pnltravels

Our destination that first night back in South Africa was Augrabies Falls National Park, a three-hour drive from Upington. En route we stopped at a winery / distillery and sampled some lovely wine and even lovelier brandy and liqueurs. The north west is a very dry and barren area, but the inventive South Africans have worked around the conditions and produce some fabulous wines, grapes, raisins, fruit and nuts from this land. We reached Augrabies and didn't expect much more than a waterfall in a dry, dusty area, but instead found a little oasis in the desert and enjoyed it so much, we stayed an extra night. The waterfalls are amazing, but the whole ecosystem of the park is fascinating as you pass through the relative lushness of the river valley to the dry, arid desert. ... read more

**WARNING** Long Blog Entry - please get comfy before reading ... We headed to Windhoek on a Sunday and ended up staying at the Cardboard Box Backpackers (it was within walking distance from the minibus taxi stand) and set up our tent on the driest piece of sand we could find. We must say, in all the photos of Namibia that you see, it looks like the whole country is a barren desert land. It has been an exceptionally wet year this year, but still, we couldn't get over the green vegetation and the amount of rain we were experiencing. The best part of the Cardboard Box was Kathleen the receptionist who checked us in. She has the most beautiful smile and her charming, fun personality made us feel at home immediately. Windhoek is a lovely ... read more

We arrived into Livingstone in the afternoon, on a hot, bright and sunny Sunday. We were delighted to find our accommodation close to the bus stop - always a bonus! We stayed at Jolly Boys Backpackers, where many a traveller stops for a visit to Victoria Falls. Since the price of a dorm was quite a bit more than camping, we decided to break out the new purchase (might as well right??) and found a shady little spot for our new home. Jolly Boys offers a free lift to the Falls everyday, so we signed up for Monday's transfer and decided to go and explore the town. As usual, all was pretty quiet on a Sunday, we were hoping that ShopRite would be open so we could make full use of the kitchen at Jolly Boys ... read more

We were only going to stay a few days in Shanzu before leaving Kenya - but it got extended as usual, as we relaxed into life at Melrose Place again! We took Jan and Faridah bowling before we left and Joel and Shi joined us. We had a great evening out with plenty of goofy photos and hearty laughter. We got home quite late, so it was a good thing we weren't leaving on the 6am bus the next day, but the day after. It was hard to say good-bye to Jan and Faridah and the pool at Melrose Place, but it was time for us to move on and Tanzania was waiting. Moshi is the starting point for Mount Kilimanjaro treks, and although we would not be climbing Kili, we did want to at least ... read more

Wow! What can I say? The Masai Mara ... the fabulous, awesome, amazing, wonderful Masai Mara. The pictures will say more than any words can, but I must say that although we have done different safaris already, nothing quite compares with the landscape and the animals of the Masai Mara. It is the open savannah grasslands that stretch for as far as the eye can see. We all have seen this in nature programs or National Geographic magazines, but there is something truly special about experiencing it, smelling it, hearing it and seeing it with your own eyes. Amazing. We arrived into Nairobi early in the day, full of apprehension that was completely unfounded. In fact, we couldn't find a taxi to save our lives and ended up walking to our hotel, which was probably faster ... read more