South Africa photos

Reposting a few photos from South Africa. There were problems with the upload last week. Check out our flickr page on the right column for more.

Technical difficulties, new photos

Looks like the last couple posts with photos didn’t load properly and made a mess of the blog layout.

So I’m going to try again.

I’ve also posted a few dozens shots on my flickr page. Check out the first few down the right column of this page, then click on ‘more photos’ for the full monty.

Knackered in Namibia

What could be worse than a 20 hour bus ride up the southwest coast of Africa? How about an additional six hours due to delays. The bus arrived a few hours late at the Cape Town terminal. Then we got caught in some border silliness at 1am. This included two very slow Namabian custom agents for 120 people and getting an ‘extra special’ pat down by the South African border guards. Fortunately, we were able to get some sleep; although my knees are a tad sore from the ride. The sun coming up over the Namibian desert was quite cool.

As you can imagine, we’re a little tired today in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. Our hostel bar and lounge is nice; however the only room they had left has a single bed, some shelves and barely any floor space. In fact, the bed blocks the door, so you can only get it open a third and then wedge yourself in. Since we are knackered, we decided to just deal with it for a night.

We’ve made arrangements to head off to tour the dunes (the biggest in the world) for three days then our first safari in Etosha National Park for three days. We’ll be camping and sleeping under the stars (well at least through the mesh in our tents) – which should be fun unless something tries to eat us.

Pictures to come soon. Having a little trouble with the uploading. I should have that figured out soon.

I&G

Cape Town Kicks Ass

As we head off to Namibia tomorrow morning, we offer you a few thoughts on our week in Cape Town. Monday we wandered the town getting our travel legs and trying to come to terms with the fact that we didn’t have to go to work – it wasn’t that hard.

Tuesday we woke up early and made our way to Robben Island to see where Nelson Mandela was held as a political prisoner for 18 of the 27 years he was incarcerated. It was quite moving to be guided through the prison by an ex-political prisoner. Tuesday afternoon we headed up Table Mountain – an absolute must for anyone planning on visiting Cape Town, although an absolute don’t for anyone who hates heights.

Wednesday morning we took a tour of Langa Township – the closest Township to the city of Cape Town at a population of 250,000. We were unsure as to whether we wanted to participate in a tour like this one fearing that it would almost be like going on a human safari. We did feel a little intrusive, but what we learned from walking through this Township was tremendous. The poverty was heartbreaking and the warmth of the people and children was quite overwhelming…

Wednesday night was when our trip took a turn for the energetic and exciting. Ian’s second cousin Elizabeth picked us up from our hostel and has treated us to 4 days of good food, wine and crazy stories. She is quite honestly one of the most fascinating people we have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Thursday was terrible weather so we headed to the Museum and Planetarium. In the evening Elizabeth took us to dinner at her son Johnny’s house and then to a comedy festival where some of South Africa’s best comedians performed, including a friend of the family’s. We didn’t understand half the jokes, but laughed anyway.

Friday we left Elizabeth behind and headed to wine country. From 10am until 5pm we drank wine and brandy with Canadians, Aussies, Americans, some crazy drunk Dutch guy and a woman from New Zealand. We had a blast and Ian got blasted!

Today we had the most wonderful day driving along the coast line and coming face to face with African Penguins. Boulder Beach has a huge colony of penguins which anyone can come and visit in their natural habitat. We followed that with a trip to a theatre in Camp Bay to watch the musical Chess.

Tomorrow we leave for Namibia. The bus departs at 10am and we arrive in the capital Windhoek at 6am.

Smooches,

G & I

The Elephant Has Landed

After seventeen hours crammed into planes with questionable food, we arrived in Cape Town, South Africa last night. Thank goodness, both flights went nearly like clockwork and no issues at customs. A taxi driver was waiting for us at the airport and whisked us off to our hostel (Ashanti) which is quite nice and relaxed. We had a few drinks and crashed after very little sleep while in flight.

Today, we took it easy to get our heads into travel mode. We just wandered around Cape Town for the afternoon – along Long Street and down to the harbour. Near the end of the day, we took a short boat ride out into the harbour . The light was low and quite beautiful against the downtown buildings. For dinner, a Cuban restaurant… just because. We’re now putting plans together for the next week in town.

Why Africa?

IAN – Our bags are nearly packed and only a few things left on the checklist. After months of planning, I’m feeling pretty good that we are ready to go with 36 hours left.

Of course, I wish I had read more about Africa and made a few more contacts over there. But I guess part of the fun is learning new things and meeting new people while on the road.

Many people have asked why we are going to Africa. At the beginning, I don’t think we had a firm reason. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized that it appeals to three big sides of my personality. I’ll let Gillian explain her reason in another post.

1. I crave adventure and challenges. Breaking out of a routine and exploring cultures and places really gets my blood pumping. I’ve brought back the most amazing memories from Asia, Europe and South America . I also love pushing myself to the limit. Back home, that has led me to long, gruelling canoe trips and marathons. On the road in Africa, I’m expecting some tough bus rides with no sleep, navigating strange cities with outdated maps, hiking Mount Kilimanjaro and dodging a few scams and trouble makers. I consider this the Indiana Jones side of my personality.

2. I’m becoming a stronger advocate for social justice and equity. The more I read and hear about the AIDS and poverty crisis in Africa, the more I want to see change happen. I’m very excited to be working with Friends of Mulanje Orphans in Malawi to help hundreds of kids get a good start in life. We’ve already raised more than $4,500 for the orphanage, and we’ll be spending a week there in August. I’ve also promised myself to spend some time away from tourist activities and observe the true conditions and realities that Africans face. I realize I’ll be looking at things with Western eyes and never tread far from safe neighbourhoods, but I’ll give it my best try to still learn and understand.  I consider this the Stephen Lewis side of my personality.

3. I also have an artistic side that wants to come out and play. I love photography and used to roam Toronto neighbourhoods with my old Pentax K1000. But it has collected dust in recent years while I was busy with other volunteer and work responsibilities. So I’ve bought a new digital Nikon SLR, and I intend to take plenty of time framing some great shots. And what better place to do it… Namibia’s sand dunes, Zambia’s Victoria Falls, Kenya’s Masi Mara plains, Zanizibar’s Stone Town, etc… This is the National Geographic side of my personality.

So I’ve leave it at that for now. We’ll try to keep you updated throughout our trip. First stop is Cape Town.

Eights Days To Go

For years we’ve talked about travelling through Africa. In eight days that dream becomes a reality. 

We fly out of Toronto next Saturday for Cape Town, South Africa. Then we’ll have three months to travel by land and water up the continent to Nairobi, Kenya.

During our trip, we’ll keep this blog updated on our antics and adventures. Internet access may be questionable in spots so don’t fret if we haven’t posted for a few days.