Shattered after 30 hours of travel including waiting times for planes. Gonna take a few days (weeks?) to shake off the jet lag. Its wierd being back in lil Petone...feels small....however makes you appreciate your house, surrounds, the safety etc of NZ a hell of lot more.
But what an amazing trip, lots to reflect on and hopefully take foward into our 'normal' lives.
Manfred
Monday, May 19, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Sniff Last Day
Doh, Sat night had a temperature alternating with chills a sure sign of food poisoning (I blame the cold pieces of the godawful pizza I created I still compelled to chew). Nevertheless I tried to get out and about, hung out in a mall in Cavendish, went to the waterfront etc. Awesome merimba, drum and tribal dance bands playing on the streets. Francoise went home as I hung around and stupidly wearin a Vic Falls tee shirt ie scrreaming tourist attracted the attention of every down and out person in the vicinity. I had an articulate Zimbabwean approach me in a bookstore and tell me his life story. It was either a very convincing con or very upsetting. Then there were the two emaciated women who ran off with my drink bottle. Lots of street kids and homeless in Cape Town, the darker side of its tourist town image.
After getting in a taxi that needed to be push started, got back to Francoise and we went to an Ethiopian Resterant. So tasty and filling yet I was a bit too queasy to really enjoy..
Its Sun and I still feel ill but gotta get back to some NZ Docs back home. On a plane in a few hours.
See you all when we see you!
Manfred
After getting in a taxi that needed to be push started, got back to Francoise and we went to an Ethiopian Resterant. So tasty and filling yet I was a bit too queasy to really enjoy..
Its Sun and I still feel ill but gotta get back to some NZ Docs back home. On a plane in a few hours.
See you all when we see you!
Manfred
Friday, May 16, 2008
The (almost) End of the World
Today with our mate Peter (who we toured with down the Garden Route and took us to meet his folks) we travelled to Cape Point AKA the Cape of Good Hope AKA the South-Western most part of Africa. We drove the cliffs of Chapman's Drive past Camps bay to get to the Cape.
Here the Indian and Atlantic oceans fully merge (although Cape Alguas 80km away takes the prize as the most Southern point of Africa and where the oceans 'officially' first meet)
The Cape is a key point for salty dogs in the know with its historic importance on the sea trade route to India. Still an important shipping lane for things too big to fit through the Suez Canal and littered with historic shipwrecks. The place the Flying Dutchman the ghost ship is reputed to haunt (though try as I might I saw nothing).
We were touring with an older couple of ex-university professors from Conneticut, so we had soem interesting discussions over lunch in Simon's Bay. We checked out the local African penguin colony, the naval base before driving to the bayside town of Fish Hoek for a pleasant surprise-seeing 2-3 southern right whales cavorting/mating in the Bay. No cool photos of them leaping out of the water though despite my yelling at them.
A quick stop in the Kirsten Bosch National Gardens then home with an offer of a place to stay in Conneticut if I make it there. Bye bye Peter till we come back :-(
I had a chance to get dropped off at the huge Casino here but im pretty pooped so i might give it a miss tonight...maybe tomorrow on our last day/night in South Africa.
Manfred
Here the Indian and Atlantic oceans fully merge (although Cape Alguas 80km away takes the prize as the most Southern point of Africa and where the oceans 'officially' first meet)
The Cape is a key point for salty dogs in the know with its historic importance on the sea trade route to India. Still an important shipping lane for things too big to fit through the Suez Canal and littered with historic shipwrecks. The place the Flying Dutchman the ghost ship is reputed to haunt (though try as I might I saw nothing).
We were touring with an older couple of ex-university professors from Conneticut, so we had soem interesting discussions over lunch in Simon's Bay. We checked out the local African penguin colony, the naval base before driving to the bayside town of Fish Hoek for a pleasant surprise-seeing 2-3 southern right whales cavorting/mating in the Bay. No cool photos of them leaping out of the water though despite my yelling at them.
A quick stop in the Kirsten Bosch National Gardens then home with an offer of a place to stay in Conneticut if I make it there. Bye bye Peter till we come back :-(
I had a chance to get dropped off at the huge Casino here but im pretty pooped so i might give it a miss tonight...maybe tomorrow on our last day/night in South Africa.
Manfred
Thursday, May 15, 2008
What lies beneath
While Francoise went shopping for lipstick mirrors or something I had booked a cage dive in Hans Bay (2 hours out of Cape Town) to see Great White Sharks! Its almost peak season for them as they prey on seal pups from the massive Seal Colony nearby on Dyer Island. Got picked up at 520am and bused out to the boat. Made friends with a nice honeymooning Latvian/German couple.
