TravelStream™ news feed for member charlotte_piet on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/charlotte_piet en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:43:30 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1235393880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1235393880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1235393880/tpod.html Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:43:30 -0500 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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London, England, United Kingdom

Soweto, Jo'burgI had not expected to enjoy our few days in Johannesburg, having spent two nights there in the past and remembering nothing of it except for a shopping mall and the fact that the owners of the B&B were car-jacked during our stay. Enter tour guide and Soweto resident Zak, who showed us his home town and culture from what felt like a truly unique perspective. Being a bit of a geek for modern history, sociology and (well, fairly obviously) psychology, experiencing the living history of those who lived through Apartheid was a fascinating experience. Incidentally this trip starting our southern African experience had a pleasing symmetry with our visit to Robben Island which was one of the final things we did on the continent. Namibia, Dune 45 and surroundsSpectacular natural beauty was something that we were becoming a little complacent towards the end of our travels, but seeing Dune 45 and its surrounds was a chance to sit back and marvel at Mother Nature. Wow. Climbing up it wasn't easy with the winds blowing- but rolling down it, now that was fun!Zebras at the Okavango Delta Enough said. New friends & a personal achievementFully organised travel was not something we embarked upon lightly, and although we had a wonderful time, not necessarily something I would do again. Largely because on this trip we were fortunate to share our experience with some lovely, like-minded people and that may not be the case on future journeys. (Although it must be said that even on this trip there were a few odd moments, which I'm sure will at some point prove useful in my study of psychology). We have already enjoyed spending time with some of the Oasis gang here in London, are looking forward to having others home in the Spring and hope one day to catch up with others who are now in further flung places such as Dubai. Camping, particularly of the no shower, bush toilet variety, was also not something I was overly keen on and plans for this element of the trip were met by much amusement by friends and family back in the UK. It was, with a bit of good humour, a doddle, and I now feel that five nights camping at Glastonbury (potential floods excepted) will be a breeze...although, thinking about it, bush toilets may actually be a little easier to cope with than the average festival portaloo.Cape Town Reunion  And, of course, one of the best moments of the entire trip was being woken up by a porter at 3am to have my sister Ani and cousin Sophie jump out at me from round a corner, followed a few sleepless hours later by my parents arriving! A great family holiday, for which I thank my wonderful, generous parents, finished off the most incredible 9 months of my life (so far!). Thank you, Piet, for organising everything (honestly he did everything, I barely know how to work the hostelworld website), I look forward to many, many more adventures with you.                                                                     
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1211461320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1211461320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1211461320/tpod.html Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:10:05 -0500 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

What with China being somewhat on the large side it takes rather a long time to travel anywhere overground. However, given our increased carbon footprint for 2008, we are trying to avoid flying where possible so boarded a train from Beijing to Xi'an, for be a relatively modest eleven hour introduction to Chinese rail travel. On the advice of the staff at our Beijing hostel we opted for a 'hard sleeper' carriage (an open carriage with berths of six beds in each) and managed to get some sleep despite the snoring and the dawn chorus of hacking and spitting which reminds you that you are in China and here all bodily functions are a joy to share with your fellow travellers. Arriving at our Xi'an hostel, somewhat bleary eyed and feeling the effects of the 'hard' part of 'hard sleeper', we were very pleased to find a much needed breakfast and very comfortable bed for a few extra hours rest. Our first day in Xi'an coincided with the end of a three day national mourning period for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake, so rightly most places were closed, but we managed to book a tour out to the Terracotta Army for the next day and spend the evening in the company of the first of a great bunch of characters we would meet in Xi'an. Together with our new Italian friend we joined our tour early the following morning and headed out of town to the famed archaeological site. I have wanted to see the Terracotta Army for over twenty years, learning about this amazing world heritage site from the souvenirs and photographs my father brought back from an official visit to China he undertook whilst with the RAF. As he was with HRH during his visit I am sure they had an excellent guide for their tour; however I doubt the individual who showed them around could rival the formidable Chrystal (sic) who not only wowed us with her excellent knowledge of her country's history, but also of English Literature. After refusing to believe that Piet (or Beckham as she insisted in calling him!?) and I were not students I explained that we had been to university where we had studied English. 