tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89209764799047878302024-03-13T03:11:31.064-07:00South Africa 2014Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-1310587189555923222014-11-28T15:49:00.000-08:002014-12-12T08:52:18.844-08:00Okavango Delta<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: xx-small;">Here is an account of the further adventures of Jane's Journeyers who wound up in the middle of the Okavango delta for a further three nig</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">hts after our tearful parting at Chobe. Thanks to Joe McAllister for the text and to Blanche Tait for the photos (except for the ones of Little Dave and the one with Blanche & Dermott in the mokoro, which came from Jane Deluzio). The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a </span>very<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> large inland delta formed where the Okavango River drains into the sands of the Kalahari basin. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Okavango Octet</td></tr>
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First rule of Gunn’s Camp: Watch out for Little David, the resident elephant, who, we have been told, has the tendency to run rampant through the camp.<span id="goog_272835609"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozJvSrU7IeyKStLeHjSNvFP0gGPkpaFGJIvzREhITZCQQTaXyeBEsU4vtHKhI4gceg6KLwaoj8NnB3TsX8vUJ_akMbwSch-oVxX2nvYVLYBE7mQupCxJ3bhF7O4JiaGybemgF2Opitj_g/s1600/Little+Dave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozJvSrU7IeyKStLeHjSNvFP0gGPkpaFGJIvzREhITZCQQTaXyeBEsU4vtHKhI4gceg6KLwaoj8NnB3TsX8vUJ_akMbwSch-oVxX2nvYVLYBE7mQupCxJ3bhF7O4JiaGybemgF2Opitj_g/s1600/Little+Dave.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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Second rule: Lock your tent when you leave. The baboons are smart enough to unzip the flap to get inside.</div>
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We were literally in the middle of nowhere. For all educators, “literally” is correct usage here. From Chobe we took two puddle-jumper planes west-southwest into the very middle of Africa. We needed two planes because each could accommodate no more than five passengers, one of whom had to sit in the co-pilot’s seat.</div>
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We passed over miles and miles of scrub brush only rarely intersected by roads. There were scores of animal trails and occasionally watering holes containing elephants or hippos. It was hard to tell from that height what they were.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No mistaking this fellow</td></tr>
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Finally we flew over a vast area of green swampland that is the Okavango delta. We came all this way to the other side of the world to see muskeg? As if we didn’t have enough of that at home in Canada.</div>
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At one small, dry, island there appeared a dirt airstrip where the pilots set down, stopping just short of running off the end of the runway. We collected our bags and took the short, three-minute walk to Gunn’s Camp where greeting staff sang a welcoming song.<br />
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Then came the introduction to the camp and warnings about Little David and the baboons. Our “rooms” were tents, albeit with a self-contained washroom, wood floor, and outdoor shower and tub. The tents were nicely appointed with king-size beds and lovely fresh white linen. There was a porch and reading room for each tent.<br />
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Our first excursion, like many to follow, involved taking a slow moving motorboat through the channels of the Okavango. Canadian muskeg this was not, with sightings of many exotic birds and a pool of ten or 12 hippos.<br />
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We saw the undertaker stork’s cousin the Saddlebilled stork with plumage like a costume hero and Spotted heron, Fish Eagles, Blacksmith Plovers, African Jacunas (Jesus bird because he looks like he is walking on water) Purple Herons, Woodland Kingfishers, African Darters, various colored Egrets, and Giant Eagle Owls.<br />
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“We need to make those birders jealous,” said a wryly vindictive Mary, recording yet another sighting.<br />
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There was no phone or wifi, nor clocks in our tents, which are separated from the bar and dining huts by a long wooden walkway to keep visitors above the rainy season flood. We arrived before the true rainy season, so below the walkways is a thatch of grasses, but the walkway did narrow at two points for an “elephant crossing.” A little staff humor no doubt.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Dave?</td></tr>
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At six a.m. each morning a line of women kitchen staff with trays carried on their head, wove its way over the walkway to the guest tents. At the door to each tent a serving staff quietly called “Knock, Knock” and delivered a tray of hot coffee. A light breakfast at 6:30 and onto the channels by seven.</div>
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On two mornings, breakfast was followed by being poled about in a mokoro through some of the smaller channels. Our guides Eustice and Edward avoided pointing out the crocodiles sunning on the sandbars, something they gleefully did when we were safely in a metal-bottomed motorboat.</div>
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Third Rule: Don’t trail your hand in the water. There are crocodiles, Curt.<br />
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A “mokoro” is a dugout canoe, flat bottomed and powered by a man standing in the rear pushing with a long pole. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZV2_vfx_loXquRmiKv6iKVdhILIqQjFtBqlC0PaQeC-ReXX4QZDtJ940gw8CAqzGqWz6y-ZniGP4lCdEbzPA6rN-uHmnyNHgoxpGY1Xaz5bzSfOCrTGJpGbBZw-OlD__abBtnqAGlvrk/s1600/Is+that+the+Shah+of+Mississauga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZV2_vfx_loXquRmiKv6iKVdhILIqQjFtBqlC0PaQeC-ReXX4QZDtJ940gw8CAqzGqWz6y-ZniGP4lCdEbzPA6rN-uHmnyNHgoxpGY1Xaz5bzSfOCrTGJpGbBZw-OlD__abBtnqAGlvrk/s1600/Is+that+the+Shah+of+Mississauga.jpg" height="335" width="400" /></a> a 20 minute poling looking at the flowers and birds through the delta at water level you arrived on a major island in the middle of the delta where we took a four km. walk through the woods. A mixture of giant owls and natural examples of substitutes for Kotex were pointed out to us. (The cotton wool plant, if you must know, a plant with a fluffy, absorbent top like milkweed weed.)</div>
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Then there was the fireball lily (first seen at Victoria Falls). The flower is ground up and fed to cows to increase their milk production. The stems are mixed with oil and ash and put in a pinhole incision in a mother's breast to increase her milk supply.</div>
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Wild basil is spread over corpses to keep the flies off during the wake after a death, since there is no embalming done.</div>
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Animals like lions and trackers rub themselves with wild sage to hide their scent from other animals as they hunt. It also act as an insect repellent.<br />
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Eustice and Edward were Bushmen and talked of how they learned about the plants and trees. Edward proudly pulled out his credentials. He was a fully qualified guide after a month’s course, but knew far more than could be learned in one month.</div>
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The hippo pool was empty when we arrived at the end of the walk. There were hippos without end on the three motorboat rides we took through the larger canals.<br />
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Rule Four: Don’t run over the submerged hippos in your motorboat.</div>
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One the first day, most of those with any intelligence went for a long siesta but some found out there was a gift shop at a nearby camp. They went shopping. </div>
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Upon arriving home they were greeted by Little Dave, who is really a large four or five legged elephant. (Figure out the five-legged reference for yourself. Blanche has pictures of course.) Little Dave was blocking the landing spot for the motorboat.</div>
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Little Dave stuck around for high tea while the staff cast nervous glances as the hulking animal stood just beside the dining hut with its outdoor grill.</div>
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On our last night, responding to our questions about culture and memories of the Boma restaurant, the kitchen staff put on an impromptu song and dance performance before supper. There were no costumes and nothing professional about it; the staff were still dressed in their working clothes, but there were some sweet voices and good footwork.</div>
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We worry sometimes about the racial divide and implications that arise from the blacks in each of the countries we visited frequently being in servant positions. We whites, including most of the guides and managers, were usually in superior positions.</div>
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But the all-black managers at Gunn’s assured us the staff enjoyed performing. The songs they sang and dances they did were traditional pieces which members of the dominant Tswana tribe might sing at weddings or other cultural events. Wikipedia says Botswana is a relatively free and democratic country with a good standard of living, fourth highest in Africa. “The citizens refer to themselves as Batswana (singular: Motswana).”</div>
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Supper was always a faux regal affair. The serving staff, in newly learned English announced the night’s meal to applause and laughs. Brazil always announced the dessert selection as the “Desert selection” in spite of himself. So the service was good if a little homespun as were the food and wines. Suffice to say The Test Kitchen has nothing to worry about.</div>
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After dinner and a few drinks at the self-serve bar upstairs, all guests were guided back over the boardwalk for an early night before the next 6 a.m. “Knock, knock” call.<br />
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Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-37279508779407857682014-11-24T09:15:00.000-08:002014-11-24T09:15:11.918-08:00Home again, Home again, Jiggety Jig!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Except when I go To Market, To Market I want to find Warthog, not Pig. Doesn't even have to be a fat one. If you ever see warthog ribs staring at you on a menu, do not pass them by!<br />
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The long journey home is behind us. The glow of this trip, the sights we've seen, the thrills we've felt, the experiences we've had, the people we've come to know, this is all mingling together in a most excellent combination. This travel journal will allow me to recall the events long years into the future, long after my conscious brain has forgotten them, (or at least forgotten the neural pathways to where the memories may be locked away).<br />
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For me there were many highlights. This short piece of video recording our first elephant encounter is definitely one of them: http://youtu.be/YApVsActRgI. I had to post it onYouTube & hopefully this link works.<br />
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By now (Monday Nov 24) everyone will be home? Joe? Blanche? Okavango? We all want to know.<br />
