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Luckily we quickly found a truck complete with a great bunch of guys to take us from Cape Town up through Namibia, we decided to do things in style and armed with our pillows, duvet and large box of fine SA wine we set off....After shivering in Cape Town (see its not all beach weather you know!)we soon got to baking hot, barren and empty Namibia which really was like being on another planet. Our first major place was a the huge Fish River Canyon where after a stroll around we tucked into fine food and mugs of sherry!
We ended up staying in the town where Brad and Angelina where having their baby, but we were disappointed that they didnt accept our offer of afternoon tea - some people hey?
As we ventured north, out of nowhere, the land was suddenly filled with vast red dunes and looked like a picture from Mars - amazing, or at least it was amazing until Gilly and I set off sandboarding causing carnage!
As we entered the Tropics (and saw the inevitable sign) the desert gave way to the odd tree and bush and long grass, we started to catch
glimpses of wild antelope and jackals - this was the Africa we had come to see. We entered Etosha National Park and crossed everything in the hope of seeing all the animals we had dreamed of (mostly from the Lion King). Our first day started with rumours that a lion had been heard near our campsite, so we quickly set off on a lion hunt (without the killing part of course). However after 40 minutes and not seeing any animals we started to wonder if these safaris are all they are cracked up to be?
Anyway sure enough round the next corner we caught sight of our first animals, 2 delightful zebras - so common they are the MacDonalds of the Safari - still we were impressed. At each corner we saw the ungainly but still majestic giraffe with its amusing long eye lashes!! Our first day ended by catching the rear end of a couple of elephants. Undetered, the next morning we set off extra early and just out of the campsite Gilly spotted a Black Rhino which we were close to running over - wow what a start! Next up, a huge elephant blocked our path which
really did take our breathe away. After that it was a bit like falling dominos, we stumbled across a sleeping lion which made my dream come true. However things got even better. Our guide somehow spotted a hidden leopard in a tree chomping on its kill - a springbok! And to finish it off we then came across a cheetah and its 3 cubs, the cheetah is so few and far between our guides hadn't even seen one before!
With the Big 5 quickly ticked off ;o) we ventured into another National Park to see 1st hand Botswana's answer to the art of punting! This was all rather sedate until we came across a whopping great hip, the game "The hungry Hippo's" is a true representation of how these creatures eat. They really do chomp!
Our final stop on the tour was Victoria Falls which was....well, very wet and all rather bizarre but really spectacular!! Chickened out on bungy jumping but the thought of throwing oneself of a 100metre high bridge has never really appealed!
With our imminent arrival back in the UK we dashed across Africa to the east coast where the Island of Zanzibar awaited
us. Sun, turquoise sea and white sand what more could we ask for? An array of wildlife greeted us at Kendwa beach including a scorpion in our room, a snake at the bar, and the now infamous blister beetle which really does cause blisters!
Our days were spent swimming, playing volley ball and we managed to introduce the game of ultimate Frisbee to the locals, who were the friendliest bunch ever. To be init to winit we had Peter the Masai who in traditional attire told us his woeful story about how he was on a beach rather than in the jungle. In his tribe to marry a girl you have to hunt and kill a lion to show you are brave and worthy. Peter decided he was too scared so instead he ran away to the beach to live his days in safety. He keeps up to date with Masai goings on by listening to “Masai hour” on the radio once a week.
Baraka was another local who captured our hearts with his loveliness. In return we taught him about The A Team, re-named him B A Barakas and left him doing impressions of him such as
“I ain’t going on no plane.” May Mr T’s spirit stay alive in Zanzibar forever.
It’s unbelievable that we are to return to the UK after 7 months of fantastic travel. Would we do it again? YES! Are we going to do it again? NOT FOR A WHILE!
So the good news for all of you at home is that you have the pleasure of our company for who knows how long.
A big thank you to all our followers who have read, (hopefully laughed) and supported us throughout the trip. I’d like to say we couldn’t have done it without you…. but it was fantastic receiving emails and messages from you all.
Adeiu.
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