Howdy sports fans,
After we last left you, we headed for the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park. When we arrived there was just enough time to set up camp and have a quick dip in the pool before setting off for our first adventure. We all piled into the back of the owners truck and set sail for his house/ranch... where we were introduced to Bubba, Zu and Cindy, the 3 (reasonably) tame cheetahs that they look after. We had a chance to pat them, hang out with them, and watch them being fed. Needless to say, Arnoux was bursting at the seams and was in there at every oppourtunity.. she even ended up getting a photo with 2 of the cheetahs at the same time when Zu decided that she liked the look of the attention that Bubba was getting and decided to join the party!!!
From there it was off to the nearby enclosure, home to 14 wild cheetahs, for feeding time. We stood on the back of the truck as it crawled its way around the enclosure, being stalked by hungry looking cats until we had rounded them all up, and then the fun began. The (totally crazy) guides GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK and proceeded to throw bits of meat out to the cheetahs, with nothing but a stick for protection..... better them than me!!!(although Im not sure Arnoux would agree...it's just the kind of crazy thing that she would be into!!)
The next morning we climbed aboard our faithful stead and set off for Spitzkoppe.... which, to simplify things.... is a massive rock formation in the middle of the Namibian desert. Credit to it though, aside from the one in Lauterbrunnen, it was the most impressive spot for a campsite!!! We spent the afternoon exploring the surrounding area, before settling down in front of the fire for a few drinks and a free karaoke concert from our beloved Annika (aka Swampy).
We awoke the next day full of excitement, as we were headed for our home for the weekend Swakopmund... scene of what was to be one of the best weekends, and the worst weekends, of our entire trip. On the way we stopped off at the Cape Cross seal colony... very cool... very smelly!!!
We arrived at Swakopmund, checked into our room (hurray, no tent to put up!!!), then headed for the activities briefing. Arnoux and I had already decided what we were doing, but we dutifully let the lady do her spiel, then booked our adventures. Saturday was sandboarding day, we spent the whole day climbing sand dunes, then hurtling down them at various speeds, with various levels of shouting and cursing!!! I managed to take the honour of top speed for the day over Arnoux... my 72 km/hr just edging out her 71... hurray for being heavier!!! We also were treated to another Swampy special. She was so hungover from the night before that she would do a run...then sit at the bottom of the dune for about an hour before she had the energy to climb back up again!!!
Then the filthy Frogs beat us in the rugby.... enough said.
The next morning we awoke to discover that the previous night, had, sadly, not been a dream... that was the bad news. The good news however, was that it was sunday, which meant that it was quadbiking day!!! We spent the day racing up and down the sand dunes on the skeleton coast.... at the time I was convinced that there was no possible way to have more fun with your clothes on!!! ( A certain day of sharkcage diving has since proven me wrong...)
At this time, we feel it only fair that we send a huge shoutout to all the staff at the Neopolitana restaurant in Swakopmund, particularly our dear waiter Ronaldo. Our tour leader had booked us in for dinner there the first night.. then subsequently had to cancel all other bookings for the weekend, as a majority of the group decided not to eat anywhere else.... it was, simply put... awesome!!!
Sadly, monday morning arrived and we had to leave our beloved Swakopmund...... so we sucked it up and got back on the truck for the ride to Sesriem. After setting up camp in the middle of a sandstorm we headed off to climb the (now infamous) dune 45 to watch the sunset. Now, credit where credit is due... the sun set was incredible from our sandy vantage point.... however, lets just say that the dune claimed more than one camera that evening as a result of the wind.... and the fact that we were, really, just sitting on a large pile of sand!!! Thankfully, after a small 'lense cover not closing' scare, our camera made it through to see another day.
The following day was a long drive day to fish river canyon. When we arrived it was dark, so we set up camp, had dinner, then hit the sack and waited until morning before checking out the 2nd largest canyon in the world.... man the grand canyon must be kick ass, because this place was absolutely incredible!!! To make things even better, when we had finished our walk along the edge of the canyon, the truck, and our cooked breakfast, were waiting for us!!!
Then it was off to our last border stop before we head home to NZ... the cross over into South Africa. This would have been a very pleasant experience had it not been for the multitude of south african border officials who could not resist the chance to dig the boot in about the AB's early world cup exit.... oh, and the lady who covered the Zambia stamp in my passport with her silly SA sticker.... thanks guys!!!
The afternoon was spent in the campsite on the Orange river, where you could go for a swim in the waters of both SA and Namibia..... or you could spend the afternoon...and evening for that matter, playing with the puppies... if your name is Renee.
The next morning we took the short drive to the Highlanders Vinyard, where we were faced with a really tough afternoon of wine tasting.... oh well.... someone has to do it!!! They also had a qualified physio on sight so Arnoux could have a relaxing massage for the princely sum of about $12 for half an hour... oh, and they had another puppy... oh dear. That eveining we played darts with the owner Sparky... while continuously checking that the wine did taste the same as it did that afternoon... you have to be thorough with these things!!!
The next morning marked the final leg of our African adventure, as we set off for Cape Town. After checking into our room, we had just enough time to book our activity for the following day, before heading off to a farewell dinner with the group. No drinks here though (for Arnoux and I at least)... early start the next day... very exciting!!!
The alarm was set for 5am, which was early enough. However, our world was thrown into turmoil at 2.30 am when our beloved dorm-mates Becky and Swampy burst through the door... positively hammered!! We spent the next hour or so listening to them explain how much they loved us, and detailing the revenge they were going to take on the security guy who would not let them smoke on the deck of the bar after midnight... better him than us from what I heard!!!
Anyway, 5am rolled around, and we were up and ready for the most eagerly anticipated event of our whole 1 year journey..... Great White Shark Cagediving!!!!! Our driver Pete picked us up and we set off on the 2 hour drive down the coast. After a delightful breakfast we were briefed about what to expect from the day, then we boarded our vessel Predator 2 for the 15 min ride out to shark city!!!! We had been told that it can take up to an hour for any sharks to show up, but within 19 mins of the bait being lowered, we had our first visitor. This fella was absolutely massive, so the cage was lowered and the fun began!! Not surprisingly, Arnoux managed to worm her way into the first group...in fact she was the first one in the water!!! The next 3 hours were spent taking turns in the cage, watching the numerous visitors that we received attack the cage. In all we saw approx 6 different sharks, most of whom would hang around for at least an hour or so.. except the first one.. who stayed with us the whole time. You will not be surprised to learn that Arnoux managed to get 3 turns in the cage, whereas everyone else got 2.... but you might be surprised to know that she wasnt seasick at all.... must have been the adrenaline!!! All in all we could not have asked for a better day, the weather was excellent, and we saw lots of activity while boats around us saw very little... all thanks to the main man Brian, our skipper for the day!! As a little bonus we also got to stop off at a seal colony on the way back, and we spotted a pod of whales as well.
After a hot drink, a few biscuits, and a spot of t-shirt purchasing, Pete and the rest of us set off back to Cape Town. We had a quick dinner, and then Arnoux promptly fell asleep, while I headed off to the bar to watch the Froggies get dumped out of the world cup.... Hahahahaha hurray for England!!!!
Today we had planned on a trip to Robben island to check out the prison that Nelson Mandela was held in, but sadly this was fully booked for the next week... as it turns out the weather is not very nice here today so I dont think the ferry is running anyway. So instead we are just chilling out, enjoying our last full day on African soil. Tomorrow we have an internal flight to Jo'Berg, then we board our Qantas bird back to Auckland via Sydney.... for those of you who need to know, our flight details are as follows:
QF189 SYD to AKL arriving at 1020pm NZT
Before we sign off, we would both just like to say thanks for reading. We have had the most amazing time of our lives, have met some amazing people, and had some experiences that we will never forget!!! We look forward to seeing all of you in NZ soon, and those of you who are scattered around various other parts of the world...we look forward to seeing you again as soon as we can afford it!!!
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Tanzania / Malawi / Zambia / Zimbabwe / Botswana / Namibia
Hi guys and gals,
Crikey, its been a while hasnt it!! The good news is that we have not perished in the African heat. We have been having an absolute ball, a perfect mix of relaxation and adventure!!!
The last time we left you we were on the island of Zanzibar, the next day we headed out for a day of snorkelling on an atol off the coast of the island. It was, shall we say...an experience. The boat out there was little more than a dinghy.... and the lunch that was included was fish....not so great for 2 little kiwis that dont eat fish...but on the other hand we did get to see a sea turtle, which was kick ass!! Arnoux was sick on both the way to the atol and the way back.... but is anyone surprised???
The next day we were headed back to stone town for the ferry back to the mainland. This turned out to be a little more difficult than it sounds. The bus that was coming up to get us broke down on the way, so another one had to be sent...so we were about 45 mins behind schedule to start with.... then the bus that did eventually pick us up only made it about half way through the 1 hour journey... so instead of wait for a replacement, our quick-thinking driver comendeered a public bus, kicked the locals off, loaded us on and headed for the ferry. We arrived about 15 minutes after the ferry was due to leave, but thankfully our group made up a very large percentage of the total passenger list, so the captain waited until we got there before he set sail.... oh it is nice to be important... even if the rest of the passengers resent you fit!!! hahahaha!!!
Once we got back to the mainland it was off to dinner and a few drinks, then off to bed in anticipation of the 5am start the next day. The next 2 days were spent on the truck making our way down to Malawi..thankfully I found people who would play cards with me so the time really flew by!!!
