Blogs from Africa

Nejsou to škorpioni, pavouci, moskyti či termiti, hyeny, veverky, tříbarevná kočka z kempu Kwalope ani zimbabwský utečenec prodávající mosazné náramky v Maunu, koho bych se uchýlil označit za nejneodbytnější formu života na jihoafrickém subkontinentu. Prvenství v tomto ohledu drží všemi mastmi mazaná africká květena. Náš český lopuch se svými naivními knoflíky by mohl závidět vynalézavost, s jakou zdejší rostliny expedují své potomstvo na těla kolemjdoucích obětí. Některé ohleduplnější rostliny se obtěžují s lepítky a háčky, ale většina své semínko prostě zabodne do kůže jako špendlík. Člověk je degradován na přenašeče semínek. Dovolím si zde použít výstižný výrok slavného českého cestovatele - programátora: Když člověk překoná pár set metrů afrického křoví, je z něj křoví. (A�... read more

Hey hey! Today started off with a 4 hour drive to Luxor which was probably the worst trip known to man. Imagine a 450km drive in a small van with no suspension and there are uneven speed humps every 100 metres and pot holes all over the place. Then having to share the tiny road with cars, pedestrians an donkeys. lol We got to the hotel and just chilled for a bit before going to Karnak temple. We actually ran into james, izzy and nana who have been on a different tour! It was seriously hot and shama got heatstroke so we came back to the hotel. Happy travels!... read more

Me and Carmen woke up at 11.00am, with the TV was still on. We got ready and left to go to the city to get some lunch. We stopped at Nando's and we ate. Carmen had Chilli Chicken and I had Lemon Chicken with salad. We stayed in the restaurant for a while and just absorbed the atmosphere. The waiters/waitresses were extremely friendly and very hospitable to our comfort. We left Nando's at 1.00pm and walked around looking for some good shops. We stopped at a jewellery store and went inside. Everything was incredibly cheap. You could buy 18 carat gold hoop earrings for only $100.00 and a 24 carat gold chain for $170.00. I spent $400.00 dollars alone in that store. We left the shop with our hands already full. We went into a Billabong ... read more

Last evening we met in the International Lounge for a talk on Tongolese culture. Well, there are over 50 cultural groups here, but there are some unifying threads: unity, working together, hope, interdependence. A local couple discussed art, music, and story telling. here are a few proverbs. The more proverbs a man knows, the wiser he will be in the eyes of others. 1 Your own brother cannot be on the fruit tree and you eat the green fruits. 2 One hand cannot catch a buffalo. 3 The ants say that, together, they can build a deck. 4 You recognize a true friend when you have a problem. 5 The head scarf begins at home. 6 A child who knows how to wash his hands clean, eats with the elders. Moral: 1 If your ... read more

Sensibly we chose to leave Chefchaouen for Fez at midday, so we would be en route in the hottest part of the day. Sure enough the temp gauge quickly rose to 30C and in full motorbike kit anything black attracted the full ferocity of the North African sun. It was hot and tiring work. The road out of the Rif yielded visual treats aplenty and the road snaked enough to be interesting, without being that technical. But you had to concentrate like f*ck and you certainly would have been foolhardy to corner at anything like close to the limit. You never knew what was round the corner – a suicidal truck driver trying blind overtakes with near head-on misses ahead, or homicidal maniacs cutting the corner forcing you off line. Both were commonplace. The road surface ... read more

Wow what an awesome day! Started with a 330am wake up call for our 3 hr bus ride to Abu simbel. We travelled in a convoy of 15 buses with a military escort. The reason for the early departure is due to the extreme hot weather. It got to approx 45 today. We arrived at Abu Simbel in which the main attraction is a templ which has 4 statues of the great Ramses 2. There is also a temple for Ramses favourite wife Nefertari, he actually had many wives and approx 150 children!. The statues of Ramses II would have been approx 30 - 40 metres high. The whole site has actually been moved from its original location which is 66 metres below its current location. This process took two years to complete with lots of ... read more