We sailed out in rolling waves and anchored near the seal island, lowered the 5 person cage and threw in the line with the bait made up of shark heads (GW's like eating other sharks)...immediately this brown and white thing came at it on its side under water...then more with tails and fins breaking the surface and slapping the cage as the bait line was pulled in and out (to lure them near the cage).
The Cage!
Everyone excitedly scrabbled for wetsuits. After a titanic effort I pulled mine on over my over Amarula-ed belly.
Quit teasing the shark
I was in the second rotation to go in and when the crew yell 'Down!' you hold your breath and duck under for a look....and i almost wet my wetsuit...to see this monster thing glide past the cage. Time and again sharks would make runs at the bait, come close to the cage and at one point one opened its mouth and moved in reaaal close....you pull your fingers and toes in when that happens. that cage looks like nothing compared to those big fishys. This engenders a great, fear induced comeraderie in the cage. We had in total about 3-4 sharks hanging around, the smallest 2 metres, the biggest 3.5 metres...he was a big one I tell ya. A couple of times the sharks were quick and in a flurry swallowed bait and line. A few times a face or front of the body would peek out of the water, but generally they were moving pretty sluggishly.
We were all starting to get a bit queasy from the swell so after a few hours we came back past the seal island, where pups cavort in the water near their impending sharkey doom.
But man that was cool and its nice to meet fellow travellers willing to throw themself into a potentially watery grave in the name of fun. I ordered a DVD taken of the hijinks so should be an amusing watch.
Manfred
We sailed out in rolling waves and anchored near the seal island, lowered the 5 person cage and threw in the line with the bait made up of shark heads (GW's like eating other sharks)...immediately this brown and white thing came at it on its side under water...then more with tails and fins breaking the surface and slapping the cage as the bait line was pulled in and out (to lure them near the cage).
The Cage!
Everyone excitedly scrabbled for wetsuits. After a titanic effort I pulled mine on over my over Amarula-ed belly.
Quit teasing the shark
I was in the second rotation to go in and when the crew yell 'Down!' you hold your breath and duck under for a look....and i almost wet my wetsuit...to see this monster thing glide past the cage. Time and again sharks would make runs at the bait, come close to the cage and at one point one opened its mouth and moved in reaaal close....you pull your fingers and toes in when that happens. that cage looks like nothing compared to those big fishys. This engenders a great, fear induced comeraderie in the cage. We had in total about 3-4 sharks hanging around, the smallest 2 metres, the biggest 3.5 metres...he was a big one I tell ya. A couple of times the sharks were quick and in a flurry swallowed bait and line. A few times a face or front of the body would peek out of the water, but generally they were moving pretty sluggishly.
We were all starting to get a bit queasy from the swell so after a few hours we came back past the seal island, where pups cavort in the water near their impending sharkey doom.
But man that was cool and its nice to meet fellow travellers willing to throw themself into a potentially watery grave in the name of fun. I ordered a DVD taken of the hijinks so should be an amusing watch.
Manfred
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
A Monster Pizza at my Table
Here's the update on our last couple of days. Tuesday we checked out the District Six Museum and in the afternoon the mist covering Table Mountain finally cleared. The Mountain did exist afterall! As soon as we saw it we decided it must be climbed immediately. We jumped in a cab and headed towards the Gorge which has got a popular walking track along it. I have to say the drive up to the staring point went for quite some time and I was wondering if there would actually be much mountain left to climb. It was a pretty tough hike but we made it up monstrous stone stairs in less than an hour and a half and the view from the top was amazing:
Wednesday:
Today we checked out the Bo Kaap area and a few shops then headed to the waterfront for a trip to Robben Island. It's a pretty desolate place. Our tour guide was an ex political prisoner who spent 6 years incarcerated at the prison. He told us about working in the lime mines and smashing up pieces of slate which prisoners did just to keep them busy. We also saw Nelson Mandela's tiny cell and walked through the same gates Mandela did when he was freed. There's about 150 people who actually live on the island now. I have to say I wouldn't want to be one of them it's not the nicest place. I suppose at least there's penguins there but it's really isolated and not very pretty (though we weren't allowed to go in the wildlife area of the reserve so maybe that looks a bit nicer).
Once we got back from the waterfront we checked out a few shops and headed out to the Clay Oven for pizza. You can design your own and there were about 30 different ingredients to choose from. Doug created a God awful Chimera of a pizza which included salami, bacon, anchovies, (okay not really three animals but close enough) blue cheese, extra mozarella cheese, olives, bacon, olives, onions, garlic, mushrooms. I think it was quite disgusting and he got laughed at for requesting a doggy bag. Mine was much nicer. After that back to our room (we have a new room now - goodbye to the horrible astroturf carpet and prison toilet, but sadly the karaoke machine. our new room has a stereo in it - yay) to listen to the smooth sounds of Justin Timberlake (argh! I'm so ashamed I now know all the words) anyhoo,
L8rs!