We arrived at Lake Malawi, and to our pleasant surprise, we were able to upgrade from our tent to a lovely room for the princely sum of a whopping $8 a night... hurray for a bit of luxury!!!
The first of our 2 stops on the shores of the lake was a great place, complete with a market place right outside the entrance to the campsite where we spent a lot of time haggling and trading with our new friend Mike for various wooden souvenirs, a bar that sold cheap beer and had a dart board, and a beach that had fresh water (funny that being a lake and all). The 2nd night of our stay there was Ollie the Irishmans birthday....so as anyone who has ever met an Irishman can imagine, the night was full of frivolity, drunkenness, and a new darts game based loosely on australian rules football!!! The next day there were many, many sad looking (very hungover) faces as we climbed back on board our trusty steed to head to our next lake malawi stop.
The good news was that we arrived at the 2nd place just in time to watch the All Blacks deal Portugal a bit of a thrashing, and watch a bit of 20/20 cricket before we all decided that we shouldnt spend our holiday watching TV and decided to swim in the lake and drink just a little bit instead.
The next day was a very, very, very special day.... the 16th of september... aka my birthday!!! The day started with a spot of horseriding for the few of our group that were up for it.... Arnoux was mounted on the lovely Yappie, while I was seated on Fergus... the laziest horse in all of Africa!!! Needless to say I had a rather relaxed start to the day, Fergus couldnt even get excited about the swim in the lake at the end of the ride... oh well, it was very hot, and Im not the lightest character so I suppose I cant really blame him. When we returned to camp there was time for a spot of swimming, a bit more 20/20 cricket and some more card playing before the afternoon really kicked into gear. On the way to the campsite the previous day we had made a stop at the local markets to pick up some fancy dress for the punch party that was planned for the evening of the 16th.... the twist was that we had pulled names out of a hat earlier and we were buying for someone else.... the whole idea was to get the most horrid outfit you could possibly find... which everyone accomplished spectacularly!!! You will not be surprised to discover that I ended up in a dress and much more makeup than I was comfortable with.... thankfully the punch started flowing at about 6pm so there was very little time for embarrassment before the drunkeness set in!!! I would like to tell you how much fun I had... but Im not entirely sure... although the stories the next day do suggest I has a lot!!!
Mercifully, we had the next day to recover by the lake, which is when the card game '500' became the official game of the tour.... in other words about a dozen of us spent (literally) the whole day playing it on the deck of the bar.... excellent fun!!!
Because we had spent the extra recovery day at Lake Malawi, we had 2 solid days of driving ahead of us when we awoke the next day, but this was broken up by the most lovely campsite, which believe it or not, had zebras wandering around the grounds... Arnoux was most impressed!!!
We made our way over the border into Zambia and arrived in Livingstone, the site of the booze cruise for the evening.
It is at this point that I need to veer away from the happy stories to send out all my love to the Whittaker clan. When I arrived at the campsite I received a message to call home, and when I did I was advised by my Uncle Glen that my beloved Grandmother Janice had passed away 2 days earlier. Arnoux and I made the obvious decision to give the booze cruise a miss, and spent a nice, quiet, respectful night in the campsite, I felt very lucky to have her there with me.
I know it sounds like a cliche, but I know that my darling Big Nanny (as she was affectionately known) would have wanted me to suck it up and get on with enjoying my holiday. So we headed across another border into Zimbabwe and on to Victoria falls. We really did have the most amazing weekend ahead of us. For Arnoux the weekend was spent enjoying a walk with the lions on the saturday, and an elephant ride on the sunday. For me it was a full day of rafting on the Zambesi river on the saturday, an elephant ride on sunday morning, and a half day of adrenaline sports on sunday afternoon which included a flying fox and a zip line across the gorge, and the gorge swing, which was like a bungy jump on steroids!!! The only downside to the weekend was seeing the state of things in Zimbabwe.... the people were lovely and so accomodating, but they had absolutely nothing. The shops had no food in them, the bars very little to drink, and the locals were visably desperate for anything that they could get their hands on. Such a wonderful place....ruined by one man.
On the monday morning we set sail for the chobe national park in Botswana. The next morning we were up bright and early to enjoy a game drive, during which we were lucky enough to see our second leopard!!! The afternoon as spent in the pool and in the bar.
From there it was back on the truck for the short drive to Maun, the gateway to our 3 day Okavango Delta excursion. We were taken out into the delta by a local guide in the local canoes called Mokoros. After setting up camp, we spent the next 3 days and 2 nights enjoying game walks, trips in the mokoros to the local swimming hole, and cards/drinks by the fire at night. There wasnt a lot to see out there in terms of game, but its nevertheless a great insight into the local way of life, and an amazing place!!!
The day after completion of our excursion was spent in the campsite bar watching some cracking rugby world cup games and enjoying a few bevvies.
The following morning we were back on the road for the 2 day drive to the Etosha national park in Namibia. We have spent the last days game driving, and enjoying the floodlit watering holes at the campsites at night.... very cool!!!
Today we are off on the short drive to the Cheetah park, our destination for the next couple of days.... should be great!!!
Sorry about the rushed nature of this belated update, but others are waiting for this computer. We hope you are all well, only 2 weeks now until we are home!!!
Again I just want to send my love out to the Whittaker clan, I am so sorry that I could not be there for the funeral, but I am thinking of you all.
Lots of love,
Us xxx
Crikey, its been a while hasnt it!! The good news is that we have not perished in the African heat. We have been having an absolute ball, a perfect mix of relaxation and adventure!!!
The last time we left you we were on the island of Zanzibar, the next day we headed out for a day of snorkelling on an atol off the coast of the island. It was, shall we say...an experience. The boat out there was little more than a dinghy.... and the lunch that was included was fish....not so great for 2 little kiwis that dont eat fish...but on the other hand we did get to see a sea turtle, which was kick ass!! Arnoux was sick on both the way to the atol and the way back.... but is anyone surprised???
The next day we were headed back to stone town for the ferry back to the mainland. This turned out to be a little more difficult than it sounds. The bus that was coming up to get us broke down on the way, so another one had to be sent...so we were about 45 mins behind schedule to start with.... then the bus that did eventually pick us up only made it about half way through the 1 hour journey... so instead of wait for a replacement, our quick-thinking driver comendeered a public bus, kicked the locals off, loaded us on and headed for the ferry. We arrived about 15 minutes after the ferry was due to leave, but thankfully our group made up a very large percentage of the total passenger list, so the captain waited until we got there before he set sail.... oh it is nice to be important... even if the rest of the passengers resent you fit!!! hahahaha!!!
Once we got back to the mainland it was off to dinner and a few drinks, then off to bed in anticipation of the 5am start the next day. The next 2 days were spent on the truck making our way down to Malawi..thankfully I found people who would play cards with me so the time really flew by!!!
We arrived at Lake Malawi, and to our pleasant surprise, we were able to upgrade from our tent to a lovely room for the princely sum of a whopping $8 a night... hurray for a bit of luxury!!!
The first of our 2 stops on the shores of the lake was a great place, complete with a market place right outside the entrance to the campsite where we spent a lot of time haggling and trading with our new friend Mike for various wooden souvenirs, a bar that sold cheap beer and had a dart board, and a beach that had fresh water (funny that being a lake and all). The 2nd night of our stay there was Ollie the Irishmans birthday....so as anyone who has ever met an Irishman can imagine, the night was full of frivolity, drunkenness, and a new darts game based loosely on australian rules football!!! The next day there were many, many sad looking (very hungover) faces as we climbed back on board our trusty steed to head to our next lake malawi stop.
The good news was that we arrived at the 2nd place just in time to watch the All Blacks deal Portugal a bit of a thrashing, and watch a bit of 20/20 cricket before we all decided that we shouldnt spend our holiday watching TV and decided to swim in the lake and drink just a little bit instead.
The next day was a very, very, very special day.... the 16th of september... aka my birthday!!! The day started with a spot of horseriding for the few of our group that were up for it.... Arnoux was mounted on the lovely Yappie, while I was seated on Fergus... the laziest horse in all of Africa!!! Needless to say I had a rather relaxed start to the day, Fergus couldnt even get excited about the swim in the lake at the end of the ride... oh well, it was very hot, and Im not the lightest character so I suppose I cant really blame him. When we returned to camp there was time for a spot of swimming, a bit more 20/20 cricket and some more card playing before the afternoon really kicked into gear. On the way to the campsite the previous day we had made a stop at the local markets to pick up some fancy dress for the punch party that was planned for the evening of the 16th.... the twist was that we had pulled names out of a hat earlier and we were buying for someone else.... the whole idea was to get the most horrid outfit you could possibly find... which everyone accomplished spectacularly!!! You will not be surprised to discover that I ended up in a dress and much more makeup than I was comfortable with.... thankfully the punch started flowing at about 6pm so there was very little time for embarrassment before the drunkeness set in!!! I would like to tell you how much fun I had... but Im not entirely sure... although the stories the next day do suggest I has a lot!!!
Mercifully, we had the next day to recover by the lake, which is when the card game '500' became the official game of the tour.... in other words about a dozen of us spent (literally) the whole day playing it on the deck of the bar.... excellent fun!!!
Because we had spent the extra recovery day at Lake Malawi, we had 2 solid days of driving ahead of us when we awoke the next day, but this was broken up by the most lovely campsite, which believe it or not, had zebras wandering around the grounds... Arnoux was most impressed!!!
