• Jane Griffiths
Februari 2018

Griffsontour AFRICA

Pengembaraan 26hari oleh Jane Baca lagi
  • Permulaan perjalanan
    3 Februari 2018

    Off we go! At Heathrow

    3 Februari 2018, England ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    Wales beat Scotland so that's a good start!
    Plane chocker block - not a single seat to be had so it's going to be pretty miserable.
    Welcome home Fran - just in time for the rugby. Sorry Niamh, apparently Roger's supporting France - I'm with your lot!
    Next stop Cape Town x
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  • Cape town

    6 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Day 1ish ,Day one was a knackering occasion! Long flight,change at J'burg for Cape Town. No real issues bar Hertz at Cape Town. Poor Jane pi##ed about for an hour about car and insurance. Sorted but Caveat emptor boys, if you do not use THEIR insurance excess, they make it an issue. Mrs G great, I would have been on Robbin Island!!
    Arrived at our Res.
    .(rather nice), via supermarket for a shop and a couple of well earned beers. Please note,apart from Hertz, not really any worse than a trip to Cyprus,just twice as long!! Slept well after a 1/2 bucket shower each. No real rain for 4yrs. Bit of a comp as to who can use the least water.. Currently fat Roger winning with 1/2 a bucket per shower. Sadly Mr G gets the cold half. Ha! ( No joke this place is dry!!!) Slept well.

    Day 2 proper like. Vasco in control!!!! Decided on a quick sortie down to Cape Aghulus, two and a half hours each way,for the benefit of the uneducated among you (joke)!, the most Southern Point in Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.
    Mrs G the most Southerly bird on the African Continent at that time. Rather impressive where the 2 Oceans meet! Mrs G spotted an Ostrich with a few kids which made her happy. Lots to see. We got home in time to meet Rod and Sandy for dinner tomorrow but had a good meal. Rod and Sandy have take a FAB place in Steenberg on the golf course ,not inexpensive for sure. We ,however, are shacked up with the Norwegian Consul, so.on your bike team,tough! They have a really nasty fierce Shnauser ( no dirty jokes!) Called Buster who loves biltong! A bit of a pussycat! Had a great dinner Ribs and stuff without Needham's and Gavshon's as we had the wrong night. Great trial run and took a 5 min cab to Rod and Sandy,s for a late digestif. Gt fun with Grant and Sarah on good form. Taxi arrived so got home with surprisingly tidy considering the company! Suspect tomorrow may be ugly!,, Time for bobos,both tired,xxxxGriffs in Africa. Interesting point though. We were going to walk to Rod and Sandy,s house and the local security guys would not let us as too dangerous so we took a cab. Nice to be advised by the locals but it was a great evening.

    .

    H
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  • Cape of Good Hope and Boulder

    7 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Lazy start this morning. Our trip to Cape Aghulus was probably a bit much having just arrived the day before. Also, it is very hot so maybe a bit of heat exhaustion too (just thought I'd rub it in as gather you are freezing in the UK!).

    So today we drove down the length of the Peninsular from Hout Bay to Muizenberg. For the most part stunning scenery and very windy roads but as we got closer to Cape Point it became more rugged, arid and windswept. Baboons everywhere - nasty things - and some ostriches. The proteas are just about to flower so we're hoping they do before we leave. Wondering if the drought is delaying that. We have had no rain and it doesn't look as if there is any on its way.
    Stopped at Boulder for lunch - our most expensive to date - about £50 but Roger had oysters and we then had grilled Tiger prawns peri peri and salad - delicious. For the most part lunch/dinner is costing in the region of £35 and the steak house that we have been to two nights running ('cos I got the wrong day to meet up with the Gavshons!) lets you bring your own wine (you can buy a very tidy Rose/White for £2-3!

    Boulder is where you can see the African Penguins close up - literally feet away. They don't seem to mind hundreds of people gawping at them - happily sitting on their nest waiting for their eggs to hatch - a few had already so there were some very proud Mummy penguins around.

