TravelStream™ news feed for member jennysabbatique on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jennysabbatique en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:44:01 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1219148400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1219148400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1219148400/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:44:01 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

I came to Pretoria to change my plane ticket and wait until I fly to Egypt. I didn't do much here because it's not safe and I didn't really feel like it. I had a lot of problems to change my flight and was really stressed and upset. So I went to the movies a few times, watch TV, did some Chinese, went to the mall several times for a lack of something more interesting to do. Then a really handsome guy invited me to go to the zoo with him and I had a good time. He was a field guide in Kruger National Park, so he knows a lot about animals. On Sunday I watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics and again wished I was there!

On Saturday night, around 3am a black guy came into my dormitory with a knife, followed by a second guy. I woke up right away and asked the guy what if he was looking for someone. Luckily, he didn't touch me and only looked at my stuff but finding nothing interesting or small enough to take he went to someone else's bed and stole her cell and handbag. She is South African and ran after him screaming. The guys in the dorm next door heard her and got up. They screamed and made the 2 guys run away. The police only came at 10am the next morning and took our statements. Apparently, this is not the first time it happens......welcome to South Africa!

Finally, I got my eticket at 9am on Tuesday before leaving for Cairo at 1h30pm! What a relief!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1218888960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1218888960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1218888960/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:42:05 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

I went to Durban to eat Indian food, but instead ended up at the Good Food and Wine festival! Durban has the biggest Indian population outside of India! So I thought I could indulge in yummy food, but didn't find any masala dosa and the one restaurant I found had no food left! I went to the Victoria Market in the Indian area of town, though the shop owners are Indian the merchandise is mainly African souvenirs, so no cheap clothes for me! You can watch a Bollywood movie in town and I did see a lot of Indian people and talked to a few ladies.

The Good Food and Wine festival was a good change from doing the typical tourist thing! I didn't have any wine, but tried a lot of food and had several coffees. The food was mainly samples from small companies who were advertising their products. I had lots of pesto and other dip and sauce, French crepes, fudge, baklavas, olives, etc... At the end of the day I watched the fashion/food and wine show. It was pretty cool! There was a runway and models came out followed by all the waiters all dressed in white. They served everyone 2 glasses of white wine and later some food. A lady was doing a sales pitch about the food and a man the wine tasting. Then we got 2 glasses of red wine and the models kept coming up and down the runway. I must say I was impressed.

Enoyed the beach seen in Durban. Many people were surfing on Sunday and there is a small market. I was really impressed by the sand sculptures shaped like African animals. They were huge and beautiful. The Marine World seems nice. I didn't pay to go in, but walked around the shops and restaurants and saw a group of local people performing a dance. You can dine with sharks (the restaurant is attached to the aquarium)!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1218369660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1218369660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1218369660/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:39:35 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, South Africa

I made 2 stops on the Garden Route. First I stopped in Plettenburg to see the whales. But, the first day I did something different for a change. I went to Monkey Land to see monkeys and lemurs and to Birds of Heaven where I saw some toucans and lots of parrots. From there I walked to Tekwinka, another rehabilitation centre for animals. The animals I saw there were not going to be released and were in big fenced area. I saw a baby caracal, which I petted, its parents, a serval, 2 cheetahs ( I petted the female) and 2 very cute baby cheetahs, which unfortunately cannot be touched. They have a lot of birds there too and a marabou stork kept bitting my clothes and my hat! I had to hitchhike my way back to the city at the end of the day.

The next day I hiked around the Robberg Peninsula. It was beautiful and from the path on the cliff I could hear and see seals! I got lost though and couldn't find the way around the peninsula. I ended up going up to the lighthouse through the bushes on all fours under tree trunks! I knew I was on the wrong path, but couldn't find any other way to go! I ended up going down from to lighthouse to the path where I had come from! So I headed to the beach and the parking lot. From the park I went down to the beach to walk back to the city. It took me forever because there were about a dozen whales swimmng very close to the beach and I watched them for a very long time. They are so beautiful to watch! Again, I was lucky, one breached and another one flapped its tail several times. Great, I love whale watching!

