Mush and Stub's World Tour

The View from the Deck of our Chalet

We were still pretty soggy when we arrived at the base of the hills at the junction to Livingstonia, and so we pondered our options. To Lukwe Eco-Camp, it was 12 km up a steep, dirt road, switchbacking up the mountain. Even though our stuff had been protected with waterproof bags, some of our stuff still got wet. Did we really want to tackle the walk up there carrying all of our stuff......not really. We could wait, and hope to get a ride up (which are few and far between). We could haggle with, then hire a porter to carry some of our baggage whilst we carried the rest. We could stay there in Chitimba, and tackle the problem in the morning when there may be a better chance of getting an easy way up. Or we could just bite the bullet, and start walking - heck, I'm sure we could use the exercise.

So, let's see if you guessed right.......... we decided to wait for a ride, and thought our chances might be good as there was a collection of locals starting to accumulate at the intersection. Sure enough, a pick-up truck came by after about 1 and a half hours, and we paid our 500 Kwacha ($2.50), to get up the steep road. And what a bouncy, steep ride it was - a little scary I might add, with steep drops beside. I kept hoping that the brakes didn't fail.

Restaurant and Bar on the Ledge at Lukwe EcoLodge

All good though, as we walked down the drive to Lukwe Eco-Camp, and saw the amazing paradise that we would call home for a couple of days (or four). This ingenious camp/chalets/bar/restaurant complex was perched right on the edge of a steep drop, with stunning views back towards the lake, and over the lush, green hills in between. Wow, we could hardly take our eyes off of the view. We could see why Lukwe had been recommended to us.

After being soooooooo wet, we decided to take a chalet in order to dry ourselves out. The chalet balcony was also perched right on the edge - it was quite the spot to relax in. And our hut was really cool, all furniture and extras hand built by Auke, the Eco-Camp owner. Way back when Auke was traveling for a few years, he fell in love with this area, and so stopped right there. Then he started planting trees and a garden, and building his own camp. The attention to detail in his carpentry was fabulous, and his gardens were sublime. Ponds, paths, all types of veggies and crops. He's been here 11 years. And what a place! Of course, since he grows all his own veggies, the food was fresh and delicious.

Michelle Swinging on the Edge at Lukwe

Auke also likes his steak, and had a special/expensive solar FREEZER to keep the meat. Needless to say, I couldn't resist a great t-bone the first night..... and then a sirloin the third night. MMMMmmmm, red meat fest!!! Michelle was excited to eat salads every meal - and loved having a huge bowl of flavourful crispy veg each night all to herself. Auke certainly had tried to think of everything and unlike most other places in Malawi that we'd been to recently, Lukwe had (solar) electricity and it took a bit of getting used to eating by LED lights and having cold drinks! Electricity was only in the bar though, and so we were able to spot bushbabies quite easily in the trees at night before dinner.

The story behind Livingstonia town is that it was first established after David Livingstone's death. After a few failed attempts by missionaries in other locations, they finally settled on this spot. From our lodge the town was a (hot) 5km walk up the winding road. A one Dr. Robert Laws was instrumental in establishing the mission and hospital and his now famous residence, the Stone House -

Fields around Livingstonia

a bed and breakfast, and museum. We enjoyed the people and the little fruit market, and a tasty lunch of nsima (maize meal) and chicken at the Stone House itself. Our favourite bit was actually the walk back which, instead of the road, we took scenic shortcuts through steep hills and terraced fields, waving to the locals as the tended to their row upon row of maize and cassava.

Our time seemed to fly by at Lukwe especially as sometimes we would spend about 2 hours making lunch which involved making a fire in the self catering kitchen to cook pasta, so that we could splash out on the amazing mouthwatering dinners. Sometimes we would just sit and read looking at the views. Apart from town, we did only a little exploring: the Manchewe Falls were very pretty but we didn't venture far as there was a drop-off viewpoint at the end of Auke's organic garden. Another afternoon we walked over to the 'adjacent' Mushroom Farm Lodge - a very popular place with backpackers and campers. Like Lukwe, it also has a great perch with closer sweeping views of the lake. It seemed like a cool place with funky chill-out spots, but we were super happy with our Lukwe. Knowing that we were moving on to our next country, Lukwe was a great note to leave Malawi on! * Stub/Mush

Rainy Season Hits Us Hard at Vwaza Marsh National Park, Malawi

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

To See Our Photos of Malawi, Click Here

We decided to head back South to Nkhata Bay, as there would be more info on getting to the parks there. A good stop, because we were familiar with the place and people. We got to see Zulfaa again, this time behind the bar at Mayoka Village, as she was working there for a month while Nick returned to Australia. We also got to enjoy the awesome Mayoka burger one last time before we set off again.

Our Tent Location on the Lake at Vwaza Marsh

The day we left really felt like traveling again, because for the previous month, it seemed like we were just relaxing and not really working hard - a holiday from our travels so to speak!! Back to the grind though of cramped Minibus frustration, bargaining for everything whilst trying not to get ripped off, and watching our backs in new places as we discover the intricacies of new towns and countries - always somewhat anxious moments.

After a brief stop in Mzuzu for supplies and changing money on the black market, we easily got up to Rumphi by minibus. From here, it was a cramped matola ride hopefully to the gates of Vwaza Marsh National Park. The matola was basically a pick-up truck/bakkie that they managed to cram 35 people in to. As is true to form for African travel, there was not much forethought to the ride. After all the people loaded up, they drove through town picking up all the supplies, so they had to load all the sacks of 'whatever' around all the people, as nobody wanted to give up their already cramped seats or standing room. Stupid really, but they squeezed it all in somehow, much to the chagrin of all the passengers. Next though, there was a flat tire, so they changed it, again with all the people staying in the back for the same reasons.

It was a bouncy, bumpy and somewhat miserable ride, but the good news was that we actually got to where we wanted to go….. and before dark!! The nice park manager showed us to a campsite in the resort area, which we had to ourselves. Our tent was parked about 15m from the lake with hippos snorting away.

Family of Hippos Running Back to the Lake

With rainy season now in full effect in Malawi, we weren't surprised to wake up damply after some heavy rains overnight. So much for our guided walk in the morning - no sense going since all the animals will be hiding from the rain too. Luckily, we had some shelter and were able to kill time until the skies cleared, and our armed guide returned. It was weird walking with him and his GUN. We felt comfortable though, and were able to get reasonably close to some animals with him. The highlight of the day was seeing a family of 3 hippos out of the water, including a very small baby. Once they finally saw us, they all ran quickly towards the water, charging in with quite a splash.

With rainy season, most of the animals have gone deeper into the park, so there was not a lot to see. Still, the walking safari is a different experience, and the scenery was worth the walk. We did have some hippos out of the water near our tent, and had a beautifully colourful sunset over the lake to

Stunning Sunset over the Lake at Vwaza Marsh

watch as we enjoyed dinner. The night watchman was a nice little man - about 4 foot nothing tall - named Patsun, but very smiley, and helped us out with building a fire and such. Not sure how much safer I felt with this diminutive man watching out for us though.

We were happy to wake up to 'no rain', so we packed up dryly and started walking back to the road. The heavens opened up though, and heavy rains started to fall as we walked. This was NOT going to be a fun ride though, but we had to take the first vehicle that passed by in case no others came.
We both shoe-horned our way into another FULL matola, and began the rough ride. Michelle was sitting in back in a basket, with a bunch of the ladies, and I was standing up front behind the cab, wedged into a corner. Michelle's backpack was on the roof of the cab, basically working as a rain guard for the other guys up front. My daypack was hooked on my front, just trying to keep it from dragging me down. The road was now slippery, to go along with bumpy, and when we would slide into some ruts, I had to hold the weight of about 8 men leaning on me, with the right side of my knee pressing hard against the rail of the truck bed. It was a painful, and exhausting ride, compounded by the driving rain hitting my face all the way there. After about 2 hours of this torture, we finally arrived and I had hoped that Michelle's journey was nowhere near as difficult as mine as I couldn't even see her or speak to her along the way.

In Rumphi, we met a nice shopkeeper called Happy, and relaxed under the shelter of his storefront while waiting for the next minibus to take us up to Chitimba. Hopefully, this ride will be drier and less painful. *Stub

Comparison of Martin and Baby Hippo Prints

Comparison of Martin and Adult Hippo Prints

Apres Wedding Festivities, Ruarwe, Malawi

2012-01-15T00:53:00.000-08:00

Bjorn, Philippa, Holly and Karen at Zulunkhuni Bar

The rest of the week in Ruarwe was spent socializing at the lodge, playing games, dancing chatting. and just chillin'. Most of the Mzungu guests who had come up from Nkhata Bay headed back on a boat two days after the wedding. There were still a number of people left behind with us - party animal Nick (from Chizumulu island who accompanied us up on the ferry), South African Bjorn from Nkhata Bay who liked seeing the sunrise after drinking all night, good friends of Charlie's from England, Jill (Sally's mum) and some nurses and teachers who were volunteering in the community. The nurses and teacher, Holly, Natasha, Philipa and Karen, are from London and were very bubbly and super fun to hang out with.

Martin and 88 Year Old Chief Jeramani at his Australia House

On a couple of occasions we went into the village and visited the chief and also attended the community centre opening day which was a big occasion. More singing and dancing from the women's groups and children of the villages.

Every day there seemed to be a group swim, and different people (including Martin) would eventually tackle the big 9m platform jump into the lake. It's a long drop. Also, plenty of games and good times with the group, and many late nights often until the wee hours of the morning.

They also had an issue with food supplies, they were running out. But each day they pulled through with flying colours, making something out of nothing almost. The last 2 nights they managed to acquire some fish for a wonderful pasta, then bought a goat for a stew which was super tender and obviously very fresh!

Saying Goodbye to the Staff at Zulunkhuni Lodge

Suddenly it was time to move on as the Ilala ferry was keeping to it's weekly schedule and we had to decide what do next. We chose to go back Nkhata Bay to do some more research into a couple of National Parks, and where we thought we would have a better launching spot to access them. Quite surprisingly, the Ilala ferry was on time! We were amazed, and sad as we would have liked to have an excuse to stay longer. *Mush

Nice Day for a 'Mzungu' Wedding, Ruarwe, Malawi

2012-01-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

Michelle Dancing with 88 Year Old Chief Jeramani

A White Wedding was in store within our newly adopted family from Christmas time. Charlie and Sally, the owners of Zulukhuni Lodge, had invited us to their wedding on the 9th of Jan. But firstly - we had to get there! After spending a relatively sleepless night waiting for the ferry at Wakwenda Retreat on the island of Chizumulu, we boarded the Ilala Ferry 8 hours behind schedule. It was a fun journey with the other travellers we had met that week on the islands, but they left us t Nkhata Bay and we continued onwards to Ruarwe.

By this time it was well after noon and according to Nick (the owner of Wakwenda who was also going to Charlie's and Sally's wedding), it was Beer o'clock. We had taken it on ourselves to 'look after' Nick since he had promised Charlie that

Here Comes the Bride - A Welcoming Party

he wouldn't turn up drunk or hungover for his mate's wedding day. So starting after noon we thought would be safe. Between us we drank quite a number of beers as we hung out on the outside deck in third class. We also had fun with the locals as I had got a catchy Swahili (Tanzanian) song stuck in my head. "Sawaa Sawaa Sawaa Ley". By the time we had arrived, I had a number of them singing along to the song playing from one of their cell phones.

Although we'd been invited to the wedding, we hadn't been sure if we would make it, so it was a real surprise for Charlie and Sally when we came ashore at Zulunkhuni Lodge. It was also great to see Jill (Sally's mum) and to see the look on her face as we walked up into the bar. Nice to feel super welcome. We also recognised a number of faces from partying at New Year in Nkhata Bay so we knew it was going to be a fun wedding!

The Wedding Locale on Ruarwe Beach

Remembering our Christmas here, it was definitely going to be a different feel this time. Instead of the six people that we had at Christmas, there were more like 40 now, plus all the staff. So the day of the wedding was organised chaos at the lodge with breakfast and drinks all round. The staff had never seen the place so busy!

Seeing as the village of Ruarwe was organising the wedding - complete with organising committee!, we knew it was going to be an unusual and special African experience. A 10 minute ride by wooden shuttle boat took us all to the beach - the heart of the village - where the reception from the couple of hundred people or so, was colouful (everyone was in their best clothes), and noisy, waving branches and singing their hearts out in greeting. Thankfully the seasonal morning rain had given way to sunshine and everyone was in good spirits.

Michelle with other wedding onlookers

The Mzungu guests (white people) got stuck into the dancing with the locals before the
hullabaloo of Charlie's arrival. Charlie has been in Malawi for 15 years and was pretty much adopted by Ruarwe's Chief Jeramani and given the land to build Zulunkhuni River Lodge to bring tourism to the village. It was pretty obvious that the villagers are very fond of Charlie. Shortly after, Sally was greeted in the same way with much singing and dancing and celebration.

The wedding committee did a great job organizing the ceremony which filled with speeches from the local chiefs and headmen (of all the villages encompassed in Ruarwe's area), lots of dancing and
singing, and throwing of 20 kwacha (10cent) notes around. The MC would translate the speeches and vows, and because there was much activity and noise, it was all carried out using a mega phone!

The Local Chiefs Attending the Wedding - All in Their Best Suits

Unconventional, but entertaining! It was a very happy occasion with a guesstimate of about 400 locals in attendance

After the main proceedings, dinner was served, first to the Mzungu guests and then to all the villagers. As is local tradition, Charlie had bought a cow for the dinner celebrations which feeds not only his personal guests, but is expected to feed the whole village (which was several hundred strong). The committee had cooked up a massive cow stew - literally. It seemed they left nothing out as, unfortunately, I was served a plate of offal with stomach lining and various tubes and bits sticking out. I couldn't look at it let alone eat it! So
I felt really ungrateful for not being able to stomach it - this is Africa after all, and people are hungry. Thankfully, with prompting from a local guest savvy to western tastes, my plate was discreetly replaced with something a little more edible. What a relief! And it was tasty!

A first dance of sorts from Charlie and Sally

More dancing and then it was time to head back to the lodge. The send-off was just as memorable as the arrival that morning. The party continued back at the lodge - drinking and more dancing till the wee hours. The whole day was fantastic and we felt very honoured to be there, and we will definitely cherish the experience. I'm sure it is something that we will never experience again. * Mush

Things Michelle will remember:
1. Dancing with Chief Jeramani who is 88 years old.
2. Watching in the audience sitting with the local children and them wanting to sit close to me, while others were scared and didn't want to sit close at all!
3. The other chiefs and headmen all wearing their best suits and ties for this very special occasion.
4. Families who were clearly in their best clothes all posing for photos on the beach taking family photos.
5. The generator going all the time in the background to support the sound system that would boom out music spontaneously for dancing and singing in-between speeches and serious stuff.
5. The unforgettable plate of 'beef' stew.

Beautiful Likoma and Chizumulu Islands in Lake Malawi, Malawi

2012-01-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

Flipping Kids on Likoma

We feel like we are becoming ferry regulars now, as this is the third, but not last journey on the infamous Ilala. We know the captain - Tom, Barman - Danson, and waiter - Francis. All very helpful people for us. The ferry left Nkhata Bay a few hours late, and therefor, we would be arriving at Likoma Island very early in the morning. There are two islands called Likoma and Chizumulu, that are Malawian, but in Mozambiquan waters of Lake Malawi, only 7km off the shore. We were due to spend 5 nights on these islands, as that is the next time the ferry would pass on it's way back North.

Robine and Sophie with Fingerloads of kids

We had some company in brother/sister Will and Sophie, and we all set up our tents on the top deck. Lucky, as there was some rain overnight. We arrived in Likoma even later than expected, as there was a delay at Chizumulu, so it worked out for us because it was now approx. 8AM and we could head over to the backpacker's place called Mango Drift on the other side of the island. It was a hot, sticky hour walk over the hills, lugging our big packs on our back, but also very scenic with loads of huge baobab trees around, and views across the water to Mozambique.

Mango Drift was located right on a nice beach, and we set up tent about 10m from the lake. Sporadic electrical power here, but no worries…. the name of the game here was relaxing.

Mango Drift also served up some delicious food, and had a big family dinner every night. For dinners we were joined by Dutch couple Jos and Robine, and Canadian mother and 12 year old son, Elizabeth and Max, who were all staying at the b/p.

Cathedral on Likoma Island

When we dragged ourselves away from swimming, paddle surfing, or just playing games, we did a big long walk around the island. First, summiting the highest point of the island at 605m, only about a 200m climb though. Then down through some of the villages, meeting plenty of friendly locals along the way. At one beach, the kids were showing off by doing flips off the beach into the water. In the same village, we started gathering a huge horde of kids, and we felt like the Pied Piper. At times, I would turn around and start chasing them like a monster, and that got a lot of laughs as they ran away, then snuck up behind me again. Both Sophie and Robine had a kid on every finger as we left town, all singing and skipping or jumping along. Such a pleasure to see the happy, smiling faces.

We thought the kids were going to follow us all around the island, but we had to send them home as to not alarm their families. By this time we had crossed all the way to the main village on the other side of the 8km by 3km island. It was time for lunch, and what better place than the aptly named Hunger Clinic. Good portions of local dishes, stationed right on the beach.

Sophie at Sunset with the Kids of Likoma

As our walk continued, we came across the cathedral. It's quite a surprise to see a cathedral of this size on such a small island, and other than the tin rood, it was an impressive structure. I forgot to mention earlier that we also had a chaperone in the form of Basil the Dog. He had faithfully followed us everywhere on the island, and now the cathedral was going to be no different. He trotted inside ahead of us, and we were a bit embarrassed by this. The caretaker seemed fine, as he said the dog could enter, and Basil continued on the tour of the cathedral, even climbing the balcony stairs for a bird's eye view of the pews.

The last stop on our day walk, was a locally famous 'Medicine Man'. He was an elderly gentleman, with dreadlocks and a loud, red outfit of shirt and shorts which bore a cross on them. After our offering of a branch, he invited us inside and put on a bit of a talk about how he became a healer. In his story, he explained that at one point in his life, he definitely had some mental problems and lived in the jungle with no clothes. He started to find herbs and plants that would heal, and then eventually returned to "civilization" where he cured his grandmother with some herbal remedies. From then on, word spread and people started coming from far and wide to find him. An interesting character to say the least.

Martin after Soccer with kids on Likoma

Unfortunately, we experienced quite a bit of rain on the island, so much so, that we changed our plans for taking a local boat over to Chizumulu. We did, however, hire a private boat for 13 of us on the last day, to at least see Wakwenda Retreat on the Chizi. Will, Sophie and I (along with Basil), walked up to the next village to find a boat. We eventually found someone who would give us a good price, and went with him to get the fuel. I managed to play football/soccer with the local kids while waiting for the fuel, and also had a young 2 year old on my lap for a while looking very stunned at my white hands and skin.

We hadn't realized it, but we had to walk to the opposite side of the island to get the boat, but that gave us an unexpected boat tour around the island. We just arrived much later at Mango Drift than expected. It was a quick trip over to Chizi, and we arrived to a startled Nick, who owned the lodge. When you are on a tiny island, and all of a sudden 13 people show up unannounced, probable expecting dinner, that puts you in a tough position. He came through with flying colours though, and we had a tasty chili con carne.

Wakwenda Retreat on Chizumulu Island

Nick was also in a bit of a tough spot, as earlier that morning, a dog that he was looking after actually got eaten by a crocodile. He had no means to tell the owner, and felt awful about the whole incident. This happened in an area where people often swim, so it was lucky that it wasn't worse, but there was now a big 3m croc around, and the police were there trying to shoot it since it will continue to be a problem.

