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Jane GriffithsJane Griffiths
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traveled in 5 countries Read more
  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 26

    Photos

    February 28, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ -2 °C

    As you can imagine we took hundreds of photos so couldn't use them all in the Blog but here are a few we think should have been in there. Bit of a shock coming back to the UK - 30 degrees in Botswana -2 degrees at Heathrow - yuck!Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 23

    Homeward Bound

    February 25, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Jane and I are very sorry to leave. The Botswana locals are lovely people,helpful and friendly. It is not as populated as SA and does not have the sprawling townships of small closely packed dwellings. The drivers are shocking! There are the usual characters around though. The police don't have a car, so if Paul needs a cop,he has to go and get him. After a minor break in, Paul had to go the the police station, and after the paper work, PDR was asked to run the crook home. You can imagine his reply. Our final dinner was hosted by two of P&H's friends who run an overlanders/backpackers lodge next door. Cronje and Anita are great people. She is a local girl,well educated,fluent in German( they get a lot of Huns),and he is Africaans from Pretoria.He does not drink much now as he used to get hammered with his mates and drive around pissed paint balling the natives around Pretoria! We had a great night and ate well. Braai pastry (Puff pastry stuffed with chilli,peppers,onions etc) andfinished over the coals,together with spicy chicken and Hake. All delicious. We retired to P&H's for a nightcap and a final chat. Bed at 12 then the heavens opened. Over an inch of rain fell in the night. It was like living in a drum. Typical African send off. P&H fab hosts and on great form.We will miss them but have made tentative arrangements to meet next year.
    It is over 30 years since I was in SA and it is easy to say that whilst everything has changed,nothing has changed. Not so. The older generation have not or will not accept an unsegregated society. The younger generations seem to take it in their stride and we have felt the improvement. The income differential though will take many years to overcome and it will happen as the locals are getting the better jobs and a better education.This is Jane and Roger signing off from O Tambo airport Johannesburg. Mrs G has a lovely tan and no lasting scars!!! ROger and out!    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 23

    Final day Okovango

    February 25, 2018 in Botswana ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Last day on safari. We have seen the lot except Leopard! We were unlucky but we knew that there was one around. Rams was around so he kindly took us off for a final track. Bingo female cat hunting. She was unconcerned about us so we were with her for about 30 mins. Result and some great photos. We have been so lucky with the weather.We have had some torrential downpours but fortunately it has not interfered with our activities. Always nice drinking under thatch!! The fresh lot who arrived at PomPom were a fun bunch and enjoyed a few beers with us before we flew out. Paul was a passenger this trip as the had a local trainee pilot in the right hand seat but he was not allowed to touch anything!! ( A bit like Paul on the trip out!) The bush is not what I expected. It is not thick jungle but grasslands with trees and shrubbery,quite beautiful from the plane.
    The 4 of us had 3 great days in this little jewel and will certainly be back. We landed back at Maun and as per usual straight into Paul's local! They have not changed one iota!!!! Jane came across a large spider in the sink in our tent. PDH pointed out the the'flatties' are harmless. Well he didn't look harmless to me,(giving me the hairy eyeball he was), so Sir Galahad (me) ,flattened him ! Brave lad,hey. That and some Mozambique spitting Cobra in the bushes makes a chap keep his eyes peeled when having a pee!    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 22

    Okovango Day 2

    February 24, 2018 in Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    OK,penultimate day in the jungle! The plan is to walk with the tracker (armed with a 357 express), in the bush for a little instruction on flora and fauna etc. This would be followed by a light lunch and a trip in a Mokoro dugout canoe through the wetlands. We had a great day. Ramsay is a great tracker and an authority on the biology of the bush. One hour of Indian file and a great Natural History lesson. We managed a rendezvous with the vehicle without incident. Wild animals noted Mrs G and kept well away!
    We then were taken to a spot on the delta to experience a short trip in the local dugout canoes. Clifford was our poler. We followed the narrow lanes made by Hippo through the water lily beds. Full of fish (Bream) and birdlife.
    Quite beautiful,no Hippo fortunately,and our poles did not get stuck! Managed some good shots however with Mrs G in front!
    We went back to the vehicle and were taken off to lunch in a clearing overlooking yet another lagoon. Fish eagles everywhere! Sandwiches in paradise! There were a few bottles of Rose in the chiller so a democratic decision was made not to hurry and polish them off. We had seen everything we came for bar a Leopard,but that's life. We returned to camp to meet the new lot of arrivals. No Americans thank God,but some Brits. Graham and Sharon, together with Scottish Ian and Fiona, great people and what a riot! They did not do the Septics either,result. After this evening I suspect that they will miss the 4 of us!!!.We finished off with a longish night. They had a 5am call,we saw the weather and decided on a lie in. A great decision as it transpired!    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 21