My 2nd stop was in Coffee Bay. Finally, I was in the real Africa. There is nothing to do there, except going to the beach and walk to the Hole in the wall. So I did the walk with a guide who bought 2 vodka coolers with the money I paid him and drank them both for lunch at the Hole in the wall! It took us a bit more than 2 hours to get there and he kept complaining. The Hole in the wall is just like the "Rocher Percé" in Gaspésie, Québec. Guess I should go visit the one in my country now! In Coffee Bay there aren't many whites and most people live in small rounded houses. I saw 2 guys completely covered by white clay and only wearing a bamboo thing to hide their sex. Apparently, it's part of the circumcision ceremony. In the past, they had to go to the bush and hide for 2 months, but the government doesn't allow this anymore as some men have died. They now stay in their village but are not allowed to see married women? Why married women, shouldn't it be single women? Or maybe it's because married women are not virgins anymore???
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1217700660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1217700660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1217700660/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:35:44 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is supposed to be one of the nicest capital in the world. I must agree that it is a very nice city with the Table Mountain in the background, the beaches, waterfront, loads of nice restaurants, but again safety is an issue. On Sunday, the weather being superb, there were lots of people walking on the beach, a few swimming and surfing, and the outdoor patios were packed and it is winter time here! Also a lot people were cycling and climbing Table Mountain or the Lion's Head. It seemed to be mainly the white people who were out and about on this beautiful day. It reminded me of the beaches in Toronto.

I saw a few African street performers at the waterfront. Unfortunately, in my paranoia, I didn't have my camera. The boat to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned starts there. A really interesting tour given by ex-prisonners who know Mandela and share their true story.

For a change, I rented a car with other travellers for 3 days. We went to the Cape of Good Hope the first day and stopped on the way to visit a penguin colony. It felt like I was back in Australia. In this little town, oddly there is a Tibetan Coffee. I was so curious I had to go check it out. Unfortunately, it is closed on Monday. The strange thing is they advertise vegetarian and vegan food plus cake, doesn't sound very Tibetan to me!

On the second day we went to Hermanus to see the whales. Wow! There were so many, you don't even have to take a boat to see them! We spent hours sitting around and watching them. We saw one breaching out of the water and a few flapping their big tails, very exciting!

I couldn't miss the wine country. So on the third day, we visited a few places. This time I felt like I was in Europe with all the German and French names! The first winery had really nice and cheap wines. Too bad I am still on the road for a while or I would have bought some. Then we had a wonderful lunch and to finish a wine tasting with chocolate! I must say we all agreed that the chocolate was better than the wine! But the place looked great, actually they all do, it is seriously really hard to believe that you are in Africa!

On August 8th, I managed to find a Chinese restaurant run by nice Chinese people to watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. I spent the whole afternoon there, eating lovely real Chinese food, drinking jasmine tea and watching the show with them. I was very emotinal and at the beginning kept thinking what the heck am I doing in Africa! Tiananman Square looks so beautiful with all the flowers and the fireworks were amazing. It would have been so exciting to be there........ I wanted to jump on the first plane. Should have followed my first plan and go there. I am not really excited about South Africa right now. It's really too modern....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1217009940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1217009940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1217009940/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:31:48 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Etosha National Park, Namibia

I had a night off in Windhoek in a very nice guesthouse in between my 2 trips. Though I was really tired, I went to the movies to see "Sex and the city" that had just come out here!

I was with a new group and a new guide on this second tour. First we went to Africat. An organization that rescues leopards, cheetahs and wild dog. If the animals are not injured, they should be rehabilitated and released into the wild again. We saw a few cheetahs lying down and then visited a leopard. This particular animal will not be released and is now a tourist attraction and a way for the organization to make money. They send him out and feed him when tourists come. You can really see him from very close. Then I saw some wild dogs for the first time. They have nothing in common with dingos in Australia and they are very ugly!

