After leaving Ruteng we made a brief stop at Danau Ramanese an attractive aquamarine crater lake surrounded by forrest and the home of Long Tail Macaques before travelling another three hours through some stunning mountain scenery before the rain and fog closed in and visability dropped to only metres, as we dodged trees and vehicles careening out of the fog. It was a slow but interesting end to the days travel. Bajawa is an attractive little mountain town but the weather is so bad we couldnt really get out and explore it, we checked into our hotel and then the driver took us to a favoured restaurant for a good lunch of calamari for me and chicken sate for Ruth, not bad at all for seven dollars all up. The rain petered out around 4pm and ... read more

Started the day with a walk to the closest ATM, at 7am it is already hot and we both perspire all the way there and back again then it was a traditional Mie Goreng for breakfast in the hotel dining area. It is nice to relax and do nothing this morning but enjoy the outdoor shower and watch an old movie. At 12pm we were delivered to the airport domestic terminal where we gorged ourselves on Dunkin Donuts before checking in for our Wings Air flight at 1pm. It was a smallish prop plane and it was quite full, lucky we werent hungry or thirsty because there was nothing available on this flight. At 3pm we descended into Labuanbajo and I swear it was the most scary landing I have ever endured, we slid all over ... read more

I met my walking partner outside a small country pub in Manoora on the way to old Burra Rd at about 8am on what looked like a nice day. It was decided that I would leave my vehicle on The Old Burra Rd not far from the Morgan Whyalla pipeline and then we would drive from there to the start point on Worlds End Gorge Road. The walk started well, the country side was native bush and was pleasant with signs of native wildlife and birds visible as we followed the Burra Gorge Creek through the Hallelujah Hills. The time went by quickly as my co walker and I swapped our histories and stories about our lives, he seemed suprised at how well travelled I am and we were able to discuss the sights and shopping ... read more

I left Ermelo the next morning and drove down to Dundee a town in the middle of the Battlefields region. It took much longer than I expected due to road work all along the N11 -apparently its been going on for years and was supposed to be completed before the World Cup commenced. I am staying at the Royal City Inn a beautiful rambling old inn built in the late 1800's and my hostess whose daughter lives in Stirling in Adelaide has moved me to a much better room. I visited an interesting museum just outside town before returning to the hotel for a great meal. The morning of the 28th I set out for Isandlwana where the Zulu Impi's deceived a British force leading most of the troops on a wild goose chase, before wiping ... read more

I had an early start that morning as I seemed to do every day on this trip. I packed up my gear then went down stairs to wait for my car to be delivered at 8am. Naturally the car company was late with delivery, but it was a cute little car none the less. I departed the hostel thinking, I knew the way out of town, but I must admit I was a bit nervous driving on African roads for the first time and this probably lead to me missing the turn off. I was on a one way road and couldn’t turn around so I took a road on the left that took me into a produce market area. I couldn’t find an exit so I wound down my window to ask directions of couple ... read more