    Although we have the hire car, we are using Uber to get around when we go out at night. 'Happy' is our chap - so pleasant and doesn't seem to mind if we are a bit late or have a change of plan - just laughs all the time - definitely a happy, chappy!
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  • Botanical Gardens and Camps Bay

    7 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    This was Mrs G's day! Botanical Gardens in Cape Town is a world heritage site. Unsurprisingly they are fantastic. Desert conditions however mean that they are not at their best, still fantastic though. Great canopy walk on a bridge just as wobbly as the London one!
    After that off to the Table Mountain cable car. Long queues so abandoned that idea as prawns and calamari were calling from Camps Bay. Many beers at 1/2 local prices with the usual seafood ( Jane's Kingklip was delicious ) and not too pricey - lunch about £40-. Off to the beach for Mrs G to tan the pins and a dip. I went into shark infested water but could not tempt her in. The shark was very relieved! Big surf running although out at sea pot calm- long South Atlantic swell. Anyway Jane toasted herself for a few hours so tranquility reigns at last. Still managing 1/2 a bucket to shower. Only reason I went for a dip!
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  • Table Mountain and Hout Bay

    8 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Well ,hey ho,another day as Mrs G's slave! Table Mountain today with a late lunch at Hout Bay. 9.00am start to beat the Chinese and various tourists! Not early enough sadly. 45 min queue and the into the cable car. All we needed was a few pairs of skis and a Frenchman to stuff us in and we could have been on the Motte. ( not at 30 degrees though!) Windy day at the top with stunning views over the Cape peninsula. A cold front was coming in so not great for photos. Not a Dassie in sight. This is a small rock rabbit,elephant's brother. Too late for the Proteas too sadly but Mrs G happy to have a wander around. Worth the trip and photo bombed a Chinese group to get my own back! Back down in the bucket and off to Hout Bay for lunch. Tafelberg is world heritage site so worth a visit.
    Hout Bay is an old fishing port and still in use by deep water fishing boats. Went for a stroll along the long beach,not a shark in site,but still could not persuade Mrs G to have a dip. Leisurely lunch of prawns and vino and off to fetch Christine from the airport. 2 hour delay- British Airways of course!
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  • Stellenbosch & Franschhoek

    11 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Early start, Shelagh wanted us to get to Hermanus early but we didn't realise quite how long it was going to take us with all her 'plans'!,,,
    Our first instruction from Shelagh was to stop off at the Delaire Graff' winery in Stellenbosch. what a beautiful place - gardens, sculptures, great food, great wine and guess what, we saw the ORIGINAL ( Blue Lady??? jane. Says). Chinese lady by Tretchikov ,the copy of which was given to daughter 2 months ago. I knew I should have kept it as an expensive knock off. (1million pounds apparently). We had a light lunch,small tasting and came away with a case of Cab Franc Rose. A great experience in magnificent scenery and awesome sculptures to boot. Long way round but worth it to see why they are water rationing the Cape. The biggest reservoir is dust bowl, no water, just dry. This was really frightening to see so expect your Cape apples to be more expensive. This is the fruit bowl!!
    Graff winery is one of the finest in Stellenbosch. It is famous for both its wine and its art, especially its bronzes of Cheetahs. Fab gardens. Enjoyed a small tasting. I did not want to overindulge as alc driving not appreciated, and with Jane and Chris navigating did did not want to do even more miles,tyres nearly bald already! Great views over the Stellenbosch valley. A real must for visitors. None of this costs a bomb although Graff is Relais et Chateau!
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  • Hermanus - Big Reunion

    11 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    We left Graff and arrived at the T junction. The front said Left, the back Right. Decided to back Mrs G in the front (Obviously)! Very tricky driving a car when Vasco wants to go one way and 'Amerigo' in the back seat the other. A car cannot go 2 ways at once. However common sense prevailed and we went past the biggest dam supplying Cape Town with water. Nothing less than a dust bowl. Dead old trees, no water, like something out of a John Wayne Western. Really frightening as this is South Africa's fruit bowl. Apples, oranges,lemons,etc,etc, as far as the eye can see,but no rain.
    Most beautiful drive down to the coast with Polly Parrot (Christine) giving a running commentary all the way. God the SA women can talk! ..... but we did it and didn't get lost - much! Vasco great. Found Shelagh's lovely house in Hermanus and hugs and kisses all round. 38 yrs is a long time! The ladies with so much catching up to do gave Murray a chance to fill me with beer. It was very hot mind you!
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  • Cape Town to Paternoster

    12 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Crack of dawn rising to drop Christine'Polly Parrot' at Cape Town airport to catch the first camel to Johannesburg . Had a great time with her and look forward to seeing her in the future. We had lots of fun.

