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Africa
  • Nancy and Doug Trips
  • Nancy and Doug Trips

Africa

Un’avventura di 46 giorni di Nancy and Doug Trips Leggi altro
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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    From the taxi instead of the iconic walk over!Have no idea who buys huge sculptures as a souvenir??

    Crossing over to Victoria Falls Zimbabwe

    11 luglio 2025, Zimbabwe ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The hotel has a free shuttle to and from the airport and the Zimbabwe border. He can only go as far as the Zambian post and you then need a driver with a special permit to drive the 'no-man's land between the posts over the bridge itself, then a driver on the other side to go to your destination. He dropped me at the Zambia post where a driver quickly finds me to agree on a package deal for the next two stages, and a porter takes my bag and leads me into the passport control building and 'assertively' pushes to the front of the long line and to an immigration officer, before gong back to the taxi. Well worth the $1 tip!!

    The bridge is an ancient 1-lane alternating structure carrying all the international semi-trailer (only one allowed on the bridge at a time) trade between these countries as well as residents and tourists on bus, car, foot and bike. The latter are quite interesting. There a a thriving free trade entrepreneurship. Men go from Zambia with up to 100kg of goods such as sweet potatoes or corn meal etc. which are cheaper in Zambia. They sell it to Zimbabwe shop keepers in Zim dollars. They then buy cooking oil or washing soap etc. which are cheaper in Zim, paying in US dollars as the black market rate for USD is good in Zim. They then ride their heavily laden bikes back to Zambia to sell to shopkeepers there. They do this trip two or even three times in a day How no tariff free markets work!

    A lot of people walk over the bridge to enjoy the views of the falls and just catch a taxi on the other side. I was planning to, but changed my plans of course.

    Dropped at my hotel at 12:00 and amazed they had a ground floor room available, so got checked in early. The hotel is in a very nice leafy enclave of hotels, eateries, craft shops and art galleries.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    1Western end of trail at top of Devils CataractViewpoint 1 at Devils CataractViewpoint 2Viewpoint 3Viewpoint 4Viewpoint 7Viewpoint 8 - The Main FallsViewpoint 8Yep ... time to turn around when you have a crutch!

    Victoria Falls Park

    11 luglio 2025, Zimbabwe ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After getting settled in, I headed out and walked to the Victoria Falls Visitor Centre and entrance to the park. Got in about 13:30 and did about half of the viewpoints or a third of the total trail length. All I can say about these falls is WOW! The largest waterfall in the world at over 1700m wide and 100m tall (twice as wide and high as Niagara) and 1 MILLION gallons of water PER SECOND flows over it (vs 700K for Niagara)!

    I started with the viewpoints 2, backtracking to 1, then making it past #8 before taking the trail to the exit as the path was starting to get wet.
    I went across to the craft market across the highway and haggled for a taxi to take me to the 3 Monkeys Restaurant next to my hotel for my main meal

    Walked over 5 miles today and feel very good.

    The next day, I booked the transfer to VFA airport with the driver from my trip from the border and flew SA Airlines to JoBurg. All smooth and on time and the Uber pickup zone was well organized for my transfer into the Holiday Inn Rosebank. Very modern, super convenient and safe location, with good internet and a nice desk to work at.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Orlando Towers, former power plant now used for bungee jumping etc are iconic images
    FNB Stadium built for the World CupJune 16, 1976 Hector Pieterson MonumentHector being carried by his sister after being shotAn illegal squatter camp

    Soweto

    13 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Day one of my stay in Joburg started ay 9 catching the City Sightseeing bus around to the south to catch their Soweto tour.

    The SOuth WEstern TOwnships were created in the 1930's after the Urban Areas Act of 1923 and the Pass Laws prevented blacks from living in Joburg proper. The population swelled to over a million, mostly in slum conditions. Soweto became world (in)famous in 1976 after days of riots sparked when junior and high school students marched against new laws requiring instruction in Afrikaans, a language which most did not speak at all. The police opened fire and several students killed, sparking days of riots in which at least 575 were killed. The event was one of the defining events in the struggle against apartheid.

