Chloe & Rolands Global Adventure

• West Coast
• Cape Town
• Garden Route
• Route 62
• Cape Town

Chloe's Photos
Roland's Photos

Well this is it, the last hurrah – country #21 on this 7 month sojourn across the globe. And in our humble opinions, one of the best countries was saved for last.

Heading down the west coast with the overland truck, we stopped at a vineyard and sampled some of the local delicacies before making the final drive into Cape Town. What a city and what a setting! This city was one of the original highlights for the journey. The huge Table mountain standing so close and impressively above the city, the mixing of the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and the great mix of the seaside suburbs, puts it up there with Rio and Sydney.

We ventured up to the top of the mountain by cable car and then decided to walk down (in flip flops); we caught up with friends both new and old, and set off on some great scenic drives. The coastal road around Chapman's Peak is an awesome engineering feat in itself.

We hit the road with Jonny and Laura, a great Irish couple we met on the truck, and set off down to the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-western point of Africa. That completes our traveling from the most northern part in Morocco to the most southern point – this made us quite satisfied. The four of us drove around the point and back along the coastal roads and past a sea of shanty towns (or informal settlements for the politicians) and into Stellenbosh – famous wine country.

The lush green vines laid out in perfect rows, dutch colonial white-wash buildings and ragged peaks makes for a fantastic setting. Oh, and they make some good wines there as well. With rosy cheeks we continued on to Hermanus and saw 6 whales frolicking in the water just 30m from the cliffs.

The day of truth: shark diving. Well, it is one of the things that you hear about in South Africa, and you just have to do it. Sitting around with the burly out the back, a guy slapping fish heads on the water and it did not take long for a 3m monster to arrive. So....we quickly jumped into wetsuits and climbed into the cage dangling off the side of the boat. The great white made a couple of passes at the cage, coming to within about 30cm from us before turning away. You can get in as many times as you like (if you can handle the cold), otherwise you sit on the boat and just watch these awesome creatures coming back again and again. A great experience and a lot tamer than you would think. Honestly!

We continued our way along the coast, passing some great towns: Mossel Bay, Knysna, Plettenburg Bay (and the great Monkeyland) and onto Jeffery's Bay. Unfortunately the famous right hand surf break was not on and more disappointingly we had to say farewell to Jonny and Laura as they took off to continue their travels in India. We will be seeing you guys in Sydney soon enough though.

So, Chloe and I turned the car around and headed to Storms River Mouth for a couple of days before taking the very, very beautiful inland 'Route 62'. Driving along various valley floors with high mountain ranges on both sides, we saw desert flowers by the side of the road and an increasing Ostrich population. We drove through Uniondale, De Rust, Prince Albert and then over the amazing Swartburg Pass and down past the Cango Caves and Outshorn (ostrich capital of the world). Back through the endless wineries of Montagu, Robertson and onto Stellenbosh for another nights rest.

We returned the car in one piece and spent our remaining days in Cape Town. We climbed Lions Head and wandered the streets, bought up all of the souvenirs in the markets and sat and drank coffee in the numerous coffee shops. We both really liked Cape Town, very laid back, small city feel and a back drop where ever you look.

We learnt a couple of things in South Africa. Locals drive at amazing speeds on the freeways, every day is BBQ (Braai) day, the place is beautiful, the people have a real positive outlook and the future is bright for SA.

The travels have ended (for now) and Chloe and I have returned home to start 'life' once again. Too many memories to mention and over 14,000 photos =).

⁃ Etosha National Park
⁃ Cheetah Park
⁃ Spitzkoppe
⁃ Swakopmund
⁃ Soussevlei
⁃ Fish River Canyon

Chloe's Namibian Photos
Roland's Namibian Photos

Everyone kept on saying to us; "wait until you see Namibia". Well it certainly does not disappoint. It is a massive desert, yet it seems to cram in all of the best that a desert can offer - huge sand dunes, striking rocky outcrops, vast canyons and great wildlife.

We entered the fantastic Etosha NP and immediately came across a dozen giraffe doing their crazy leg-splitting drinking manoeuvers. We spent two days visiting the various watering holes, salt plains and scrublands. The highlight was definitely the 60 or so elephants all taking turns in their 20-strong family groups drinking and playing in the water.