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<br />Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-63752971064965208072014-11-22T10:17:00.001-08:002014-11-22T10:17:20.334-08:00The elephant in the roomChobe is home to a population of 130,000 African Elephants and so far we had seen not a one. Yesterday, after a somewhat disappointing morning trek, our guide suggested that we combine our two Wednesday safaris into one longer one. A six hour trek would allow us to go deeper into the park where the guides thought the odds of seeing some elephants and also giraffes would be higher. This was to be our last day on safari and we all agreed to this change. Yes, we all knew it would mean even longer periods being hurled about the swaying, bouncing truck, but, it also meant we were more likely to be alone which had a lot of appeal after all the traffic along the river route. And if this safari increased our odds of seeing more wildlife, well, we couldn't say no. <br /><br />Thus we set off at 6am, provisioned with a bagged breakfast which we would consume about three hours later. We spent most of those three hours searching in vain for animals. Oh yes, Brian's sharp eyes detected a giraffe a couple of hundred meters in the bush. Good work Brian!<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/286.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_286.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Apparently there were two more close by but only some of us could see them. Most of Chobe Park is covered by Kalahari sands which seemed to resist compaction. As a result, in addition to bouncing up and down, we were also swaying back and forth as Tony negotiated the deep, wide ruts in the sand.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/287.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_287.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Finally, somewhere close to nine we stopped for a 'rest stop' then breakfast.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/289.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_289.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Just as we were finishing someone saw something a kilometre or so down the road. Out came some binoculars and it was determined to be a person. What's a person doing All alone in the middle of the bush? Then moments later, three armed men in camouflage stepped out of the bush right beside us. We were startled and then relieved to learn that these were soldiers on poacher patrol. On a previous bio break on the ladies' side of the road Jane and Bridgette had the feeling of being observed - by a giraffe it turned out. We have no idea how long the anti poaching group has been observing us, but they did emerge from the ladies side, and they did have big smiles on their faces. Ladies beware! There are eyes everywhere!<br /><br />Poaching is a serious issue here. There are no rhinos to be found in Chobe as a result of poachers. There is a shoot to kill policy in effect. Poaching is big business and you do not want to encounter anywhere close. Here we are, deep in the bush with our guide (and Brian) chatting with the good guys. Did they know something we didn't about this area? Finished breakfast, we climbed back aboard to continue our hunt. A few minutes later we turned off the firebreak pathway onto a smaller track. No sooner had we done so when more armed men simply materialized on both sides of the truck and motioned Tony to stop. The good guys again. Phew! Even so, they were making a careful check of our Land Cruiser. I have a new appreciation for the camouflage uniforms. They look so obvious when you see a soldier dressed in them in an urban setting. But these guys, only meters away were completely invisible until they popped up, weapons in clear view.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/290.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_290.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />These Sable Antelope were pretty curious about us too. Those horns can impale a charging lion and so, still a little rattled by being up close with armed soldiers, we were all smiles and pleasantries with the antelope as well.<br /><br />So, with less than two hours left and still not a hint of elephants Tony advised that it was time to turn back towards the river. And so we bounced along at a very brisk pace. I was at the back with Dave and Mary. After a couple of spine jarring compactions I found it best to hold on to the roll bar above my head and push down thereby making sure by butt and the seat never parted company. Poor Mary did not have that option and she was frequently launched. My arm was getting tired and so I would alternate this strategy with the trotting horse strategy using my legs once launched off the seat to try and time my descent back to the saddle, so to speak. This was not as effective, I found, but thankfully right around the time I was simply resigning myself to this punishment we came upon a smoother track, now back by the river. Right where we had been the previous morning only now it was really hot. We were happy to have shade over our heads, as do others as we happily discovered.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/291.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_291.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Finally we had come across these wonderful beasts huddling in the shade of a tree like stern-tied yachts at port (description courtesy Laurel). We watched this family unit for a while and then headed down to river to see if there were anymore there. Yes, there were, dozens, and we happily watched them lumbering into the water taking long drinks, then showers, then heading over to the mud pit to coat themselves with this coolant loved by all it seems.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/293.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_293.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/294.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_294.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/295.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_295.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/296.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_296.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Alas our time was up and so we had to start heading back to the lodge. We saw many more elephants along the route back to the park gate. We really wanted to drag our heels leaving. Then we realized that there was another kind of dragging going on.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/22/297.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/22/s_297.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Thus was our lust for elephants satisfied in a most extravagant manner. Shortly thereafter we said goodbye to the park delighted with the day's events. And it was only shortly after noon. After a leisurely lunch everyone found a way to relax and recover in preparation for dinner, our last one together as a group. <br /><br />As I write this entry relating Wednesday's events we have just departed Heathrow Friday afternoon for the long flight to Vancouver. I'm a bit tired right now and I still have a lot of thoughts I want to record so I think I will save these for another journal entry which I will try to finish tomorrow once home. There is also going to be an Okavango addendum which Joe has promised to relate to me and Blanche has promised to send a few photos. <br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chobe%20National%20Park,%20Wednesday%20Nov%2019&z=10'>Chobe National Park, Wednesday Nov 19</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-33622281972306610812014-11-21T00:55:00.001-08:002014-11-21T00:55:35.880-08:00Don feeds the Chobe River GodOn the afternoon of our second day here in Chobe (Tuesday Nov 18) Jane had scheduled a three hour river cruise rather than the land based safaris we had had so far. (Jane we love you for this!). This morning's safari was a bit short on wildlife but we did see the leopard included in my last post. However the afternoon cruise was spectacular, and I'm pretty sure the Chobe River God smiled upon us as a result of Don's sacrifice.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/53.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_53.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Now he's not praying in this photo, it's more of a 'Oh no, what have I done?' posture brought on as a result of having just seen his untethered camera launch from his sunscreen slippery fingers and over the bow and into the river. Were it not for this gift, I am sure we would not have seen the sights we did that afternoon: Hippos copulating, a crocodile defending it's eggs from an egg thieving Monitor Lizard, Maribou Storks, the ugliest of birds by the dozen and countless other birds, lizards and assorted wildlife.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/54.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_54.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />There were dozens of hippos on the island and in the water and it occurred to me that these were really happy hippos living in their natural habitat. It made me wonder a bit about the hippos living at Kapama, where there was no river nearby, only muddy water holes. Were they as happy? Hmm. Do hippos have emotions? Well, it sure looked like the guy in this photo was smiling;-)<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/55.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_55.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />We watched this croc for a while. Here she is laying directly on top of her nest, defending it from a lizard we saw circling about. It is the Monitor Lizard that keeps the crocodile population in check by stealing the eggs from the less vigilant.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/56.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_56.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />This one was 100 percent vigilance. I was startled at how quickly she could move, keeping a fellow like this at bay.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/57.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_57.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />A large group of Marabou Stork, one of the creatures on the 'Ugly Five' list, were gathering at a spot on the island and we watched a dozen or more glide in for very graceful landings to join the others. They are huge, a meter or more in height, and yes, they are ugly. Those old enough to remember the Spy vs Spy series will instantly recognize the artist's inspiration for the characters; the beak, the posture and the walking gate are all lifted from this scavenger.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/58.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_58.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The Cape Buffalo are renowned as the most dangerous of the 'Big Five' and it was explained to us that, unlike all the other animals, these beasts give no warning of attack. There are no false charges and they are very adept at using their fearsome horns to deadly effect. I think a guide told us that more people die on the horns of the Cape Buffalo than any of the other animals. During our safaris we saw several herds of maybe a hundred animals, but there can be thousands on the island at other times.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/59.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_59.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Anyway, we had a delightful three hours observing all the wildlife. It was a beautiful afternoon and I think everyone enjoyed the fact that rather than bouncing along in the modified Land Cruisers, we were cruising along the river banks able to get up and walk around. There was even a bar! (I think Don was the first to take advantage of this feature. After all his hands were free for almost the entire duration of the cruise). Yes, we were all happy campers as our craft approached our hotel, the late afternoon sun casting marvellous light on the shoreline.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/60.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_60.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/61.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_61.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Afloat%20on%20the%20Chobe%20River&z=10'>Afloat on the Chobe River</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-63746492566966251712014-11-21T00:54:00.001-08:002014-11-21T00:54:38.909-08:00Public vs PrivateAs I mentioned last posting, our first safari treks took place in a private game reserve. Here in Botswana they are in a huge national park. Pretty much the same animals to see, so what's the difference? Well, there are a lot of differences. Let's look from the perspective of we human visitors. In the private game reserve (PGR) there is only one tour operator. In the national park (NP) there are many. In the PGR the the guides cooperated. They also competed. Which tracker or guide was first to track and sight the elusive leopard? Which guide was responsible for discovering a new lion's den? Once discovered they would excitedly communicate the location to the other guides in the area. In the NP there are many tour companies. They certainly compete and we did not see much cooperation. <br /><br />In both the PGR & the NP the number of vehicles are controlled. In the PGR the guides deliberately space themselves out and as a result we were alone exploring and encountering the animals the great majority of the time. Only rarely did we encounter another vehicle and I think the most we saw at any one game sighting was four. In the NP the number of vehicles are also controlled, but there is a much higher volume of vehicles to begin with. Because there is no cooperation there is no attempt to space things out. As a result there seemed to be a lot of traffic on the roads as all the guides head for the well known and close in animal hang outs. There was a serious leopard jam we became snarled in. The road was blocked by all the vehicles jockeying for the best position to view the leopard. If you were there first, then the rest be damned. You didn't need to understand the language to know that the banter among the guides was not pleasant. Something like 'Get the f**k out of the way' was the voice intonation I think I detected.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/50.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_50.