Nick's place was an impressive spot with a bar built around a rocky outcrop. He had built different decks jutting out from various locations and it was fabulous. We wished we had come sooner. And, Nick was quite the host too… He seems to love having people around, and even when the heavy rains came later, we all ended up hanging out in Nick's house. The ferry was supposed to come at 8PM, but it didn't arrive until 7AM the next morning. Nick, generously let us sleep around the house, as no-one could unpack in case the boat arrived. Thanks Nick for being such a great host!! *Stub

Bringing in 2012 at Nkhata Bay, Malawi

2012-01-01T04:33:00.000-08:00

Mayoka Village from the Lake

Arriving back in Nkhata Bay, we tried to find the place where our friends were supposed to be staying. Luckily, Nkhata Bay is a small place and we ran into Charrie in the street, who then took us to meet Arek at the local pub. We celebrated the reunion with a beer in the stifling hot local pub, with Premier League games playing.
They were all staying at a lovely place called Mayoka Village, which had some cool cabins built on a hillside, right above the lake, and tent sites interspersed between. We managed to set up a great camp right on the water. The restaurant served up some delicious food, including a home-made thick, juicy beef burger which I couldn't get enough of!! It even had CHEESE on it!! Wow, talk about things you miss!

Our Tent at Mayoka Village by Lake Malawi

We had been in touch with friends Nick and Zulfaa, whom we met in Livingstone, Zambia 2 months prior. They had planned to be in Malawi, but not sure where. So after getting back in cell phone coverage, we texted them to find out. As I was walking down the steps to Mayoka, we received a text back saying that they were at Mayoka Village in Nkhata Bay, and we looked up to see them walking along in front of us. A complete surprise to both parties, and a small world. So all of a sudden we had quite a little group of friends formed, which made the prospects of the New Year's party even more enticing!
Mayoka Village offered some good free perks including a boat trip/snorkel/cliff jump. We all piled in the boat and had a good afternoon out, including a close up view of the fish eagle's swooping in for a

Swim Platform with some Mayoka Friends - Zulfaa on right

fish thrown from the boat. All was going well, until we got called to get back in the boat. Apparently, the driver had started the engine when a swimmer was behind the boat and actually cut her leg with the prop!! Really scary stuff, and very lucky that her injuries were not serious!! WOW - makes you realize how easy things happen, and how lax they are here on safety!!
Our daily routines would include a walk into town for lunch at a local cheap restaurant, that would inevitably take way longer than it should for the food to be served; a very cheap and cold Coke at our little Sharobala Restaurant to escape the heat temporarily; just walking through town and feeling more like a local, recognizing and being recognized by some of the residents both Malawian and ex-pats. It seems that Nkhata Bay is a focal point for the good backpacker trail through

Downtown Nkhata Bay - Sharobala Restaurant on left

Malawi, and is a hub since it services the islands by ferry. Malawi has been a nice change from us being on our own most of the time.
Back at Mayoka, they had a challenge…. If two of you could paddle the local dug-out canoe out around the swim platform and back, without falling in, you would stay one night for free. Charrie and I gave it a go, but it is easier than it sounds. The dug-outs are very round and super tippy. We made a valiant attempt to 2/3's of the way there, but splashed down embarrassingly and disappointed. All good fun though.
Another interesting note for Mayoka was the ex-chief of the land. He would appear every night to set up his chocolate bar stand, and sit in the same chair, often falling asleep. He was an elderly, but jovial man and had a variety of outfits to make our "tickle trunk"

With Georgia, Arek, Charrie and the Chief in his Checker Outfit

(dress-up clothes closet) jealous. My personal favourites were the full purple outfit including purple socks, and the checkered trousers and shirt complete with Christmas tie.
Along with new brother/sister friends Will and Sophie, we partied the New Year's Eve away at Mayoka, then made our way down to the bigger local party at a bar called Kaya Papaya. Lots of locals and travellers made for a fun night of dancing, drinking and shooting of New Year's fireworks. We rung in the New Year there, and wandered home around 4AM, only to find out the next day, that a British guy that we knew had actually been stabbed on the same path about an hour earlier. He was alone unfortunately, but we were a group, so strength in numbers….. But a real black eye to the community, as apparently an American girl had been stabbed

New Year's with Zulfaa, Nick, Charrie, Sophie and Arek

too earlier in the night. Very odd for Nkhata Bay, and everyone was in a bit of shock. I would assume it was a local with some kind of mental disability, as there didn't appear to be any theft. Scary stuff, but we take care of each other and friends, and try not to walk alone at night!!
After a day of recovery, we were escorted by Georgia, Arek and Charrie, to the Ilala ferry where, along with Will and Sophie, we were headed for some beach time at the small Malawian islands of Likoma and Chizumulu, out in Lake Malawi, but close to the Mozambique mainland! *Stub

Christmas with 'Family' at Zulunkhuni Lodge, Ruarwe, Malawi

2011-12-25T04:40:00.000-08:00

Our Cabin - the Stone House overlooking the lake

Greeted by Sally and Charlie from Zulunkhuni Lodge on the beach to calls of "Hello Rupert and Sabrinha", we were confused but I guess they didn't get the message that we were coming, but were expecting the other couple who were no shows. Since it was already dark, Charlie suggested we take the Stone House room, that was set up for R&S, at camping prices. His enticement worked like a charm, as we decided to stay in the lovely cabin on the rocks over the lake for the duration of our stay. Time to pamper ourselves a little for Christmas!! And, we had a bed!!!!
Waking up to the sunrise over Lake Malawi was beautiful, and we would fall asleep to lightning storms over the mountains in Tanzania across the lake. What a wonderful spot!!

View from the Stone House at Sunrise

Since the lodge is very isolated, they have no power, and no phone service. We had no communication with the outside world, and it was fab. Rather invigorating actually. One issue though, was with the fuel shortage, they had trouble getting gas, and were unable to use the stoves, and more importantly, were unable to use the fridge. Therefore, NO cold drinks, and no meats, etc. We were going to have to go veggie for the week, but no worries….it turned out that the food here was delicious. I especially liked the veggie burgers!!
We did exactly what we planned to do here at the lodge - VERY LITTLE. It was about relaxing and taking a nice break from the daily stresses and frustrations of travel. Days were filled with plenty of games, occasional meals, warm drinks, and refreshing but not very cold swims in the turquoise waters of the lake. The shore is quite rocky, and the snorkelling was actually quite good in the clear waters.

Our Cabin at Sunrise over Lake Malawi

We often would have a morning snorkel, then head for breakfast.
Charlie had also built a jumping platform about 9m (30ft) above the rocks, and there was a great jumping rock in the lake about as high. I tackled both these jumps in my time here.
Sally and Charlie are both English but Charlie has been in Malawi for 14 years or so. Sally is more recent here, but they will be married in the very, very near future. Sally's Mum Gill was also at the lodge, and was spending 6 weeks in Malawi to attend the upcoming nuptials. She was on the other end of many games played. There were only a couple of guests here and there, and a couple of local volunteers staying, including Georgina, a doctor from England who was working in Ruarwe. The staff were lovely too, always greeting you with big smiles. And the dogs, one very friendly called Gondross the Destroyer, and one aptly named Chicken as he was scared of

Martin and Charlie 9m Rock Jump for Christmas

everything. Also, the local wildlife and bugs were interesting, including giant snails, a bug they call "Thing" and a special Christmas appearance of a chameleon.
Michelle and I did visit the local village, approx. 20 minute walk away to see the new community centre there that the volunteers were at. Cool spot and a very interesting a impressive library. Of course, we got tied up playing with the local kids and meeting new people in town.
On Christmas Eve, we were busy making some snowflake decorations, whilst listening to my extensive Christmas Song collection, when a special delivery arrived……..STEAK. Charlie's brother had sent it from Nkhata Bay, so we were very excited about the prospect of X-Mas eve steak sandwiches. WOW, they were tasty!!
We all enjoyed our 'family' meals, and it was so nice to be included with them for their celebrations. It was what we really needed for Christmas and we couldn't have picked a better place to be.
Christmas Day was no exception. We had bought some little locals presents for Sally, Charlie, Gill and Georgina, and we woke to some stockings hung up. We all had a good laugh opening small presses, and drinking some Amarula's. In each of our stockings was a local thing they call sachets.

Christmas Slip'n'Slide with Charlie, Georgina and Sally

Basically a shot of cane spirit in a little airtight package. We all downed our sachets, but with a few gag reflexes!!
Since the staff had the day off, Charlie and I started cutting wood for the oven, and we all helped out with prepping and cooking the Christmas beef in the clay oven. Whilst the food was cooking, we had a good swim and rock jumps, and also a go at Charlies Slip and Slide kids toy!! All good laughs, then a sit down for a delicious dinner and chocolate cake for dessert.
Then, the Christmas songs came to an end and we put on some classic and spent the next few hours dancing on the bar and having a wonderful end to our Christmas. It was off on the ferry the next day, but we were so happy to have a new family experience for such an important day. We were treated so well, and also invited to the upcoming wedding on Jan 9th - we will see if we can make it or not!!! *Stub

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Bar Dance - Georgina, Sally and Michelle

'First Class' Travellers (Eventually) on the Ilala Ferry, Lake Malawi, Malawi

2011-12-17T01:47:00.000-08:00

To See Our Photos of Malawi, Click Here

Along with Georgia, Arek and Charlie (who we now affectionately called Charrie, since the local Malawians cannot say the 'RL'), we ventured on our way to Monkey Bay. Somehow, on a brief stop in Mangochi to change minibus, Michelle managed to extend our Malawian visa for another 30 days, so now we had the time to get lost or stuck on the islands in Lake Malawi, if we choose, or if the only boat breaks down again. Apparently, it was broken down for a couple of weeks, but there is word that it is fixed now, and hence our visit to Monkey Bay - the Ilala Ferry's starting port.
Monkey Bay is a pleasant little local town, but not a lot going for it. We camped on the beach at Mufasa Lodge and enjoyed the time there, but also picked up another couple of friends - Jose and Andrea from Chile.

8 hour line with the gang

The now larger group, trudged over to the ferry ticket office at 8AM, in preparation for the 10AM departure. But this was not to be. We were told to wait 10 minutes, but after an hour or so, they came and pulled the curtain over the window and closed the ticket office. NOT a good sign!! And, so we waited and waited and waited, with occasional updates saying that there was a problem with the ferry. It didn't end up leaving until 5PM, but we were happy to get going. We had spent the last 8-9 hours sitting in line, drinking some beers with the gang and playing some poker. Could be worse really, and it was nice to have good company for the wait.
The ferry was a nice change from traveling by minibus. We had the upper deck/First Class ticket, and pretty much had free range of the boat. We didn't have a cabin, and would just sleep up on deck, under the stars - but in the blustery wind. The second night we decided to just set up our tent on the deck, and that worked well. Especially after we had rats eat into some of our food bags the first night.
They had a bar and restaurant on board, which was cheap, but limited selection, but Francis took care of us. We also used the restaurant for our poker games, which we used a varied selection of bottle caps as poker chips, and listened to Lady Gaga's song Poker Face!! It passed the time nicely.

Tents on board the Ilala Ferry

The trip itself was enjoyable and very scenic at times. The lake is actually about 365 miles long, so the journey took us 51 hours, and that wasn't even the entire length of the trip. We made stops along the way, then in Mozambique, and also on the islands of Likoma and Chizimulu. Here we said goodbye to Charrie, Georgia and Arek. Unfortunately, these stops always involved a lot of commotion and noise, even when in the middle of the night. You couldn't get a good night's sleep, what with all the ruckus. At each stop, the boat was too big to go to shore, and they would send the lifeboats in to drop off people and supplies, and pick them up on shore. It was all a bit messy, and especially when the wind was blowing hard, and waves crashing against the boat. It made for a dangerous situation.

Swarms of Lake Flies

Another bizarre sight we saw from the ferry were swarms of lake flies. Apparently, this phenomenon only happens on Lake Malawi, and you see dark funnels of flies in the distance that look like mini tornadoes. There must be millions, if not billions of the little flies to make these swarms so visible. I want to see what it looks like on shore, when these swarms drift into town!!
We finally arrived in Ruarwe in the dark, and weren't sure where to go, or how to get there. A boat appeared and we loaded on to the roof for a dark ride to shore, being waved in by flashlights. So, we finally arrived at our Christmas destination, Zulunkhuni River Lodge in Ruarwe! *Stub

A Victorian Style Safari in Liwonde National Park, Malawi

2011-12-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

Sunset Viewing Platform w/ Peiter, Ang, Arek, Georgia and Charlie

After yet another battle for price in a minibus, we arrived in Liwonde - gateway to the Liwonde National Park, and Malawi's best game park. Luckily, we chose well on a guest house, and ended up at Liwonde Safari Camp, with a happy South African named Pieter. Pieter and his business partner, Frederik from Holland, were excellent hosts, and very generous. I will sing their praises to all heading that way. It seems like a lot of places are out to make a buck…… fair enough. But these guys seem to just want to share the park and wildlife with you. They just loved being there. It was very refreshing. We came for one or two nights, but it was only after four nights that we finally managed to leave. It was just too relaxing, and a fun place to be.

Tolkein's Tree - A Massive Baobab 3800 yrs

The place had only been open for 14 months, but seemed to have a following. Where other camps have had very few clients over recent weeks, Liwonde Safari Camp seemed to have a steady stream coming their way. One of the friendliest there was a German stuntwoman named Angela, and her large dog Paul. A recent project of hers was working in the Quentin Tarantino film - Inglorious Basterds!! Very cool. We had a good laugh with her, and then an unlikely Spanish/Polish/Irish trio arrived. Georgia, Arek and Charlie were also a fun crew, and the whole group gelled and had a good time together. Part of the reason we stayed longer.
With a free game walk in the mornings with Pieter, we got a small glimpse of the park. One highlight was an approximately 3800 year old baobab tree. Apparently, JRR Tolkein's father was a missionary in Malawi, and when JRR was a teen, his father would preach underneath this massive tree. It is very easy to see that this tree could be his inspiration for the 'Living Trees (I forget their name)' in his Lord of the Rings trilogy. We were also in an area called Shire, with the Shire River running through, and plenty of Misty Mountains around. Coincidence, I think not!!
We would also take to drinks on the viewing platform for sunset nightly. Unfortunately, only once did the elephants arrive, and didn't take too kindly to Paul's barking, as other guests arrived. They charged towards the platform, trumpeting their presence known!! Scary stuff.

Angie Dressed in White for the Safari

Even around camp, there was a bit of a mini safari. There were tons of bug species, from scorpions, to giant grasshopper things, to scary centipedes, to swarming termites - you always had to watch where you walked.
While sitting around one night, Pieter decided that when we did our game drive in the morning, it was going to be Victorian style. So, the girls had to dress up all fancy, with make-up, and the boys needed to shower, shave and wear their best. Even Pieter was going to pull out his khakis, like a true guide. It was pretty funny heading out in the morning, with the girls in white dresses, heading into the mud. Just like the old days!! If we got stuck, it would be a bit of a laugh!
Thankfully, we didn't get stuck but had a fun time. We didn't see any spectacular wildlife except for a running hippo, but the views of the park were great with the Shire River and some peaks in the distance. It sure was good company though, with some great laughs!! One freaky sight was a baobab that was hollow - it was used by local tribes to throw the lepars in to as a hollow grave. Lots of bones in the bottom!!

Georgia, Angie, Charlie, Arek, M, and Kitty on the sunset boozy Safari

That evening, Pieter enticed us to stay another night with mention of a free game drive into the park for sunset. They just wanted to head out and be social, so this was a real treat. I would imagine other places charging a good price for an evening drive, but these guys just wanted to share!! We all took some drinks for sunset and chilled out by the river. We picked up a cool hippo skull for the lodge, and I managed to sit on the bumper seat, as spotter for the ride back. I managed to find us a hyena, but was a little nervous at my location on the vehicle. Unfortunately, the hyena looked like it had been caught in a snare, and was missing a front paw. It still looked quite healthy though, and must have scavenged well.
That was our last evening at Liwonde, and we enjoyed the time with our new friends. Georgia, Arek, and Charlie would be joining us on the drive up to Monkey Bay in the morning, so we had good company for our next leg. *Stub

Sunset in Liwonde with Frederik, Arek, Angie, Georgia, Charlie, Peiter and Kitty

A Ride in the Ambulance, Zomba Plateau, Malawi

2011-12-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

To See Our Malawi Photos, Click Here

The evening after our 4 days of hiking, we found a good little local guest house called NdangoPuma, pleasant and dirt-cheap. Finally, we have come to a country where our money goes much further! A bed was only about $1.75 per person, and the guesthouse was filled with nice locals.
Since we were planted in the middle of tea fields, we thought it might be interesting to visit a tea factory. We had heard from Leason, that one called Esperanza, was actually owned by Prince Charles.

Mr Fawlty, Bicycle Taxi in Mulanje Tea Plantations

We hired ourselves a bike-taxi each, Michelle's was named Mr Fawlty, which I thought quite funny. Basil!!!! They cruised us up to the plantation, but it was too late to enter. That was fine though, because the journey through the plantations was really our destination. There were plenty of locals about and the setting sun was beautiful casting some great light over the beautiful green plantations.
Around the corner from our little Guest House was a restaurant/bar called Rob Wills, and we had a decent local dinner out.
The Malawian couple at the next table wanted to chat with us, and we invited them to join us. Well, Amon and Esnut were having a weekend away, and at this point, Amon was quite drunk. His wife Esnut, was the calming voice of reason, but he got increasingly more and more drunk. They were very generous, buying us drink after drink, even after we declined, hoping to get away from what might be a bad situation. But the drinks kept coming, and he got a lot more grabby which made us a little uncomfortable. Eventually, we got away, but I think their intentions were genuine and friendly. So much so, that we called them the next morning to accept their invitation of a ride back to Blantyre. I was taken aback, when Amon asked if I could drive, thinking he was still drunk, or too hungover to drive. Luckily, neither was the case and we enjoyed a free ride back to Blantyre, before continuing on to Zomba. An interesting meeting, but I think all intentions were sincere.

Hitch-Hiking in the Ambulance

In Zomba, we were in town to try to head up the plateau behind it of the same name. Again, the fuel shortage reared it's ugly head, and the taxi drivers were trying to charge 3000-5000 Kwacha ($15-$25) for a ride 8km up to the plateau. We rejected all offers, and eventually found a surprise backpacker lodge (Pakachere) in town that had only been open 2 months. We decided to cut our losses, and spend the night in town. The manager Roos, was very helpful, and Michelle met a really nice German lady named Diana, and didn't stop talking with her for about 5 hours. More about Diana later.
Morning came, and we attacked the drive up to Zomba Plateau again. This time, our plan was to hitchhike, and offer some money for fuel. We set a final time of 10:15, to start looking for a taxi, and after 2 hours of waiting, we were just about to find a taxi, when an ambulance drove by. We had good luck with the ambulance in Mulanje, and once again in Zomba. This time though, it was a mechanic, testing his repair job, and with 300 Kwacha, he took us almost to the top. Lucky us again!! We walked the rest of the way to Trout Farm, and set up camp just before a torrential downpour. We were

With Our Guide Stanley, on Zomba Plateau

scheduled to go on a walk to the viewpoints, and were lucky when the weather broke, hiring a happy old gentleman, named Stanley, to show us the way. It was relatively unspectacular, but the Emperor's View (named after Ethiopian king Hailie Selassie's visit) and Queen's View (named after Elizabeth 1st visit) gave us wide vistas over the lowlands, with pointy hills popping up all over the place. Also, in view was Malawi's second largest lake. I think the hike would have been more enjoyable had our legs not been soooooo tired from our Mulanje hiking. I think both of us just wanted to be back in the tent laying down, and that's what we did as soon as we got back! Not even enough energy to make dinner, and we crashed out early. The next morning, we packed up and went to visit the Ku Chawe Hotel. I was expecting a rustic place on top of the mountain, but it was very modern and far too fancy for us. It did provide us with some help though, because before we could even sit down for breakfast on the roadside, one of the hotel's guests drove by and answered our 'thumbs'. A kind Zimbabwean couple gave us a ride back to town, and we celebrated with a delicious COLD Coke, which has become somewhat of an addiction for us here!! It tastes SOOOOOO refreshing!!! All in all, I think Zomba is very nice, but I don't think we did it justice by doing the small hike that we did on the plateau. I think to really enjoy Zomba's full beauty, we would need to spend a few days hiking and exploring. Also, it's hard to compare it after just hiking Mulanje which was just so amazing. *Stub

Four Days on Mt. Mulanje Massif, Malawi

2011-12-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

Michelle and Leason starting out through the tea plantations

We didn't know much about Malawi except that our good friend Phil Rinn, had attempted to climb Mt. Mulanje massif, and in particular, Sapitwa Peak in the south. He was doing this to raise some money for a charity he was working at in Malawi, called Ripple Africa….. and he highly recommended the climb.
A long, but beautiful bus ride gave us a taste of the spectacular Malawian scenery, as we came off the high plateau of Lilongwe town, down to the lowlands in Blantyre. Some amazing peaks and rock formations along the way, with some large plateaus poking up high above the flats. I must admit, it was a beautiful drive, and I was able to enjoy it more as the bus driver was actually a decent driver.
In Blantyre, we had a quick turnaround at the local supermarket, to stock up on food for our hike, then we were off to Mulanje town by minibus. I'm not sure if many of you know, but at present, Malawi is having a major fuel crisis, and we hear about it everywhere we go. It is definitely a reality, but used as an excuse everywhere we go to charge more money for anything, especially the minibuses.

