Page 4 of Avila Travel Blog Posts


Africa » Namibia June 9th 2010

June 9th With the memory of cheetahs on my mind I rolled out of my tent and got the day started. The eleven of us were looking forward to the coast but before we would reach there we had a bush camp night in Namibia to fulfill. Basically a bush camp is when we find a spot off the road and setup our tents and kitchen there, without the facilities of showers or toilets. We were in for a treat if the last two bush camps were anything to go by. Farron appointed me to be “tour guide” for the day, an honor I thoroughly enjoyed. Basically all I did was explain to the group where we would be going, when we would get there, what facilities would be available and how long we would be ... read more
2-Lunch time spot
3-Pretty great impromptu spot
4-Lunchtime macro

Africa » Namibia » Cheetah Park June 8th 2010

June 8th I was feeling a lot better in the morning after waking up at the Okaukuejo Campsite, well enough to eat a good healthy breakfast of pineapple and pancakes. After finding out that I’m not too bad at flipping pancakes, a few of us headed down to the waterhole to see what was happening there at the break of dawn. There were some zebras having their morning breakfast and we watched them for a bit before jumping in the truck and heading south. We drove to Outjo, Namibia to spend a couple hours on the internet before going to the supermarket to pickup groceries for dinner that night. It was at the internet café that one of my biggest fears of traveling became reality. I read an email from my mother that my Aunt Anne ... read more
2-Getting closer to the hole
3-The Okaukuejo Waterhole in the morning
4-Zebras enjoying a morning bath and drink

Africa » Namibia » Etosha National Park June 7th 2010

June 7th I woke up stiff as a plank of wood, I hadn’t slept on two sleeping mats as I typically do, and the roof of the truck is as hard as metal…weird eh? Since we woke up so early we didn’t have much of a breakfast at the camp but rather just tea. Being the awesome driver that Farron is, he had made some sandwiches for us to munch on while we entered the park. Before we knew it we had entered Etosha National Park and began searching for game life. Right away we had giraffes grazing next to the side of the road, a stones throw away from the windows of the truck. That really was child’s play because once we got to the watering hole about an hour into the drive we were ... read more
2-The gang waking up
3-Entering Etosha National Park
4-Sunrise in Etosha NP

Africa » Namibia » Rundu June 6th 2010

June 6th I woke up promptly in the morning and got my things packed away in the truck while the kettle was on and the bread was toasting. After speaking with the reception of the campsite I had been informed that if we were to get within 20 meters of the Angolan side of the river then we would be forced to go over to that country, and be arrested. “What if we don’t go over to the Angolan side after they call us over?” I asked. “Then you’ll be shot”, she replied. Sooo my decision was made, and my 32nd would have to be South Africa, and not Angola. The receptionist also mentioned how ill-mannered the Angolans are, especially towards Namibians. I don’t know all the ins and outs of the history between the two ... read more
2-Ready to roll!
3-Canoeing between Namibia and Angola
4-Luke and I in the canoe

Africa » Namibia » Rundu June 5th 2010

June 5th Our typical morning routine culminated in bidding farewell to two great guys that we all had the pleasure to meet and spend five weeks with, Justin and Cameron were to fly to Johannesburg, South Africa. It was sad to see them leave but that’s the way the cookie crumbles and it was nice to have met them and create a couple good friendships. Hopefully we’ll cross paths again, there is a probable chance Justin and I will rendezvous at some point in South Africa. After saying our goodbyes the remaining eleven of us (Farron, Wendy, Nicio, Luke, Hayley, David, Kelly, Paul, Bridget, Dafydd, and I) jumped in the truck and headed for Namibia. It was going to be a long day in the truck and on the road so I kept Farron company in ... read more
2-Preparing to leave Sitatunga Camp, outside Maun, Botswana
3-Wendy looking forward to the next country, Namibia
4-Sittin in the cab, the road ahead rom MacBook

Africa » Botswana » North-West » Okavango Delta June 2nd 2010

June 2nd Just a bit more than a week before the World Cup starts, let the banter and teasing begin! Having a couple English on the trip now makes it a bit more of a competitive atmosphere in the truck which is a good laugh. That morning we woke up with the roosters and packed all our things on a truck that came to pick us and others up. Next we were packed like sardines into the truck and shipped off to the Okavango Delta to begin our camping adventure. It was about an hour and a half to the delta but it went by fast, albeit cold in the Botswanan morning. We arrived to see our transportation lined up on the river. Mokoros would be our mode of travel for the next couple days. They ... read more
2-On our way to the Okavango Delta
3-Landscape en route
4-Modest homes, no need for a huge house

Africa » Botswana » North-West » Chobe National Park May 31st 2010

May 31st The temperatures are dropping each morning we head south, and this particular morning was one of the first that I actually noticed and heeded to the cold. It was also this morning that we had seven new faces added to the trip to Cape Town. There were three couples joining us down, firstly is Bridget and Paul, she’s from South Africa and he’s from New Zealand. They have a friend traveling with them and he is half English and half Welsh, hence the name Dafydd, pronounced Davith. Another couple is David and Kelly, from South Africa and New Zealand, basically the reverse of the aforementioned couple! Then there is the all English couple, Luke and Hayley. The new group was formed that morning while the Southbound Six drank tea and chatted amongst them. We ... read more
2-Carlos and Mitch
3-Gang ready to roll to Botswana
4-The road ahead

Africa » Zambia » Livingstone May 29th 2010

May 29th and 30th Everyone was a bit lethargic in the morning, probably something to do with the cheap booze that they had served us on the sunset cruise the night before. I had stopped drinking after JollyBoys so it had to have been the cheap rum! We all had different ideas on how to spend our day in Livingstone, some of us wanted to go back down to the falls, some of us wanted to microlight, and some of us just wanted to enjoy our day around the pool. One thing that was for sure was that the truck needed to be cleaned before the other passengers began their trip to Cape Town. The six of us got that done in a very team driven exercise and then came up with a plan for the ... read more
2-Food a cooking
3-Food for the party cooking
4-The party in full swing after dinner

Africa » Zambia » Livingstone May 28th 2010

May 28th Victoria Falls, otherwise known to the locals as Mosi-o-Tunya, or translated as “The Smoke that Thunders” is one of the waterfalls with the most water volume in the world. If you get a chance, look up some of the pictures with a Google Image search, and see what it looks like from a birds eye view. To say it’s impressive is a huge understatement. All of us had decided the previous day what activities we were going to do, after watching a informational DVD at Grubby’s Grotto. There are a ton of activities to choose from, bungee jumping, zip lining, gorge swinging, river rafting (Not possible because the water is too high), micro flights, helicopter rides, rhino and lion walks, the list goes on and on. Nicio, Justin and I decided on doing the ... read more
2-The Grotto
3-On our way to the falls
4-One for the crew back in Su Fu!

Africa » Zambia » Livingstone May 27th 2010

May 27th It was going to be a long day in the truck if we were to make it to Livingston by 5pm, so we all woke up around 7am to get our tents packed up and have breakfast. I actually woke up on time and was wiping the sleep from my eyes when Justin decided to give my tent an earthquake. Not the most pleasant of morning wake ups. We jumped in the truck and headed south towards Livingstone. Across the Zambian flat lands we cruised. We whizzed by village after village listening to our favorite music and reading our novels, some of us (Maya) even managed to make necklaces while pot holes took their toll on the truck! We stopped at a couple villages and towns to pick up snacks or use the bathroom ... read more
2-Two African Trails, one going south, the other north
3-Awesome little dog, there were four of these runnin around
4-Sugar Cane vendors




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