Globe Trekking with KB2

Pictures from the Seychelles - Mahe

2010-08-17T03:44:00.000-07:00

Sunset.

Pictures from the Seychelles - Mahe

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The beach at Beau Vallon and sunset.

Pictures from the Seychelles - Praslin

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Keith body surfing at Anse Georgette and Lemuria Resort.

Pictures from the Seychelles

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A green lizard outside our door and the beach at Lemuria Resort on Praslin.

Seychelles and South Africa

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Wednesday, August 11 – Today we were off to Lemuria Resort, a five star resort that allows a just few “outsiders” to use their facilities for the day. You have to have a reservation and we had tried all week to get in. Wednesday was finally the day. As luck would have it, we awoke to rain, rain and more rain, that never seemed to go away. The resort was impressive with several pools, a gorgeous golf course, tennis courts, several restaurants and three separate beaches. We spent much of the morning using their internet, doing some much needed catching up at the blog. We had a scrumptious lunch and then headed down to Anse Georgette – the nicest of their 3 beaches. The rain had stopped, though the clouds still lingered. At Anse Georgette the waves were enormous and Keith did a little body surfing. After the beach we enjoyed the pool for a little bit and then headed out, calling it a day.

Thursday, August 12 – Today was travel day. We were up early to catch the 9:00 am ferry from Praslin to Mahe. The seas were quite rough and a bit wet and I was very happy I had taken my Dramamine. We hopped in a cab as soon as we arrived and headed to an area of Mahe called Beau Vallon. Beau Vallon supposedly has one of the most beautiful beaches on Mahe and also be a good tourist destination. We checked into our resort on the beach which housed several restaurants, a pool and a casino. The beach was beautiful though not as quaint or as quiet as La Digue or Praslin. After lunch we grabbed some provisions, walked the beach and enjoyed the sunset.

Friday, August 13 - Today was a wonderfully lazy day and absolutely nothing of excitement happened. We slept in, sat by the pool, lounged about on the beach, enjoyed sunset over a bottle of wine and overall just enjoyed the day.

Saturday, August 14- The morning started off by checking out Victoria, the capital of Seychelles and one of the smallest capitals of the world. There were a couple of souvenir stores, where I made a few purchases and a big local market, complete with a very smelly fish market. After 2 hours or so, Keith and I had had our fill and we headed back to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the beach and the pool – a perfect way to spend our last full day in the Seychelles. We had a couple of cocktails over sunset and then treated ourselves to a delicious and very gluttonous creole buffet and bbq (with my favorite dish being curried shark).

Sunday, August 15 – Today was travel day. We were up bright an early to catch an 8:00 am flight back to Johannesburg. We were sad to bid paradise farewell, though we were a little happy to be getting one step closer to getting home. It was a 5 hour flight, followed by the usual customs and immigration. We had booked a hotel right by the airport at Emperor's Palace and within an hour of landing, we were all checked in and having a delicious lunch. The rest of the day was lazy as neither Keith nor I had slept well the night before.

Monday, August 16 – Today was a do nothing day. We hung around Emperor's Palace, taking advantage of the entertainment and the restaurants.

Tuesday, August 17 – Today we began our long journey long home, starting with a 9:45 pm flight from Johannesburg to Cairo...

Pictures from the Seychelles - Praslin

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Sunset.

Pictures from the Seychelles - Vallee de Mai

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Pictures from the Seychelles - Vallee de Mai

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The huge palm trees and the female and male coco de mer (a kind of nut).

Pictures from the Seychelles - Praslin

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Pictures from the Seychelles

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Anse Volbert on Praslin and the island of Praslin.

Pictures from the Seychelles - La Digue

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Pictures from the Seychelles - La Digue

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Praslin from La Digue and the beaches on La Digue.

Pictures from the Seychelles - La Digue

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The island of La Digue.

Pictures from the Seychelles -Praslin

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Anse Volbert.

Pictures from Seychelles - Praslin

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Pictures from the Seychelles Islands - Praslin

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The port in Praslin and Anse Lazio beach.

Pictures from Chimpanzee Eden - South Africa

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Pictures from Chimpanzee Eden - South Africa

2010-08-11T01:57:00.001-07:00

Having a rough day, deep in thought and on the prowl.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - Sunrise

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Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Rhinos, a bird (not sure what kind) and water bucks.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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A bird (not sure what kind), hippos and a spotted hyena nursing her pup.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Baboons and a warthog.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Vervet monkeys and a kudu.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Wildebeest, warthog and zebras, a zebra and an elephant.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Landscape

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Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Giraffe, a starling and a water buck.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Male lion eating its recent kill.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Vervet monkey, a herd of elephants crossing the road and more giraffe.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Leopard on the prowl and a bush buck.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Rhinos and a mom giraffe with her little ones.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Hippos sunning themselves, female impalas and a crocodile.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Warthog and the giraffes.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Zebras, an impala crossing the road and a baby elephant struting his stuff.

Pictures from Kruger National Park - the Animals

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Impala and elephants.