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />In the PGR the guides stuck to the roads the great majority of the time, but, on several occasions we plunged off-road pursuing something or other, allowing us to get very close to the animals to observe and photograph them. These chases were very exciting. In the NP going off-road was strictly verboten upon penalty of losing access to the park - not for us, for the tour operator - disaster! This stay on the road requirement not only helped create the traffic jams, it also meant that many sightings were far, far, away making observation &/or photography difficult without good binoculars and high powered telephoto lenses. Here is the cat responsible for the traffic jam. I needed maximum magnification to get this close.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/51.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_51.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />I like the shot because the leopard is up in the tree, but the quality of the image is low as a result of the extreme magnification. If I had used the same magnification for this leopard shot from our Kapama safari we would be able to examine his ear wax.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/21/52.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/21/s_52.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />In the PGR there were many, narrow roads cut more or less in a wide grid pattern. Thus once the tracker detected fresh tracks and determined the direction of travel, the driver and the tracker could utilize the grid system so determine if the animals had exited on one of the other sides of the grid. If not then they had narrowed the search to a relatively small area. If we were tracking a single leopard, the skill of the tracker mattered. This process, tracking the animal, was exciting in itself and when the sighting was finally made, wow! It was a real thrill. Even if it didn't end in a successful sighting it was still an interesting process to observe, as was the communication between guide and tracker.<br /><br />In the NP there is no such grid system and the was no tracker perched on a seat above the front bumper. If you couldn't see it from the road, you just drove on. The skill of the guide seemed to be about knowing where the different animals like to hang out at various times and during different conditions and then driving us there to have a look. I guess this is not too difficult in the dry season as all of the big animals hang out by the river. As was explained on our first trek in Chobe, the rains had begun and so the animals were moving deeper into the park as water became more accessible there. Now the guide's job becomes more difficult as the animals are no longer concentrated (sometimes by the thousands) close to the river. Not only that, he has to cover more distance as the animals can basically spread out more. In the PGR we spent most of our time crawling along at 5 - 10 km/hr or stopped for extended periods just observing. Sometimes we would speed along up to a thrilling 30 or 40 if called to a rare sighting some distance away. In the NP it seems we rarely slowed down from 30 - 40 and we frequently endured extended periods jouncing and bouncing along the roads. Woe to the three at the back as we would be launched from the seat by the frequent unexpected bumps. A bit like riding a horse that's trotting and receiving spine jarring impact as the saddle rises to meet your descending butt if you are out of sync with your mount.<br /><br />But enough! There were aspects of the Chobe National Park experience that were awesome and impossible to duplicate and our guide Tony was terrific. Maybe we were spoiled by our experiences and the comfort of the Kapama Private Game Reserve. Same animals yet as different as night and day.<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chobe%20National%20Park,%20Botswana&z=10'>Chobe National Park, Botswana</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-19117441535460275562014-11-19T06:01:00.001-08:002014-11-19T06:01:58.429-08:00Another day, another countryAfter a leisurely breakfast at our hotel <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/130.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_130.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />we departed Victoria Falls and drove for about an hour to the border crossing from Zimbabwe into Botswana for the final leg of our journey. (Final for most, but several in our group carry on to the Okavango Delta for yet more TIA adventure).<br /><br />En route to the border our guide filled the time by outlining many interesting TIA Zimbabwe tidbits. He paid ten cows for his wife. Nobody thought to ask if he has more than one wife. (Mind you, he did not say 'I paid ten cows for my first wife', just that he paid ten cows for his wife, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt). Most Botswanans still live in traditional huts (we haven't seen one). Most still live a rural life, subsistence farming. If you don't grow enough food, you starve as there are no social services to speak of. There are not enough schools for the children and so schools do split shifts. And so on. (I wasn't taking notes and I am writing this a couple of days later).<br /><br />After exiting Zimbabwe, we waved goodbye to our guide and then hello to a new one after a quick, friendly, visa-free entry into Botswana. (Thanks goodness our fearless leader restricted his UN comments to just one African nation).<br /><br />Our hotel, situated on the outskirts of the small town of Kasane is the closest community to the huge Chobe National Park, a game reserve of nearly 11,000 sq km.<br /><br />Our first safari was scheduled for 3:00 - 6:00 pm and we were all excited. Didn't matter that the thunder and lightning was crashing all around us and that the rain was coming down in buckets. Didn't matter that the sturdy lightning poles were swaying back and forth like they too wanted to dodge any lighting strikes. Yes, the rainy season has begun, but we were here to see animals and so off we went, weather be damned,<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/131.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_131.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />For a while the rain was sluicing off the canvas roof and Julie seemed to the chief beneficiary of this bounty, but Jane and Laurel were valiant in their rather soggy condition. Eventually the rain slackened then stopped and were we better able to focus on our trek.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/132.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_132.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The Chobe River runs along one side of the park, separating Botswana and Namibia and our first trek was along the river route.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/133.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_133.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The island on which these hippos are grazing disappears by March or April, but until then it becomes somewhat of a safe haven for thousands of animals, not to mention a source of that essential of life: water. However, our guide Tony noted now that the rainy season has begun many of the animals head deeper into the park where water again becomes accessible and so the more easily reached parts are now quieter. Hmmm.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/134.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_134.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The Impala were certainly plentiful.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/135.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_135.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The Kudu wondered what all the fuss was about.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/136.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_136.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Even the Jackals were confident of finding something to munch on.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/137.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_137.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Don't Baboons make lovely tree ornaments?<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/19/138.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/19/s_138.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /> They also seem to be doing their best to keep their numbers up.<br /><br />And so ended our first Chobe game drive. Needless to say, we were all comparing the Kapama experience to Chobe, and there are some striking differences, but I will save this for my next post. I should also note here that not only are the animals in this region large and abundant, so are the bugs. Exceedingly so. Getting smacked in the face by a dung beetle while riding down the road could probably break your cheekbone or chip a tooth if you were foolish enough to have your mouth open. The entry way to our room tonight was under siege by a hoard of ground termites looking to establish a nest. Have I told you about the cicadas or even the millipedes? No, but TIA so I'm sure you can imagine!<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chobe%20Safari%20Lodge,%20Kasane,%20Botswana&z=10'>Chobe Safari Lodge, Kasane, Botswana</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-33239888924661683582014-11-18T04:22:00.001-08:002014-11-18T04:22:14.950-08:00Stan's the manHistory records that Stanley Livingston was the first white man to behold these falls which he named after his Queen. Since then, countless more have visited and now we are among them.<br /><br />But first we had to get there, which meant flying from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls which is located in a different country, Zimbabwe. As a result we had the opportunity to feel the effects of Canadian foreign diplomacy first hand. I suppose this is a good thing since so often it seems the diplomatic efforts (or any other efforts for that matter) of most of our political leaders have little or no impact on our daily lives. (Brian, be calm). Apparently, not long ago our fearless leader made a few comments concerning Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe's fearless leader) at the UN. The result? Canadians entering the country now pay a $75.00 single entry fee. Americans pay $45.00 for a double entry fee. As it happens most of our group will exit Zimbabwe only to return to get to the airport. Another $75.00 entry fee is required for the hour or two we will be back in the country. Thanks Stevie. No doubt the comments made at the UN were well deserved but who knew a Zimbabwean despot could influence election outcomes in Canada?<br /><br />As our flight was late arriving and then directed to the slow immigration line at the airport, we simply dropped bags at the hotel and then rushed off to the falls. It was 4ish when we got there which was good because by then it was virtually empty of other tourists. This being the most popular destination in the country I was expecting crowds worse than that at the airport. We had the place virtually to ourselves which was wonderful. I'm afraid I've used up most of my superlatives already and regret that I didn't save at least a couple for this sight. It thrilled Livingstone as I'm sure it has every other person who has been here.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/110.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_110.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />It's impossible to photograph the entire falls in one frame as it is more than a kilometre wide. Have a peek at it on Google Earth. This is the Zambezi River plunging into a narrow gorge in a basalt plain formed eons ago. This being the end of the dry season, the volume of water was at it's lowest which is a good thing. When at it's peak all you see is the mist. There were several viewing points along a 3 km path system that allowed photos from different angles. It truly was an awe-inspiring sight. Here are a couple more views. It was really hard to select only a few.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/111.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_111.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Julie & Bridgette at one of the many viewing sites.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/112.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_112.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />I think this is called the Devil's Cauldron.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/113.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_113.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Only a trickle now, this section is apparently much different with higher water volumes.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/114.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_114.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />You can see a few people in the top left corner of this photo. They look small, which is how I felt in the immensity of this natural wonder.<br /><br />After wading through the thicket of souvenir sellers at the gate we climbed aboard our bus for the short trip back to the hotel. We had a bit more than an hour to relax and get ready for the next event which was dinner at the Boma. Combine Traditional dancing, singing and drumming, wild game meats on the grill, witch doctors telling fortunes and a huge elephant grass thatched roof covered space. Then mix with a bit of alcohol and presto! Up comes a really good evening. TIA? Well perhaps, but regardless, I think everyone really enjoyed this 'cultural' experience.