Next we spent 2 days in Etosha National Park. Compare to my other safaris, we didn't see much from the vehicule, which by the way was not a jeep and not suitable for game drives! But the water holes were great! The 1st night there wasn't much to see nor the next morning at 5h30am. But I ran there after breakfast and later before leaving while the others were at the shop and both time I was alone and saw a lot of animals. I was very lucky. The first time as I got there 13 wildebeests and some springboks came had a drink and left, so I ran back to be on time for the game drive. The second time, there were about 70 animals at the water hole! Springboks, oryxes, zebras, wow, what sight!

The 2nd night we slept at a water hole famous for black rhino sigthings. I spent the evening at the water hole. I went before dinner to see the sunset and as we got there a rhino was coming! Then an elephant arrived and some girafes! Unfortunately, I had to go set up my tent and eat dinner. I went back right after dinner and stayed there for a long time. First we saw an elephant coming from the distance, turns out it was not only one elephant but a whole group. As they approached we saw 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ....... they just kept coming! They didn't drink in the hole, but at a pipe where there is fresh water coming out. There seemed to be a big elephant in charge of everything and deciding who could and could not drink at that spot! There were kind of fighting to get a turn, but they were nice to the young ones and made space for them. It was really interesting to watch the interactions. Then 3 rhinos came. 2 of them stayed away from the elephants and one tried to drink from the pipe, but didn't managed to and had to wait for the elephants to leave. Another group of elephants came, but these ones didn't even approach the pipe and drank in the hole. Small jackals were running around everywhere in between the bigger animals unoticed. In total, we saw 33 elephants and 9 black rhinos that evening, incredible!

We got up at 5h30 the next morning to go back to the water hole, but only saw a few springboks. Then we went for a boring game drive. Just before leaving, I ran to the water hole again and this time there were around 80 animals, maybe more! Mainly zebras, springboks and oryxes! Unfortunately, we had to leave and couldn't stay very long.

Next we visited a Himba village. At first, it felt like zoo. The local guide took us there and gave us no information on the tribe at all. The women were all sitting in a circle with their merchandise to sell in front of them. I slowly started to take pictures of the kids then of everyone. The Himbas put red clay all over their body and hair and the women are topless! They wear skin clothing and a lot of jewellery. Some of them were really beautiful. I tried some clay on my wrist and then in my hair. I wasn't thinking! After a while, it got all over my face and camera. Then little kids were pulling my braids. I ended up with a kid on my knees and got up with red clay all over my jeans and top! What a mess! I had such a good time though, it was worth it. I was so busy taking pictures I didn't even go in the tent where they were explaining the culture. I only found out about it as we were leaving.

Then, another day on the road with 2 stops to see some rock engravings. Once again a reminder of Australia, the emptiness of the landscape here often reminds me of the outback. The next day we stopped at Cape Cross, a seal colony even bigger than the ones I saw in Australia. We saw a jackal killing a baby seal. It was biting it at the neck and it had been going on for about half an hour! The poor baby seal was still alive and figthing for its life. So a young American girl in my group chased the jackal away and killed the seal with rocks to stop it from suffering.........

Last stop Swakopmund, another desert, but with smaller dunes and a very touristic place. We had free time there so I walked to the dunes on my own. They are quite far across the main road. I walked for about 45 minutes to get a nice view, but still couldn't get to the biggest nicest ones. Than I realized that the sun was going down and the fog was lifting up. I started walking back, but couldn't see the city anymore..........luckily there were some quadbike trails I could follow, but still I couldn't see anything. Finally, I heard some car in the distance and saw some civilization, but I knew I would end up very far away from where I had started. I got to the road 5 minutes before darkness and had to take a taxi back to the bungalow (no camping for our last night!)! The next morning some people went on a fabulous cruise I couldn't afford. So I walked in Walis Bay along the lagoon, to the dunes and to the town. For once, I could walk alone safely and it was a lovely day. Then we drove back to Windhoek and my Namibian adventure was over!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1216405020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1216405020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1216405020/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:25:28 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Namib, Namibia

In Namibia, I had to take a tour in order to go everywhere I wanted to visit. Of course, I got frustrated at time and in trouble because I was late being busy taking pictures. But finally, with the group I could stop being paranoid about safety and carry my camera around!

