmingly post with hot running water!

The camp is set up near a water hole and is essentially in the middle of nowhere (similar setting to those in Saskatchewan but even more so). Elephants and giraffes can be seen wandering around with impala. Lush bababs dot the landscape, along with amazing anthills larger than life (well maybe just mine).

The heat is incredible, like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Movement is too taxing. Sleep is too uncomfortable. 39 C in the shade. Thankfully along with our car came our shower, a garden weed pump sprayer. With eager children looking for entertainment and adults hoping for relief from the heat the solution was fixed. Enjoying the spray downs by the kids, we cooled down as best as we could.

Driving on the Landy was brilliant. A proper game viewing truck with open seats and limited shock absorption helped to set the mood. Feeling fully African we set off on several game drives. A night drive where we unwittingly disturbed a group of elephants; trumpeting we quickly reversed. A sunset drive with sundowners underneath a babab tree and an evening drive seeing baby black backed jackals were some of the many highlights.

When we weren’t driving in the evenings we sat around the fire listening to the air, thick with the sounds of the African orchestra. The sounds of crickets and insects buzzing and listening to baboons barking madly will forever echo in my mind. Eating like Kings thanks to Dirk and spending time with friends, old and new, who are well versed on the bush was extremely special. Thanks Dirk, Marindi, Andre, Natalie and kids.

Visiting Madiba

2009-02-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

Near Qunu, South Africa
November 16th, 2008

Reading a tourist pamphlet gathered in the Clock Tower Mall in Cape Town I discovered plans for an African heritage route. Essentially the anti-apartheid leaders such as Mandela and Mbeki, as well as global leaders such as Desmond Tutu would be honoured through marking significant places and buildings. When reading aloud this information to Karel, he remarked that on route to Jo’burg on the N2 we could try and see Mr. Mandela’s house. 100% excited we formed our plan. We just knew that Madiba’s house was near Qunu and thought we could figure the rest as we went.

Seeing as we are in Africa, albeit the modern South Africa, there a few areas without much (if any) sign postage indicating places of interest and the N2 is one of them. Karel’s inner light bulb lit and as we were without much direction decided to stop at a local police station to ask for instruction.

We approached the front desk, which had a black man of shall we say ‘chief’ proportion, who looked at us with dread. As soon as we said we were merely looking for directions, not looking to complain or report any incidents of crime, his eyes lit up with a warm glow and his lips parted revealing the whitest of teeth. He joyfully gave us instructions and wished us well on our way.

Back in the car we returned on our pilgrimage. We drove past village huts and hourse all with very white washing drying on the lines. Noticing a modest, yet substantially larger, more modern house on the horizon we decided to investigate. Turning off the main road and heading up the gravel driveway we proceeded through an unmanned security gate. We then passed through another.

Finally almost in front of the house, a kind man dressed in a nicely pressed blue uniform stopped us and asked us what we were doing. Karel explained, “We are looking for Madiba’s house”. The security guard told us “You’ve found it and you’re not really supposed to be here”. Laughing together we apologized and asked if we could turn around in the yard. The guard approved. As we turned, our camera came out and we stole a few quick photos.

Mr Mandela’s house was as modest and warm as you would imagine the man himself to be. Hens were dotted around the grounds, and beautiful flowers and gardens surround the buildings. The next time we visit, we’ll have to dye our hair blonde, wear posh sunglasses and rent a Merc. Maybe then we could pass as A-list celebs who frequent Madiba’s guest house.

Table Mountain*

2008-11-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Cape Town
November 10th, 2008

After much admiration of Table Mountain, the backdrop landmark of Cape Town, we decided to properly meet her. We put on our climbing gear, boots, shorts, and shirts and after looking sufficiently European minus the walking sticks, we popped into the car and drove towards her. Stopping at the information office we enquired how best to hike up the mountain. The park officer, a friendly woman with an easy smile, told us to drive up to the wendy house and park and the trail is easily laid out. It would take about two to two and a half hours to climb. This was encouraging, we read in our guidebook the hike was difficult, took three hours and wasn’t to be taken lightly.

We arrived at the wendy house and thought we might need to check in but no, no nanny state here. And thus we started our ascent. Walking up stair like rocks, we naively waited for the path to flatten. This didn’t happen after twenty metres, after fifty meters, after two hundred meters, well it didn’t happen for the whole journey. Puffing on, we moved along. Conversation was short between wheezes. Lizard. See. Look. Beautiful. Lekker view. Wow. Both afraid to stop as we might not be able to continue we kept going. An hour and fifteen minutes later we made it. And it was worth it. As luck had it, it was a clear sunny day. Breathtaking views overlooking the city, seeing Robben Island from afar, seeing the coast with its brilliant clear blue waters, and also enjoying all the flowers and plants growing on the mountain top, it was in a word heaven.

