Leolady
Janette Eade Joined: January 4th 2009
Logged in: June 29th 2009
Logged in: June 29th 2009
Ross and I are leaving for South Africa on Tuesday, 20th January and will be home again on Friday, 20th February. During our trip we will be going to our niece, Jaimee's wedding in Cape Town, chilling out in the Cotswolds (England) and embarking on a Nile River cruise. Can't wait!
Depending on access to the internet I hope to be able to post some photos of our trip along the way and look forward to your comments as well.
The two maps below show: 1. where we have been and are going and 2. Our travel route (satellite view is best.)
P.S. Even though the first map below looks as though we have been everywhere in the US, Canada and Great Britain etc., we haven't, but when you select them it colours the whole country as you can't just pick a certain town or city.
Looking forward to sharing our travels with you and hearing from you soon,
Cheers,
Jan
Travel Blog Posts
Squirrel on the roof next door
7/02/09 - Today it was not snowing so we ventured out to Cirencester, which is a fairly big town in the Cotswolds. After a walk around we had a warming hot chocolate and then drove to Stowe-on-the-Wold where we had lunch in a cosy little pub. We had been to Stowe-on-the-Wold previously, but never before in the snow, which gave it quite a different appearance. 8/02/09 - Although there was some snow around today we decided to explore some more nearby villages. We drove to Broadway and had our usual hot chocolate in a lovely cafe, then to Stanton, a lesser-known Cotswolds town and Snowshill, where we had lunch in a pub full of locals and their dogs. After lunch we drove to The Slaughters (Upper and Lower), but by this time it was starting to ... read more
Our owl on the 5th after heavy snow
5/02/09 - It had snowed overnight and was still snowing off and on today, so we decided to just walk around the town, which was charming, but cold. The schools were closed and we saw some children throwing snowballs and sliding on toboggans. We went to the Duke of Wellington Pub for lunch, which was very warm and cosy and Ross had a pie and I had a ploughman's lunch. I tried the internet again, but it was still closed. 6/02/09 - It snowed very heavily this morning and the owner came and cleared our doorway for us, which was very nice. We went out briefly and bought some more supplies and then went home to lunch with tomato soup, baguettes and hot chocolate. We were very cosy in our little apartment. ... read more
Beautiful Boughton-on-the Water
4/02/09-We arrived at Heathrow Airport at about 8.30 am after a 12 hour flight. After a short bus ride we picked up our car, which was covered in ice, and headed off for the Cotswolds. Thanks to our GPS we drove into Boughton-on the-water two hours later. The scenery on the way and when we got there was just beautiful as everything was covered in snow. The river "Windrush" runs through this picturesque Cotswold village. The first thing we did was to go to a tourist information centre in the village. There we were told that it was the first time in 25 years that it had snowed in the Cotswolds. We were also given some information on a great place to stay which we looked over whilst having hot chocolates and cake in a lovely ... read more
View of skyways (distance)
3/02/09 - Tonight we were to fly to England, but there had been reports that the snow had closed some runways at Heathrow, so we made a call to the airport in the morning. Luckily, there had been no snow overnight, so the flight was still scheduled. We weren't flying out until the night, so we decided to visit Table Mountain today. We drove to Table Mountain National Park and took the skyway to the top. It was a very impressive skyway, which revolved as we ascended, so that we had 360 degree views. We were really lucky that it was a clear day and it was just lovely on top of the mountain with lots of walking tracks and plenty of information about the mountain and its surroundings. It was a bit chilly,but thre was ... read more
Leaving the wharf
2/02/09 - Today we went to the Victoria and Albert Wharf and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent much of his life as a political prisoner. After catching the ferry from the V&A Wharf we arrived at Robben Island for a short bus tour, followed by another tour through the jail conducted by an ex-prisoner. It was extremely difficult for the black prisoners as they were even given less rations than the whites. They were not allowed to communicate or get together, but found ways by sending messages in tennis balls and held secret meetings in the limestone caves at times. Here they learned things from each other and it became known as their university. After returning to the wharf we had an enjoyable lunch and looked around for a while before walking back to our ... read more
View from Tradouw Pass
1/02/09 - This morning we travelled to Cape Agulhas via Tradouw Pass, Barrydale and Bredasdorp. There is a lighthouse there where we had a delicious lunch and Ross climbed to the top. A short drive and walk from the lighthouse is the most southern tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. From there we drove back to Cape Town and ended up booking into the same hotel as before, but on a much higher floor, so the views of Table Mountain were closer.... read more
On the way to Steytlerville
30/01/09 (cont.) - After the last Addo safari we began our trek back to Cape Town via a different route. We had lunch at a very small town called Steytlerville and stayed the night at a lovely guesthouse in Willowmore. 31/01/09 - The next day we headed off towards the mountains via a quaint little town called De Rust. After lunch we drove to the Cango Caves via Outdshoorn. They were fascinating and reminded us of Jenolan Caves. We stayed at a town called Calitzdorp that night.... read more
Lion (very close)
30/01/09 - This morning we went on another safari at Addo. We saw a lot more animals than the previous night with the first being a pride of lions right next to the road. We were parked so close to one of the males that a fellow passengers remarked that one leap and he would reach the jeep. However, the ranger answered that he had no reason to as they were all used to cars and people, were well-fed and the male was more interested in one of the females anyway. We stayed there for about 5 minutes, then moved on and saw other animals as you can see in the pictures, but the final highlight was getting up close and personal to a herd of elephants. They walked all around us and our ranger remarked ... read more
Addo Elephant House
29/01/09 - Today we drove to Addo Elephant Park via Pt. Elizabeth. We had booked a few days earlier and were hoping to stay in the actual park where you can observe the animals from cabins near waterholes, but unfortunately it was all booked out. So we booked the Elephant House which was about 10 minutes away from the park. This was a beautiful, old English style hotel. Sunset Safari That evening we went on a fabulous sunset safari at Addo Elephant Park. Below are some of the animals we saw and the spot where we were able to leave the jeep to drink wine and beer while admiring the beautiful sunset. That night, after the sunset safari, we had dinner at the Elephant House. As we sat in the beautiful outdoor dining room, listening to ... read more
Cat at Jeffrey's Bay
28/01/09 (cont.) - After Monkey Land we drove on and spent the night at Jeffrey's Bay in a nice little place right on the water (though we didn't have a water view). The great thing about this place was that a cat lived there who was not allowed in the owner's unit as she had two dogs, so after I patted it, it decided to sleep with us.... read more
Places we are going to soon 
Places we have been 
