TravelStream™ news feed for member virginieandpaul on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/virginieandpaul en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 23 Dec 2005 05:50:05 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133951700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133951700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133951700/tpod.html Fri, 23 Dec 2005 05:50:05 -0500 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Koh Jum, Thailand

Tomorrow will be Paul's 30th birthday and I am desperately looking to do something special except, WE ARE ON A DESERTED ISLAND! Luckily the hosts (Dave & Phil) took it as a personal challenge, lots of phone calls and running around and a beautiful thai cake was delivered on the beach. All guests joined in for some cake and a drink and the owners were kind enough to keep the electricity flowing until 2 am. It was a great party on the beach of Koh Jum.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133874360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133874360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133874360/tpod.html Tue, 06 Dec 2005 08:28:57 -0500 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Krabi, Thailand

So we've logged some time under water and logged some time on the beach (3 weeks in France and I'm as white as Brie again). We're in the town of Krabi after spending a few days on the Island of Phi Phi. We liked the diving on Phi Phi and the beaches and scenery were great, but it was a bit too crowded, touristy, expensive and still rebuilding from the Tsunami. I also got sick again so we wanted to see a doctor. Yeah, I don't know what it is, change in temp or what, but now I have tonsilitis apparently and I'm back on antibiotics. No diving either due to the clogged sinuses. Man, I can't get a break my last month. I'm doing fine though and after a full day on the meds, my throat is clearing up. Should be good to go in a couple days.

The diving on Phi PHi was really great. It was a bit gloomy weather and the rain lead to some so-so visibility (only 10-30 feet) but we saw some really nice dive sites. We dove a couple of Islands south of Phi Phi where the limestone cliffs jet out of the turquoise waters - stunning scenery (actually where the movie "The Beach" was filmed). There was beautiful coral and fish life was verried. I finally saw some baraccuda which I have eaten, but never seen a school of. Great octopus, and assorted other fish. V and I are getting really comfortable underwater and look forward to some more great dives while we are here.

I also got some good shots with my Olympus plus the new underwater housing I bought. The housing is a serious piece of work, the wide angle lens on my camera means that it has a huge wide lens cover on the housing, everyone on the dive boat wonders if I am Jacques Cousteau (Virginie spelled his name, I was wayyyyyy off when I tried) or a professional - looks can be pretty deceiving heh heh. All the guys with the little compacts look at me in awe ;) though it is a pain hauling this thing with me. Glad I didn't buy it for the entire trip, that woulda been ugly. Underwater though the camera is easy to handle, it has lead weights so that it is neutrally bouyant and isn't so cumbersome. I got some great pics and am working on taking some nice videos ( I like the darth vadar like breathing that the microphone picks up underwater - Luke, Luke, I am your father...).

We spent two days diving, then another day just getting fried on the beach. Well, I got a little brown anyway, sort of. Then we decided to head in to the town of Krabi to do some shopping for some things and hit the doctors for me (because it had been so long since I last saw one).

We are off to a small island tomorrow called Jum Island which promises to be a bit less of the party crowd (I'm seriously not old - just hanging with drunk european package tourists ain't my idea of a good time). We were planning on going on a live aboard boat for 4 days in honor of my 30th birthday on the 8th, but because of my condition, diving was out of the question, so we pushed that off. We're heading to the Island to relax and enjoy a nice beach. I'll let you all know how that goes.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133404440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133404440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1133404440/tpod.html Wed, 30 Nov 2005 21:50:55 -0500 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Phi Phi Island, Thailand

Well, Its been a while since I updated my site. I'll get back on top of things now that I have some extra time. Some have sent me emails asking if I was alive and whether I survived Myanmar. I did, I just got so busy and behind on my site that I procrastinated. I got a bit sick with Dengue Fever in Chiang Mai - the fever kept me in bed for a while. Then I got a lung infection in Paris so that knocked me down a while, still fighting that one off - really giving my body a work-over this year for sure. Myanmar was a highlight of our trip and I'll be updating my site about that soon.

After our last minute trip to Paris, we made it back to Thailand and were glad for the warm weather. We made a bee line for the south taking an 18 hour journey via numerous buses to get to Ao Nang, a beach on the Adaman Sea. It was a bit overrun with package tourists, hotels and cheesy tourist shops so we got a boat yesterday to Phi Phi island, which is just as touristy, but has nicer beaches and boasts some of the best diving in the world.

We're going to spend some time on the island, suffering the loud bars, obnoxious package tourists, touts and overpriced everything so that we can get in some great diving. I bought this new housing for my camera, so I am looking forward to some underwater photography.

We spent this morning looking for a new hotel room. V apparently didn't like the music from the bar next store that pounded until 4am or the flood of drunks stumbling and shouting their way back to their hotels that followed the closing of the bar. I slept like a log, but she insisted this morning that we go try to hunt out a new place. It is the high season here so very crowded and overpriced. I am paying 15 bucks for a crappy room, the most i have paid anywhere in Thailand.

The Island has recuperated quite a bit since the tsunami whipped most of it into the sea. There is constant construction everywhere and it is a bit cluttered with debris, but it has been a year and we did want to contribute more than to just relief agencies. Tourists are just starting to come back here apparently. The locals are happy to see it I belive as their lives are returning to normal. It is a bit eery though, knowing what happened here.

