April 23

Bird song woke us early ; the dawn chorus is  always magical and here it was extra special. 

We lingered at our site, relaxing over breakfast, and watching the local (exotic to us) birds flutter and sing all around us.  It was relatively  late (after 900) when we packed up our tent and moved on.   As we drove the few km from the camp to the main road we noticed a bunch of male impalla grazing in the bushes, but nothing more. 

Our drive took us east through the Kalahari.  Cows and donkeys hovered by the side of the road, but we saw  no 'wild' animals all day.  

Our fuel gage  - and our estimation of distance traveled so far - suggested it was time for a fuel stop.  On our way through a police check we inquired and were assured we would find a fuel station about 50 km further on.  And so we were relieved when we drove into a Shell station just where we expected to find it.

Do you take Visa?  Al asked?

Yes, we take Visa.....but we don't have any petrol......

Oh....

Charlotte had warned us about this.  In Malawi fuel shortages are routine and she told us they often had to wait a few days before the stations in town would have more to sell.  Others have warned us of this too.  We were advised to always top up our fuel tanks, even if the tank is half full, because the next open station with fuel to sell might be difficult to find.  We had passed a station earlier in the day, which was obviously open and selling gas, but our tank was still half full then, so we drove on by. Now we regretted that decision. 

We did some simple arithmetic.  Our vehicle has two tanks and the rental agency assured us would could have a range of 850 km.  The next available fuel might be in Maun and by then we would have driven over 850 km.  

Needlesstosay, were relieved to  see an open station when we arrived on the outskirts of Maun.  This time our questions were different, starting with:

Do you have petrol?   

Yes, and if we run out in this pump we will switch to the other. 

Do you take Visa?  

Yes

We took on 115 liters.  We checked the mileage: we had covered 880 km in our first two days. 

It was time to stop for the day, or risk driving the rough roads in Chobe National Park in the dark.  We stopped in Maun for a few provisions then drove just a short distance out of Maun to  camp at the Okavango River lodge.  This being in-between season we found the campsite empty, so we selected a site with a view of the river, settled into our deck chairs, and soaked up the atmosphere. 

Animal sightings?  Those antelope (impalla) we saw in the morning at Thadaku, a  few dozen cows and goats along the roadside and some dogs in Maun.  We also saw a few bird species,  some wonderful Baobab trees, hundreds of termite towers, and what looked like caterpillar nests in trees.  At the Okanago River Lodge we hoped to see some more "wild" species but instead we saw cows and dogs.  Our sleep was interrupted by rock music, barking dogs and traffic noises.  The morning chorus was dominated by roosters, and more barking dogs.  We were looking forward to being in the park! 

April 22

Namibia Day One

We began our day at the Arebbusch Travel Lodge campsite in Windhoek, the rather urban campsite where we safely arrived well after dark following our late flight from Cape Town.  The camping area is only a part of a much larger operation which offers all sorts of accommodation as well as facilities for events.  While this was not our idea of safari heaven,  I did enjoy soaking in the bathtub in the campsite "ablutions block" before bed.   We slept quite  well during first night in our roof tent, despite the hum of urban traffic. 

Our earlier plan was to visit GocheGanas, which is run by our friend Vic's friend Udo.    While in London ( at Vic's flat) we re-confirmed our interest in visiting with Udo (a 4 th generation German-Namibian) for a visit of his amazing  resort and game farm.   However, the new Air Namibia flight schedule meant we might not have arrived there until 2200 so we will have to reserve that visit for later.  Go to his website by looking for GocheGanas  .

What is a roof tent, you may ask?  It is a collapsable tent mounted on roof racks. We simply remove the cover, pull on the telescoping ladder and voilà, the tent erects itself on the roof of our vehicle.  It keeps us up off the sandy ground, away from any wild animals, and is clean and cozy! 

Our morning agenda was to provision,  get a letter of permission from the car rental company so we could drive into Botswana, and purchase a local SIM card so we could communicate via Iphone.   Navigating the urban traffic in our safari vehicle was not enjoyable - especially in the morning heat -  but the locals we met were all very friendly and helpful. 

At every stop, however, we were reminded that petty theft is rampant and we must never,  ever underestimate the quick and clever actions taken by local thieves.  A guard watched over the grocery store lot, for example, and warned us to always keep our doors shut, even when loading groceries in the back.  He could not believe that in Canada no guards watch over our cars when we park outside the grocery store!  

By noon we were driving away from the congested streets, en route east. Our earlier plan had been to drive north, but the new plan of driving east meant we would see more places, and circumnavigate the Okovango delta. 

 We drove and drove and drove, crossing the border to Botswana around 4 pm, only to discover it was already 5 pm because we had crossed a time zone. 

We were warned at the border to drive carefully and to watch out for animals on the road.  Elephants?  Zebras? Springbok? 

We thought:  Ahh, the joys of going on safari in Africa! 

But the border guard laughed:  No, watch for cows and goats! 

 And so for the next couple of hours we dodged domestic farm animals as they grazed on grasses at the edge of the tarmac.  A few times we stopped while a dozen cows crossed to see if the grasses might be greener on the other side.  As the sun went down the grasses glowed a brilliant golden yellow.  The cows were harder to see, and we slowed down. 

 We finally arrived at our destination, a lovely campsite called Thadaku Bush Camp, near Ghanzi in Botswana. 

Google it:  www.thakadubushcamp.com

We prepared our gourmet meal and relaxed  with a good red as we observed the night sky. 