Night View of Chisepo Hut and Sapitwa behind

Apparently, the good ole president has spent far too much of the foreign exchange currency on things like helicopters, jets, inland harbours, and probably more frivolous things, and now there is no more For-Ex money left to import fuel to the country. This is quite difficult to imagine, but it is definitely a reality, as you see massive lines of cars at fuel stations, most of them waiting days for the fuel truck to arrive. Given this, most of the fuel is bought on the black market at exorbitant prices, hence the increased pricing of everything.
Well, it turned out that this minibus to Mulanje didn't have enough fuel to make it there, so just stopped in a town halfway and told us - only fate about 20 minutes - to hop out. Luckily, we did catch another, but this meant we would be doing something we did not like to do - arrive after dark!!

Chisepo Hut in the Morning above a bed of clouds

Because of this, we got dropped off at the wrong place and had to spend a night at a pretty dingy little place. We decided not to move on with all our possessions an stayed put.
It could have been worse though, and the next morning we hitched a ride in the local ambulance, back to the small town of Chitikale, to the mountain office, where info-man Richard got us all sorted with a route, guide and porter!!
After a final shop for veggies and fruit to load down our poor little porter, Limbani, we were on our way. Right out of the back of town, it was a beautiful walk. We started through the large, rolling green tea plantations, before starting up the massif. The fields were lovely, especially with the huge wall of Mt Mulanje behind. From the base in town at 650m, we were to head to the first night's hut at about 2000m (1400m/4600 ft vertical). A big day, and the climb was steep. Saving grace was, that even with the intense heat, there was good wind that kept us a little cool.

With Limbani and Leason on the Summit of Sapitwa

Without the porter, this one would have been a hell of a grunt with all of our food, as it was straight up!! On the way, we hit some nice cooling rivers, to lower the body temperature. The views on the way up were amazing of the tea plantations below, and the different peaks in the distance as far as Mozambique. Just as we arrived at the plateau, the clouds rolled up and in. It was nice and cool to be in the mist, and we finished our first day with a final hour in the rain.
The CCAP hut appeared suddenly out of the mist, and we were well taken care of there, by the aptly named 'caretaker' of the hut - Boniface. He built us a fire to cook on, and boiled water for us to have a bucket shower with. After a good feast of tuna pasta we hit the sack early, as things start so early in the morning here.

Martin on Sapitwa with Chambe Peak in the Background

We woke up to more fog, and hiked the entire day under the shroud of mist. Cooling to walk in, but no views to speak of, but still, it was atmospheric and had a beauty of its own. Even at our destination, the Chisepo Hut, we were socked-in. At the time, I imagined how impressive the views must be from here, but we would have to wait and see.
We met with two brothers, Fellipe and Fernando from Brazil, who in honour of their good friend, Gabriel, were climbing to retrace his footsteps. Gabriel died on the mountain in 2009, after fog rolled in and was lost for 3 days before passing. He had decided against a guide, and that turned out to be a big mistake. A sad story for sure, but Felipe and Fernando were here for a bit of closure, and to bring some items for his memorial at the top.

Sunset Near Thuchilya Hut

That evening, the clouds cleared and we could see lights of the town, now about 1600m below. Also, the stars and almost-full moon lit up Sapitwa (the peak) from behind giving us a good feeling about the day to follow.
A cool night's sleep on the cabin floor near the fire, and we awoke early for our summit bid, to clear skies above and a sea of cloud below in the valley. I love being above the clouds, and this was definitely no exception. We set off at 5:30 and were quickly greeted by the steep rock face that was going to be our escalator up. It was all on the toes and balls of the feet up, but thankfully it wasn't wet, as it would have been extremely slick and dangerous-going. Upon gaining most of the vertical, we then had to traverse across to the 3001m summit. It was up and down on big boulders, and even though the summit was in sight, it took some time to get there. We both enjoyed the surprise golden field of grasses near the summit.

Thuchilya Hut

After 4 or 5 hours, we finally summitted, and had the panoramic 365 degree views all across Southern Africa (or so it seemed)!! Maybe just a prelude to our Kilimanjaro climb. It was a special scene up there, made even more emotional with Fellipe and Fernando, as they spent about 2 hours up there remembering their good friend, and celebrating his life in quiet reflection.
The way down was even tougher, as those steep rock faces now created difficult footwork, and our legs got super-sore from pointing straight down for hours. We were satisfied, but exhausted when we got back to Chisepo Hut about 1:30PM. But because of a little poor planning, we had to quickly cook and eat lunch, then head on to our next hut, Thuchilya. We could have easily just parked ourselves at Chisepo, to receiver, but the plan was to hike 3 more hours across what was supposed to be flat-ish terrain. It was reasonable, and again stunning, but we were so tired upon arrival, we ate and went straight to bed falling asleep before our heads hit the pillow.
In the morning, we again awoke to sunshine and wonderful views back to the peaks and to the flatlands below.

The Descent down Elephants Head - Sapitwa on Left

Today was down, down, down, and quite quickly. My legs were not happy about this, because I would much prefer the slow slog of uphill, vs. the strains of going down. The leg quads will hurt tomorrow!!! Finally reaching town, we had some fun with the locals, whilst our guide Liaison and porter Limbani kept watching over us like good responsible chaperones. They were also trying to arrange a ride back to Chitikale in the minibus to finish the trip out in style - yep, crammed into yet another minibus on some bumpy roads, with some friendly albeit, a little-smelly locals. This time, our body odour probably matched theirs and we really didn't care.

Things Michelle will remember:
1. The intense vivid green of the rolling tea plantations that went on for what seemed, forever.
2. Walking in the fresh thick mist at the top of the plateau when suddenly (and thankfully) the CCAP hut came into extremely-welcome sight only about 80 feet away.
3. The painful ascent walking on the balls of our feet.

Martin in the Wheat-like Grasses high up Sapitwa

4. The amazing colour of the tall golden wheat-like grasses contrasted against the cornflower-blue skies - so tall that you could only just make out each other walking through it!
5. The stunning views of the (20+) peaks of the massif.
6. Waking to something moist and moving on her neck on the final night - which turned out to be a 2 inch millipede. Eeeeww.
7. Having fun with the locals as we came into the village at the end of the hike: Signalling to an older lady with a variety of things balanced on her head, if she wanted to join in a photo. Without a second thought, she literally threw all her stuff to the ground and ran over not wanting to miss out on such an opportunity, and before we might change our minds! It was great to see her child-like spontaneity and the joy other face as she saw herself on the screen afterwards!
*Stub

Another Border Crossing - Now to Malawi

2011-12-02T23:49:00.000-08:00

To See Our Zambia Photos, Click Here

Martin Playing a Huge game of Boa with locals

Another border crossing into Malawi, and we have started to keep track of our countries visited. Martin is now at 58 and Michelle at 56. The race is on!!!
Loida. our connection here in Lilongwe, was one of the girls that jumped into Devil's Pool with us at Vic Falls. She welcomed us with open arms and let us stay in the spare room at her rental place (special thanks to Frank). After getting spoilt by Diana with a lunch, she even dropped us off at Loida's work - the UNICEF office in Lilongwe. We noticed there were a lot of fancy vehicles there!!!
Touring around Lilongwe the next day was basically to find out info, and get a few chores done. Lilongwe is a pretty nondescript place, not bad, but not great. But the people seem very friendly and a highlight of the day was when I joined in a large game of BOW with a bunch of local men. Instead of just a small wooden board, they actually had all the holes dug in the ground and the board was about 20 feet long. The 'champion' was quite animated when playing his moves, and when I joined in an imitated his actions, all the men got quite a laugh!!
Seeing as though we had heard the Malawians were very friendly, we were surprised to see a fist fight break out, about 2 feet outside our minibus window, on the way back to meet Loida. I think most people were a little shocked too, as they all watched with alarm.
That evening, with Loida, her friend Leslie, and Frank, we went to a Christmas carol thing at the Four Season's complex. We had no idea what it was all about, and given that it was tough to imagine Christmas is right around the corner given the extreme heat and summer-like conditions, we walked in and were all quite shocked. It was a picnic-like atmosphere, with some decent singing along with some very chalk-board scraping shrill tones, but the biggest surprise was I think that every white person in Malawi was there. We hadn't seen such a big congregation of whites since we had been in Africa, and we found it a little strange. Luckily, Leslie came prepared with a bottle of wine (she's a good Canadian), and shared it around, before Frank treated us to a wonderful Indian curry. That's about it for Lilongwe, as we got up early to tackle the bus journey down to Mulanje on Saturday morning. *Stub

Our Zambian Mother

2011-11-30T04:35:00.000-08:00

With Diana at Mama Rula's

One meets a lot of great people while traveling, but some go over and above. Nothing is too much trouble for this lady. Discovering Diana, the managing director at the Spar, has been one of the best things that has happened to us recently after my homesick spell in Lusaka. She cheered me up no end. Not only did she take us under her wing when we first arrived in Chipata, she just seemed to know everyone in town, calling a variety of her connections for us regarding public transport, wifi or even money exchange rates etc. One bizarre outcome of her connections was the money exchange transaction: because of the current economy crisis in Malawi we decided to change our Zambian Kwacha to Malawian currency beforehand. Diana said she knew someone reliable and with a good rate, rather than us do business with the swindling guys on the street corners (the real Bureau de Changes don't change local country currencies). It felt extremely sinister to be sitting in the Spar coffee shop counting piles and piles of Malawian Kwacha on the table. (I wish we had taken a photo)
Diana is truly amazing and inspiring. She has the best heart and it's wonderful to be around someone caring and familiar so far from home. She is like that with everyone. Even her employees say that she's like a mother to them. Well, she certainly felt like that to us!

The following day we headed off to Malawi making the most of the ride that Diana had offered us. It was a comfortable ride (no being squashed in mini-vans for us!) with her and Andrea (Mama Rula herself) to the Zambia/Malawi border, about 20 minutes away from Chipata. But crossing wasn't plain sailing for Andrea who was traveling on a day pass, her passport at an embassy elsewhere. Apparently it seems only black Africans, as opposed to white Africans, can travel on a day pass and we sadly had to leave her behind. Thankfully, Diana could do Andrea's urgent errands for her in Lilongwe, and so we continued on without her. Diana as ever, entertaining and good natured, with the heart of gold, treated us to lunch at Spur Steakhouse (which are all over Southern Africa and not that cheap) meeting up with another friend, Luanne, quite a gregarious and entertaining character too. Nice memories. Well, we certainly appreciated the pleasant and comfortable travel day and we were very sad to say goodbye to our Zambian Mother, Diana. We won't forget her! *Mush

A Day in Friendly Chipata, Zambia

2011-11-29T04:32:00.000-08:00

To see our Zambia Photos, Click Here

Eating chips and eggs with the locals

Dreading the prospect of waiting around for transport back to Chipata we were rewarded with only having to wait about an hour and got a shared taxi with locals back to town. We asked our driver, James, to go direct and not stop to wait around to pick up locals, but of course he did do pick ups (thankfully, not much waiting). But the journey back only took us about three and half hours including running out of petrol (again) just as we came into town. Not bad compared to our squashed 5 hour drive to the park. We didn't have a speaker blaring right in front of us, but I did get splattered with mud through the back window as we squirmed through a deep puddle formed by the recent rains. (The button for the window only worked from the front so I couldn't raise the window in time).

Chipata's Flea Market

We were welcomed once again back to Mama Rula's and started planning our next move to get to Malawi. Diana (our Spar lady) suggested that we come with her and Andrea in a couple of days time as they were running errands in Lilongwe (the capital of Malawi) their nearest city. Remembering our reformed travel format, this offer was too good to refuse. Not only would it make us stay longer in one place (at Mama R's), it would definitely make for a more comfortable and less stressful travel day avoiding public transport across the Zambian/Malawi border.

Making the most of our extra day we explored town, grateful for a ride in from one of the guests. Thank you Fouri. First stop was to meet up with our taxi man, James, from yesterday to retrieve my zip-off trousers which had fallen out from my bag in the boot. A relief as I was not looking forward to the prospect of replacing clothes right now. Phew!

Our Bicycle Taxis - check out the cushioned seat

There was not much to town apart from flea markets and shops, but we hung out with the locals eating (not the healthiest) egg and chips. Half way home we caught up with some much-needed internet for the first time in over a week scavenging wifi in return for a drink at the Protea Hotel bar. Getting home from there was an experience as we hopped on two bicycle taxis for the remaining 4km. There we were, precariously perched gripping on to the padded seat bumping up and down along the rough dirt road home. It was fun, but scary at the same time! *Mush

Indredible Storms of South Luangwa National Park, Mfuwe, Zambia

2011-11-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

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Dancing with Capt. Cook at the Bus Stn

A scenic 8 hour drive through Zambia planted us in Chipata, a medium sized town near the Malawi border, and the gateway to South Luangwa National Park. We got lucky as we were shopping for our next few days supplies, to find that the owner of the SPAR grocery store, also owned a reputable campsite 4km from town. We hitched a ride from the shop with one of the family, and set up camp at Mama Rula (so named for her love of Amarula liquor - like Baileys). They were exceptionally nice and friendly at Mama Rula, even giving us a ride back into town early the next morning to find a ride to South Luangwa National Park.

We had heard that it's quite tricky to get to the park without your own transport, but we found a minivan that was heading there once it was full. No problem right……WRONG! We found out relatively quickly that these don't leave until around Noon or so, as that is when most finish their shopping in town. So, 6 hours after our arrival at the minibus, we were on our way. That is a new record for us, and it was a bit miserable sitting around that long. Michelle passed the time by briefly dancing with one of the bus ticket sellers named Captain Cook in the parking lot, much to the delight of all watching. I think he was a little drunk, but it was 8 AM at the time!!

Oxpeckers on a Giraffe

Once the logistics of who was selling the tickets was worked out (because when you get to the station, you get swarmed by people asking where you are going), we plunked ourselves in what we thought were good seats right behind the driver. Well, just before the minibus left, they placed a massive speaker behind the drivers seat, and right in my footspace. It was really cramped, so Michelle ending up switching with me, because believe it or not, I do have longer legs! 4.5 hours later, and a super bumpy road, we were in Mfuwe. This road was pretty terrible, but it is mostly under construction, so maybe in about 10 years it will be finished, as we didn't see too many men working!
South Luangwa National Park has a great reputation, but we were hoping to arrive before raining season started, as apparently the animals move away from the main waterholes, and find water elsewhere. We were really cutting it close, as it should start in early Nov, but I think it started the day that we did our game drives!

Elephant Road Block in South Luangwa

We had been recommended a place called Track and Trail, which was right on the Luangwa River. It had two-storey platforms built for tents, as there is a real possibility of animals coming through the campsite during the night. And I'm talking hippos, and elephants, being the main problem for us. We had to have the night watchman walk us to the tent and around, so that he could spot the dangers. I thought this was very cool, and we did have some elephants in the resort with one mother and baby actually trying to come into the kitchen. Also, our last night we were about 50 feet from a hippo and baby, as we walked to our tent - wow. Needless to say there were baboons, and vervet monkeys everywhere, so we couldn't leave food around. One actually stole our malaria medication pill pot, and we (and he) were lucky that he couldn't get it open and finally dropped it out of the tree. We also had a treat seeing our first bushbaby outside the bar. It kind of reminded us of the lemurs in Madagascar - big eyes and bushy tail.

Huge Kudu and Baby Impalas

T&T also had a raised pool right over the river, and a nice bar/restaurant area for chilling out in. Peter, the Dutch owner, is a professional photographer and had photos showing on the screens at the bar all day which was fascinating, and inspiring. We found ourselves relaxing for a few days in the atmosphere, whilst looking over the river to see all the birds, and some larger animals coming down to drink.
Of course, coming all this way to the park we had to do some game drives. Since you have to pay an exorbitant $25 park fee each day, we decided to do both our morning and night drives on the same day. We would have loved to do more drives, but have to limit it because of costs.

Even driving out of the camp, we spotted a group of giraffe near our campground. Crossing over the Luangwa River, there were hundreds of hippos, and possibly the densest population of them in Africa. We heard there are plenty of crocs too, and saw them all lined up along the shore. Haven't managed to spot any croc attacks though. The owner of Track and Trail, Peter, was our guide, and you can tell he was passionate about the animals. He was very patient with us at all the animals, and was even giving photography tips. We were in an open top, open side Landcruiser and he made us feel very calm around the animals, even though some would come quite close to the vehicle.

Funny Faced Giraffe

One curious elephant was only about 10 feet away from my side, but we weren't really that nervous because Peter told us how to act. We also had some close-up encounters with some giraffe.

One of the highlights of the park at this time of year is the abundance of baby impala, puku and bushbucks. They were tiny, and I think we came across a few that had just been born THAT day. Still a little wobbly with the legs, and trying to figure out what the heck WE were!!! The mothers let us get rather close as well, which shows they do not fear humans, which is nice to see. Another highlight were the dozens of colourful and interesting birds around, and Peter knew his birds well.

That afternoon, we returned in the same open top, open side Landcruiser. We had a discussion before leaving as to whether it would rain or not, and decided to take our chances. We had more wonderful interactions with elephants that night, but other than that, nothing real noteworthy until dark. After a great watermelon/goat cheese snack with a drink along the riverside, we started seeing some amazing lightning in the skies. We drove around in the dark, with a spotlight looking for animals, but I think all of us were more interested at the time in the lightning that started to encircle us. It was flashing from all sides, sometime silhouetting trees, other times lighting them from the front.

Lightning from our Tent Site

I don't think I've seen a storm quite like it in a long time. All this, and we weren't getting wet!!! We actually stopped and set up the cameras on long exposures to capture the massive bolts that crossed the sky.

We then realized that we were actually in search of leopards, so put the spotlight on again, and back to our game drive. The assistant guide, Friday, must have great eyes, because he finally spotted the elusive cat. I think we saw it for about 5 seconds, then the heavens opened up and torrential rain started coming down. Not to blame the spotty one, as he dove for cover, we didn't even get a photo as we had to bag up our cameras quick and hightail it out of the park. We were drenched, and I don't even know how Peter could drive because it was so hard to see, as your face got pelted by huge raindrops!! We all had a good laugh at Friday's prediction of no rain!! Home safely, and time to dry out. It was bittersweet - we had such an amazing drive, and not even for the animals. But when we finally saw only our second leopard of our whole trip, we didn't have time to hang out and enjoy watching it.
The next couple of days, we just found ourselves enjoying Track and Trail camp. On one of the days, it rained from morning until about 4PM, so not a lot to do, but once the rains stopped, the animals came down to the river. The next day, you could see the river rising, as a couple of islands disappeared - had we now hit rainy season??

We did a little research in the little town of Mfuwe, trying to figure out how to get back to Chipata. Seems like all the minibuses leave at 9 or 10 PM, and that puts us far too late back in Chipata. We asked around, and decided we would just give it a go, and try and hitch early in the morning. We did take a pleasant walk through town, with all the curious kids looking and waving at us Mzungu's.
Since we were having trouble leaving this wonderful place, we spent another lovely day just at the river's edge. We had gone up and down to all the resorts to try to find a ride back, but to no avail. That night we were treated to some great company, with a family (John, Jill with their daughter Jade, and husband JP) and another guy named Mark from Aus. Jade had dreamed of setting up a wildlife hospital, and was in the process of making it happen. Her family came along for support of the research, and Mark was there as a business partner. It was lovely chatting with them all and hearing their passions for Zambia and the animals.