    We were taken in a minivan with commentary by a very amusing and expert young man, a resident of the township himself, to get a quick flavour over two hours of the history and current life. We stopped briefly (although had the opportunity to linger and catch the next circuit of the bus in each case) at the Hector Pieterson monument to the 12 year-old boy who was one of the victims on the first day, and the street where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived at various points -- the only street in the world to be home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners.
    After democracy, the lives of some residents were allowed to improve, but the economic situation in South Africa remains so poor that many residents still live in poverty, and even as some native South Africans move out, they are replaced by recant immigrants to the country. other residents stay and improve their homes, so you get nice looking homes next to shacks, and there are squatter camps by the roads. Crime is a problem, and our guide did not sugar coat the problem of gangs and drugs, revealing that he himself had been treated for a knife wound in the hospital (the largest in Africa and the leading centre for trauma treatment) the previous week.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore

    Apartheid Museum

    13 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    The next stop on the bus tour was the Apartheid Museum, so I spent over two hours in this place. It took you through the origins of the policy with racial classification, details on the hundreds of laws passed to deny basic rights to the majority population. Much attention is paid to the resistance and leadership of such men as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko and others.

    Almost half the museum, though, is about the negotiations, Mandela's release, the end of the regime and first democratic elections leading to the new constitution and ends hoping that the 'rainbow nation' will succeed in putting the past behind.

    Photography is not allowed inside.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Always walls, barbed wire, cameras etcRosebank on the horizonSt. John's CollegeMiner's MonumentThe Mining DistrictGandhiBrutalist style apartheid-era government blockOld (Diagonal Street) and new near Newtown districtJacaranda trees not in bloom

    Hop On Bus Tours

    14 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    I got a two day bus tour package that included Soweto loop, so this was the transport method to Soweto, the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill. I didn't get off at any other stops, but got some good views of the city, doing the complete loop twice.
    Joburg is a young city, only being settled in 1886 with the discovery of gold and the world's largest gold rush. It has grown to an urban size of about 15 million.
    It is a city of contrasts with fantastic wealth and extreme poverty all mixed together, both of which are well seen from the top deck of this tour.
    Melrose Arch is a luxury city within a city with Rolls Royce and Mclaren dealers. The northern suburbs, including the tony district of Houghton was home to three of four of the presidents since 1994 and also exclusive private schools. All the homes and townhouses, whether middle class or mansions are surrounded by high walls and barbed wire or electric fences.
    Going into the Central Business District, it is hard to tell if this is a city on its way up or down. Many building have been bricked up or taken over by squatters, but the grand Late Victorian office and bank buildings are apparently being renovated and put back on the market.
    Street life is certainly vibrant in many places with the usual busy shopfronts and sidewalk vendors scratching out a living.
    To the south are the industrial areas and working class areas such as Booysens and then Soweto. Here also is the redeveloped area called Gold Reef City with a Casino, hotel, and theme park.
    The western suburbs are again very upscale with some amazing mansions and beautiful tree-lined streets.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Mandela's hospital room / cellThe Flame of Democracy

    Constitution Hill

    14 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The only stop I got off the Hop On bus on day 2 was at Constitution Hill, site of the old fort, a notorious prison and now the highest court in South Africa.
    The original prison was built in 1892, then the Old Fort built around it in 1896 by Paul Kruger to defend the City in the Boer War before reverting to full time prison use. It housed criminals as well as political prisoners including Gandhi and Mandela and many others. Conditions were horrific right into the 1980s before it was finally closed.Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Little Foot - Australopithecus

    Sterkfontein Caves

    15 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    I arranged this tour with Moja Africa Tours to two sites in the Cradle of Humankind and a Cultural Village. Driver was right on time at 07:40. It was a great day with my driver Marvin, who proved to be an enthusiastic and great source of information about all of the past and present of South Africa.

    Our first stop was the Caves. I was only able to go down a few steps as the passageway was steep, slippery and low enough to require going on all fours and not suitable for a man on crutches. The caves have been the source of the largest number of hominid fossils anywhere in the world.

    However, there were excellent exhibits on human evolution and a full skeleton replica of Little Foot. It was really an excellent museum.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore

    Lesedi Cultural Village

    15 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We drove a half hour from the Caves to arrive at this site. It has recreations of five different tribal villages from around South Africa. There was first a fun little presentation of drumming with audience participation in the form of drumming lessons.
    We were then taken on a tour of four of the villages - Zulu, Xhosa, Besotho and Pedi with some interesting set of anecdotes about each, including the price of brides for each!
    There was then a singing and dancing show which was quite energetic.
    Finally, we had a buffet lunch    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore

    Maropeng Cradle of Humankind Centre

    15 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    The final stop on the tour was to the Visitor Centre for the Cradle of Humankind.

