http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Travel Rob/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Travel Rob en-us Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:30:25 UTC Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:30:25 UTC Sunday dawned bright and clear and I crawled out of bed far earlier than Irsquod have liked. Nominally a day of rest some jobs still need to be done and today I had agreed to drive our new cheetah keeper Kate on the rounds of all our pens checking for damage to the fences.From the office itrsquos 24 km to the big enclosure on our neighbouring farm of Bellebenno and the road wends its w http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Namibia/Waterberg/blog-318797.html I'm afraid that this isn't really one of my usual entries but just a real quick update about where I am and what I'm up to. First off an apology the email address I had set up with travelblog has been having problems for the last few months so I haven't got any recent messages. I've set up a new one now so future communications should get through.I've just had a short holiday 18 days in the http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Namibia/Windhoek/blog-301864.html Irsquove spent the last six weeks volunteering for the Cheetah Conservation Fund CCF in Namibia. Irsquove had a fantastic time so far and the best part is that Irsquoll be here for six more weeks as well.CCF was founded in 1990 by American born Dr Laurie Marker and in the decades since has made one of the greatest single contributions to the future survival of the wild cheetah population http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Namibia/Waterberg/blog-276619.html Gaborone is an odd city. It was built from scratch as a capital but despite itrsquos modern origins it seems to have sprung up with little forethought or planning. The land area that it covers is vast and long taxi or combi rides are needed to get anywhere. Much of the population live in the widely dispersed suburbs now organised into numbered lsquoblocksrsquo some of which are themse http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Botswana/South-East/Gaborone/blog-256643.html As I've mentioned in previous entries I've stayed in pretty much every type of accomodation there is to be found during my African travels. I've lived in converted stables family homes mud huts luxery lodges hotels plus most things in between. During that time I've met a great many of my fellow travellers and it really is amazing what a melting pot Africa is these days.Almost uniformly h http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Botswana/South-East/Gaborone/blog-254324.html I arrived in Maun on February 26th with the intention of staying four or five nights. Eight days later I finally dragged myself away with great reluctance to continue my journey south. If it were not for the fact that I have to be in Gaborone by Friday I'd certainly have stayed longer.In Maun I found a true home from home in the shape of the Old Bridge Backpackers. In four years of travels throug http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Botswana/North-West/Maun/blog-253333.html Early on Wednesday morning a small group set out from the wonderful Old Bridge Backpackers in Maun Botswana. We were bound for the Okavango Delta the world's largest inland delta. The Okavango River empties not into the sea but instead into the Kalahari desert and is home to an amazing collection of wildlife including over 400 species of birds.We took a highspeed motor lauch to the edge of t http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Botswana/North-West/Maun/blog-251318.html This morning I walked over the border from Zimbabwe to Botswana and then caught a local bus into Kasane. Over the river I can see Namibia but it will be weeks yet before I set foot there.I flew into Johannesburg last Tuesday and stayed overnight at my favourite local hostel Shoestrings. It's located close to the airport in an area safe enough to walk about in and the owners offer free picku http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Zimbabwe/Victoria-Falls/blog-249926.html I spent the day wondering around Central Nairobi and am safely back in my hotel with no harm done. It can be done but there is no doubt you have to be wary. Anyone spontaneously wanting to talk to you is after money and there are some streets to stay well clear of although those east of Moi Avenue seem to be generally safer. I'm staying in the aptly named Comfort Hotel. It is pleasant with http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-223794.html Kisumu rests on the shore of Lake Victoria the largest freshwater lake in Africa. Once called Port Florence after the wife of the chief engineer that completed the railway from the coast it is now a bustling friendly town.Men or women locals or foreigners can walk in perfect safety day or night here. The only hazard is the potholes mostly in the pavements where surface slabs have colla http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Kenya/Nyanza-Province/Kisumu/blog-223185.html My last day in the Mara started with an early morning game drive supposedly to catch the predators still out hunting. The Maasai guards and cooks at the camp helped push start the landrover since no garage had been open when we got back last night and we were off.Still no leopards or cheetah but we did see a group of Spotted Hyena The Mara population contains animals much larger than anywhe http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Masai-Mara-NP/blog-222535.html I had a fantastic time in the Mara with a small safari company that shall remain nameless. The journey home however took rather longer than planned...The second day started late due to a change of vehicle but I'd been well fortified by breakfast in a neighbouring camp. Unfortunately until the new vehicle arrived we were lacking somewhat in supplies but it did give me the chance to meet some n http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Kenya/Rift-Valley-Province/Masai-Mara-NP/blog-222316.html Two years ago I didn't believe that the traffic in Nairobi could get worse but how wrong could I be. We crawled along from the airport past broken down lorries and wrecked cars through muddy streets flanked by muddier verges that only rarely sported actual curbs. Overhead the sky was gray and murky and somewhere in between Nairobi's giant 'pigeons' with their huge 56ft wingspans lurked whil http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-219609.html