We found a new bungalow though, it's clean and far from bars and restaurants so we'll see how that works out. Now its off to find somewhere to dive...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127468820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127468820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127468820/tpod.html Tue, 27 Sep 2005 05:12:31 -0400 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Chiang Mai, Thailand

We made it back to Bangkok after another spectacular flight with Qatar airlines. I can't recommend them enough. I do have to say though, that Qatar Airlines must have lost money on our tickets. We arrived in Doha at 10pm and didn't fly out until 9am so they put us up in a hotel.

Well, not just any hotel, they were going to put us up at the Sheraton, but it was full so they put us up at the Ritz Carlton. Holy jeez I've never stayed at a nicer hotel than this place, V and I thought we were in Heaven after Africa (and we were dressed in grungy clothes we have been wearing for months - talk about sticking out like a sore thumb). We kept saying how dad would have really loved this place after the last 2 weeks of camping.

The airline paid for a town car to drive us the 30 minutes to the hotel, the night accommodation in this amazing room and a huge breakfast buffet that beats everything I have ever seen before. The Ritz Carlton is a hotel you don't want to go to if you see yourself going to Motel six the rest of your
life, it is to high of a bar. The big plush bathrobes and slippers and the huge feather bed after sleeping on a crummy foam mat and a tent too small for you to stretch out was like eating a 5 course meal after getting used to McDonalds. We could get used to that luxury. And the service, let me tell you about the
way these people in the hotel take care of you. You only have to ask and like 3 people are jumping to and fulfilling your every wish. My wake up call was a live person (not the standard recording) wishing "Mr. Volpe" a good morning, would he like anything?" heck yeah, get me some toast and coffee! The marble
bathroom, tub, sitting area and view overlooking the Arabian sea were stunning. Man, I don't know how they afford to do it, but I will make every effort to fly them again. Plus the flights that we had were on planes with on demand movies, music, and video games.

I can't remember the last time (never happened) wherethey had to kick me off the plane when we arrived. 9 hours went by like a snap. I cry thinking back on the beauty of our flight back here. 9 hours to Doha from Jo'burg and 7 hours to Bangkok. Miss that plane already.

We then got our tickets and Visas set up to go to Myanmar (Burma) and found we had a week so we decided to go visit Kristin up in Chang Mai in Northern Thailand. Kristin is living here working for a German NGO (Heinrich Boll Stiftung). She has been showing us around the city which is set right in the hills of northern Thailand. It's the second largest city in Thailand, but has a town-like feel to it.

It seems that we spend half out time discovering new little places to eat here. The food is so amazing and so cheap that I can't stop commenting on it. The spicy coconut soups, thai noodles, mixed vegetables, deserts, fresh fruits are so amazing, especially after Africa. For 4 dollars two people can eat a huge meal of 4-5 dishes and still have money for a couple drinks. This is probably the best food of anywhere we have been.

The other wonderful thing about Thailand is that it has the infrastructure of a western country so getting around is not hard at all. It has to be one of the easiest places for you to go in the world and have a great time without the stress of hard travel. I can understand why Kristin would want to move here.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127036640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127036640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127036640/tpod.html Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:59:39 -0400 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Johannesburg, South Africa

Jo'burg isn't as bad of a city as everyone makes it out to be. We found the part of town we stayed at very nice. We most appreciated all the western amenities such as great restaurants, banks where we could withdraw actual valuable currency, good roads, and shopping malls. It is a very western city and as a visitor you feel as though you could be in any city in the US. The only difference that is quite obvious is all the walls, barbed wire and electric fences. The city's crime problem is apparent to anyone driving around. Its is really sad to see all that security. Our backpacker alone was surrounded by a high fence topped with razor wire and the entrance had a double gate. Sometimes you get the feeling that you are under siege. I guess a massive disparity between rich and poor does that to a city/country. Don't think I could get used to that.

V and I would miss Africa. We had a truly amazing time on the continent. I think for me, the magnificent sunrises and sunsets over stunning landscapes will always be the highlight and will always represent the continent. But the people and variety of cultures are also tremendous. We would miss Africa, but I think we were ready to move on. It is definitely not easy traveling due to Infrastructure, distances and amenities. I'm trying to Talk Virginie into going to Northern Africa soon, but I think I may have a lot of convincing to do ;)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1126690980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1126690980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1126690980/tpod.html Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:50:05 -0400 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe was a place I really wanted to visit. I had been reading a lot about what President Mugabe has been doing to destroy one of Africa's near success stories, and I wanted to see what was going on there for myself. I had heard that it was safe for foreigners and because we had time, wanted to take a direct route to Jo'burg, and V and dad were interested, we decided to make our way over land through Zimbabwe to South Africa.