We made our way over the border into Zambia and arrived in Livingstone, the site of the booze cruise for the evening.
It is at this point that I need to veer away from the happy stories to send out all my love to the Whittaker clan. When I arrived at the campsite I received a message to call home, and when I did I was advised by my Uncle Glen that my beloved Grandmother Janice had passed away 2 days earlier. Arnoux and I made the obvious decision to give the booze cruise a miss, and spent a nice, quiet, respectful night in the campsite, I felt very lucky to have her there with me.
I know it sounds like a cliche, but I know that my darling Big Nanny (as she was affectionately known) would have wanted me to suck it up and get on with enjoying my holiday. So we headed across another border into Zimbabwe and on to Victoria falls. We really did have the most amazing weekend ahead of us. For Arnoux the weekend was spent enjoying a walk with the lions on the saturday, and an elephant ride on the sunday. For me it was a full day of rafting on the Zambesi river on the saturday, an elephant ride on sunday morning, and a half day of adrenaline sports on sunday afternoon which included a flying fox and a zip line across the gorge, and the gorge swing, which was like a bungy jump on steroids!!! The only downside to the weekend was seeing the state of things in Zimbabwe.... the people were lovely and so accomodating, but they had absolutely nothing. The shops had no food in them, the bars very little to drink, and the locals were visably desperate for anything that they could get their hands on. Such a wonderful place....ruined by one man.
On the monday morning we set sail for the chobe national park in Botswana. The next morning we were up bright and early to enjoy a game drive, during which we were lucky enough to see our second leopard!!! The afternoon as spent in the pool and in the bar.
From there it was back on the truck for the short drive to Maun, the gateway to our 3 day Okavango Delta excursion. We were taken out into the delta by a local guide in the local canoes called Mokoros. After setting up camp, we spent the next 3 days and 2 nights enjoying game walks, trips in the mokoros to the local swimming hole, and cards/drinks by the fire at night. There wasnt a lot to see out there in terms of game, but its nevertheless a great insight into the local way of life, and an amazing place!!!
The day after completion of our excursion was spent in the campsite bar watching some cracking rugby world cup games and enjoying a few bevvies.
The following morning we were back on the road for the 2 day drive to the Etosha national park in Namibia. We have spent the last days game driving, and enjoying the floodlit watering holes at the campsites at night.... very cool!!!
Today we are off on the short drive to the Cheetah park, our destination for the next couple of days.... should be great!!!
Sorry about the rushed nature of this belated update, but others are waiting for this computer. We hope you are all well, only 2 weeks now until we are home!!!
Again I just want to send my love out to the Whittaker clan, I am so sorry that I could not be there for the funeral, but I am thinking of you all.
Lots of love,
Us xxx
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Kenya / Tanzania
Hi all,
After we left left you last time we got an early night in anticipation of the adventures that lay ahead. The next morning we were up bright and early to meet up with our group and board our truck headed for the Masai Mara national park. It was only a 250km trip from Nairobi to the park, but the roads were, well, lets just say not exactly fantastic..... so 8 hours later we finally rolled into our campsite where we set up camp and enjoyed a delicious dinner in front of the fire. The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn and off into the park for a day of game driving. We had an amazingly lucky day, where we got up close and personal with zebras, wildebeest, elephants, cheetahs having lunch, giraffes, lions, hippos, loads of different antelopes and gazelles, buffalo, monkeys, and the highlight of the day, an uber-rare black rhino... who tolerated the presence of our truck for about 30 seconds before squaring up and deciding it was time to charge us!! Luckily our driver saw this situation developing and we were well on our way by the time he got up any speed!!
When our game drive was complete we headed for what turned out to be one of the best and most memorable experiences of the whole trip, a tour through a real life Masai village. No sky sports here folks, but plenty of houses made from wood and cow dung, yards for the animals to sleep in at night to keep them safe from the wildlife, 'local brew' made from the seeds of the sausage tree, making fire from two sticks, and traditions such as circumcising the boys at age 14...where the whole village watches and the boy must prove his strength by not making a sound..... and the male leaving the village for 3 years from 15 - 18 years of age and not returning until he has killed a male lion with just a spear....mmmm, and I thought it sucked having to do the lawns every couple of weekends!!!!
From there we were lucky enough to stop off at the local school for a nosey on our wander back to camp. That evening we were treated to a traditional masai dance in front of the fire. The next morning it was back on the road (I assure you that I use that term very, very loosely) back to Nairobi, where we were due to attend a pre-departure meeting for our main 43 day tour down to Capetown. We were lucky enough to have 4 people from our Masai Mara trip on our tour, so we knew some people already.
The next morning we met up with our group for the drive to Arusha, gateway to the Serengeti national park and the Ngorongoro crater. We set up camp for the evening and then enjoyed an evening in the campsite bar. The campsite also has its own snake park, so the next morning we had a chance to check it out. Sadly we missed the black mamba having a breakfast of guinea pig, but we did get to touch a baby crocodile, hold a baby tortoise, as well as finding out what it was like to wear a real life snake as a necklace!! From there it was into our safari jeep for the journey to the edge of the Ngorongoro crater, the spot of our camp for the night. The next morning we were up at 5am and on the road down into the crater itself for a day of game driving. The wildlife was not quite as abundant as it was in the masai mara, but we did get to see plenty, including hyena, a serval cat, 2 more black rhinos (although this time from a much safer distance), hippos, monkeys, lions with cubs, as well as loads of ostriches. After a late lunch in the crater it was off to the serengeti national park where we did a bit more game driving before heading to camp, spotting giraffes, buffalo, and lots more gazelles.... or cheetah chips as our guide called them, and the last remaining member of the big 5, the notoriously hard to spot leopard!!! That night was spent in an open campsite in the middle of the park, where we were warned (more than once) not to wander far from the tents...unless of course we fancied becoming lion food!!
After a slightly restless night due to the sounds of the wildlife around us seeming a little close for comfort, we were back on the road at 5am the next morning again in search of more cool stuff to see. Eagle eyed Arnoux spotted a pair of cheetahs in the early hours sunlight so we pulled up a pew and waited for them to get themselves some breakfast. Sadly, after watching for about an hour (which felt like a lifetime) it appeared as though these particular cats were not at all interested in the buffet of gazelles that were wandering in their vicinity, so we moved on. After a couple of pretty uneventful hours we had an amazing, super up close and personal experience with a herd of elephants, before being lucky enough to repeat the feat with a family of giraffes, and a huge herd of buffalo!! We also saw a pair of lions stalking some antelope, however nothing came of it and the antelopes in question lived to see another day...... bugger!! From there it was back to camp to put down our tents and have another late lunch before heading back to Arusha for the evening.
From Arusha the next stop was Dar es Salam, so we had 2 solid days of driving ahead of us. We easily passed the time with ipods, cards and sudoku before we finally arrived at our destination. We spent that evening on the beautiful beach watching the sun go down, before retiring to our beach side hut (we upgraded from our tent as it was crazy cheap!!) to enjoy a wildlife show of the bats and lizards that were sharing our hut with us.... luckily we were safe and sound under our mozzie net!!
When we awoke the next morning it was off to the docks to catch our ferry to our home for the next 3 nights, the island of Zanzibar. We arrived yesterday morning, and after checking into our hotel and enjoying a well earned cold shower, we had lunch by the sea. After lunch it was off to the local sports bar to watch the All Blacks first game of the 2007 rugby world cup....but sadly the local cable channel had other ideas!! Dispite there being numerous ads mentioning the fact that they were showing all 48 games live....we got to see 0 minutes of the AB's game, 17 mins of the Aussie game, and 35 mins of the England game.... all 48 games live my ass!!! Thankfully we had good company, and cold beer so it could have been a lot, lot worse!!!
This morning we were up again at sparrows fart for the coach up to the north of the island, which is where we find ourselves right now. The beach is absolutely gorgeous and only a stones throw from our front door, so we are heading there once this is finished. Tomorrow we are spending the whole day snorkelling at an atol off the coast.... should be great...even if we did manage to leave our mask and snorkel sets on the mainland.... oh well, rental gear it is!!!
Hope all is well, we apologise for the lack of photos (especially for people like Tim.... who only look at the photos) but the internet is stone age slow here, and we simply cannot upload any....
Just in case we dont get back to a computer before the 25th, HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY SHARNEE hope you have a wicked day, sorry we cant be there but we'll be thinking of you wherever we are.
After we left left you last time we got an early night in anticipation of the adventures that lay ahead. The next morning we were up bright and early to meet up with our group and board our truck headed for the Masai Mara national park. It was only a 250km trip from Nairobi to the park, but the roads were, well, lets just say not exactly fantastic..... so 8 hours later we finally rolled into our campsite where we set up camp and enjoyed a delicious dinner in front of the fire. The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn and off into the park for a day of game driving. We had an amazingly lucky day, where we got up close and personal with zebras, wildebeest, elephants, cheetahs having lunch, giraffes, lions, hippos, loads of different antelopes and gazelles, buffalo, monkeys, and the highlight of the day, an uber-rare black rhino... who tolerated the presence of our truck for about 30 seconds before squaring up and deciding it was time to charge us!! Luckily our driver saw this situation developing and we were well on our way by the time he got up any speed!!