'I love the English Literature', our guide told me. 'Mr Shakespeare and his Hamlet is so wonderful but most of all I love The Lion King'. After a long drive home, expedited by Chrystal's rendition of not just The Lion King score, but also 'Eidelweiss', a few of the Brits and Irish in our hostel got together for a few quiet games of cards and quiet beers. Well, it would have been a few quiet games of cards, had it not been the night of the Champions' League final. Given there was an Irishman and a Scotsman (see photos of Piet the Englishman, joined by Greg the Irishman and Mark the Scotsman all 'walking into a bar'- it was late...), they both (obviously) supported Manchester United, so at 2am dressed in Chelsea blue to ensure a bit of atmosphere, we all headed to a local bar. To ensure everybody continued to act to stereotype, Dave the Essex builder did a deal on a crate of beer and we all settled down to what turned out to be a <i>very long morning.Emerging from the bar in the morning light, we spent the rest of the day sleeping and attempting to recover. This was made somewhat more difficult when we finally resurfaced and reencountered the same trouble makers from the night before. A long session of cards and a bizarrely entertaining game of darts somehow won by Piet (who was by far the worst player for over half the game) followed, before we finally showed some willpower and went for some more much needed sleep rather than following a group of newly arrived gap year folks to a Chinese club.While waiting for another overnight train, we spent the next day viewing some of Xi'an's lesser known sites, including the Great Mosque, one of the largest Mosques in China, and shopping for the essential Terracotta Warrior statue to grace our mantelpiece back in Balham.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1220006820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1220006820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1220006820/tpod.html Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:13:30 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Our Africa experience was slightly different to the rest of the trip - after seven months of independent travel, we were suddenly thrown into a tour group, being told where to go and what to do, with 20+ strangers. After overcoming our initial trepidation, we had a great time, and made some good friends.Here's my top five for Africa, excluding time with family as usual:1. South Luangwa National Park, Zambia - This was our first taste of a safari in Africa, something I had been looking forward to for ages. South Luangwa didn't disappoint - stunning scenery and an amazing variety of animals. Getting so close to lions and their cubs was the icing on the cake.2. Swakopmund, Namibia - For a large part of our journey, Swampyland was seen as something of a Holy Grail - sleeping in a bed for three nights in a row, showers and a town to go out in. Added to that the adrenaline sports - sand boarding (great fun but painful when you wipeout!) and quad biking (fantastic) and you get a great few days. 3. Okavango Delta, Botswana - We had a brilliant couple of days in the world's biggest inland delta. Travelling by makuro was supremely relaxing, lying back while the reeds swish past the boat. We also learnt a lot about living in such an area, and took part in a couple of interesting bush walks, including one of the absolute highlights - a herd of zebra stampeding past us in a perfect arc.4. Livingstone and Victoria Falls, Zambia - I have been to Victoria Falls before, but they are still an awesome sight. We enjoyed a walk along the Falls, and a great view from a helicoptor flight. We also undertook white water rafting on the Zambezi, and despite a bit of a scare on the first rapid, had a great time.5. The dunes, Namibia - This was one of the things I was most looking forward to at the start of our trip, and it certainly wasn't a let down. Nothing can quite prepare you for the vastness of the Namibian desert, and the contrasts between the red dunes and the blue sky - pretty much the only colours you can see. We got some great photos, particularly from the climb of Dune 45. It was just a shame we didn't have more time there.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1219926360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1219926360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1219926360/tpod.html Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:58:24 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Cape Town, South Africa

We continued southwards from Clanwilliam to Cape Town, the final stop on both our tour of Africa and our travels as a whole. Any sadness that the truck &nbsp;group felt that was at least&nbsp;delayed somewhat by plans for a day and night out in Cape Town.After arriving at the hostel in the centre of town, after some close scrapes with narrow streets in our massive truck, most of the group headed out for some shopping in preparation for our final night out together. I was due to fnd some clothes to replace those that had fallen apart in the previous weeks, arranging to meet Charlotte at the waterfront shopping mall. Somewhat predictably, she was delayed by having her hair cut and buying a dress and some new shoes with our friend Nikki. Some things never change!Dinner that evening was prepared by Kate, our tour leader, while everyone made the most of a nice bar. Once we had all eaten, a large group ventured out to explore Cape Town's bars along Long Street. A good night was had by all, although to the disappointment of Barbie and Sindy, no cheesy club was to be found.The next morning, Charlotte and I checked out of the hostel and moved to Camps Bay. Charlotte's parents had planned before we left to take a holiday in Africa and meet us for our final wee, and had very kindly arranged some top-class accommodation for us. We were somewhat overwhelmed with