* Not exactly North Battleford, but still nice

34-21-24 South Latitude, 18-29-31 East Latitude

2008-11-11T07:32:00.001-08:00

Cape Point

November 9th, 2008

We decided to drive up to Cape Point, the meeting place of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans- a “must-do” when visiting Cape Town. Arriving at the National Park we were surprised by the volume of tourists. Tour buses lined the parking lot in neat rows. People everywhere completely unaware of what is around them, staring into space, crowding for photos, and generally a bit annoying as tourists usually are (ourselves included  ). Once we moved away from the main building, the crowd thinned and we made our way up the paved trail to the top of the hill. At the top beautiful scenes lay before us, crashing waves, rocky cliffs, and a few boats in the far, far distance. In a word stunning, it was absolutely stunning.

Descending towards our car and our packed lunch waiting for us, we saw another trail pointing in the direction of Cape Good Hope. After munching on avocado sammies, and crunching on apples and carrots for the sake of detoxing before retoxing, we decided to walk. It was a great trail and had the advantage of a secluded beach branching off, a beach with bright greenish water and the whitest of sand. Deciding to go for it, we went down a steep staircase followed by an even steeper sand bank. Sinking into the sand with each step, we made it to the shoreline. We enjoyed a lazy walk along the tide loving the cool water hitting our feet. Going back up to the trail wasn’t as fun, but we did make it in one piece.

As we headed back towards Cape Town we passed Bolders beach, a place known for the African penguins which live there. They used to be near extinction with only two breeding couples in 1982, but now boast a colony of 3,000. They were super cute, mostly standing down wind and closely together. There was one however who was waddling along solo on the other side of the beach, with his wings flapping slightly at his side. He was the icing on the cake.

Cool Bay

2008-11-11T07:27:00.000-08:00

November 4th, 2008

Driving along the coast on a beautiful winding road we made our way to Koeel Baai, a place not on our trusted map but one which was recommended by a friend. Enjoying the road trip, we admired the striking scenes of aqua blue water, rocky yet green cliffs and white sand with the occasional whale indicating his presence by blowing water. We arrived at the campsite early, well early for us, at two o’clock. Upon arrival we were told that to stay here we would have to go to the council office to book and pay, near the Pick n’Pay grocery store. Off we headed, as we drove and saw no sign of the P n’P we called the help number we were given. The shop was about 30km away from the camp site. Karel was determined and I was ready to find another spot. An hour later, finding a P n’P, paying for a site, and back at the campsite we found our spot. Camping right by the beach it was beautiful.

We enjoyed the perfect weather, the perfect view and the perfect company (we are newlyweds after all). As we sat around our braai, business ideas rolled off our tongues. Eating our steaks we dreamt. Imagine if we had a restaurant here…with sundowners…full moon parties…bus services to local universities…surf competitions…employ local staff…offer scholarships…do some community development…ya… and brunches…yum, brunch. I wonder if you could do brunch by the beach, you know have lounge chairs to rent, and people could tick a sheet of what they want, ya…like room service, or it could be in picnic baskets… Our ideas drifted easily into the sunset. Content with our business plans and ideas we went to bed, happily dreaming of our life filled with possibilities.

Hermanus

2008-11-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

November 3rd, 2008

“The best place to see whales from land in the world” our travel guide proudly said of this town so we decided it was a must see. As we arrived in town and drove beside the ocean, we clearly saw a whale poking his head out of the water about 30 metres away in a cliffed area. We rushed to park, jumped out of the car only to find the whale must have jumped back into the ocean. We could see other whales about a hundred metres away, blowing water. We walked along the path to move closer to them. Then we sat and watched. During our time in Hermanus we saw whales lifting their heads out of the water so they can see what is around them, whales breeching in and out of the water (taking as much energy to breech once as humans use in two days), and blowing water. It’s so lovely to hear the crash of the waves, smell the salt in the ocean, and see whales.

South Africa’s Next Top Model

2008-11-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

October 27th, 2008

We drove up the Lion’s Head in Cape Town to enjoy the spectacular views. It was amazing to see the beautiful city below. Snapping away at one of the rest points, Karel and I decided to snap one of us. Holding out the camera with one hand I snapped. Looking at the photo Karel had a strange expression on his face. Redo. I snapped again. Playing back the photo, again Karel was squinting or something, blaming the sun even though I managed the photo fine. The same thing happened again. And again. Finally Karel put his shades on in hopes of getting a winning shot. Success at last. Unfortunately Karel’s modelling dreams are over.

Hide Park

2008-11-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

Addo Elephant Park

October 18th, 2008

Day two started by going to a hide situated just beside a watering hole. Walking down a bendy path, trying to make as little noise as possible, we arrived at the hide. It was a wooden structure with benches and peep holes all along it. The view point is about ten metres away from the watering hole. Lucky for us, there were no other people present but there was a group of four elephants enjoying the occasional drink. It was amazing to see them suck up the water with their noses and then spray it into their mouths with their long trunks. Two elephants even held trunks, okay it was one elephant who was keen the other just tolerated it for a while, but still it was so sweet. Again careful not to disturb the animals, Karel and I developed a system of sharing our excitement. We signed basic signs to each other, most likely looking ridiculous but having too much fun to care.