When our game drive was complete we headed for what turned out to be one of the best and most memorable experiences of the whole trip, a tour through a real life Masai village. No sky sports here folks, but plenty of houses made from wood and cow dung, yards for the animals to sleep in at night to keep them safe from the wildlife, 'local brew' made from the seeds of the sausage tree, making fire from two sticks, and traditions such as circumcising the boys at age 14...where the whole village watches and the boy must prove his strength by not making a sound..... and the male leaving the village for 3 years from 15 - 18 years of age and not returning until he has killed a male lion with just a spear....mmmm, and I thought it sucked having to do the lawns every couple of weekends!!!!
From there we were lucky enough to stop off at the local school for a nosey on our wander back to camp. That evening we were treated to a traditional masai dance in front of the fire. The next morning it was back on the road (I assure you that I use that term very, very loosely) back to Nairobi, where we were due to attend a pre-departure meeting for our main 43 day tour down to Capetown. We were lucky enough to have 4 people from our Masai Mara trip on our tour, so we knew some people already.
The next morning we met up with our group for the drive to Arusha, gateway to the Serengeti national park and the Ngorongoro crater. We set up camp for the evening and then enjoyed an evening in the campsite bar. The campsite also has its own snake park, so the next morning we had a chance to check it out. Sadly we missed the black mamba having a breakfast of guinea pig, but we did get to touch a baby crocodile, hold a baby tortoise, as well as finding out what it was like to wear a real life snake as a necklace!! From there it was into our safari jeep for the journey to the edge of the Ngorongoro crater, the spot of our camp for the night. The next morning we were up at 5am and on the road down into the crater itself for a day of game driving. The wildlife was not quite as abundant as it was in the masai mara, but we did get to see plenty, including hyena, a serval cat, 2 more black rhinos (although this time from a much safer distance), hippos, monkeys, lions with cubs, as well as loads of ostriches. After a late lunch in the crater it was off to the serengeti national park where we did a bit more game driving before heading to camp, spotting giraffes, buffalo, and lots more gazelles.... or cheetah chips as our guide called them, and the last remaining member of the big 5, the notoriously hard to spot leopard!!! That night was spent in an open campsite in the middle of the park, where we were warned (more than once) not to wander far from the tents...unless of course we fancied becoming lion food!!
After a slightly restless night due to the sounds of the wildlife around us seeming a little close for comfort, we were back on the road at 5am the next morning again in search of more cool stuff to see. Eagle eyed Arnoux spotted a pair of cheetahs in the early hours sunlight so we pulled up a pew and waited for them to get themselves some breakfast. Sadly, after watching for about an hour (which felt like a lifetime) it appeared as though these particular cats were not at all interested in the buffet of gazelles that were wandering in their vicinity, so we moved on. After a couple of pretty uneventful hours we had an amazing, super up close and personal experience with a herd of elephants, before being lucky enough to repeat the feat with a family of giraffes, and a huge herd of buffalo!! We also saw a pair of lions stalking some antelope, however nothing came of it and the antelopes in question lived to see another day...... bugger!! From there it was back to camp to put down our tents and have another late lunch before heading back to Arusha for the evening.
From Arusha the next stop was Dar es Salam, so we had 2 solid days of driving ahead of us. We easily passed the time with ipods, cards and sudoku before we finally arrived at our destination. We spent that evening on the beautiful beach watching the sun go down, before retiring to our beach side hut (we upgraded from our tent as it was crazy cheap!!) to enjoy a wildlife show of the bats and lizards that were sharing our hut with us.... luckily we were safe and sound under our mozzie net!!
When we awoke the next morning it was off to the docks to catch our ferry to our home for the next 3 nights, the island of Zanzibar. We arrived yesterday morning, and after checking into our hotel and enjoying a well earned cold shower, we had lunch by the sea. After lunch it was off to the local sports bar to watch the All Blacks first game of the 2007 rugby world cup....but sadly the local cable channel had other ideas!! Dispite there being numerous ads mentioning the fact that they were showing all 48 games live....we got to see 0 minutes of the AB's game, 17 mins of the Aussie game, and 35 mins of the England game.... all 48 games live my ass!!! Thankfully we had good company, and cold beer so it could have been a lot, lot worse!!!
This morning we were up again at sparrows fart for the coach up to the north of the island, which is where we find ourselves right now. The beach is absolutely gorgeous and only a stones throw from our front door, so we are heading there once this is finished. Tomorrow we are spending the whole day snorkelling at an atol off the coast.... should be great...even if we did manage to leave our mask and snorkel sets on the mainland.... oh well, rental gear it is!!!
Hope all is well, we apologise for the lack of photos (especially for people like Tim.... who only look at the photos) but the internet is stone age slow here, and we simply cannot upload any....
Just in case we dont get back to a computer before the 25th, HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY SHARNEE hope you have a wicked day, sorry we cant be there but we'll be thinking of you wherever we are.
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Farewell Egypt.... Hello Kenya
Howdy guys and gals,
When we last left you, we headed back to our resort for one last farewell snorkel down on the beach, then retired to our room to pack. The next morning we were up bright and early and off to the bus stop for our chariot back to Cairo. Because we had stayed on in Dahab after the rest of the group had moved on, we were taking a public bus back. This was, well.... an experience!! We were seated in the only pair of seats that did not have airconditioning.... but hey, there was a lovely piece of wood nailed over where our vent should have been so you cant complain!! Luckily we had my trusty fan that kept us cool for the duration of the journey. The bus ride took approx 10 hours, and during this time we had our passports checked more often than we did during our 7 weeks in europe!! I suppose its better to be safe than sorry... you never know what scallywags might have been on the bus with us!!
We made it to Cairo safe and sound and headed for our hotel. We were a little thrown off as it was not the same hotel we had stayed in the first time around in Cairo.... this time we were livin it up 5 STAR STYLE YEAH!!!!
After a relaxing night with some room service and a movie we were due to wake up the next morning raring to go and explore the wonders of the Egyptian museum.... but unfortunately our dear Arnoux had been struck down with a nasty case of the infamous Egyptian tummy!! This meant that the next 2 days were instead spent either in bed or running to the loo if you were Arnoux...or looking after Arnoux in between visits to the (5 star) pool if you were me. It was a bit of a shame that we didnt get to the museum, but these things do happen and you have to take the good with the bad!! Arnoux seems to be getting better now which is the main thing.
So tuesday night rolled around and it was time to head to the airport for our flight to Nairobi, Kenya. Everything went without a hitch (although we were devastated to discover that Kenyan Airways do not have an inflight entertainment system...what is this world coming to!!! hahahaha) and we landed in Nairobi this morning. We head off on a 3 day safari of the Masai Mara national park tomorrow morning before starting our main 43 day tour of Africa on sunday. We were advised by our guide this afternoon that the migrations are on at the moment so it should be a particularly good time to be doing the game drives.... cant wait!! We made a stop at the supermarket this afternoon and picked up 2 boxes of pens to give to the local children as we find them (apparently thats what they want...money or pens) so we are ready to go!!!
We hope all is well, we will probably only be able to get to the internet once a week from here on, but we will do our best :-)
When we last left you, we headed back to our resort for one last farewell snorkel down on the beach, then retired to our room to pack. The next morning we were up bright and early and off to the bus stop for our chariot back to Cairo. Because we had stayed on in Dahab after the rest of the group had moved on, we were taking a public bus back. This was, well.... an experience!! We were seated in the only pair of seats that did not have airconditioning.... but hey, there was a lovely piece of wood nailed over where our vent should have been so you cant complain!! Luckily we had my trusty fan that kept us cool for the duration of the journey. The bus ride took approx 10 hours, and during this time we had our passports checked more often than we did during our 7 weeks in europe!! I suppose its better to be safe than sorry... you never know what scallywags might have been on the bus with us!!
We made it to Cairo safe and sound and headed for our hotel. We were a little thrown off as it was not the same hotel we had stayed in the first time around in Cairo.... this time we were livin it up 5 STAR STYLE YEAH!!!!
After a relaxing night with some room service and a movie we were due to wake up the next morning raring to go and explore the wonders of the Egyptian museum.... but unfortunately our dear Arnoux had been struck down with a nasty case of the infamous Egyptian tummy!! This meant that the next 2 days were instead spent either in bed or running to the loo if you were Arnoux...or looking after Arnoux in between visits to the (5 star) pool if you were me. It was a bit of a shame that we didnt get to the museum, but these things do happen and you have to take the good with the bad!! Arnoux seems to be getting better now which is the main thing.
So tuesday night rolled around and it was time to head to the airport for our flight to Nairobi, Kenya. Everything went without a hitch (although we were devastated to discover that Kenyan Airways do not have an inflight entertainment system...what is this world coming to!!! hahahaha) and we landed in Nairobi this morning. We head off on a 3 day safari of the Masai Mara national park tomorrow morning before starting our main 43 day tour of Africa on sunday. We were advised by our guide this afternoon that the migrations are on at the moment so it should be a particularly good time to be doing the game drives.... cant wait!! We made a stop at the supermarket this afternoon and picked up 2 boxes of pens to give to the local children as we find them (apparently thats what they want...money or pens) so we are ready to go!!!
We hope all is well, we will probably only be able to get to the internet once a week from here on, but we will do our best :-)
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Egypt continued....
Hi all,
When we last left you we were about to board our felucca for 2 days sailing on the mighty Nile river. Once we had sorted our group into 2 boats and sorted out food and beer stocks we were on our way. There was a nice breeze blowing so we made good time to our stop for the evening. After lunch on board cooked by our wonderful crew we headed off to a traditional Nubian house for an evening of drinks, laughter and sheesha!!