    Vasco took over navigation and we hit the coast road without incident. Bit like Wales here, PC Plod with a speed gun round every corner but without PCEvans's sense of humour! Once out of Cape Town,the world is brown. The terrible drought is more apparent here than anywhere else. We saw some dead sheep and all livestock is suffering. Even the Ostriches are dusty. A long drive to Langebaan, a two lane road from horizon to horizon. I didn't know the Romans got this far south! Stopped briefly in there to check the place out - Great Kite Surfing and fishing country plus an Iron Ore mine, so some very large bulk carriers anchored off. No reason to hang around so off to Paternoster. Snook in a late lunch at a restaurant on the beach (packed out) but worth the wait for a plate of prawns and a few beers. Castle Lager of course!

    Accomodation superb, albeit a little isolated. After a late barbie of Boerewors and chicken, double bolted all entrances and exits. Can't have Mrs G making a run for it! Waste of time as we had a thunderstorm with huge squalls which would have made her hair go curly. I don't like locking myself in without my Browning. Every creak wakes me up but any trouble and I would set Mrs G on them. God help the Burglar.

    Paternoster itself is an old fishing village and probably hasn't changed that much in decades. This morning (weather not great) we went down to the beach and bought twelve crayfish for about £25 - that's our supper tonight! .... and another couple of nights too!. Enjoying chilling out - not a huge amount to do here but we'll have a busy week in Botswana next week so nice to have a quiet few days
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  • Encore Paternoster ....

    13 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    ... so you are going to get very bored of sun, sea, sand - lekker crayfish, beer, wine etc. We have a few stories, real gems as it happens, which I will leave Roger to tell you about. But for now some great pics ... (we're only allowed six per footprint)!Baca lagi

  • The Real Africa!!

    13 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ⛅ -2 °C

    2days of rubbish here,we seem to have got out of sync. However,driving north yesterday fact finding for future visits. First stop St Helena bay across the same dust bowl. We are told that the Karoo is 1000miles of this. St Helena a nice port but nowhere to lunch and much the same as every other coastal village. Ok, then to Cape Brittania named after the square rigger that hit the shoals there in 1847 and went down, and Stompneusbaai round the corner. Never found it and suspect it was where the cannery now is! Lots of lovely yet inexpensive houses on the beach ( very Greek style) ,but no infrastructure. A week in these places would make you slit your wrists!
    Paternoster is a hot spot with its' two restaurants. We ended back here for a late lunch before cooking crayfish on the indoor barbie. (Not a great success as more smoked than grilled.) However, boiled the rest in salt water New Quay style and had them with a salad and a couple of bottles of Zonnenbloem Sauvignon Blanc. Really boring day with a lot of driving but things livened up that night. ( Not Mouchey Pouchey, you understand!) Very windy and we locked up at about 11ish. Lots of creaks and groans from the house but noises were not quite right! Went downstairs to track down the squeaks. They were coming from outside a window and sounded as though someone was trying to unscrew the outside hinges. Gave a firm knock on the shutter and the noises stopped and that was that. This morning the 2 screws holding the hinge were gone! We got the boss over this morning and he apologised for the drug infused Cape Coloureds . Apparently these are the root of most of the problem. Anyway he left Frans, a Slovenian,no teeth, does Frank know him I wonder?) to do a repair. He rescrewed the hinge back, looked fine but I thought I would check, just in case you understand,and took the screws out with my fingers. This is so Africa! Anyway,I sent him packing to get some bolts. I came back to find him holding a drill bit in a pair of molegrips and trying to drill the hole! Borrowed a drill from the builder 20 yards away and the job was finished,finally. The rotten burglar tried another door but fled without his pliers! Really,I mean a Ramraider would not get in here. Still miss my Browning but if he comes back tonight I will set Mrs G on him.
    Lazy day after that.Walked the beach to see the fishermen landing the crayfish and had an early lunch. Chilled in the sun and we went for a dip. This water is very cold but hard core RG plunged. Mrs G said she did too but her shoulder were still dry and her nose an inch longer so she only paddled.We watched a lovely sunset(dead romantic), and bolted ourselves in for the night. Where is my Browning, but hey Ron, I would probably miss the b******d!
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  • Valentines night - Breaking news ...

