Getting around
This is more a travelling and planing blog so if you are looking for my daily life, you’ll have to look somewhere else :)Archive for 2008 South Africa, Botswana and Zambia
More animals
I have some 20 minutes to upload some more pictures before my flight to Stockholm takes off. They are from a game reserve in northern SA.
We were walking as we saw the rhinos. It was amazing.
Baby with mother.
Ostrich
Wilderbeast in grass – nice with all the horns
Frankfurt Flughafen
I’ve just arrived at Frankfurt Airport and I am a bit tired. Everything worked out well with the flights but I was delayed 2 hours from Livingstone. I had calculated with that so there was no problem with the connecting flight in Jo-burg.
Here is a picture from my helicopter flight at Vic falls. It was a short but impressive flight.
My flight to Stockholm leaves in 70 minutes. I will just go home to get a shower and some clean clothes. Then it’s time for work. Tonight I will try to upload some more pictures and write more about the last days of the trip.
At the Vic falls
After a few days in the wilderness I’ve found a computer with Internet access. I’m now in Zambia, next to the Victoria falls. The falls are for the moment quite small but today we witnessed how a flood from a thunder storm made the falls grow bigger. It was impressive.
Unfortunately I can not connect my camera so the pictures will have to wait.
The last days in Kruger was really some extra. I saw lion and lepard up close. The leopard passed 1 meter from the car and the lion was laying on the street.
On our way to Botswana we stayed close to another reserve. Therte I encountered the rhino making me see all the “big 5”.
Tomorrow I fly do a helicopter flight over the falls before going to the airport. Then it’s just a long flight back. I will be in Stockholm on Monday morning.
I’ll be back with some pictures later.
Kruger Park
I’m on a Safari, or as they say down here, in the bush. Now I’m feeling some real heat, it has been some 30 plus today.
I will start off where I left. I arrived in Johannesburg and was picked up by Richard. He brought me to Dani’s home where a couple of other guys already was having the barii, a SA BBQ.
I must say it’s a strange feeling seeing the homes. They have to have extra security everywhere and some even have electrified fences. Anyway, I had a wonderful time drinking wine and eating great food. I showed them some pics from North Cape and I think they enjoyed it.
The next morning was a early one; up at quarter to four. Dani was kind taking me to the pic up place down in Joburg. There I met the guys with whom I will do the tour through Kruger, Botswana and eventually Vic Falls. All together 7 people plus 2 guides. I’m the oldest one, but that didn’t surprise me.
It took quite some time to get to the place where we were spending the night. Just outside Kruger Park we stayed at a rebuilt tribe village. I spent the night in a hut with floor made out of Termite Saliva and Cow-shit! But it was really nice and clean. I slept like a baby. Even though it was very warm.
Before we went to sleep we where shown some traditional dance and a man, Jamaica, told us about their traditions. It was a bit odd, because we where the only one there.
Today it has been another very hot day. We spent the whole day driving through Kruger park looking for animals. The peak was seeing some Cheetah 10 m from the road. Other highlights where the baby elephant and the giraffes.
It is amazing seeing all this animals in their natural environment. We have one disadvantage, the park is very green making it hard to spot the animals. On the other hand the park is almost empty of tourists making it easy to move around.
As always, I cant say when I can go online the next time. I will spent one morr day in Kruger, then I’m off to Botswana.
Blogging from the wilderness?
Tomorrow I will give up my SA phone and 3G-computer modem. They will not work in Kruger Park or outside SA Therefore I will not be able, at least not so easy, to update this blog. If I find a Internet spot I will try to get online, but don’t count on it. I will try to continue to write though. It will just not be published until I’m back in Sweden.
Thunder storms and Drakenberg
I woke up with beautiful weather and was really looking forward to see Drakenberg Mountains and surroundings. This night I spent in a B&B on a farm. But the room was far from being farm like.
First I went up to Green Castle and it was a fantastic road. On my GPS it was marked as gravel but it had been paved recently. So I did some nice “racing” instead of the usual dirt style.
Up at Green Castle I must go on the most dangerous road so far: crossing a golf court! All went well I took the same way back.
Next thing was Sani Pass, a road leading up to Lesotho. Should be nice but as it started to rain a bit I turned around. I would need better tires to drive that slippery road.
All together the ride in Drakenberg was very nice. I drove mostly gravel but there are many very nice tarmac roads as well making this ride suitable for them who likes both.
At the end of the day I went to a battlefield in Ladysmith. I realized I know to little about the SA history to get that much out of it.
Now I am at a guest house in Harrismith. I’m doing repacking because I will change my bike gear to safari stuff tomorrow at the airport. It’s going to be nice with clean clothes again. Outside there is a heavy thunder storm and it’s raining cats and dogs. I really hope it will be better soon. I dont want my last day on the bike to be spoiled due to bad weather.
Police Force
I don’t know how many Police Officers there are in SA, but I see them everywhere. Today I counted 12 Police Cars. In every little town there is a large Police Station with lots of cars. So far I’ve been checked 3 times on the road. Perhaps this is the idea the Swedish government looks for?
South African House
This is a very typical South African House. Unfortunately the colour is not shown correctly, it’s mint green. In other areas all the houses are like soft pink. But the never mix. One area green, the other in a different colour.
Flagsstaff a small town
On my way to Underberg in Drakensberg Mountain I passed one of several smaller villages and towns. As far as I can tell it is very much the same story. First the main street with almost all the different shops then a school and in the middle of everything the Police Station (read more about the Police in another article. Minibuses parked outside and hardly any space to get through. There are also people crossing everywhere; totally neglecting the surrounding traffic. I’m glad I’m on a bike; there is always room for me 🙂
Getting around 