Crazy Coloured Skies from Track and Trail Camp

At sunset, we were treated to another wonderful lightning storm, and then one of the coolest skies I have ever seen. It turned the river and ground into a vibrant orange colour, with a purply sky. Hard to explain, and I hope the photos do it a little justice. We also saw tons of hippos making their way upstream, as I think they figure the rains have come, and they are heading out!!
What a fabulous place to visit, and we will struggle with leaving the next morning, especially as we don't know how we are getting back!! *Stub

Homesick in Zambia

2011-11-24T05:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Mush again, with Zambian Kids

When we arrived in Lusaka, for some reason I suddenly felt overwhelmed by a combination of homesickness missing family and friends and Kelowna-life, and a frustration at Africa. Being on the road as long as we have, the smallest thing just tipped off all sorts of stuff. Don't get me wrong: traveling southern Africa has been absolutely amazing and we have definitely enjoyed our fantastic adventures so far, especially meeting so many people who have been so good to us in so many ways; I don't think they even realise. However, Africa has definitely held many challenges and down-moments, some that we have encountered before on previous travels and some new ones.

Of course, it's not one thing in particular, but a series of lots of little things together: for example, it gets a bit old camping in a tent, or cooking very basic, uninteresting food because of limited resources, or not being able to eat out like we generally do - all to keep costs down here in Africa. Haggling for fairer prices gets tiring: the 'Mzungo' or white-people prices can be through the roof for buses, taxis, groceries etc. Finding cheap, suitable travel options are challenging too. Public transport hasn't been always easy sometimes especially Zimbabwe. And although the people are very nice wherever we go, we have communication frustrations: they don't always give you a straight answer and we don't know whether it's because they don't understand our English, or they just don't want to tell us because we're foreigners, or they don't want to admit they don't know! Sometimes, they will just tell us what they THINK we want to hear which is really very annoying because it's not generally correct information!

Add to this that we're always on the move, and when not visiting people we know, we rarely stay longer than 2-3 days somewhere. Our longest stay in one place was Livingstone and that was because we were rafting for the week (a long time) for the kayak festival with a few days either side.

Anyway, regardless of the reasons it is now a question of what to do about it all! We found ourselves having a long, looong chat about what happens next. Coming home and seeing family could be an option. But are we ready to come back? And come back …and WORK? Not really. To have a break, then, and go and see family and friends? That would be an expensive interlude especially as my family is in the UK, Martin's family in TO and Arizona, friends all over, and Kelowna another continent away. So, to continue onwards we need to make some changes in our travel format. Perhaps having a rest and finding a nice place to stop will help, possibly in Malawi, our next country. Perhaps spending more time in each place instead of moving on so quickly? Even though we're spending much more than our travels in Asia, maybe we just need to accept that spending a little more is worth it just to avoid the frustration of watching the money. These are some possible solutions to some of our issues, so we'll see if things change!

Sorry for rambling, but even just airing it all out helps. So, wish us luck with our new approach to our African travels. *Mush

Two Capitals - Harare, Zimbabwe to Lusaka, Zambia

2011-11-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

Massive Baobab Tree near Kariba

With sore heads we arrived back in Harare, after seeing some massive baobab trees along the way. I've got to say that these have to be my favourite type of tree on the planet!! It was to be a short stay back with Mike and Fiona, as we decided that it was time to move on to Zambia.
Mike was still keen to show us a good time back in Harare (bless him) and the next day after we'd done a bit of research at the bus station for buses to Lusaka (Zambia's capital), he took us out to a game park just on the outskirts of Harare. We were surprised at the huge area it encompassed, but struggled to see a lot of game. We struggled even further when we attempted to have our braai (bbq) lunch and discovered that we had no lighter or matches - oops, that was kind of important! I was looking forward to the boerewors (sausage) too.
In the park we spotted eland, wildebeest (with recent babies), zebra, baboons, and one lone giraffe. We hunted high and low for more giraffe, and hit many dead ends. Eventually, we called it quits and found out at the gate on our way out, that they only have ONE giraffe in the park. I suppose we should have asked more questions when we arrived! Must be pretty lonely out there for the giraffe! Poor thing.

With Mike, Ashleigh and Fiona in Harare

We finally cooked up lunch when we got back home, chilling out with the Freelands for the rest of the day whilst packing up for our onward journey.
The Harare bus station turned out to be relatively organized, and we easily got ourselves on a coach at 7:30 in the morning which left by 8:30!! Not bad at all for Africa! It was a pleasantly uneventful journey, with the driver actually driving responsibly for the most part. And, the scenery was interesting coming down off the plateau and into the Zambezi Valley, although we saw plenty of burned out skeletons of trucks that hadn't quite made it down the steep hills! Even the border crossing was pleasant and uneventful! Why can't they all be this good??
In to the hills of Zambia and onto our business in Lusaka, a city that we found to be reasonably pleasant and not as dirty as we expected (remember, it's all relative!). Not much on the agenda apart from some banking and other chores whilst walking around seeing the town. We did have a bout of homesickness and frustration as we wandered and had a good heart to heart about what our travels would like form now on.

With Cecile and Ashley at Mint Cafe in Lusaka

That night, we had arranged to see our American friends, Cecile and Ashley, who live in Lusaka, and who we had jumped into to Devil's Pool with at the top of Vic Falls. We had a super nice meal with them at Mint Cafe at a fancy mall in the suburbs of town. The ride there in the local minibus was pleasant, and as usual, we chatted with some of the locals who took care of us and showed us where to go. I find the Zambians to be really nice and friendly, and they pride themselves on that. That sort of thing is really important to us and we appreciate it thoroughly, and most of the time it's genuine and sincere. Although, we found out that Cecile had recently been attacked and robbed, with the bruises to prove it, so it means we still have to keep our heads up and be careful who we trust. Hope you feel better soon Cecile!

The dinner nicely topped off our day of difficulties with homesickness and general frustrations of being in Africa, and it was nice to see some familiar faces. *Stub

Aaaayyyyy Kariba, Zimbabwe

2011-11-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

To see our Zimbabwe photos, click here

The Kariba Dam

About 370km from Harare is the vacation village of Kariba. Built beside Kariba Lake, which is a 270km long lake created from the construction of Kariba Dam on the Zambezi. Most people come to the lake to houseboat and/or fish. We expected to do neither, but would see what came about. So, we headed out in Mike's little Toyota Hilux bakkie, and tackled the Zim roads up to Kariba. No fines and no bribes were handed out in the journey which we were happy about.
Arriving in town, we set up tent at Warthogs Backpackers, and toured around the town a little. Not much here really, but seems like a decent place to hang out. On our way back to the camp, we discovered that it is built on an animal thoroughfare, and there were elephants in the campsite area. Cooooool!!

Mike, John, Michelle and Wayne at the Country Club

That evening, we headed in to the bar at Warthogs, and met a few of the locals - Mike, John, Wayne and Keith. There was no effort required to meet these guys, they just started chatting to us!!! We heard some of their stories about how they ended up in Kariba, and as usual Zimbabwean stories go, they were quite interesting. The next day, we were invited for drinks at Mike's house, to see the hippos outside his door.
Having a car in Kariba was a necessity and we used it to it's fullest. We were able to do a self-drive safari around the small Kariba National Park, and cruise right along the waterfront where all the hippos, zebras, crocs, waterbucks, and tons of birds were out feeding. We stopped for a picnic with the hippos on shore, but keeping our distance. I think we were the only people in the park that day too, so we had all the animals to ourselves.

Female and Male Zebra in Kariba

Martin with the Hippos in Kariba

When we arrived at Mike's we found ourselves at the end of a point in a development called Lomagundi, and he had water on both sides. This water was inhabited by lots of hippos, crocs and the elephants would even walk right past his fence. Within the first couple of drinks, Mike had invited us to stay at his place, so we quickly drove over to Warthogs, grabbed our tent and came back to find our own private room with AIR CON!!! Fantastic!! What a nice offer. We also had breakfasts and lunches cooked for us by the hired help, and they were delicious.
The next night we found ourselves at Warthogs bar again for chicken night, where we met more of the locals. We found out it is a pretty small town, and close knit community here. We would also run into a lot of these characters up at the Country Club high up on the hill the next night, with views over the lake for sunset. We felt like one of the gang, and we had different invites to events or happenings in town. So nice!

In Mike's Jacuzzi - see the hippos behind??

What we did manage to do was do a little tour of the dam. You actually have to pass through Zimbabwean customs and head down to the dam, as the centre of the dam is the border. We actually met one of our local friends Rick on the dam and turns out he is the Chief Maintenance man for the dam. So, we got some inside scoop on the place, along with some urban legends and facts on the dam. The urban legend is that the guy who designed the dam, actually had two other dams burst and then he committed suicide. Because the location of this dam is a little suspect, there has been much attention to safety, and it is highly monitored!! Totally safe???? It was pretty impressive to look over that big wall, and see the arched concrete heading up towards you, and the mighty Zambezi flowing away.

Feeding the buffalo and hippos

On our last day in Kariba, Mike was having a party. And, not like us to turn down a party, we chipped in helping him prepare some food for the night, before hopping into the jacuzzi and having some wine while watching the hippos. John came over with his boat and we finally got out on the lake which had been so highly recommended to us. Over on one of the islands, they were bringing a big hay bale to feed the buffalo and hippos, and the food was scarce. I helped the guys push the bale up the hill to pretty close proximity of the beasts - quite possibly the closest I had been outside of a vehicle. A job well done, and we relaxed on the boat with some sundowners, a swim, and watching the sunset.

Out on the boat on Kariba Lake, Barnyard, M, John and Mike

When we got back to the house, the party was already going. We had a delicious braai that night, but I'm afraid I got into the wine a little too much in the afternoon, and hit the bed quite early for my liking. Michelle came upstairs to discover me fast asleep in bed before midnight. Poor showing, but the air conditioning was good.
We all woke up with heavy heads the next day, struggled through breakfast, then all got in our cars for the 5.5 hour drive back to Harare. Loooooooong afternoon!!! *Stub

At The Freelands in Harare, Zimbabwe

2011-11-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

We were this close!!!

Back to normal on transport in Zimbabwe. Our combi-van actually left pretty quick and we had the front seats, so no-one could be crammed in beside us. The driver, Artwell, was really nice, but kept stopping for long periods of time. Who knows why? So we sat, and waited and waited in the heat of the day. After loading a freezer on the roof at one stop, we actually ran out of fuel about 10km from our destination. This was only about 50km from where we last fuelled up, so no IDEA why the bus boy skimped on the fuel. So again, we sat waiting for him to run to town and get fuel. Luckily he found some rides, so only waited an hour. But the entire 160km trip had taken us 4.5 hrs on good roads. But, you get what you pay for, and it only cost us $5. Next, on to a big bus which was full when we arrived at it. Off it went and we thought things were looking good, but it went to another station 1km away, where everyone got off the bus. Turns out it was just arriving in to town, not leaving. So, we sat and waited and waited for it to fill. 2 hours later and plenty of heat and frustration from the driver continually honking and revving the engine high to attract people, but after 2 hours it was a bit much.

Tommy, the 300 year old Galapagos tortoise

Aside - I don't really understand that in very poor countries with not much money, they insist on leaving all the engines running for hours and revving it up constantly. That just wastes money, but they don't seem to understand that concept!!! It's all about noise and attracting attention I guess!
But I digress…. upon arrival in Harare, we noted that the city looked quite clean, modern, and quite orderly. Our friend Mike Freeland (that we met in Plettenberg Bay) picked us up and took us home to see Fiona, and they also had a little party going. Lots of good food and drink with their friends - it was really nice.
While in Harare, we had some more contacts and managed to visit Ryan and his mother Barb, along with the family for the afternoon. Great to have a braai and chill out by the pool, but most of the guys were a little hungover as it was Ryan's stag the night before.
Fiona was working as a teacher, and their daughter Ashleigh worked at a local restaurant, but lucky for us, Mike did not have a regular job. That meant he was eager to take us around, and discover places he hadn't been to before either.

Flamingoes at Lake Chivera

First, was a drive out to Lake Chivera via the downtown of Harare. The lake looked like it used to be a nice place to visit, but a little rundown around. There was an impressive bird sanctuary there that nurses some of the birds of prey back to health. There were plenty of specimens of owls, kestrels, eagles, and then some large birds like kori bustards, storks, and the largest heron in the world. You were also allowed to walk freely through the flamingoes and other water birds. All in all, I was pretty impressed for $5.
Then, we took the backroads to eventually find the Lion and Cheetah Park. This one was also a shocker - for $6 each, there were about 45 lions. And you could drive into the large enclosures and we literally had the cats outside our car doors.

Wake up yawn

One male had some bad bedhead, and the females were busy cleaning the ticks from each other. It was good to see them in a good environment. There were loads of them around too, everywhere you looked.
They also had a small but impressive game park that we could cruise around. Impressive amongst the huge balancing rock landscape, were zebras, antelopes and others. Possibly my favourite part was as we parked up to enter the cage area, there was a massive Galapagos tortoise. His name was Tommy and is estimated at 300 years old!! I couldn't believe how big he was, and you could get close to touch him. He was pretty slow for a 300 year old. They had cheetah, hyena, serval, wild pigs, and others in some cage areas, but Tommy was the highlight.

Martin on the Balanced Rocks of Domboshawa

The following day, Mike took us out to Domboshawa, a place just North of Harare. It is an area of interesting landscapes, with large granite rock hills, and balanced rocks all over the place. Very bizarre, and plenty of caves with ancient rock paintings. We hung out there for sunset, which disappointed, but the surroundings were what we came for. We played around, balancing some of the rocks above our heads, at least that's what the photos show!!
We had some delicious meals at Mike and Fiona's and they also offered to loan us a pick-up truck to visit the lake up North. Great offer, and we will take them up on that tomorrow. *Stub

The Eastern Highlands in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe

2011-11-09T21:46:00.001-08:00

Local kids heading to school in the tractor trailer

After a last meander through the Great Ruins in the serene morning mist, it was with a little trepidation that we set off onto our next destination, Chimanimani in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe - only because we knew what lay ahead: at least a couple of miles of walking and about 5 or 10 combi-vans! We shouldn't have worried. Instead, once we made it to the main road, our second thumbs out for a ride brought success, and Allan, Patrick and Pindai who had been at a conference at the Ruins hotel, happily gave us a lift to Masvingo the nearest town. Easy peasy!

A quick stock up on supplies and Martin and I went in search of the bus station. A little frustration as we got passed from pillar to post, but we finally got on a big coach - which happened to be full with people standing in the aisles, but, no problem, Dis Is Africa, we could sit on the engine compartment at the front next to the driver. It was a trouble-free and fun journey chatting to the driver (Lovemore) and bus boy (Jonah) and with front-row seats for the scenery. Our final combi-van was cramped as usual, but as we climbed our way higher, the beautiful mountains were breathtaking and the cool mountain air streaming in, a refreshing change from the hot stickiness of earlier in the day.

Bridal Veil Falls

In Chimanimani, we pitched our tent at a backpackers lodge that used to have a good reputation, however, we learned that it doesn't have a good reputation now! Especially at weekends when the locals come to the lodge bar, it apparently turns into a bit of a brothel! Nice. It was a Monday night and thankfully, was quiet, but the next morning we moved on to the "Frog and Fern' and spent a relaxing time just chilling in its welcoming, tranquil setting. Unfortunately, Chimanimani - like the rest of Zim so it seems - is a little expensive especially if we wanted to get to the Chimanimani Park itself - $40 for a taxi for approx 16km to the entrance. Not good for our budget. We settled for some closer hiking which turned out to be scenic though still not really worth the entrance fee of $10 US each. It was a pretty picturesque waterfall called Bridal Veil (very common name), but the 4km walk there wasn't really very scenic. Then we tackled Pork Pie Mountain, but the trail wound all the way around it, rather than the more direct route up, creating a long walking day in the HEAT!! The views from the top, towards Chimamimani Park were nice, but there was no shade up top at all!!

Msasa Cafe

Back in town, we stopped for an ice cold Coke at our favourite little place called Msasa Cafe (probably the only cafe in town). We returned often for a Coke, or a delicious meat pie (very home made by Daphne and the most delicious in weeks), or a local meal of sadza and chicken. Sadza is basically a stodgy maize meal, thicker than mashed potato, and a little bland. You have to flavour it up with some kind of sauce!! But filling for sure...... and cheap.

Back at Frog and Fern, we chatted with the owners Dee and Jane. They had lived in Zim for some time and lived through the lean recent years. Telling us how far things had come since the 'bad times' when there was no food in any of the shops, and no fuel at the gas stations. Everything was bought and sold on the black market and street, but at hefty prices.

Our tent site at Frog and Fern, with Holly the dog

This was only a few years ago. So, the sight of tourists coming back into town, for them, was a welcome sight. It's hard to imagine what it was like just a few years ago. But Zimbabwe will be on the mend for some time to come, but prices will have to come down to attract more tourists!!!!

We went to bed every night with our watch dog Holly, outside the door of our tent. She just liked to be around us, and take care of us!! She was a good friend! But, time to move on to Harare and visit with friends we met in Plettenberg Bay. *Stub

Things Michelle will remember:

1.The crammed combi-van with Martin holding a large flat box of about 50 one-day old chicks for a family. He called himself a 'chick-magnet'.
2. The four dogs, four cats at the Frog and Fern, but especially Holly.
3. The delicious meat pies at Msasa Cafe - we took extras for lunches

Houses of Stone, Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Masvingo, Zimbabwe

2011-11-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

To See Our Zambia Photos, Click Here

Running out of Fuel near Antelope Park

So, things are starting to look up a little. We had a successful travel day consisting of a ride from Antelope Park to Gweru by a staff member heading in for supplies with a bakkie. This ride was FREE, but he did run out of gas along the way. Lucky for him, we had a just got our new SIM card a couple of days before and so had a working cell phone. The crammed combi-van that we took next was just that - crammed, but fine, and we arrived in Masvingo no problem. Then, some helpful locals pointed us in the right direction and we were on to a short combi-ride just outside of town, to catch another combi the final 24km, the closest to the park we could get. The walk to the park and campground was about 3km (2mi) but we luckily hitched 2 separate rides for short distances which still helped as at least it was less to walk with our heavy backpacks. So three combi-vans and three hitches made for a long and hot and sticky, but uneventful travel day, and everyone was nice and fair to us (apart from the first combi that wanted to charge us $3 extra for our bags after we'd been traveling for 5 minutes, which Michelle flatly refused to pay).

Alongside the 11m high Great Enclosure wall

The Great Zimbabwe Ruins National Monument Park had one entry fee that we could use for however long we wanted. So knowing that we would be there for a couple of nights we squeezed in a quick visit into the ruins for an hour or so before sunset. The Ruins are the largest ruins in Africa south of the Pyramids which is pretty impressive. The town was built and inhabited between 1200 AD and 1500 AD, with three separate locations. The Hill Complex, the Valley Complex and the Great Enclosure. The Hill Complex was where the King lived, and as you can guess, was high atop a hill. The Valley Complex was where his 200 or so wives lived, with his guestimated 2500 children! Then the Great Enclosure was where his first wife - the Queen - lived, near the Valley Complex, and taught the daughters pre-marital lessons.

The solid Tower inside the Great Enclosure

I mentioned in a previous blog, that the name of the Zimbabwe Ruins was derived from the phrase "dzimba dza mabwe", meaning 'houses of stone'. These houses of stone were built using no mortar, just granite chunks (mined by building a fire on large boulders and then pouring cold water to make it crack) placed on top of each other and wedged into place. The largest of the buildings is the circular Great Enclosure and at it's highest, the walls are 11m tall, with a thickness of 6m at the bottom and 4m at the top. Massive walls, and the best preserved structure in the city!!! It contained a curious structure, that looked like a granary tower approx. 10m high, but seemed to serve no purpose other than to show wealth or possibly just a phallic symbol to show power. It was completely solid, so of no internal use. It is a symbol of the park. We enjoyed some of the tall, skinny entrance corridors for their coolness on a super hot day!

The valley complex was a series of ruined walls with on complete structures but some super old aloe vera plants scattered throughout the walls added some character.