    14 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Secretly writing this under candlelight - power cut has hit our end of Paternoster. Chap next door has locked himself in and barricaded all the doors and windows. Does he know something that we don't or has he heard rumours about Mrs G!
    We have armed ourselves with two champagne buckets and a a couple of bottles of red to repell any marauders. If you don't hear from us in 24 hours please send more red wine. Watch this space!!
    Have phoned for outside assistance but as yet no cavalry.
    Two hours later hot and humid and candles burning down - have had to light indoor BBQ to get some light. Sweating buckets - very romantic but wasted on Mr. G.
    Dehydration! Down to last bottle, water situation critical due to drought - Mrs G stressing - no tea!,
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  • North towards Namibia

    14 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Slept Ok last night with no intruders! Gaaad it was hot though. A very sticky night and up to 34 degrees outside the car today. Vasco in charge with the plan of getting to the Cederberg Bushman paintings. Turned out to be a very long drive and after 3 hours decided to about face and head back to the coast. Despite the fact we didn't get to see the Bushmen paintings (Vasco here - due to maps provided by the local Tourist Board not being to scale! I feel a letter to the South African Dept of Tourism!), we did drive through the Cederberg Mountains which were stunning. Feel that the paintings the tourists are guided to (misguided!!!) to see are just the tip of the iceberg - I'm sure there are hundreds out there. Sadly, having aborted our mission, the coast road took half the time to get us back! Vasco strikes again!!
    These roads through the bush are superb. Dead straight,very quiet (go for 20mins or so without seeing another vehicle). It is also incredibly boring. Scrub or drought parched cultivation and all dirty brown. In 2 hours out we saw 2 Cape tortoises crossing the road and a dead snake! The birds faired rather better with loads of Ostrich, Guinea fowl, Pink Flamingos in the salt pans by the Cerebos factory, Blue cranes,Hadeda birds to name but a few.
    The Cape is thousands of square miles of grain and fruit farming. The dry is very dry but the lucky ones have tapped into borehole water. The fruit and vines look extremely healthy and there are hundreds of square miles of these along the Cederberg Valley. Going into these towns is like stepping back a generation! No sophistication at all with no polish visible. The Dorps are simply clean and functional.
    Anyway Vasco and I came back along the coast road with the plan to have a spot of lunch at the Elandsbaai Hotel. It is both expensive and salubrious. Lunch of 4 Castle lagers,Calamari followed by a Greek salad for Jane with SA pickled fish for me(superb!) for the princely sum of £16. Crazy!
    Cold front fog on the coast like New Quay,so drove home the long way but an hour quicker. Good old Vasco, bless her.Jane will want her bit but I am saving it as she will edit it for sure! (Sadly, guilty as charged - Vasco!)

    We are sitting on the patio watching the mice run around outside!!!!
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  • Thursday in Paradise

    15 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 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!)
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  • Last full day in Paradise - very sad!

    16 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 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!
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  • Farewell Paternoster

    17 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ☀️ 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 .
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  • Botswana

    19 Februari 2018, 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!
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  • Maun Pub Crawl

    19 Februari 2018, 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!!!!
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  • Okovango Day 1

    23 Februari 2018, 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.
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  • Okovango Day 2

    24 Februari 2018, 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!
    Baca lagi

  • Final day Okovango

    25 Februari 2018, 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!
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  • Homeward Bound

    25 Februari 2018, Afrika Selatan ⋅ ⛅ 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!
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  • Photos

    28 Februari 2018, 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!Baca lagi

    Tamat perjalanan
    28 Februari 2018