Blogs from Sodwana Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Africa

Heute haben wir endlich mal ausgeschlafen und Bettina hat mich ert um 7 Uhr geweckt (da wir gestern aber auch schon um halb neun in der Kiste lagen, war dies durchaus genug Schlaf). Nach einem leckeren Frühstück mit frischen Mangos machten wir uns auf zum Kosi Mouth an der Grenze zu Mozambique. Hier dürfte Bettina wieder einen kleinen Offroadkurs belegen - diesmal im Fähren durch sandige Wege. Angekommen im Paradies wateten wir Badenixen durchs seichte Wasser und ließen und an einer großen Sandbank nieder, die wir ganz für uns alleine hatten - ein Traum.... nach ein paar Stunden und einem kleinen Schnorchelausflug kehrten wir wieder zurück - es war auch langsam Zeit, da ich schon mehr rot als braun war. Weiter ging's zum Sodwana Bay, wo wir unseren 5 Mann Bungalow in Strandnähe bezogen. Mit einem ... read more

Fired up the red fire engine and left at 5.30am, always have to leave in the dark, and always have to take egg sandwiches as well. It's something we used to do before there were Wimpys along the way and now both kids insist they have to have egg sandwiches or its not a real holiday. The drive was uneventful – which for us is a bonus as we normally manage at least one flat tyre – apart from the potholed road and the roadworks where we had to sit and wait for the traffic to pass one lane at a time. Arrived at Sodwana mid afternoon, very hot and sunny, pretty cramped pitch considering we had 2 large tents and 2 vehicles to park and of course deciding where to pitch the tents took the ... read more

So I decided to go down to SA to meet Jay (that did the divemaster with me in Tofo) for the Sodwana shootout. It took me 23 hours and 4 buses, 1 taxi , 1 normal car and 3 blown tires to make it almost all the way. The first tires blew so violently that the it slit a hole in the bus, injuring one of the passengers and making sure the rest of us were black with road dust by the time we got to Maputo! I took the road through Swaziland which is such a scenic route and I stayed at a lovely backpackers, the same one me, Jim and Suus stayed at in November. After 2 more buses and numerous hours at the border i made it to Hlue Hluwe (brilliant name). I ... read more

So this whole week Chris has been very secretive about a surprise getaway for me to some fancy resort. I love surprises and is so eager to know, but don't want to spoil the surprise, then after secretly telling some guests at the lodge where he is taking me to as a surprise, upon check-out the guests very eagerly says "see you at Mountain lodge". I stood there is awe not knowing what to do, should I say something or just keep quiet, so I just kept quiet, smiled and waved, while boiling inside for spoiling my surprise. So Friday comes and we are off to Phinda Mountain lodge. We are warmly welcomed by Richard the manager followed by a superb lunch. The decor and setting is absolutely stunning. Our room was so gorgeous. We had ... read more

After a few days of R&R in Durbs it was time to get back on the road, this time heading north through zululand along what's known as the elephant coast. The country side is lush and much greener than that of the Transkei to the south. As the name would suggest, the area is the traditional home of the Zulu people and there is quite a noticable difference in the the feel and look of the place and it's culture. The homes in the more rural spots, which predominate, still consist of classical round huts which a thatched roofs set in a traditional pattern on the sides of gentle hills and surrounded by cattle and livestock. The highway was full of the usual suspects...most of the farm and half the village...but the road itself was in ... read more