Pulling into the next camp site, a sign read "Do not enter!" on the gate, and looking down you see why. Two cheetah's patrolled the parameter... We stayed the night and had the chance to pat and play with the 3 pet cheetahs, very cute and somewhat friendly. We went out into the paddocks with the owners and fed the remaining 16 or so of the amazing animals. It was a great experience - Chloe has decided she now wants one as a pet.

Moving further south we pulled into the fantastic area of Spitzkoppe. Remarkably like the rocky outcrops of Arizona, we quickly fell in love with the area. Deep red rock contrasts against the bright blue sky, yellow grasses and crazy rock formations. I set off to claim a mountain in the name of Australia and Chloe wandered the outcrops finding ancient rock paintings, natural bridges and funny shaped boulders.

After days 25 odd days in a tent, we were relieved to have a bed for a few nights in Swakopmund, a tourist town on the coast. The weather was completely different as the town is engalfed in a dense sea fog for most of the day and the temperature barely reaches 15 degrees C. We wandered around town and took a great day out sea kayaking to the local seal colony. The inquisitive little fellas came and swam next to us, you could tickle them and some even let us grab their fins and move them around. Paddling back to the car and only 15 meters from the kayak a humpback whale breached! We quickly paddled to it, but it submerged again. Then, a second whale appeared only 5 meters off the back of the kayak - a truly magical experience that I will never forget.

Next stop was Soussevlei, home to the worlds highest sand dunes (400m). Over 500 km wide and 100 km long it is a LOT of sand. We drove into the centre of the dune field on the only road and joined a local bushman on a hike through the desert and learning a great deal about the area, dune formation and how to find food. We walked into Soussevlei and were amazed by the area, snow white clay pan, 800 year-old dead trees, burnt orange sand dunes and a deep blue sky made for a very photographic setting. We climbed a dune for sunset and watched another day end in style.

Our last point of call in Namibia was Fish River Canyon - the worlds second largest canyon. We sat on the edge and went for a quick walk along the rim. A great place and some more amazing scenery.

All in all, we both loved Namibia, as far as scenery and natural beauty goes it is number one in Africa for the the two of us. The desert is well and truly deserted of people, the natural formations are unique and yet there are still plenty of animals to see. So, our advice when coming to Africa is: wait until you see Namibia.

⁃ Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
⁃ Lake Malawi, Malawi
⁃ Zambezi River, Zambia
⁃ Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
⁃ Chobe National Park, Botswana
⁃ Okavango Delta, Botswana

Chloe's Photos
Roland's Photos

This is Africa. This is Africa. We kept repeating this mantra as the return ferry from Zanzibar back to the mainland was the obligatory 4 hours late. With our new travelling companions in tow, we set off on another adventure across this massive and varied continent. We have a lot more driving in this section of the trip as we work our way across the continent from east to west and then hitting the coast in Namibia we head due south to the much anticipated Capetown. 36 days, 12,000 km, 24 companions – it was bound to be an adventure.

Driving quickly across Tanzania we passed some great highland tea-growing regions, giraffe and elephant in the middle of nowhere and plenty of locals waving as we passed, shouting 'Muzungu' into the wind. We crossed into laid-back Malawi and straight onto the coast of the huge Lake Malawi where we spent the next 5 nights on the sandy beaches of the very picturesque and tranquil shores of the massive inland sea. We spent the days sun-baking, playing volleyball, walking through the villages and entertaining the local kids. We had a truck fancy dress party that went way out of control and the fallout of the night was hot discussion for days, if not weeks to follow. The only downside of the lake is that it contains some crazy bugs that can take years to effect you. We liked Malawi and found the people friendly and the landscape fantastic. Oh, and if you go there, take lots of pens for the kids.

Onto yet another border crossing and this time I had a real 'cultural experience.' My doctor before I left did not sign my Yellow Fever form, so after some nervous moments and waiting I was called into the back office with Kath the guide and the border police, and it was suggested that instead of holding up the truck I could pass through for a small transaction fee - K50,000 (Or ten dollars.) With a sour taste in my mouth we entered Zambia and headed almost directly across the country at full pelt for the Zambezi river and the next border at Victoria Falls. We did stop one night and managed a self guided walking safari and came across a family of giraffe and zebra. Zambia was but a blink on our journey across the continent.

After a night on the Zambian side of Vic Falls, we crossed over into Zimbabwe and had our first and very disappointing view of Vic Falls. The rains had subsided and the curtain of water had greatly decreased from full capacity. We set up camp in Zimbabwe for the next 3 nights within ear shot of the 'smoke that thunders'. Walking along the edge of the falls on the Zimbabwe side, we quickly erased the early disappointment and fell in love with the magnificent natural wonder. The mist, the spray, the permanent rainbow and the sheer awe of the place makes it one of those places you have to see with your own eyes.

