We spent a good 5 and a 1/2 weeks in Delhi. To avoid boring you all to tears, I'll forego covering the entire duration of the stay in a blow by blow account. Instead, I have given below some of my thoughts on India as a whole and then some impressions of the amazing sights we visited in Delhi and Agra with lots of pics attached for your delectation. I'll cover Ladakh and Mumbai in separate posts. Thoughts on India: Often an impenetrable mystery and recurrently a galling curiosty, India can be a complete and monstrous enigma. Never have I been [View Full Entry]

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The honest truth is that as we made our descent and prepared for landing at Indira Ghandi International Airport, my heart made its own small descent into nagging self-doubt. The sprawling Delhi metropolis below was unnerving. And what lay ahead for us, working in the slum colonies, was altogether beyond any previous life experience. One guide book had said "nothing will fully prepare you for India". We were out on a limb with fingers, toes and eyes crossed that we'd rise to the daily challenges about to confront and confound us. It was a relief to find that the NGO that [View Full Entry]

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Seriously....what a place!! What an amaaaaaaazing, phenomenal and exciting place Hong Kong is!!! Bedazzled by its bright lights, zapped by its enlivening energy and staggered by the curious amalgam of cultures which Hong Kong gives home to, I tell you, this place was a real shot in the arm. The flight from Jo'burg to Hong Kong was a looooooong, cramp-inducing 14 hours. It was in fact probably the most deplorable and unsatisfactory flight of the trip so far. Miserly meagre leg room, bland offerings at inflight mealtime and a behind-the-times entertainment system were among my many compl [View Full Entry]

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I shed a farewell tear for Cape Town (I grew very fond of the place) and we headed on up the Garden Route. It's a beautiful part of the country. Much enjoyed by backpackers haling from all parts of the globe. We did it in true backpacker style - the Baz Bus! Fairly comfortable mini bus type vehicle full of studenty gap year-ers. And yes that did bring with it some 'mang-ey' types, unannounced vomiting at my feet (AND on my luggage), drivers nodding off at the wheel and luggage being strapped precariously with string to the roofs of vehicles. On [View Full Entry]

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So some of you will have received a postcard from me when I was in South Africa raving about shark diving. I have a confession. I didn't dive with Jaws. Now - don't go thinking I was too chicken. Time constraints made it quite impossible. I was gutted, obviously. Afford me your sympathies, please. Anyhoo, my thoughts on South Africa. Surprisingly more technicolour, vibrant and striving and far more enjoyable than I'd have ever imagined. Our first night was spent on the delightful banks of the Orange River - no match for ye bonnie banks of home, of course, but nice [View Full Entry]

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OK - so this is not strictly travel chat but...While overlanding through Africa, one of my favourite things was making full use of the speaker system on board our truck. To the great fortune of all those around me (mwah-ha-ha-ha!) I was able to hook up my ipod and play my fave happy tunes for all to hear. Here's just a taste. Barry White - You're The First, The Last, My Everything Bee Gees - You Win Again The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back Carly Simon - You're So Vain Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun James - [View Full Entry]

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Some might say that Swakopmund is more German than Germany. Birgit, my travelling friend from Bavaria, does not agree. Still, there is an incontrovertible German influence here in this old colonial town, evident in the architecture and place names. Sandwiched between desert and ocean, Swakopmund is Namibian's main seaside resort. No sooner had we arrived than we were hearing from a local tour rep of all the crazy activities you could get up to in Swakopmund. From sandboarding to skydiving, you name it, it's on offer here. I booked up for quadbiking the sand dunes. I had the most amazing [View Full Entry]

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I am convinced that Namibia must be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The landscape is epical: the notorious Skeleton Coast, the world's oldest desert, world class wildlife reserves, the world's second largest canyon, some of the world's highest sand dunes... A place diverse as it is beautiful. When I last blogged, I had just arrived in Windhoek, Namibia's capital. After so many nights in a tent, we had the luxury of a night's stay in hostel accomodation. YES - a PROPER bed! It meant so much to me I think I could have cried. Tenting is great fun [View Full Entry]

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It's been difficult getting internet access for any decent duration of time so sorry for the delay in blogging! I am a whole week behind now! Right, where did I get to last time? Well, I think I mentioned that we would be microlighting over Victoria Falls. If you don't know what microlighting is well you best go google it. I have no idea how such a basic contraption gets airborne. I must admit that I was really rather nervous. There was literally one seatbelt buckle round my waist holding me in. The whole craft is completely unenclosed and so you [View Full Entry]

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The Zambezi and the glorious Victoria Falls are just breath-taking. The Falls themselves are the largest curtain of water in the world and words don't describe just how beautiful they are. The whole area is magical. Everything is so green and lush. Butterflies are in an abundance and it feels altogether other-wordly. Think Rivendell! Getting here was easy enough. We took the bus from Lusaka to Livingstone. I was very pleased we had organised bus tickets the day before. The bus station was heaving and we certainly would not have got a seat without our advance booking. Journey time was around [View Full Entry]

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