Botswana

Blog updates coming asap when we find WIFI
All well. 4 days in Chobe NP, mostly on sandy single track. Impossible without our 4x4 in LOW!

Lots of close ups with elephants, giraffes, impellas, warthogs, birds.... Even a lion with his fresh kill!

Wonderful!!!

Sent from my iPhone

April 21 Cape Town to Windhoek

April 21

Cape Town to Windhoek

We packed up early and spent the morning exploring the Table Mountain area, then returned our car to the airport and waited for our flight to Windhoek, Namibia. 

When we chose our Air Namibia flight it was scheduled to depart in the morning and arrive just after noon.  This appealed to us because we knew it would take awhile to get our camping gear sorted.   The noon arrival would also allow us a few hours of daylight for our initial drive from the airport.  

Well, Air Namibia contacted us just days before departure with a schedule change: the flight was re-scheduled to arrive after dark!  This was not ideal because we had been advised to avoid driving at night, and because we had some interesting plans for our first afternoon.  However, the vehicle rental people stayed late, spent over an hour going through all e camping gear, and guided us down the long, dark road towards Windhoek.

It was indeed late by the time we set up our tent and crawled into bed...

April 20 Cape Town

April 20

This day was spent exploring the Cape with Gavin and Trish, lead by their local driver/guide John.  

We set off at 0900, driving south along the west coast road returner back around 1700, via the east coast.   

At Camps Bay we stopped above the beach, taking short walk along the cliffs for photos opportunities.  At Hout Bay we stopped at the marina, at what John called the flea market.  Instead of shopping for trinkets our interest was watching the working fish boats.  To our dismay, the local sea lion (who we saw being fed in the harbour the day before) was on display in the middle if the paved parking lot.  He was guarded by an aggressive local asking for money in exchange for a photo op.  We kept a wide berth, but for your interest I snapped this shot of the aggressive guy attempting to hide his animal from any free photos! John informed us this had been going on (same guy & same sea lion) for over 20 years! 

The scenic Chapman's Peak road was next, a narrow, cliff-hugging track reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast road. (To help cover maintenance costs a toll is charged.)  We then  descended to Nordhoek and the beautiful sandy expanse of Chapman's Bay.  John then stopped at another beautiful beach where he insisted we remove our shoes and walk in the sand and surf.  

Sea temperatures interest the locals because these affect local weather conditions.  Typically, the Atlantic is 6 C colder than the Indian Ocean, and the difference in temperature between the sea and the land results in differences in wind speeds and visibility.   Even on this hot, sunny day the South Atlantic was cold and we were not tempted to swim!  However, surfers in wetsuits were out playing the waves. 

Traveling in- land, we soon arrived at an ostrich farm.  These birds are big, and  considered dangerous.  We watched them from a safe distance, from the other side of a fence.  

It was after mid-day when we entered the Cape of Good Hope National Park.  We first went to the Cape and wandered on the rocky shore.  It was a calm day and the sea was relatively calm.  Still, we noticed a sailboat being tossed around as it motored west about 1NM off-shore. 

John then drove us up to Cape Point where we soaked in the views while lunching in pizzas.  This perfect weather day was ideal for photos of our 360 degree view.  

Our day was already full, but we had another highlight : the penguin colony at Simon's Town!  We walked along a boardwalk through the colony, then down to a beach, getting close to these curious birds. 

We celebrated the end of a great day by relaxing back at the appartment, sipping a local white, then enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner out at a popular restaurant in the V&A Marina area.  

Irene

Sent from my ipad....Oops, did auto - complete create strange words?

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April 19 in Cape Town

April 19

We arrived in Cape Town after an overnight flight from London, a journey of about 16 hours due to a brief stop-over to change planes  in Johannesburg.  Fortunately our long haul flight was not full and we were able to stretch out, even if we did not succeed in actually sleeping.  We flew with  South African Airlines and found the service to be excellent, and friendly.  

Just before leaving London we made a last minute decision to rent a car for our brief stay Cape Town.   This allowed us to spend our first afternoon  exploring beyond the city, and getting our bearings.  

Our drive away from the airport led us past a "township" and our first views of a seriously poor neighborhood.  Minutes later we drove through a seriously rich neighborhood.  Throughout our journey we expect conversations to involve questions about 'how' and 'why' these situations were created, and continue. 

As tired travelers our initial priority was to find some place green, and quiet.  We drove south to the lovely Rhones Drive, skirting the eastern periphery of Table Mountain, stopping numerous times to take in the scenery and breath in the scent of Eucalyptus trees.   

This road led us to Hout Bay, where we stopped to wander e docks, view the boats (wondering what it might be like to be here on Darwin Sound), and relax over a late  lunch of fresh seafood at Mariners Wharf.  

We then followed the Victoria Road, driving north above the west coast cliffs and beaches to Camps Bay then via Green Point into Cape Town.  This narrow road was busy with bikers and runners, but provided plenty of pull-outs and parking areas for stopping to take in broad views over the Atlantic. Camps Bay was particularly lively, reminiscent of a Riviera resort in August. 

The Victoria & Alfred waterfront was our final destination, because it was here we planned to meet Gavin and Tricia for our two-night stay in Cape Town.   Without any way to communicate we decided to 'nip into town' in search of an internet café, and thus we spent an hour experiencing some less enjoyable urban driving conditions, and the reason why many had advised us to avoid renting a car.  Still, we survived unscathed and soon found our way back to the relative calm of e V & A marina, where we connected with our hosts.  

The evening was spent 'at home', enjoyed a delicious fish dinner accompanied by superb local wines. 

Penguins!