Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia

A 136-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more

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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Durban
April 13, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
3rd largest city and largest port. Views are over the city, the beach and the skyline. Sunrise over the Indian Ocean is from my hotel room.
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Kwazulu Natal Coast
April 13, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Hluhluwe–Umfolozi Game Reserve. More critters. Interesting is a rhino face off.
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
St Lucia Estuary
April 13, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Still on the Kwazulu Natal coast. Hippos, crocs and a fish eagle. The dark line in he water in the 3rd pic is a swimming croc
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Swaziland
April 13, 2018 in Swaziland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Some countryside and some critters
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Bourkes Luck Potholes
April 14, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Part of the Panorama Route near Kruger National Park along with Blyde River Canyon and God's Window (see other posts). Bourke was a gold prospector who found no gold but did locate this site. This is at the confluence of 2 rivers and is the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon. The river confluence resulted in strong eddying that created the "potholes." The last picture looks downriver into Blyde CanyonRead more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Bylde River Canyon
April 14, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Unfortunately, we were here on a hazy, drizzly day.
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
God's Window
April 14, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Spectacular views, or would be in better weather. The top was in the clouds the day we were there. My camera doesn't do this justice in the mist.
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Kruger National Park
April 14, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Crown jewel of South Africa's National Parks. Over 7500 square miles. To start, a few pictures of the park.
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Kruger Critters 1
April 14, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Female Kudu, wildebeast (gnu), pair of fish eagles (they mate for life), red billed stork, cape buffalo, yellow beak hornbill (zazu, for you Lion King fans)
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Kruger Critters 2
April 14, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Zebras in the trees, a bird whose name I've forgotten, dwarf mongoose, giraffes, lilac breasted roller, male impala
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Kruger Critters 3
April 14, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Tawny eagle, elephant, family of hyenas on a lion kill with young at play, rock springer, white rhino, pied kingfisher in flight/hovering
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Antananarivo
April 14, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
The capital of Madagascar. The view from the hotel balcony, independence square, an alleyway, independence blvd and some market pictures
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Rova, Antananarivo
April 21, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ 🌬 22 °C
The queen's palace before the French colonialization took over. The building was burned out during a political uprising n the 90s. The shell remains and is under restoration, work being done in African time. The second pic is of royal tombs next to the Queen's palace. The 3rd is of the royal chapel. If it looks Protestant, it is. English missionaries were present before the French, and the church is very reformed, center pulpit and all. The last 3 pics are of the King's palace, from before the Queen's. It is a reconstruction based on the record. First id the door with it's representation of the importance of the feminine in Malagasy culture. The the king's elevated bed in the NE corner. Then the kitchen/eating/reception area.Read more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
South from Antananarivo
April 22, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Traveling on the N7, the major national highway to the south of the country. Shots are of scenery. Most of the fields are rice. It is the harvest season now.
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Antsirabe
April 22, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
City south of Antananarivo. A produce market, a rickshaw ride to see the Thermal Hotel (there are hot springs here) and an outdoor market (closed--it was Sunday) and an indoor market, active on Sunday. The last pic is the meat section of the market.Read more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
South of Antsirabe
April 22, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
This bridge is the only connection between Antananarivo and the southern part of the country. After a contested election (probably with manipulated results), we were told, the government blew up this bridge to prevent the opposition leader from reaching his base. Also, pics of the new bridge and the river valleyRead more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
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Silk in Sandranahy
April 22, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Village producing silk. The first pic is of the silk worms and cocoons. To the left (the larger ones) is the native Malagasy silk worm, cocoon and moth. The smaller ones to the right is the imported Chinese silk worm. Next is hand spinning the silk. Then hand "skeining." Then hand "spindling." And a couple pics of the traditional hand loom.Read more
Traveler whatch got there
7/3/18Reply
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
More Silk
April 22, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
In the previous post, a couple steps in the preparation were skipped over as they were demonstrated later. The cocoons are boiled and washed, to break apart the fibers before spinning. Some of the finished product and a traditional Malagasy meal of zebu (like beef) beans and vegetables. And rice, of course.Read more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Ranomafana
April 22, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Our first visit to a national park. Ranomafana is a wet rain forest. (Yes, there is dry rain forest. I get there, too.) Saw about 8 species of lemur. They were rather hard to see and harder to photograph in the dense vegetation. The last pic is a view of the rain forest. We also walked at night to see some nocturnal species, but my camera would not pick them up.Read more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
On the road south
April 27, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
A look at some of the countryside
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
The plateau in south central Madagascar
April 27, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
The south central region of Madagascar is an flat open plateau with occasional rock formations, They also have sunsets
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Isalo National Park
April 27, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
One way to describe Isalo is to say it has two parts: an upland portion at the edge of the south central plateau and a lowland, wet section. This post is the upland section. It is mostly view of formations, the top and the view over the plateau.
The 2nd and 3rd pics look at traditional burial practice in the region. It is 2 stages. First, the dead are buried in a temporary tomb for 2 - 3 years. Once the bones are fully cleaned, they are moved to the permanent or family tomb, with much ritual and celebration. The 2 pics are examples of the two types of tombsRead more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Isalo, part 2, lowland
May 1, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
This being Madagascar, I gotta start with lemurs: ring tailed and common brown, respectively. The others are in a beautiful canyon that ended in a couple small pools/grottoes that are nothing short of stunning. Lets just say that they would have been the perfect place for skinny-dipping with the right person.Read more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Zombitse
May 1, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Another national park, this time a dry rain forest. The first pic is a look at the dry rain forest. Then more lemurs. The last is the sportive lemur, a nocturnal species resting during the day in a tree.Read more
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Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia skip's retirement travel
Baobabs
May 1, 2018 in Madagascar ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
If the first thing someone thinks of when Madagascar is mentioned isn't lemurs, its baobabs. The first pic is a young tree, maybe 20 years old. The others are all probably 800 years plus and more like what I think of when I think of Baobabs. The 3rd pic gives a sense of scale of theses trees, thanks to Wendy.Read more
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