Pictures from Blyde River Canyon, South Africa

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Lisbon Falls, the Three Rondavels and Lone Creek Falls.

South Africa and Seychelles Islands

2010-08-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 30 – Today was a lazy morning. We finally made it on the road by 10:00 am or so, after having a delicious breakfast. We hit a couple of craft markets and made a few small purchases. We were then off to Hazyview, a town located right outside of Kruger National Park and the place we would be calling home for the next week. We crossed the border back into South Africa with little trouble and otherwise had an uneventful drive to Hazyview. By 3:00 pm or so we had made it to our four bedroom cabana. It was quite big, but a little dated. The grounds of the resort were decent, with 3 pools, a tennis court, spa, coffee shop and bar. Keith and I hit the grocery store to stock up on provisions for the week, made some dinner, had a couple of bottles of wine and called it a night.

Saturday, July 31 – Today we ventured off to the see the sights, other then Kruger National Park, around Hazyview. Since it was a Saturday, we decided to avoid the crowds at Kruger and see what else the area had to offer. We started off by touring the area around Blyde River Canyon. We visited Lisbon Falls, Bourke's Luck Potholes (round holes carved into the rock by whirlpools), Three Rondavels (three huge round rocks with grassy tops that look like giant huts) and God's Window and Wonder View (two view points). Overall the scenery was beautiful. We then ventured off to Pilgrim's Rest,a gold-rush town frozen in time. We ended the day by checking out the various waterfalls around the town of Sabie, including Mac-Mac Falls, Lone Creek Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Overall it was a packed day filled with many beautiful sights.

Sunday, August 1 – Today we finally ventured off into Kruger National Park. Though we had intended on just stayed a couple of hours, we ended up driving around for a good chunk of the day. Kruger National Park is the size of Wales and Keith and I caught but a glimpse. We did so-so on on gamedrive – spotting impalas, tortoise, elephants, two black rhinos, some kudu, a duiker, waterbuck, vervet monkeys, warthogs and various birds. Not bad for our first day.

Monday, August 2 – Today was day two at Kruger National Park. Though we got a little bit of a late start, we did pretty well on our gamedrive. As an aside, our gamedrives consist of driving around for several hours, sometimes on paved roads, sometimes on unpaved roads, in a car the size of a toaster, hoping to catch a glimpse of an animal. We saw impalas, more elephants, a couple of rhinos (though neither sighting was particularly good), a couple of vervet monkeys, warthogs, zebra, several giraffe, an animal called a steenbok, a crocodile and some blue wildebeest.

Tuesday, August 3 – Today we started off heading towards Nelspruit to go to Jane Goodall's Chimpanzee Eden – a spot where rescued chimpanzee are able to live in semi-wild environment. It was a fantastic experience. Though all of the stories of how the chimpanzees got to be at the Eden were heartbreaking (many of them being addicted to alcohol, cigarettes and even drugs when they arrived), it was wonderful to see them recovered and living in a safe environment. It also was quite educational as we learned that chimpanzees share 98% of their DNA with humans and that chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than they are gorillas. We then headed back to Hazyview for lunch and set off on a late afternoon gamedrive at Kruger. We made a few sightings here and there, but overall it wasn't our best gamedrive.

Wednesday, August 4 – Today was a full day gamedrive and Keith and I successfully saw the Big 5 – rhinos, lions, elephants, leopards and buffalo. Yippee! We were up at 5:00 am and were at the gate shortly after opening at 6:00 am. We had some great sightings in the morning, with the highlight being a beautiful leopard on the prowl. Mid-morning we had another great sighting of two huge male lions ripping apart a recent kill. The sound they made, a deep loud purr, was like nothing I'd ever heard before. The rest of the day went well as we saw more zebras, giraffe and elephants. We finally made it out of the park by 5:30 pm or so – exhausted, but happy that we had seen the Big 5.

Thursday, August 5 – Our previous morning's gamedrive had been so successful that Keith and I decided yet again to rise at 5:00 am to get to the gate by opening. Our sightings were quite as good as the day before, but the highlight was seeing a spotted-hyena nursing her little pup. By noontime we were back at our cabana, in time for us to do laundry, pack our stuff, clean the car and generally get ready for the next leg of our trip.

Friday, August 6 – We were on the road by 8:15 am, bound for Johannesburg. We had a flight at 11:55 pm (yuck) to the Seychelles (yeah). We neared the airport with several hours to kill and found Emperor's Palace – a spot with several hotels, a convention center, a HUGE casino, lots of restaurants, a cinema and a few shops. We managed to kill a few hours there, even catching a movie – Grown-ups – part of which was filmed in my hometown of Southboro! We were then off to the airport. We dropped off our rental car – thankful that we hadn't gotten in any accidents. We had a few more hours of waiting around and then we were off on an overnight flight to the beautiful Seychelles Islands.