First stop, the Quiver Tree Forest. These trees are in fact aloe plant. They are beautiful, especially when they have yellow flowers. It's like a tree with aloe growing on the top. We saw them everywhere in the south. At the camping site, a man keeps cheetahs. They are behind a fence, but when we went to see them, we were able to pet one. It really enjoyed being touched by everyone and didnt' run away!

Then a very long drive took us to the Fish River Canyon, the 2nd biggest canyon in the world. Wow! It is beautiful! Unfortunately, we didnt' stay very long and we couldn't go down. Everyone was waiting for me to eat lunch, oops! Told the guide not to wait for me the next time, that I would rather miss lunch than the opportunity to take pictures or watch some action. I think he thought I am crazy!

We slept by the Orange river (in Namibia there were no wild animals to worry about while camping) which borders South Africa. At night we met some police divers who patrol the river for smugglers and immigrants. Our guide told us stories about his 4 pet crocodiles (no joke!) and how he caught a crocodile once. Apparently, you have to be drunk to be brave enough...... He also grew up making bombs and playing though guy. Very different from playing hockey, baseball and having snowball fights back home! He told us about all the poisonous snakes in the country and that in some cases if you get bitten, the only antidote is in South Africa and how you don't have time to make it even by helicopter.........really nice bedtime stories before sleeping in a tent alone!

From Luderizt, a very German city, we went on a boat cruise to see a penguin colony. That day, the ocean was quite rough so we saw no dolphins and only a few seals and penguins swimming by. There were lots of penguins on Halifax Island (not sure why is has that name) but we couldn't get really close. Not far from there, there is a ghosttown. A place where 800 workers used to mine. There were so many diamonds that they could crawl on the sand and pick them up. They found enough to fill a whole swimming pool! The place is now abandonned and sand is taking over most of the buildings. But a new mine has just openend next to it and is doing pretty well.........

The last part of this trip was the Namib desert. The scenery to get there was beautiful. But, this company doens't sleep in the park, in fact we were 74 km away and therefore couldn't see the sunset nor the sunrise over the dunes which is one of the reason to go there! Of course, they don't tell you that when you book the tour! Needless to say, I was very disappointed. We entered the park at 7am, drove quickly to Dune 45. I took pictures from the vehicule on the way, but we had no time to stop. We climb the dune with a lot of other tourists. It is very windy up there! It wasn't too bad going up the path. You don't sink in too much because so many people walk the same path. If you wander around though, you sink in the sand but it's more exciting! I spent a lot of time up there running down a bit and coming back up. You should have seen the sand in my hiking boots! It was quite fun and beautiful. The dunes here are red and quite tall. It's lovely in the morning light and with the few pale green desert plant growing on some of the dunes.

After breakfast, we walked to Dead Vlei. It took a long time to get there and we wouldn't have made it without the guide. We went up and down dunes and had sand coming at us from all directions. We saw a few animals in the distance and interesting plants. I like the ostrich bush, it's quite colorful. By the time we got to Dead Vlei, I looked like a Talisban with all my cameras strapped around my chest and a scarf covering my head leaving only my eyes uncovered. I could feel the sun burning so had no choice! We had no time to take pictures there, what a shame! By then, I had given up, damn tour! Every time it's the same!

The highlight was my flight over the dunes! I am so glad I did that instead of walking in a canyon. The light jsut before sunset was wonderful. The dunes were beautiful seen from above! I could see the texture of the sand and a sea of red dunes! We saw a few animals and lots of fairy rings. They are circles where, for unknown reason, no vegetation grows, looks cool from the plane!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215799320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215799320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215799320/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:17:44 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Windhoek, Namibia

I got to Windhoek and stayed in a nice backpackers, but the tour I wanted to take was leaving a week from now. So I moved to a cheaper backpacker and spent the week moving from one backpacker to another and not doing much. I walked around the city, went to the malls, the craft market, burnt CDs, etc.....

