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Africa 2017
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Africa 2017

Pengembaraan 17hari oleh Africa 2017 Baca lagi
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    6 Julai 2017
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    Day 2 continued

    8 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    There does not appear to be any reinforced speed limit...so our Toyota Commuter mini bus whizzed along the road at 130kmh...sometimes 140kmh even! Consequently the South African/Botswanan landscape was on fast forward out the window.
    We stopped at the border at Palapye to do the compulsory border entry. This involved all getting out of the bus and then going into a building and lining up...there was a stamping of our passport...I think to leave South Africa...then back in the Commuter for a short 300m trip across no-mans-land to the Botswanan border control. Again all out and lined up for the stamp in the passport. There are large banners in English declaring as of 1 May everyone must pay $30 US to enter Botswana. However when Stephan asked them about this they didn't know anything about it. Maybe they only enforce it for loud obnoxious tourists...which sounds fair to me. We walked up to the servo to see about lunch while Stephan did some paperwork at border control. There wasn't much there so we all hung on for another hour and had lunch at a "Wimpy". Stephan didn't join us for lunch. He had to go and buy a Sim for his phone. His driving matches his personality - 100 miles per hour - not even time to eat.
    In Botswana everyone who turns 18 can be given land. Consequently there are many mud huts with straw roofs along the road    Baca lagi

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    Day 2 continued ...

    8 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Stephan drove us out into the Kalahari Sand Veld to our individual Chalets. There is quite a driving distance between them. Kevin reckons no one will hear him scream because we are so isolated.
    At this point we had been traveling for over 24 hours and we were a bit weary. We had a brief rest and a shower and then Stephan came by with a safari vehicle with Segoh driving(name not quite right) and we did a bit of a drive spotting wildlife as we went.Baca lagi

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    Diamond mining

    9 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Diamond mining is an important part of the Botswanan economy. Botswana had been a British protectorate (to protect them from potential South African invasion) until 1964 but negotiated to end this. Apparently the leaders of Botswana were aware of the presence of diamonds but kept this quiet until they were free of the British. Consequently the Botswanan people benefit from the diamond mining - it is almost certain the British would have wanted a part of that if they had been aware. We drove past the Letlhakani diamond mine. It is Co owned by De beers and the Botswanan government.Baca lagi

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    Khama Rhino Sanctuary

    9 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Stephan had told us earlier "it never rains in Botswana in July" but defiantly the rain Gods let forth with thunder and rain as we got into our safari vehicle. We were all cold and wet by the end but enjoyed seeing antelope, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and rhinos.
    We had a candle lit dinner (power had gone out) with a few drinks before falling into bed exhausted.

    We spotted a mother Rhino with her baby. It was nearly dark...so my pics are not very good. (See below) I took better photos on my camera.
    I am writing this at 7am in bed. I have been awake since 3am, having gone to bed at 9 and straight to sleep. It is freezing as the chalet only has fly screen not windows. I can hear the birds outside. One of my pics is my view from the bed.    Baca lagi

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    from Khama to Meno a Kwena

    9 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today we left Khama and travelled to Meno a Kwena camp. Stephan told us he had pumped up one tyre last night and we noticed it was looking flat again. He will get it looked at in Maun. The main highways are quite good - some pot holes but nothing worse than Victorian roads. We whizzed along at 130 - 140km/h - there does not appear to be anyone patrolling. The main thing that slowed our journey were the domesticated animals - goats, cows, donkeys, horses. They are used to the traffic and mostly don't move but there was the occasional beast that was laconically wandering across. Livestock are a prized possession here in Botswana. Most people own some and are always trying to buy more to add to their herd. Even people who live in the city have cattle/ livestock at their country place that someone cares for. For example, one of the Batswanan workers at our hotel has 2 cows that his grandparents care for. On his days off he often goes to stay with them and to care for his cows. I asked him what a cow was worth - 1,500 pula which is about $188 Australian. Cows and livestock are also an important part of the dowry system.
    There are many round houses with grass tops. Sometimes a yard would consist of a more solid square house made out of cement blocks and then a number of these round houses. In the more remote parts there is no electricity but in and near the towns there is often electricity and a satellite dish.    Baca lagi

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    Kalahari Bushmen

    9 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We were shown to our tents - they are very lovely and we have a verandah with a view of the river.

    We met again at 4pm and we went for a bush walk with the Kalahari bushmen. Kalahari bushmen no longer live in this area but these were brought from near the Namibian border for 3 months as a group to demonstrate to the tourists their way of living.

    The first thing we did was have introductions. The 2 men leading the group shook our hands and told us their names. They speak in clicks and it is a very gutteral language. They also had an interpreter. They were dressed traditionally but the 2 babies wore hoodies. There was then a casting of ? bones to predict what might happen on our walk...all appeared to be ok...so we set off. The zebra herd had come to drink at the river and we stopped to look at them. Zebras as a herd are very noisy and bark like dogs rather than sound like horses. They were also very spooky and would stampede away from the water if there was a perceived danger, then slowly return as a group. All the animals here are totally in the wild. There are no fences and this is part of their natural winter migration.

    We then walked further and they showed us a tree they use different parts of for medicine and eating. This was followed by a demonstration of how they make fire. Geoff was very impressed and picked up a few tips on the finer points of fire creation that he had missed out in Boy Scouts! Though I'm not sure where he is going to source dried up Zebra poo which appears to be an essential part of it.

    After the walk we had dinner and sat around the campfire which was very nice.    Baca lagi

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    Meno a Kweno

    10 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We arrived at our camp Meno a Kwena at about 2pm. It is on a bend in the Botiti River. We were sitting out looking over the river when we first got here and a herd of 5 - 6 elephants came down to drink at the river. It was almost as if someone had said "cue the elephants the guests have arrived". Stefan thought they were all females but after a while it became obvious when one did a wee. Even from the other side of the river the appendage looked enormous - up to 56kg...which Stefan said is more than he weighs.Baca lagi

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    Xakanaxa Camp - Okavango Delta

    11 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today we left Meno a Kwena camp and travelled to Maun to catch our flight out to the Okavango Delta. We had to wait in Maun while Stephan got new tyres for our Commuter van. The tyres on the van were basically had it and he was not too happy with the company he hired it off. While we waited we looked about the town. I really like checking out supermarkets in foreign destinations. It's always fascinating what sorts of foods different cultures eat. There was a huge row of big bags of rice and the meat department was interesting. It was quite small, so perhaps people get their meat elsewhere? Basically chicken and beef were for sale there but I do know Batswanan people also eat a lot of goat meat. Goat used to be very cheap but the government has fixed a minimum price for a goat and it is not so cheap now. In the refrigerated part there was a lot of cultured maize in cardboard milk type containers. It is a staple here. I have been eating it for breakfast and it is a bit like porridge.
    Maun is the 'safari capital' of Botswana as it is the gateway to the Okavango and the Makgadikgadi Pans. Consequently most of the shops are geared toward this - safari clothing, tyre and 4WD, camping gear, etc.