On top of the Hill Complex, in amongst the big boulders

A walk up to the Hill Complex was tricky along the ancient trail. At times, the path was only 50cm wide, and between two large boulders. This was a good defense mechanism, as attackers could only approach single file. We were surprised to find a series of complex paths and walls up on top. You could not tell from below how extensive the hill complex was. Fascinating to walk through the old paths that the king must have passed along. The hilltop was a series of big boulders that the buildings were intertwined with. You could climb on top for great views, or hole up in the 'echo' cave that the the king used to call down to the valley from. It was here that he could call a particular wife up to 'visit' him, as he had a view of the valley below. I guess he could also check that none of the 200 wives were fooling around on him!!

View of the huge Great Enclosure from on top the Hill Complex

It was nice to have some time to hang around and really soak the place in, not to mention, finally having a chance to see something in Zimbabwe that didn't drive us to the poorhouse. *Stub

Things Michelle will remember:
1. The family that was crammed next to her in the back of the comb- van. Along with Michelle there were three adults and three children. To make things more comfortable, the Dad would pass one of the kids to sit on Michelle's lap which made the journey even hotter and stickier. The two year old and four year old alternated sitting on her lap falling asleep and upon waking would start crying to see a scary white person holding them!
2. Our Ruins guide, Lovemore, from whom we learnt a lot about the ruins and felt like we got good value for our money - finally!
3. Chilling out high on the Bird's back in the ritual area and admiring the view of the valley below.
4. The heat was incredibly intense and verging on unbearable even at 8 in the morning. Then a storm came through that looked like it would blow our tent away (but thankfully didn't) and was followed by a more comfortable temperature.

Independant Travel in Zimbabwe

2011-11-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

To see our Zimbabwe Photos, Click Here
So we've been in Zimbabwe for about 5 or 6 days now and I haven't figured out how this country works at all.

In train Sleeper compartment - 17 hours

It used to be the 'bread basket' of Africa, but definitely not any more. Zimbabwe was called Rhodesia (after the explorer and colonist Cecil John Rhodes), until 1980 when it gained it's independence from England. The name Zimbabwe is actually formulated from the name of the ancient town ruins "dzimba dza mabwe" which means houses of stone. The country adopted this name, and also the symbol of the bird found carved in soapstone at the site.
Robert Mugabe has been in power here since 1980 and probably far too long. He will not relinquish his 'prime ministership/dictatorship' and has driven the country into the ground. Recently, he has been quite ill, and possibly near death, but I'm sure there is someone just as bad waiting in wings.
This is what I deduce. There were many whites living in Rhodesia, but had originally taken the land from the black locals. I think most of the farms were successfully run by the whites, and Rhodesia was a prospering country. Since Mugabe took power, there has been much violence, massacres, voter intimidation, and then the land reform program. Although many whites had already left Zimbabwe (only possibly 20,000 remained), Mugabe was furious that the whites had backed the opposition party and not voted 'yes' for the referendum, so he began violently confiscating the land and redistributing it - not to black farmers, but to ministers, party faithful and foreign friends. We actually have friends who had offered up two of their farms for redistribution previously, only to have forces arrive at their third and last farm, ordering them to leave within 8 hours, and to take no possessions that had to do with the farm. Everything lost!!! As you can imagine, the results of this would devastate the nation, and they have been trying to recover ever since.
In 2005, an operation called Murambatsvina ("Clean out the trash") was started, that targeted the poor in towns, and basically was set up to drive them back to their rural homes. Some think he was just trying to quash a possible revolution by separating the people. Basically, it just drove most of the nations people deeper into poverty.

Trillions of Zimbabwe Dollars

The money here is also a little strange. The nation went through a period of excessive inflation, where they couldn't print money fast enough. I have seen bills that actually have an expiry date on them, because by that time, they wouldn't be worth the paper they are printed on. The situation became ridiculous, and they actually have printed the highest denomination bill of "ONE HUNDRED TRILLION ZIMBABWE DOLLARS". As this couldn't possibly continue, they have now adopted the US dollar but the actual bills were probably quite hard to come by at the start. Nowadays, the US dollar is in use, but they do not have any coins. So, how do you buy something less than a dollar???? They try to give you change in South African Rand, and Botswanan Pula. A messed up system, and most of the time nobody has change anyway. So, most things end up costing at least $1 and sometimes considerably higher. We have found Zimbabwe VERY expensive to travel in, and I think they are trying to make up for the previous 15 years. We have flatly refused to pay some of the exorbitant fees asked for, but have then had trouble getting around. $20 for a 12 km taxi ride - not sure if I would pay that back in Canada??! But we have to get places, and they won't take much less. i don't know how the locals can possibly manage with these prices!! To me, instead of attracting more business and tourism, they are driving it away with overpricing!!

Typical local transport - Combi-van - notice freezer on roof

It's been a bit of a shame because we have wanted to visit certain sights in Zim, but just don't want to get ripped off, and have refused to pay the prices set, and move on to the next town. To really experience Zimbabwe, I think you need your own vehicle, not relying on public transport.
So, this is a quick rundown on what we have done in the first 5 days. First night after walking from Zambia to Zimbabwe, we spent in the town of Victoria Falls. We had already done what we wanted at the Falls, and contemplated going to Hwange National Park. It seemed difficult and very expensive to visit, so we decided to skip it seeing as though we had been to many wildlife parks and done many safaris already. That night, we boarded a train to Bulawayo. The train ride was great and relaxing (although a little hot at first), even with it being 17 hours instead of the 12 scheduled. Arriving in Bulawayo, we struggled

Young boy at Bulawayo Youth Hostel

to get any information on getting to the two main Unesco sights nearby, and were lucky to find a cheap place to stay - the only one in town ($6 each for a pretty ratty looking hostel).
Since they wanted at least $80 each to visit the parks, we decided to skip these as well, and took a combi-van to Gweru. This is where we encountered the $20 taxi ride to Antelope Park, but after much arguing and waiting (more than an hour), somebody finally caved down to $10 since he was heading home anyway. An aside - this may seem like a low price to pay, but when you are trying to travel for 2 years on a budget, this is exorbitant given that our daily budget is only $33 each for food, accommodation, travel, etc. Anyway, camping at Antelope Park was the only thing we wanted to afford, as everything else was out of our range. So, we did relax in the tranquil area of Antelope Park for 2 nights before moving on. Next attempt to do something in Zimbabwe will be near Masvingo, and the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. *Stub

Rafting the Mighty Zambezi, Zambezi River Festival, Livingstone, Zambia

2011-10-29T02:36:00.001-07:00

Me with some local kids at the river

It's funny the things that you happen upon whilst traveling. At Jollyboys Backpackers, I overheard mention of a kayak festival in town and simply asked 'How can we get to watch the fun?' Next thing we knew, we were signed up to join in the festival and white-water raft the Zambezi for 7 days! And at a bargain basement price of $195, it was just too good to turn down. It also included 7 days accommodation, and a few free meals. Not to mention many other little perks and extras, including hanging out with a cool, fun group of partying kayakers for 8 days!!!

It was a week of fun and challenges. Beneath Victoria Falls, the Mighty Zambezi really is exactly that - truly mighty! It's white water is incredible,

Kayak Gorge Swing

massive, and not to mention, dangerous! There are 25 rapids beneath Vic Falls and these take a whole day to raft which we did the first day. With each day came a different kayaking event, either racing or slalom or rodeo, and we would raft ahead and pull into an eddy to get off the river and watch from the sidelines. The un-fun bit was on the three days that we rafted from rapid #1 to rapid #10, the climb out of the gorge was just awful at 10. Not only was it a long hike out, it was a climb on rustic ladders that were steep and precarious. On the first hike out, the sun was just beating down on us and it pretty much killed me. Later, I discovered that the temperature in the gorge had been over 50 deg C! No wonder I hadn't been happy!

The most ridiculous event of the week was the kayak bungee swing where a kayaker is strapped to their kayak and then drops 120m from the bridge at the halfway point between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The kayakers raved at how awesome it was, but I was very glad to be just watching from the bridge.

Windas with an old school rodeo move - in the teeth

The parties were always good in the evenings and I was definitely sore one morning. Unfortunately, this was the morning of the raft race, where everyone got split into teams, and I ended up on the serious raft - the one with kayakers who wanted to win (to add to their overall score for the week). This meant they didn't stop to rest for all ten rapids. I was exhausted even though I tried to sneak in a few rest strokes. Martin's raft on the other hand, were busy playing around with the third raft and swapping guides every couple of rapids. They also had a few man-overboards and a lot of swimming!

Andy's winning rodeo move - crazy

To top off our week, we won a one-night stay in a luxury hotel in Livingstone - a prize we won for always 'going big' on the rapids i.e. getting our guide to take us down the most challenging /dangerous lines. It was fantastic to sit and chill-ax all day and enjoy the pool and our large room with a proper bed (a nice change from the tent and dorm beds of the last few months). The next morning we stuffed our faces with the all inclusive breakfast and then managed to sneak a variety of food from the buffet to tide us over for the rest of the day for traveling into Zimbabwe. It was a great way to end a really excellent week with a really great crowd of people. Thank you Waterbynature! * Mush

Us in the Raft going in to rapid #5 - Stairway to Heaven

Carnage in Rapid #5

Things I will remember:
1. The fun organisers, Hamish and Eve, from the UK-based WaterByNature. Plus Hamish has the same nickname as me, Mush
2. Some of the kayakers were really amazing and it was very cool to watch their talents through the rapids. And even though we were only 'rafters' we were made to feel welcome by all 20+ kayakers.
3. Ant, one of the kayakers from SA was always the instigator of the parties and would pull out 'the boot' - literally a kayaking wet boot - for bootie beers. Eeewwwe! (Thankfully we weren't subjected to that penalty!)
4. Mikey pulling down his shorts at Fez Bar on the last night, and Barbara, the hostel receptionist who randomly just happened to be at the bar with friends, sticking her camera down low to capture the shot from below and then just rolling around laughing. Oh dear Mikey.

And finally, 5. the world-renowned Zambezi with its incredible walls and holes of water at each rapid, and ploughing through the sheer volume of water. Wow! *Mush

Us in Rapid #5 again

Rapid 5 with Windas Riding the Bull on front

Dance with the Devil, Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia

2011-10-20T00:53:00.001-07:00

To See Our Zambia Photos, Click Here

M with Thomas, Kim, Sonja, and Leesa, Meghan and Justin by the pool

From many a traveler, we have heard that Livingstone, Zambia is a tough place to leave. It is the town in Zambia closest to Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. With it's counterpart town Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side, they are the gateway to view this spectacle.
With very little notice, our guide on the Acacia tour informed us in Botswana, that the Zambian side of the falls is barely flowing due to it being the dry season. As our tour was scheduled to finish in Zambia, not Zimbabwe, there were a few angry tourists on our truck. A pretty major thing to spring on us at the last minute, especially since most had already contributed the $20 USD park entry fee for the Zambian side. To his credit, Sam did make some options available to those who may want to head straight in to Zimbabwe, see the falls, and then head in to Zambia from there. It would cost them an additional $75 or so. Sometimes, the people here, even the guides, think we are just MADE of money, and don't realize that for some, that cost is still significant.

Very close to a giraffe

Anyway, it didn't affect us too much, as we planned to go to Zimbabwe anyway, after Zambia, so would just wait to see the Falls - or so we thought.
It would be our final night with our Acacia group, at a place called the Waterfront. A nice camp, over-run by pesky vervet monkeys, but right on the Zambezi River. It was an enjoyable night, with a few late evening swims, and then Thomas found himself a guitar. He was pretty amazing, especially at picking up songs just by listening to them on the iPod. Apparently, he plays in a band back in Belguim, and their name translates to "Tight Pants"!! Accompanied by Bella (at times), they put on a quite an impromptu performance. Of course, we all joined in at times.
A couple of chill days in Livingstone followed, including a trip to the Royal Livingstone Hotel for High Tea. We wanted to see how the 'other half' live, so we splurged on a recommendation from our previous guide Emma. A highlight was actually on the walk in as first we passed statues of zebra, then real zebra and then a giraffe - literally 10 feet from us. Still wild, but used to humans I guess. That's definitely the closest I've been, especially walking!

Michelle behind the cakes at High Tea

High Tea was in a fancy room, and there must have been about 30 or 40 types of desserts. Now, I have a sweet tooth at times, but I felt pretty sickly after gorging myself with sooooo many cakes. There wasn't enough savoury food unfortunately, but I guess they don't usually have budget backpackers attending, trying to eat a whole meal at High Tea!! But we did, and then got to enjoy the grounds and pool, overlooking the Zambezi River just above Victoria Falls - you could see the mist floating up in the air downstream!
So, as it turns out, there is something special you can do in the dry season at Victoria Falls.

Martin Jumping into Devil's Pool

There is a pool at the very edge of the falls called Devil's Pool, that you can swim in when the water is low. We figured that this would be a fantastic way to see the Falls, so we joined a small group of 4 American girls working in Africa, and with our guide Leonard, we started walking out towards the pool. It is quite bizarre to imagine the Falls in wet season, because were walking across dry riverbed that stretched for hundreds of metres! This would all be raging water in wet season. Leonard took us to many viewpoints along the way and the girls had a lot of fun.
Then on to Livingstone Island...the place where the English explorer David Livingstone first viewed the Falls with the natives back in 1855. On the island, we stripped down to bathing suits and swam across the water just above the falls, to a little island. Just beside this island is the Devil's Pool.

Sitting in Devil's Pool on the edge of Vic Falls

As you can see from the pictures, it is RIGHT ON THE EDGE of a 107m drop. I must say, a little freaky indeed jumping into the water, especially since I am afraid of heights. But it seemed totally safe, and there was very little current. We spent about 30 minutes or so in the pool, with our guide actually hanging us over the edge at one point, whilst holding on to our feet. CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY. The people on the Zimbabwe side, overlooking the falls must have thought we were nuts, and it did feel that way. I can't explain the feeling of sitting right on the edge with the water raging just beside us. Leonard actually sat, dangling his legs over the Falls. Quite and experience and the REAL way to see the falls. If you are coming this way in dry season, the Devil's Pool is a MUST. *Stub

Michelle hanging over Victoria Falls

The group sitting on the edge with Leonard hanging legs over

This shows the location of Devil's Pool top right, above the falls - this photo taken from the Zimbabwe side

Elephant Sized Problems in Chobe National Park, Kasane, Botswana

2011-10-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

To See Our Botswana Photos, Click Here

Wild Dogs at Chobe

It was a long and hot 600km from Maun to the Kasane, the town closest to Chobe National Park. We skirted the Makgadikgadi Pan, but unfortunately didn't get very good views of the park. Upon arrival, we had a well deserved swim at our camp to escape the heat briefly.
Chobe National Park apparently has a problem - a very BIG problem…. as in there is an overpopulation of elephants - approx. 30,000 of the behemoths! They cause a problem because they knock over tons of trees and cause lots of damage. Of course the animals are protected within the park boundaries, so not sure what they plan to do about the problem.
We visited the park on a game drive early in the morning. We actually expected to see more elephants than we did, but I guess they come down to drink at the river later in the day. We did see a few new animals for us - Sable antelope with beautiful long curved horns, a puku antelope, and the highlight of

Impala pronking while chased by wild dogs

the morning - a pack of wild dogs (or painted dogs as they are now called). Probably about 15 or so, both adult and young, just strolling along towards the truck and across the road. A couple of the dogs started to hunt the impala nearby and it was quite a wild chase with all the impala 'pronking' along. When they pronk, they basically bounce high up in the air but also are moving quite quickly forward. It was interesting to see all the impala bouncing along and the dogs giving chase. No luck for the dogs on that chase though, but many happy impalas as they live to see another day!
Michelle cruised into the little town of Kasane for the afternoon, but I was too overheated to bother. I relaxed by the pool, while Michelle did our shopping in town. She was surprised to see a warthog just strolling through town - kind of funny.
That evening, we joined the rest of the group on a boat cruise down the river into Chobe.

Tired Hippo?

It was definitely a good way to see the park, by land in the day, and by river at dusk. The elephants were all out cooling off, the hippos must have been tired as they were yawning away, and the crocodiles were feeding on a dead elephant floating in the river. We were on the river that separates Botswana from Namibia (at the Caprivi Strip), so I think we snuck in a small return trip to Namibia. A relaxing start to the evening, with some sundowner drinks on the boat, while watching tons of wildlife along the riverfront and on the islands. *Stub

By Sea and By Air, Okavango Delta near Maun, Botswana

2011-10-14T11:18:00.001-07:00

To See Our Botswana Photos, Click Here

The biggest inland delta in the world is in Botswana. The Okavango Delta encompasses approx. 16,000 sq km of wetland, lagoons, channels and islands. The river basically doesn't drain into any sea, ocean or other river, but is swallowed by the Kalahari desert. Of course, being a delta full of water, it attracts plenty of animals to the area when there isn't water in their usual areas.

Martin's Trim with car battery and fuel tank seat

It's a bit unfortunate that the Okavango has become quite a bit upmarket. It cost us $120 US to just do a single overnight trip into the delta on a dugout canoe called a mokoro, and we slept in our own tents. Where is all that money going to?? I am assuming a lot to park fees, but still very exorbitant. In saying that, the trip into the delta was pretty cool, and it's a can't miss if you are in the area!!
We arrived in the town of Maun, and had a chance to get some supplies. We passed a local little hut, and the guy asked if I wanted a haircut. My hair was pretty long for me, and I was dying for a trim, so we bargained him down to 15 Pula ($2) from 20, and he hooked up his 12 volt car battery to the trimmers, gave me a piece of broken mirror to review, and sat me down on an old truck fuel tank to start the trim. He was pretty

Mokoro Ride in the Delta

rushed, and not the best cut but probably because he was thinking about his next move…. which was to walk me over to another hut and show me the price list. Then he said that what we had bargained for was a reduction from the 'real' price of 175 Pula ($22). Being seasoned travellers, we were having none of this nonsense, and even though the argument continued for some time, they were getting no more than 15 Pula from us two!!! A great 'welcome' to Maun!!!

But things got better, much, much better. Our campsite had a nice pool and party bar, so was a good social night. But in the morning, we set off on the mokoros, two to a boat. Our mokoro poler was the lead poler, and therefore we were the first boat through the channels. Very good in one way - you are the first to see animals, and get nice views without anyone ahead, but you also clean out all the cobwebs between the reeds for the next boats. Michelle was not too fond of that!
The mokoro was very relaxing to say the least. We just sat back in our comfy seats and enjoyed the numerous water lilies, and reed scenery. Occasional little white frogs, but not too much wildlife. I think I fell asleep for part of the 2 hour ride.

Mokoro Polers

Setting up camp in the bush was fine, and a good lunch, but then the heat came. Not much you can do in the stifling heat, but polers Judge and ???? took us out into the delta for a swim. They assured us there were no crocodiles in that particular area, but we were all a little nervous about it. Nerves aside, it was REFRESHING, and quite funny playing about in the reeds and lilies.
That afternoon and in the morning, the polers took us out on a walk on one of the islands in the delta. We immediately came across a herd of elephants, and it was a little strange to be walking around them - not too close though. We didn't see too much wildlife on the island, but that was not for a lack of animals as we found out later.
A great dinner at the campfire, and the group of polers gave us a good local song and dance routine. They are all very nice people, and have a good sense of humour.

Watch out for Crocs - swimming in the delta

It was a rude awakening in the morning for the walk, and then the mokoro back to town.
Michelle and I had decided to treat ourselves for my birthday, and with my parents and grandmothers present money, we did a 45 minute scenic flight over the delta. Our friends Jenny and Sean had highly recommended this, so we took the plunge. Seeing the delta from both the water and air were two totally different experiences. The pilot flew at about 150m high for the entire 45 minute journey, and had some high g-force turns when he spotted some animals.
There were loads of animals out there. Hundreds of elephants, swimming hippos, running giraffes, massive herds of African buffalo, and tons of other antelope.