Francoise
Monday, May 12, 2008
Cape Town Day 1
After some early morning kareoke of Wham's Club Tropicana (the mikes in our room work!) to pay back some loud Americans next door, we got nice breakfast at a Long St cafe then headed out exploring.
We firstly stumbled into Archbishop Desmond Tutu's St George Cathedral, then went to a slave museum housed ina former slave camp (Cape Town was buit on slave labour esp from South East Asia hence its melting pot quality today). Depressing. Lunch in the Company Gardens (where the first Dutch settlers grew veggies) watching squirrels race around. Then a zip round the Planetarium and Museum. Getting a bit museumed out at this stage. We then went to the Greenmarket market square to haggle over wooden hippos and table cloths (for a table we dont have). We walked to the waterfront to book tickets for later in the week to Robben Island (ie where Nelson was imprisoned) and stroll. People stuffing pamphlets in our hands for traditional healers cough witch doctors cough. Bought more touristy stuff then after a 'great' idea from me, I went to see Iron Man at a Waterfront Mall theatre while Francoise saw some period piece at an artsy theatre in same mall. We set out walking home at 10ish..hmmm Cape Town seems a bit less safe than Petone at night, dark figures waiting (or staggering) in car parks and far too deserted and unlit between the Waterfront and the central town. We managed to get a bit lost before jumping in a cab who agreed it was not wise to walk home as many homeless people and those drugged up lay in wait for unsuspecting Iron Man viewers. No more movies out at night methinks. There are some nice local jazz places I want to pop into some time this week...
More kareoke then bed I think.
Hope the weather clears soon so we can see/climb frikking Table Mountain. Its like Wellington weather here!
Manfred
We firstly stumbled into Archbishop Desmond Tutu's St George Cathedral, then went to a slave museum housed ina former slave camp (Cape Town was buit on slave labour esp from South East Asia hence its melting pot quality today). Depressing. Lunch in the Company Gardens (where the first Dutch settlers grew veggies) watching squirrels race around. Then a zip round the Planetarium and Museum. Getting a bit museumed out at this stage. We then went to the Greenmarket market square to haggle over wooden hippos and table cloths (for a table we dont have). We walked to the waterfront to book tickets for later in the week to Robben Island (ie where Nelson was imprisoned) and stroll. People stuffing pamphlets in our hands for traditional healers cough witch doctors cough. Bought more touristy stuff then after a 'great' idea from me, I went to see Iron Man at a Waterfront Mall theatre while Francoise saw some period piece at an artsy theatre in same mall. We set out walking home at 10ish..hmmm Cape Town seems a bit less safe than Petone at night, dark figures waiting (or staggering) in car parks and far too deserted and unlit between the Waterfront and the central town. We managed to get a bit lost before jumping in a cab who agreed it was not wise to walk home as many homeless people and those drugged up lay in wait for unsuspecting Iron Man viewers. No more movies out at night methinks. There are some nice local jazz places I want to pop into some time this week...
More kareoke then bed I think.
Hope the weather clears soon so we can see/climb frikking Table Mountain. Its like Wellington weather here!
Manfred
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Coffee in Napier et al (with photos!)
Friday:
After transcribing our millions of photos to CD, we took another look at the heads at Knyssa then took off to the Cango Wildlife Ranch for more creature encounters ie jaguar, oodles of crocs and annoying tourists 'In Bengal we have bigger tigers than THIS'
We went to an Ostrich Farm where I saw one of the funniest thing I have ever witnessed: Francoise riding an Ostrich screeching in terror (both her and the Ostrich).
I was er too muscly to ride the Ostrich I had to be content with a photo on its back as it sweated with the effort. We stayed at a french themed bed and breakfast (Ooo la la) after a nice dinner of ostrich for me and watery pasta for Francoise.
Francoise asking the guide somberly if the cemetary we saw on the Ostrich farm was an Ostrich Graveyard is the second funniest thing to happen that day.
Saturday:
We toured the huge caverns of the Cango Caves.
Like Fraggle Rock, us being tiny invaders in this creepy spotlit water formed weird shapes and columns. The local people believe their ancestors live down there, I can believe it. I chose not to cave dive through 25cm wide sections in the adventure cave tour.
Afternoon and evening was spent at the beaches and cliffs of Mossel Bay. A bit like Mt Maunganui. We to a interesting museum on Portugese explorers in the area and trade routes. I have many spices to trade here.
Our hotel was right on the waters edge, monstrous ocean waves thundering at its feet, great. We saved some 'dassies' ie rock rabbits from some stray dogs um and sped away from a cliff top shanty area we stumbled into.