such luxury at first, but soon settled in and were loking forward to the arrival of Allan, Beverly, Ani and Sophie two days later.We passed the time generally relaxing, shopping and having several 'final' get togethers with the group from the truck. Once everyone had gone their separate ways, it was time for Ani and Sophie to join us, arriving at a very antisocial hour of the morning, followed a few hours later by Allan and Beverly. It was really nice to see some familiar faces after all this time, and we made the most of it with trips to Cape Town's tourist spots in between all the catching up, eating and drinking.Highlights included a trip to Robben Island, where guided tours are run by former inmates, and a trip to a private game reserve, where we got some great close-up viewings of the animals.After exploring most of what Cape Town has to offer, we ventured out into the wine region at Franschhoek, where we stayed in an amzing hotel. The area is incredibly scenic, and gave us the opportunity to visit several vieyards and indulge in a spot of wine tasting.After returning to Cape Town and having a final evening meal at the Africa Cafe, our trip came to an end. We have had an incredible nine months away, and loved every second of it. Not&nbsp;a bad way to start married life!We're looking forward to catching up with everyone, and promise to try not to bore you all too much with our stories!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218971700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218971700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218971700/tpod.html Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:15:22 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Fish River Canyon, Namibia

From Swakopmund, we continued south towards Cape Town, via two of Africa's premier attractions. From the start of the trip, one of the places we had been most looking forward to visiting was the red sand dunes in the Namib desert, and thankfully they did not disappoint.The area of Sossusvlei contains bright red sand and large dunes, the most famous of whch is Dune 45. This is a particularly photogenic dune, with the advantage that you are able to climb to the top for breathtaking views (quite literally given the steepness of the climb up heavy sand). Then, there is the fun of running down the side of the dune, or tumbling in some cases!After climbing Dune 45, we had a couple of hours exploring the dune fields, which was stunning. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, and hopefully the photos do the scenes justice.After the highs of the dune fields, there was a feeling amongst the group that the trip was certainly coming to a close as we continued inexorably to Cape Town. We did however, stop at Fish River Canyon all too briefly, for a short hike between view points. It is the second largest canyon in the world (after the Grand Canyon), and the views were spectacular. With a little more time, there were some great opportunities for hiking. Maybe another time...Our final destination before reaching Cape Town was Clanwilliam, where we stayed in a hosel and those who had not upgraded were sleeping in a tent for the last time. This led only to hilarity as a tent race was started, with most tents being sabotaged and taking considerably longer than the usual couple of minutes to put up. A good night was had by all in the bar after, as we all considered that the next day is the last day of the tour.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218535740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218535740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218535740/tpod.html Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:54:38 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Swakopmund, Namibia

...or Swakopmund to everyone except Charlotte, who gave up trying to pronounce it very early on in the trip!For much of the previous week or two, and particularly at bush camps, Swakopmund was held up as a holy grail of civilisation, and somewhere we were all looking forward to reaching. The attraction was twofold; the chance to participate in some extreme sports in Namibia's adrenaline capital, combined with sleeping in an actual bed for three nights in a row.On arrival, we were treated to a presentation at the main hostel on the number of ways to kill ourselves in the region. Following this, most of us signed up to 'The Big Three' of sandboarding, quad biking and skydiving. Before the fun started though, we had the chance to see each other as proper human beings again as everyone went off to buy some new clothes and had a shower for the first time in a while in preparation for a night out.The next morning we headed out of town to the dunes, where we would participate in sandboarding. This is a sport that comes in two types, standing up on a snowboard, and lying down on a thin piece of wood. Both involve hurtling down steep sand dunes at speed...We're not keen snowboarders, so chose the lazy way. This also happens to be the faster way, with people in our group reaching speeds of over 70mph on the steepest dune. I wouldn't know this however, having wiped out massively half way down after hitting a bobble. It hurt, let me tell you! And yes, there is a video...After all the fun of the sandboarding, we were hit with the bad news that the winds were too strong to head for our skydive that afternoon. We weren't disappointed for long however, as our quadbiking was switched and we headed for the dunefields.After a brief safety instruction, and a choice of one of three types of bike, Charlotte and I set out on our semi-automatics. Somehow, I managed to find myself in the advance, fast riders group, which was great fun. We rode in groups of about ten, following a guide as the area is protected. There were some large dunes to weave through, although we were going too fast to appreciate the scenery! Despite a couple of people (including me) getting bogged at times, it was a great trip.We awoke the next morning to more bad news - the weather still wasn't co-operating so our skydive was postponed once more. Indeed, the weather never did turn, so we ended leaving town without throwing ourselves from a plane. The rest of our time in town was generally spent shopping and eating or drinking - tough life!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218362280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218362280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1218362280/tpod.html Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:51:26 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Spitzkoppe, Namibia