    We made our way to the Maun airport. It is a busy little airport with planes lined up parked ready to go, many of them Cessna Caravans like the one we took to get to the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. It was only a 20 minute flight and as we got closer to the delta I could see giraffes, elephants and zebras dotted here and there in groups. I noticed as we were landing a large pile of Elephant poo on the runway. Dennis who picked us up said they need to get there 15 minutes before a flight comes in to check there are no animals on it. They regularly need to clear elephants off it.
    Dennis is our guide from Camp Xakanaxa where we are staying for 2 nights. He took us on a game drive on our way to camp. We came across a couple of male lions lying under a bush. Lions are like most cats...mostly sleeping. It is a tough life for a male lion because his big mane makes camouflage so much harder for hunting. As a consequence these 2 fellows would be relying on a pride of females sharing with them or doing their best to kill things themselves. Apparently people have heard them roaring at night but I haven't.
    We also came across a female leopard walking along the track. She turned off into the bushes when she saw us...so I don't have very good photos of her. She was very sleek and had the lithe walk of an athlete. Dennis got very excited when he saw the leopard and was quickly on the radio telling other safari vehicles about it. We 'went bush' in our vehicle in an attempt to find her but she disappeared.
    The terrain consists of many low Mopani trees with the odd larger tree. The elephants prune and eat the Mopani trees to keep them low, so the young elephants can reach the leaves.
    We arrived at our camp at about 5pm. The staff came out to greet us; waving with big friendly smiles. They are very hospitable. Our tents here are lovely too. There is only one computer for guests and no wifi. This is good and bad. Good because it is nice to really get away from your everyday life and not so good when I want to update this blog.    Baca lagi

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    Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

    12 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ 🌙 30 °C

    After a hearty breakfast we went out with Sam on safari. We drove about 45 minutes to the ferry that crosses the Botiti River to the Makgadikgadi National Park. It was a fairly rudimentary ferry and would never pass any sort of safety standards in Australia - more like a floating raft consisting of drums tied together with an outboard.
    We cruised the Kalahari scrubland and the banks of the Botiti looking for animals. We saw elephant, steenbok, kudu, giraffe, wildebeest, hippopotamus, jackal, zebra, vultures and numerous other interesting birds.
    When we stopped for lunch we were parked on the edge of the river near a herd of elephants who were drinking/playing in it. We were also near a tree that had been used as a post bath scratching tree. We were preparing our lunch at the front of the land cruiser when an elephant popped over the bank, obviously heading to his favourite tree for a bit of a scratch. We were instructed to stand very still, which we did. The elephant stared at us in a curious way. He didn't look aggressive but it was still a tense moment. He eventually moved on up the sand bank. Most of the elephants in the national park are male this year. It is because conditions have been dry and the females and babies don't migrate when it is like that. Because the groups we were encountering were all male we could get quite close to them. They had no reason to be aggressive as it was not mating season and there were no female elephants around.
    We arrived back in camp at about 5:30pm after being out since 8am. The evening dinners are lovely here - the table is always set nicely and the food is very nice. The people who work here are extremely hospitable and the Batswanans very friendly in general. There is low crime here in Botswana and as a consequence you feel quite safe.    Baca lagi

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    Xakanaxa Camp day 2

    12 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Dennis insisted we do an early morning game drive, so we were at breakfast by 6:30 and out on safari by 7am. We told Dennis we wanted wild dogs today and Cape Buffalo. After finding our laconic lions again (who were in a different spot) we did find the wild dogs. They were near a den which apparently houses a bitch and pups. The 4 dogs outside the den were the guards and the rest of the pack (about 20 in this pack) would have been out hunting. They feed the bitch and puppies by regurgitating their food. Only the alpha male and alpha female of the pack breed. I am not sure how they control this but I am interested to know.
    Poor Kate started to feel sick while we were there and we had to leave and come straight back to camp. We hurried back and whizzed past a few hippos, giraffes, a herd of elephants at the edge of the airstrip (who trumpeted when we made them get off our track), monkeys and various other wildlife. Hopefully Kate only has something temporary. The food has been of a high standard so I doubt it is anything like food poisoning.
    After lunch I got on the internet to try and update this blog but as there is only one computer there were people waiting and I could not do much. The area where the computer is has an electric fence they put up at night to stop the hyenas who like to come in and bite the leather lounges.
    We had a few hours off and tested in our tents then we got in a tinny and cruised around the waterways near our camp. There are lots of pampas grass floating islands and the occasional clump of papyrus. We saw quite a few different birds and hippos. It was interesting to follow where the hippo was going underwater by following the bubbles. We stayed out and watched the sun set into the water. The sky was red and purple and the it was a stunning sight. When we arrived back at camp there were two of the workers waving to Dennis indicating to him that there was a hippo somewhere underwater where we would normally get off, so we went a little further upstream. We saw that hippo a few more times during the evening. He has been kicked out of the herd by his father because he is getting too big. Apparently he is not too happy about it and keeps trying to return to the herd. As a consequence he is hanging around the camp. After dinner he was grazing on the lawn. He's a cute little fellow - about ½ size. I needed to go to the toilet at one point during dinner and due to the presence of the hippo I had to be escorted there because he was very close to the toilets. He didn't look at all worried about me but the staff treat hippos with great respect as they can be very dangerous. I also heard something outside our window early this morning and when we looked out he was a few feet from our tent grazing. He hung around there for quite a while until shooed away by the staff.
    While we were out in the boat Dennis and Stefan explained how the Okavango Delta formed due to the movement of tectonic plates. Any plans by Angola and Namibia to dam the tributaries that feed the Delta have been successfully squashed by international pressure. Myf and I both thought it is a great shame that same pressure had not been applied to the Chinese government re the Mekong.
    On a map the place where we stayed was near Moremi. Moremi was the name of the local indigenous chief. He advised all the people living in that area to move out because of the tetsi fly. However, the Botswanan government eradicated the tetsi in the area by spraying DDT. It was not only effective for the tetsi but also wiped out a heap of other useful stuff in the ecosystem too. Of course it is banned now but it was still being used in Botswana long after Australia/USA recognized it's teratogenic and carcinogenic qualities and banned it.    Baca lagi