Giraffes from Above

And the delta scenery was very impressive - beautiful wetlands, lagoons and islands. What an amazing flight. A couple of the seven of us that flew were a little queasy after the flight, but we all wondered why no more people did the flight option. It was a great birthday present. Unfortunately, we heard that a small tourist plane crashed a couple of days later, killing 8 of the 12 passengers on board. A little too close to home for our liking, but it could happen anywhere I guess!! *Stub

Bushmen of Botswana, Ghanzi

2011-10-12T00:02:00.001-07:00

To See our Botswana Photos, Click Here

So, looks like our 2 week break from the overland truck has come to an end, and we returned Peekay to Windhoek. We met our new crew at the Cardboard Box hostel, and joined them for dinner at Joe's Beer House. Now, our last group was really quite quiet, and definitely not a big party crew. Well, we hit a polar opposite group at dinner, as the Scottish guy named Felix ordered the 'metre of beer' from the menu, which was a metre long rack of 13 beers!! We were pretty impressed and knew the group would be fun. We had another zebra steak, and were fully satisfied with the night, and the trip to Livingstone to come.

Bushmen making a fire

First order of business, crossing in to Botswana on our way to visit the bushmen in Ghanzi. Botswana was my 55th country visited on my list so far - Michelle's 53rd. So many more to go!! We entered with no issues, and got to camp at Ghanzi in the early evening.
Now, the bushmen are an interesting tribe of people. They are very small and skinny, and used to live in the Kalahari area of Botswana. When Diamonds were discovered in the area, the government made this area of the Kalahari restricted and forced the Bushmen to leave, saying that they were only looking out for the good of the people. Well, health care, schooling and other government services were NOT what the bushmen wanted and they argued against it, but got forcibly moved anyway. Recently, the bushmen have won a court case allowing them possession of their land back, so most have moved back, but some stayed in Ghanzi area to teach others about their culture.

Goodbye to the Bush'men'

We had a great little informational walk with 5 adult bushmen, describing all the different plants and animals they use to survive the difficult conditions of the Kalahari. It was very interesting watching them dig up different roots and plants, and having them describe all the uses in their 'Click' language. With the help of a translator, we understood, but all were impressed with the 5 or 6 different types of clicks in their language. They even put on a fire building demonstration using just sticks, that would put all the Survivor competitors to shame!!
They were really lovely people. Tiny frames... even shorter than me!! Beautiful faces and skin, with curly, tight hair! But wonderful mannerisms and a good sense of humour. Michelle really loved the kisses goodbye from one of the ladies. *Stub

Unfinished Business, Sossusvlei, Namibia

2011-10-10T23:56:00.001-07:00

The un-exciting Hoba Meteorite

When we left Sossusvlei the first time, I felt like something was missing. Something more had to be done at the dunes that we didn't have time for on our Acacia trip. That something was climbing THE biggest dune in the world, named Big Daddy. At 390m high, it is a formidable mass of orange/red sand.
We took Peekay on a final voyage to Sossusvlei via Grootfontein and then the Waterberg Plateau. We left Tsumeb on our way to Grootfontein, first in search of a television to watch the England/France rugby world cup quarterfinal match. A real waste of time based on England's efforts in the game. But, as we were in the neighbourhood, we thought we would stop by the largest meteorite in the world, still out in a farmer's field about 25km from Grootfontein. The Hoba meteorite weighs about 54,000 kg, and we thought we were in for something special, or at least informational. After paying an entry fee, all we found was a large chunk of space debris composed of iron, nickel and cobalt in the middle of a little amphitheatre. No information boards, no explanations, and NO crater!! This chunk must have hit with an almighty force, but how is there no crater???? Anyway, the whole trip was kind of a waste of time and money really, so Peekay hit the road again to Waterberg.
Waterberg is a large sandstone rock protusion, towering 150m above the plain. The plateau is 50km long and 16km wide, and the top is pretty much a sheer cliff face surrounding the entire plateau. It is impressive to look at, but quite difficult and expensive to get on top of. Given our late arrival due to bad English rugby and space debris, we decided to just view the plateau from afar, then retire to a cool, well landscaped campground called Weaver Rock. We made ourselves a great braai (BBQ on wood and coals) dinner, and actually had a nice grass patch with table and chairs to enjoy our meal at. We usually just have a dusty old plot of ground, with nowhere to sit even, so this was a treat!

Michelle descending to Deadvlei

The next morning was the long haul all the way to Solitaire - the smallest town in Namibia. We camped in a cheap place with a POOL, and a much needed swim. Before the crack of dawn we set out for Sossusvlei, and entered the park at sunrise - already stinky hot!!! This was just a sign of things to come. At the end of the park, our only option to Deadvlei is a RETURN shuttle along the deep sand road. Our driver was quite fun, going no handed and such.
Chatting with the drivers, we found out the way to the biggest dune, which they call Big Daddy!! All 390m loomed above us, but we started out across the salt pan, whilst watching a small group half way up. They seemed to move quite fast, so we were encouraged at the time. The sand was piping hot, and the best way to climb was in a pair of socks only (OK, we also wore a shirt and shorts).

Deadvlei trees getting swallowed by sand

As with all, sand dunes, it's two steps forward and one step backwards as you sink in the sand. We packed plenty of water (4 litres), and rehydration salts, along with some foods with salts!!! It was tough going, and about half way up, Michelle was not in the best of ways. It was time for her to head down, as it was getting increasingly obvious she would not make the top.
As it was a challenge to myself, I pushed on after making sure Michelle got down safely. And after almost 2 hours of climbing I reached the windy summit. Nothing but sand all around, but impressed with myself for completing the goal. Also a great view over Deadvlei and the 900 year old trees!! On top of the highest dune in the world meant only one thing..... the longest run down a dune in the world!!!! After taking in the views that I earned, it was time to head back - mainly due to water consumption.

Self Portrait at the top of Big Daddy with Deadvlei behind

The downhill was fun, but exhausting!! I tried to do some slalom turns, but got too tired, so had to stop once. Across the pan at the bottom, it was a long, HOT slog. I met up with Michelle and we enjoyed some rest time under a tree. By that time, we were the only ones on the pan, which was fabulous having the place to ourselves. But, on our return to the parking area, and after the scorching heat we discovered that there was no shuttle waiting for us to take us the 5km back. We ran out of water waiting for the Land Rover, and were getting quite concerned as Michelle was feeling a bit of heat stroke. When would they come and get us????
Luckily, for us, there was a couple that came to visit Deadvlei, and we managed to hitch a ride back with them after waiting for an hour. They gave us some much needed water, and after returning to the main parking area, we had it out with the shuttle drivers, who were all just sitting there!!

Deadvlei Trees

It was extremely dangerous, leaving us out there, and they KNEW full well that we were still there, as our car was parked next to the shuttles. It was a scary end to the climb, and we even went as far as complaining to the managers of the park. This cannot happen to people when we were expecting a way back!! Especially after paying the exorbitant fee for the shuttle in the first place!
Anyway, safe and sound, and refreshed with plenty of water and a swim in their pool. After a quick trip to Sesriem Canyon, we drove Peekay halfway back to Windhoek, stopping for an amazing sunset, and then camping at a cool little spot called Capricorn Camp - we were the only ones there!! *Stub

The Draw of Etosha National Park, Namibia

2011-10-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

Cheetah and two little cubs

Looking at our time-frame we decided against going further north to the beautiful Kunene river area that borders Angola, and headed south-east back to Etosha National Park. We couldn't resists the draw of Etosha which has been our favourite park to date. It has an abundance and variety of wildlife. As we visit different National Parks in Africa, we have to bear in mind that the animals in reality are no longer 'wild'. They live in vast (and sometimes not so vast) areas that have boundaries to protect them from humans and human development on what was originally their wilderness habitat.

Dust storm on the pan

Etosha failed to disappoint and within the first 2km a cheetah mum and two cubs were relaxing under a tree about 100m from the road! It blew our minds! The cubs made it even more special, Cheetah are an endangered species as they are considered a pest to farmers who are permitted to kill them on their land in Southern Africa. Awful! So seeing babies filled us hope. Mum decided it was time to go for a stroll and the two cubs were running and trying to keep up with her. It was so breathtaking to watch it's hard to describe.

From basically dawn to dusk we drove across the park and were rewarded with the now usual game at the waterholes, including another highlight - lion. Cool. Just as if our day hadn't been rewarding enough, to top it off, we saw a lonesome cheetah (yes another!!) sitting upright in the shade of a tree at the edge of Etosha's huge salt pan. We felt very humbled as it was just us and the cheetah. A day full of treasured moments. *Mush

A lone cheetah under a tree

Hanging with the Himba Tribes of Northern Namibia

2011-10-05T02:55:00.001-07:00

Michelle and the First Himba wife

Feeling lucky that we and little Peekay (our Kia Picanto) had survived the rough roads up to now, we thought we should perhaps not push our luck to head north through Sesfontein to Epupa Falls. After several warnings, Hermann, the lodge manager called ahead and confirmed that once past Sesfontein the roads were passable for our low-clearance Peekay but not before that. Avoiding Sesfontein we headed east through some better roads and pretty terrain. We turned north at the metropolis (or so it looked on the map!) of Kamanjab - a junction with two shops and a petrol station! At that point the road was, thankfully, tarred and was a welcome break from the stones, dust and shaking. It was also here that we started to see people of the Himba tribe. Dressed in traditional dress (which isn't much) the women in particular, cover themselves in ochre butter - a beautiful dark rusty-red coloured mixture that protects them from the sun.

Visiting a Himba village

We set up camp in the small town of Opuwo which was bustling with Himba and Herero tribe people chatting on street corners or outside the local PEP (clothing and household0 store. It was nice to see that different tribes were living and working closely in harmony. We would always say hello and wave when we pass, but we really wanted to meet and talk to the local tribes 1properly. Our campsite manager, Western, is Himba, and we discovered his village was very far away. His Uncle's village, however, was just half an hour from town so he took us to visit. As long-term travellers we always try to think about responsible and sustainable tourism, but hate what I call 'fish-bowl' tourism (how would we like someone coming into our house and looking at how we dress and eat?!). Martin and I always get stuck in and interact with the people. We had great time with the kids and the women of the village.

Martin with the Himba kids

There was only one man there, Western's Uncle, the Chief, and the women were all his wives! I 'asked' him how many children he had and his reply was that all the children I see were his! I suspect he didn't really know how many he had! They had no idea that we were coming and we felt very honoured to be welcomed as we did, and I loved sitting and 'chatting' with the women and showing the kids the video and pictures we took. The chief, of course, had been busy, as two of the wives were heavily pregnant. When I asked when they were due, one said her baby was due imminently - at the next full moon. The other had another moon cycle to go. It makes sense that their record of the passage of time would be by the moon, but they didn't really record how old they were. Western himself does not know how old he is.

Herero People

The first wife took a shining to me and we laughed and giggled and exchanged conversation (through Western). It was really special. She, and another wife showed us how they grind ochre from stone into a fine powder to mix with cow's butter to cleanse and protect their skin, and also how they mix and heat herbs for personal hygiene and deodorant.

It was such a great experience for us and we hoped that it was for the village too. Western was certain of it as we said our farewells. Of course, the big bags of maize mealie-meal, tea, herbs, sugar and salt that we took as gifts were really appreciated too. * Mush

A 41st Birthday at Palmwag, Namibia

2011-10-04T01:50:00.001-07:00

The Pool and Bar at Palmwag Lodge

Poor little Peekay - we took him across some pretty lousy, washed out roads from Twyfelfontein up to Palmwag. It was not a pleasant journey, especially because we were worried about puncturing a tire - then what???? Nobody around for miles, and very few vehicles!! And just a small doughnut as a spare.
Peekay pulled through with flying colours though!! Palmwag was just a little settlement, but backing on to the concession lands. In the concession lands, the animals are truly wild, not like in the parks. We even managed to spot 6 giraffe crossing the main road on our way there, roaming freely. At the lodge, there were some beautiful hut accommodation, but, as usual, we went for the camping option. Our campsite was great, and even bordered a river where apparently elephants come to drink. There have been sightings of elephants walking through the campsite too. No such luck for us though, as there had been some recent rains, so the elephants didn't need to come as far.

Desert Elephants

The next morning, we woke to beautiful blue skies, and a morning game drive as a treat for my 41st birthday. We hopped on the open Land Rover and the driver, Peter, was really great. The scenery up here is wonderful - a bit South-West US (Utah, Arizona) -esque. It was interesting to see all the animals in this type of scenery. Peter seemed hell bent on finding us some elephants, and was doing his 'tracking' thing. He took us well off-road, and eventually I spotted a couple on the hillside, and then we moved in closer. Eventually, 11 desert elephants came over the ridge and closer and closer to us. One huge male, covered in red dirt that he threw on himself, and his harem of females. They have smaller tusks than normal elephants because they lack the nutrients in their diet to produce the ivory. Nonetheless very impressive creatures, but we were in their path, so had to hustle out of the way.
We had been set for a 3-4 hour drive, but returned 5.5 hrs later, so were very impressed. I wasn't expecting much for the day, but this drive outdid my expectations greatly. What a nice way to start my birthday.

Martin's Birthday Sundowner at Palmwag

We decided to have a big braai lunch, so set about making the fire and getting the coals going. A long process, but eventually we got the chicken and veggies cooked. Only to sit down and then get swarmed with flies - so annoying after all our hard work.
We enjoyed time by the pool, and a sundowner drink on the deck overlooking the concession area. That evening we met a nice Dutch couple named Robert and Benedict, and enjoyed some beers with them at the bar. Also, treated ourselves to a delicious burger at the restaurant, before retiring to the open top tent, to watch the millions of stars. A good birthday for me!!! *Stub

Birthday Burger Dinner with Benedict and Robert

Outdoor Showers of Twyfelfontein, Namibia

2011-10-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

Martin in front of Brandberg Massif

Armed with new information and feeling brave in our little two-wheel drive Picanto (or PeeKay as we called it - from Power of One), we headed north up the Skeleton coast and east to Damaraland. We passed Namibia's tallest mountain Brandberg Massif with huge open blue skies. A long travel day through interesting scenery - some flat and scrubby and some tall and scrubby, ending up at Twyfelfontein, a World heritage Site with ancient rock engravings from the San Bushman - the early people of southwestern Africa and between 2000 and 5000 years old. We got there with an hour before closing and we had to have a guide and felt ripped off as the person just took us around for 40 mins just pointing and saying "that's a lion, that's a giraffe, that's a zebra" etc. Anyway, what can you do! Paintings and engravings of course were the Bushman's way of communicating with each other important information as to hunting and water sources.

Sunrise over our camp at Mowani

The fact that they carved penguins and seals in their drawings indicates that they were a nomadic people as we were about x km from the coast. The San people were also responsible for the clicks and popping sounds that are still around today in the Xhosa languages.

We explored other local features such as the impressive basalt columns of the Organ Pipes and the much less-so Burnt Mountain - super dark black ancient volcanic lava, hence the name! The highlight of the day turned out to be our campsite. Molwani Rest Camp had three large campsites set far away from the main lodge and we loved it. Massive boulders were scattered around the landscape and our spot was surrounded. Climbing up afforded us a great view across the valley (and also into our camp shower!).We sat and had dinner high on the rocks watching rusty reds and golds as the sun went down. It was perfect! *Mush

With Heinrich, the guard at Mowani

The Outdoor Shower in the bush

Swakopmund Take Two, Namibia

2011-10-01T01:26:00.000-07:00

Michelle nearing the top of Dune 7

Where to start for our independent travels of Namibia? It was tricky. We hopped in our small Kia Picante and we headed back to Swakopmund to check out Dune 7 - the highest dune at the coast which we didn't do when we were there before. We camped at the super-cheap (and very basic) youth hostel for $N20 each ($3 US) (most other places have been 4-6 times that much!). It was great because we shared a braii (BBQ) with the young kids there from Windhoek on a 4H programme retreat (Head, Heart, Hands and Health).

We walked around to explore town this time (we didn't the first time as Martin and I were the support party for the skydivers of the tour group). We ended up at the very posh Sushi restaurant at the end of the pier that stretched in to the sea. The Sushi looked great, but unfortunately out of our league, but our budget did stretch to a beer to enjoy a perch hovering over the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the world's oldest welwitschia plants - 1500 yrs

We did a mini pub crawl around town as we searched for the South Africa vs World Cup Rugby replay. The following morning England was playing Scotland and we were able to watch it at the Quad Bike centre at Dune 7. A contentious game of course, and you could feel the centuries of tension between them. A good game of rugby with England winning, thankfully. Dune 7 was a little disappointing (sorry Teryk) as it was not as big as we had thought and we climbed up and down it pretty quickly. To make up for it, we took a scenic drive further inland around Moonlands which were stunning. Very eerie, but cool landscape. The rarest plant in the world survives near here - the Welwitschia is thought to be the evolutionary link between flowering and no-flowering plants. At this point the scenic drive was more unusual rather than scenic, but we found the oldest, rarest (and probably the most ugliest!) Welwitschia plant in the world - estimated to be about 1500 years old!

We caught up with Jay, the guide that Martin sand-boarded with on the dunes last week, and he had some good tips and recommendations for our travels through Namibia. After picking his brains we retreated to our camp for an early start north. *Mush

Zebra's in Windhoek, Namibia

2011-09-28T01:15:00.001-07:00

Group at Joe's Beerhouse

Windhoek was our last stop on this section of the overland tour and we celebrated our last night at Joe's Beer House (complete with a Safari Mini Cooper on the roof!). We decided to try something new, a delicious zebra steak - super tender and cooked to perfection. The others along with the truck were going on all the way to Nairobi in Kenya. We would now have two weeks to explore a little more of Namibia by ourselves before picking up another overland truck for our onward journey to Botswana and Victoria Falls.

Windhoek is Namibia's capital but there's not a lot going on and not much to see. We basically chilled for a couple of days doing chores and researching our options for getting around the country. Namibia has only limited public transport between major towns, so we settled on renting a car for 10 days. *Mush

Night Owls at Etosha National Park, Namibia

2011-09-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

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Giraffe and male lion

Etosha National Park is the biggest wildlife park in Namibia covering more than 20,000 square km. Heading in to our camp for the night we were amazed by the number and variety of animals as we passed a large watering hole with kudus, zebra, oryx (gemsbok) and springbok all together. It was pretty cool as we hadn't really seen too many species mixing together so far in Africa's parks. After the usual setting up of camp (tents and kitchen) we went off to check the camps own watering hole. And there were a herd a elephant and zebra refreshing themselves. It was cool.

Martin in Etosha Pan (salt)

Later in the day when it was much cooler (around 4pm) we did a game drive in our overland truck and unlike the little cars that we hired though south Africa, we had a great view from the height advantage of our truck. Some great game viewing, the highlight being seven lions (incl 2 males with extensive, bushy manes) chilling out at a waterhole with four giraffe carefully watching them from (surprisingly) not that far! Again, we were amazed at the mix of animals, and especially this time - predators and prey in close proximity out in the open! Our guide Emma, reckoned that the lion (note correct technical game-speak for multiple lions is 'lion', not 'lions') were just seeing how close they could get without cover.

Drinking Giraffes at waterhole

Back at camp there was time for a bit more animal watching before dinner just in time to see several giraffe rather cautiously approaching the water. Then still checking left and right, one by one they dipped their heads and spread their front legs wide to get a stable stance as they bowed down to the water. We loved watching them as not only did they look cute and clumsy, they had a comical way of getting back up: a synchronised kind-of hop so that the legs would scooche back together to normal standing position. Leaving them to quench their thirst, we went to fill our tummies. Dinner over, back to the waterhole to find not one animal around. It was dark now but we were prepared to see just how long we could stay up waiting. It seemed like we waited ages, but eventually we were rewarded: about 10 -11 giraffe - again with the super-cautious approach and precarious stance down to the water), and six black rhino (there are no white Rhino in Etosha).

Black Rhino at waterhole

Valiantly staying up till 1.30am (Martin or Lori would nudge me if anything exciting came along), we were rewarded with a lonesome lion quietly coming down to the water's edge and then skulking off.