We rang our respective mothers for Mothers Day then relaxed to the ocean roaring outside.
Sunday:
Our tour guide is from a town out of Cape Town called Napier (!) I know like me. Named for the father of the guy my Napier is named for. Once he found out where I was from he was ecstatic. Apparently there had been some past correspondence between the two Napiers. We went to his Napier, a rural little town like Waipukerau. He took Francoise and I home to meet his parents for coffee and muffins, nice change of pace.
We did a pop by to Hermanus a great land based whale watching town though we are in the wrong time of the year dammit. Not even a minnow.
Through rubbish weather we then drove to Cape Town. Couldnt see much in the poor weather, not even Table Mountain. The street we are staying on is like Cuba Street's older sister, its wierd. We are in a boutique ie eccentric backpackers. Each room is themed-ours is Kareoke with working machine and mikes...its fate.
ps there is also a 'Wellington' in SA, also near Cape Town. Cape Town beckons for the rest of the week!
Manfred
After transcribing our millions of photos to CD, we took another look at the heads at Knyssa then took off to the Cango Wildlife Ranch for more creature encounters ie jaguar, oodles of crocs and annoying tourists 'In Bengal we have bigger tigers than THIS'
We went to an Ostrich Farm where I saw one of the funniest thing I have ever witnessed: Francoise riding an Ostrich screeching in terror (both her and the Ostrich).
I was er too muscly to ride the Ostrich I had to be content with a photo on its back as it sweated with the effort. We stayed at a french themed bed and breakfast (Ooo la la) after a nice dinner of ostrich for me and watery pasta for Francoise.Francoise asking the guide somberly if the cemetary we saw on the Ostrich farm was an Ostrich Graveyard is the second funniest thing to happen that day.
Saturday:
We toured the huge caverns of the Cango Caves.
Like Fraggle Rock, us being tiny invaders in this creepy spotlit water formed weird shapes and columns. The local people believe their ancestors live down there, I can believe it. I chose not to cave dive through 25cm wide sections in the adventure cave tour.Afternoon and evening was spent at the beaches and cliffs of Mossel Bay. A bit like Mt Maunganui. We to a interesting museum on Portugese explorers in the area and trade routes. I have many spices to trade here.
Our hotel was right on the waters edge, monstrous ocean waves thundering at its feet, great. We saved some 'dassies' ie rock rabbits from some stray dogs um and sped away from a cliff top shanty area we stumbled into.
We rang our respective mothers for Mothers Day then relaxed to the ocean roaring outside.
Sunday:
Our tour guide is from a town out of Cape Town called Napier (!) I know like me. Named for the father of the guy my Napier is named for. Once he found out where I was from he was ecstatic. Apparently there had been some past correspondence between the two Napiers. We went to his Napier, a rural little town like Waipukerau. He took Francoise and I home to meet his parents for coffee and muffins, nice change of pace.
We did a pop by to Hermanus a great land based whale watching town though we are in the wrong time of the year dammit. Not even a minnow.
Through rubbish weather we then drove to Cape Town. Couldnt see much in the poor weather, not even Table Mountain. The street we are staying on is like Cuba Street's older sister, its wierd. We are in a boutique ie eccentric backpackers. Each room is themed-ours is Kareoke with working machine and mikes...its fate.
ps there is also a 'Wellington' in SA, also near Cape Town. Cape Town beckons for the rest of the week!
Manfred
TV
-Kids shows on the pros and cons of tribal circumcision
-Trashy soapsdealing with HIV, office romance and crime
-Add after add for investment opportunities
-Broad Afrikanner commedies with wigs and fake teeth
The most normal thing I watched was a Wrestling show with a Irish dwarf named Hornswoggle taking down a huge guy
Manfred
-Trashy soapsdealing with HIV, office romance and crime
-Add after add for investment opportunities
-Broad Afrikanner commedies with wigs and fake teeth
The most normal thing I watched was a Wrestling show with a Irish dwarf named Hornswoggle taking down a huge guy
Manfred
Friday, May 9, 2008
On the Road Again
Thursday
After a pleasant if eerie night in our colonial style bed and breakfast reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's 'The Shining' we hooked up with Peter our genial Afrikanner Guide for another tour party of ...just us in a van. We left the underrated in tour books coast city of Port Elizabeth (and any chance of being among the first in Africa to see 'Iron Man' which opens as we left) to do the 4 day drive down inexorably to Cape Town.
The cultivated, lush scenery makes a change from scrub and red earth. Moisture from the sea gets trapped by moutains making the coastal stretch lush ()with semi desert behind it we are to see later)
We saw the worlds highest bungee jump (250+ metres) (too petrified to do it) and had lunch in the coastal forests of Tsitsikamma National Park. We then drove to the picturesque town of Knyssa (like a Canadian lake resort town not that Ive been to Canada) for a cruise on the estuary to the Heads where the Indian Ocean pours in. More and more Amarula to the horror of the Guide.