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    Nata Lodge

    13 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ 🌙 30 °C

    Today we left camp Xakanaxa and flew to Maun then drove to Nata Lodge. Dennis our safari guide drove us to the small airstrip. We were very sorry to say goodbye to him. He was an exceptional guide who adapted to our Aussie humor with ease. In face all the staff at Xakanaxa were exceptional - I would rate it as some of the best service I have ever come across anywhere. Nothing was too much bother and they were exceptionally friendly and hospitable.
    The flight took about 20 minutes in a different Cessna Caravan but with the same pilot. This reassured the nervous flyers amongst us as they figured he'd successfully got us through one flight already.
    We landed at Maun and Stephan went and got the Toyota Commuter out of the car park and we resumed our journey in it. We hit the very pot holed road and headed off. Some pot holes are so big it means we needed to slow to a crawl. Stephan said he came across a pot hole so big one day there was a pig bathing in it. We also saw elephants beside the road and Flamingos on a lake. We also saw some magnificent specimens of Boabab trees. They can live thousands of years and the couple we saw were quite old. Our previous Lodge had a very good one with fruit hanging off it.
    We arrived at Nata Lodge about 2pm.
    Nata Lodge is on the Makgadikgadi Pans, which are the biggest collection of salt pans in the world, covering 37,000 square km's. We visited the Nata bird sanctuary, a short drive away, with Joy a guide from the Lodge. Poor Joy, he was unfortunately no Dennis and didn't get our (Kevin's) jokes. Nevertheless, he was knowledgeable enough. On our way into the sanctuary we saw an aardwolf. Joy got very excited about this with lots of "wows" - so I gather this sighting was unusual. An aardwolf looks very similar to a fox. We also saw plenty of wildebeests. The wildebeests like the area because they have no natural predators but they do have a problem with the concentration of salt in the water and when it become concentrated beyond a certain point they die. Kevin wondered what would be worse; death by lion or death by salt.
    There were plenty of birds. One I recall was the Double Banded Courser. It was a cute little thing with with big round eyes (see pic). We also saw a hare and a hyena. We stopped at the edge of the Sua Pan which was full of water. It fills from the Nata River and generally only has water in it for a couple of years and then the water all evaporates and it is dry for a couple of years. It was 23km across and 40 km long and about a meter deep. It is the breeding ground for many flamingo but we didn't see any here as there was too much water at the moment.
    The restaurant service at Nata has provided us with lots of entertainment. We have nicknamed one waitress in particular the 'soup nazi' a la Seinfeld. She militantly read out the menu and we had to signal when we were electing to have that dish. I chose ox tail stew and all I can say is the ox must have had a very thin wispy tail with not much meat on it. I could really only find bones and a bit of gravy and abandoned it after conducting an extensive search through it. When the soup nazi came by she interrogated me with a "didn't you like it?!" I was way too intimidated to say anything negative...I may not have made it out of there alive! Instead I offered a lame excuse about having already eaten enough. At breakfast this morning we had another soup nazi who berated Tony for getting a butter dish from another table - "No! This butter is dirty! I must get you a fresh one." They could really learn a few things from Camp Xakanaxa. Nevertheless, they amused us.    Baca lagi

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    Kesane - Chobe River

    13 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We left Nata and travelled to Kesane today. Along the way we stopped at Pandematenga. There had been a big robbery of tourists there a few days ago. Before we knew that bit of information we had already got a bad vibe from the place. There were a lot of shifty looking characters hanging around.
    We saw random groups of elephants and giraffe along the highway. Stephan has come across accidents between trucks and elephants a few times at night. It never ends well for either party. The locals all come with machetes to carve up the Elephant to eat it.
    On our way into Kesane we passed a huge line up of trucks waiting for the border crossing. It was massive. Apparently some trucks can get stuck there for up to 2 weeks. Drivers don't leave their truck or they risk losing their spot, so they set up little camps on site, cooking meals under their truck, etc. Prostitution is rife, with prostitutes traveling with the drivers for a distance which helps spread HIV. At one point 7 out of 10 people in Botswana were HIV positive. Education has improved things and sufferers can readily get the drugs they need for free now. That is a huge health crisis for any country.
    Talking of health crisis, on the way into Kesane we passed a golf course - the first one we had seen in this country. Apparently it is "extreme" golf as one has to contend with possible predators while playing; crocodiles, hippopotamus, elephants and wart hogs! There were wart hogs all through the town as we drove in. Even in the very centre of town we had to wait for a wart hog to cross in front of us as it headed into the busy shopping street. Sometimes they actually get into the shops and have to be hunted out which involves lots of noise from both wart hog(s) and human(s).
    We arrived at the Chobe Sands Hotel here is Kesane for a quick lunch before our boat cruise on the Chobe River. We had a boat all to ourselves which was nice as we could freely move about and take photos. We were lucky enough to see the elephants swimming across the river to get to the Island. It was an amazing sight with their trunks sticking out of the water. The babies are put in between two adults - the baby wraps its trunk around the tail of the elephant in front and the elephant behind wraps its trunk around the babies tail. This keeps the baby safe. Once they were out the other side they covered themselves in mud. They were quite funny with the vigor they used to apply the mud - rolling around in it and shaking their ears like a dog. The mud helps protect them against insects overnight...so they were aeroguarding themselves in effect. A couple of young elephants had been play fighting on the bank when the others crossed and missed the group crossing. As a consequence they got stuck trying to cross for a while because there were so many boats in the way. They would enter the water and then change their mind when they saw all the boats. Eventually once the boats cleared they made it across. The river got very busy with boats everywhere. It is unregulated too, so there is no impediment to how close we could get. This is good for the tourist and we had prime viewing but it is probably not ideal for the animals. The elephants didn't seem to mind too much but the hippos look generally pissed off...but maybe hippos are generally pissed off anyway?
    The bird life was numerous and varied and among other things we saw the Yellow billed stalk, Open billed stalk and the African Skimmer which is endangered.
    A tower of giraffes (yes that is the collective noun for a group of giraffes...I looked it up) shyly made their way to the water to drink. They are funny things that tend to hide behind trees and act like no one can see them like that. Their faces are so pretty & they were interested but cautious about the boats.
    We did the beautiful red African sun setting into the water before coming back to shore for a drink at the waterfront bar and then dinner at our hotel. I am deeply concerned about the amount of food going in and the complete lack of exercise going out! There is no opportunity for any form of exercise...unless you want to risk getting eaten by something!    Baca lagi