    The exhibits were very dramatic and high quality explanation of all of history from the formation of the Earth itself to the emergence of humans. The level of explanation was basic, but very nicely done.
    There was an interesting timeline as you walked into the main hall.

    A boat ride purporting to be about the four elements of water, air, fire and earth was a bit hokey, but fun in a way.

    It was slightly rushed as we arrived only at 3 in time for a guided tour of the upper introductory hall, and left at 4:30 for the drive back, arriving home after 5:30.

    All in all, a fantastic day!    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore

    Origins Centre Museum

    16 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Just going to do one activity today.

    The introductory hall has some recap of the evolution of humans with a neat display of several drawers you can open and pickup and examine replica skulls of many hominid species --- paranthropus, australopitihicus and homo species. The focus of the introduction is on the development of technology such as tools and the importance of the development of symbolic thought, culminating in art (earliest of which is rock painting) at which time we truly became human. South Africa is home to the oldest rock art and the most number of sites.

    This was all by way of introduction to the bulk of the exhibition, which is on the art and rituals of the San people of the Kalahari. There was much on the rock art of these people. The whole theme really helps tie together and finalize all the things I saw at the Cradle on the physical evolution of humans.

    In addition, it was nice to see these excellent exhibits about the San, as the rock art and visit with the San was something I missed out on due to cancelling the first two weeks of the holiday.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    2
    You don't see herds of antelope and zebras at highway gas stations back home!Just outside the fence

    Transfer to Tremisana Lodge (Kruger)

    17 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    So a full day today transferring from JoBurg to the lodge for my Kruger safari. The van driver from Viva Safaris was right on time at 0800, and then we had to make two other pickups before getting on the road. Six and a half hours to get there with two pit stops and lunch. One stop at a highway service centre was unique with a game farm behind it -- only in Africa! Scenery along the way started out as endless prairie with grain farms and also much unused land. Then, foothills and valleys with vast orchards of oranges, and mandarins all fully laden and ready for picking. It's very scenic. Also, mangos and macadamia nuts. Then through a mountain range.

    Tremisana lodge is quite lovely with 15 cottages set in landscaped grounds with a pool and a couple of "lapas" (outdoor lounge/dining areas). We even have our own resident elephants.

    We got in after 4 and were back out at 5pm for our first game drive.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Mister ZebThe happy coupleThe mother-to-beLegendary African sunsetsSpotter sits on a perch on the front bumper with a flashlightTwo young male white rhinosWhite rhino

    Balule Night Drive and Bush Supper

    17 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We left the lodge at 5 for a sunset and night drive through the Balule private game reserve led by Head Guide Luke. Within two minutes, we started seeing game. A beautiful sunset and we used lights to continue looking.

    We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, white rhinos, hyenas, and various antelopes,

    We stopped under a Marula tree, revered by the locals for a bush dinner cooked over a wood fire.. Chicken and boerwurst sausage with pap (mashed maize) and slaw and was very tasty    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    11White rhinoZulu the black rhino

    Balule Reserve Sunrise Game Drive

    18 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Coffee -- instant :( -- served at 5:30, then in the truck with guide Andy at 05:45 for a sunrise game drive. Right away we saw a giraffe against the sunrise. They sleep sitting down, but never lay their heads down as they would be too vulnerable to attack by lions. They only sleep in little naps at that.

    We got very close to a group of elephants that had knocked over a tree and were eating the leaves and twigs for breakfast. A recurring comment from the guides was about how destructive elephants are. They just tear down the trees and eat everything in sight. You see areas that look like clear-cut forest. They eat over 200kg of food a day, because their digestive system is actually inefficient and most gets pooped out -- and there is elephant poop absolutely everywhere in Kruger! This game reserve is over populated with elephants, and in about two decades, this will not be bushveld, but open grassland.

    We then saw a nice white rhino, and were then incredibly lucky to see a black rhino. There are only a few hundred left in Kruger due to poaching. Actually our guide was very skillful to track it down. He spotted some dung as he was driving and got out to show us it had leaves and branches and had been kicked around to mark his territory. This was the sign of a black rhino. He noted the direction the tracks went and in a few minutes we caught up to it, It was a well-known male named Zulu.. Black and white rhinos are actually both grey. Whites are flat mouthed and graze on grass, and blacks are hook lipped and eat leaves and branches.