Saturday, August 7 - We landed bright and early on the tropical paradise of Mahe – the main island. We were then shuttled over to the jetty where we would be catching an hour long ferry over to the island of Praslin. Praslin was supposed to have some of the most beautiful beaches in all of the Seychelles and be a little less commercial than the island of Mahe. The ferry ride was quite rough and both and Keith and I felt a little seasick. We arrived in Praslin, picked up our rental car and were off to find our accommodations – a small self-catering spot. The roads were something else – narrow, steep, hairpin turns and no shoulders to speak off – if you go off the road, you end up in a deep ditch – all that aside, the drive to our spot was spectacular as we caught a glimpse here and a glimpse there of the beautiful coastline. After checking in, we headed out to grab some provisions – sadly the groceries stores left a lot lacking, but at least they had wine! Keith and I were both exhausted as neither of us had been able to sleep on the plane the night before and even before it was dark out, we were both fast asleep.

Sunday, August 8 – Today we went exploring around the island of Praslin. We drove out to the furthest spot on northern side of the island to the Anse Lazio – a breathtakingly beautiful beach with white powdery sand, huge granite rocks on either end and the most gorgeous turquoise blue water. Apparently it is often called the most beautiful beaches in all of the Seychelles and it did not disappoint. After basking in the sun for a bit, we then headed to another area called Cote d'Or. We relaxed on another beautiful beach called Anse Volbert and took a stroll along the length of it. After enjoying a gelato, we headed home, crossing through the impressive Praslin National Park.

Monday, August 9 - Today we ventured off to the island of La Digue. It was a short 30 minute ferry ride to the small island where the primary mode of transportation is bicycle. There are a handful of cars and still a couple of ox-carts to shuttle people around the island. Joining in with the crowd, Keith and I rented bikes for the day. We set off in search of beautiful beaches. We headed into L'Union Estate, an old coconut plantation which housed several large tortoises, oxen grinding coconuts to produce oil and most of all gorgeous beaches. The water and the coral was incredible and there was cove after cove of beautiful beaches, each separated by huge granite boulders. It was truly breathtaking. After basking in the sun for a bit, we headed back into town and grabbed some lunch. We then bicycled towards the other side of the island, stopping at various beaches along the way. La Digue had the charm of St. John, the remoteness of Viques and the landscape of Virgin Gorda. By 4:30 pm we were headed back on the ferry to Praslin, after having spent a wonderful day exploring the island of La Digue.

Tuesday, August 10 – Today we were up bright an early and headed to Anse Lazio. We were there early enough that we were able to have the beach completely to ourselves for an hour or so. We took a small hike along the coast, where we discovered several beautiful coves. We enjoyed the beach and the water for a couple of hours and then headed back over to Cote d'Or and Anse Volbert. We relaxed on the beach and had a delicious lunch. We then headed back home for a quick change and were then off to the Praslin National Park and the Vallee de Mai. The Vallee de Mai is a World Heritage Site and we spent an hour or so wandering around the impressive Park. The Vallee de Mai is filled with HUGE palm tree that grow coco de mer, the largest nut in the world. The female nuts can grow as large as 20 kg (40 plus pounds) and resemble the thighs and belly of a woman. It takes 7 years for the fruit to ripen. It was great way to spend the rest of the day.

Pictures from Ushaka - Durban, South Africa

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The dolphin show at Ushaka.

Pictures from Ushaka - Durban, South Africa

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Creatures from the acquarium at Ushaka.

Pictures from South Africa

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Drakensberg Mountains, the beach in Durban, and creatures from the aquarium at Ushaka.

Pictures from the Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa

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Pictures from Durban, South Africa

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Moses Mabhida Stadium, the lighthouse at Umhlanga, the pier at Umhlanga and sunrise over the beach.

Pictures from Coffee Bay, South Africa

2010-07-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

The cliffs and beaches of the Wild Coast, our little Kia and the Hole in the Wall.

South Africa

2010-07-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 23 – Keith awoke not feeling his best – it seemed that something had gotten a hold of him and was attacking him from both ends. It was a slow and lazy start for us. On the way to Durban we had decided to take a 45 minute or so detour to spend the night on the Wild Coast in a town called Coffee Bay. My Lonely Planet describes the Wild Coast as the following: “The hauntingly beautiful Wild Coast is aptly named. With its rugged cliffs plunging into the sea, the remote sandy beaches, rural villages and a history of shipwrecks and stranded sailors, it is a place for action and adventure.” Though it seemed like a great idea, it ended up being more of a bad dream. Once we ventured off the N2 (the main road), we had to our best to avoid wandering livestock and people – even worse, a good portion of the road was covered with horrible potholes. We thought it would never end. Every time we would round a corner or top a hill, the road just seemed to go on and on. Finally 1 ½ hours after turning off the main road and Keith doing all he could to keep it together, we made to Coffee Bay. We checked into our hotel, the best of the bunch (which really wasn't saying much). The views and beach were spectacular, though probably not worth all that we had traveled. The big attraction in the area is the Hole in the Wall, a rock formation with a natural hole that was created by the pounding waves. Keith and I set out again, on a seemingly endless drive, on an unpaved road, way worse than the road we had taken in and a road clearly not fit for our little Kia (or even an ox-cart) to see this great attraction. We did finally make to the parking spot, despite there not being one sign for Hole in the Wall. We paid a couple of local kids to walk to the rock and again, although the rock formation was impressive, it was hardly worth all that we had traveled. After visiting the rock we bumped and rattled back to our hotel, went for a nice walk on the beach and had some dinner. Keith still was not feeling well and we called it an early night.