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    From Kesane to Livingstone

    15 Julai 2017, Zambia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    From Kesane to Livingstone.
    After another hearty breakfast of omelette, toast and fruit we were off in the Commuter. Kesane to the border of Botswana/Zambia is only a short drive. We passed a different section of the trucks awaiting the border crossing. It really does go for many kilometers. Cars and tourist vehicles don't need to do the wait, thank goodness.
    Passport control was again a convoluted and drawn out process. First up we had to line up to get stamped out of Botswana. Then we lined up for the ferry across (more about this later) the no-mans-land of the Zambezi River before the passport processing for Zambia. The passport offices in Africa appear to be chaotic places in general. There are often signs announcing things that are not adhered to, which is sort of confusing for people who have come from countries where signs are to be respected. A couple of examples from today were: 'visit the health check counter before we process your passport'. There was no one at the health check counter...so I figured that was not in operation and probably a left over sign from the Ebola outbreak. The other example was the 'exit' sign was really the entrance for the tourist visa. So we entered the exit, tried to look healthy and proceeded to hand over $50US each and our passports. I had collected all the passports and the cash as Stephan said this was the best way to do it. The woman behind the counter processed each one without checking the actual people were there, which confirms my belief that it is mostly about raising revenue.
    Back to no-mans-land between Botswana and Zambia. After we had just been stamped out of Botswana, Stephan's phone rang. It was the hotel to say we had to return because Karen Parker (not sure why Geoff Parker was not included in this) had not paid her bill. I had not even thought of paying the bill...in fact I hadn't even remembered really putting anything on it but may have. I overheard Stephan saying we wouldn't be returning as we didn't have time and we would call in when we crossed back over in a couple of days. I gathered that was not ok for the hotel by the interaction that was happening and quickly got on the phone and paid the bill via credit card. It was all of $8.50 (probably a drink) but for the hotel worker the fact I hadn't paid my bill may have had serious consequences. He may have had this amount deducted from his next pay and also had to answer serious questions from his boss about why a guest had left without paying.
    The river crossing on the ferry was interesting. There are a couple of them running at a time and each one can only take one truck each, a few cars and some walk on passengers. No wonder it takes so long to process the hundreds of trucks! We walked on while Stefan waited with the van. He warned against taking photos around border crossings because official type people will take your camera/phone off you. Our ferry took a truck with things in it for the new bridge that is being built to cross the Zambezi. This meant we did a detour to a different part of the river. There were people there doing very traditional fishing using the canoes cut from the trees and fishing nets. They looked very interesting in the morning light. At this point I was unsure of the rules re photography...but decided it was not worth losing my camera over.
    Once we'd been through Zambia passport control (as outlined before) we then had to wait for Stephan. Once he was across he had a myriad of paperwork to process. Permits for the van, third party insurance, tourist visa stuff, etc. We contemplated how tricky all this would be without some local knowledge. In fact a group of local opportunists had tapped into this market by greeting arrivals and offering to help people through the process for a fee; the "runners" as they are known. I noticed them running up to cars and there would be a cash exchange. Until Stephan explained it, I was not sure what was going on. They were very pushy and for someone like Stephan, who knows what he is doing, they are unnecessary and bits of incessant pests.
    All the business of crossing the river and the passport control took about 3 hours. We waited for Stephan just inside the gates (where no one even checked we had a visa) for a couple of hours and a fascinating couple of hours it was. There were the usual hustlers wanting to sell us stuff but they quickly went away once you said you weren't interested. We stood on the edge of the road waiting and watching the goings on of the border people. Stall holders had set up selling clothes and food. The clothes for sale looked used and were in piles on plastic on the dusty ground. I didn't see any sales of the clothes but I am guessing the truck drivers do buy some. At one point a couple of squawking chooks were extracted from a car boot and a smiling lady carried them away by the wings. The way they were carried suggested they were heading to the pot. We were standing beside a woman selling drinks from an esky but business was very very slow and I don't think I saw her make a single sale. Geoff, Tony and Kevin had wandered down to the river front to check out things. Geoff returned with a few brass bracelets he bought from a hawker and somehow he also brought a few people selling things with him. Myf decided she would like a few brass bracelets so there was a bit of bartering. Joseph, our vendor used all his bag of tricks describing himself as our "brother from a different mother" and pleaded that his children could eat tonight if we bought them. My year 12's could have done an interesting analysis of his persuasive techniques!
    After all that we checked into the lovely David Livingstone Hotel, on the banks of the Zambezi. We can see the spray from the falls in the distance and we finished the day with a relaxing cruise up and down the river.    Baca lagi

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    Twaloomba's and Mazunga's