An early start the next day for a long day of game driving in our big truck high above the ground. A great day with game galore. Emma or guide-lady as she became known, was great because she wouldn't rush us away from a site if it was interesting. We sat for a long while watching the behaviour of a huge herd of elephant as another herd approached. Hoping for a bit of excitement, it seemed that the two herds were friendly. Highlights were: lion (of course) just sitting cooling off in the shade, and herd of zebra with one black zebra in its midst - apparently a local anomaly noted to be similar in colouring to the now-extinct quagga. To top off a great day, we stayed up at our camp watering hole that night and saw a total of 16 rhino, a large herd of nervous giraffe and later a male lion. An excellent day! * Mush

A Quagga??? Strange coloured zebra

Namibia's Uluru?? Spitzkoppe, Namibia

2011-09-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

It was North we headed from Swakop, up the Skeleton Coast - so named for all the shipwrecks along the shore. Apparently there is a reef out there, that so many ships fail to see!! Cape Cross, up the coast, is not only famous for being the place where the Portuguese first set foot in Namibia, but also for it's colony of seals! About 80000 of the smelly mammals in low season, and up to 260000 in breeding season. Luckily we hit low 'smell' season, as I can't imagine how bad it would be with 260000 of them. Lots of "barking" and moaning as they clambered all over each other.

Next stop, the formation known as Spitzkoppe, which reminded me of Uluru (Ayer's Rock) in central Australia. A bizarre chunk of rock in the middle of the plains, that towers sky high. It is nicknamed the Matterhorn of Africa, because of it's shape. It is a granite inselberg, and there are other massif's in the area. It's pretty hot and dry here, but a walk to the top of our little rock 'massif' was enough. Very steep, flowing rounded sides, and fingers that seem to reach into the ground. We were set to camp beneath one of the rocks, and hopefully watch the stars as there is very little light pollution here. The bush camp sites are run by the local community, a nice change

The other interesting sights here are some bushman art, and a large natural arch, that we all posed under in various ways. Nick's 'porn star' pose was probably the most thought provoking!!
Before dinner, we had a great interaction with one of the locals, Stephen (and his little brother Rian). Stephen lived with his grandparents, and went to school up North. He was trying to help out by making some crafts and selling to the tourists. He was a super nice character, and Michelle really liked him. She bought a nice necklace from him, created simply from seed. We wished him luck in his future.
That night, we attempted to sleep out under the stars, but just past midnight came the winds, then the rain. We had to hurriedly erect a tent, and of course the rains stopped shortly after that. I think we were now committed to the tent, just in case. I thought this was supposed to be a desert, what's with the rain!! * Stub

Martin in Spitzkoppe

The Matterhorn of Africa - and our overland truck

Adrenaline Junkies, Swakopmund, Namibia

2011-09-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

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On to the adrenaline capital of Namibia - Swakopmund. Here you can skydive, quad-bike the dunes, sandboard on the big dunes, dolphin watch, and many other things. I was looking forward to Swakop as it sounds like my type of place.

Martin ready to conquer the dune behind

We had about 6 people in our group planning to skydive, and for us, it was not in the budget (one day I will)!! We did, however, head out into the desert with the group, to the landing strip, and watched them all skydive - while having a few drinks. Seeing their different reactions was quite interesting. Charlotte and Hannah were buzzing. Nick seemed a little in a daze after, not sure what he had just done. Lori was excited, and possibly the first flying minister they have ever had. Antti seemed a little green and apparently "didn't like the whirlys". And poor Emma, being her 10th tandem skydive was supposed to go naked. To her credit, she went topless and will be fine for her 11th one!! It was a bit of a party at the airstrip, and the guys seem to have a lot of fun in their jobs. It was a harrowingly, fast drive through the desert home, and a delicious meal at Napolitanas with the group later. Michelle and I enjoyed a tasty Oryx (Gemsbok antelope) pizza, and we had a fun time with the group before going out for a little dance later on.
Next morning was my turn to play. I went out sandboarding with six of our group. It was to be stand-up sandboarding and they supplied the board and proper snowboarding boots. The first time climbing up the dune is the worst, like skiing, after the trail has been broken, the next steps get easier. But, it also gets hotter!!!

The aftermath of sandboarding

I surprised myself by actually being quite proficient at it. The others were all learning, and they let me just go ahead by myself because I had snowboarding experience. By the 3rd run, I was hitting the big jump at the top, but also hitting the sand hard on the landing. I had good turns the rest of the way down, and was hustling back up excitedly for another run. 6 runs in all, 2 landed jumps, and a heck of a lot of sand in places sand shouldn't be. I will be cleaning it out for weeks.
They let us have a go at the lay-down boarding too, on the fastest run. Apparently, the record is 83 km/h, but our guide Emma had one 75 -so that was also a goal. First run, only 70, second 72, so I was a little distraught coming back up. A change of board, and a speedy 75 km/h ensued, so I was happy to tie her record. Quite a rush to be speeding along on the sand like that, being careful not to turn sideways as a crash would result.
That evening, was drinks and dinner with the group, but everyone was feeling tired from their adrenaline fix, and crashed early. Only the driver Shyrod went out dancing. *Stub

The True Bushman, Cha-Re, Namibia

2011-09-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

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After leaving the dunes, we headed through more grasslands, that are usually just sandy desert. A quick stop in the smallest town in Namibia called Solitaire, famous for it's apple pie. And, Boy, did it deliver!! Very tasty.

A true bushman - Franz

We were destined for a bush camp at Cha-Re, and a guided bush walk/drive by a very knowledgable and animated bushman named Franz. Apparently, Franz used to work in the Sossusvlei dunes, but the government decided they could make some money of their own, and put in their own guides. We have heard that these guys are nowhere near as good, and Franz has moved out to his own area, where he still does his bushwalks and information sessions.
This guy Franz was a fun, and crazy character. His actions and motions were hilarious, which included tongue clicks, finger flicks, snapping fingers, and other actions. I managed to snag a spot at the back of the safari Landcruiser with Aussie Nick, but this meant I could stand up and get great views 360deg around the landscape. It was truly beautiful landscape and hard to imagine it just being sand. The wildlife was sparse, but eventually we saw tons of mountain zebra. Also, Franz made us look between the lines and see all the small animals, like barking geckos, trap door spiders, and different tracks of animals.
Franz is a real bushman. Apparently he did a walk from the dunes to the ocean, just to go for a swim. That's 55km, and he talked about how to preserve water in buried ostrich eggs, and how to eat food from the land. Very interesting stuff, and like I said, quite a character.
We arrived home after sunset to another delicious Emma meal - this time kudu stroganoff. Shyrod built us a fire and we all slept out under the stars, by the fire. A chorus of snoring ensued apparently, from all sides. *Stub
Martin

Tallest Dunes in the World, Sossusvlei, Namibia

2011-09-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

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On top of Dune 45 at Sunrise

In all the pamphlets and advertisements for Namibia, you see BIG, red sand dunes. In fact, some of the biggest dunes in the world. This area was the place I most wanted to visit in Namibia, and turns out to be a place called Sossusvlei, about 55 km from the coast. It is hot and barren!! Sossusvlei is a series of 300m high sand dunes of the Namib desert. They have, however, had a crazy amount of rain this year compared to most years, and instead of sand dunes everywhere, there are some large grassland areas too.

Upon arrival in the late afternoon, after our longest drive of 650km, it was too hot to do anything but chill at the bar, and lounge around the pool. It would be an early morning to catch sunrise high on one of the dunes.

Dune 45 overlooking more dunes

Our group is very organized, and all willing to help each other, so we managed to hit the road very early and were second to the gate into the park (at 6AM). Dune 45 is the dune that people are allowed to climb, which is good that they limit the human impact to just one area. We had arrived to try to catch sunrise on the top of the dune. There was a challenge set out by our guide Emma, as she said that the fastest person from any of her groups, made it up the dune in around 14 minutes. I'm always up for a challenge, so after hustling past some slow people on the ridge, I had my sights set on the only person ahead of me. I was, however, also enjoying the view, but realizing that the sun was getting very close to rising over the hills in the distance. No one made it to the top before sunrise, which was very disappointing, as the park staff were very confident about the time the gate would open to allow us to see the sunrise. I never passed the girl in front, but still made it up in 14 and a half minutes, hopefully close enough to the record - but paid for it the rest of the day!!

Groups climbing up Dune 45

It was quite the sight, up on top of these monsters. Red dunes in all directions, sand as far as the eye could see. Michelle and most of our overland group made it to the top, and we enjoyed the scene together. Then, of course, I can't climb UP a dune without running down, and this was a long one!!! Even Michelle got into the act, running down the side.

Emma met us at the bottom with a nice fry-up breakfast, then we were back on the road to Deadvlei. A bit of a tourist rip-off, as we had to pay $100 Namibian dollars to catch a Land Rover to the site, after paying entry to the park. But, this was THE place I wanted to see - the area of stark, dried up lake bed, with dunes all around and the remnants of trees (camel thorn-acacia trees) scattered throughout, carbon dated to 900 years old.

Deadvlei landscape

About 2 million years ago the dunes on the Atlantic Ocean started slowly moving inland by wind action and river action eventually pushing them 55km inland where they are now relatively stabilised. Apparently, a dune built up and blocked the flow of the river to the ocean, creating a pool on one side of the dunes. This pool created some vegetation life, and trees grew within the area. As another dune developed upstream and blocked the flow of water to this area, the trees died. Since it was so dry, they did not decay, but have remained in a dead state for approx. 900 years. This area is called Deadvlei (meaning ??). The dunes keep developing upstream and there are various stages of this evolution evident in the area.

Group Photo at Deadvlei

It was very interesting, and a photographers dream. Too bad it was a little busy, and as with all tours, not enough time in the area. We managed to take many interesting and creative photos with the dried up mud patterns, spindly trees, and the smooth dunes. I also took some funky group shots with us all scattered throughout the trees.

A highlight on the drive out was seeing a family of ostrich, Mum and Dad with about 18 little baby ostrich chicks. With the dunes behind, very cool. There were also tons of Springbok, Oryx, and other antelope around.
It was an area well worth visiting, and we may return on our 2 week break if we can find a way there - there is no public transport to Sossusvlei and it's a long way out-of-the-way!! *Stub

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

2011-09-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

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Us, dwarfed by Fish River Canyon

We had a little issue at the South Africa/Namibia border. Martin's Canadian passport was due to expire on Oct 19th, so we could not use it to enter Namibia. But we had to use it to EXIT South Africa. When Martin tried to ENTER Namibia on his UK passport, they customs guys didn't like the switch because there was no way to track between the two (or so they said). Looks like they were looking for a bit of a bribe, and we held up our overland truck for over half an hour. It got a little dicey at one pint as the officer said at one point to refuse him entry in to Namibia. We certainly didn't want that! In the end, they just gave in and stamped my UK passport - maybe they got tired of arguing with us and our guide Emma!!

Overland Truck and Michelle above Fish River Canyon

All good now though, and it was off to Ai-Ais National Park for an overland-truck lunch at the hot springs of the posh Ai-Ais Lodge and Spa. Their outdoor swimming pool was delicious and warm, though it didn't need to be as it was stinky hot in the gathering afternoon heat! Along the drive there were some fabulous specimens of the Quiver Tree that look so interesting amongst the desert-like scenery.
As you can imagine, the Fish River Canyon was pretty impressive. It looked similar to the Grand Canyon, but on a much smaller scale as far as depth. Second to the Grand Canyon it is 550m deep and 160km (100miles) long and 27km wide in places. We walked along top of the massive, steep canyon walls with great views over the length of the canyon.

Sundowners overlooking Fish River Canyon

Whilst we were out enjoying some time at the canyon, our guide Emma was cooking away, so we came back to a delicious meal and some sundowners (wine), while sitting at the edge of the canyon.

We realised we were a little sauced as Michelle (always loving information) dragged poor Martin and Lori (no-one else was persuaded) to read the message boards about the Fish River. I don't think we've ever had so much fun reading random info and in record time too! *Stub/Mush

Martin and Lori reading the Message Boards

Overlanding Through South Africa

2011-09-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

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Girls will be girls: comparing hairstyles in Langa township

The morning of our overland tour we said our goodbyes to Lee as he dropped us off on his motorbike one by one laden with our gear. Taking a tour of any kind is not really our thing, but embark on an Acacia Africa Overland tour from Cape Town deep in to Namibia, we did! Independent travel is not the easiest in the desert of south-western Africa, so a large 24-person 4x4 tour-truck was our carriage.

On our way out of town we drove by what used to be District Six where mixed race, coloureds, blacks, asians, used to live in harmony, but then got sequentially re-distributed by the government in the 60s, 70s, 80s to shanty towns outside of the city to make way for a white suburb. Terrible! Next, onto the townships where these people were moved to. We get uncomfortable with 'fish-bowl' tours and don't like the feeling of invading peoples' privacy. By getting stuck-in meeting and interacting with the locals, we hope that we make the idea more tolerable to them and the experience more comfortable for us. I got the distinct impression that the people appreciate that there are benefits to allowing tourists to visit and educate the world to the challenges of their lives and their country. Sitting in the street, some young teens were lengthening their hair and so I went over and started to compare my hair length and style with theirs. They absolutely loved it! Martin and I found ourselves holding up the tour because we just kept saying hello and chatting to everyone. South Africa had literally just won the Rugby against Fiji that morning and people were in very good spirits.

Locals outside the Sheebeen

There a number of townships outside CT and this township, Langa, a medium-sized one, has a population of 70,000 people, all living in a variety of conditions - some more affluent in decent houses, and others still living in tin shacks. We were welcomed in and visited a 'shebeen' - a pub where homemade beer is shared and passed around in a big gallon bucket. It had an unusual flavour to say the least! Eeeww!

High Five!


South African Rugby Fan

Succulent Quiver Tree

As we left CT we left the lush and green behind as the landscape turned dry and rocky heading north. At times it was pretty flat and then rolling hills with the last of the wild flowers. Occasionally we would pass a lonesome Quiver Tree - a funky succulent tree with thick leaves that seemed to glow in the afternoon sun.

Our first overland stop at the foot of the Cederberg Mountains is where Roibus tea is grown in South Africa. In the reddish sandstone rock formations important primitive fish fossils have been dated in recent years - back 450 million years. Crazy! As we enjoyed fresh fish cooked on the braii (BBQ) everyone chatted, but it was a quiet night and the majority of our group turned in at about 9pm.

An early start the following day for our journey heading north to the Orange River at the Namibian border. After a fairly long day of driving passing through the nondescript town of Springbok, we were glad to get to our camp at the Orange River looking straight at Namibia. I was still very much hurting from our Table Mountain climb two days ago (!), so I didn't go with Martin for the climb up the hill above camp for sunset. *Mush

Getting Up on the Table, Cape Town, South Africa

2011-09-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Michelle on the India Venster Trail

Lee on the climb

On our last day in Cape Town, the weather Gods came through, and we woke up to nothing but blue skies!! Another good-bye into our books, as we bid farewell to our fantastic hosts Lionel and Elmara - thanks so much for letting us base ourselves at your fabulous place, we really enjoyed our time with you both.
We took all our gear to Lee's apartment in Sea Point (see Lee from Swaziland), as he graciously agreed to let us sleep on the floor before we meet our overland group on the Saturday. We were also lucky, as Lee had the day off and was keen to climb Table Mountain and 'guide' us up one of the less traveled routes.

We tackled the India Venster trail, which zig-zags up the mountain pretty much directly underneath the cable car.

Scrambling up the trail

It is not an easy climb, as it's pretty much STRAIGHT UP!! This was a more interesting route than the well traveled Platteklip Gorge, and it even had some tougher scrambles with chains provided. The scenery was amazing, looking over the city and ocean, with peaks popping out in different directions. The route circled around the point, and south of the cable car - we had people calling out to us from the cable car on the steep stuff!! There is actually an abseil/rappel from an overhang at the top, which would pretty nuts considering the height you are at over the city. We walked beneath the site, but no one was screaming their way down.
It is quite amazing how flat it actually IS on top. After a long hike up, with very few people, we were suddenly inundated with tourists all over the place, having taken the cable car up. We climbed out onto a ledge for views over the city and beaches for lunch, only to be told we weren't allowed!! We were in far more dangerous spots on the way up!!!

Michelle and Lee overlooking Camps Bay for lunch

After a brief stay on top, we started the descent, and I have to say......this was so much more difficult than the climb up. It was steep steps all the way down the Platteklip Gorge, and our knees ached tremendously. We will be sore for a few days after this. We hitched a ride to town with a nice Swedish girl, as Lee had to pick up his wife on the motorcycle, but he made it back in time for us to treat him to a delicious Eastern Food Bazaar dinner - our last of our stay in Cape Town. We'll miss that place, and couldn't think of a better way to thank Lee for his 'guiding' - as he loves EFB as much as we do!!! *Stub

On the Table just above Cape Town

Flowers of West Coast National Park, South Africa

2011-09-15T11:40:00.001-07:00

Bay in West Coast National Park

Wildflowers in the park

Since we missed out on a few beautiful days at the start of our Cape Town experience, we've been waiting for a good one to climb Table Mountain. It's getting down to the last 2 days, and we woke up this morning to horrible rain and heavy cloud. Now, what to do??? The weather did seem to be breaking a little, but we could not see the top of the mountain. Seeing as it is Spring in South Africa, apparently, the wild flowers are in full bloom up the coast in the West Coast National Park. We hopped in our rental and buzzed up to the park. Having a SA National Parks 'Wild Card' has really given us the flexibility to go into the parks whenever we want, and this was no exception.
An interesting park right on the coast with a large, sandy bay with huge tidal sands. And a little bit of wildlife thrown in. It was interesting to see the zebras, wildebeest and antelope all amongst the colourful wildflowers. Unfortunately, I think we missed the peak of the fields of flowers, but they were still a colourful sight for our eyes nonetheless.
As our luck would have it, the rain went away and the sun came out. All day, we kept thinking about Table Mountain, and had we missed our chance to finally get up on top in good weather. We hustled back to Cape Town in the late afternoon, but didn't have enough time to go up. Fingers crossed for good weather on tomorrow on our last day in Cape Town.
It was home to our last night with Lionel and Elmara, for a dinner and drinks, enjoying their company. *Stub

Wildebeest and wildflowers

Dinner with Lionel and Elmara

Stellenbosch

2011-09-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

Tasting at Muratie with Lianda

We couldn't spend 2 weeks in Cape Town without going to WINE country - Stellenbosch and Franschoek. Besides, we had a standing invite from two Canadian and German students, studying at the University there. We met Jeff and Tim in a bakkie (back of a pick-up truck), from Tofo to Inhambane in Mozambique. They live in a converted barn in Stellenbosch, so what a great opportunity.
We hit rains on the first day out, but no worries - apparently you can still wine taste in the rain!! Delicious vineyards of Delheim and Muratie started our day. These winery buildings date back to the late 1600's. Both places were generous with the pours, and we were having such a good time, that we were late to meet the boys after class!! No

Tasting with Jeff and Tim

worries though, they took us to a winery open later (Peter Falk), and we enjoyed a tasting with them at a pretty posh place!
Back at the Barn with their roommate Ingrid, we cooked a filling meal and drank more wine. After some inventive photography, with long exposures and sky writing, we were shocked to see the time was 4AM!!! Not a really good idea, when we planned on going out touring the area and probably doing some more wine tasting!! Great times with the guys, and we hadn't drank that much in ages!!
So, arriving in the rain and clouds, we had no idea how stunning the scenery was! As we drove around in beautiful sunshine, the mountains reached up sharply into the blue, with the scenic lines of grape vines providing some interesting lines for photos.

Stunning vineyard views

There are some absolute palaces for winery buildings, including tasting rooms, restaurants, and even spas. Let me tell you, there is some money out there!!! Beautiful buildings, both old Cape Dutch, and new VERY modern. It was great to drive around and just view the buildings and vineyards - not to mention our poorly heads didn't feel like any tastings. We did get tempted though, when we found a freebie!!

