We arrived into Chiang Mai around mid day on Monday and caught our free transfer to Eagle Guest House 2. Not a bad place with private rooms, AC and ensuite bathroom for only 4 pounds 50 per night (about 9 dollars per night). Bit of a backpacker shock for mom but by the following day I think she felt a bit better about her very budget surroundings. The monsoon is following us now and we spent the first day sheltering from the brief downpours while enjoying the local cafes. Had lunch at The Wall owned by a Dutch/Thai couple whose club [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Singapore on the 10th July into the most beautiful airport we have seen in months! As we drove into town we appreciated the small things in life such as lines on the unbroken road, brand new Mercedes Benz taxis, toliet paper in the airport loos and Western fast food on every corner. Not that these things matter to us but it feels awhile since we have been in "civilization". Singapore is lovely and was quoted by mom today to be "the Asian country to visit if you aren't the kind of traveller that can handle real, poverty stricken, [View Full Entry]

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During our time in Pokhara we got much and little accomplished. After our 43 days of camping through Africa we agreed we deserved time to sleep in, sit in cafes all day and enjoy the beauty of air conditioning! Pokhara is a beautiful part of Nepal and although the lake was in full bloom while we were there it was still a relaxing spot after coming from Kathmandu where car horns fill the narrow streets from dawn to dusk. Also the risk of being run over on the streets is much reduced as the heaviest traffic you will encounter in Pokhara [View Full Entry]

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After a very long 24 hour journey from Cape Town, 3 flight changes and 7 hours in Abu Dhabi airport (very small) we arrived in Kathmandu Nepal. Relieved from being off the smelliest planes of our lives (evidently some cultures don't know how to flush airplane toliets) we headed through immigration. Got our visas on arrival which beats standing in the line at the Nepalese Embassy before we came. Headed outside to catch our transfer to the Kathmandu Guest House and were told by our pickup that "today is a very expensive day in Nepal" after which he asked us for [View Full Entry]

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Wrapping up our stay in Swakopmund we revisited our favourite German pub before heading south along the coast past Walvis Bay and headed for Sesriem and the dunes. We drove through some fantastic scenery before our lunch break next to a dry river bed. A very common scene in Namibia as the only rivers in the whole country that run year round are the Orange River on the border with South Africa and the river on the border with Angola to the north. On the way we stopped at Solitaire aptly named as it consists of one house, a lodge, a [View Full Entry]

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We arrived into Windhoek and were pleasantly suprised by how modern the city was. It was liked we stepped into Germany- surrounded by German architecture and cleanliness. We spent the night at the Cardboard Box- thankfully the rooms did not reflect the name of the place. Headed out for dinner that evening to Joe's Beer House. At the Joe's you can get platters of game meats to try. Zebra, kudu, ostrich, crocodile and chicken come all on the same stick and you can have a real taste of Africa. Needless to say I am not that food adventurous and stuck with [View Full Entry]

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After my daring jumps from the Vic Falls bridge we headed from Zambia into Botswana. The border of these two countries is the Zambezi River. This is the only border crossing in Africa where you can take pictures. We left Zambia and boarded a small ferry to cross the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers into Botswana. The two rivers converge at the crossing before heading for the gorge and Victoria Falls. We ended up leaving our truck on the other side as the ferries had a breakdown of service meaning it couldn't get across for a few hours. So with little money [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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We arrived safely in Nairobi early on Saturday morning. We had a transfer to our hotel from the airport which took about 30 minutes and took us straight through the industrial part of the city. The culture shock hit almost immediately as we saw many people walking to work along the road side. The downtown was quite nice with lovely parks and a memorial to Kenyatta the first president of Kenya. We then got to our hotel which was surrounded by a locked gate. A bit nerve racking! I did venture out on foot that night with others into the city [View Full Entry]

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