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/115.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_115.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/116.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_116.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/18/117.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/18/s_117.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Especially Dermott, who managed to gain some notoriety with the men working the grill.<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Victoria%20Falls,%20Zimbabwe%20&z=10'>Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe </a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-742812598878480622014-11-17T03:53:00.001-08:002014-11-17T03:53:37.893-08:00TIASaturday was another travel day, maybe 5 hours to get from Hazyview to Johanisburg. Marshall, our guide was much more considerate and we had several stops along the route. He also spent a good deal of time discussing various social issues; education, politics past & future, justice, property rights, health care as well as a good deal of geological history and agricultural. A fourth generation South African, we enjoyed and appreciated his thoughtful perspective on so many topics. TIA - This is Africa & Marshall helped us get a better feel for what's going on. <br /><br />TIA is an expression used when you observe someone doing something that you just have to shake your head at, or witness an event that just seems odd. Then, with a shrug of the shoulders you would exclaim TIA, with the inflection in the voice used to register a particular reaction, such as surprise, wonderment, disgust, bewilderment, etc. There seems to be lots of opportunities to use this expression and have quickly adopted it.<br /><br />We proceeded to Soweto, the infamous township where in June 1976 police opened fire on an estimated 20,000 student marchers, killing dozens of children. This event, known as the Soweto Uprising was the beginning of the end of the apartheid era as the brutality of the event ignited international outrage, then trade sanctions.<br /><br />We stood on the streets where it all happened and toured the Hector Pieterson Memorial. Hector was a 13 year old boy killed that day who became a symbol of the event. A photograph of him and his anguished sister 'went viral' (via 1976 media) and helped the cause immensely. Some of us recall an awareness of these events, some of us do not.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/17/81.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/17/s_81.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />After spending some sobering time at the Memorial we then proceeded to the Sakhumzi Restaurant. Located in Soweto it has been in operation since 1895. Up until recently whites did not go to Soweto but this has changed and the Township is now an important tourist destination. The Memorial, Nelson Mandela's home and this restaurant are all within a few blocks of one another. Ours was not the only tourist bus lumbering along. Our buffet dinner featured several traditional foods and was pretty tasty. The restaurant itself wasn't anything special but was clearly doing very well. After an early dinner we sauntered up the street to Mandela's house, fending off those seeking money for nothing.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/17/82.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/17/s_82.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The real fun began just as we were passing by the restaurant on the way back to the bus. All the young lions started parading up the road in their souped up, high end cars. Slowly passing by the restaurant each in turn would rev their engine to screaming intensity, allowing everyone to appreciate the throaty roar of their after market exhaust systems. These flashy cars were all about. The restaurant bar was already completely full and the street was starting to fill with revellers and those there to assist them, be it shining the cars to spotless glory or perhaps selling a bit of weed maybe as the odour was unmistakable in the air. TIA <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/17/83.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/17/s_83.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />A police car followed not long after. Bridgette has a bit of video footage of the armed & armoured police wading into the crowd, AK47 casually in hand. It was quite a scene, clearly repeated time and time again. I have to say I did not mind climbing back on the bus for the ride to our our hotel.<br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Johanisburg%20&z=10'>Johanisburg </a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-30487065414907973032014-11-14T23:53:00.001-08:002014-11-14T23:53:36.696-08:00On the road to JoburgAfter reluctantly departing the Buffalo Camp we were greeted by our new guide Marshall. Off we went for the 300km trip to last night's stop at Hazyview (think Smokey Mountains but tropical fruits grown on a commercial scale and eucalyptus tree farms). En route we stopped at several scenic vistas mostly along the Blyde River. We had a couple of short walks which was nice as we have not been doing too much of that for the last several days. We all fought sleep on the bus, most of us unsuccessfully. The canyons and valleys were great.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/606.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_606.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/607.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_607.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/608.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_608.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/609.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_609.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After arriving at our hotel around 5:30, we all enjoyed a happy hour around the pool and then off for dinner at the nearby restaurants. It was lights out in our room not long past 9:00. A good travel day where we were able to catch up a bit on sleep and maybe shift gears mentally a bit before the next part of the adventure, Joburg and a tour of Soweto.<br />Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-69172776007985864022014-11-14T11:27:00.001-08:002014-11-14T11:27:32.807-08:00Hard to say goodbyeThis morning (Friday Nov 14) we took our last of the six safari drives we enjoyed during our 3 day stay at Kapama. Each trip out of the compound was different and exciting in it's own way and none of us wanted this sojourn to end.<br /><br />For the first few drives every animal sighting was a breathlessly exciting event and we all took multiple shots, regardless of what animal it was or where it was situated. But after a while and after the first hundred or so photos of each species we started to get a little more selective. Lions for example. Our first sighting was the first night out when we saw and photographed a large male sleeping at the side of the road. I posted this one on the blog. Then we saw six or seven lions together, sauntering around like they owned the place (which they pretty much do). I also posted this on the blog. Then, yesterday afternoon, while we were observing several young lions, some zebras came into view ahead and the lions instantly went into stalking mode. Now this was exciting. The lazy lions doing something other than lying about looking regal.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/258.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_258.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />The Zebras spotted the lions long before they were in any danger. No doubt seeing a kill would be very exciting but perhaps a bit traumatic as well. <br /><br />It becomes a bit of a competition and the we-saw discussions evolved: who got to see the most interesting event, or who sighted one of the more rare animals, etc.<br /><br />Thursday night, our last night in camp, we got to enjoy a great sunset whilst enjoying a wee dram.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/259.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_259.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />It's really hard to try to sum up this experience, but for me it has been the undisputed highlight so far. I'll stop talking about it now because I'm a bit tired and the right words just aren't coming, so I'll end this post with a couple of my favourite shots.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/260.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_260.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/261.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_261.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/262.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_262.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/263.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_263.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/14/264.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/14/s_264.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hazyview&z=10'>Hazyview</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-18916750775846707092014-11-13T02:25:00.001-08:002014-11-13T02:25:19.600-08:00Altered State, Part 2Even in our state of extended exhilaration, there are still some difficult choices to make each day. The first decision of the day - should I answer the 5am wake up call - is not difficult. We can't wait to jump aboard our Land Cruiser for the 6am safari and so there is really no decision to be made at all. Other than deciding where to point the camera, there are really no decisions to be made at all while out on the hunt.<br /><br />The first difficult choice of the day comes around 9:30 when we have to decide what to order for breakfast. There there are six items on the menu and we are only here for 3 days. I suppose in order to avoid making it difficult I could have ordered two breakfasts each morning, but gluttony is one of the 7 deadly ones and to be avoided, even when on vacation.<br /><br />Then, comes the next difficult choice: What am I going to do for the rest of the morning until lunch is served at 1:00? Swim, sleep, read, shop, blog, email, chat, etc. etc.<br /><br />And then hard on the heels of this dilemma, the lunch menu bursts upon us with a whole new set of issues. Should we have wine with lunch and if so is it red, white, sparkling or still and from which region? It's almost overwhelming. It can be neatly sidestepped by drinking beer instead. Do I want the soup? Is the Boboti the right choice today or should I opt for the line fish? Should I have the dessert or just graze on the cheese table? (By this time of day the seven deadlies are starting to fade).<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/13/13.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/13/s_13.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Choices, choices!<br /><br />OK, by now I am sure you are getting a sense of what these Buffalo Camp days have been like: Superlative in every way possible.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/13/14.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/13/s_14.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />And while we are, in effect, prisoners under strict orders never to leave the fenced-in compound unless accompanied by our jailer, (er, guide) we are at peace in our captivity. And outside the fence the animals are free. Free to roam at will over the tens of thousands of acres of this private game reserve. For decades the only shots taken are by cameras, except for the odd exchange between poachers and the constantly patrolling rangers. As a result, we humans riding about are not considered a threat. Neither are we considered an opportunity as the animals are never fed or cared for in any way. Nature is allowed to take it's course. From agony to ecstasy and everything in between. For the last couple of days we prisoners are much closer to the latter. As to those outside the wire, we can only speculate. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/13/15.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/13/s_15.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/13/16.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/13/s_16.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/13/17.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/13/s_17.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/13/18.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/13/s_18.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/13/19.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/13/s_19.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Buffalo%20Camp,%20Kapama%20Private%20Game%20Reserve&z=10'>Buffalo Camp, Kapama Private Game Reserve</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-87340188949457275792014-11-12T05:20:00.001-08:002014-11-12T05:20:35.611-08:00Altered StateIn the coastal waters of BC we have occasionally experienced the thrill of seeing a pod of Killer Whales. We also have the thrill of bear sightings, but these are usually tinged with a good dose of caution/fear. My very first Orca sighting, now many years ago, was on board a BC Ferries vessel headed for Duke Point on Vancouver island. While I have seen them many times since, I can still recollect the feeling of exhilaration I experienced that very first time. Likewise, I can still be that young boy camping in the Rockies the day when the hair on the back of my neck stood up with the thrill and the fright of confronting my very first bear whilst on the path to the outhouse. I have seen many since (some in our own back yard) but the first encounter is deeply imprinted. Now they are a bit routine.