    16 Julai 2017, Zambia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    This morning Kate and I went on a village tour of Makuni Village. A driver picked us up at the front of our hotel and drove us the twenty minutes to get there. When we got there a young man called Brave greeted us and gave us a small tour. He explained the layout of the village starting with the village chief's palaces. The social order consists of a matriarch line of succession and a patriarchal line of succession and they each have separate palaces. These were behind thatched fences and from the outside appeared to be huts in the traditional style with a thatched roof and mud sides (I say "appeared" for a reason...more re this later). We did not go into this area.
    Brave then guided us to a place where some women were preparing food. There were lots of kids around as it is Saturday, so of course they have the day off. There are 1000 kids at the local school, and as a consequence school runs in 2 shifts - 7am to 12:30 and then 1pm - 5pm. A teacher usually teaches for one shift and does preparation for the other. Teaching jobs are sought after and the pay has improved over recent years. He also told us about the local customs surrounding marriage. Most brides and grooms choose their own partner but the tradition was that the grandparents or Uncle would negotiate a bride for their son. The dowry involved paying a price ($500 - $1000 US or equivalent in cows/goats/donkeys,etc) for the bride. This dowry is still paid. Interestingly if the bride has had more money invested in her education then she is worth more and her dowry will be higher. Nice to know that educating girls has value as in so many countries it is not valued. An old lady showed us the cracking and grinding of Marula nuts that are used for eating and for their oil. She had a couple of children with her who were very interested in us and when I took a photo they were delighted to see the outcome. The people and children were very gentle and friendly and we felt welcomed even though we were obviously tourists with a camera. Our guide encouraged us to take photos but I felt quite weird about doing so...as though I was intruding into their world. I guess the whole traveling in country less affluent than your own, always involves some sort of internal conflict re this sort of thing. Brave also told us the kids would say "there are mazunga's" - mazunga being a word for white people. It is a word widely used throughout Africa.
    Brave told us the word for thank you -twaloomba. So we gave out lots of twaloomba's to everyone we came across.
    There were funny little stalls - literally a hole in the wall - where the locals could buy things e.g. eggs, superglue for your craft (there is a lot of craft created here), batteries and millet/maize. We were also taken to see a couple of men doing wood carvings. They were making the wooden hippos I see everywhere. I really like them but I doubt whether I could get it back into Australia.
    Brave took us to the craft market at the end. There was a vast contrast between the gentle people in the village and the sales folk of the market. Brave carefully explained that he had to deliver us to a particular stall first, and that he had to always deliver the client to particular stall holders in turn. There was concern written all over his face. After experiencing the market I can imagine the fighting that might occur if he appeared to be favoring anyone. Kate bought 3 stone bowls and I bought a wooden bowl. Who knows if I will get it back through customs, though he assured me I could. I didn't have much cash on me so I couldn't buy much anyway. All the stall holders were quite pushy and insistent. After visiting their homes I can understand why they were keen to sell us stuff though. I would be the same.
    The most interesting part of the whole trip occurred on the way home. As we drove along the road we came across a very shiny new Black Mercedes driven by a well dressed young man. He was accompanied by a car load of other well dressed young people. On the front of the car was some sort of insignia from one of the river boat cruises - the tacky looking "Lion King" cruise boat. They were a sharp contrast to the poor villagers we had just seen but it turns out these were the children of the chief. I asked our driver if the chief distributes any of his wealth to his people because in my eyes the villagers were literally dirt poor. He said this is a major problem for the people in the area and they are growing in their unhappiness. The chief is mega wealthy. He owns all the land in the area and does not share anything. His children are given very expensive educations abroad. I am seriously doubting the chief and his family are spending much time in the grass hut in Makuni village. From my studies in history I predict that as the people become more educated they will revolt - some sort of revolution will occur. This chief also runs an experiential game park of sorts that has elephant rides and walking with lions. Apparently the elephants and lions are not treated well. In addition, it is highly probable that the $50US that Kate and I paid to go to the village, goes to him as well. He's the ultimate exploitative capitalist.    Baca lagi

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    Livingston Falls

    16 Julai 2017, Zambia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We all convened for lunch in the restaurant beside the river at our hotel. Just typing that after writing about the poverty in the village induces guilt...
    Kevin, Tony and Geoff had spent the morning on the Zambezi fishing for Tiger Fish. There were plenty of bites but only Kevin caught one. They enthusiastically related a tale of fish vs man that could have been straight out of Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea". Once Kevin had hooked the fish, there was sweat, there was swearing, there was the straining of muscles, which eventually resulted in the successful landing of what looked a bit like an over sized piranha - big sharp teeth that matched the fight the fish had put up. Certain varieties of Tiger Fish can jump out of the water and catch small birds, such is their ferocity.
    Myf, Geoff and I went on a helicopter flight over Victoria Falls. It gave us spectacular views over the area and through the gorge. When we booked it, we booked for the Falls and the Gorge...but I didn't really know what the gorge flight was, so it was something of a surprise when the pilot swooped down low into the narrow gorge as we flew along between the banks, swooping around corners just above the water. At this point Geoff put down the camera, went a bit pale and stopped looking like he was having fun. He gripped the bar tightly in front of him - white knuckles were seen. He was not inspired by the jump starting the helicopter had needed, and then he said he felt like it was 'shuddering' as we flew along.
    Myf and I had a great time.
    We were picked up by the rest of our group and went off to walk the Falls.
    It was great to experience the Falls after seeing them from the air: the roar of the water, the rain like spray and the rainbows created by the light and water. The ecosystem near the Falls is totally different to anything else near by. The spray creates rain-forest and an interesting green slime that covers everything. As we drove to the Falls we passed another long line of trucks waiting to cross the border into Zimbabwe. This had been clearly visible from the air too.
    Our day finished with dinner and drinks at the bar. Myf likes the Pina Coladas here and I'm fond of the Margaritas. The David Livingstone Hotel is lovely and we have been very privileged to enjoy such luxury.    Baca lagi

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    Elephant Sands

    18 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Livingstone to Elephant Sands
    Today we were on the road at 10am and back to the border crossing from Zambia to Botswana. It only took an hour of so this time as there was less paperwork for Stefan. I experimented with how much notice they take of person identification at passport control by wearing my dark glasses and large hat. I am pleased to report you can pretend to be anyone you like when entering Botswana as I was not asked to remove my glasses or hat and I'm pretty sure they didn't even look at my face once. In fact, I know I could have worn a full on burkah with just a slit for eyes because I saw a woman do that when we were going into Botswana.
    We did have an interesting incident before the border though. As we were driving out of Livingstone there were people selling the hazard triangles - you know the sort you see out when a truck is broken down. We all commented on what a funny thing it was to sell from a roadside stall and wondered how much business they were doing. Stephan commented that there was a new law in Zambia about carrying the triangles. Next thing we were stopped by a road block of police and checked for all the requirements - permits, license and of course did we have the 2 triangles? We found one in the glove box but no sign of the second triangle. As this is a hired van the hire company should have been up to speed with that. Stephan had to go with the very officious and serious cop to the cop car and there was discussion that went something like this:
    Stephan: "Just because I am missing one triangle you are going to fine me? I am bring a lot of tourist dollars to your country."
    Cop: "You are required by law to carry two triangles" (or whatever they are officially called)
    Stephan: "This is silly man."
    Cop: "You are calling me stupid? Then I will fine you for insulting a police officer."
    Stephan: "But I didn't say you were stupid! I said this was silly."
    Cop: "Silly. Stupid. They're the same thing."
    Stephan: "If you look in the dictionary they have different meanings and I wasn't calling you silly or stupid anyway."