&nbsp; Our first day in Nambia was a drive day, to a bushcamp, where a competitive game of French cricket took place before dinner and the obligatory early night. The following morning we started the long drive to the San Bushmen tribe, where we were to learn about their traditional way of life.After putting our tents up (and having seen some <i>massive spiders), we were treated to a display of song and dance round the camp fire. Thankfully, we were not required to reciprocate this time. The dance ended as the Bushmen dabbed some dirt onto our faces to ensure a good nights sleep. This was too much for two of our older companions, sisters, who collapsed into the kind of giggles that only siblings can manage.The following morning we had a choice of activities with the Bushmen. Not at all conforming to gender stereotypes, Charlotte went to the village to learn about craftworks, while I partook in a bushwalk with hunting skills, while showing a distinct lack of any with the bow and arrow. Both were an interesting insight into a traditional culture, although as we learnt later, not entirely authentic as the tribe now live in houses nearby and have mobiles... Still, it was an interesting experience that taught us a lot about the harshness of the desert environment.Our next stop was to be Etosha National Park, one of the foremost on the continent. The park caters for large numbers of Namibian and South African tourists, and in the words of our tour leader Kate, is a bit 'poshy la-la'. This was confirmed when we asked about the possibility of upgrading our tent for the night for a room, something we do occasionally, only to told this would cost about 20 times more than it has anywhere else.The game drives in the park were to be conducted in Gunga, our trusty truck. As this was our final safari opportunity, we were a little disappointed with this as it is not exactly the most inconspicuous of vehicles... It has to be said however, that our driver, Pat did a good job getting us close to the wildlife, and the configuration of the vehicle actually worked reasonably well as the sides roll up for optimum viewing. Several species of antelope were spotted, along with giraffes, jackals and a very close encounter with an old male bull elephant.Charlotte and I also undertook an evening game drive with the campsite, where the driver used a red spotlight. Although we snoozed through some of it, we did get the chance to see our first rhinos of the trip when we spotted some black rhinos at a waterhole. One of them nearly didn't spot us however, as it came dangerously close to the jeep before the driver scared it away by starting the engine.Other highlights at Etosha included more cricket and almost the entire truck handwashing their clothes, plus some good food and drink in the converted German fort part of the campsite.One animal that has so far eluded us on the trip is the cheetah. Luckily however, our next stop was a cheetah reserve, where we got to view the animals up close.The following day saw us head into the Namibian desert proper, with two more bushcamps before we reach the civilisation that is Swakopmund, something we are all looking forward to.Our first night was spent camping in the dunes, which was a really impressive sight. Halfway between the moon and the desert, the temperatures plummeted at night and the wind was enough to send a couple of the tents flying away, thankfully saved by others further down the line. Waking up in the desert was certainly an experience, with fantastic views from the top of one of the dunes.The morning also saw a summit meeting on the truck to resolve some tensions that have developed in the group in recent days. Much of this appears to be a hangover from arguments conducted before we joined the tour. Suffice to say there were many tears and a fair bit of aggression, but everyone seems a bit happier now and it was an entertaining show!As best friends again, we drove to Spitzkoppe, an area that bears a striking resemblance to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, where we spent a relaxing day. I climbed one of the granite peaks on my own in the afternoon, before joining some of the others for another spectacular sunset. We then descended before having dinner and some drinks, with everyone thankfully a bit more relaxed and looking forward to the prospect of staying somewhere for three days and not sleeping in a tent!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1217606640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1217606640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1217606640/tpod.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:30:52 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Okavango Delta, Botswana