    Back to the lodge for breakfast at 9:00    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Cape Buffalo staring us down
    Raymond and our truck1

    Balule Sundowner Drive

    18 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Time off after breakfast, then lunch and more rest before meeting up with guide Raymond at 3:00pm for what they call a sundowner drive. Lots of wildlife again of elephants, zebras, antelope etc. The new addition -- another of the Big 5 -- was a Cape Buffalo who stared rather intently at us. They are quite dangerous as they have a nasty temper and attack for no reason and without warning.

    Just before sunset, we find a nice viewpoint facing west and open up a beer or G&T -- the 'sundowner' - is the name for your end of day drink. Nice, then a drive home with a spotter using a flashlight. Saw some hyenas, but it was pretty quiet.

    Dinner was served at picnic tables around a bonfire. The cooking here is nice -- simple home style food. Tonight was beef stew.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Sunrise pre-departure
    Warthog.ImpalaImpala kill in a treeImpala are not usually this relaxedPair of 4-week old Spotted HyenaLilac Breasted Roller1Taken down by lion and abandoned for three daysWaterbuck (aka toilet-seat antelope)Down at the waterholeSteenbok -- smallest antelope

    Kruger Game Drive Morning

    19 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Loaded up at 0745 for the hour drive to the Orpen Gate of the Kruger National Park itself. We saw many species of animals today. The notable missing was the lion -- there was a giraffe killed by a lion, but although there are many in the park, they remained hidden this day, and from reports of some guests, this had been the case for the week. That;'s the luck part of safaris.Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Giraffes and zebras together
    Mom and her kidsBaby getting a drink1The siblingsMom's back. Time for a drinkLeopards with their meal

    Kruger Game Drive Pt 2 -- Afternoon

    19 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    We stopped for lunch at Satara Camp which had campsites, restaurants and gift shops, then headed back out at 2pm to track down more animals.

    We came by a giraffe family, this time with a couple of zebras nearby. You will often see a couple different species of plant eaters hanging together as one species may have better hearing, and other better smell or eyesight, so together they are more able to detect predators. This family had two baby giraffes (tall for their age!) and mother nursed one for a bit.

    After seeing another Cape Buffalo, we drove by the den where the baby hyenas were to find Mom had returned and was nursing.

    Finally, before heading to the park exit, we thought we would take one more try at the tree where the leopard had its kill, and sure enough there were a few cars stopped ,and we pulled up to see not one, but two leopards in the tree -- a mom and her cub. Got a great time looking with my 'scope, but at 300m away, the 400mm telephoto had to be enlarged to 1600mm and that was a bit extreme so the photos are a bit pixelated. So we finished off with the most elusive of the Big 5.

    A great day in Kruger, but 12 hours sitting and driving -- a bit exhausted, so asleep soon after a dinner of open-fire-grilled chops.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    The Three RondavalsVast groves often under nettingSchoon Huis ManorElegant setting for fast food from Nando's

    Transfer to JoBurg

    20 luglio 2025, Sud Africa ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    So we said goodbye to our resident tusker at 745 to drive back. Lots of variety of scenery along they way. Mountains and a stop at the Blyde Canyon (third largest canyon in the world). Orange groves, often under netting and roadside stands selling the fruit. Foothills and wide open plains of grain farms.

    Got to my quaint guest house near the airport at 5:00pm. It is isolated, so the manager Alfred used his Uber account to order up dinner. House was a lawyer's and is maybe 50 years old, but done up like an old manor house. Very unique. Not much to do, especially as the power went out due to SA's energy crisis. Tired anyway.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore

    Travel to Kenya

    21 luglio 2025, Kenia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Uber to Joburg airport at 630, check-in went smoothly and they did not take away my exit row with my sling and crutch just hanging from the backpack. Four hour flight on Airlink -- again excellent performance and service.

    Nairobi airport is not modern. In this day when governments spend billions on gleaming temples of aviation, it was shocking to arrive in a metal shed with concrete floors patched by metal plates, etc. However, the main thing is that it all functions smoothly and I was out at curbside in an hour, especially since I had resumed my sling and crutch for everyday use. and the staff kept whisking me to the front of the lines.