Martin with the African Penguins at Betty's Bay

Since we had the use of the car, and we were relatively close, we decided to go to the African penguin colony at Betty's Bay - somehow we
missed this on our first pass through, and we hoped we could get down with the animals a little more. Arriving late, we found that the beach is no longer open to the public and you have to pay entry to go on a boardwalk. A little dejected, we started walking away with our tails between our legs, but then we noticed a lot of penguins walking around the bushes and houses outside the fencing. Turns out they all come out to their nests, so we had the flightless birds all to ourselves, as they waddled all around us. Very cool, but as the daylight left us, we cruised the curvy coast road and back to our Blaauberg Beach residence!! *Stub

Cape Point Capers, South Africa

2011-09-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

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Cape Poin

Warren, was an interesting and friendly young guy we met in Tofo, Mozambique about 3 months ago, and we were welcomed into his home in Hout Bay with his mum (Bev), dad (Keith) and brother (Bradley). Yet again South African hospitality - UBUNTU - abounded. Fantastic! Their lovely home backs onto Table Mountain National Park, and we enjoyed some home time with the family who were all really down-to-earth and easy to talk to. Warren rearranged his time to take us around Cape Point. After a brief stop at his work at the life saving club in ritzy Llandudno he took us along the coast and through Chapman's Peak road. It was a super-scenic drive as we travelled around the most south-western point of SA, with beaches and mountains all around. Highlights were the beautiful bays and lighthouse at the Point, which we hiked down to and walked along the cliffs.
And then of course, the African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach, Simonstown. It is now a national park with a boardwalk installed to protect the penguins' habitat. At the second location further down, we were able to walk down onto the beach and beside the penguins (with the few that were there). But they were pretty cute and comical. Not sure how much they liked us imitating there waddle. Apparently these endangered African penguins will actually walk up into town!!

Martin with African penguin in Simonstown

African Penguin footprints

We cruised back along the coast through scenic fishing towns and stopped at Muzenberg to watch the surfers!
After a long day out it was nice to come home to Bev's cooking. She made a traditional dish of the local Malay, called Baboutie...it was yummy. We had two nights at Warren's in their guest cabin, deep in the lush garden shrouded by mountains, and then it was onto more attractions....namely wine country and one of the most famous wine regions in the world - Stellenbosch. *Mush

The Witte's - with Warren in middle

Captivating Cape Town, South Africa

2011-09-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Colourful Bo Kaap area of Cape Town

So, we have finally made it to Cape Town! Quite a milestone it's turned out to be as we had assumed we would get here a lot sooner - seeing as we originally entered South Africa over 4 and a half months ago back in April! We seemed to get waylaid by Swaziland, Mozambique, Lesotho and the rest of South Africa in the mean time.

We were lucky that we were also able to synchronize with our Cape Town hosts Elmara and Lionel - a lovely retired (but super busy) couple that we met in the Columbia Icefields near Banff about year ago while they were holidaying in Canada! We had been communicating back and forth over the last few months about our arrival to CT so I think they were excited to hear about all our adventures as soon as we walked in the door.

View from across the road in Blaauwberg Strand

It was so nice to feel welcomed and special. They also have a great place 15km north of Cape Town centre in Blaauwberg Strand, their large house being right on Beachfront Road overlooking Table Bay and majestic Table Mountain. What a treat!

First chore in CT was to get our onward plans sorted. Namibia is our next port of call and we are considering taking an Overland Tour (on a big 4x4 truck with about 20 other people). Not usually our thing - big tours - but Namibia has little in the way of public transport, not super-great roads and is expensive for car hire (just like SA really). After lots of debating we decided that we would do the tour - 19 days through Namibia, Botswana ending in Zambia at Victoria Falls. I had a great brain wave (even though I do say so myself!): a working compromise for us. This was to split the trip into two parts: after 10 days, we'd get off the tour in Windhoek, then pick up the next one from cape Town two weeks later. Our tour agent, Shawn at Detour Africa, managed to work it with the tour operator.

V & A Waterfront

Brilliant! This would mean that we would have time to explore more of Namibia on our own (and not have to rush around with a tour group). Phew! A big worry off our shoulders. But still a big chunk of $$ out of our pockets!

Now that we had sorted that out we could relax and enjoy Cape Town. Robben Island was our first attraction - Nelson Mandela spent 18 years or so in prison here, at this now Unesco World Heritage Site. The boat over to the island was great as we got some spectacular views of Cape Town and Table Mountain from the water. The tour was a little unusual as we were mostly on a bus touring the island. Our guide, Yasif Mohammed, was very entertaining though. He'd pretty much toured every VIP that comes to the island including Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela himself (once he was freed). He talked us through the various buildings and the quarry where Nelson Mandela and the other political prisoners would discuss plans whilst the guards would try to demoralise them by making them take the stones from one side to the other of the quarry for no good reason. We then toured the prison itself with an ex-inmate which must have been painful for him as he shared memories and described the conditions that they had to endure. We saw the pretty small cell that Mandela lived in all those years - approx 7x7ft. Our guide also described how different prisoners got treated differently. 'Blacks' and 'coloureds' were supposed to carry IDs that were famously burnt in protest. They also had less food to eat which was also less nutritious!

Michelle making ostrich omelettes with Table Mtn behind

The great thing about staying at someone's home is that you have a whole kitchen open to you (if they don't mind you taking it over) and Elmara certainly didn't. I was very excited to start work on my ostrich Spanish omelette (or 10!) which I had been dreaming about for a few days now. As Marika (the cook at Oudtshoorn backpackers who had started the hole in the shell for me) had shown me, I shook the egg (carefully) to mix the yolk and white together, burst the inner membranes and about 24 chicken eggs-worth of egg drained out. A 'cholesterol bomb' as our guide in Oudtshoorn had called it! The omelettes fed us for the next few days and were delicious!

The delicious Eastern Food Bazaar

The weather was beautiful the first three days that we were in Cape Town and we just assumed that it was like that all the time. Wrongggg! The rain came and we realised at this time of year the window of opportunity to climb Table Mountain is tenuous. The next few days we sheltered in museums and the planetarium. I think our most important discovery was the Eastern Food Bazaar in the city centre: a food complex with various counters serving the best and cheapest Indian food we'd eaten since England. For 35 Rand ($5 or 3.50 quid) we could eat like Kings. Over the course of the next 10 days we found ourselves there at least 6 times! So, when we weren't eating Ostrich omelette, we were at the Food Bazaar. It was bloody marvellous!

The day the weather turned to beautiful and sunny, we had pre-organised to do a small hike with friends, so we weren't able to hike Table Mountain. It would have to wait.
That morning (about three days into the Rugby World Cup) was South Africa's first game - and they are Rugby crazy down here. Where better place to watch than amongst Capetonians at their famous Victoria and Albert Waterfront Amphitheatre on the big screen.

Springbok rugby game at Waterfront

There was a great atmosphere and everyone was in good spirits. Luckily for South Africa, Wales missed a few kicks/conversions at the end, and it was a close game ending at 17-16 to SA. Wales should really have won!

With Maquinna on Lion's Head

Right after the game, we met up with Lee and Maquinna, a young couple we met in Swaziland (at our most favourite backpackers - if you remember our raves about that). They picked us up in a borrowed car for a short hike up Lion's Head, a small but nevertheless impressively-shaped peak beside Table Mountain. Great to see them and catch up with stories of both ours and their recent travels. And because the day was clear, we had stunning views up at Table Mountain and down towards Camp Bay and our next Cape Town destination - Hout Bay. *Mush

Only One Way to Go From Here, Cape Agulhas, South Africa

2011-09-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

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NORTH, as Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point in South Africa, and therefore Africa in general.
Leaving Oudtshoorn after our ostrich experiences, I must say that it was a very scenic drive. Through rolling hills and fields, all the while with the mountains to one side. Lunch was in a scenic road stop above Barrydale, and we took a quick tour of Swelledam, with all it's exquisite historic buildings, most in the Cape Dutch style. Swellendam dates back to 1776 and is situated right below the picturesque 1600m Langeberg Range. The stunning Dutch Reformed Church, smack in the centre of town, is apparently the third most photographed sight in the Southern Hemisphere, if you ask the locals. Can't imagine what the other two that beat it are, but I'm not sure about that claim!!
Dropping down off the plateau, we found ourselves back by the ocean and eventually at Cape Agulhas. Not a lot here, but in addition to being the southernmost point, it is also the meeting of the two oceans, Atlantic and Indian. The seas are rough and I can imagine the storms this place has seen.
As you might imagine, there is a lighthouse here and it dates back to 1848. The design is based on the lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt and we know this because in the morning, there was a crew of three brand-spanking new vehicles, fully equipped and heading overland to Egypt, in particular, Alexandria. A largish crowd had gathered, and we joked that "they didn't have to all come out to see US off, but was nice of them". We also thought about asking the participants for a lift to Egypt, but I think it was far too luxurious for us!!
The night before, we had taken our photos down at the south point, and in front of the lighthouse, then drove to the hill overlooking town for views at sunset. On the way back to town, we found a little fish and chip shop to return to, and were both very excited and salivating over the prospect of eating out, and fish and chips at that. We set up our tent quickly in the very blustery conditions, and wandered back, only to find that the fish and chip shop closed 10 minutes before we got there. We were 'gutted' and couldn't believe our misfortune. Who would have thought a restaurant would close at 7PM!! However, we did find a good substitute, having a bar meal of calamari, and drinking beers with a few locals!!
From Agulhas, it was a one day drive to Cape Town, which was an exciting prospect! We were really glad we chose the coast route, as it was exceptionally scenic. We watched the great white shark diving boats go out from Gansbaii. It was too expensive for our budget, but we were not really sure on the ethical nature of the cage dives, considering they attract the sharks with food, and that means that sharks now relate humans to food. Not great for the surfing community.
We really liked Hermanus although it was very touristy, especially on a Sunday. There is a great cliff walk, and we spotted whales from shore. Also, in town we came across a bunch of vintage vehicles that were just completing a safari rally from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Cape Town. These cars must be worth a pretty penny, but they still get driven in some harsh terrain!!
The rest of the coast was cruised slowly, with many stops for whales and beaches. Betty's Bay in particular, was a great location, with the mountains rising quickly out of the sea, and looming over the white sand beaches. And then, Table Mountain came into view across False Bay and we were almost there. Another leg of our adventure complete, and where we would say goodbye to Figaro, our car. An eye opening drive into Cape Town, through many of the shanty towns, and townships that we've all heard about. But, once again we were in for some more good fortune, as we had arranged to stay with a couple named Elmara and Lionel, whom we met in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, almost a year earlier at the beginning of our trip. To say the location was spectacular, would be an understatement, as their place was located on the beach in Blouberg just north of Cape Town, and had views looking towards Table Mountain and downtown. *Stub

One Crazy Ride, Oudtshoorn, South Africa

2011-09-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

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I had mentioned to Michelle that I planned to ride an Ostrich in South Africa, but she didn't believe me. We went in search of these flightless birds in the ostrich capital of the world - Oudtshoorn. I have read that 90% of the world's ostriches are in the area, with show farms, and also farms supplying meat, feathers, eggs, egg shells, and leathers.
Getting to Oudtshoorn, took us along almost the entire Garden Route, and then North through the mountain pass above George. Up on the plateau behind, we started seeing the fields of ostrich in the various fields around town.

Curious ostrich

Our first stop in the area however, was not to see the ostriches, but the Cango Caves. Noted as one of the seven wonders of Southern Africa, and one of the largest caves in the world, we signed up for the adventure tour, because you really need to get deeper into the caves to 'really' explore them (I figure). Michelle was a little nervous of what was to come, considering some of the names of the features. We were surprised to find that we had a private tour, because nobody else showed up. Our guide Theo took us first into the huge rooms at the entrance to the cave. Massive halls with large stalagmite and stalactite formations, some looking like organ pipes and waterfalls. As you go deeper into the cave, things tend to get a tighter. Up a ladder and through a section of 85m but only 1.2m high. Into the very skinny Tunnel of Love, where a lady actually got stuck for about 11 hours, also trapping a group of tourists who were past the tunnel. The cave was also getting damper, seeing some interesting layers before climbing up through the coffin. Then, the most difficult spot, the chimney, which was about 4m high, but a very tight vertical pipe that you have to shimmy up. This is where Michelle turned back, and rightly so. It was tricky spot, especially with a camera and camera bag. She circled back around and met us on the other side of the postbox. About 27cm in height, you slide down this feature on your stomach, like mailing a letter through the slot. I loved the exploring and Michelle did well to join me on the Adventure Tour.
Out of the dark, we tried to figure out if we now had enough light to tackle the scenic mountain passes. We drove up the engineering masterpiece that is the Swartberg Pass. Built by hand, without man-made materials, this steep, windy road crosses over towards Die Hell (the Hell) - a remote valley where an old clan of Dutch lived for years untouched by time. Our time was running out though, so we returned to Oudtshoorn via the same pass, after a quick look at the canyons on the far side.
Back at Backpacker Paradise Hostel, we were in the tent again. A stark change from our digs at Plettenberg Bay. At this place, breakfast materials were included, and they were not the norm. The ladies would open up an ostrich egg, and provide the egg for our cooking use. One egg remarkably contains the equivalent of 24 regular eggs. So, we cooked up some delicious scrambled '1/8th egg' to set us on our way.

Shoulder massage

To Cango Ostrich Show Farm, and I was excited in anticipation of a feathered adventure. A tour through the farm taught us about the incubation of the eggs, and the amount of eggs laid by and ostrich - one every other day for about 30 days. 15 eggs or so, that unbelievably hatch all at the same time. Also, the kick from the two-toed foot of an ostrich can penetrate and tear you apart. That's when they led us willing participants into the ostrich pens. First off, to feed the actual dwarf ostrich, stunted by the disease, and kept away from the other ostriches for fear of attack. Next, an ostrich 'hug' for Michelle as the worker went behind her with food, and the ostriches neck stretched around Michelle's shoulder to get the food. Pretty close contact. Then, I was lined up with a few others for an ostrich 'kiss'. You guessed it, I had to put some food between my lips, and wait for the ostrich to peck me on the lips. Well, watching this huge beak coming at you is scary, especially since she doesn't have any concept of gentle when it comes to food. She actually cut both of my lips from her little 'kiss'. Lucky it wasn't a French kiss!!A shoulder massage awaited next, as I stood with my back to a flock, and with a bucket of food in my hands. They went crazy reaching their necks over my shoulders to get at the food. Weird seeing about 8 ostrich necks around you. We also had the opportunity to test the strength of the ostrich egg shells, by standing on them with all our weight - must be a super thick shell!!
My moment finally came, as I lined up to climb on the ostrich for a ride. A little difficult to climb up onto, especially getting the wings out of the way. You tuck your legs under each wing, and grip around the high knee of the bird. Holding on to the feathers and wings, you hang on for dear life as they remove the mask, and the bird takes off at full speed. Pretty funny, and I could have ridden it for a while, but the trainers advised me to jump off. It was a bit of a rush, and I'm guessing not too many of you can say you have ridden an ostrich.
My day's goal complete, I left satisfied, but Michelle had yet to accomplish hers. She was in search of an ostrich egg to bring home, but she wanted it complete with the contents. At our hostel, they showed us how to crack the egg open to get the contents out, and she was surprised when they gave her the full egg to take, for the same price as just the egg shell. It would be a cholesterol bomb for breakfast the next day - Yum!!! *Stub

Garden Route Around Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

2011-09-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

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The Garden Route is the coastal area roughly between Mossel Bay and Tsitsikamma. It is a place of stunning beauty, with majestic cliffs rising from the Indian Ocean, and lush mountains running parallel to the coast line. Having such a beautiful place to stay was wonderful and Mary insisted that we should stay as long as we liked. We didn't want to take advantage, but we had to admit, it was so tempting to have a base to explore the beautiful coast. Plett is so well situated and there is so much to do around it, it made sense.The trouble was is that there's so much to see and one could stay on the coast forever. Having our own car certainly was a necessity, and we set out to explore as much of the Garden Route we could in a reasonable timeframe.
Once again, Thora and Ken had highly recommended a place called Storm's River Mouth. Our first day centred around getting to the mouth, and getting around the tolls once again. Nature's Valley was a picturesque stop along the way, with a thick, lush, rainforest on the steep drive down to the town. A cute little village, and a nice lagoon protected by a wide sandy beach. Another drive through the curvy, steep, Bloukrans Pass (since we were now in the know) popped us on the other side of the bridges and tolls once again, and clear sailing to SRM. And what a lovely spot it was, with some fantastic campsite right on the ocean's edge, with huge wave crashing and spraying up behind - believe it or not, we actually considered leaving our fantastic place to spend a night backed onto the ocean here. This park is all about hiking, and one of the country's famous trails starts here - The Otter Trail. We did walk a brief way down the trail and got a taste of what it was all about - well worth the 3 day grunt along the trail one would imagine - but no time for us! There is also the popular hike up and down to the river mouth and suspension bridge crossing, although the bridge was closed due to structural instability.
Two more stops on the way back home via the Bloukrans once again. First, The Big Tree in Tsitsikamma Park. This huge yellowwood specimen is approx. 36m high, and about 2.7m in diameter. The other stop was again at something BIG. The world's highest bungy jump, from the Bloukrans Bridge. 216m of sheer adrenaline for the brave. My bungy career has been over since my 144m jump at Nevis in New Zealand back in 2002, but we were disappointed that it was late in the day, with nobody left to watch jump!!
Since we had explored the area East of Plett, we took another day to explore West, specifically the Knysna area. Town is on another large lagoon, protected by two large masses of land and a skinny inlet between the Heads. Apparently one of the most dangerous sea passages to navigate into the bay. We have noticed that there seems to be some wealth in the areas along the Garden Route, and Knysna was by no means short on exquisite properties. Some massive places perched high on the Heads, overlooking the passage and lagoon, while others were packed into the two islands (Leisure and Thesen) within the friendly confines of the lagoon. Thesen Island was previously an industrial/commercial island, but has been transformed into a very cool, hip village area with even the old factory gentrified into a Five Star hotel and spa.
Around the lagoon from Knysna, we happened on a little town called Belvidere, of note because of the very quaint little church. A tiny little old Norman-style stone church built back in the 1850's, with a semi-circular rear, and surrounded by foliage and trees. The rest of the buildings in the village were very clean, tidy and you could see there was much history there.
The rest of our drive took us through Brenton-on-Sea with a quick lunch stop on the beach, then on to Buffalo Bay. These two waterfront towns are connected by a stretch of picturesque beach of 8km in length.
Of note, with all the wealth and fancy holiday homes in the area, there are still townships in each of the Garden Route towns. The townships are usually on the outskirts and really show the wealth disparity of the country. People living in ramshackle huts, clustered on hillsides, then you head into town and see the mansions. Pretty tough to stomach at times, and really shows how lucky a lot of us are!! But the people are always nice, and we are greeted with huge smiles whenever we say 'hello', or wave. We have had nothing but good experiences so far with the people.
Mike and Fiona were had booked on a flight back to Zimbabwe, and we volunteered to drive them to the airport in George, on the guise that we would use it as a day out touring around. So, after our goodbye's, and hopes to see them again in Harare, Zimbabwe, it was on to Mossel Bay for the West end of the Garden Route. Michelle was excited for Mossel Bay, because of the Shell Museum contained in the Bartholomeu Dias Maritime Museum complex. Lucky for me, she was not able to collect any of these shells to take with us, but they did have a large and interesting collection - not quite the same as seeing them on the beach though. The museum also contained a full size replica of the ship Dias sailed around on his voyage of discovery, back in 1488. The replica was built in Portugal and sailed down in 1988, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the original voyage. In the complex was also a famous tree that the early explorers used to leave mail under for the next passing ship.
Mossel Bay did contain some wonderful old buildings in Cape Dutch style, and lots of iron wrought railings. Michelle is always fond of lighthouses, so a visit to this one was in order. It was perched high on the rocks, above an interesting overhang and cave-like
depression in the rocks, also the start of a nice hiking trail along the cliffs.
George was next on the list. The largest city along the Garden Route was only a quick stop, as I was interested in seeing the Steam Train Museum. George was cradled within some beautiful mountains, so the scenery was wonderful. I can imagine all these old steam trains tackling these mountain passes, carrying their massive loads through to the next towns. The museum had a great collection of steam trains retired here, along with the carriages, and other transport modes.
Yet another park on the Garden Route - Wilderness National Park was worth a drive through, but I think you really need to get out and hike here to explore it fully. The Kaaimans River mouth was scenic with it's old rail bridge crossing between the land and the sea.
I think you could take years exploring the Garden Route to it's fullest. What a lovely place to live, holiday, or just be!! We felt fortunate that we had a reasonable amount of time to spend here, thanks to the generosity of Mary!! *Stub

Ubuntu in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa

2011-08-29T12:28:00.000-07:00