Geo: -37.8143, 144.963... read more

Geo: -20.2554, 57.5517Upon returning to Mauritius we were once again surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches and azure seas. We could watch and listen as the waves gently rolled in over the distant reefs. The skies were sunny and blue and the balmy evenings were a pleasant change from the chill of the autumn nights in Southern and Central Africa. We were amused by the friendly locals, their warm smiles and their easy going nature.Having driven around some of the island we found it to be a little larger than we first anticipated. The coastline that we saw was mostly undulating so that the majority of it appeared suitable for residential dwellings. Many homes, guest houses, hotels and resorts had their own private beaches. The interior was a mix of sugar cane fields and high craggy ... read more

Geo: -19.9964, 23.4168We were up before sunrise the next day for our short but early flight to Maun. Although it was an international flight we were a little surprised to find ourselves on a sixteen seater twin propeller plane with the co pilot handing our meal to us as we boarded up the stairs. Obviously no cocktails would be served on this flight! The advantage was however that we flew at a lower altitude and could easily see the ground below and watch as the landscape changed from desert to delta. The town of Maun was about the same size as Mareeba. Mostly consisting of shops, banks, travel agents and a handful of restaurants. With the odd donkey and chicken wandering around it appeared a lot less westernised than any of the towns in Namibia. Once ... read more

Geo: -30.5595, 22.9375Had a bit of a look around Cape Town. Visited the botanic gardens and wandered through the collections of proteas, fynbos, cycads and succulens dwarfed beneath the majestic Table Mountain. Took in the atmosphere of the V&A waterfront. Must be the world's largest of its kind. An amazing array of shops, restaurants, street entertainers, markets and marinas. The sun finally came out and warmed us as we strolled around. Also took a short drive out to the Stellenbosch winery area to see a bit of the countryside. An interesting mix of the haves and the have nots, mansions on one side of the road and tin shacks on the other. Landscapes of gum trees and dry grasses, reminding us of country Victoria, dotted with English style terrace housing. As Andrew said "Africa doesn't look ... read more

Geo: 22.33, 114.18Our journey home was via a three day stopover in Hong Kong. We arrived at the airport from a 12 hour overnight flight, which followed an energetic day in Barcelona finding the GP circuit and working out the best way to watch the free practice. We were greeted with the news that Andrew's bag had not made it. Very bad timing since what we wanted so desperatley, apart from sleep, was to shower and change our clothes. So my first mission after doing that at our hotel was to go out and buy Andrew a new set of clothes, after very little sleep in a strange country. Turned out to be relatively easy considering the circumstances and we actually managed to enjoy a very nice meal in a nearby restaurant before catching up on ... read more