    Personally I was relieved that it was Stephan driving and not Geoff because he has a history of not dealing with cops very "politely". Once we were going to Melbourne and we were pulled over. As the cop came up to his driver door he took off his seat belt. When the cop arrived at his driver side window he said to Geoff, "why weren't you wearing your seat belt?"
    At this point Geoff jumped out of the car and yelled "bullshit" loudly at the cop. As a consequence we spent a day in Benalla court with me giving evidence that he had been wearing his seatbelt and he got off. In the case of this short tempered Zambian cop I'm thinking it might not have ended this way! ...imagining us all lying face down on the side of the road with our hands cuffed behind our back...and guns pointed at our heads.
    The fines are on the spot in Zambia and with a bit of bribery they are usually lowered. The cop demanded the fine money in kwacha (Zambian money) but Stephan didn't have enough. So there was a bit of too-ing and fro-ing as Stephan organized the money. Some of us had US$ so we gave him a few of those. The cop initially was insisting Stephan return to Livingstone.
    There is a lot of corruption in African police forces. One incident Stephan came across was when he was driving along at the correct speed, and was pulled over by the cops for speeding. He demanded to see the speed on the speed gun but the cops were evasive about this, so Stephan became insistent and peered in through the window of the cop car to see they had been pretending a hair dryer was a speed gun. TIA - This Is Africa.
    The rest of our journey was uneventful and we arrived at Elephant Sands about 2:30pm. We checked into tents and went and sat by the waterhole in the middle where the elephants come to drink. Elephant Sands was set up by a guy who had elephants that would come and drink from the water hole on his land. It was quite a small operation of a few mud brick chalets to start with but gradually expanded until now there are numerous campers and more permanent glamping style tents. When the water hole dried up the elephants would sniff out the water in the pipes in the chalets/permanent tents and started to rip them apart trying to get it. As a consequence, he now trucks in the water which feeds from a tank to a small ground level trough at the edge of the waterhole. There were a few elephants there when we arrived and through out the evening they came and left. They were interesting to watch and the big spot light on the hole helped us to see what they were doing.
    We were all in bed by 9pm.    Baca lagi

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    Mashatu

    18 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The day started early with a dawn breakfast by the elephant pool. The personnel at Elephant Sands were not too happy about starting work so early but we needed to get on the road for our marathon 600km trek across Botswana. Mostly the road was straight and African scrub whizzed by out the window but occasionally we came across a really impressive Baobab and Stephan would stop so I could jump out and take a photo. I am fascinated by these impressive looking trees. There is evidence of very old Baobab trees that have been carbon dated up to 1010 yo from a 5m diameter specimen and there are estimates of 9m diameter specimens being up to 4000 years old. When something has been around so long, and been part of generations of lives, there are going to be many superstitions that surround such a tree. One of these superstitions is that the evil spirit which inhabits the tree's white flowers will cause a lion to eat anyone who plucks them. Another is a Bushman legend, that in the beginning seeds and plants were distributed by the Gods to the animals of the world to cultivate. The baobab was issued to the hyena, which was the very last in the queue, and he was so upset that he planted it upside down. Even David Livingstone commented on the upside-down-carrot-top of a tree when he first came across one.
    I finished my No.1 Ladies Detective Agency book (set in Botswana) and my kobo reader won't allow my to hook into wifi and download anymore in the series...consequently I read a biography of Lenin as we zoomed along the roads, so my head was in Russia but when I looked up it was Africa out the window.
    We arrived at the Mashatu airfield at about 3pm. Bellamy our game driver was there waiting for us. The Commuter van can't drive into the Lodge, the track in has to be driven in a 4WD, as the trip involves a few river beds (dry at the moment) and steep banks and generally rocky terrain. One of the first things Bellamy did was take our drink orders for our game drive. Wow, I feel like Princess Elizabeth in "The Crown"...out on safari with my driver called Bellamy and a Gin and Tonic being driven to meet me at sunset on the savannah!
    We set off on the game drive...a little wearily. We jokingly told Bellamy we wanted Leopards, Lions and a Honey Badger. We were all starting to feel like this drive was going to consist of Impala at 12 o'clock, Guinean Fowl at 3 o'clock, oh look a large herd of Impala at 11 o'clock, single wildebeest standing at 1 o'clock...more Impala over there in the bushes...yawn 😴 (we're really getting spoilt with our game viewing expectations now). However, that was until we found no.1 on the list: a Leopard. She was lying on a bank and we got quite close to her. She has a couple of almost grown cubs but they were nowhere to be seen. She languidly groomed herself in the evening light and totally ignored us. We watched her for quite a while until she slunk off to stalk some distant Impala. Poor Impala, they are like the KFC or McDonalds of the African landscape: they're everywhere and they're not too hard to catch if you know what you're doing.
    The Baboons were all settling into their bedroom trees as we drove through at dusk. Their "stinky bedrooms" as Edward (our spotter) described them - you have to be careful to not be too slow under the stinky bedroom Nyala trees or you will be shat on. We were precariously parked under one because there had been a sighting of something interesting there. Sure enough, Bellamy came good with no. 3 on the list: The Honey Badger. The Honey Badger has reached fame through this you-tube clip: https://youtu.be/4r7wHMg5Yjg
    We all know a Honey Badger and now since this YouTube clip has been watched 84 gazillion times it is a term often used to describe people who are Honey Badger-ish. Sure enough, this Honey Badger was doing his/her thing amongst the Baboons with very little regard for anyone other that itself - a supremely confident little black and white thing making its way back to its burrow. Unfortunately it was not fighting a 🐍 cobra...maybe next time.
    We were met by two gentlemen from the Lodge with our afternoon tea - yep, I'm either Princess Elizabeth or Karen Blixen in "Out of Africa". They poured our drinks and then produced 2 baskets of afternoon tea. Everything fit for my new HRH status: cucumber sandwiches, onion timbales, orange syrup cake & lemon meringue pie. Of course there were plates and cloth napkins and small princess sized forks. The African sun set as I sipped my G&T and contemplated how I would return to my non-royal-life at Notre Dame College where they had just finished the first day of term 3.
    We arrived at the Lodge in the dark and were shown to our rooms - you will be pleased to know they are fit for a queen. 👸👸👸    Baca lagi