President Mugabe has been the president since independence from Britain in 1980. He was a freedom fighter and many consider him the countries father (he does everything he can to encourage this idea). like many men in power, it went to his head and he has done everything possible to maintain his firm control of the country (squeezing independent voices, imprisoning opposition party leaders, rigging elections etc). The event that lead to his country becoming one of the most economically devastated, despite its history of being southern Africa's breadbasket was that he kicked all the white farmers off their land and gave that land to black Africans (mainly his cronies). Those that now had the land didn't have the farm equipment or the knowledge of how to farm and so production came to a near halt plunging his population into near famine in parts. Because it doesn't export much, inflation has gone through the roof. A year ago it was over 600% , but the government has gotten it down to a miniscule 265% (argh). He hopes to get it to double digits in a year (good luck). They rig the exchange rate to try to get foreign currency from tourists. The official rate is now 25,000 Zim dollars to one US dollar. On the black market (where everyone with sense buys) it is around 40-45,000 Zim Dollars to one US. The fact that the largest bill printed by the Zimbabwean treasury is 20,000 Zim Dollars ($50 cents), Exchanging 100 US dollars gets you 3 bricks of money. I tell you, you feel like a drug dealer with the stacks of money you have to pack into your pockets and backpack. The president has also recently began to purge urban areas of people that don't vote for his party (ZANU-PF) by bulldozing poor slums. Though claiming to be undertaking some urban renewal program, he is really punishing his opposition's strongest supporters for their badmouthing. Its a poor country and getting poorer. 30% of the population (mainly the educated classes - especially the whites) have emigrated in the last few years, taking their knowledge and capital elsewhere. Mugabe has also recently strengthened his hold on the government and opposition so things aren't going to change too soon probably.

The people here are resigned to their plight a bit. Those that would talk to me about the government were very open about how things wouldn't change until Mugabe retires. They are proud of what their country had accomplished. It has some of the nicest towns and cities I have seen in Africa with nice architecture, wide clean streets, and a wide range of shops and stores - something absent from other African countries I have been to. They also have nice parks, flowers and a middle class. It is really the poor that are suffering most. One guy told me to thank people in the US for all the food aid. He said he knows that most people think aid from foreign countries goes to the corrupt government, but he said much reaches those who really need it in the villages. He said he felt it important to let me know that so I could tell others. I wish them luck and think they'll pull through if only more pressure is brought to bear on Mugabe. Time will tell. He recently avoided the wrath of the IMF who were going to essentially foreclose on Zimbabwe's debts due to his lack of payment for months. The day after Mugabe miraculously came up with a couple hundred million US dollars to pacify the IMF, I was talking with the owner of our hotel. I said Mugabe must have really looked under every sofa cushion to scrape together the money. He told me that in order to pay, Mugabe essentially emptied all foreign exchange accounts of Zimbabwe's businesspeople and gave them Zim Dollars in exchange. He essentially stole all the money from those in the country that were holding the fragile economy together. It looks like it is only going to get worse. What turns a guy so wrong? How does one man become so egotistical that he rationalizes such actions that he knows only put off the inevitable? Oh well.

Leaving Zambia, We crossed the bridge over the Zambezi gorge and got our Visas. I hated giving that SOB my $30 visa fees as it only helps him, but I rationalized my decision to go by saying I would be helping the common people too. Once over the border, we tried to get a bus to Bulawayo, our first stop, but we didn't have any Zim Dollars for the bus, and I didn't want to exchange money at the official rate on the street. After much haggling with the bus driver, we found a taxi driver that would take our US dollars and pay for our tickets on his bus. It was a lovely 7 hour trip. My dad was loving it up front next to the driver. His neighbor had brought along a fifth of whiskey and a couple cokes and proceeded to empty all the bottles. His attempts to share with the driver were thwarted by my father who felt that the driver had enough issues without adding alcohol to the mix.

Arriving in Bulawayo in the evening, we found a place to stay, but still hadn't been able to find a safe place to change money. The lady at our hotel offered us a couple hundred thousand dollars (Zim) and we went out in search of some food. We ended up eating fast food - Chicken and chips - Argh, but what choice did we have. The next morning we got our bricks of Zim dollars and set off wandering around the city. Bulawayo is a very nice city. It has some British colonial architecture, well planned streets, lots of shops, and is quite clean. We enjoyed just walking around. That night we had a great dinner at the Golden Spur. Steaks the size of dinner plates for $4 US. Can't beat that. It was a nice place and the owner was happy to take a few US dollars when I realized that the 2 inch stack of Zim cash we had brought wasn't enough to cover the $20 US bill. The lady was depressed too that every time someone paid, just counting the money you needed one of those electric machines. She said we should have come 10 years ago when this city was blooming. Everyone seems to be making plans to depart - her son is in England and she is trying to decide whether to leave too. Tough choices.

The next day we went on a guided trip to Matopos National Park. Our driver took us to the national park and we drove through the bush all day looking for animals. We saw some game, though not as much as in Zambia, that's for sure. The real attraction was the landscape of rolling hills made of huge boulders. The rock formations were stunning. Also, we were looking to find a Rhino, which inhabit the park. We were getting discouraged until after lunch we spotted a huge White Rhino (well the guide did, we all thought it was a rock until we used the binoculars and got closer). WE drove up to it and it woke from its slumber and stood up to face us. It was massive and had a horn that must have been 3 feet long. It looked like it was going to charge our truck and V and my dad started crying. I assured them all would be ok and that he couldn't tip our vehicle over.

The next day we woke up early and went to the BP Station to wait for a bus to Masvingo. The gas station was pretty sleepy because it didn't have any gas (shortages are common nowadays). It only took about an hour before we were picked up and on our way to Masvingo. The trip took about 4 hours and we arrived mid day. It took us a long time to find a decent place to stay. I refused to pay at the dingy backpacker with beds that looked like Crater Lake. I hiked all over the town until I found a nice guesthouse that would even let me pay in Zim Cash (most hotels by order of the government require payment of foreign currency by foreigners - Screw Mugabe).