I met another Jenny from California who works in Lesotho and together we walked around and had lunch. The next day we took a township tour. It was interesting to see how the black people live. Windhoek is a really nice city and is quite modern. It doesn't really feel like Africa. But this other part of the city Where the people don't want to live is the name in the local dialect, is completely different. I saw schools in army tents, people cooking on the sidewalk and selling the food (like in Asia), a small market and many houses made of corrugated iron. I wonder where are the washrooms?

There are a lot of nice restaurants and shops in Windhoek. I found a Chinese market kind of store. Had coffee in a nice cafe and bought some jeans. I couldn't afford the restaurants, so I bought some cheap sandwiches and cooked. Like the other big cities in Southern Africa, it is not safe at night. So I spent most nights at the backpaker watching TV or reading and writing my journal. So I was really happy to finally go on my tour!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215367260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215367260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215367260/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:07:03 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Maun, Botswana

I was lucky and only waited one day to go on a trip to the Okavango Delta. I left with 2 French guys and a young couple from Australia. First we went on a speed boat and saw other lodges on the way and a lot of birds. We arrived at the village where the tours depart from. I was surprised to see so many people waiting for a job. We sorted out who would be our guide and pollers, put the luggage in the mokoros (a dugged out canoe) sat in it, but first we had to go to the village to get the guide and pollers' luggage. It wasn't really far and I was happy to finally see a real village. They have houses made of mud and empty cans of pop and beer! Our guide lives in a tent attached to his aunt's house. They cook outside.

It was 11am by the time we left for our mokoro ride. We were following a narrow channel with tall grass on each side, so you couldn't see anything except the odd bird flying by. We rode for 11/2 hour and I had to eat because I was falling asleep.

We put up the tents and had lunch. We could hear hippos in the water but they were well hidden by the tall grass and impossible to see. Again, there was a siesta until 4pm. Then we went for a walk on the island. It was nothing like the walk I did at the expensive safari in Zambia. No ranger with a gun and the guides climb on a termite hill to spot animals! There were 3 elephants in the distance, so we walked closer. We actually got pretty close and it was a bit scary. I didn't want to be charged by an elephant while on foot! We watched them eat for a while and headed back to camp while the sun was setting.

We cooked dinner and ate. The guide is an advantist and a vegan, quite unusual in Africa. Everyone here eats meat, chicken and sausages seem very popular. After dinner, the guide and pollers sang the Boswana national anthem for us. Then the guide sang 2 religious songs and told us about the country's history. The conversation turned to politics and I was dozing off on my log until they asked me a question about Canada. I went to bed to the sound of bell frogs calling each other. It's beautiful! It sounds like a xylophone! No sound of wild animal until 4am when I heard a hyena. And at 6am the guide woke us up singing his national anthem again

We had a quick breakfast and set out for another walk. This time we walked much further into the island to find more animals. We walked for a long time without seeing anything. It was kind of boring, not even a bird or impala in sight. In fact, we didn't see any impalas nor giraffes. Once again, the guides climbed on the termite hill. They spotted zebras. We walked towards them and watched them from the distance because they are a bit nervous. There were 5 zebras and a dozen wildebeests. They took off right away when some people came from the other side. We saw more zebras later on and a group of elephants. We walked to the elephants, but they had small ones with them so we didn't get too close. We were watched carefully by the big one. They left after about 10 minutes. We saw a few more animals and that was it. Then we had a long walk back to the camp, we were gone for almost 4 hours. The feeling is completely different when you see the animals on foot. You feel really small!