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    Mashatu day 2

    18 Julai 2017, Botswana ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    David Attenborough Doco
    Though it was still dark we were out on safari by 6am with Bellamy after a quick breakfast. I enjoy the maize porridge. Maize is a staple of Africa and there are bags and bags of it in the supermarkets. Rice is more of a luxury, one Batswanan told me and generally only eaten on special occasions.
    It is quite cold in the mornings, especially in an open safari vehicle, so the Lodge supplied blankets and a hot water bottle each. We drove around for quite a while looking for game and I started to feel drowsy. With my hot water bottle on my knee and my blanket around me, I nearly fell out of the side of the vehicle when we lurched across a bump- I had nodded off.
    We were starting to feel like the early morning start had been a waste of time until Bellamy tracked down a lion and lioness at a waterhole. She was drinking when we arrived but once she'd finished that we really started to feel like we were part of a David Attenborough documentary. Cue the romantic music...it was all happening, right here and right now. The pair then moved up the bank and rested under a tree. We parked only a few feet from them and sat and watched them for quite a while. They were totally disinterested in our presence. Humans in vehicles are not generally viewed as food to lions, cheetah, leopards and hyenas. Back to the lion; he had numerous small scars on his nose. Bellamy said this was from the female lion scratching him after mating. We saw that happen - as soon as the action was over she growled and had a swipe at him.
    The drivers are all in radio communication and there had been a sighting of a kill. When we got there, there was a hyena eating an Impala with numerous jackals hanging around and 4 leopards lurking nearby. The mother leopard had killed the Impala but the hyena had taken over the kill and as it is more ferocious than the leopard it takes precedence. Apparently this is one way hyena's survive - stealing other's kills. The 3 nearly fully grown male son leopards all had a go at trying to reclaim the carcass but were quickly hunted away. One had a bloody shoulder probably from fighting with the hyena. The kill site smelt of bloody slaughter and was loud with the jackals yipping and yelping at each other, especially if one was successful in ripping off a piece of flesh while the hyena's back was turned. The jackal with the piece of flesh would dash off with it but then he had to contend with the other jackals and how to keep them away from his potential meal. It's tough out there in the wild.
    We followed the retreating leopards for a bit. The giraffes were very interested in where the leopards were and were on full alert; their necks at full height and their eyes wide. All the animals switch to full alert when a cat is around. Birds call out warning signals, Impala grunt and giraffes tower. The guides often use these signals to find animals.
    Our next sighting was a mother leopard and her cub. They were resting under a tree with a half eaten Impala nearby. The mother dozed quietly, barely lifting her head as we came quite close, but the cub was playing as youngsters do. He annoyed her occasionally by biting at her paws and face. Apparently there had been two in the litter but the uncle had killed and eaten the other male cub. Bellamy did not know why that had happened and said it was unusual behavior.
    We returned to the Lodge about 10:30am and saw a herd of female elephants on the way with babies of various sizes. The cutest one was about a month old and carefully overseen by his mother as he copied how to eat the Mopani trees. The Mopani is a staple of the Elephant diet and in many places in Mushatu there are large areas of bedraggled Elephant ravaged Mopani trees of about human height. When the Mopani is eaten down to a certain height it protects itself by turning brown and releasing tannins which make it taste bitter.
    Brunch was served when we returned. The food at Mashatu is exceptionally good and the outlook from the terrace over the waterhole is very nice. At this sort of Lodge the guides always eat with the guests. This is a really nice way to get to know the guides better and we can ask them all sorts of questions about the flora and fauna. I notice they never touch alcohol. I have not asked why but I suspect it is part of their professionalism - they are essentially working while eating with us.
    We had a break for a few hours - I caught up on my blog writing and we face timed Bill and Alex. The wifi is good but only available in the common room.
    At 3pm we were back in the safari land cruiser and off out into the landscape. At Mushatu they have a set of stairs on wheels - a bit like they use for aircraft - and they wheel these up to the side for us to walk up to our seats. This is safari 5 star style. On this afternoon drive we saw numerous animals: kudu, Impala, banded mongoose, elephants, leopards, cheetahs & lions (all same as before), Zebra, honey badgers, giraffe, various birds, baboons, wart hogs, mice, squirrels and ostriches. Edward, our spotter on the back of the vehicle, very kindly made us afternoon drinks again and we enjoyed these at sunset out in the African landscape before returning to the Lodge for dinner.    Baca lagi

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    Magoebaskloof "Fawlty Towers"