Our goal was to see the Great Zimbabwe, site of the largest man-made stone structures in sub-Sahara Africa. This ancient civilization was thought to be built by outsiders by the British as no one back then wanted to believe Africans were capable of building such structures. It has since been proven that Africans were responsible for building the city in around 1200 AD and that the city thrived until about 1500 when lack of food forced the people to migrate elsewhere. The stone structures are mainly granite walls built by stacking shaped granite slabs. The walls are as high as 10 Meters and are also meters thick. The structures are built up a hill next to a great lake. The king lived on the hill and his wives (200+ of them) lived in the great enclosure below. The structures reminded me a lot of the fortifications I have seen in Ireland. They don't use any mortar for the buildings but are very stable. It is a very unique site and something not found anywhere else in southern Africa. The site gave its name to the country in 1980 after Independence.

The next day we had to get back to South Africa. It was Saturday and My dad was leaving on a flight Sunday evening so we were going to need to hurry to make it in time. We got up early and found a bus that was going to Beitbridge on the border. It was a ratty bus, but it left at 10am and only took 5 hours to get to the armpit known as Beitbridge. From there we took a taxi to the border (2K), walked across to the South Africa border post (2k), I kissed the ground of south Africa after all the frustration in Zimbabwe and gave Mugabe the finger, hitchhiked and got a ride the 22k to Messina in South Africa. Then we found that the bus to Jo'burg wouldn't be passing through town until after 7pm (it was 4pm) so we went to a restaurant and got some food. It had been a grueling day getting this far. We then went back to the gas station and camped out on some grass waiting for a bus. When one finally came at 8pm after V and I bought a ticket, the driver said he didn't have any tickets to sell my father. The bus was half empty I protested. He said he knew, but that he couldn't let anyone on without a ticket or he would lose his job. No amount of begging, cajoling, pleading would change his mind so we had to get off and wait for the next one. One came at 9:30pm but it was packed with people eating their dinner of fried foods. It was a brutal 7 hour trip all the way to Jo'burg. My neighbor didn't mind using my shoulder as a pillow (not nearly as much as I minded). Anyway, we arrived in Jo'burg Sunday morning at 4am, found a backpacker to sleep at and passed out. My father had gotten one last taste for African Travel before he was to get on his plane.

My dad was leaving that afternoon. We were going to miss him a lot. I was surprised at how much pain this guy could take on the road without bitching (well, bitching less than me I have to say). We covered a great deal of ground, spent no more than 3 nights in one place and had suffered a lot of long bus rides. I know he had a great time, but when we sent him off in the taxi to the airport, I think I said goodbye to a man elated to be leaving and thinking about how he would be able to get back to work the day after getting home. I figure he needs at least a week vacation to recover from the ordeals we put him through over here. But he got a couple great pictures of Lions and Elephants - the most important reason for blowing a few thousand dollars coming to Africa. I think next time he is going to rent the DVD. I hear word through my brother that he said it is fascinating here, but he didn't think he'd be back soon...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127468280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127468280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1127468280/tpod.html Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:45:12 -0400 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Livingstone, Zambia

Livingstone is a nice little town near Victoria Falls on the Zambia side of the Zambezi. We had come to see one of the biggest falls in Africa (along with a lot of other tourists ;) Its a simple, but clean little town and we easily found a backpacker to pitch our tent at. We immediately took a taxi down to the falls 10 KM down the road.

The falls themselves are quite dry this time of year because of so little rain. What you are most impressed with is the length and depth of the gorge that the mighty Zambezi flows into. We walked around the falls from the Zambia side and were even able to walk across the area normally covered in water and to walk right up to the edge. This freaked Virginie out and she not only ran backwards, but yelled to me to keep my distance. What a drop I have to tell you. Its a magnificent site if you like waterfalls. For me though, I was looking to experience the river rather than look at it.

My brother Andy had been here a few years before and told me about river rafting on the Zambezi. When we were up in Uganda I tried to talk him into rafting on the Nile up there and he refused, saying after his experience on the Zambezi, he had given up rafting as he was afraid he would die. I laughed it off a bit then, but I don't laugh so much now, though, I would do it again tomorrow.

I had talked Virginie into the rafting trip as she liked the trip we took once in Main while she was living there. Looking back, that was a cute little river with cute little rapids that my grandmother would have loved. The Zambezi is in a different class all its own. She was hesitant, but I talked her into it. My dad was up for anything that didn't involve sitting on a bus for an entire day, so he signed up immediately. I kept Andy's opinion to myself figuring that it wouldn't make my Dad's or Virginie's decision any easier and I was determined we'd have a family day on the river.

We woke early and were picket up at our Backpacker. They set us up with a big English breakfast and I didn't hold back. It was going to be a long day and we'd need our energy. Little did I know how true that was. We then were taken to the Vic Falls National park and we hiked down the gorge to a spot not more than a half Kilometer from the base of the falls. Just below the bridge to Zimbabwe, with people bungee jumping above us off the bridge, we got into our rafts and pushed off. The guide had gone through his safety talk and prep back at the offices. This safety talk sounded rather serious to me and I guess I had an idea of what was coming - I think V did too, but she trusted me and went along (Yes I feel bad that she trusted me, but she should know by know not to. We've been on the road for 9 months she should know better!).