    Found the Uber and was in my hotel around 4. The Jamia Central Hotel is only adequate. Right downtown actually on the second floor inside a mall of shopping stalls. Old and run down slightly, but all seems to work. Have a desk and power outlets but lots of space and it all works. Staff are polite, but not especially welcoming as in other parts of Africa, but I think Kenyans are less openly friendly.

    Went for an hour walk around the block -- very busy, traffic and motorbike chaos etc. On that day, or the subsequent two, I did not see a single Westerner except at the Giraffe Centre and a few at the Museum, so I am certainly not in a touristy zone. Had a decent dinner on a terrace above the street, then to bed.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Dish of treats to feed the animals1Much busier after 11

    Giraffe Centre

    22 luglio 2025, Kenia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I think giraffes are among the coolest animals I've seen here. This conservancy gives one a closer look at these beautiful animals. I'm glad I arrived before a couple of coaches..

    A Kenyan-British-American couple bought the estate, which is now the adjacent expensive Giraffe Lodge hotel in the early 1970s, and learned that there were only 130 Rothschild giraffes left in the world. They caught two and soon had five, so they set up a centre in the mid-70's . There are 10 here now -- a male and 3 breeding females and their offspring who get released into parks and reserves when they are six. There are now a thousand giraffes in the world.

    For your admission, you are given a little bowl of dry treats that you can feed to the giraffes by holding it in your fingers (never on a flat palm) and leaving it on their very long (almost a half metre long!) soft tongue. Lots of interesting facts about giraffes were learned. The centre is part of a Kenyan wildlife program that is trying to do a lot of education, including bringing kids in.

    Some Fun Facts: Giraffes eat 35-65kg per day, mostly tree leaves, their favourite being acacia which are thorny, so their tongues and mouths have a tough lining. They are 2m tall at birth and males grow as tall as 5.5m. They have a 15 month gestation, are sexually mature at 3 years and live to 25 years in the wild. They sleep in 5 to 30 minute naps for only a couple of hours total, sometimes while standing or lying down, but always with heads held up.

    There is a not very interesting but peaceful and cool nature walk across the road.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore

    The Sarova Stanley Hotel

    22 luglio 2025, Kenia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After feeding the giraffes, I had a cup of Kenyan coffee in their cafe and looked up directions to my planned next stop -- The Bomas of Kenya -- a cultural centre of tribal villages, dance show and ethnic restaurant and was surprised to learned it closed two weeks ago for a two-month long renovation. Darn! So I called an Uber to take me back home to figure my next step As we got to downtown, the driver was fretting a bit about if the traffic police would be present in my street. Apparently, there is a bylaw against dropping off passengers in the streets except in designated drop-off zones. What happens is that in the few seconds the door is unlocked while dropping or loading passengers, a cop jumps in and extorts a bribe! As the big hotels have space for the act, I suggested he drop me at the Stanley, which I knew was not far.

    So, here I am at the top hotel in town at 1:30, and decided to have a leisurely main meal of the day at the legendary Thorntree Cafe. This is a place with a legend. In the 1950s, a small café in the then Stanley Hotel became a hang-out for expats and bohemians as well as a central meeting place in Nairobi. People and travelers met here to swap information, trade stories, bum rides or figure out how to navigate the wilds of Kenya.

    When it was “just a small cafe” in the then Stanley Hotel, it played host to several famous folks like Elspeth Huxley, Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt.. It is said that Ernest Hemingway coined the term “safari” whilst seated at this cafe. In 1958, when the hotel was redesigned, a Naivasha thorn tree (Acacia xanthophloea) was planted in its courtyard with the intent of providing a little shade for the tables here. Things didn’t turn out as planned because travelers used the tree-trunk to post notes and bulletins and turned a tree into a post office, leaving messages for travelers. The hotel now has a bulletin board to stick messages to.