    20 Julai 2017, Afrika Selatan ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    This post written by Kate Sait:
    Last night we stayed at the Orion Magoebaskloof Hotel. Frankly, it was a reasonably dodgy hotel, a little Fawlty Towers like. It looked nice from the outside but was cheap and nasty on the inside. Poor Stephan had a tough time getting us booked in. This was due to a mistake made between the hotel we were originally booked into ( which is under reconstruction) and this one. Stephan got it sorted and we got a free drink. We got to our rooms and the fun began.
    I had a cheap hairdryer blow up in my hand. It went bang, sparked and some came out of it. I looked for a Powerpoint to unplug it but couldn't find it. I reported it to reception and they checked it out, only to pop it back on the wooden bench. Came back to the room many hours later and it was still "sparking" and felt very hot. Reception got another call, to which they eventually sent a little old repairman with a new hairdryer! I stood my ground wanting to have the faulty one removed. The guy said he'd have to dismantle the whole desk as the cords were threaded through the stone wall and it would be done tomorrow! Not good enough for me, so we were moved to another room.
    Kev and Myf had lamps with exposed wiring and exploding globes. The answer to that was to swap it with a lamp from another room. Kev cut his hand on a globe that shattered as he unscrewed it and needed a bandaid. Reception was called and 1/2 an hour later they sent a large bandage, maybe 2 metres long. A bit of an over kill really.
    On the positive side, the bar was interesting. It must have been because there are a couple of sore heads this morning. The little girl behind the bar had no idea how to pull a beer so Kev and Tony coached her. A rendition of "Wandering Star" with accompanying music came out later on.
    The meals were surprisingly good. The steak was possibly the best Geoff has had while here. It came with a sauce called monkey gland. It was a spicy, tomato based sauce. Kev and Tony had seafood which looked tasty. I had a lovely stir fry chicken which was more sweet and sour than stir fry.
    I think we upset a fat, bald guy who sat further up the bar from us. He was there drinking before we arrived and still there after we left. Throughout the evening, he was quite aggressive to the bar staff. Myf heard him say something about F'en Aussies and she felt he was up for a fight so we left promptly. This was probably the best decision of the night, but too late to stop some hangovers this morning!
    As we walked out we were greeted by the chef who guided us partway back to the rooms. He warned us there were leopards around the area. We thought he might be joking.    Baca lagi

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    Magoebaskloof to Kruger

    20 Julai 2017, Afrika Selatan ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    The journey between Magoebaskloof and Kruger National Park took us from the Drakensburg Mountains to the Kruger plains, where we arrived at our accommodation, Hoyo Hoyo Lodge, for lunch. Hoyo Hoyo, meaning welcome in the local dialect, is about 1 ½ hours south west inside the Orpen Gate in Kruger. All vehicles have to travel at 50km/h in the park and this is quite strictly patrolled by police. They also patrol for people leaving their vehicles and will literally expel people who do so. Regardless we still saw some crazy people who got out of their car to get a better view of some elephants in a waterhole. Do you people have a death wish? !!
    After lunch we met our game driver - Suiteboy - said Sweet Boy. We told him Rhino's were at the top of our list, so we spent most of our time in pursuit of them. Unfortunately we were not successful on this drive but we did see a tiny bush baby monkey flitting through the scrub and the regular sort of things: big elephants, Zebra. Giraffe, etc.
    The next morning we did an early morning game drive at 5:30am and found a white Rhino and her baby. Suiteboy was asked how many Rhino are in the park but he said he was not allowed to say because they don't want poachers to discover this information. Poachers are quite a problem in Kruger too. When another guest was viewing a Rhino a Kruger patrol helicopter came by to check out what was happening with the Rhino's. This sounds all very well but even the patrol people are implicated in the poaching sometimes, as well as National Parks Vets, and Lodge drivers/guides. There was a Rhino skull in the area where the Rhino's live, which had been poached a couple of years beforehand. The actual poachers are often ex military from Mozambique and highly skilled in bush survival, as they stalk the Rhino's on foot. There is often a shoot out if someone discovers them and people regularly die in this war. The patrols shoot them on site if they discover them.

    Impala was on the menu for dinner, which just reinforces the idea that everyone eats them.

    We had a longish break until the afternoon game drive, so I booked in for a head massage and then washed my hair in the outdoor shower at our room. Many of the rooms/luxury tents we have stayed in have had an outdoor shower. This outdoor shower often had bamboo style (it wasn't bamboo but a bit like that) fencing which provided some, but not complete privacy. If someone had chosen to walk by and look through this would have been easily done. The outdoor shower at Hoyo Hoyo had the additional factor of having no barrier against the wild animals and an incomplete wall around it. As a consequence if an animal, say for example, a cheetah or leopard or lion had chosen to join you in the shower, this was quite possible. This is "extreme showering". I did experience a visit, but only from the bushbuck that hangs around the area. Bushbuck are a bit Bambi like. You could say Bambi visited me while I showered, but scampered off when it saw me. I can't blame it, I'd scamper off if I saw me showering too. This morning Kevin went to shower and he couldn't find the soap. He spied it on the ground about 2 meters from the shower and after a nudi run to retrieve it, saw that it had bite marks in it! A baboon or squirrel must have come by and thought it was some form of food. Not only is there the adrenaline pumping thought of death by predator while showering, but there is the added considerations of the elements. It was a bit windy as I showered. I've never had to contend with wind in the shower before. The hot water was plentiful but I couldn't shower too long because the midday sun was shining on me and it would never do to get sunburnt in the shower.
    Our last game drive was very pleasant. Suiteboy stopped the vehicle and got out and proceeded to pick up a piece of Elephant poo and piece of Rhino poo very ernestly... Where is this going we all thought? Suiteboy has an ironic sort of name...he's more of a Direct-and-to -
    the-Point sorta Boy. So commenced our lesson in animal poo. Here's a shortened version:
    Dung = Elephant - big, fibrous and reddish.
    Rhino poo - dark, less fibre and in middens.
    Droppings = pellets - antelope
    Poop = cats, hyena
    Shit = Baboons and Monkeys. Their "stinky bedroom" trees smell like a human toilet because their diet is similar to ours.
    I'd like to say I saw Suiteboy wash his hands before mixing our gin and tonics but can't be sure...
    Our last night in Africa was spent at Hoyo Hoyo. The staff put on an African song and dance routine. As there were very few guests at the Lodge I think all the staff were roped into the routine, including Chef Goodness (yes, her real name) and Wonder Boy (yes his real name...he introduced himself on the first day as our BoyWonder). They all carried weird and wonderful implements: Wonder Boy wore the wooden carving that hung on the wall, that was the shape of a pregnant woman's torso (front side), TK the manager had an orange umbrella, BigBoy had the hand drum and Goodness had a soup ladle. They were all outfitted in orange material with a Zulu African pattern. The beat and the singing was infectious...to the point that a few of us joined in... very enthusiastically you could say...
    I write this as we rocket along the toll road on the way to Jo'burg. As I glance across the speedo sits on 130km and the freedom of an unpatrolled highway stretches ahead of us. We've been on the road since 9am and it is now 4pm. We'll be at the airport in an hour and preparing to leave Africa.
    This has been a wonderful holiday. Stephan has been great as have all my traveling companions. I don't know about them, but I thought we traveled very well together and that I'd like to do it all again.    Baca lagi

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