We went on a fantastic and definitely unforgettable walk with the lions. It was quite an experience walking next to a 95kg cat through the bush – just like walking your dog around the block, except at any moment they can turn around and mame you. At one stage they climbed up a tree and sat on a branch above our heads, a little hard to smile for the camera with Kanu licking his lips above your head.

After a bit of time deciding, Chloe came rafting with me on the mighty Zambezi River. This world renown rafting river starts at the falls and then decends along the tight canyon through 23 wild rapids (eight grade 4 rapids, three grade 5 and one grade 6 – above the commercial rafting level). A hair-raising walk into the canyon and then a quick paddle up stream and a great view of the falls from river level. We turned and then the ride really began. We were doing well until the first grade 5 and we both went overboard but managed to hang onto the boat. The second grade 5 (rapid #7) and we hit a massive wave, the people from one side of our boat came crashing down on top of us, and we all went in – including the guide. A massive, powerful, human washing machine took us down the long rapid. Luckily I found Chloe in the chaos and we swept through the huge turbulence together, just missed a bolder and after several dunkings we emerged into the clear water just before the next rapid. I had a huge smile on my face, Chloe was shaken. It was a great day out and despite spending some of the day underwater it was good fun and a great view along the canyon, even passing a few crocodiles on the sides.

There has been a lot said about Zimbabwe in the news recently, and yes it has been hit hard by a meglomaniac president and fallen into financial ruin, but the people we met there were super friendly. The people in town were very poor though and wanted to swap absolutely anything with us, from socks to pens to shoes or t-shirts, shampoo or soap. Anything you had – they wanted, and our most amusing swap was an old shirt of Chloe's for 400 trillion Zimbabwe dollars. A true bargain! Now that US$ are the official currency, their economy seems to be stabilising somewhat and things are definitely looking up.

Back into the truck after farewelling some of the passengers and gaining some new ones, we set off for Chobe National Park in Botswana. We spent a good day out in the park and found some lions, gazelle, baboons, herds of elephants and hippos. For the afternoon we boarded a boat and had a great sunset cruise through the waterway, getting nice and close to the hippos, crocs and elephants whilst we drank some beers and watched the sun fall behind the water in a red blaze. At night the sounds of hippos seemed to be mere metres away from where our tents were on the river banks. Definitely not somewhere you want to go to the toilet at night...

The next adventure had us on a 3 hour mokoro ride (traditional dug-out canoe, operated with a pole Venician style) into the depths of the Okavango Delta – a massive inland delta that spreads out over 18,000 km. It was nothing but peace and quiet as our guide moved us deeper into the wilderness. The reeds parted at our bow and small frogs jumped aboard for a short ride. Camping for 3 nights on a island about 2km square we went out on walking hikes at sunrise and sunset and found some elephants, zebra, giraffe and baboons. During the day we chased the shade and tried to come up with ways to stay cool. We had a couple of trips to the 'swimming hole' near our camp, with perfectly clear water, naturally filtered through the reads and 10 metres of sand. One afternoon we canoed up to a hippo pool for a nice close encounter and then found 5 elephants crossing the water right in front of the canoe at sunset. Quite a special moment.

Botswana has felt quite different to the other East African countries, and you can definitely feel the effects of a stable government and a strong economy. The people are better looked after, there are less people living in poverty, and although HIV/AIDS is still a massive problem, it seems like Botswana has a chance of becoming an African success story. Towns began to feel more civilised, and the importance of the tourist industry has been realised. Botswana has a lot to offer in terms of diverse experiences. From the largest inland delta to the vast Kalahari Desert, it is a country with something for everyone.

After the Delta, we continued heading west towards Namibia.

▪ Musoma (Lake Victoria)
▪ Serengeti National Park
▪ Oldavai Gorge (Cradle of mankind)
▪ Ngorongoro Crater
▪ Arusha
▪ Dar es Salaam
▪ Stonetown, Zanzibar
▪ Matemwe Beach, Zanzibar

• Chloe's Photos
  
• Roland's Photos - too slow internet
  

As our group of 9 became 21, with the same guide and cook, our bus just got a whole lot more crowded. Dynamics changed; Chloe almost got in a punch-up and in doing so gained the respect of the whole bus.