The Zambezi river winds its way from Angola to the Indian Ocean (we had crossed it while going north in Mozambique). It is a massive river when it is empty, and scary when it is full during the rainy season. The rafting from the falls 20 something kilometers east is done in a massive gorge carved by the river. It is a stunning backdrop for some of the worlds biggest navigable rapids. Apparently they don't have as big a problem with lawyers here as we do in the US otherwise they wouldn't let any beginners undertake this trip. A guide told me after the trip (thank god) that it is most dangerous when it is running high and that every year they usually lose one person to the rapids. They can pull you under and keep you deep in the river for kilometers before you are brought to the surface then. He said this time of year is the best rapids and the safest (relatively).

The first set of rapids we hit that day were pretty fun. Little warm up. I was on the front of the boat with a South African guy. Behind me was my dad and V was in the back with another woman on our boat. In the front, I soon learned that you take the brunt of hard rapids, but as Virginie pointed out later, you are also the first one to get thrown out and aren't in the back seeing what fate is about to befall you and having to suffer the anxiety of knowing what is coming. Pick your poison I guess. I liked being in the front where I could come over the crest of the rapid, see the swirling water below, hear its roar and then feel myself plunge into the abyss. I have to admit that the rush before the rapids was not only excitement, there was a little fear mixed in - especially after the second rapid where I was ripped out of the boat by a wall of water - but I was able to hang on. When I was out of the boat, I saw the concern in our guides eyes as he yelled for people to get me back aboard before the next rapid. The concern seemed a little misplaced at the time - heck this was a leisurely rafting trip with a bunch of novices right? Uh Huh.

After drawing a little blood by whipping me out of the boat on the second rapid, the river decided to teach us all to fear it on the third rapid: "Stairway to Heaven" or as our Guide called it if we fell out "Highway to Hell" (they love to give these rapids dangerous, menacing names so as to agitate you before you plunge into it. Our guide, Boyd, was always bellowing, "the next rapid, Burning Hellfire, drowning pool of the ungodly death trap, is a class 5 and you better not fall out because then you have to live through 3 sets of rapids before you can get in" or something to that effect - very melodramatic guy, and I learned later that he held the record on the river for the most flips (10 in one day) - Boyd, you are a maniac). Anyway, we headed into the class 5 rapid called Stairway to heaven and before I could be scared by the size of the drop in front of me as we headed over the rapid, the boat was flipped up, and I was slammed into an oar across from me then the boat tumbled over tossing us all into the surging water. As I was underwater I think I even heard Led Zeppelin whining that unendingly painful tune. As the world was quiet and I was under water I remember thinking, hmm, this is taking a long time to get to the surface. I tried to stay calm and after what seemed like forever I was on top, tried to pull in some air, but my lungs wouldn't respond properly and I crashed into the next rapid. I was spitting out water trying to stay coherent and trying to find out where V was. After bobbing through more rapids I was able to spot the boat and luckily was picked up. I think V was picked up by another boat and slowly our boat was reunited with its lost crew as others helped us back to it. It was a humbling experience. I had a new respect for the power of the river. It was clear that flipping was not the joyride that I had anticipated and it should be avoided. V was really shaken up, but we all pulled ourselves together and got ready for the next one.

It was shortly after this fall that we saw our first crocodile relaxing on the bank of the river. It was small, a small consolation for those of us that knew we would be spending more time in the river without a raft at some point during the day. The guide said that they only hang around the calm parts of the river and that they knew where they were no problem. A short time later we saw another one slip off the bank into the river. he was bigger and this time when we pointed it out to our guide, he seemed more agitated and signaled the other guides so they knew it was there - apparently they didn't know where every one of them was... He then wanted a bunch of us to jump off a rock cliff into the river about 300meters down from the croc we'd seen. I thought I would be prudent and stay in the raft, though two guys were happy to undertake the guides request. I have 4 limbs and feel that losing one would not be in my interest. We saw about 6 of them lying about that day. They were all under 5 feet, leaving my dad to ask where the big ones were - His guess - in the water waiting...

It was a thrilling morning and on the last rapid before lunch, Boyd asked us if we wanted to take the next class 5 rapid down the hard part, intermediate or chicken run. The boys on the boat wanted to do the hard way, the girls weren't so sure. We arranged with another boat that the ladies would ride with them and we would go down the hard rapid named "star trek" - not so menacing I guess. We paddled hard into this one and as I was in the front I had a second where I was hanging out over the trough of the rapid looking down at how deep the swell was, hearing that rapid and I knew we were in for it. We had no hope of staying upright as soon as we went into that beast. The boat was flung over like a rag doll and we all tumbled out. The rapids were again as scary as before and we all fought to stay up, get air, and get back to the boat. This time though, we remembered the crocodiles - I was in a big hurry. WE scrambled aboard the boat exhausted.

The next rapid was so dangerous that they made us get out. Only the guides went down it and some just sent their rafts down by themselves. It looked more like a waterfall than a rapid to me and I was so glad they didn't have us go down it. then it was lunchtime!

