Ilios - Reliability Inverted Tuesday July 1 - 9:42AM We didn’t sleep much last night. We didn’t end up going to bed until 10:00PM after we managed to repack our bags and get set for our 3:15AM wakeup call for our 3:45AM transfer to Cape Town International. Our flight would leave at 6AM, connect in Jo’Berg at 10:40AM, and arrive in Zambia at 12:30PM. Our transportation up until this morning was sensational. On time every time, always willing to stop upon request for a quick bite or bathroom break, and unofficial tour guides, Ilios is a new travel company that [View Full Entry]

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Let me just start by saying I've been white water rafting before. Several times actually, maybe half a dozen. Some meandering, some exhilerating, one with members of my family bailing their boat into mine. One recently with a family who was massively overweight, couldn't swim, and couldn't balance to save their lives. The dad fell overboard getting in the boat, and managed to fall out several other times without the aid of any whitewater. But I digress. You know you are not in Kansas (or Colorado) whitewater anymore when the rafting guides informs you that there will be four rescue kayakers [View Full Entry]

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Our Final Days So we were off in the morning with a bit of a late start to head to Zambia after our trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe was cancelled. We spent about 3 hours waiting in line to get on a ferry the cross the Zambizi River. What a cluster. Finally got visa, which was a surprise cost at $135, and we were off to Livingstone, Zambia. We arrived a bit too late to do any activities. Chester had her small meltdown when we were advised there were no hotels/chalets available and we would be spending our last 2 nights [View Full Entry]

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Another month on an overland truck comes to an end. Livingstone reminded us just how expensive Zambia is compared to the other African countries. From here, we fly to Jo'burg and begin a month of independant travel in South Africa. We're looking forward to the time on our own and the freedom to go where we want when we want. It will also be nice having a month off from sleeping in tents! Our rough itinerary has us flying to a private game reserve near Kruger National Park for a 5 day luxury stay. Then we will be flying to Durban [View Full Entry]

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Well, we crossed over to Zambia after visiting the Falls and met up with the truck and the rest of the group. We would be in Livingstone for two days, and then the group would separate. Some would be continuing with the truck (called "Norris" for "Truck Norris") up to Nairobi, others would be ending their trip in Livingstone, and a few (including me) would be heading back down to Jo'burg joining a new truck. Our time in Zambia was very cool. I spent it rafting down the Zambezi. The rafting season had only opened up six days before, so I [View Full Entry]

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Lots of stuff to update today, in part because I've been very busy, and in part because it's been several days now since my last posting. So last weekend I took my first real outing of my trip here. Amanda, Rebecca, and I went to Livingstone, which is the town on the Zambia side of Victoria Falls. Our bus ride there was excruciatingly long, over 8 hours, but we eventually arrived safely. Saturday was our day for a walk in the park. Granted, the park had an enormous waterfall in the middle of it, but it was a walk in the [View Full Entry]

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This is a continuation of the trip that began on June 10th, 2008 in Capetown South Africa June 16, 2008 The entire group was ready to go, before the crack of dawn, at 04:15 AM. It was a quick ride to the airport and check-in was reasonably quick. We had an uneventful flight to Johannesburg, with a scrambled egg breakfast served enroute. In Johannesburg, it was a long walk to the International Terminal, where we had about 2 hours to browse through the numerous duty free shops. I went to checkout the Wi-Fi Hotspot, but needed to purchase a subscription to [View Full Entry]

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I heard your retinas can detach when you go bungy jumping. I couldn't believe it - going blind just from jumping off a bridge! Whatever next? Armed with this knowledge, I made sure I didn't tell my Mum about my jump at the 3rd highest jump site in the world until AFTER I had done it. The jump was a thrill, I have a nice video of it too. It was 365 feet or 111 metres high (sounds better in feet, doesn't it?) and the girl that went before me started crying hysterically right when she was meant to do her [View Full Entry]

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It is official that I am certifiably crazy! Today I jumped off the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe not once but twice. It was exhilarating and incredibly insane. It was also something I have always wanted to do. I did a three in one package (cheaper.. always out for a deal) which included in the zipwire (flying fox), bridge swing and bungy jump. The first activity that I did was the zipwire across the gorge. I thought it would get my adrenaline going for the next two activities but boy was I wrong. The zipwire was a piece of cake and [View Full Entry]

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From Stone Town we headed up to the North Beaches of the island for some rest and relaxation. Our hour and a half drive took us to a resort sat right on the beach, Sunset Bungalows. It was a beautiful location complete with hammocks and the warm Indian Ocean. Bliss. Until the lights went out. The electricity not only failed at our resort and wasn't even localized on Zanzibar. It covered the whole of Tanzania. When we asked when we should expect the lights back on we were told they usually come back in 5 days or so! I guess that's [View Full Entry]

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