We set off via a few small towns in Kenya bound for the Tanzanian border. Tanzania has a very different feel, the people seem to have taken lessons from the Egyptians and love to harass the mzungus (white people). Stopping by the side of the road one day for lunch, we experienced streams of local children running from bushes, houses and even out the school windows to come and try out their english: "Give me your watch", "Give me money", "Give me pens". Well, I set Chloe on them and she sorted them out and even managed to come away with all her jewellery intact.

Waking from a long, dusty and bumpy ride we found ourselves on the shores of Lake Victoria. Hard to gauge the full immensity of the lake from shore level, but a great camp site that only got better with sunset and a couple of pints. A quick visit to the fish markets in Musoma and we head off for the Serengeti (Masai for 'endless plains'). The road deteriorated as we drove and the last 2 hrs inside the park gates were rough and very uncomfortable. A very close encounter with an angry hippo (whilst we were on foot) almost saw us lose some campers. Our camp for two nights was in the centre of the huge game park (15,000 sq kms) amongst grazing buffalo and gazelle and other mysterious sounds of the African plains at night.

A very early morning game drive saw us drive around for a few hours and find not a whole lot... until we stumbled upon a lioness sleeping with her two cubs. Slowly they awoke and started playing together in the long grass, no more than 10m away. Getting impatient after about 30 seconds I started calling for a wildebeest to come and liven things up. Well, low and behold, this not-so-smart lone wildebeest came into view and was walking unknowingly straight towards the lion. With 20m to go, the wildebeest caught wind of the big cat and paused – but at this stage it was all on. After a couple of minutes of hesitation, the lion used our trucks as cover, and not long afterwards she attacked. Covering the ground very quickly the wildebeest jumped a ravine, missed the edge and it was lunch time for the three lions. Awesome to watch the scene play out, National Geographic style, and see it unfold from start to bloody finish.

We went on a couple more game drives within the Serengeti and saw plenty of animals: many elephants, giraffes, gazelles, antelopes and buffalo. We had a great photo shoot with some cooperative cheetahs and even saw an elephant standing oblivious under a leopard lying nervously in the branch above him. An amazing place, and the plains really do stretch on endlessly.

After another long and very bumpy ride we went past Oldavai Gorge – "the cradle of mankind". This is where mans' ancestors walked some 3.6 million years ago and left footprints in the lava flow.... or something like that. Up a long, steep and dusty climb past some not so friendly and tourist hunting Masai, we drove to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. We camped right on the rim of this impressive place, 20km across, 500m deep and with a highly proportionate number of animals. The animals hang out here for the year long fresh water spring, grazing and terrific views. Travelling in smaller 4WD for the day we witnessed some of the best game viewing of our safari trip. Lions appeared from seemingly nowhere in the long grass next to the car, ostriches danced mating rituals, elephants knocked over trees for fun and lions reclined in the shade under the trucks. There was definitely a unique feeling within the crater and it was one of our favourite places to visit. Highly recommended.

Our safari came to an end and we boarded an 'executive' bus bound for Dar es Salaam. Once again the A/C only lasted the first two hours of the 11hr trip. We witnessed an amazing change in landscape as we raced across Tanzania, past Kilimanjaro, rainforest, savannas, and in between many poor villages and crumbling homes. Nothing worth reporting about Dar, so we jumped on the first ferry to Zanzibar, the famous spice island off the coast of mainland Tanzania. A small, old Indian man sat down next to Chloe and started talking about this and that, then kept on going and telling us all of the good places to visit on the island, as well as the island's complicated history. We soon discovered that this was Mr Mitu... the godfather of tourism on Zanzibar and the man who first started taking spice tours around the island. He was a very friendly and helpful guy, who sorted out the local hustlers for us, and showed us to some very nice accommodation.

We spent a couple of days in Stonetown and really enjoyed it. Great bunch of people, excellent spicy food and a good vibe to the place. We made friends with a French couple and their two young kids travelling the world for a year, and enjoyed a few local drinks and evening meals. Finding paradise is pretty easy on Zanzibar with your pick of white sandy beaches in any direction. On some recommendations, we found ourselves in the most idyllic of places for a week at Matemwe beach on the north eastern side of the main island. A quiet beach, with a local village that relies entirely on the sea meant fresh seafood every day. A great little bungalow guesthouse on pristine white sand, surrounded by swaying palm trees, tantilising aqua clear water and a fantastic restaurant and bar and we could not bring ourselves to leave. So we sat, read, ate, swam and snorkelled the reef a few steps from our door.