Nice Seafood for dinner (eat that marlin Francoise) then sleeping at the Fish Eagle Lodge overlooking the water. Any place with a jacquzi I am a fan of. Im really roughing it.
Guide is friendly and has given great suggestions for things to do in Cape Town. Off driving to an ostrich farm today and into more arid areas.
Manfred
After a pleasant if eerie night in our colonial style bed and breakfast reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's 'The Shining' we hooked up with Peter our genial Afrikanner Guide for another tour party of ...just us in a van. We left the underrated in tour books coast city of Port Elizabeth (and any chance of being among the first in Africa to see 'Iron Man' which opens as we left) to do the 4 day drive down inexorably to Cape Town.
The cultivated, lush scenery makes a change from scrub and red earth. Moisture from the sea gets trapped by moutains making the coastal stretch lush ()with semi desert behind it we are to see later)
We saw the worlds highest bungee jump (250+ metres) (too petrified to do it) and had lunch in the coastal forests of Tsitsikamma National Park. We then drove to the picturesque town of Knyssa (like a Canadian lake resort town not that Ive been to Canada) for a cruise on the estuary to the Heads where the Indian Ocean pours in. More and more Amarula to the horror of the Guide.
Nice Seafood for dinner (eat that marlin Francoise) then sleeping at the Fish Eagle Lodge overlooking the water. Any place with a jacquzi I am a fan of. Im really roughing it.
Guide is friendly and has given great suggestions for things to do in Cape Town. Off driving to an ostrich farm today and into more arid areas.
Manfred
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
I See the Sea!
Arrived in Port Elizabeth after a relaxing night sleeping in a little bunk bed on the train. Pretty cool travelling while you sleep. FAntastic to see the ocean again after five weeks! I raced in and had a quick wade around. Beautiful golden sand here but beware of people begging. Sigh. Went to Bayworld (museum, ocean park thing) which was pretty cool in an old school kind of way and checked into our little lodge.
Francoise
Francoise
Voyage of the Damned
After an escorted drive and walk to pay and collect our rail tickets through the surprisingly safe seeming JoBurg rail station and a delayed start we got on our lil sleeper carriage. We were nestled in a small airtight box reminecent of a U-Boat's toilet. We huddled and tried to play cards with shivering hands as we choo chooed out past shanty towns, trash, urban waste, pollution and cute sheep. Until the locomotive died after 3 hours in a remote piece of plains, stranding us all for 3 more hours as I banged my head on the aforesaid small cabin. We got under way then stopped and got underway and repeat etc until we got in Port Elizabeth 4 hours late...
Manfred
Manfred
Monday, May 5, 2008
Mean Streets
(Preliminary aside-Whoops at falls in the morning both of us wearing togs at the falls as burkha clad Muslims came past...we felt exposed)
After a hair raising Zambian Airways Flight (where the pilot threw it round and climbed like he was avoiding surface to air missles) we had the stress of not finding our transfer at the airport for 40 minutes before embracing him in delight and being driven back to the nice people at the Mapungabwe Hotel in central Joberg, past the gunshops, barb wire and vibe of Harlem with a Hangover (not that Ive been to Harlem but I have had hangovers)
We had left some gear with them before doing Kruger and it was all safe and sound. Grrr tried for ages to call a NZ bank that night to check balances...fricking on hold endlessly!
Woke to the stirring sounds of sirens and attack dogs barking. We packed a box of things to send back to NZ to lighten our groaning backpacks and a somber Nigerian staff member offered to 'ride shotgun' or guard us as we went out into the streets to post it. We got there safe-bar the wandering hands of a gentleman behind Francoise in the queue accidently on purpose brushing her rump. So many security people everywhere on the streets hence the 'eye of the storm' feeling of safety. We used the gym after that at the hotel (so full of complimentary meals) then relaxed. I went for a solo stroll of downtown, trying to look as hard as I could ie I would run behind groups of locals pretending I was their friend. I got a bit too far into rundown shops (no book stores anyway! what am I supposed to do on the train!) and suspicious glances, so scampered back.
Lets hope the choo choo and the rumoured cesspool of JBerg Rail Station goes ok tomorrow
Manfred
After a hair raising Zambian Airways Flight (where the pilot threw it round and climbed like he was avoiding surface to air missles) we had the stress of not finding our transfer at the airport for 40 minutes before embracing him in delight and being driven back to the nice people at the Mapungabwe Hotel in central Joberg, past the gunshops, barb wire and vibe of Harlem with a Hangover (not that Ive been to Harlem but I have had hangovers)
We had left some gear with them before doing Kruger and it was all safe and sound. Grrr tried for ages to call a NZ bank that night to check balances...fricking on hold endlessly!