Saturday, July 24 – We were up bright an early. Keith was still not feeling his best and neither of us could wait for the drive to Durban to be over. It had been a fitful night for both of us, though Keith more so than me. It was a long and boring seven plus hour drive to Durban. As an aside, the driving is a bit scary in South Africa as people and animals roam freely. Many people drive way too fast and pass blindly – needless to say Keith and I were excited to finally make it to Durban. We checked into our timeshare, a spot located right on the beach but in a somewhat shady part of town. Our place was big (a two bedroom), but dated. After unpacking and parking the car, we went for a stroll down the beach. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Ushaka, a huge marine park with lots of shops and restaurants, was right around the corner. We grabbed a late lunch and then headed back to our home. Keith still wasn't feeling his best and we decided to have a low-key night.

Sunday, July 25 – Today Keith and I celebrated our 7th year anniversary, yeah us! We slept in and had a lazy morning. It was wonderful. The weather was beautiful (though a bit windy) and we set off after breakfast to walk the beachfront. It was a nice walk all along the beach. There were lots of restaurants, piers, sand sculptures, etc. It sort of reminded us of South Beach, though not quite as nice. We walked for several hours, checking out the Casino, the Moses Mabhida Stadium (where they held several of the World Cup matches), a couple of flea markets and a shopping area called the Workshop (where we did some grocery shopping). We hopped a taxi home (after we had already walked through some very shady areas) and relaxed for a bit. We then headed out to have cocktails and apps out on one of the piers as we watched the surfers and the sunset.

Monday, July 26 – Today we did a little more exploring around Durban and the nearby area. After breakfast we headed off to Victoria Street Market – a market with roughly 160 stalls selling all kinds of crafts. It seemed to be in yet another seedy area of town but the people were very nice. Keith made a few purchases and then we headed off to Umhlanga, a town about 15 minutes north of Durban. The waterfront at Umhlanga was lined with high-end resort buildings and the area was much nicer than our spot in Durban. Keith and I strolled along the water for a bit and then headed for the Gateway Theatre of Shopping, the mother of all shopping malls. The Gateway was impressive. We had a delicious lunch, Keith got a much needed haircut and we finished up our grocery shopping. We then headed back to our home away from home in Durban.

Tuesday, July 27 – Today we off on a road trip to the Drakensberg Mountains. The Drakensberg Mountains separate South Africa from the small country of Lesotho and are supposed to be quite picturesque. It was a 2 ½ hour drive to the town of Underberg, at the base of the mountains. We spent the next few hours exploring the area. Unfortunately we weren't able to cross into Lesotho as the pass required a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but we did check out Garden Castle, a beautiful area of the mountains where Keith and I had a lovely picnic and a short hike. The mountains were beautiful. We stopped at a “cheesery” on the way home and picked up some delicious Underberg cheese. We had another 2 ½ hour drive back to Durban. It had been a wonderful day, though both Keith and I were very happy to make it home.

Wednesday, July 28 – Today was a wonderfully relaxing day – just what we needed after spending all day the day before in the car. We decided to check out Ushaka – the huge marine world next door to us and one of Durban's major attractions. The weather was beautiful and it was a great way to spend the day. Ushaka was a fun-filled park complete with one of the world's largest aquariums, the biggest collection of sharks in the southern hemisphere, a seal stadium, a dolphin stadium, a lazy river, multiple water slides and multiple pools. Keith and I thoroughly enjoyed our day taking in all Ushaka had to offer.

Thursday, July 29 – Today was a big driving day. We were on the road by 6:05 am, bound for Swaziland. It was going to add a bit more driving time to our itinerary, but both Keith and I wanted to see the country. The forecast had called for rain all the way up the coast, but somehow Keith and I managed to stay ahead of the rain and only hit a few sprinkles coming out of Durban. The drive was pretty uneventful other than a few spots of construction and a couple of unpleasant unpaved roads. We hit the border by 12:30 pm and passed through without much commotion. We made it to the lovely Ezulwini Valley, found a fabulous place to stay (complete with a pool and a casino) and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Pictures from Addo Elephant Park, South Africa

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Pictures from Addo Elephant Park, South Africa

2010-07-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Kudus and a tortoise.

Pictures from Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa

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Pictures from Keith's Bungy, South Africa

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Bloukrans River Bridge Bungee - highest in the world.

Pictures from the Garden Route, South Africa

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The lagoon in Knynsa and Plettensberg Bay.

Pictures from Cango Caves, South Africa

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Pictures from Shark-Cage Diving, South Africa

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Pictures from Shark-Cage Diving, South Africa

2010-07-23T00:24:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Franschhoek and Hermanus, South Africa

2010-07-23T00:09:00.001-07:00

Me at the Bastille Festival, Franschooek and a Southern Right Whale in Hermanus.