    Okovango Day 1

    February 23, 2018 in Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Great excitement,off into the bush today. White hunter Bwana Roger and the Memsahib. A bit like Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger! ( Jane looks a bit like Ava in twilight!).

    Brand new light aircraft into the delta (Paul really impressed as brand new). Destination Pom Pom Safari Camp. After a sweep of the landing strip to check for wildlife we touched down. I spotted a Black Rhinoceros from the plane which was a bonus - a superb result as they have only just been introduced into Botswana
    We were met by their staff doing a local dance and checked in. The rooms are amazing, definitely five star glamping (it's like staying in the Hilton in the Bush). The difference, however, is that the shower and the bath are outside!! From our terrace we saw troops of Baboons, various Antelope, a crocodile, elephants and a Hippo walked right in front of us literally 20 yards away - you almost don't need to go out in the land rovers looking for them
    We changed into Tropical kit and went lion hunting! Rams is a top guide and tracker so we had both him and another Bushman called Major to lead us to the wildlife. The bird life here is amazing all with dazzling colours and too many to mention. We found a pride of lions very quickly together with Elephant,Buffalo,Wilderbeast, and many different gazelles and buck. Please see the pics!
    We were fortunate to have Rams. He is now management and he really pushed the boat out for Paul,Henri and us. On one day he set up lunch by a beautiful lagoon full of Hippo. The lunch was great and the setting perfect. We also got to start at 7.30 not 5.30 like the rest of the guests! They are a mixed bag of different nationalities and all very pleasant except for 2 very rude Americans. Not just us as nobody else liked them either ! Mrs G still in one piece with no visible teeth marks. I reckon she is too tough even for the crocs and lions! It was an all inclusive deal so beer ,wine and gin in large quantities consumed. Stickies as well for those who wanted them! My liver will need a rest when we get home,all Paul's fault.    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 17

    Maun Pub Crawl

    February 19, 2018 in Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Right,woken by wild animals shouting in Paul's Garden. Noisy bastards. It was decided to take a cruise on P&H's African Queen called Squiffy Pussy 3! A lovely 1hours cruise up the lagoon watching the bird life. No bird pictures yet though but lots to see but spotted a Croc on the bank.
    In for a quick piece of toast,then into Maun to meet some oh P&H's friends in various bars. Castle lager rules. The quality of the drivers is shocking as the locals come at you from all angles with no concept of speed and distance. Add to this donkeys,cattle and goats grazing on the side of the road untethered make driving here an exciting concept! They just cross over.
    Great curry lunch followed by a quick shop then home. We spotted wart hogs,wild dogs(rare up here and a result) and an elephant. We saw all these around the house and we are not yet in the Park. Exciting things to come.l needed a snooze after last night and woke up to gin and tonic and a glorious sunset! The wild dogs answered the question as to what was crunching bones outside our tent last night! Should have sent Mrs G to investigate at the time. As you can imagine she wasn't keen!
    Into Pom Pom in Okavango proper in light aircraft tomorrow. No internet there so will be out of contact for 3 days. Big blog next time hey!!!!    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 17