Having given ourselves some time to unwind and unpack, we reluctantly left the beach and head back to Stonetown in preparation for our next truck and overland adventure. Next stop: Malawi.

- Nairobi
- Lake Nakuru
- Lake Naivasha
- Lolita Hills
- Narok
- Masai Mara NP
- Kisii

• Chloe's Kenyan Photos
  
• Roland's Kenyan Photos
  

After a ridiculously long stopover in London, armed with bags full of clean clothes and full stomaches, we continued to head south through Africa, next stop Nairobi.

As a very generous gift from my work when I left, we headed straight for 5 star luxury at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi. It exceeded expectations. The decor of the hotel, the food, the room and the awesome robes and slippers ensured a very comfortable stay and a great welcome to Nairobi. We wandered into the city centre, and no, we didn't get mugged. In fact, we both quite enjoyed the city despite its reputation as 'Nairobbery'.

After two days of bliss, we downgraded to another hotel where we met up with our group for the next two weeks of Kenyan and Tanzanian safari-ing. A nice dinner and some local Tusker beers and the friendships were already forming.

We set out before 6am the next morning, and continued to get up pre-dawn for the majority of the next two weeks. This was totally normal to Roland, but it took some getting used to for me, especially after sleeping in a tent, but the game drives are best first thing in the morning when the animals are out looking for some breakfast. Early mornings did mean, however, that most nights we were all exhausted and in bed well before 9pm (especially after a couple of Tuskers).

First on our trip we visited a local orphanage where the kids presented us with flowers, sang us welcoming songs and latched onto any free hand they could find. Already we were blown away by the friendliness of the people in Kenya. We then head to Lake Nakuru, for our first game drives. The stand out sights were thousands of flamingos which created a pink smear on the lake, and a number of rhino sightings and a leopard up a tree. We were amazed and felt so lucky to have already seen some of Africa's most rare wild animals.

Next we head to Lake Naivasha where we were able to get up close and personal with some hippos, and go on a walking safari amongst the giraffes, zebras and gazelle. Walking amongst these animals gives you a completely different perspective of them and was definitely a highlight for me.

We wandered around the local village near our campsite, and the women welcomed us into their homes and involved us in whatever it was they were doing. We witnessed the spirit and determination of the Kenyan ladies to take matters into their own hands and start their own co-ops, businesses, clinics and womens groups to improve their situation. It was truly inspiring and such a positive thing to see. As we went from house to house we gathered more and more of the village kids and after a few hours our group of 9 had become more than 20. The children smiled, played and were quite happy just watching us go about our strange 'muzungu' ways.

Our next stop, which was one of the main reasons I had wanted to visit Kenya, was a homestay with the Masai. We drove for hours along a road til there was no more road and finally we had arrived at our bush camp. After pitching our tents, we walked to the Masai huts where the women performed a welcoming song and dance that the girls were made to participate in. Lots of smiles and giggles as we stomped around in cow dung and made fools of ourselves while the Masai women remained graceful and beautifully ornamented. We sat inside the warm Masai houses and tried to make out the goats, chickens, dogs, cats and children moving about in the pitch dark.

We spent the night listening to Masai riddles and stories by the fire and slept soundly with our Masai warriors keeping guard by our tents. The next morning it was the boys turn to jump with the warriors and play with their spears and bows and arrows. Unfortunately Roland managed to break one of the spears when he challenged the warriors to a throwing competition, but we still got away unharmed (and promised to get his spear repaired).

After a couple of days in the middle of nowhere, we headed into the Masai Mara game park for two days of serious game drives. Up and out of camp early in the morning, we covered a quarter or so of the park, even crossing into Tanzania briefly. We were lucky enough to see many giraffes, zebras, elephants, antelope, cheetah, leopards, lions, wildebeasts, buffalo, crocadiles, hippos and many other animals and birds. We easily ticked off the 'big five', but it was more than we had hoped for to see the animals at such close range and to see so many of them.

We made some strong friendships with a few people in our small group and head to Narok town for the night to wait for the new people to join our group for our crossing into Tanzania. A few more local beers at the hotel (having been warned not to go into town at night) we laughed, reminisced and discussed our hopes for the next leg of the journey.