The next morning we were off sailing again. The whole day consisted of sailing, swimming, stop for lunch, sailing, swimming, etc etc. Eventually we reached our destination for the evening, where we were treated to a game of football that was being played on the banks of the river between 2 (very competitive) teams of locals. After some dinner on board our felucca we joined the others for a few drinks while we waited for the sun to go down. Once the sun had descended below the horizon the bonfire was lit!! The rest of the evening was spent receiving belly dancing lessons, and general merriment around the fire!
When we awoke the next day, the coach was waiting and we were back on the tourist trail. First stop was the Kom Ombo temple, which was a dedication to the gods Sobek (god of fertility and creator of the world) and Horus (the solar war god)..... sight of some incredible Egyptian history...and the grossest toilet in all history!!! From there it was off to the Edfu temple, also dedicated to the God Horus. From there it was back on the coach for the drive to Luxor. After a refreshing swim in the hotel pool it was off to dinner with the group before catching an early night.
The next morning we were up bright and early to try and avoid as much of the Luxor sun as possible. The day was jam packed full of action and historic sites up the wazoo!! First stop was the valley of the kings, home of the tomb of King Tut. Then off to the temple of Queen Hatshetsup. From what we were told (and Sherif would never lie to us), this lady was the first example of true girl power!! From there it was off to the valley of the Queens, as you might expect, not as grand as the valley of the Kings, but amazing none the less! After a brief stop back at the hotel to freshen up (it was already about 48 degrees) we set off to the largest worshipping site in the world, the Temple of Karnak. This place was truely awe inspiring. How they managed to build something of that size all those years ago I will never understand. By the time we reached the temple it was a whopping 52 degrees in the sun, no needless to say....we kept to the shade as much as possible!!! After stopping back at the hotel to collect our stuff it was on the road for the overnight bus trip to Dahab on the coast of the red sea. We were a little sceptical about spending 18 hours on a bus, but before we knew it we were seated in the restaurant of our home for the next 8 days eating our breakfast!! The rest of that day was spent by the pool, before heading into the town (in the local taxis....red jeeps) for an orientation of the area, and dinner with the group.
The following day we had our last activity with the group, a day of snorkelling at the magnificent blue hole. It was a tough day of fish spotting in the crystal clear water, with the occasional visit to the shore for a drink or a spot of lunch. On our way back to the hotel we even managed to pick up a few 'hitch hikers' (ie: they just climbed onto the back of our jeep).
When we awoke the next morning, we had 7 more days left at Dahab. This part of the trip was always planned as a 'battery recharge' before heading off to see the rest of Africa. As I type this we are at the end of that 7 days, and we are off back to Cairo in the morning for a couple of days before flying out to Nairobi. We wont bore you with a blow by blow account, but the last week has been spent sunbaking by the pool, swimming in the pool, wandering down to the beach, snorkelling around the incredible reefs that we have right on our front doorstep, making the occasional trip into the town centre to stock up on essentials like chocolate and coke, and generally just chilling out. I can confirm that the batteries are now fully recharged, and we cannot wait to get to Africa!!!
To see the photos of the above adventures, visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/EgyptCont
When we last left you we were about to board our felucca for 2 days sailing on the mighty Nile river. Once we had sorted our group into 2 boats and sorted out food and beer stocks we were on our way. There was a nice breeze blowing so we made good time to our stop for the evening. After lunch on board cooked by our wonderful crew we headed off to a traditional Nubian house for an evening of drinks, laughter and sheesha!!
The next morning we were off sailing again. The whole day consisted of sailing, swimming, stop for lunch, sailing, swimming, etc etc. Eventually we reached our destination for the evening, where we were treated to a game of football that was being played on the banks of the river between 2 (very competitive) teams of locals. After some dinner on board our felucca we joined the others for a few drinks while we waited for the sun to go down. Once the sun had descended below the horizon the bonfire was lit!! The rest of the evening was spent receiving belly dancing lessons, and general merriment around the fire!
When we awoke the next day, the coach was waiting and we were back on the tourist trail. First stop was the Kom Ombo temple, which was a dedication to the gods Sobek (god of fertility and creator of the world) and Horus (the solar war god)..... sight of some incredible Egyptian history...and the grossest toilet in all history!!! From there it was off to the Edfu temple, also dedicated to the God Horus. From there it was back on the coach for the drive to Luxor. After a refreshing swim in the hotel pool it was off to dinner with the group before catching an early night.
The next morning we were up bright and early to try and avoid as much of the Luxor sun as possible. The day was jam packed full of action and historic sites up the wazoo!! First stop was the valley of the kings, home of the tomb of King Tut. Then off to the temple of Queen Hatshetsup. From what we were told (and Sherif would never lie to us), this lady was the first example of true girl power!! From there it was off to the valley of the Queens, as you might expect, not as grand as the valley of the Kings, but amazing none the less! After a brief stop back at the hotel to freshen up (it was already about 48 degrees) we set off to the largest worshipping site in the world, the Temple of Karnak. This place was truely awe inspiring. How they managed to build something of that size all those years ago I will never understand. By the time we reached the temple it was a whopping 52 degrees in the sun, no needless to say....we kept to the shade as much as possible!!! After stopping back at the hotel to collect our stuff it was on the road for the overnight bus trip to Dahab on the coast of the red sea. We were a little sceptical about spending 18 hours on a bus, but before we knew it we were seated in the restaurant of our home for the next 8 days eating our breakfast!! The rest of that day was spent by the pool, before heading into the town (in the local taxis....red jeeps) for an orientation of the area, and dinner with the group.
The following day we had our last activity with the group, a day of snorkelling at the magnificent blue hole. It was a tough day of fish spotting in the crystal clear water, with the occasional visit to the shore for a drink or a spot of lunch. On our way back to the hotel we even managed to pick up a few 'hitch hikers' (ie: they just climbed onto the back of our jeep).
When we awoke the next morning, we had 7 more days left at Dahab. This part of the trip was always planned as a 'battery recharge' before heading off to see the rest of Africa. As I type this we are at the end of that 7 days, and we are off back to Cairo in the morning for a couple of days before flying out to Nairobi. We wont bore you with a blow by blow account, but the last week has been spent sunbaking by the pool, swimming in the pool, wandering down to the beach, snorkelling around the incredible reefs that we have right on our front doorstep, making the occasional trip into the town centre to stock up on essentials like chocolate and coke, and generally just chilling out. I can confirm that the batteries are now fully recharged, and we cannot wait to get to Africa!!!
To see the photos of the above adventures, visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/EgyptCont
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Berlin / Amsterdam / London - Egypt!!
Hi sports fans,
Well after we last left you we headed back to camp in Warsaw for some dinner, before joining the majority of our group in a spot of tenpin bowling. It was a team event, with total scores counting.... when our time was up (for some reason in that part of the world you pay for time as opposed to per game) our team was a measly 30 pins behind. However it must be noted that the opposition had completed all 10 frames, while our team was only half way through our 8th...so while technically we lost...it was a hollow victory for the other team!!
The next morning we boarded our faithful stead for the trip to Berlin. Upon arrival we did a driving tour with Robbie, before heading to camp for an early night in preparation for the following day. First up the next morning was something that we had been particularly looking forward to, a 3rd reich tour with a local guide. The guide was absolutely superb and we had a brilliant time exploring the history of Nazi Germany in the countries capital. The tour took us up until lunchtime, and once we had finished lunch we set out for what was one of the true highlights of our entire time away for Arnoux.... a trip to the world renowned Berlin zoo!! We spent about 7 hours exploring this massive place, seeing everything from baby Orangutan's to a vulture tearing apart a rat for dinner!! They even had Bison, which are extinct in the wild, as well as baby everythings since it was that time of the year... Arnoux was simply beside herself. Bianca and I were not even allowed a rest stop for fear of missing something!!! I must admit though we all had an excellent day, and it really does deserve its reputation as one of the worlds great zoos!!
After dinner with the group at a local restaurant we headed back to camp. There was not a lot of sleep had that night by at least one of us.... as the following morning we were headed to Amsterdam!!! The group has never packed up so quickly....admittedly I was running around helping people take their tents down, and generally making sure that things were done in an orderly fashion. It felt like the longest drive day ever, but eventually we arrived.... First stop was at a little shop outside of town for a clog making demonstration and a spot of cheese tasting.... the guy was a little strange to say the least, but we all made it out alive so no complaints here.
From there it was off to set up camp at the busiest campsite in the world!! Luckily we had a spot reserved for us so there was no problem there, and once everything was set up we could finally head into town. When we got there Robbie did a little walking tour of the city, Arnoux and I ran ahead to a coffeeshop, and met up with the rest of the bunch as they walked past...feeling much more relaxed for some reason.....
After a spot of dinner, which for Arnoux and I consisted of fries drowned in mayo, we headed off for an evening of 'cultural education'.... or a sex show as it is more commonly known. We had prime seats for the spectacle, and a couple of lads from our group even got on stage to lend a helping hand. Being the well behaved chap that I am I politely declined an invitation to join the second lady, so I let Grant have my seconds since he had spent the previous 3 weeks striking out with girls of every nationality you could possibly imagine!!!
Once our education had come to a close, a few of us decided to delay our ride back to camp in favour of a few more visits to the local coffeeshops, with a stroll through the red light district thrown in for good measure. Eventually it was time to retire, so we made our way back to central station for a tram back to camp.