After a quick lunch it was back on the river. The very first rapid was "only" a class 4 and we bailed hard on this one as our boat flipped yet again. Virginie was not a happy camper, but she found a new respect for the kayakers that watched over us as we went down the rapids as they pulled her to the boat. The scary part for her is being stuck under the boat. We always seem to end up there when the thing flips if you hang on. The next rapid was called the Mother and her 3 sisters because there was a big rapid followed by 3 smaller, but big rapids so if you fell off in the beginning it was a rough ride getting through the next without your boat. Our guide warned us that we didn't want to flip and we understood. WE watched the group before us go in - this was the group that never flipped as the guide was very cautious (and good?) and when their boat disappeared into the rapid we all said wow, they made it. We can do that too! Then we saw their boat come up almost vertically and saw all of its people tumble out into the white water and then roll back on top of them. We were all a bit speechless resigned to our fate. As we headed into the rapid, we pulled hard were bashed around but were able to ride it out. We screamed with excitement, but mostly relief that we weren't going for a swim again.

The rest of the day we only lost my dad out of the boat on a small rapid, we all think he did it for effect though. The rapids were smaller, but it was a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy the gorge more not fearing for our lives. Despite the crocs we took a couple of the rapids outside of the boat and swam around a bit. When we got to the climb out point, we were greeted by a clime out of the gorge. We had to climb some 500 feet out from the river to the top of the gorge where a bus was waiting. Part of the climb was on these ladders made of tree limbs. It was a fitting end for such a grueling, scary ride. There was cold beer at the top though, so all was good! V and my dad immediately said that if they never went rafting again, that would be just fine with them. They enjoyed it, but seem to think their careers in the white water are over. They weren't amused when I then shared Andy's experiences with them. They were however glad they did it.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1125398400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1125398400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1125398400/tpod.html Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:43:54 -0400 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Lilongwe, Malawi

I may offend some by saying this, though I don't think my blog viewership has reached out to many Lilongweains, but Lilongwe is to this casual visitor a contender for the worst capital in the world award. Its not that it is particularly dangerous, though I hear those walking around after dark are likely going to find trouble, or that the dusty streets and drab buildings are far from inspiring, or that it is so spread out and seems to lack a true heart of a city, Its that combined, all of these make for a place I was ready to move on from quickly. To be fair, there was a nice supermarket and a couple of nice restaurants. After being out of it for a while, there is a certain thrill to walking up and down the isles of a supermarket that has a relative variety of goods to offer and is so clean. There was also pretty good internet access.

This was our second stop here and it wasn't so bad. We found a cleanish room near the bus station (think of the hotels in the US near bus stations, then consider this is an African bus station and you'll imagine what this place looked like - are we having fun yet?). We weren't planning on staying long and found a bus leaving at 5am for Lusaka, the capital of Zambia where we were meeting my father on Sept 2nd. We rolled out of town at 6am on our 10 hour drive to Lusaka. The bus was a nice one and we settled in for the long journey.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1125744180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1125744180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1125744180/tpod.html Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:42:01 -0400 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Luangwa National Park, Zambia

The Drive to Luangwa National park from Lusaka is quite a marathon. We had to drive along a paved, but pothole plagued road from Lusaka to Chipata. 600KM of pretty empty countryside. The occasional dusty little town or village dotted the "highway". Its beautiful country. We stayed the first night in Chipata as my dad had had enough after 7 hours in the car. Chipata is a decent little town. We went to the market and bought some vegetables and fruits. My father is used to the huge variety and activity of Asian markets and Chipata's more subdued market with less variety was a bit different for him. It is true that they seem to have less for sale here and everyone seems to be selling the same 50 items, but we found what we needed.

The next morning we hit the dirt road that would take us the 140KM north to the National Park. It was a pretty bumpy ride, but the Toyota was an easy rig to drive, though it drove like a heavy truck, not some light wimpy American SUVs which are tested in Safeway parking lots and 2 trips to go skiing in the mountains a year. This baby was getting shaken and bounced around by the uneven surface of a hard, sun baked African Road that changed with each season. It was also coated inside and out with that fine red soil that the pounding African sun sets free from the earth by drying it completely.

At one point we stopped to take a picture of really big Baobab Tree and were suddenly surrounded by the children from the village. The leader of the Village came out to show us around and insisted on showing us the tree up close. He was a nice old guy and treated the dozens of kids as his children. My dad gave him a cigar and we promised to stop by again on the way back from the Park.

We finally arrived at the edge of the park before mid-day. We decided to stay at a campsite called Flatdogs (term used to describe crocodiles) on the Luangwa river, on the border of the national park. Because the campsite is right on the river, it is frequented by a lot of the parks animals that don't understand that the river is the boundary of the National park and they aren't supposed to leave. As we were organizing where we wanted to camp, a herd of 7 or 8 Elephants wandered up from the river into our camp and began eating off the trees. I think they were also hoping some tourist left out some food. They passed within 30 feet of us and were very peaceful, though their size and tusks sure are intimidating. We made sure we could escape up into the tree platforms or into the truck should there be issues.

Flatdogs is really the best campsite I've been to in a National Park. It's proximity to the park meant that just lying by the small pool, you saw lots of animals. Hippos down in the river, monkeys, baboons (hate them), giraffes, warthogs, elephants, antelope, all were around. They also had a nice bar and the pool was overlooking the river. We spent the afternoon just relaxing in our open zoo.

