Raphael Penthouse Suites Johannesburg

... it looks as gross as the name sounds – a couple of layers of “stuff” and the bottom layer looks like it has a mass floating in it, in my opinion, sort of like a brain. Fortunately, if you can get over the look and the name, it tastes quite good.

Sunday was Sarah’s final day. Our plan was to get up and head out early and drop by the African market for Sarah to get some gifts for people at home and then go to the Apartheid Museum ...

... we decided to go in there instead. On the way in we met Jamie Heaslip coming out. He complimented me on my beard and posed for a picture with us, nice fella. After paying the exhorbitantly high entry fee we got inside and discovered most of the Lions' players were there. Rachel was disapointed though because her hero Rob Kearney was no where to be seen. We met a load of the other lads from our hostel and had a few drinks with them. After what seemed like only 10 minutes it ...

... South Africa! Halkett Country House is their original family home and it is indeed a far cry away from the paper thin cabins we have ventured to in latter times. A great deal cosier than the our own Jozi apartment (which sits on a whole other strata to this place) here was somewhere to embrace the old and be inspired! Century old books lined the sitting room walls which in itself was a haven to anyone with a horse ...

J'Burg for goodbyes and last night with Folks Wednesday 4th February - Johanesburg, emotional farewells, dodgy backpaker, relocation to hotel, last dinner out. This morning we had to say goodbye to all our friends from Tati. They would be continuing with their journey to Livingstone and then for some of them to Nairobi. We would now be doing this route later with a new driver, guide and hopefully more friends. We were all ...

... Tim (or Tom!) who couldn't get enough of my accent! Ah, it's tough being English... The drive back was memorable, only because I sobered up really, really quickly. Put it this way, the South Africans don't seem to care about the drink/driving law. At the end of our week we decided to hire a car and drive to Cape Town via Drakensberg mountains, The Wild Coast and the Garden Route. We got a retro little Volkswagen citisport and were set to start our 4000km roadtrip the next day.

So you last heard from us as we had been shopping and sightseeing in Hong Kong and heading off to our next continent Africa... Well the internet in Africa, as we expected, was scarce and so it might seem that we dropped off the face of the planet - not so ! We're now in Mauritius after having had an amazing 6 weeks on the road and now trying to catch up with our blog. It's raining and windy so Alex has gone off to finish his PADI cert and I have been having a ...

... were usually kept appeared empty but one of the locals (I think he was a cleaner) told us to go inside. So we opened the door of the cage (complete with signs that said DO NOT ENTER) and stepped in - still couldn't see anything and the cleaner was gesticulating to enter the little den at the back. So being outrageously stupid I decided to stick my head inside the lions den and climbed in - luckily I avoided a complete mauling as the (pretty large) lion cubs were just lying ...

... for Mozambique for R350, though quite a lot for a student but still fair taken into perspective what British or American passport holders pay. There are rumours that they will leave the consulate with R700 less! So for Malawi no visa - but I will need for Zimbabwe a transit visa. As a South African you will get a visa for free at the border but as a supposedly rich German this will be US$50! But I have seen that the single entry visa ...

... we trekked the mountain gorillas (Bwindi, Uganda) 25. Listening to Berber music being played in the nightmarkets of Marrakesh ...

... worth the relief from the heat. The storm broke directly overhead and we had to get out cos of the lightning risk. Twice. It was pretty spectacular and continued all afternoon, thoroughly drenching us on the walk home. As it is Marina's last day we had a meal with Barbara and Ralph. It was good to all sit together and talk about stuff. Highlight: Rain!!