Having left Livingstone, we headed to the border for another crossing, this time into Botswana. This is a country I have visited before, albeit briefly, and I was looking forward to returning.Our first experience there was a game cruise in Chobe National Park, an area that is known for getting tourists up close and personal with the animals, which are less disturbed by boats than jeeps. Sure enough, we viewed a variety of animals from our boat, including a large herd of elephants, including babies, hippos, crocs and various monkeys and antelopes. For a short moment we thought we were about to see a fight between a hippo and a croc, but alas it wasn't to be...We left the park the following morning, lamenting the fact we did not have another day there. A common feature of overlanding, which we had time to discuss on a long drive day to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta.The Okavango is the largest inland river delta in the world, and is one of the places Charlotte and I were most looking forward to visiting, even at the start of the trip. We stayed in a campsite nearby that night, before booking on to a two night trip into the Delta.The chosen method of transport in the Delta is the makoro, a type of traditional dug out canoe that sits very low in the water, which is poled by the 'driver' standing at the back in a manner similar to punting. We were dropped at the pickup point, where Charlotte and I met our guide, KT. This was lucky for us, as not only did he have the best English of the guides for our group, he was also the fastest as he eventually modestly admitted after much cajoling.The configuration of a makuro means that the most comfortable position within the boat is lying down on a sleeping mat, with a pillow and legs out in front. This was the position we adopted for the next couple of hours as we were gently guided through the water with reeds passing by at eye level. There is something almost dreamlike about the experience, and we arrived supremely relaxed and looking forward to our next trip in the boat.The Oasis group was to camp on a large island in the Delta, and warned not to go wandering into the bush alone. The reason for this was soon apparent, as we were taken on a guided game walk in small groups, and warned about elephants and lions, in particular. The walk was through typical bushland, where we viewed two elephants butting each other at sunset, and the spectacular site of zebra galloping around us in a perfect circle as we approached. This was an amazing sight that is difficult to explain, but the photos may give an insight.That night we returned to camp for dinner and some drinks and card playing. We have been successful in initiating a game we learnt in Asia, Yaneth, an Israeli game with Chinese (well, rules we invented there) rules, that gets everyone suitably competitive.The following morning I went on another bushwalk while Charlotte slept in. Again, we spotted zebra and elephants (from a safe distance). Thankfully, the closest we got to lions was following some tracks from the previous night. An afternoon spent dozing and relaxing in the waters passed, before a sunset trip in the makoros to a hippo pool, where we were rather too close for comfort to the animal that kills more people in Africa than any other.After dinner, the guides offered to perform some traditional Botswanan songs, which were very impressive. Less impressive were our offerings when asked to reciprocate - think the 'Hokey Cokey' or 'Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' sung somewhat self-consciously by a group who had had a couple of beers and you'd be close. This doesn't quite portray the hideousness of some of the girls thinking 'Saturday Night' would be a good idea though...The following morning we returned to camp, where we had booked a scenic flight over the Delta. We split ourselves into groups and were led to our aircraft, a surprisingly small Cesna. The flight itself, piloted by a British guy from Devon who was just a bit too cool for school, provided some spectacular views of the scenery and wildlife, and was livened up considerably by swooping low over the water, climbing ridiculously and some heavy banking, all designed to part us from our lunch. No such troubles on our plane, but some weren't so lucky...After catching up on the cricket and having some dinner, we retired to bed ready for the early departure into Namibia, the penultimate country of our trip.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1217088180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1217088180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1217088180/tpod.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:47:56 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Livingstone, Zambia

Happily we were met at Lilongwe airport by a taxi that drove us to Mabuya camp, where we would stay on our own for a couple of nights before meeting the 20 people who would be our travelling companions through to Cape Town. Lilongwe is not known as a must see tourist destination, principally because there is nothing to see. Our accommodation, however, was run by an English couple who were great hosts and employed fantastic chefs so we were confident that we could spend a comfortable 48 hours without distractions. Unfortunately our truck was delayed and a further 24 hours was added to what was already far too long a stay in Malawi's commercial capital. With nothing much to do, we spent far too much time dwelling on the fact that after seven and a half months of independent travel, we were now to join a group of unknown people, be told what time to get up, when and what to eat and sleep in a tent to boot. By the time the huge yellow truck pulled into the campsite we were like two children about to start a new school, and a new school in the middle of term when everyone else knows each other to boot- the other passengers had met some three weeks previously in Nairobi. Luckily a meal out had been arrranged for that evening, so we had the opportunity to meet everyone in a relaxed setting and a less pressured environment than the camp fire kitchen. By the time we left Lilongwe to make the trip over the border into Zambia, we had got to know everyone quite well. Ours is a group ranging in age from 18 to 52, from England, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Mexico. There's always someone to talk to, but