<br /><br />Since yesterday afternoon we have all been in a state of sustained exhilaration, tinged with maybe a bit of fear and trepidation at being so close to these wild things, but, like my first Orca and bear encounters, I know this experience will remain with me always. Making eye contact with a lion only a paw swat away is not going to fade away any time soon.<br /><br />Yesterday, Remembrance Day, after a very early departure from our hotel in Port Elizabeth we endured two short flights to arrive at the Kapama reserve. Right at 11am, as we waited for the second flight in the Johannesburg airport, Dave, Mary, Brian, Laurel, Julie & I stood together in a close circle as Laurel recited In Flanders Fields, from memory. Tears and silence all around.<br /><br />Our group of twenty have occupied one of four camps on the reserve, the Buffalo Camp. Please have a look at their website, www.kapama.com. I could rave on about this place at some length but am going to restrain myself because it would take too long. Suffice to say it seems just about perfect.<br /><br />Our day begins with a 5am wake up call. We then climb aboard our Land Cruiser with the spotter perched on a seat above the front left bumper and the guide behind the wheel at 6am.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/192.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_192.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />For the next three hours or so we drive about the reserve, eyes roaming, necks craning, cameras poised, looking for the next encounter, which could be and frequently is just around the next corner. Please consider that in the 20 minute drive from the small airstrip to the camp we saw: zebras, giraffes, warthogs, wildebeest and Impala. Then on the afternoon safari we saw more of these and added to the list: a Hooded Vulture, owls, water bucks, hippos, spotted hyenas, chameleons. Our very last sighting was the male lion you saw in yesterday's posting.<br /><br />So, after the morning sojourn we return to camp around 9 for breakfast. There so no fixed agenda for the day, save lunch at 1:00. Then at 4:00 we climb back on board for the afternoon safari, back in camp in time for an 8pm dinner. Our group goes out in three separate vehicles and once out of the fenced-in compound we rarely encounter anyone other than the wildlife.<br /><br />We-saw. This is the word heard most frequently during our gatherings, as in: we-saw a Dazzle of Zebras, or we-saw a Tower of Giraffes, or we-saw a Pride of Lions. We are getting pretty good at identifying dung. Our guide, Jeffrey, delights in testing our gullibility, but we are on to him now. Each group, exploring down different pathways experience different sitings. As I write we are waiting for our second afternoon safari to begin. That last 90 minutes or so are pitch dark and the spotter employs a search light to try to pick up eyes shining in the dark. The darkness adds a decent amount of spookiness to the overall experience. We know the animals are out there. Will they find us before we find them?<br /><br />I already have hundreds of photos, but I will leave today's posting with only a taste.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/193.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_193.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/194.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_194.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/195.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_195.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/196.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_196.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/197.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_197.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/198.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_198.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/12/199.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/12/s_199.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Buffalo%20Camp,%20Kapama%20Private%20Game%20Reserve&z=10'>Buffalo Camp, Kapama Private Game Reserve</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-74434389845778679552014-11-11T11:54:00.001-08:002014-11-11T11:54:21.316-08:00Oh!Oh, oh, oh. <br /><br />Oh My! <br /><br />Oh. My. Goodness. <br /><br />I'll try to flesh out today's experiences bit better tomorrow.<br /><br />Last night a lion paid me a visit in my (malaria pill induced) dreams. And then today, in the flesh. We are in an altered state here.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/11/405.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/11/s_405.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/11/406.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/11/s_406.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/11/407.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/11/s_407.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Kapama%20Private%20Game%20Reserve&z=10'>Kapama Private Game Reserve</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-91459238827508187772014-11-10T13:05:00.001-08:002014-11-10T13:05:20.010-08:00Wake Up CallInexplicably, our day began at 5:30am with a wake up call. With no telephones in our rooms this consisted of someone knocking on our door. We did not request one. Later, at a decent hour, the hotel front desk informed me it was requested by our guide who, when confronted, denied the accusation. Anyway, this irksome event had a silver lining as it allowed us to be completely packed prior to 6:30 when the restaurant opened for breakfast. After all, we had to get an early start as our first activity of the day began at 10am, a mere 4 1/2 hours later and it was going to take at least 10 minutes to load the bus and drive to the dock. Aloe? Are we detecting a pattern here?<br /><br />It had rained fairly heavily in the night and today's agenda called for a hike in an ecological reserve on one of The Heads. While we got a bit wet boarding the boat that would ferry us to the Featherbed Ecological Reserve (a privately owned for profit endeavour) the rain had stopped by the time we disembarked. The hundred or so people from the ferry were then directed onto cars to be pulled up to the top of the Western Head for a 2 km walk down through some of the reserve's walking trails. While the skies may have been a bit grey, our spirits were anything but as one minute we enjoyed tremendous vistas out to sea and across to the Eastern head, and the next we were admiring tiny delicate flowers blooming in the fynbos. The fynbos, a generic term used for the flora of uncultivated bush lands in South Africa, consists of more than 100,000 different species of plants which exist in varying combinations depending on each area's micro climate. The diversity is astonishing and I'm sure a square meter in this reserve would have hundreds of different plants in the dense growth. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/436.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_436.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/437.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_437.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/438.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_438.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/439.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_439.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/440.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_440.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/441.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_441.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Back at the base camp we enjoyed our best buffet style meal yet.<br /><br />Our next stop was the Garden Route National Park, also known as the Tsitsikamma National Park Storms River Mouth. Unfortunately there was no time to stop at the highest bungy jumping bridge in the world. We crossed over it, feeling a bit dizzy as we peered down into the gorge a couple of hundred meters below. <br /><br />At the park the wind was up and the waves were crashing into the jagged rocks. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/442.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_442.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Several people delighted in dipping their toes into the Indian Ocean for the first time ever, the event duly recorded from several angles.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/443.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_443.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />A suspension bridge spans the mouth of the Storms River and we followed a kilometre long path to reach it. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/444.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_444.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />There were several cabins along the shore as well as campsites, although with the wind sending the spindrift ashore I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to close up a salt encrusted tent assuming it had not been uprooted by a fierce wind. Once again my words cannot do justice to a wonderful place and these photos really only give you a hint of the power and the splendour.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/445.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_445.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Port%20Elizabeth%40-33.995297%2C23.434723&z=10'>Port Elizabeth</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-70428319065168977802014-11-10T08:01:00.001-08:002014-11-10T08:01:55.755-08:00Are we having a Knysna time?In a word, yes. Today, Sunday, was a free day with no organized activity until a dinner boat cruise in the lagoon. The town of Knysna is situated around the lagoon which is protected by headlands with a gap out to the ocean. A bit like St John's harbour with Signal Hill on one side and the Battery on the other. However, there were no large ships in the lagoon which must be quite shallow. I have since learned that due to treacherous passage through The Heads commercial vessels entering do so at their own risk. - no insurance.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/145.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_145.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />While most of our crew opted for a morning exploring around town, Julie, Eric, Gord and his sister Carol opted to play a round of golf at one of the four local courses. The one we chose was the Pazula GC. Like many North American courses it was clear this one was built in order to sell building lots to the wealthy. This one has been a success as there were plenty of amazing homes. However, we did not spend much time looking at the homes as the views out to the ocean from the course were stupendous.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/146.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_146.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />We 're not sure if it was Jack or Gary that designed the course, and while we admired the layout in the early holes, our admiration soon turned to curses as the course slapped us about with no mercy. The weather was ideal for golf and I have to say it was a bit of a novelty to have to let a pair of baboons clear the fairway before we teed off. Relaxing at the 19th hole all four of us agreed that this was a round to remember. Not our scores, mind you, just the experience.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/147.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_147.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/148.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_148.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />At 5pm we loaded the bus for the short ride down to the lagoon where we boarded a paddle wheeler for our dinner cruise. Much like the Vancouver Harbour cruises except the drinks were a fraction of the cost. The buffet food was plentiful and good and we all enjoyed the evening.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/149.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_149.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/150.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_150.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/10/151.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/10/s_151.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />BTW, an old friend and blog follower has emailed me to point out that Bon Ami, even in the context I tried to use it, is a toilet bowl cleaner, not the French word bonhomie, which is what I had intended. She also pointed out that it is not that difficult to spell glaçage correctly. thanks Pegg!<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Knysna&z=10'>Knysna</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-66793468974972974722014-11-09T05:57:00.001-08:002014-11-09T05:57:29.869-08:00On the road againWilly Nelson may have been keen, but I bet he didn't have to sit on bus travelling across the West Cape for the 7ish hours between Tulbagh & Knysna (silent k). <br /><br />It started out well enough as the road wound through a wide valley that was filled with grape vines. It made the Okanagan feel puny in scale.