Helen
I'm really hooked on travelling around and meeting peopleTibo
backpacking is my thing and I would like to team up with others
who are also funloving and interested in cultures as well
for a trip to Cuba, South Americas or so.
I've been to China (not on a slow boat..), Singapore, Hongkong, Mid-Americas,
Some Mid-East (Jordania, Syria), Australia & NZ but I'm keen to discover more adventures & cultures.
So join me, in spirit or by travelling with me !
Travel Blog Posts
March 21st 2012
Time is catching up; still 2 days before leaving SA… I feel torn between the wish of extending my stay but the necessity of returning to NL. By now some readers have discovered my log hardly mentions Ton, well –sadly- this is for a reason. After 1 day of travelling I knew for sure something was quite off in his behaviour & demeanor. He lacks way too much in social and emotional skills, which turns out apparent to everybody with whom we meet. When confronted it turns out Ton is in therapy; the preliminary diagnosis is autism. His interest of SA boils down to elephants, elephants and more elephants… He never talks to people than pushed into it and seems to mimic every move I make. So I try not to be influenced more than necessary ... read more
March 20th 2012
Franschhoek: a town influenced by the French Hugonots (17th centrury) Neat white homes, wedged between mountains and lots of fields with grapes Our hostel is neatly tucked away outside the town; mainbuilding and kitchen with some lodges are separated by an orchard of … pears. Having done some washing (I like to wear white shorts) and behold, I’m turning around the corner and there sits Fred (see Georgetown), smoking in the shade. Yabba dabadoe, we have our second ritual of bearhug. So in the evening we share wine, lots of cigarettes (I’m running out of cigarillos) and laughter, Fred, his friend Jennifer and daughter Chelsea invite me for their ‘Braai’; accompanied by the proprietor with pretzels. In the morning we awaken with the sound of Jon & Vangelis’ 1492, good choice, especially since our dorm is ... read more
March 18th 2012
We cruise Addo Park and meet with Jeff & Alison (see chapter about Sani Pass/Lesotho) They had the same problem with Coffeebay but decided to sleep in their car. Next time we meet like this, the deal will be a free beer for the one who spots the others. A herd of elephants, a a blackrug jackhal, ostriches, zebras, kudu’s, are spotted before we leave Addo . Our backpackhostel beats every expectation.It is the equivalent of a private home: kitchen about 10 meters by 5m; living room of 8 by 6; patio; dormitory without guests but us; all for 228 rand (=22,80 euro) for the 2 of us. Leisure afternoon, pancakes as dinner since we got the ingredients from our French owner. We share the kitchen with 4 South African workers; They cook ‘pap’, ... read more
March 18th 2012
Saying goodbyes (with a foul rotten smell: one of the guys throws away the chicken which is way over the expiring date in the bin !) in particular Jeff & Alison ; Jeff is peevish about the 2 Germans, who shared an upperbunk: they had discovered the dispenser with free condoms apparently (HIV/AIDS is a problem in SA as well) & were practising some pelvic movements while Jeff lay in the lower bunk. We leave for Umtata, the birth region of Nelson Mandela; after 4 hrs we discover the museum is in renovation and the city is totally black with black people. We stick out like a sore thumb, so after a fast food snack we leave for Coffeebay, a coastal village. 80 k’s took us more than… 1 ½ hrs because of the potholes: we ... read more
March 15th 2012
It’s 05.30 hrs and all quiet (on the Eastern front in this case…), the sun is throwing its pink glow over the Drakensbergen; I decide to take the shower outside the building in my ‘Eve’s costume’ and admire the view; no risk of being spotted (I hope, ‘cause nowadays YouTube can be a nuisance…) since everybody is still dozing. The water contains no additions resulting in a soft, smooth skin. I secretly harvest some of these flowers for someone in the Netherlands (yes, I’m addressing you Geeke! After all these years I’m doing still Homework 4 you, hilarious) Birds are chirping merrily; with their nicely colored feathers they avoid my camera. 09.00hrs we leave with Ian Foster, our 2nd generation Afrikaner of British origin. His grandfather was stenographer for Winston Churchill, who was a reporter early ... read more