We had lunch, siesta and took the tents down. We left for the mokoro ride back. This time we saw the hippos! They were in the big channel. There were 3 in the water and 2 by the land. We were really close to the ones in the water. They are very territorial and one of the most dangerous animal here........ One of them kept jumping out of the water to show off and tell us not to come closer. Needless to say, we kept our distance! It was really cool to watch, but also frightening! I think my young guide (he looked 16 or 18) was scared. We were the first one to leave and the others followed right away. After that it was really quiet and I dozed off again. We went back to the camp by speed boat once more and the tour was over. I was told not to miss this place and that it was a highlight of the tour from Vic Falls to Capetown. Maybe people saw more than me, as far as I am concerned it was not worth the detour.

I went to the bank machine that night. I had tried to before the tour, but the ATM was broken. This time I was able to get money out, but the machine swallowed my card, shit! That meant I couldn't take the early morning bus! SO I left on the 3h30 bus and got to Ghanzi, about 145km from the border with Namibia. When I arrived the taxis were charging me too much to go to the campsite where I had planned to stay. So I went to a hotel that I couldn't afford and since there were no other options in town I asked the lady if I could spend the night in the bathroom or somewhere like that. She saw that I was desparate and she took me to her house, just next to the hotel.

I slept very well and was woken up by her son making noise playing with his trucks. He was very curious and came into my room. He sat with me on the floor while I was eating breakfast. He took my peanut butter jar and ate some with his fingers, then licked the lid! So I left the jar with him. His mother didn't want any money, so I gave some money to him. Later, while I was still waiting for a ride, he went shopping with his nanny. He came back really happy with a new ambulance toy. Not a bad exchange of service I thought!

The lady had told me she knew someone who was going to Windhoek, but that person never showed up and she wasn't picking up her cell. So I went with a white South African who had stayed at the hotel. He took me to the border which was way out of his way. He was driving a Mercedes! I really know how to pick my ride! Once at the border I was lucky and got another ride in a Ford Focus this time and with 2 other passengers, so I felt safe. I finally arrived in Windhoek, the only problem now is that I had to wait a week for my tour to start.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215194280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215194280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennysabbatique/anneesabbatique/1215194280/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:00:53 -0400 Trying to finish up this blog! More pictures coming soon.....

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Kasane, Botswana

DAY 1

I got picked up at the backpackers very early in the morning and driven to the border. We went across to Botswana smootly by small speed boat. There we were met by the safari company and put into a jeep. They drove us to a big and beautiful lodge on the waterfront. The restaurant by the lovely pool serves a huge buffet and there was a nice bar. Both have just opened in December and were quite appealing, but that's not where I was staying since I was camping again. It was only the departing point for the boat cruise. Wow! What a wonderful way to see the wildlife here! We were cruising near the Namibian border through channels. We saw so much in about 21/2 hours: numbers of big crocodiles, loads of birds: kingfishers, fisheagles, storks, geese, egrets, herons, etc.... Many, many hippos and here because it is not too hot, they were outside the water. We saw buffalos and lonely elephants. The most impressive of all was the herd of elephants drinking. Chobe National Park is well known for its big population of elephants. Here, there were many and a lot of small ones and babies, lovely sight! I could have stayed there for a few more hours. But we had to get back to the jeep and get our luggage to reach the camp for lunch.

The camp was already set up for us and lunch was ready. We had good food and over siesta I got acquainted with my travel companions, all from the States and South Africa. We went for a jeep safari late in the afternoon and this time saw giraffes, impalas, kudus (a king of beautiful big antilope), warthogs and loads of elephants. Again there was a group of elephants drinking and another big group heading into the bush for the night. Just before going back to the camp, we saw a lion by the shore. She was lying down and got up after a while to go to the bush.

The evenings were quiet; spent around the camp fire looking at the stars and the milkyway. That evening we heard a lot of noise and were convinced there was a lion, but the guides said elephants were mating??? Finally, we saw one elephant and had to believe them. This safari company serves wine, so I made an exception and drank some. It did help me sleep better the first night.