Pictures from the Winelands, South Africa

2010-07-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

Cheetahs at the Outreach Center, Table Mountain from the Winelands and the vineyard where were dined.

Pictures from Cape Town, South Africa

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Cape Town and Camp's Bay from the top of Table Mountain.

Pictures from Cape Town, South Africa

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Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope and sunrise over Cape Town.

Pictures from Cape Town, South Africa

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Penguins at Boulder Beach and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.

Pictures from Cape Town, South Africa

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Table Mountain at night, huts along the beach in Muizenberg and the penguins at Boulder Beach.

Pictures from Cape Town, South Africa

2010-07-22T21:48:00.001-07:00

Table Mountain, Green Point Stadium, Mouille Point and the V&A Waterfront.

Tanzania and South Africa

2010-07-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 13 – Today was a do nothing day and it was wonderful. We slept in, had some breakfast and sat by the pool. In the afternoon we wandered down to a cute little shipping area called the Slipaway where they had charming little souvenir shops. We made a few small purchases and enjoyed a cocktail by the water. We ordered room service for dinner and after a small fiasco with our air conditioning, we called it a night.

Wednesday, July 14 – Today was travel day. Despite the failure of the hotel to give us our wake-up call at 4:30 am, we managed to make it to the airport by 5:15 am in time for our 7:30 am flight to Cape Town via Johannesburg. As soon as we landed it was clear we were back in civilization. We picked up our rental car (a little Kia the size of a toaster - a standard on the “wrong” side to boot) and headed to our B&B. We arrived at Abbey Manor and were greeted by the most wonderful hostess. After settling into a beautiful room with views of both downtown and Table Mountain, our hostess sat with us for almost an hour, helping us plan our route to Kruger. She suggested we head down to the V&A Waterfront, a commercial area of Cape Town, on the water with lots of shops and restaurants. It was a fabulous area to walk around. Keith and I grabbed a delicious steak dinner, at a restaurant boasted to be the largest wine bar in the world, and of course some wine, before heading back to our B&B for the night.

Thursday, July 15 – Today was a day of walking. We set out in the morning, walking for almost 5 hours straight, seeing the sights of Cape Town. We saw the Company Gardens, Greenmarket Square, the Nelson Mandela Gateway, Green Point Stadium where they held some of the World Cup matches, the lighthouse at Mouille Point and the District Six Museum, to name a few. Keith and I thoroughly enjoyed strolling through Cape Town though we were both spent by the time we got back to our B&B. We had delicious pizza dinner, a long soak in the tub and called it a night.

Friday, July 16 – Today was a day of exploring. We set out in the morning for the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Though it was cloudy and overcast in Cape Town, Keith and I managed to find a small patch of sun that stayed with us for most of the day. It was a lovely coastal drive and we made many stops along the way, including Muizenberg, where they had brightly colored bungalows lining the beach, Kalk Bay, where there was a neat little fishing harbor, and Boulders Beach, where we visited a penguin colony. The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve was a beautiful park. We hiked up to the lighthouse at Cape Point, visited the Cape of Good Hope and saw many ostrich. We headed home, following the opposite coast line. We took a spectacular ride along Chapman's Peak Drive – a road that is carved into the side of a mountain overlooking the ocean. The views were incredible as we took in the Twelve Apostles – 12 rock formations on the backside of Table Mountain. We ended up in Camp's Bay – a very trendy coastal town. By then our day was drawing to a close. We headed towards home, had a delicious Thai dinner and called it a night.

Saturday, July 17 - We started off in the morning taking the cableway up to the top of 1068 meter high Table Mountain. The view from the top was spectacular. You could see all along the coast and though there were some clouds, we were able to catch of glimpse of all of Cape Town. We then set out for the Winelands – to do, of course, some wine tasting. Along the way we past some of the poverty-stricken areas of Cape Town, called townships, and words can't adequately describe what we saw. Rows and the rows of tin sheds, packed close together with only dirt alleys separating them – it was in such sharp contrast to the beautiful city that lay just a few miles away. Anyways...en route to Stellenbosch (in the Winelands) we stopped at a cheetah outreach center where we saw several beautiful cheetahs. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting vineyards, having a delicious lunch and tasting yummy wines. Both the weather and the scenery was gorgeous. We spent the night at a lovely B&B in Franschhoek. Franschhoek claims to the country's gastronomical capital and our dinner, set in a cellar cut into the side of the mountain, did not disappoint. It was one of the best meals Keith and I have had in all of our travels.

Sunday, July 18 – Today we celebrated Bastille Day in Franschhoek. My Lonely Planet says the following: “French Huguenots settled in this specular valley more than 300 years ago, bringing their vines within them. Ever since then, the town has clung to its French roots; Bastille Day is celebrated with boules matches, berets and brie.” As our luck would have it we were there just in time. We spent most of the day at their wine and food festival, sampling great wines (even purchasing a couple of bottles) and eating yummy food. Before leaving Franschhoek we picked up some delicious chocolate and brie. We then set off for the coastal town of Hermanus, a beautiful two hour drive through the mountains and valleys. According to my Lonely Planet, Hermanus is “considered the best land-based whale-watching destination in the world.” We arrived early in the evening, found a great place to stay, did a little grocery shopping and, thankfully, saw a couple of whales!