Virginie and I had pitched our tent up in one of the tree platforms as we heard that the Hippos roam the campsite at night feeding. My dad couldn't get a platform so he pitched his tent on the ground, next to the car as his escape route. V didn't like the idea of sleeping in a tree due to her fear of heights, but her fear of wild animals trumped her other fear and she reluctantly climbed up. That first night, the sounds of the African wild were overwhelming. The snorting hippos sounded like they were right next to you (in my dad's case, they were!), hyenas howling, birds, insects, it was an orchestra. My dad woke up in the morning pretty beat up as he said he was so freaked out by the animals that he barely slept. Welcome to Africa!

The next day we got up at 6am and drove into the park. We spent the entire day just driving around the park over the dirt roads seeing the animals going about their business. It really is exciting the first time you see these creatures wild in their natural habitat. Herds of Giraffes, Zebras, Buffalo, Elephants, Gazelle. The park is also very diverse geographically so we drove along the river, various pools filled with hippos, crocodiles, and bird life, and large grassy savannahs. With the truck, we could go anywhere which was a real advantage in the park.

We drove into the park early on the second day and drove north hoping to get to the Lion Plains. I was driving a bit fast hurrying to get north while it was still early and the animals were active because it wasn't so hot. Though my dad and Virginie were a screaming about "safety" and "living to see the next day" I squeezed that engine like a lemon (not sure if that makes a lot of sense, but it sounds good). Anyway, we almost hit a jeep coming the other way. The key modifier there is "almost" so I told my passengers to keep it calm. I did slow down though and good thing because coming around the next corner we spotted some folks parked in the road. There were two lion clubs lounging on the side of the road. They were really cute, about the size of medium sized dogs. You almost wanted to get out and play with them. Then you saw the mother off in the distance and reconsidered.

One night V and I went on a Night safari where you go with a guide who has a big spot light and you drive around the park looking for more dangerous predators. We saw a Hyena who had been in a fight and was a bit torn up, a leopard hunting for some food, Hippos on land, and a whole lot of other animals that were a bit edgy knowing that they were what the predators were trying to hunt.

The three days and nights we spent at the park were really spectacular. Its one of the best parks I have been to and so full of animals that soon you are falling into the trap of saying oh look another Giraffe/Zebra/Elephant, uh huh.

Driving back to Lusaka was another 10 hour marathon that we did straight through this time. I hope that Zambia preserves their natural parks and the animal populations. Without those, there isn't very much that your average tourist would want to visit Zambia for. Beautiful country, but it's a real pain to get to and get around in.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1124891340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1124891340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/virginieandpaul/openroad_2005/1124891340/tpod.html Mon, 26 Sep 2005 06:47:22 -0400 Virginie and Paul's Travels in 2005

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Liwonde, Malawi

We've been in Malawi a while now and have been really enjoying ourselves in this small, poor, landlocked African country. It is really a special place with very friendly people. I know I say that about every country I go to, but here they are unusually friendly. The fact that most speak english means that you can actually have conversations with people as they are genuinely interested in why you are in Malawi, what you think of the place, and where you are from. People are extremely welcoming all over the place and you only have to stop on a street corner for 30 seconds before someone is inquiring as to where you are trying to go and often offer to walk you there. They do this without the usual request for something in return, but seem to just genuinely want to be part of your trip.

We've been up to quite a bit since I last had access to a computer to update our site. After relaxing a while in Mangochi, we headed further south to a little town called Ulongwe, which isn't much of a town, but more of a widening in the road. It has a few brick buildings and a lot of stalls where locals sell beat up fruit (aka bananas), some dried fish, rice, corn and not much else. Malawi is poor. It consistently ranks in the top ten poorest in the world (its per capita GDP is about $170), highest HIV rates (30% of the populations), worst infant mortality rates (9%) and unemployment is high. Given that it doesn't produce much, it imports some staples from neighboring countries, but can't afford much so shopping here is pretty basic. You can get great tomatoes, corn, maize, cassava root, potatoes and bananas but there sure isn't much variety. It seems that because of the lack of work, everyone has a stand where they are all selling the same things. Going to the markets here has none of the variety and excitement of those in Vietnam, Thailand, or India. They haven't got much to sell and what they do have, everyone is selling.

Getting off the crowded minibus that took us the 60k, we were immediately surrounded by boys wanting to take us to our destination. We were headed for Liwonde National Park, Malawi's best wildlife park south of Lake Malawi on the Shire River. Because we didn't have our own 4WD vehicle, we were going to be taking the side entrance to the park. This meant a 17k ride over a dirt road through rural villages on the back of a couple of old Indian bicycles. The boys were anxious to have us pick them for the journey. We settled on a couple of hearty looking boys and negotiated a price (about 12 dollars for 3 bikes - one each for Virginie and I and one to carry our backpacks). After a small argument over who the lucky winner would be to carry the extra large "Muzungu" (all of them were arguing to get petite Virginie rather than gargantuan Volpe), we set off down the dirt road towards the park entrance. Other than being really hard on our backsides, the ride was really nice. It took us through a number of really rural villages where we were continuously greeted by small children with cries of "hello", "How are You?" and "what's your name?" Those slightly older laughed jovially at my driver as he carried the biggest burden (me). The villages were collectiosn of mud brick homes with thatched roofs. People were going about their days tending to gardens, pumping water from the wells, sitting around chewing sugarcane. All stopped to wave or watch us pass.