DAY 2

We got up around 6am, had a quick coffee and a small bowl of Corn Flakes (gosh simple things taste good when you haven't had them for a long time!) and went on a jeep safari again. We were very lucky and saw 3 lions almost in the first 15 minutes! There were 2 males and 1 female. The males are shy we were told, so they quickly disappeared. The lionness was doing her morning parade and walked on the road for a long time. We were able to follow her slowly until she decided she had enough of all these cars. Then, we drove for a long time without seeing anything. It seemed weird after seeing so much the day before, but we were heading to the gate because the guide had forgotten something yesterday. I did manage to spot 2 jackals and one lion, I am getting good! The lion was a young male looking for his mom. On the way back, we saw more hippos in the water far away and a big group of buffalos on the island, some elephants, beautiful small hornbills, the pretty lilac brested roller the national bird. We stopped by the water to watch some birds (kingfishers, herons and cormorans) and get out of the jeep. I was so hungry by then, I wanted to eat a bird!!!

There wasn't much for brunch since I don't eat bacon nor sausage, so I was still hungry. I spent siesta time chatting until "high tea". Definetly not Singapore high tea, but bush high tea which consisted only of tea/coffee and cookies. We were all expecting something more consistent! Luckily I always carry snacks.

On to another game drive. This time the 2 jeeps went in separate directions looking for a leopard. The other guide found one first and called us on the CB. We did a mad rush to get there before it took off. We certainly broke the park's speed limit and almost hit a giraffe! But we made it there on time and were able to watch the big cat sleeping in a tree. After that, we drove further away in the park to find a few zebras. I most say that after the Serengetti's hundred of zebras this was nothing. But some were by the water and surrounded by giraffes. That was a beautiful sight! Can't wait to watch the waterholes in Etosha National Park when I get to Namibia.

The sun was slowly coming down and looked beautiful. The sunsets in Africa are completely different from the ones at home. The sun is a red ball of fire and there are no clouds, just a blue sky. We stopped somewhere to get off the car and take a picture. Then as the light was falling we went to the water and there was the leopard we had seen earlier, he was drinking! Wow! It is beautiful to see animals in their natural habitat and behaving naturally. Unfortunately, it was getting very dark and I could hardly see it with my bare eyes. We had to leave quickly because you are supposed to be back to your camp before it gets dark. So once again we drove like crazy and it was cold without the sun. Another night by the camp fire with some wine.

DAY 3

I liked that place so much I wanted to stay longer, but couldn't. So I packed my bag, had breakfast and got ready for a last short game drive. We manage to see the same leopard again. This time he was on the ground, hidding through the grass just below the tree were he slept the day before.

After, I was driven to the bus stand to be told by my guide that there were no buses! I don't understand. He knew the whole time that I had to take the bus and didn't he tell me that I would get there too late? I should really have stayed one extra day, sleep there and catch the bus early in the morning! He told me he could drive me to the hitchhiking point. I said there's no way I was hitchhiking in Africa and went to buy some grocery. Half an hour later I was at the hitchhiking point surrounded by black people! There was a grand-pa with his grand-son who had a whole cooler of fish and were crushing ice to put in and keep it fresh until they reach South Africa! I watched people hitchhiking and jump into trucks. I was still not sure if I was up to this or not.

I talked to some people and befriended 3 of them. I told them (I didn't ask) that I would go with them if there was enough space. We waited for another hour maybe and they managed to stop a truck. As they were climbing in, I made my way to the truck and asked if there was a space for me. I was quite relieved when they said yes. I got help from another guy and threw my bag at the back and got in. It was a bit tight, but one girl got off after 100km. Botswana is really flat and there are no cities and hardly no villages by the road. But between Kasane and Nata you can see some wildlife. We saw 2 lonely elephants near the road and one big group in the distance. I was really surprised by the local people's reaction each time we saw an elephant. They went "money, money". One even said "let's go get a gun and kill it" and the other ones agreed! It reminded me of my Chinese friends saying "yummy!" whenever they saw a duck in a pond or a fish in an aquarium. It really reflects the different cultures.