The next day was a free day, so we spent the first part of it catching up on our souvenir / present shopping, as well as a few return trips to a coffeeshop or 2....just for a bit of variety. When lunchtime rolled around we met up with Bianca for a visit to the pancake bakery, which we had discovered on our previous trip sells the best pancakes on the planet!! They did not disappoint. From there we made a visit to the sex museum, which was also just as entertaining the second time around, before meeting up with the group for dinner. After dinner it was time for our farewell canal cruise. Thankfully the price of this cruise included all you could drink for the 90 minutes that we were on the water!! Needless to say once we returned to dry land, nobody was ready to head back to camp so we found a local bar and boogied the night away! You all would have been rather impressed with the performance put in by our beloved Arnoux...she was truely on fire..... dancing her little heart out, smiling non stop, and taking approximately 843 photos for everyone to remember the evening by... they certainly came in handy the next morning!!!
The packup the next morning had a rather sombre feel to it, the fact that it was our last day together had a tough one to swallow. Nevertheless we set off for Calais for our ferry to dover, and our drive back to London. We all said our goodbyes and most people managed to keep in the tears. Luckily a few of us were staying at the same hostel, so we got to sign off on our journey with a convincing pub quiz win in the hostel bar!!!
After 7 amazing weeks our europe adventure finally came to a close. It is impossible to pick one highlight, there were so, so, so many. All we can really say is that it was an experience that we will never ever forget, and Robbie, Jimmy, and Marissa / Mari / Marge...... if you are reading this, thank you so so much for everything. We truely could not have asked for a better crew, and we will always owe so much of our experience to you!! If anyone out there is thinking of doing a tour of europe, we can 150% reccommend Topdeck, they are awesome!!! www.topdecktours.co.uk
I SAY TOP, YOU SAY DECK!!
The next morning, we had to hit the bricks early, as we only had one full day in London, and we had plenty to sort out. But we managed to get it all done, sent all our souvenirs etc home, picked up a few things from Deanne and Davides place, paid a final visit to our wonderful travel agent Olivia to get our travel documents for Egypt and Africa, and caught up with most people that we needed to for one last goodbye.
The next day was departure day, and after lunch with Uncle Neil and Aunty Helen, we set off for Heathrow. The plane trip went without a hitch, and miraculously BA didnt lose our luggage. When we arrived in Cairo, the On the Go rep was there to meet us, and we set off for our hotel. We finally crawled into bed at 2.30am and Im pretty sure that we were both asleep before our heads even hit the pillow!!
The following morning was one that we had both been eagerly anticipating for a very very long time!! We paid a visit to the pyramids and the sphinx at Giza. Nothing can ever really prepare you for the sheer enormity of them. I mean, you know that they are big and impressive, but just how big and how incredibly impressive they are still takes your breath away!! Both Arnoux and I were not terribly excited about going inside, as the tunnels are rather a tight squeeze, but no way were we missing out, so we sucked it up and got on with it!! After we picked our jaws up off the sand, we headed for our next stop, the local Papyrus museum. It was a great oppourtunity to get some genuine Papyrus ( which is a type of paper made from the papyrus plant that is used as a canvas) instead of getting ripped off in the markets buying banana leaf versions. After a spot of lunch we set off again, this time to the tomb of Ptah-Hotep from 2400 BC. The detail of the carvings was truely amazing!! Given that it was about 40 degrees, I dont think that there was a single person in the group that wasnt delighted when we found out that our next stop was a resort where we could swim, drink beer and relax. You could actually swim right up to the bar and order your drink too, which I think is a facility that should be much more common in NZ.... just a thought. After a simply devine dinner at the resort restaurant, followed by a spot of sheesha, we headed for the train station to board our overnight train to Aswan. We both got a lot more sleep than we thought we might, it was actually pretty comfortable aside from the heat which is of course nobodys fault. When we arrived in Aswan we transferred to the hotel for a freshen up and some lunch before heading out again. After being presented with our free tshirts we set off for our first stop, the high dam of Aswan. This is the home of the largest artificial lake in the world, the Nasser...you learn something new everyday...I thought something like that would of been done by the bloody Americans!!
From there we jumped on board a boat for the short trip out to the Temple of Philae. This was impressive enough as it was, until we found out that they had completely relocated it in the 70s to avoid it being lost to the rising level of the lake!! After a breif stop at the Aswan markets, where we picked up a new bag for Arnoux to replace her pack that had given up that morning, it was back to the hotel for a well earned swim and some dinner.
This morning we have some free time to enjoy the sun, and most likely the pool, before we board our Felucca this afternoon for 2 days and 2 nights sailing on the mighty Nile river!!
For photos of the above adventures, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/BerlinAmsterdamLondonEgypt
Well after we last left you we headed back to camp in Warsaw for some dinner, before joining the majority of our group in a spot of tenpin bowling. It was a team event, with total scores counting.... when our time was up (for some reason in that part of the world you pay for time as opposed to per game) our team was a measly 30 pins behind. However it must be noted that the opposition had completed all 10 frames, while our team was only half way through our 8th...so while technically we lost...it was a hollow victory for the other team!!
The next morning we boarded our faithful stead for the trip to Berlin. Upon arrival we did a driving tour with Robbie, before heading to camp for an early night in preparation for the following day. First up the next morning was something that we had been particularly looking forward to, a 3rd reich tour with a local guide. The guide was absolutely superb and we had a brilliant time exploring the history of Nazi Germany in the countries capital. The tour took us up until lunchtime, and once we had finished lunch we set out for what was one of the true highlights of our entire time away for Arnoux.... a trip to the world renowned Berlin zoo!! We spent about 7 hours exploring this massive place, seeing everything from baby Orangutan's to a vulture tearing apart a rat for dinner!! They even had Bison, which are extinct in the wild, as well as baby everythings since it was that time of the year... Arnoux was simply beside herself. Bianca and I were not even allowed a rest stop for fear of missing something!!! I must admit though we all had an excellent day, and it really does deserve its reputation as one of the worlds great zoos!!
After dinner with the group at a local restaurant we headed back to camp. There was not a lot of sleep had that night by at least one of us.... as the following morning we were headed to Amsterdam!!! The group has never packed up so quickly....admittedly I was running around helping people take their tents down, and generally making sure that things were done in an orderly fashion. It felt like the longest drive day ever, but eventually we arrived.... First stop was at a little shop outside of town for a clog making demonstration and a spot of cheese tasting.... the guy was a little strange to say the least, but we all made it out alive so no complaints here.
From there it was off to set up camp at the busiest campsite in the world!! Luckily we had a spot reserved for us so there was no problem there, and once everything was set up we could finally head into town. When we got there Robbie did a little walking tour of the city, Arnoux and I ran ahead to a coffeeshop, and met up with the rest of the bunch as they walked past...feeling much more relaxed for some reason.....
After a spot of dinner, which for Arnoux and I consisted of fries drowned in mayo, we headed off for an evening of 'cultural education'.... or a sex show as it is more commonly known. We had prime seats for the spectacle, and a couple of lads from our group even got on stage to lend a helping hand. Being the well behaved chap that I am I politely declined an invitation to join the second lady, so I let Grant have my seconds since he had spent the previous 3 weeks striking out with girls of every nationality you could possibly imagine!!!
Once our education had come to a close, a few of us decided to delay our ride back to camp in favour of a few more visits to the local coffeeshops, with a stroll through the red light district thrown in for good measure. Eventually it was time to retire, so we made our way back to central station for a tram back to camp.
The next day was a free day, so we spent the first part of it catching up on our souvenir / present shopping, as well as a few return trips to a coffeeshop or 2....just for a bit of variety. When lunchtime rolled around we met up with Bianca for a visit to the pancake bakery, which we had discovered on our previous trip sells the best pancakes on the planet!! They did not disappoint. From there we made a visit to the sex museum, which was also just as entertaining the second time around, before meeting up with the group for dinner. After dinner it was time for our farewell canal cruise. Thankfully the price of this cruise included all you could drink for the 90 minutes that we were on the water!! Needless to say once we returned to dry land, nobody was ready to head back to camp so we found a local bar and boogied the night away! You all would have been rather impressed with the performance put in by our beloved Arnoux...she was truely on fire..... dancing her little heart out, smiling non stop, and taking approximately 843 photos for everyone to remember the evening by... they certainly came in handy the next morning!!!
The packup the next morning had a rather sombre feel to it, the fact that it was our last day together had a tough one to swallow. Nevertheless we set off for Calais for our ferry to dover, and our drive back to London. We all said our goodbyes and most people managed to keep in the tears. Luckily a few of us were staying at the same hostel, so we got to sign off on our journey with a convincing pub quiz win in the hostel bar!!!
After 7 amazing weeks our europe adventure finally came to a close. It is impossible to pick one highlight, there were so, so, so many. All we can really say is that it was an experience that we will never ever forget, and Robbie, Jimmy, and Marissa / Mari / Marge...... if you are reading this, thank you so so much for everything. We truely could not have asked for a better crew, and we will always owe so much of our experience to you!! If anyone out there is thinking of doing a tour of europe, we can 150% reccommend Topdeck, they are awesome!!! www.topdecktours.co.uk
I SAY TOP, YOU SAY DECK!!