Monday, July 19 – Today we were off to go shark cage diving, but not before we saw a few whales from our balcony. We had a 30 minute or so drive to Kleinsbaai before we boarded our boat. It was a 15-20 minute ride out to our dive spot, and fortunately the weather was quite nice (as an aside, we are in the middle of South Africa's winter so the weather and the water is none too warm). As soon as we arrived at the dive spot, we saw a great white shark. We then suited up and in groups of five, we were put into a cage that was tied to the side of the boat. You essentially hang yourself from the top of the cage and when they say when, you dive down and can see the great whites up close and personal – all the while, they are throwing tuna heads and all sorts of “chum” in the water to attract the sharks. You need to keep your fingers and toes inside the cage, or there is no guarantee that you'll arrive home with all digits. The water was quite cold, but it was a very impressive way to spend the day. It was amazing how close the sharks got to the cage and the animals in and of themselves are very impressive. After a day of shark diving, on the way back to the harbor we stopped by a huge (and very smelly) seal colony. By 5:00 pm or so we were back at our hotel. We enjoyed some wine, saw a few more whales and called it a night.

Tuesday, July 20 – Today we were off to Oudtshoorn – a town up in the mountains revered for its ostrich and caves. It was a bit of a drive to Oudtshoorn (about 5 hours) and we made just one brief stop at Ronnie's Sex Shop – a small little pub in the middle of no where. The drive to Oudtshoorn was quite scenic as we drove through mountain passes, valleys and farmland – it reminded us more of New Zealand than it did of Africa. As soon as we hit Oudtshoorn we found a cheap place to stay and then headed for the Cango Caves. We went on an hour long tour of the Caves which were quite impressive. At one point in time they had even held concerts in the Caves and our tour guide gave us a brief song to give us an idea of the acoustics. They had done a wonderful job lighting up the Caves and it was amazing the age of some of the stalagmites and stalactites (some of them were over 1 million years old). After the Caves we checked out town, grabbed a pizza for dinner and called it an early night. Though our hostess had told us that our room would heat up quite nicely while we were out at the Caves, when we arrived home it was barely warmer than the temperature outside. Keith and I spent the night bundled up and huddled together, just trying to stay warm.

Wednesday, July 21 – Today we were finally off to the Garden Route – a stretch of road along the cost of South Africa that my Lonely Planet describes as the following: “High on the must see-list of most visitors to South Africa is the Garden Route, and with good reason: you can't help but be seduced by the glorious natural beauty of the scenery.” We made several stops along the Garden Route including Knysna, a cute town with a beautiful lagoon and Plettensberg Bay, were we had lunch overlooking the beach while watching the whales. After lunch Keith ventured off to Bloukrans River Bridge Bungee – at 216 meters, the world's highest bungee jump - while I played the unofficial photography. It was quite impressive to both see and jump. We ended up in Tsitsikamma National Park, a gorgeous park along the coast. We went for a brief walk to their suspension bridge and then checked into our accommodations for the night – an oceanette – a small self-contained unit right on the edge of the ocean. We did some laundry (a treat), had a delicious dinner and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing.

Thursday, July 22 – Today was a long day in the car. We set off early in the morning, following the coast. Our first stop for the day was Jeffrey's Bay, one of the top surfing destinations in the world and the site of Billabong's Pro Championship (which we had just missed by days). The beach and waves were impressive as we watched a few early morning surfers hit the “tubes.” We continued on, checking out the city of Port Elizabeth and the Nelson Mandela Stadium (the site of many of the World Cup matches). Our next stop was Addo Elephant Park, a national park that we could “self-drive.” Keith and I were actually quite successful on our first “self-drive” gamedrive – we spotted warthogs, buffalo, ostrich, eland (we think), leopard tortoise, kudu (a very impressive looking animal), bush-buck (again we think) and of course, elephants (some of which were so close, we thought they may trample our little Kia). All and all it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. We continued on driving, finally arriving in the town of East London (where we would be spending night), ten hours or so after departing Tsitsikamma National Park.

Pictures from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

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Pictures from our Safari...the Scenery

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The Ngorongoro Crater.

Pictures from our Safari...the Scenery

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Sunrise in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

Pictures from our Safari...the Scenery

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The Serengeti.

Pictures from our Safari...the Scenery

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The Serengeti.

Pictures from our Safari...the Scenery

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Lake Manyara, a watering hole in the Serengeti, and sunset in the Serengeti.

Pictures from our Safari...

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The great migration, rock dassies, and our "home away from home" - our Land Rover.

Pictures from our Safari...Misc. Critters

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Nile Crocodile, some sort of coloful lizard and some mongoose.