We stopped for gas at the only town and it took a long time because the company hadn't paid their bill! The drivers from a few trucks decided to drive together because if you break down on this highway it's not safe. Not only there's nothing around but also no one except maybe a wondering lion! We got to Nata late in the afternoon therefore too late for the bus and had to hitchhike again! We went to the road and one of the guys got a ride. It was getting dark and I thought I would have to sleep in Nata, but the lady finally stopped a car. There was only one space so she told me to go with these 4 black guys and that it was safe...... I had a reservation in Maun and really wanted to get there today, so I went. Apparently, everyone hitchhikes in Botswana and Namibia. I was told by a girl that her friend who lives in Namibia got used to it and hitchhikes because there is no other way to get around, so it made me feel a bit better.

We drove in the dark until 9pm. It was really weird to see cows, horses, donkeys and goats by the road after seeing so many wild animals! There is absolutely no light on the highway and you have to watch for them all the time. They like to cross the road and some sleep on it. We almost hit a donkey. 140km before Maun the car started having a problem, but we made it, yeah!
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Stonetown, Tanzania

I got my visa for Zambia and then took a boat for Zanzibar. There I met Pascal, my French friend. We went out for dinner in the dark, the electricity was still not working. I am not sure I would have gone out by myself! Later, we went to the movie theater to watch a game of the soccer world cup. France was playing against Holland. There weren't a lot of women, but the place was packed. Since I don't know the game I quickly fell asleep. I got woken up by the crowd screaming. Surprisinly, they were all cheering for Holland who had just scored. Everytime the black guys in the French team were on the screen they booed them! France lost and we left.

We spent a day walking around in Stonetown and went everywhere: churches, the old slave market. We had a delicious chocolate with gelato at an Italian restaurant and went back at night for dinner. I walked around alone in the afternoon, and stop by the water to watch the sunset. There was a group of young guys practising gymnastics or some kind of martial arts. They were really good and doing quite a show.

The next morning we left for the beach by minibus, well rather the back of a truck. We didn't go to the busy beach, but rather a quite one. We look around for a place to stay. Most were expensive, but we managed to find a whole house for a good price. The lady comes at night and in the evening to do the cooking and she was really nice. Shortly after we arrived, I heard some singing and went next door to check it out. There was a big group of young boys and girls dressed in Muslim clothes singing outside. I tried to take a picture but a guy asked me for 15$ !!!!! I did managed to film a bit afterwards.

We took it easy and did some reading and walked on the beach. The kids were playing on the beach and I talked to some of the teachers. Later, as I was sitting on the balcony, the teachers came to get me to have my picture taken with the kids. The principal (the same guy who was hitting the kids with a stick previously) was pushing them 6 X 6 to quickly have a picture taken with me. Then I had my picture taken with the teachers and the principal holding my shoulder!!! Not sure I liked that!

The tide kept changing and the water was really low in the morning. So a lot of locals were picking up coconut strings and shellfish. I didn't swim, but walked in the water. It was a bit windy on the beach and not too hot.
I walked around in the village which was busy with kids. It is very small and there isn't much to see. I found a small shop and fruit vendor to buy some snacks and vegetables. On Sunday, a bunch of ladies came to do some sewing. They are part of a women's group who makes local products and sell them. I did resist and didn't buy their clothes, but I paid to have my hair done in small braids. Doesn't look too good, but i really comfortable and convenient.


To go back to Dar Pascal took the expensive boat and I took the cheaper night boat. I got on the boat and at first thought I would have to sit down on the carpet in the middle of all the people and luguage for the night. Then I was told to go upstairs in the VIP section. I picked a good spot and got comfortable on a couch. Then some staff came and started turning all the couches upside down and stacking them on top of each other??? They were making space on the floor to set mattresses. I had already locked my bag to a pole and did not want to move, so I splet all curled up on an armchair. The boat started moving and like I was told stopped in the middle of the water for the night. It takes only about 4 hours to cross, but for some reason they have boats that take the whole night to cross over and are cheaper??? Early in the morning, I got woken up my the noise of the boat starting to move again. We arrived very earyly in Dar, so I walked back to the hotel where I had to meet Pascal.
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