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/09/228.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/09/s_228.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Then after maybe 90 minutes a very pleasant stop at the Karoo Desert Botanical Garden where we strolled about enjoying the flora & fauna, not to mention a bit of wildlife. Everything seems large here in South Africa.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/09/229.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/09/s_229.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/09/230.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/09/s_230.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/09/231.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/09/s_231.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Then back on the bus about 11:30. Next stop to be a surprise destination which Fred would not reveal. Still on the bus about 1:30 or so with those old gastric juices starting to call out for attention, we were informed we were still another hour or more from our surprise. We drove through several little towns and I noticed some longing looks at some very inviting restaurants, but no, we were on a mission that could not be interrupted by a lunch stop at a decent hour. A surprise mission. Out came the little hoards of peanuts, gorp, chocolate covered things etc in an effort to put at least something down to quell the hunger. We were assured there was a small restaurant where we could get something quick and were assured it would be well worth the wait. And then, finally, mercifully, about 3:30 and with great fanfare it was announced that we had arrived at our surprise destination. A roadside Aloe Vera factory! Let me tell you there was cheering in the isles. Aloe! Hello Fred? What were you thinking? Anyway, our small lynch mob eventually got back on the bus having reconsidered our murderous thoughts, having ingested some pies, chips and other delicacies for the final leg of our journey to Knysna.<br /><br />Upon arrival at our lovely lodgings near town, we gathered together for a very pleasant happy hour before dinner. Dinner at the hotel was good and at the conclusion of dinner the moon beckoned us back to our rooms for some much needed rest after a long day on the road.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/09/232.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/09/s_232.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Knysna&z=10'>Knysna</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-34309471325617043852014-11-07T21:08:00.001-08:002014-11-07T21:08:18.973-08:00Eating our way through AfricaHappy Birthday Dave!<br /><br />A later start this morning as we departed Cape Town for a small rural village in the Western Cape wine region. The Tulbagh Basin had been inhabited for thousands of years by Bushmen & Khoi people until their gig was interrupted about 300 years ago when the Dutch moved inland and established a small settlement here. While an earthquake in 1969 caused a lot of damage, lots of old buildings in the Cape Dutch style either survived or were restored. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself in the chronology because I haven't related what we did before we got here late afternoon. Lunch! That's what we did and that's all that we did. Oh no, I'm wrong; we also made a short stop at the prison where Madiba (Nelson Mandela) began his 'Long Walk To Freedom' when he was released from prison in 1990.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/561.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_561.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/562.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_562.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Then on to La Petite Ferme, a winery/restaurant for a wine tasting followed by lunch. In a beautiful setting partway up the hills of a beautiful valley, this was another fine dining experience that stretched out over 2 1/2 hrs.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/563.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_563.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />After sampling two whites and two reds we all got down to business.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/564.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_564.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Once again we were treated to delicious food, every dish exquisitely plated.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/565.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_565.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />This was the lamb which was wrapped in aubergine (French for eggplant). Do any of my readers remember the name of the white stuff? Twice now in three days I have enjoyed a glacage. Are we in France and the rest is just illusion? No, this really is South Africa (36 degrees today) but there are a lot of top rated chefs that go for the French style.<br /><br />And so following lunch, back on the bus for an hour or so to our present location. After being told it was not safe to walk down the streets we braved it to take in some of the architecture.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/566.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_566.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Somehow Julie & I scored the honeymoon suite at our hotel (which is one of the reasons this post is going to be rather brief).<br /><br />With a thatched roof and open beam ceiling it really was lovely.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/567.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_567.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Dinner at 8 on the patio of the hotel in the warm, silky air, after which my bride and I glided back to our honeymoon suite. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/07/568.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/07/s_568.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />By the way, while peacocks may look great, they do not sound great. Roosters have the decency to wait until dawn to start crowing, peacocks do not!<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tulbagh%20&z=10'>Tulbagh </a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-70803897981443725102014-11-06T23:32:00.001-08:002014-11-06T23:32:47.024-08:00Cape of Good HopeToday (Thursday Nov 6) we toured around the cape area, driving along a spectacular oceanside road, boating out to a seal colony, walking to a beach littered with penguins, and siting wild ostrich and other animals near the most southwesterly point of land, once thought to be the southern tip of Africa, the storied Cape of Good Hope. There were shopping opportunities, countless photo ops, a great lunch in Simon's Town and then dinner back in Cape Town at a tapas bar called Fork located on the dreaded Long Street.<br /><br />First on the agenda were the seals. Thousands of them in and around a smallish rocky island a short boat ride out of a very picturesque town called Hout Bay.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/807.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_807.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/808.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_808.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Hout Bay's harbour is just out of sight to the right and the seals were on the flat rocks just beyond the point.<br /><br />We then travelled along a twisting cliffside roadway with nothing but ocean and sky beyond. Rarely do we have the chance to see so wide a stretch of horizon that the curvature of the earth can be discerned. Now it may be rare, but it makes a pretty boring picture unless there is a bit of rock or something involved so I have nothing to share on this point.<br /><br />Next was a chance to splash around in some shark infested waters. This was at the beach in Fish Hoek. Any splashing that occurred was done behind the shark net. The warning system involves flags of different colours flying and an air horn should any beasts be sighted. There were no horns sounded while we were there and the black flag was flying. It was a beautiful beach and it was nice to dip our toes in the Atlantic. Tomorrow we will have the chance to do the same in the Indian Ocean.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/809.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_809.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/810.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_810.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Next was lunch at the Harbourview Restaurant in Fish Hoek. Hake and chips washed down with a pint of local beer was just the ticket at this spot although there was lots to choose from.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/811.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_811.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Next on the agenda was the penguins and I couldn't help comparing this African experience with our only other penguin siting which was in New Zealand in 2012. There we saw Blue Penguins along a rocky coast line far from any human habitation. As I recall we were there for a couple of hours and saw maybe ten other people during that time. Not so here as the penguins are a major tourist attraction within easy walking distance of the town. These African Penguins were just starting their moulting season which is why so many were on the beach. Apparently they are in decline. Apparently tourists are not and I really hope the two are not related.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/812.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_812.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/813.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_813.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/814.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_814.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Next came the Cape of Good Hope. The first European to round it was a Portuguese sailor in 1486. It is not actually the southern tip of Africa but is the point where ships would change from travelling southward to head eastward. Neither is it the the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. The southern tip is another 150k in a south east direction on the other side of False Bay. <br /><br />Regardless, there was nothing but ocean beyond and despite the throngs of people it is a special place.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/815.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_815.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/816.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_816.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/817.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_817.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />This last photo looks out across False Bay to Agulhas Cape, the very tip of Africa and the Indian Ocean beyond.<br /><br />Many heads were nodding on the drive back to Cape Town. The Fork was another success that night. The delicious tapas kept coming and coming and two and a half hours later Roger, our driver, was patiently waiting for us. Long Street was alive with people, tourists and locals alike, and I must confess that I was happy to be climbing onto the bus at that time of night rather than braving the streets. Our last night in Cape Town, we pack up and move on tomorrow. Something about wine country, I think.<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cape%20Town%40-33.928233%2C18.409490&z=10'>Cape Town</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-5956866548092761362014-11-06T13:43:00.001-08:002014-11-08T00:19:41.008-08:00The Test Kitchen<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/564.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_564.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />There. I knew I'd get a better shot of Table Mountain than that first one from our hotel. This one was taken from Robben Island.<br /><br />San Francisco has Alcatraz, Cape Town has Robben Island. To my knowledge (skimpy at best) Alcatraz never held political prisoners, nor were rations determined by race, and therein lies the difference. This was the place where Nelson Mandela and thousands of other other anti-apartheid activists were sent to serve out punishingly long sentences for left trivial acts. For instance our guide on the island was rounded up in a student protest and sentenced to fifteen years. The criminal class were also sent there but housed separately. With the end of apartheid Robben Island is no longer a prison, only a tourist destination. On the trip over we saw hundreds of seals and dolphins. I learned in Newfoundland that while whale sitings etc. are exciting to watch, they are difficult to photograph and today's efforts confirmed this. The island itself is not particularly photogenic and the prison buildings themselves having been built quickly in the 1960's are unremarkable. With much reverence Mandela's cell was pointed out and we each shuffled by this tiny room that was his home for I think 23 years.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/569.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_569.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/574.