The next morning, we had to hit the bricks early, as we only had one full day in London, and we had plenty to sort out. But we managed to get it all done, sent all our souvenirs etc home, picked up a few things from Deanne and Davides place, paid a final visit to our wonderful travel agent Olivia to get our travel documents for Egypt and Africa, and caught up with most people that we needed to for one last goodbye.
The next day was departure day, and after lunch with Uncle Neil and Aunty Helen, we set off for Heathrow. The plane trip went without a hitch, and miraculously BA didnt lose our luggage. When we arrived in Cairo, the On the Go rep was there to meet us, and we set off for our hotel. We finally crawled into bed at 2.30am and Im pretty sure that we were both asleep before our heads even hit the pillow!!
The following morning was one that we had both been eagerly anticipating for a very very long time!! We paid a visit to the pyramids and the sphinx at Giza. Nothing can ever really prepare you for the sheer enormity of them. I mean, you know that they are big and impressive, but just how big and how incredibly impressive they are still takes your breath away!! Both Arnoux and I were not terribly excited about going inside, as the tunnels are rather a tight squeeze, but no way were we missing out, so we sucked it up and got on with it!! After we picked our jaws up off the sand, we headed for our next stop, the local Papyrus museum. It was a great oppourtunity to get some genuine Papyrus ( which is a type of paper made from the papyrus plant that is used as a canvas) instead of getting ripped off in the markets buying banana leaf versions. After a spot of lunch we set off again, this time to the tomb of Ptah-Hotep from 2400 BC. The detail of the carvings was truely amazing!! Given that it was about 40 degrees, I dont think that there was a single person in the group that wasnt delighted when we found out that our next stop was a resort where we could swim, drink beer and relax. You could actually swim right up to the bar and order your drink too, which I think is a facility that should be much more common in NZ.... just a thought. After a simply devine dinner at the resort restaurant, followed by a spot of sheesha, we headed for the train station to board our overnight train to Aswan. We both got a lot more sleep than we thought we might, it was actually pretty comfortable aside from the heat which is of course nobodys fault. When we arrived in Aswan we transferred to the hotel for a freshen up and some lunch before heading out again. After being presented with our free tshirts we set off for our first stop, the high dam of Aswan. This is the home of the largest artificial lake in the world, the Nasser...you learn something new everyday...I thought something like that would of been done by the bloody Americans!!
From there we jumped on board a boat for the short trip out to the Temple of Philae. This was impressive enough as it was, until we found out that they had completely relocated it in the 70s to avoid it being lost to the rising level of the lake!! After a breif stop at the Aswan markets, where we picked up a new bag for Arnoux to replace her pack that had given up that morning, it was back to the hotel for a well earned swim and some dinner.
This morning we have some free time to enjoy the sun, and most likely the pool, before we board our Felucca this afternoon for 2 days and 2 nights sailing on the mighty Nile river!!
For photos of the above adventures, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shananjames/BerlinAmsterdamLondonEgypt
Saturday, 4 August 2007
Budapest / To Vienna via Bratislava / Prague / Krakow / Auschwitz / Warsaw
Hi guys and gals,
When we left you last time we were in Budapest about to head off to the Hungarian baths for a swim, however when we got there we discovered that they were going to charge us the equivalent of NZ$18 each just to have a swim.....it wasnt that bloody hot!!! So instead we went and did a bit of shopping, relaxed by the river, and I took some time out to get whipped by a local in a game of chess.... he does sit there all day beating people for 1 euro a game, so I didnt feel too bad that I was no match for him. After that it was off to a group dinner before getting a train back to camp, which gave us a chance to experience Budapest by night, which was awesome!!
The next morning we set sail for Vienna, Austria. Along the way we stopped off in Bratislava, Slovakia... just because we could. On the bus on the way we watched the movie 'Hostel', which is a horror story about 2 american backpackers who go to Bratislava, so Im surprised that anyone got off the coach, but we all survived, and the people were much nicer than you might expect after watching that movie.....who would have known that movies are not always accurate!!
When we arrived in Vienna we stopped off at the Schonbrunn palace before heading to camp. All that splendor and Arnoux could not get past the cute little squirrels...admittedly they did come right up to her...but still!! hahahahaha!! Once we had set up camp the group were headed for the Prater amusement park, but sadly I had come down with a doozy of a migraine, so I wasnt going anywhere, and Arnoux being the loving fiance that she is...stayed with me... apparently we didnt miss too much, and our darling Bianca brought us back some candy floss to help ease the pain!!
The next morning we opted for the drop off back at the Schonbrunn palace, where we saw an apple strudel making demonstration before heading for the labyrinth with a bunch of the others from the group, we can happily report that we were the first to find the centre... small victories are still sweet!! After that we jumped on the train back into the main centre and checked out the natural history museum and the Hofburg palace...sadly David Hasselhoff was nowhere to be seen....what a letdown!!
Next it was off to meet up with the group for the tour of the Schnaps museum. This was definately a highlight...the guy that was taking the tour was actually the latest generation from the Fischer family that owns and runs the schnaps mueusm/factory. He was hugely entertaining, knew his stuff, and most importantly, was the one providing the numerous shots of schnaps at the end of the tour!! We were supposed to get 3 shots each, but after the table was empty the shots just kept flowing!! It could have been a ploy to sell more t-shirts (which worked on Arnoux and I, we bought 1 each), but no one was complaining!!
Once we had finished there we stumbled off to dinner, before retiring to the campsite for a well earned beer!! The next morning we awoke to the sound of heavy rain on our tent roof.... it took 38 days but we finally had to take down our tent in the rain.... not so much fun, but everyone was in the same boat (actually, we could have done with a boat) so all you could really do was laugh and get on with it, and be thankful that it happened once we had perfected the art of taking the thing down, as opposed to the first morning, where we would have been mucking around like newborn foals!!
After we had dried off and had some brekkie under the heaven sent tarp that Jimmy had put up, it was off to Prague, the city where you pay 3 times as much for a 500ml bottle of water as you do for a 500ml beer.... excellent!! When we arrived we had a walking tour with Robbie, where Arnoux almost got left behind because she was too busy taking photos to realise that the group had moved on. We checked out the Hradcany castle, and got some wicked views of the city before heading down the hill to Charles bridge (which we sadly recognised instantly from the movie XXX), before making our way to the town square. After that it was off to Wenceslas Square, the home of the Velvet Revolution of 1989, and the cheapest, hugest hotdog you could possibly hope to get anywhere in 2007!! From there it was onto the train back to camp for dinner and a freshen up before getting right back on the train to take advantage of the almost criminally cheap nightlife in Prague!! Arnoux decided to stay at camp, since the next day was her birthday, and we all know how little she functions with the hangovers that she gets!! I would love to tell you what time I rolled back into camp...but I cant...but I can tell you that I love absinthe...I think...oh, and I did visit the largest nightclub in eastern europe, this I know because I have seen photos confirming that I was there!!
The next day was Arnouxs birthday, so after breakfast under the Happy Birthday banner that our beloved cook Marissa had put up, we set off into town. We started with a spot of shopping before meeting up with a few of the others for lunch, where Arnoux was presented with her first ever Chocolate-Brownie-Tower cake!! From there we headed for the Museum of Communism, which was an incredible, if slightly disturbing, story of the communist era in the Czech Republic. I enjoyed it so much I had to buy the book.... although Im not sure that the girls were too thrilled with constantly having to wait for me while I read each and every last word. Once we were done there we made our way to the Jewish Ghetto, which is an area that Hitler specifically left as a 'living musuem of an expired species'. Thankfully thats not what it ended up being, but there is an amazing cemetery there containing over 20,000 jews that were buried there between the 14th and 17th century. It was the only place jews could be buried in Prague at the time, so it it a long way above street level from where they had to take out the tombstones, put new bodies on top, then squeeze in new tombstones on the new 'surface' of the cemetery.
From there we headed back to the town square to meet up with about 9 others from our tour group for Arnouxs birthday dinner. It took us a while to find a place that would take 11 of us, but the one we found was definately worth the wait!! After dinner Arnoux and I headed back to Charles bridge to buy a print that we had seen earlier, before heading back to camp.
The next morning we boarded our trusty stead bound for Krakow. Once we had set up camp we had a free evening to relax, so after discovering that Transformers is not out in Poland for another 3 weeks, we got a few beers and had a chill out night in camp with the rest of the group. The next morning we boarded the local tram into the city, where we started the day with one of Robbies famous walking tours. From there we headed off to meet our local guide for the Schindlers list tour of the city. This included a Jewish Cynagogue that is still used today, as well as the old Jewish ghetto from WW2, and the factory that Oscar Schinder ran during the war, from where he was able to save over 1100 Jews from Nazi persecution. Once we had stopped for lunch to recharge the batteries, we jumped in a mini bus for the half hour ride out to the salt mines. We were not exactly sure what to expect but we had been told that it would be well worth our while...which it certainly was!! The tour took us over 130 metres underground into an entire city underneath a city!! As well as the numerous tunnels, winches etc etc that were essential to the mining of the salt, there are also loads and loads of statues, as well as 2 huge Cathedrals, and a restaurant... all underground!! It truely was absolutely incredible!!!
From there it was back to the mall over the road to check out what can only be described as the mother of all supermarkets!! We also picked up some dinner in the food court, and Kiwi Sam and I went halves in a bottle of vodka, which was (supposed) to last us a few nights.... so when we woke up the next morning with splitting headaches and an empty vodka bottle...we were left wondering what had gone wrong!! Nevertheless we picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off, for this day held a truely anticipated highlight of the whole tour.... a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camps.