March 15th 2012
In a very quiet morningsun I sip my coffee & smoke a cigarillo (still 2 cases of 50 pcs left), while enjoying the garden/ bush view accompanied by chirping of exotic birds. An Ibis-like bird within hand reach is picking in the ground, a total bliss to walk barefoot around, T shirt and shorts after an freezing cold & rainy January/ February in the Netherlands This place with its temporarily inhabitants is total fun Driving to St Lucia, a coastal village at the Indian Ocean, takes us 1 ¼ hrs, so we visit a croc’s ‘farm’ , the waterfront with the boats for jetskying. A mainstreet with lots of hotels, restaurants and shops: kind of a posh village. Actually all too quiet after Dave’s place to my taste. Next day the UNESCO wetland park Isimangaliso: lots ... read more
March 15th 2012
A stiff 5 hours driving to Hluwahe in South Africa; we cross the border in a flash, no hassles whatsoever. We check in ‘Dave’s Place’, a small house with 7 rooms with view on a not-to- well- kept garden. Dave is an Africaner who likes his beer and a practical joker: in the patio we discover a huge basket with a lid… yep it’s like in Bluebeard, we could not resist to lift the lid et voila, a huge cobra! A second look shows this animal is stuffed. The temperature is another 35 degrees. I start writing for my weblog in my spacious room lazily on the twinbed, gazed at by a Gigantic wooden Giraffe in the corner . In the afternoon a French girl, Aurore (26), has arrived: she is hiking from Tanzania & Namibia. ... read more
March 12th 2012
About 1100 k’s we have been driving in 5 days so far when we leave Kruger Park Crossing the mountainous border of Swaziland at Jeppes Reef , paid our dues (a mere 5 euro for 2 ), registered our camera’s, notebooks & iPad. The customs officer made a joke about him fetching a drink for us for money, which is a blatant attempt to ask for money, But we kept our heads cool and thanked him friendly while pointing to our bottles filled with water. He smiled (wow, what a row of nice white teeth!) and we smiled back (with smoke stained teeth I’m afraid…) We got almost dizzy of the steep mountain road, like a roller coster up and down. The Toyota has 6 drives instead of the customary 5 in Europe, so we try ... read more
March 7th 2012
From Sabie we drive to Blyde Canyon, a nice trip to a region were Dinosaur could have roaming. Lots of panorama’s into the valleys, truly a God’s View as one of the places is called , but unfortunately is infested by people who rob tourists of their credit cards, car keys, shoes, probably in inverse order…. Several nice names on our route: Sheba’s Breast is a 3 top mountain… How about: Graskop; Hazyview; Pelgrims’ rest as names for villages? Next stop is Kruger Park: simply amazing. We pass the gate after done the formalities and almost immediately stumble upon huge Elephants. Stepping out of the car is a no go area. In 4 days we managed to cover approximately 450 K’s at a speed of 20-50 k’s p.h. So do the maths… the lodges were simply ... read more
March 5th 2012
So the Tim & Ton Travel-Team finally left our dreary ,rainy small country Starting at 15.00 hrs on the 19th of February at Schiphol, Amsterdam to Heathrow, London While in Frankfurt and with Iberia airways the strikes are going on, we are blissfully unaware of this. Before entering the aircraft the guys of an ambulance carry away someone; stroke of (our) luck this happened before we took off! Oh brother, Heathrow turns out to be 1 non smoking zone, and while waiting I’m not too Happy without my so appreciated cigarillos (do NOT dare to laugh about this, especially Krystle !!). Killed time by spending my 1 pound from an earlier trip couple of years ago on a chocolate bar and noticing there is NO free wifi here…. Bummer. Arrival at Johannesburg at 07.00, 13 hrs ... read more
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