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_574.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br />The foodies in our group (me included) started to get excited about the next item on the agenda, lunch at one of Cape Town's top rated restaurants called The Test Kitchen. I think it was Laurel that found this one (we love you Laurel!) on the internet and we were able to coordinate a reservation for 20 for lunch. The five course lunch with wine pairing was 695 Rand about $70.00. It was (IMHO) a spectacular meal. I would like to describe all five courses but will take a few shortcuts with photos.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/576.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_576.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The restaurant itself was open kitchen and when we arrived shortly after 1:00, every chair save ours was occupied. Jason, our waiter, was relaxed, friendly and cheerful. Recently he placed fifth in SA's version of Top Chef, but no one asked him the question. (What's he doing waiting tables with that kind of cred?).<br /><br />First course was 'Homedried Tomato'.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/577.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_577.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />The dark little cubes were burnt aubergine jelly which had a wonderful burst of flavour, as did all the other little bits, which Jason described in some detail, all of which now escape me.<br />Next came a choice of either a fish ceviche or grilled scallop. The scallop eaters all agreed that it was probably the tastiest scallop ever (and no, Brian Brown, who frequently claims each meal to be the best meal ever was not sitting at our table of 8). My photos of this course did not work out, but the plating was terrific.<br /><br />Then came either Pork Belly or Veal Sweetbreads. Bridgette and I opted for the sweetbreads.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/578.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_578.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Of special note is the little white puddle in the middle, which Jason advised to be a chicken and sherry glacage (pronounced with a soft c). We felt very sophisticated, and chided the waiter that they missed the cedilla on the c on the menu). I'm trying to figure out how I could work a glacage into our breakfast menu.<br /><br />Anyway, the next decision was between the 'line fish', in this case kingklip and duck leg confit. The kingklip came with something called a snook medley. See if you can pick it out.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/579.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_579.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /> We couldn't either, but it tasted really good.<br /><br />Then dessert. Julie chose the 'Almonds, Tea and Nectaines' which consisted of: caramelized almond tart, lapsang souchong jelly, nectarine sorbet, white chocolate cremeux (mon dieu!, they included the accent on the e which I cannot) and toasted almond panna cotta. I went for the South African cheeses. You'll have to decide who won, because we are still arguing about it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/08/18.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/08/s_18.jpg' border='0' width='263' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/581.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_581.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Now, I did mention that we went with the wine pairing? The glass in Julie's hand is the fifth one she has held at lunch. These were not the tasting portions we are used to seeing at home.<br /><br />Feeling absolutely no pain, we found our way back to the bus sometime around 3:30 I think and headed to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, not far out of Cape Town. This property was donated to the state by Cecil Rhodes and while perhaps not quite as well manicured as Butchart Gardens it was as large if not larger and a wonderful place to spend some time at the end of our day. The late afternoon sun accentuated the colours and with the 'other side' of table mountain as a backdrop, not to mention all the exotic shrubs, trees and flowers we drank in the beauty and serenity.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/582.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_582.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/583.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_583.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/06/584.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/06/s_584.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After such a wonderful lunch and such a serene time in the gardens no one felt much like eating again and I'm pretty sure everyone hit the pillow early with the glow of yet another wonderful day upon us.<br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cape%20Town&z=10'>Cape Town</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-84811676051829750072014-11-05T11:12:00.001-08:002014-11-05T11:12:21.705-08:00Are we still on the Lizard?While the agenda for today was to be city tour and then the cable car to the top of Table Mountain, the rain and the clouds persisted making both of these planned events less than ideal.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/463.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_463.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />And so, there we were at 7:30 in the morning, all 20 of us and our guide, trying to come up with a Plan B. Our guide (who we are struggling with a bit) thought perhaps he had the perfect alternative by suggesting he simply dump us all off at Cape Town's largest shopping centre. Over 400 stores! I am happy (and relieved) to say this went over like a lead balloon. Eventually we settled on visiting a couple of museums during the morning, saving Table mountain for the afternoon, hoping the skies would clear.<br /><br />The first museum was the District 6 museum. District 6 is an area of Cape Town where, as a result of SA's apartheid policies, coloureds were evicted to make way for a whites only area. This persisted until the 1980's displacing over 60,000 people. The second museum, The Slave Lodge, used to house slaves owned by the Dutch East India Company. I'm not going to go into either of these difficult topics. While not as gruesome as Cambodia's genocide museum and the killing fields tour, they were every bit as effective in reminding us just how inhumane we can be.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/464.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_464.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/465.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_465.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/466.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_466.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/467.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_467.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />All morning the rain had been gradually diminishing until there were tantalizing breaks in the clouds. Our guide, Fred Botha, suggested we take the tram up Table Mountain even though the clouds still lingered. It is such a popular destination it was his opinion that many would rush to the station thereby creating a long queue. Apparently it is shrouded in cloud most of the time so a clear afternoon draws people quickly. And thus, just at noon we found ourselves in a pretty much deserted parking lot peering up into the clouds (as per the opening photo on this post). Our group, not lacking in optimism, happily jumped on board to glide up into the cloud. There must have been several tummies growling by then. I know mine was. En route up the tram there was some discussion about how long we would stay up there and whether anyone would like to have lunch in the Table Mountain restaurant. Despite the growling tummies, not one person was interested in this option. No doubt we have all found ourselves eating overpriced, mediocre food at some tourist attraction. No. We preferred to stay hungry a little longer, trusting that lunch, when it came, would be worth the wait. (And it was as I shall relate shortly).<br /><br />And so up, up and away we went into a fog shrouded world of considerable beauty. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/468.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_468.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/469.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_469.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/470.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_470.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />There were several different walks of varied lengths one could take but given the foggy conditions we all stayed fairly close, not wanting to become lost. While wildlife sitings were few, we did see a Rock Dassie, a small critter said to be related to elephants somehow. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/05/471.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/05/s_471.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />By the time we were deposited back at the hotel I think it was after 3. Remember Arnold's and all their wonderful wild game meats? Well, when the six of us dined there, Brian, skilled negotiator that he is, snagged several 'have one on us' coupons for a free bottle of wine. And so, within minutes of disembarking from the bus all twenty of us descended on Arnold's for a late, late lunch. This was a real bonding experience for the group, given that the free flowing coupon wine seemed endless. Well sated (and well buzzed) we ambled back to the hotel picking up yet more wine and some snacks, cheese etc. given that no one was interested in going out for dinner. (After all, lunch didn't end until close to five). At about 7:30 we reconvened at an outdoor patio area at the hotel to attempt to consume all the wine, cheese, fruit, chips etc. we had purchased on the way back from lunch. While we failed miserably, our Bon Ami continued for a couple of hours until we all staggered off to bed. This was a really great day.<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cape%20Town&z=10'>Cape Town</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-61224834692619335792014-11-04T08:52:00.001-08:002014-11-04T08:52:53.189-08:00Cape Town arrivalWell the rain wasn't lashing down quite like it was yesterday in London, but the rain and the clouds did conspire to conceal Cape Town's most prominent feature - Table Mountain. Not until we reached our hotel did the clouds clear enough for the mountain to appear in it's astonishing glory. Hopefully I will come up with some better photos. This one is from our hotel room when we first arrived.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/04/302.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/04/s_302.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Topping out at 1,083 meters it is a little higher than the parking lot at Mount Seymour, however as you can see (or maybe imagine) has a dramatic effect on the city and I was surprised that the elevation was not greater.<br /><br />Having flown overnight there was no agenda for the day and while most of the group headed off to the waterfront area, six of us decided to find a restaurant within walking distance. This despite the safety warnings: Don't walk down side streets, don't walk home in the dark, take a taxi, but only a certain taxi company, don't have any valuables on your person, stay in large groups. Just the drive from the airport and seeing the shanty town dwellings of the 'townships' was enough to suggest there are large numbers of people living in difficult conditions.<br /><br />If we passed by any dangerous people on our walk to the restaurant, we didn't notice them. Our hotel had recommended a place called Mother Africa when we asked about an eatery with more traditional African food. It was located not too far away, on Long Street. Now our guide had said DO NOT GO to Long Street, but the hotel said, no problem in the daylight but take a taxi home (but only the right taxi company). Hmmm. En route we passed by several decent looking places and finding one that offered local game we decided to pass on Mother Africa and opt for Arnold's. We certainly had our choice of African food. Here is a bit of the menu.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/04/303.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/04/s_303.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='280' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Who knew that warthog ribs or crocodile tajine would be so tasty? Well, we do now. So was the Springbok, the Kudu and the Gemsbok. It was all really good. Although the top of the menu reads "a taste of the wild side" all of these animals are farmed.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/04/305.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/04/s_305.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />But I ask you: who could let their first African meal pass by without dessert? not us!<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/04/306.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/04/s_306.