Woke to the stirring sounds of sirens and attack dogs barking. We packed a box of things to send back to NZ to lighten our groaning backpacks and a somber Nigerian staff member offered to 'ride shotgun' or guard us as we went out into the streets to post it. We got there safe-bar the wandering hands of a gentleman behind Francoise in the queue accidently on purpose brushing her rump. So many security people everywhere on the streets hence the 'eye of the storm' feeling of safety. We used the gym after that at the hotel (so full of complimentary meals) then relaxed. I went for a solo stroll of downtown, trying to look as hard as I could ie I would run behind groups of locals pretending I was their friend. I got a bit too far into rundown shops (no book stores anyway! what am I supposed to do on the train!) and suspicious glances, so scampered back.
Lets hope the choo choo and the rumoured cesspool of JBerg Rail Station goes ok tomorrow
Manfred
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Last Day in Zambia
Sigh, I was enjoying it here lazing near the falls. You read Francoise' baboon terror, its fun watching other people getting harrassed by the daring monkeys they have here:
-running into open doors
-jumping on tables and stealing food
-grabbing a sandwhich in a girls hand
-mobbing a stoopid Euro-tourist who went for a walk with 2 bannanas in his hand
Gettin mobbed by the agressive/desperate stall workers they have outside the gate here was not as fun. People can still be decent doing transactions, not fun to have the deceit, guilt tripping, bullying etc it was worse than Swaziland.
I love wandering, slipping and sliding around the deafening falls. I asked staff if many tourists fall into the falls...theres hardly any railing or visibility in places with the spray,, slippery paths and sheer drops...it aint up to OSH standards. You fall in here at peak flow season you get millions of litres of water per second bearing you down the 111 metres to your death. A few people do have accidents and fall in each year and some deaths here are self inflicted.
Everyones pretty friendly here (bar said market sellers) maybe cos its a touristy place, maybe cos we are all here to enjoy the falls, maybe they like laughing at the drenched kiwis who wont hire raincoats. Had a nice sunset cruise on the Zambezi River last night watching the wildlife like elephants feasting on the riverbank or obnoxious shipboard Russians chattering loudly and pushing people out of the best viewing spots on the boat. 'Those Russians' as the Bony M song goes.
-running into open doors
-jumping on tables and stealing food
-grabbing a sandwhich in a girls hand
-mobbing a stoopid Euro-tourist who went for a walk with 2 bannanas in his hand
Gettin mobbed by the agressive/desperate stall workers they have outside the gate here was not as fun. People can still be decent doing transactions, not fun to have the deceit, guilt tripping, bullying etc it was worse than Swaziland.
I love wandering, slipping and sliding around the deafening falls. I asked staff if many tourists fall into the falls...theres hardly any railing or visibility in places with the spray,, slippery paths and sheer drops...it aint up to OSH standards. You fall in here at peak flow season you get millions of litres of water per second bearing you down the 111 metres to your death. A few people do have accidents and fall in each year and some deaths here are self inflicted.
Everyones pretty friendly here (bar said market sellers) maybe cos its a touristy place, maybe cos we are all here to enjoy the falls, maybe they like laughing at the drenched kiwis who wont hire raincoats. Had a nice sunset cruise on the Zambezi River last night watching the wildlife like elephants feasting on the riverbank or obnoxious shipboard Russians chattering loudly and pushing people out of the best viewing spots on the boat. 'Those Russians' as the Bony M song goes.
Fingers crossed train is sorted after more requisite phone nightmares, we'll stay an extra night in Joburg to link with another train, losing a night in Port Elizabeth. Maybe Ill get a good mugging story for the blog hee
Manfred
Baboon Hoon! (now with photo!)