Pictures from our Safari...the Warthogs

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Pictures from our Safari...more Zebras

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Pictures from our Safari...the Zebras

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Pictures from our Safari...the Rhinoceros

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Pictures from our Safari...more Monkeys

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Vervet mokeys.

Pictures from our Safari...more Baboons and Monkeys

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Baboons, a blue monkey and a vervet monkey.

Pictures from our Safari...the Baboons

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Pictures from our Safari...even more Lions

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Pictures from our Safari...more Lions

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Pictures from our Safari...the Lions

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Pictures from our Safari...the Leopards

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Leopard and its kill up in the trees.

Pictures from our Safari...the Jackals

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Pictures from our Safari...the Impalas

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Pictures from our Safari...the Hyenas

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Pictures from our Safari...more Hippopotamus

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Pictures from our Safari... the Hippopotamus

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Pictures from our Safari...more Giraffes

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Pictures from our Safari...the Giraffes

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Pictures from our Safari...more Gazelles

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Thompson gazelles on the run and Grant gazelles.

Pictures from our Safari...the Gazelles

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Thompson gazelles.

Pictures from our Safari...even more Elephants

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Pictures from our Safari...more Elephants

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Pictures from our Safari...the Elephants

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Pictures from our Safari...the Cheetahs

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Cheetah and cheetah with its kill.

Pictures from our Safari...more Buffalo

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More buffalo (including a baby buffalo).

Pictures from our Safarai...the Buffalo

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Buffalo.

Pictures from our Safari...more Birds

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A helmeted guinea fowl, saddle-bill stork, starling and yellow-billed storks.

Pictures from our Safari...the Birds

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Ostrich (male and female), flamingos and crown crane.

Pictures from our Safari...more Beests

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The great wildebeest migration.

Pictures from our Safari...the Beests

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Wildebeest and hartebeest.

Pictures from our Safari...more Antelope

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Red-back antelope and the dik-dik antelope (the smallest antelope in the world).

Pictures from our Safari... the Antelope

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A water buck and topis.

Tanzania

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Monday, July 5 – Today was a day of patience. After breakfast and checking out we headed to the airport. Our flight was supposed to leave Zanzibar at 11:30 am and arrive in Arusha at 12:40 pm. We got to the airport around 10:00 am and were quickly told that the flight schedule had changed the week before and our flight was now at 2:45 pm. We were supposed to have received an email informing us of this fact, but we never received one (though I have to take part of the blame for not double checking the flight). So we waited and waited. They let us check in. 2:45 pm came and went. 3:00 pm came and went. 3:30 came and went. Meanwhile our safari company was supposed to be picking us up at the other end, so we had to keep calling them to change the time. No one seemed to know what the heck was going on. Finally at 4:15 pm we were able to board our plane. It seated all of 12 people and it was tiny. Finally we had arrived, only to discover that they had flown to Kilimanjaro Airport – about a 15 minute flight away from Arusha. After dropping off some passengers, we continued on and finally made it to Arusha around 6:30 pm. What a day. We went to the safari company to pay our balance and were told that they wouldn't accept half our money because the bills were dated before 2000. Yet another snag in our day. We paid by credit card (of course there was 5% additional charge) and then went to our hotel. We checked in, had a delicious dinner (thank goodness) and called it a night.

Tuesday, July 6 – Our safari driver, Athmen, picked us up at 8:30 am in a 5 passenger Land Rover (for just the two of us) and our home away from home for the next 6 days. We headed off to Lake Manyara National Park, a 2 hour drive away. Along the way we saw lots of Maasai, the prevalent tribe in the region, walking their livestock along the road. I can only imagine how many miles they must walk each day. The Maasai are tall, thin and dark skinned and are typically draped in colored cloth. We arrived at Lake Manyara National Park and the first day of our safari did not disappoint. Athmen popped the roof and we headed off. Over the course of the day we saw lots of baboons, blue monkeys, several different types of birds, impalas, warthogs (now there's an attractive looking animal), African elephants, zebras, hippopotamus, flamingos, Maasai giraffes, wildebeest, buffalo, antelope and monitor lizards. At one point in time an elephant walked right behind our Land Rover – so close that I could have touched it. The scenery was beautiful. After a full day “gamedrive” we arrived at our hotel around 4:30 pm – a spectacular spot overlooking Lake Manyara. We checked out the pool and the bar, showered and had delicious dinner before calling it a night.