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Well sated, this meal for 6, with wine was a little over CDN$100 once converted from Rand to dollars. In two days time we will be dining at one of Cape Town's finer restaurants where lunch for just two is going to exceed that total by a wide margin. While I expect the venue and the plating to be exceptional I am hoping we will be served some game so as to compare the taste with what we experienced tonight. We shall see.<br /><br /><br />Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-47174794482110830952014-11-03T05:13:00.001-08:002014-11-03T05:13:29.320-08:00Queuing up in LondonThe last time I spent any time in London was 1998. Strangely, the streets were almost deserted during our first walkabout, a phenomena that we later learned occurs only once every four years and only during World Cup and only when England is on the pitch. This year's World Cup is now only a memory, as are deserted London streets. They were teaming, teaming with people from morning to night it seemed. Fortunately for us the same could not be said of the underground as we were there on the weekend.<br /><br />The crush of people on Saturday was worst (best?) at the Tower of London where they are nearing completion of an art installation - Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red - to commemorate Remembrance Day, this being the Great War's centenary. Come November 11th 888,246 ceramic poppies will have been installed in the moat around the Tower walls. Each poppy represents a British or allied forces casualty of the First World War. Visually stunning it is a very moving sight - a blanket of red surrounding the Tower's stout walls. The crowds are huge with queues that seemed to have no beginning or ending.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/03/301.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/03/s_301.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I can't imagine what it will be like on the 11th. Already the crowds are so large that a couple of underground stations have been closed as they are too congested. Our group of six learned this the hard way, having carefully planned our route, only to walk onto a deserted platform with a notice announcing closure. Our plan B, which took us close to the Tower, but on the other side of the river, was not perfectly executed, but we did figure it out eventually and started to feel maybe a bit cocky about how well we were getting on with London's transportation system.<br /><br />Saturday was a lovely, sunny day and our second destination was the London Eye. We decided to walk from the Tower to the Eye by crossing the Thames (yet again) via the Tower Bridge and then back towards our destination. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/03/302.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/03/s_302.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />While the tide (tsunami) of people eventually diminished as we started to move upriver, the walkways were still 'chock-a-block' with a large variety of humanity. And guess what? Seems that almost everyone else had the same idea that we had and so we chose to skip the hour plus queue for the Eye and head back to the hotel. But not before we found a suitable pub for a pint and a bit of a nosh. Saturday evening we attended a wonderful show (Once) in the theatre district. The bus ride on a new double decker was a lot of fun and we managed to snag the front seats. I have no idea how many shows were on, but there were tens of thousands of people in the area. Seems that many revellers hadn't realized that Halloween night was the previous night as we saw all manner of costumed curiosities. After the show ended we found a lovely little Italian restaurant (I had pizza again but they had never heard of the Mignonette) and then pushing through the crowds got back to our bus stop for the journey home. It was close to midnight. It it seemed the crowds had not diminished in any way.<br /><br />Sunday was our travel day to Cape Town and with an 11 hour flight we wanted to get in lots of walking. Plan A was to walk to Buckingham Palace, then a stroll through Hyde Park. I mentioned the fact that Harrods would be near by. This seemed to seal the deal. As fate and the weather gods had it we abandoned plan A in front of the Palace seeking shelter from the rain that was lashing down. Plan B, the Tate Britain, succeeded. Then Sunday roast washed down with a pint of fine ale at another fine pub and then it was time to start making our way to the airport.<br /><br />This brings me to the present moment, 49 minutes from Cape Town, and the beginning of our African adventure.<br />Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-80711169394987150772014-11-03T03:00:00.001-08:002014-11-03T03:00:56.779-08:00The Lizard is not a reptileNo, in fact it is a peninsula that ends at the most southerly point of Britain, just a few degrees above the 49th parallel. Interestingly, the Lizard is at 49.57 degrees while the Deep Cove marina is 49.32, thus we were within a few kilometres from being exactly the same distance from the North Pole. The Lizard boasts wave-lashed cliffs & crags, ancient rock, a life boat station, an RAF rescue base, impossibly narrow roadways and fabulous views out to sea. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/03/93.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/03/s_93.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Unfortunately the fog permitted only a vague suggestion of the sea, but we really didn't mind, given this part of our trip was about family. Julie & her cousin Tamsin have had many adventures together over the years. Some of them have a PG rating so we won't go into that here.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/11/03/94.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/11/03/s_94.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Then back to Falmouth for what used to be that quintessential English meal - fish & chips. The only problem was that we were too late. The restaurant was closed and so plan B ended up being pizza at one of the newer places in town wherein I gained some insight into the Cornish sense of humour. There were several pizzas on the board, all with names and then a listing of the toppings. I chose one called the Mignonette, an appetizing number which included Cornish Blue cheese, English spinach, Spanish onion and a couple of other toppings, all with a reference to a country of origin. It really was delicious and I savoured every bite. I wondered about the name they gave it, thinking a word with mignon in it might be a riff on beef - very strange for a vegetarian pizza, but didn't bother asking for an explanation. Anyway, I have been reading 'Unbroken' and later that night reached the part where the survivors had been lost at sea for the same length of time that history tells us many (some) other shipwreck survivors resorted to cannibalism to stave off starvation. One of the examples given was that of the Mignonette. Pizza mystery solved. Even amoung tales of survival cannibalism the Mignonette is notable as the ship's survivors didn't even wait for someone to die, they selected one amoung them to tuck in to. I haven't checked yet, but I'm thinking it probably sailed from Falmouth for that fateful voyage. Pizza indeed!<br /><br />The following morning we said goodbye to Tamsin and Bob and boarded the train for the 5 hour journey to London. On the way to the station we stopped at Rowe's, a bakery said to produce the finest Cornish Pasty in the world. As we were there at 9:30am they were freshly out of the oven. Hot, fresh pasties! The first Cornish thing I fell in love with was Julie. The second was the Pasty and I am a lucky man that these two Cornish delicacies are still in my life. Anyway, we enjoyed the trip and the scenery on this relaxing journey with growing anticipation for the next leg of our trip: London.<br /><br />Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cornwall&z=10'>Cornwall</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-63601451714886786652014-10-30T03:23:00.001-07:002014-10-30T03:23:36.757-07:00Family timeUpon arrival we spent our first few days in the Birmingham area. We visited Stratford-on-Avon where we had a short visit with William Shakespeare. He has rested in the chancel area of Holy Trinity since 1616. The church itself dates from 1210 and it is situated very pleasingly (as you might imagine) along the banks of the Avon.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/10/30/102.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/10/30/s_102.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/10/30/103.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/10/30/s_103.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />We were a bit surprised to find him here, thinking he would have been interred at Westminster Abbey along with so many other English greats. There will be a bit more about interment a bit later as this is one of the main reasons for our visit to Cornwall.<br /><br />On day 2 we hiked in the Malverns for several hours. High on a ridge that carried on for miles we enjoyed not only the vistas, but also the fresh air and the fact that we were actually burning off a few calories scaling up and down as we followed along the ridge. This photo doesn't do it justice, but it gives you an idea.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/10/30/104.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/10/30/s_104.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Being Sunday, the path was quite busy and it was good to see so many children out, as well as a few dogs, all joyous in the wide open spaces and with very few exceptions, the dogs seemed mindful of this admonishment.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/10/30/105.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/10/30/s_105.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />At home, we pick up after our dogs, but here they train them to control their bowels. Even the dogs are part of the civil society.<br /><br />Then the long drive from Birmingham to Falmouth. Dual Carriageway for much of it and a sunny day, that is until we crossed the Tamar River into Cornwall and true to form, the fog enveloped us as we crossed the Bodmin Moor. It was thirsty work but quickly rectified by a pint of best bitters at a suitably Cornish pub.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/10/30/106.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/10/30/s_106.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Now, back to the interment business. As some of you know we plan to return to Cornwall next summer along with Blake, Kim, Lauren and Ellie. We will be bringing Julie's parent's ashes back home for burial and Julie had two appointments scheduled, one with a stonemason and the other with the Illogan church vicar. The stonemason's shop was a small munitions factory during the war and as you might imagine was sturdily built, with meter thick 'blast walls' for protection. The young(ish) stonemason learned the trade from his grandfather, the original owner, and he proudly spoke of him and his shop. <br /><br />Una and David will join Una's grandparents in the corner of a wonderful centuries old churchyard.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=14/10/30/107.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/14/10/30/s_107.jpg' border='0' width='280' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />While sections might be considered somewhat 'unkempt', the churchyard possesses an air of tranquility and peacefulness. The air was a bit damp and the smell of the earth was almost sweet with this years autumn leaves beginning their mouldering transformational journey into the soil. While Dave and Una will travel here separately, their ashes will be together in one casket, home again in the soil from which they sprang.<br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Falmouth&z=10'>Falmouth</a></p>Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920976479904787830.post-4107505962329673762014-09-30T15:34:00.001-07:002014-10-24T08:40:40.728-07:00Oct 23, 2014 <br /><br /><br /><br />At last we are just days from departure! The anticipation of upcoming adventures is delicious, pushing through all the chaos of getting ready for being away from our daily lives for a month. New places, new faces, new learning and with luck new understanding; we wait expectantly for these experiences. Beachview Retreat has now finished it's tenth season and for us the timing of this trip is perfect as we are definitely ready to be looking at hospitality from the other side of the fence for a while.<br /><br /><br /><br />This year Julie and I will be joining a group of 20 as we travel about, primarily in South Africa with brief forays into Botswana and Zimbabwe. Those we know who have been all rave about the beauty of southern Africa. We all know something about South Africa's troubled, violent past and how difficult life has been there, and continues to be, for millions of people. We've read the books and seen the movies and now we are a week away from experiencing the land first hand. But before our Nov 2 departure from Heathrow to Cape Town we plan to spend a week in that green and pleasant land known as England, Julie's country of birth. My next post should be from there.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br />Eric Startuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09782067214116835546noreply@blogger.com0