We started off at the main camp, Auschwitz 1, which was originally army barracks and was chosen by the Germans for its remote location. For once I dont really know what to say... our guide was incredible, and the grave nature of the place that we were in was not lost on anyone...even Sacha the American was quiet the whole time, which is like watching monkeys use tools for the first time. The tour took us through a lot of the barracks, which have been set up as a museum. Obviously we did not take any photos inside, but needless to say it was an experience that does not need photos to be remembered. From there we headed to Aucshwitz 2, Birkenau, the largest of all the Nazi camps. There is honestly not much that either of us can think to write about such a place. It is something that has to be seen, but at the same time not a pleasant place to be.
Once our time at Auscwitz had come to an end, we boarded the coach for a very quiet trip to our next stop, Warsaw. Once we had set up camp we set out on a driving/walking tour of the city. Taking in a place that was almost completely flattened in WW2. The info that we were given was that 90% of the city was rubble, which makes what you see there today all the more impressive. We also had a chance to check out the Chopin monument... even if neither Arnoux or I have any idea what his music sounds like... arent we so very educated!! Hahahahaha!!
From there it was back to camp for dinner and a completely alchohol free evening. This morning we caught the bus into town, and we have spent the morning doing admin stuff like putting our photos onto DVD, and of course updating the website. From here we have no idea what we are up to be honest..... I guess we'll let you know next time :-)
We hope you are all well, and that the weather in NZ is getting better...
When we left you last time we were in Budapest about to head off to the Hungarian baths for a swim, however when we got there we discovered that they were going to charge us the equivalent of NZ$18 each just to have a swim.....it wasnt that bloody hot!!! So instead we went and did a bit of shopping, relaxed by the river, and I took some time out to get whipped by a local in a game of chess.... he does sit there all day beating people for 1 euro a game, so I didnt feel too bad that I was no match for him. After that it was off to a group dinner before getting a train back to camp, which gave us a chance to experience Budapest by night, which was awesome!!
The next morning we set sail for Vienna, Austria. Along the way we stopped off in Bratislava, Slovakia... just because we could. On the bus on the way we watched the movie 'Hostel', which is a horror story about 2 american backpackers who go to Bratislava, so Im surprised that anyone got off the coach, but we all survived, and the people were much nicer than you might expect after watching that movie.....who would have known that movies are not always accurate!!
When we arrived in Vienna we stopped off at the Schonbrunn palace before heading to camp. All that splendor and Arnoux could not get past the cute little squirrels...admittedly they did come right up to her...but still!! hahahahaha!! Once we had set up camp the group were headed for the Prater amusement park, but sadly I had come down with a doozy of a migraine, so I wasnt going anywhere, and Arnoux being the loving fiance that she is...stayed with me... apparently we didnt miss too much, and our darling Bianca brought us back some candy floss to help ease the pain!!
The next morning we opted for the drop off back at the Schonbrunn palace, where we saw an apple strudel making demonstration before heading for the labyrinth with a bunch of the others from the group, we can happily report that we were the first to find the centre... small victories are still sweet!! After that we jumped on the train back into the main centre and checked out the natural history museum and the Hofburg palace...sadly David Hasselhoff was nowhere to be seen....what a letdown!!
Next it was off to meet up with the group for the tour of the Schnaps museum. This was definately a highlight...the guy that was taking the tour was actually the latest generation from the Fischer family that owns and runs the schnaps mueusm/factory. He was hugely entertaining, knew his stuff, and most importantly, was the one providing the numerous shots of schnaps at the end of the tour!! We were supposed to get 3 shots each, but after the table was empty the shots just kept flowing!! It could have been a ploy to sell more t-shirts (which worked on Arnoux and I, we bought 1 each), but no one was complaining!!
Once we had finished there we stumbled off to dinner, before retiring to the campsite for a well earned beer!! The next morning we awoke to the sound of heavy rain on our tent roof.... it took 38 days but we finally had to take down our tent in the rain.... not so much fun, but everyone was in the same boat (actually, we could have done with a boat) so all you could really do was laugh and get on with it, and be thankful that it happened once we had perfected the art of taking the thing down, as opposed to the first morning, where we would have been mucking around like newborn foals!!
After we had dried off and had some brekkie under the heaven sent tarp that Jimmy had put up, it was off to Prague, the city where you pay 3 times as much for a 500ml bottle of water as you do for a 500ml beer.... excellent!! When we arrived we had a walking tour with Robbie, where Arnoux almost got left behind because she was too busy taking photos to realise that the group had moved on. We checked out the Hradcany castle, and got some wicked views of the city before heading down the hill to Charles bridge (which we sadly recognised instantly from the movie XXX), before making our way to the town square. After that it was off to Wenceslas Square, the home of the Velvet Revolution of 1989, and the cheapest, hugest hotdog you could possibly hope to get anywhere in 2007!! From there it was onto the train back to camp for dinner and a freshen up before getting right back on the train to take advantage of the almost criminally cheap nightlife in Prague!! Arnoux decided to stay at camp, since the next day was her birthday, and we all know how little she functions with the hangovers that she gets!! I would love to tell you what time I rolled back into camp...but I cant...but I can tell you that I love absinthe...I think...oh, and I did visit the largest nightclub in eastern europe, this I know because I have seen photos confirming that I was there!!
The next day was Arnouxs birthday, so after breakfast under the Happy Birthday banner that our beloved cook Marissa had put up, we set off into town. We started with a spot of shopping before meeting up with a few of the others for lunch, where Arnoux was presented with her first ever Chocolate-Brownie-Tower cake!! From there we headed for the Museum of Communism, which was an incredible, if slightly disturbing, story of the communist era in the Czech Republic. I enjoyed it so much I had to buy the book.... although Im not sure that the girls were too thrilled with constantly having to wait for me while I read each and every last word. Once we were done there we made our way to the Jewish Ghetto, which is an area that Hitler specifically left as a 'living musuem of an expired species'. Thankfully thats not what it ended up being, but there is an amazing cemetery there containing over 20,000 jews that were buried there between the 14th and 17th century. It was the only place jews could be buried in Prague at the time, so it it a long way above street level from where they had to take out the tombstones, put new bodies on top, then squeeze in new tombstones on the new 'surface' of the cemetery.
From there we headed back to the town square to meet up with about 9 others from our tour group for Arnouxs birthday dinner. It took us a while to find a place that would take 11 of us, but the one we found was definately worth the wait!! After dinner Arnoux and I headed back to Charles bridge to buy a print that we had seen earlier, before heading back to camp.
The next morning we boarded our trusty stead bound for Krakow. Once we had set up camp we had a free evening to relax, so after discovering that Transformers is not out in Poland for another 3 weeks, we got a few beers and had a chill out night in camp with the rest of the group. The next morning we boarded the local tram into the city, where we started the day with one of Robbies famous walking tours. From there we headed off to meet our local guide for the Schindlers list tour of the city. This included a Jewish Cynagogue that is still used today, as well as the old Jewish ghetto from WW2, and the factory that Oscar Schinder ran during the war, from where he was able to save over 1100 Jews from Nazi persecution. Once we had stopped for lunch to recharge the batteries, we jumped in a mini bus for the half hour ride out to the salt mines. We were not exactly sure what to expect but we had been told that it would be well worth our while...which it certainly was!! The tour took us over 130 metres underground into an entire city underneath a city!! As well as the numerous tunnels, winches etc etc that were essential to the mining of the salt, there are also loads and loads of statues, as well as 2 huge Cathedrals, and a restaurant... all underground!! It truely was absolutely incredible!!!
From there it was back to the mall over the road to check out what can only be described as the mother of all supermarkets!! We also picked up some dinner in the food court, and Kiwi Sam and I went halves in a bottle of vodka, which was (supposed) to last us a few nights.... so when we woke up the next morning with splitting headaches and an empty vodka bottle...we were left wondering what had gone wrong!! Nevertheless we picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off, for this day held a truely anticipated highlight of the whole tour.... a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camps.
We started off at the main camp, Auschwitz 1, which was originally army barracks and was chosen by the Germans for its remote location. For once I dont really know what to say... our guide was incredible, and the grave nature of the place that we were in was not lost on anyone...even Sacha the American was quiet the whole time, which is like watching monkeys use tools for the first time. The tour took us through a lot of the barracks, which have been set up as a museum. Obviously we did not take any photos inside, but needless to say it was an experience that does not need photos to be remembered. From there we headed to Aucshwitz 2, Birkenau, the largest of all the Nazi camps. There is honestly not much that either of us can think to write about such a place. It is something that has to be seen, but at the same time not a pleasant place to be.
Once our time at Auscwitz had come to an end, we boarded the coach for a very quiet trip to our next stop, Warsaw. Once we had set up camp we set out on a driving/walking tour of the city. Taking in a place that was almost completely flattened in WW2. The info that we were given was that 90% of the city was rubble, which makes what you see there today all the more impressive. We also had a chance to check out the Chopin monument... even if neither Arnoux or I have any idea what his music sounds like... arent we so very educated!! Hahahahaha!!
From there it was back to camp for dinner and a completely alchohol free evening. This morning we caught the bus into town, and we have spent the morning doing admin stuff like putting our photos onto DVD, and of course updating the website. From here we have no idea what we are up to be honest..... I guess we'll let you know next time :-)
We hope you are all well, and that the weather in NZ is getting better...
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