getting peace and quiet may prove to be problematic over the coming weeks! Our first stop in Zambia was South Luangwa National Park, a place Piet has been really looking forward to visiting. Driving into the campsite we saw a couple of elephants and quickly discovered that we would be sharing the site with the herd as well as a few hippos. Now, we had come to Africa to see the wildlife but this seemed a little too close... After spending the afternoon viewing the animals and partaking in a few rums beside the camp fire, however, we slept soundly, unaware of the mammals traipsing past the tent throughout the night. The following day we went on both morning and evening game drives. On the first we viewed a few rare birds, a dazzle of zebra and a family of lions devouring a baby hippo, they had apparently caught the previous night. By evening the lions had moved to an even better location for viewing, and as our photos show we got <i>extremely close! Our real hope for the evening drive though, was to see a leopard, especially as some of the group had gone the night before and seen three. After nearly three hours of searching, during which we saw a variety of wildlife including hyenas, a porcupine and hippos, we found one. It was surprisingly small in contrast with the lions, and moving so the photos are somewhat blurred, but we were all thrilled to see one just minutes before the park gates closed. On to Lusaka via our first bush camp to break up the long drive. Zambia's capital was host to another first for us, our first Oasis tour party, this time in celebration of new friend Nikki's birthday. En route to the party location, which was also our camp for the evening, we had an unexpected detour to the local police station as our driver had been (wrongly) accused of swearing at police officer. A few negotiations and a $70 'fine' later we were on our way. A good illustration of an expression we had heard our fellow travellers use several times; TIA- 'This is Africa'. From Lusaka stopping at another Bush Camp, we reached Victoria Falls. This was somewhere that Piet has visited in the past, but was a first for me. Before seeing the Falls themselves we had a rude introduction to the mighty Zambezi on a day's white water rafting. Our group achieved the best wipe out of the day on the very first rapid, and it took quite some doing to get back into the boat after being dragged into the freezing waters, but happily we stayed in the raft for the remainder of the day and had a ball. We followed rafting with another trip on a jetboat, which happily was very different to that in New Zealand but still great fun. Our second Oasis party was held that evening. This time the theme was bad taste fancy dress, which had been bought for us by the others before we had joined the group. I got off very lightly with a dress which most of the girls agreed we would wear anyway, and Piet looked very fetching in his gown. The following days were a stark contrast to the adrenaline fuelled white water rafting trip. Having watched some of our group bungee jump (I chickened out and Piet's back problems mean bungee is a very bad idea), we spent a leisurely day exploring the falls, which were stunning from land but even more amazing from the helicopter trip we took on our final day in Livingstone, and in fact our final day in Zambia. Tomorrow we drive to Botswana and what we hope will be yet another highlight of our trip- the Okavango Delta.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1215876600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1215876600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/charlotte_piet/honeymoon0708/1215876600/tpod.html Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:35:47 -0400 A week just wasn´t enough, so we´re off round the world for our first year of married life...

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Hong Kong, China

Choosing an Asia top five has been something of a mammoth task as we saw so many great sights there. This is my current version in no particular order, which will no doubt change each day... Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors - China The Terracotta Warriors were an awesome sight, almost beyond comprehension. The level of detail was incredible and certainly did not disappoint. Xi'an was a very interesting place, helped out by the fact we stayed in a fantastic hostel which was very sociable and met a travelling companion with whom we would spend six or seven weeks in SE Asia. The Temples of Angkor - Cambodia Even though this was my second visit to the temples, this was still one of my highlights. We spent four days there, viewing the buildings in detail. Again, the level of detail was impressive. We could have easily spent more time there. Beijing and the Great Wall of China - China Beijing was a really interesting place that I was surprised by how much I liked. The hutong our hostel was situated on was one of the most atmospheric places we have stayed. The Forbidden City was a great introduction to the city, and a four hour hike on one of the world's greatest monuments was tiring but very rewarding. Picture postcard views all around for something I had been looking forward to since we left home. Asian food From sushi and sashimi in Japan to Yangshuo beer fish in China and the curries and laks of Cambodia and Vietnam, we had some amazing meals and learnt some recipes to try out at home. Kyoto - Japan Japan was a surprisingly difficult place to travel through, but ultimately very rewarding. Kyoto was the best place for me that linked the modern Japan to its ancient history, and although we were probably 'shrined out' by the end, we spent an enjoyable three days there. Others that came close include the Easy Riders in Dalat, Hiroshima, Yangshuo, Phnom Penh and relaxing on Ko Tao. Onwards now to Africa and the last leg of our journey.
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