    Botswana

    February 19, 2018 in Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Early start from Cape Town after a good brekkie in the Cape Verde airport hotel. A 30 seater jet from CT to Maun in Botswana. Very civilised.met Paul and Henri in the bar across the road and back to their house on the lagoon after a few beers and meeting our Okavango guide Rams. He seems like a top man.
    Paul and Henry's place is called SERENA. An African thatch with a separate library and guest TENT which is where we are! The first thing we did was a good spray of DOOM to debug. No bugs and nailed 1 larger than normal spider! An evening chatting over old times with P&H!more beer/wine and watching the bird life.There is a Hornbill on the bird table as I am writing this.Night fell so we turned in about 10ish, what a racket! Bats,night birds,bugs all night and to cap it something large chompIng bones closeby. Mrs G sitting up in bed trying to identify said carnivore,I thought it sounded inside the tent but did not want to worry the Memsahib. It could have been dining underneath as we are on stilts! Welcome to Africa.I will have to pinch Mrs G's earplugs to get some sleep I reckon!    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 15

    Farewell Paternoster

    February 17, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Well,all a bit weary last night so we were in no mood to celebrate what has been a wonderful week. We stayed in, had a salad and polished off the last bottle of Durbanville Sauvigon BLanc. We have had fab SA wines this week,every bit as good as top French or NZ. The good stuff does not get to us I reckon.
    Another beautiful day this morning,so packed up and left Paternoster. We will be back next year for longer,with clubs. The Coast up to Namibia is definitely worth exploring but will need an SUV. Short drive to check out Yzerfonteinbaai nearer to Cape Town. Surfers paradise in cold water,great surf and a tidy restaurant! Checked into an Airport Hotel after dropping the car off at Hertz. Mrs G planned on giving them an earful but never happened as the African was a charmer! Off to Botswana to see Paul and Henri tomorrow. We have had 2 great weeks,seen many old friends,travelled lots and dined well. Feb 2019 seems a long way away .    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 14

    Last full day in Paradise - very sad!

    February 16, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Another beautiful morning. No ill effects from the moules! We snook out to try to take some pictures in the rock pools as the anenomes around are both numerous and huge. Took a few,not bad but a little breezy. Need a wet suit and snorkel,it would be amazing.
    A little exploring around the village for some contact details for accomodation next year. Definitely coming but with golf clubs as well.
    Drove up the the St Columbine lighthouse,named after said ship which went down there. If you look out to sea, you can see odd rocky reefs miles offshore. No wonder so many poor souls were lost on this coast. Beautiful views though and we found a little jewel. A small bar/restaurant in Tietiesbaai. (Nothing lost in translation!).
    The patron is probably tubby Williams' gay,thinner,younger brother if the music is anything to go by. Port of Call in Tietiesbaai! We reckon Richard must have sent him his tapes! Super,super lunch of fresh Hake and Calamari wash down by the usual bottle. (s)! Outside tables on old rowing boats looking out over the most beautiful bay you have ever seen. So if you look at the photos we have obviously saved the best till last. I will admit this was a total accident.
    The area around is a nature reserve but people come down and camp in proper overland conditions! Looks like fun but predominately Africaans. ( large,rotund, close cropped hairybacks!) A stunning coastline with plenty of crayfish to catch but very little fishing apparently.
    Back to the house and a long windy walk along the beach .Found another dead Cape Fur Seal sadly,but we have seen quite a few- no teeth marks though!    Read more

  • TravelerGriffsontour AFRICA
    Day 13

    Thursday in Paradise

    February 15, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Well,the lights came on at midnight with no marauders! Woke Mrs G from her beauty sleep on the sofa and up to bed. The house was oven hot as we had the fire lit to provide extra light so just a little sweaty!
    Dead low water at 09.20 so decided to do the Vieux Breton Moulier bit and collect some mussels from the rocks outside the house. Big beauties they are so I will let you know tomorrow how good (bad) they are!
    Decided to visit Saudanha Bay. It looked good on the map but basically an iron ore terminal and a few shops,what a dump. Then we checked out Jacobsbaai. This is a largish residential town built in Greeky style.(very white). However, no shops,1 restaurant(closed) and nothing else,so 4 miles to buy a loaf of bread! Bizarre
    Mrs G decided to cut our losses and adjourn to Gaatjes for lunch after a quick shop to restore our Vitamin C stocks.
    We had a great lunch. ''This place is a bit up market so total bill was £37!
    Back home for a long walk around the bay. It is like walking to the point in NQ but 10 times longer. Paradise for me ,it is!(quote Yoda!)    Read more

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