    Anyway, a nice dinner, then spent the rest of the day resting.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    McMillan Memorial Library, 1931
    100 year old Jamia Mosque seats 5,000Huge Marabou stork. Massive 12 foot wingspanCity Market. Fish, meat, flowers and souvenirs (from China!)Only place you can smoke -- only three existCatholic Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family, 1963Supreme CourtKICC - Kenyatta International Convention Centre1You really have to watch your step

    Guru Walk of the CBD

    23 luglio 2025, Kenia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Felt up to it the night before, so I booked a walking tour of downtown with GuruWalks. Met the guide at 0800 - a young woman named Dany. She has only been a guide for two weeks. She was quite good, although did not have the non-stop flow of knowledge a more experienced guide has. However, was a good walk. Downtown Nairobi is commercial only - there are no mixed use or residential buildings, so it is a bit sterile. Nairobi's sidewalks are also atrocious, and I was watching every step I took instead of looking around as much.

    Nairobi was made by the British as a railway town, grew into the capital city of 5 or 6 million today. Dany feels the country is not doing well and there is much unrest among the young as unemployment is very high.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Biggest stuffed bird display I have ever seen. About 40 casesThe ancestor before apes and monkeys splitHomo erectus "Turkana Boy" 1.6 MYA

    Nairobi National Museum

    23 luglio 2025, Kenia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Before I went in had a nice lunch of traditional West Kenyan food at the Heritage Restaurant.

    Enjoyed the museum. Not too large, and although the building, displays and captions are run down, the placards, when I could read them were concise and well-written.

    Notable sections include a Cradle of Mankind hall. Kenya, of course claims the title over South Africa, and puts the fossils found here more directly in our lineage, but there is much debate.

    The Hall of Mammals has the replica and actual skeleton of a famous large tusker.

    The History Hall did a good job of pre and post colonial history.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Ginless G&T
    People, bikes, tuktuks, cars and dustWelcome to Tanzania'OneStop' Border formalitiesMt Longido, not KilimanjaroMany cars, buses and trucks decorated with religious sayingsHave seen several large abandoned projects

    To Arusha, Tanzania

    24 luglio 2025, Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After a trip that was more challenge then experience,I have arrived in a paradise.

    The shuttle bus trip was rather long. Boarded at 7:30 and got off at 14:30. it was very hot, bumpy, extremely cramped legroom and driven by a kamikaze driver. Scenery was typical very dry African sparse bush with the appearance of mountains near the end. It is interesting how chaotic and run down the road and the buildings along it were in the villages and towns. Also seeing the Masai in traditional garb, often barefoot, miles from anywhere, so not a show for tourists. Cattle, goats, and donkeys just loose, sometimes watched by a Masai herder, and several times we had to stop or gently force our way through a herd of animals on the road.

    Arusha then shows up as a tropical paradise with lots of trees and greenery and mostly well maintained streets and sidewalks.

    The Equator Hotel is another of these places from a bygone era with its own huge garden, restaurant with a terrace and very welcoming staff at every turn. What a change from Nairobi. The room is comfortable and spacious with a nice balcony. Will get a nice rest up here before the safari.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore
    Hotel's gardenInteresting tree with orange 'trumpet' flowers in my garden

    Morning Walk in Arusha

    25 luglio 2025, Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I had one day in Arusha, mainly to be sure of meeting my safari, but found the city quite charming. There are some very nice avenues with lots of tropical or near tropical trees. Downtown is more finished and less gritty than Nairobi, for example, but still with that African vibe. The street leading to the main market becomes the usual wild market feel.

    The clock tower is said to be the halfway point between Cape Town and Cairo. A number of upscale hotels and resorts are here, too.

    The city is quite large at over a half million and is both a hub for the rich agricultural region (they grow everything from bananas to vegetables to grain, staple crop is maize), but especially a tourism hub from which most Serengeti and Kilimanjaro expeditions depart.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsAfricaViaggiatore

    Arusha Natural History Museum

    25 luglio 2025, Tanzania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After lunch, I walked the 5 minutes to this quirky little museum. It was built in the old German colonial Boma (fort) and is a collection of individual exhibits.

    The natural history building has a number of animals and birds, but also covering the walls are many photos from an extremely good nature photographer (Dick Persson)

    The history of the Colony is notable for the usual stories of colonial oppression, but even more for how unsuccessful the colony was. They kept bringing in settlers who failed to adapt to local conditions so that by the time of the early 20th century, there were only a couple of hundred settlers.

    They had another human evolution exhibit. Every country seems to have one. This of course emphasizes the findings at Olduvai and the very important 3.2 million year old footprints of Australopithecus afarensis (e.g. Lucy) found at nearby Laetoli.

    Finally there is Tom the tortoise who might be 200 years old.    Leggi altro

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