Wednesday, July 7 – Today was long and bumpy day. We set off in the morning, leaving Lake Manyara and heading for Serengeti National Park. To get to the Serengeti we had to cross through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, whose predominant feature is the Ngorongoro Crater. We skirted around the rim of the crater, in the thick fog along a very very bumpy road. We seemed to drive for hours, rattling along, amazed that our Land Rover was staying one piece. Along the way we stopped at Olduvai Gorge where footprints of early upright man, dating back 3.6 million years, were found (known as the Laetail Trail). Evidence of life had also been found, dating back 6 million years. After driving for several more hours we finally reached the Serengeti – it was impressive. In Maasai, they call it Siringeti, meaning endless plain, and it was just as I pictured Africa to be – fields of yellow going on forever and ever with only a few flat topped trees and wild animals speckling the landscape. As my Lonely Planet says, “How do you describe the Serengeti without using every cliché in the book....a visit to the Serengeti will guarantee immersion in the quintessential African landscape....” Along our drive we saw gazelles, ostrich, hartebeest, monkeys, antelope, buffalo and two lions – both of which were unfortunately sleeping. We finally made it to our lodge around 6:30 pm – spent from spending all day in our Land Rover rattling about. Our lodge was nestled into the Serengeti, built right into and around several large rocks. Roaming around were lots and lots of large rodent looking animals called hyraxes (or rock dassies). Keith and I enjoyed some wine before dinner, watched the sun go down amidst the clouds, had some dinner, had a small fiasco with the hot water (or lack thereof) and called it night.

Thursday, July 8 – Today was a fabulous day. We set off in the morning around 8:30 am for a morning gamedrive. Our first sighting was that of leopard up in a tree. We'd seen it's kill up in the tree the night before, but now the leopard was lounging up in the tree protecting it's food. Over the course of the morning we saw many spectacular sights including two lions – one strolling about and another one laying majestically with a beautiful mane, a cheetah and it's kill, more buffalo, several types of antelope, several types of birds, two different types of gazelles, hartebeest, ostrich, giraffes, zebras, a hyena, hippopotamus and jackals... and that was just the morning. We got back to the lodge around 1:15 pm, had some lunch and a rest, and headed back out at 4:00 pm. Our afternoon gamedrive proved to be equally impressive. We saw tons of elephants, more lions, a Nile crocodile (a rare sighing in the Serengeti), zebras, hippos and giraffes, etc. All and all it was a marvelous day.

Friday, July 9 – Today was a quiet morning in the Serengeti. We set off around 9:00 am in search of wildlife. We saw a couple of giraffe, a couple of elephants, and a couple of different types of birds. The highlight of the morning was seeing another cheetah. After driving around for several hours searching for more wildlife to no avail, we headed back to the lodge (as an aside, we must drive several hundred kilometers a day in search of animals). We had the afternoon to relax by the pool and then headed back out again around 4:00 pm. The afternoon proved to be much more productive than the morning. We saw wildebeest, more lions, buffalo, jackals, hyenas, elephants and another leopard up in a tree. Another good day in the Serengeti.

Saturday, July 10 – Today we had a very early start as we were awoken by strange animal sounds outside our room – when we pulled back the curtain we saw a large hippopotamus grazing away. He was so close that you could hear him chewing the grass – it was quite a sight. We set out around 6:30 am for an early morning gamedrive. In addition to seeing the usual gazelles, jackals, hyenas, lions, elephants and impalas, we also saw a water buck (a kind of antelope) and a sable cat. The sunrise was incredible. We headed back to the lodge around 8:30 am, had some breakfast and checked out. We then set out back across the Serengeti, heading towards Ngorongoro Crater. It was once again a very long,dusty and bumpy ride. We had a few more animal sighting with the highlight being three lions shading themselves under a tree. By late afternoon we arrived at the Crater and our lodge. The Crater is a a collapsed volcano and on the Crater floor lives lots of wildlife. My Lonely Planet says the following: “The views from the misty highlands of the rim are spectacular, but they're nothing compared with the photo opportunities that await down on the crater floor....” Our lodge sat right on the the rim of the Crater and Keith and I enjoyed some wine as we took in the amazing view.

Sunday, July 11 – Today we spent the morning down on the floor of the Crater. We were not disappointed. The landscape was beautiful and the wildlife was amazing. We saw hundreds of zebras, huge elephants, a couple of lions and flamingos, just to name a few. I think the highlight was seeing two black rhinos – a rare sighting - and seeing thousands of wildebeest migrating and at one point in time engulfing our Land Rover. By mid afternoon our safari was drawing to a close as we headed back to Arusha. We made a few stops along the way, picked up some souvenirs, bought our bus tickets for the following day and checked into our hotel for the evening. We then bid Athmen farewell – he had been a wonderful guide. Our safari was something we will remember for a lifetime.

Monday, July 12 – Today was a long day. We were up bright an early and by 7:00 am we were at the station ready to board a bus from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam. We were taking Kilimanjaro Express, the supposed best company to take. Needless to say we were both a little upset when we discovered there was no bathroom on board (though our concerns were eventually alleviated), given that it was a 9 hour ride to Dar. We did stop briefly for lunch at a less than ideal spot and bathroom stops consisted of pulling over on the side of the road and everyone dashing into the woods (we were the only non-locals on the bus and clearly this is common practice). It ended up being a 10 hour ride to Dar and we couldn't wait to get off the bus. It was another 30 minute or so cab ride to our hotel. We finally made it to our DoubleTree by Hilton and Keith worked his magic and we ended up being upgraded to a beautiful room, facing the ocean. It was a perfect spot with a pool, fitness room, a pier, etc. We were psyched. We celebrated with a bottle of wine and a delicious dinner.