Party of Elephants*

2008-11-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

Addo Elephant Park

October 17th, 2008

After spending time on the coast, we were ready to return to the animal kingdom, well Nature Reserves anyways. We drove to the Addo Elephant Park, near Port Elizabeth. Entering with high hopes of elephant sightings and armed with a map, we began our game drive. As we lapped around we saw some Leopard tortoises. . With spotted shells, leathery heads and funny claws on their legs, they were gorgeous and could be spotted in the bush eating plants or on the roads drinking from water pools formed by recent rains. We also saw a family of meerkats, our own meerkat manor (however we didn’t narrate the scene we saw, well not too much)! One was scouting, or keeping an eye out for predators as the little ones played on. Interestingly we saw two meerkat on the move, accompanied by a yellow mongoose.

Continuing our drive in the distance we saw some elephant. As a result we decided to head in their general direction. Getting closer, we could see loads of them. A whole party*. We stopped the car and just watched. It seemed like they might cross the road. It was amazing. I was basically out the window. One by one, in a near perfect line, the elephants crossed, five metres in front of the car. All sizes. And it wasn’t just five or six elephants it was thirty one plus or minus a few. There were huge bulls with red dusty backs, having brushed themselves with sand to keep cool, protective mums watching over their young, and beautiful babies, which come up only to the knees of the adults and have the skinniest of trunks. Snapping away as much as I could, Karel kept a steady eye on the herd, hands on the steering wheel and foot near the gas, not completely trusting the group to be as relaxed as they were. The difference between an African knowing wild animals are wild and the tourist considering if it’s possible to pet an animal or maybe even ride him was apparent. Luckily the herd, even with babies was relaxed.

Excited, exhilarated and not believing our luck, once they crossed the road we followed them as best as we could. We parked again, wondering if they might move again. They did! Moving to a small watering hole, they drank water. It was brilliant seeing their little tails and huge bums forming a ring around water. Several more pictures later we were the happiest tourists ever. Buzzing with enthusiasm we headed for our camp ready to enjoy some lager.

* Because party of elephants is much more fun than herd of elephants.

Coffee Bay

2008-11-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

October 15th, 2008

Karel and I headed to Coffee Bay, slightly off the beaten path but well known to backpackers. We set up camp at the Coffee Shack, a brilliant hostel which supports the community by training staff, offering scholarships, purchasing school equipment, offering Aids education, and providing opportunities for school choirs to raise money.

We decided to do what our guide book and the local Coast-to-Coast book suggested and walk to the Hole in the Wall, a rock island which should not be missed. Setting off early, with a lunch of avocado sandwiches, fresh fruit, nuts and a thermos of tea, we made our way. A few metres out of the hostel and we quickly made some new friends. One was small, fat and white with brown spots and one thin, wiry and black. Yep, you guessed it, two dogs. Karel and I were pleased with the company we acquired and eagerly started our hike.

The coastal walk was stunning. Imagine people searching for mussels in the shallow rock pools, aqua blue water, distant dolphins and the occasional whale blowing water on one side and rolling green hills with goats, sheep and the occasional hut on the other. Enjoying every moment, time passed quickly.

After about an hour, we were approached by some local young men aggressively asking about the dogs and claiming that they have bitten and killed their goat. Penalty for such a crime is full payment of what the goat costs. Karel and I shocked. Surely these dogs couldn’t, wouldn’t commit such a crime, besides we were with them the whole time. The accusation was shrugged off, as Karel explained we were with the dogs the whole time.

We continued our walk. Breathing the fresh air and admiring the gorgeous scenery once more. Passing a rocky beach, a woman came up to us. Again we heard the goat story. Thinking we must look very stupid to believe such a story, Karel patiently explained that we were walking with the dogs and watching them the whole time, he also mentioned that we were staying in the backpackers. Again the potentially hostile situation was averted.

Arriving at the Hole in the Wall, we were a bit disappointed. It was nice but highly overrated. The walk to the “attraction” was far more spectacular than the Hole in the Wall itself. We sat down and enjoyed our lunch. The dogs slept peacefully, especially the little one.

Making our return, we passed a few goats. Picture our horror when we witnessed the sweet natured black dog running full speed, diving for a goat. Karel and I speechless looked into each other’s eyes. Wordlessly Karel ran after the dog, running after the goat. We spoke, we shouted, we even pleaded for the dog to stop. Eventually he did. Suddenly man’s best friend became public enemy number one. Tried as we may, we couldn’t get rid of the dogs. There became a pattern. Dog chase goat, Karel chase dog. Luckily we made it back without any more encounters with the locals and the goat population remained in tact.