Blogs from Africa - page 21

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Africa » Morocco February 26th 2023

I always seem to start this blog at a time when something significant has happened! Sadly this time is the passing of two people I considered friends. it's a strange one, "friend" there seems to be a belief that this is linked to the time you have known someone for, to me it's someone with who I have made a bond with, this can be formed very quickly in some occasions, as has been proved on this trip already. So as I sit on our beach front camping spot watching the crashing waves I say a prayer for them as I know both of them loved life as much as I do but know the fragility of it is always close by. God bless their souls. This trip starts with an au revoir and a bientot ... read more
Tranquil Gardens of Rabat's Kasbar
Rabat medina
The fishing boats of El Jadida

Africa » South Africa February 23rd 2023

I chose the South Africa and Eswatini trip (offered by Explore) to satisfy my longing to go on safari again. My last safari was in mid-2018 (in Angola and Namibia), so I was overdue. The flight from Dubai to Johannesburg was uneventful, flying with Emirates in one of their A380-800 jets, which was a treat. The 8.5 hour flight was during the day but most people slept, which I found odd. I suppose that many passengers may have connected through Dubai from elsewhere. We landed in the late afternoon, immigration was easy but took a long time as we were behind a plane from Nairobi that had landed just before we did. I arrived a day before the start of the trip, so stayed over at a small hotel near the airport. No jetlag as the ... read more
20230223 African Stained Glass
20230223 Drive to Sungubala Drakensberg Mtns
20230223 Sungubala Eco Camp

Africa » Lesotho » Butha Buthe February 12th 2023

We are the only car passing through the border. It's ten-thirty and the log says we're the third vehicle through since they opened at eight. The Caledonspoort border crossing into Lesotho is very quiet and very laid back. For about an hour we'd been approaching Lesotho's mountains along a potholed South African road. Once across the border, the road quality doesn't really change but the scenery does. Gone are the endless vista of the African velt; we're into misty mountains, lush green valleys and roaring mountain rivers. There are small farms everywhere; a few huts, a few animals and some maize. We are staying at Maliba Lodge, deep in the Ts'ehlanyane National Park. The road to the lodge climbs and climbs, eventually turning to gravel and getting us to over 2000 metres high. At the lodge ... read more
Eland
Healer
Year one

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal February 8th 2023

Turtles have a tough start in life. First, they must break-out of their soft egg and then start digging - turtle eggs are buried deep in soft sand, as much as a metre down. Once the baby turtle makes it to the surface, it must use its flippers to move down the beach and into the sea, up to 100 metres away and only the moonlight reflecting on the waves to guide it. And, on the way, waiting predatory crabs must be avoided, baby turtles are their favourite snack. We're on Sodwana beach and the first of the baby turtles have already made it into the sea, leaving tiny flipper tracks across the sand. Dotted about on the sand are the less sucessful ones, exhausted or disorientated or both and about to become crab fodder. Not ... read more
Rescuing leatherbacks
Our cabin in the mountains
One of many waterfalls

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo February 5th 2023

We got to sleep in just a little more, until about 8 today, before having breakfast and checking out by 9am. So, no free time in the afternoon as was listed in our program, which meant I had to cancel plans with a colleague I had intended to meet up with. Well, we were kept just as busy today as the day before and I knew I would suffer at work on Monday... Egyptian Museum of Antiquities Our first stop and one of the trip highlights was the Egyptian Museum (for some reason, I always default to calling it the British Museum..... take from that what you will....). The new Grand Egyptian Museum is set to open in 2023, but has been delayed many times for various reasons.... so don't hold your breath. But we drove ... read more
Kushari - fried onions!
Mosque of Muhammed Ali
Sunset on the Nile

Africa » Cote d'Ivoire February 4th 2023

After hanging out in Istanbul for 10 days, it was off to the Ivory Coast for a 13-day trip booked with Explore. I’ve been to West Africa a couple of times previously but there a few countries between Guinea-Bissau and Ghana I have yet to see, hence my choice of the Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast - Wikipedia Culture of Ivory Coast - Wikipedia Flights to the Ivory Coast are not plentiful, but Turkish Airlines flies into Abidjan, with a service stop on the way in Cotonou, Benin. The flight wasn’t full to Cotonou so I was able to have a row to myself for the first six hours. The plane then filled up in Cotonou, so thankfully it was only an hour more to Abidjan, where I deplaned. The Ivory Coast has an online e-visa process ... read more
0122 On the drive to Bouake1
0122 On the drive to Bouake2
0122 On the drive to Bouake3

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo February 4th 2023

Despite my hectic workload, I kept my weekend trip to Cairo with my usual Trekkup group, partially swayed by that it seemed we had a free afternoon on Sunday at a nice hotel. Yeah, no. This did not happen. This was by far the most busy, packed weekend I think I have ever had. It was great, don't get me wrong, but my god (or as our guide Amina would say, "For God's sake"), I am still exhausted! We met up at the Sharjah airport, which I have not flown from since before Covid. Aside from the heavy traffic from Dubai, it is a cute building and pretty efficient. We took Air Arabia to Cairo and despite, leaving on time, we somehow landed 40 minutes late - I have no idea why. So, we landed at ... read more
The Pyramids!
Mom and I at the Sphinx
Outside the Great Pyramid

Africa » Swaziland » Big Bend February 1st 2023

What to do about the nyala? We don't want to frighten them, they are easily frightened, but we would like to get into our little rondavel hut. In Hlane Game Reserve animals take precedence over people; are we allowed to walk through a group of antelope with our luggage? While we ponder, they wander - luckily in the right direction opening a clear path to our front door. Hlane is a game reserve best known for rhino but there is plenty of other wildlife in this corner of Eswatini, a small country completely surrounded by South Africa; we used to call it Swaziland but the country recently reverted to its original, pre-colonial, name. We are in Hlane for two days and soon get used to sharing the lawns around the hut with nyala and colourful birds. ... read more
Mother and baby
Breakfast under the sausage tree
Our hut in the jungle

Africa » Madagascar » Fianarantsoa January 31st 2023

After months of planning, preparation and anticipation, it is very exciting to have arrived in Madagascar. I have traveled about 10,000km and from winter to summer. It was snowing gently when I locked my front door to begin the journey. My flight arrived almost an hour late into Antananarrivo as it had to be de-iced before take-off in a subzero Paris. I spending some time with The Madagascar Biodiversity Project at the Kianjavato Ahmason Field Station. Since I arrived, everyone I have met at MBP has been welcoming, friendly and helpful. I think it is very fitting that upon arrival volunteers are invited to plant a tree at KAFS. I was lucky enough to get planting two trees. Someone suggested they should be called Peter and Petera. Whilst we waited for his Deputy to arrive, myself ... read more
dragonfly
moonshot
1010017~2

Africa » Congo » North » Owando January 25th 2023

Ngaga Camp - Western Lowland Gorillas! My first safari camp, near Odzala Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo, was Ngaga Camp. This camp began as the prime research site of Magdalena (Magda) Bermejo, generally recognized as the leading researcher in the world in regard to Western Lowland Gorillas. She was there during my stay, along with numerous other researchers. There are approximately 17 gorilla groups in the area - 3 of them have been acclimated to some limited human contact. Several years ago I was fortunate to experience a trek to view the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda. They are relatively sedentary and very open to human presence. It was a life changing experience to be gently in the presence of these amazing creatures! By contrast, the Western Lowland Gorillas are quite active, on the ... read more
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