Once we got to the gate of the park, we signed in and the boys then discussed whether they would take us the last kilometre to the boat jetty. They hemmed and hawed about the elephants and what danger they were putting their lives in in the hopes of negotiating more money. Nothing doing, we'd agreed on a destination and I let them know they were going to take me there or I wasn't paying a single Kwacha (Malawi's currency). They relented and we tore off down the road. I could see why they were anxious. Once we passed through the Park's fence, you could see the signs of elephants everywhere: huge piles of dung, the holes through the forrest that they create lumbering along, and the fallen trees as they push them over with their weight to get at the various fruits. Elephants are very destructive animals. My driver's head was like a broken pendulum, swinging back and forth rapidly looking for danger. They didn't pedal so hard earlier and so now I wondered if their comments earlier hadn't been a negotiating ploy.

We arrived at the boat jetty on the river where we were going to take a boat across to the campsite without incident though. Virginie hadn't know about the danger we were apparently in and was excited as she'd seen her first Antelope. Seeing the river and hearing the Hippos in the distance she began to get very excited and nervous about camping in the park. When the guy at the jetty told me not to get too close to the muddy river due to the crocodiles, Virginie responded by telling me from her position way away from the river that I should do as I was told. Before I could be eaten by a crocodile, the boat arrived to ferry us across the river to the camp. On the way we did see some crocodiles gliding along the surface then disappear into the murky water as we passed.

The campsite was nice. We pitched our tent next to a sign that said "Beware of Hippos". The camp doesn't have a fence around it and because it is right on the river, Hippos which forage for grasses at night, often wander through the camp. This made V a little more nervous. There are no Predators in the park though due to poaching in the 90s. A shame really, we'd have to look forward to seeing some death and carnage in Zambia (unless we got lucky on the river with the crocodiles, I was going to have to satisfy myself with birds and animals of a more docile nature - ho hum). There was a kitchen we could use and we made use of it for most meals as the restaurant at the camp was mainly for those spending 150-200 bucks a night in the hotel and was correspondingly expensive. I did make use of their nice bar overlooking the river though and lounged next to their pool, but I was too cheap to fork over the $2 bucks to actually swim in it (rather swim in the river and take my chances with the crocs).

The camp was nice though and we were visited by all sorts of animals. After making lunch the first afternoon, a troop of Vervet Monkeys assaulted our picnic and stole Virginie's sandwich. Little punks are ruthless and fast. Before I knew what was going on they had mounted an attack on 3 sides and I was helpless to save the food. Then there was the Baboons constantly overturning our garbage. A family of warthogs would arrive in the evening to graze on the grass around us. Those things are ugly with their long sharp tusks. At night when you woke up, you were aware of all the noises outside and it was a bit creepy. The snorting and coughing of the Hippos, birds, monkeys, howl of a Hyena and god knows what else. I kept thinking about hearing while we were in Mozambique how a whole group of 19 villagers collecting shells at low tide was slaughtered by a band of Hyenas. My tent wasn't that thick and I was sure it couldn't take the weight of even a medium sized Hippo.

We went on a morning boat safari and saw all sorts of animals as they woke up on the river. Elephants munching grass, Hippos swimming with their babies, crocodiles lounging on the banks (some where huge!), Antelope (being watched by the crocs), All sorts of big birds (eagles, kingfishers, herons), monkeys, but I'm sorry to say, no circle of life predation. Virginie really enjoyed the ride. Though we have seen all of these animals in the zoo, it is amazing to see all these animals in the wild enjoying their natural habitat.

That same afternoon we went on a jeep drive through the dry forests along the river where we saw more wildlife. Virginie grudgingly came to terms with my continuous interjections about what kind of spice, sauce or stuffing would go best with each animal (if the animals refused to eat each other, I was going to let them know how I would do them up right). We enjoyed watching the sun turn into a bright red ball in the sky and go down behind the acacia-covered hills with the river in the foreground. There is something about sunsets in Africa, they are all amazing for some reason. We visited a 1300 year old Baobab tree on the banks of the river. Amazing to think that this thing started growing before Karl the Great was crowned holy roman emperor after uniting much of Europe in the 700s. I then had a beer on the banks and Virginie only had to tell me twice to stay away from the river for fear of crocs. We could hear the village across the river mouth celebrating something with singing and drums. On the way back we scared the hell out of a lot of animals with a superpowered spotlight being wielded by one of our guides sitting on a chair mounted on the LandRover's hood. We did spot one predator though - a medium sized Civet (a small bobcat-like animal), but he was thinking more about the spotlight than finding something to kill.

It was a relaxing couple days in the park, we'd enjoyed it but it was time to go. We tried to hitch a lift out with some other campers, but didn't have any luck, so we were resigned to going out the same way we'd come in. Meeting the boys on the banks of the river again, I negotiated a price, but then didn't feel like being carted around so I decided I would pedal and my friend would ride. The villagers thought this pretty funny (again). I did ok until I initiated a race with my fellow drivers. I didn't win...

We were heading north to the lake
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