Argh,
Sitting in my hotel room watching Meet the Fokkers while Doug was out when suddenly a baboon comes racing through my open ranch slider door! He jumped up on the TV cabinet and made a beeline for the tea and coffee supplies, knocking a lamp over on the way. I was so freaked out for a few seconds I couldn't believe what was happening. He rifled through the supplies, discarding the coffee sachets and snatched the sugar packets, just about knocking the glasses and coffee cups off the cabinet. Then he quickly raced out again leaving a muddy pawprint on one of the chairs. I got a photo of him enjoying his booty on the lawn:
Sitting in my hotel room watching Meet the Fokkers while Doug was out when suddenly a baboon comes racing through my open ranch slider door! He jumped up on the TV cabinet and made a beeline for the tea and coffee supplies, knocking a lamp over on the way. I was so freaked out for a few seconds I couldn't believe what was happening. He rifled through the supplies, discarding the coffee sachets and snatched the sugar packets, just about knocking the glasses and coffee cups off the cabinet. Then he quickly raced out again leaving a muddy pawprint on one of the chairs. I got a photo of him enjoying his booty on the lawn:
Francoise
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Z is for Zambia (updated with photos)
Its been a pretty stressful last day or so, and I dont just mean Francoise HATING the casino complex that was next to our hotel and forbidding me to join the high rollers club here or buying tacky gambling flavoured merchandise eg slot machine coffee mugs, little working poker machine banks etc)
We discovered a connecting train ride we intended to take Joburg-Port Elizabeth had been wrongly booked by the operator for May 2nd (when we to be in Zambia!) not May 5 as we wanted. Its a nightmare trying to get hold of the train operators in SA, not just with finding a phone line or net connection that works but also getting hold of anyone that cares. They seem completely disinterested especially as they have our money already. So we were madly trying to sort that out as we checked out of the Emperor's Palace, finding out they had 'misplaced' our 400 rand bond for phone use as we had to rush for the airport shuttle. So we were seething, out of pocket and scrapping about awful service as we were dumped into the monstrous queues of JoBurg airport. With no luck getting hold of the train on airport phones we concentrated on getting on our flight (Customs didnt recognise my fresh faced passport photo compared to my current hardened face and travel beard) to Zambia. They chuck you on a bus and drive you the length of the airport to a dinky little jet.
No vegetarian fare on the 2 hour flight for Francoise not helping her mood.
Random Poison Interlude-I have see black widow like spiders called Button Spiders, golden orb weaving monsters but only seen 2 wild snakes here, 2 puff adders (with venom that rots your flesh) crawling across roads in front of game drives we were on. However I was going to the bathroom late in our little room in the Serondella Reserve 2 nights ago and there was a scorpion the size of my middle finger on the wall. I felt the safest course was the squish it with an air freshener and hope it was not endangered.
A nice view of the Victoria Falls from the plane at least. Looks like a huge rent in the earth with smoke billowing out of it. Got into the 27 degree temperatures of dusty Livingstone Airport, Zambia for a rude surprise=$50 US visa fee each! no travel agent or net research told us that! So we ponied up the cash found our transfer and we taken through the quirky town of Livingstone (past signs that said 'Succeed the RIGHT way not the CORRUPT way') to the Zambezi Sun Hotel. We were met by and photo-ed with guys in tribal dress (less embarrassing than being drummed into Serondella again 2 days ago like we were royalty)
The hotel complex is nice and African themed ('fake looking' Francoise sneered) and right on the lip of the Vic Falls (you hear it rumbling all the time-its in peak flood this time of year). Such a tourist trap here-everythin in US dollars which is 1 US Dollar to 3000 kotcha? the local currency...so we cant eat or drink too much...I didnt budget for tourist traps
Cue more stress of no working phone or net lines to confirm/rebook the bleeding Port Elizabeth Train. After the additional upset of finding out the Vic Falls African Elephant riden safari was booked out for days in advance (I was devastated) we went to look at the falls themself to calm down....
They are staggering, monstrous. Photos dont really do them justice when your a speck on the edge of a huge abyss of white water and mist. You get soaked in the spray wandering along them past poor railing and slippery ground. I had some Africans roaring with laffter as I tried ducking under their raincoats.
'Dont get too close Doug!'
With phone and net out we gave up on the train for now, Francoise got on the net finally while I wallowed in the huge swimming hotel pool they have here and strutted for the bathing beauties (until a huge German did a bomb into the water yelling 'Wunderbar!!!'
We then went and had expensive drinks and dinner (dam US bucks!!!) with a cheesy african band playing Shania Twain music for the jetset.
Next day we did an early walk along the falls with no one else around wearing togs. Sliding around on narrow bridges and paths where you cant see anything in front of your face but whiteness with the roar of the water. Bitchin.
We've stuffed to capacity on the complimentary breakfast (so we dont need to eat anymore) with more walks today and a cruise on the Zambezi at night. Now if we can just get hold of someone in the stinking South African rail system
sigh
Manfred
photos to come
We discovered a connecting train ride we intended to take Joburg-Port Elizabeth had been wrongly booked by the operator for May 2nd (when we to be in Zambia!) not May 5 as we wanted. Its a nightmare trying to get hold of the train operators in SA, not just with finding a phone line or net connection that works but also getting hold of anyone that cares. They seem completely disinterested especially as they have our money already. So we were madly trying to sort that out as we checked out of the Emperor's Palace, finding out they had 'misplaced' our 400 rand bond for phone use as we had to rush for the airport shuttle. So we were seething, out of pocket and scrapping about awful service as we were dumped into the monstrous queues of JoBurg airport. With no luck getting hold of the train on airport phones we concentrated on getting on our flight (Customs didnt recognise my fresh faced passport photo compared to my current hardened face and travel beard) to Zambia. They chuck you on a bus and drive you the length of the airport to a dinky little jet.
No vegetarian fare on the 2 hour flight for Francoise not helping her mood.
Random Poison Interlude-I have see black widow like spiders called Button Spiders, golden orb weaving monsters but only seen 2 wild snakes here, 2 puff adders (with venom that rots your flesh) crawling across roads in front of game drives we were on. However I was going to the bathroom late in our little room in the Serondella Reserve 2 nights ago and there was a scorpion the size of my middle finger on the wall. I felt the safest course was the squish it with an air freshener and hope it was not endangered.
A nice view of the Victoria Falls from the plane at least. Looks like a huge rent in the earth with smoke billowing out of it. Got into the 27 degree temperatures of dusty Livingstone Airport, Zambia for a rude surprise=$50 US visa fee each! no travel agent or net research told us that! So we ponied up the cash found our transfer and we taken through the quirky town of Livingstone (past signs that said 'Succeed the RIGHT way not the CORRUPT way') to the Zambezi Sun Hotel. We were met by and photo-ed with guys in tribal dress (less embarrassing than being drummed into Serondella again 2 days ago like we were royalty)
The hotel complex is nice and African themed ('fake looking' Francoise sneered) and right on the lip of the Vic Falls (you hear it rumbling all the time-its in peak flood this time of year). Such a tourist trap here-everythin in US dollars which is 1 US Dollar to 3000 kotcha? the local currency...so we cant eat or drink too much...I didnt budget for tourist traps
Cue more stress of no working phone or net lines to confirm/rebook the bleeding Port Elizabeth Train. After the additional upset of finding out the Vic Falls African Elephant riden safari was booked out for days in advance (I was devastated) we went to look at the falls themself to calm down....
They are staggering, monstrous. Photos dont really do them justice when your a speck on the edge of a huge abyss of white water and mist. You get soaked in the spray wandering along them past poor railing and slippery ground. I had some Africans roaring with laffter as I tried ducking under their raincoats.
'Dont get too close Doug!'With phone and net out we gave up on the train for now, Francoise got on the net finally while I wallowed in the huge swimming hotel pool they have here and strutted for the bathing beauties (until a huge German did a bomb into the water yelling 'Wunderbar!!!'
We then went and had expensive drinks and dinner (dam US bucks!!!) with a cheesy african band playing Shania Twain music for the jetset.
Next day we did an early walk along the falls with no one else around wearing togs. Sliding around on narrow bridges and paths where you cant see anything in front of your face but whiteness with the roar of the water. Bitchin.
We've stuffed to capacity on the complimentary breakfast (so we dont need to eat anymore) with more walks today and a cruise on the Zambezi at night. Now if we can just get hold of someone in the stinking South African rail system
sigh
Manfred
photos to come
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Kruger Tour Update!!!
Typing this in a dingy internet room in the monstrous Emperor's Palace Casino + Hotel in JoBerg. Its hu indoor casino and hotel complex under a fake blue sky and kitch Grecian/Roman statuary is a sight to behold.
We left the reserve on Sunday to our hotel in the centre of JoBerg. We were told we could only wander safely in a one block radius (which I did). Early Monday morning we were picked up by our tour driver Andre for a grand tour party of three (including him). Andre had food poisoning so was not the most upbeat at first, poor guy. We talked alot about the dire situation in Zimbabwe and his two little spaniels Sally and Phoebe.
We saw awesome views from 1700 feet above the "Valley of the Elephants" and stunning panoramic views of the world's only green canyon.
After a long drive we spent the night at a charming private reserve with tame bush babies, free shots and lots of teasing about the world cup.
Next day we drove around Kruger proper, we saw elephants, lions roaring and lots of other game. We did a night drive on a bus packed with Wellingtonians!
Next day we drove around Kruger proper, we saw elephants, lions roaring and lots of other game. We did a night drive on a bus packed with Wellingtonians!
Wednesday after breakfast while watching a bull elephant at the fence we drove to a four star private game reserve for pampering xxx and lots of views of the "big five" including a leopard!
We were forced to endure the rantings of some xenophobic Afrikaaners as well as a promotional DVD for the remote island of Saint Helena an inhabitant insisted on us watching. I also found out ShakaZulu would have had me killed as a short man and a poor warrior.
The next day hyena, lionesses with bellies stuffed full of prey and then finding out the airline we were flying on to Zambia had gone bankrupt. With rebooked tickets we drove back to Johannesburg through a lightening storm to our current lodgings, amidst the garish glitz of legalised gambling.
Will report back after Zambia!
Manfred
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