Well it rained all day on and off (mostly on though) so we played cards, had a lovely hot shower and prayed for the rain to be stopped by tomorrow morning!
25 April Well you guessed it we woke up to rain! So there was nothing for it, but to pack up in the rain as we were making our way across to Sabie, which is only around 50km away from the Kruger Gate. We got away and headed off across country driving mostly in rain. We arrived here at ‘Merry Pebbles’ our campsite to be told that someone had cancelled so there was a room available if we wanted it. We decided to take it and try and dry everything out. Last night the rain was so heavy and it leaked all over the tent. My side of the bed was drenched this morning and it would be great to have a dry night’s sleep. So we parked the trailer across the road and opened it all out to try and dry everything. We took all the bedding and mattresses into the room and also the carpet from the tent to the room to dry. We also did heaps of washing as they had dryers here which helped with the bedding. We had a lovely meal at the restaurant and a great DRY night’s sleep, because that’s right it rained again! Martin managed to break the jack on the trailer whilst backing the trailer into position which he was very angry about, but nevermind tomorrow is a working day so we will sort it out.
26 April Well today we set off to Nelspruit after breakfast to get the trailer jack fixed, to get some food and also Martin wanted some new pillows. We encountered a bike race along the way, God knows how many entrants there were, but we passed hundreds of them. Got to Nelspruit and did the food shopping, and then managed to find someone to do a bit of welding which will be fine for the next couple of weeks and finally Martin found some knew pillows. We got back to the campsite and fortunately there didn’t seem to be any rain today. Things are drying out nicely.
27 April Today Martin confirmed our stay at Ulusaba so that he can catch up with Trevor Savage, who is a guide he met about 4.5 years ago and we are going to stay for 4 nights. We have managed to be able to leave the trailer here at the campsite which will be great as it takes such a long time to drive in Sabi Sands with the trailer. We also managed to get everything dry and put all the mattresses and bedding back into the trailer and pack it all up – nice and clean and dry. We will come and stay here for 2 nights after getting out of Sabi Sands and then make our way into Kruger National Park before crossing into Mozambique at the Giriyondo border.
Well not sure if I will be able to get you updated whilst in Sabi Sands if not I will have heaps to tell you all when we get back here on Sunday and loads of wildlife pictures as well.
Hope you are all well. Thanks for the message Mum & Colin and nice to talk to you also. Take care and love and hugs to all xxx
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Saturday 24 April 2010
23 April We decided after not such a grand sleep (too much noise as you are located very close to the city centre) to move on to our next campsite. Martin had found out Trevor Savage was still at Ulusaba in Sabi Sands and he wanted to go and stay for a couple of nights to see him. So we made a booking for 28 & 29 April, so we are slowly making our way across to Kruger N.P. We had a heck of a slow journey up to our campsite Thaba Monate which is north of Pretoria. We hadn’t realized that it was a public holiday on Tuesday and a lot of people decided to take off the Monday and make a long weekend of it, so we found it very difficult to find any where to stay. We encountered road works through a lot of our journey which slowed us down considerably – in fact I think it added a good hour and half to the journey. We didn’t get into camp until about 6.15pm so had to set up in the dark. Then to boot it has rained all night!
24 April We woke up to rain so didn’t get out of bed until around 8am this morning. Make a quick check of the tent to get rid of any pockets of water and trying to stop any leaks. Had a lovely hot shower, made some breakfast and then Martin busied himself putting up new poles and ropes to try and keep the tent verandah tight so that the water doesn’t accumulate into pools. It is 11.30am and we are still getting rain, but hey it is winter (or rainy season) so what do you expect.
David, Julie & Helly we are really pleased that you finally made it home at last! Must have been a horrible drive from Rome - nevermind I hear the sun is shining so sit back, relax and maybe have a braai tonight! As for us I think it will have to be chilli con carne as its too wet to start the braai!
Hope ecveryone is fit and well. Love and huge hugs to all xxx
24 April We woke up to rain so didn’t get out of bed until around 8am this morning. Make a quick check of the tent to get rid of any pockets of water and trying to stop any leaks. Had a lovely hot shower, made some breakfast and then Martin busied himself putting up new poles and ropes to try and keep the tent verandah tight so that the water doesn’t accumulate into pools. It is 11.30am and we are still getting rain, but hey it is winter (or rainy season) so what do you expect.
David, Julie & Helly we are really pleased that you finally made it home at last! Must have been a horrible drive from Rome - nevermind I hear the sun is shining so sit back, relax and maybe have a braai tonight! As for us I think it will have to be chilli con carne as its too wet to start the braai!
Hope ecveryone is fit and well. Love and huge hugs to all xxx
21 April Well up and at ‘em! Got to the factory to pick up the trailer and away! I think we left about 11.45am. We are off up towards Kimberly, but will have a stop along the way as it is too far to go in one day. We stopped at a place called Travalia just short of three sisters. As it is only for one night we decided to get a room. We also decided to have dinner in their restaurant as it was easier as I hadn’t got anything out of the freezer to thaw. We had lovely roast lamb and then Martin had cheesecake, whilst I stuck with coffee. Apparently this place used to be a stopping off point for the wagons from Cape Town to Kimberly in the diamond rush days. The story goes that on one of the journeys a man was very ill and couldn’t carry on; basically dying, so he was dropped off under a tree with food and water and left there. Meanwhile bushman had been watching and nursed the man back to health, he stayed on and ever since then Travalia has been some sort of accommodation and restaurant place, even when it changed hands every time it has keep to the hospitality concept.
22 April Today we are off to Kimberly to see ‘the big hole’! We started out on the N12 and en countered road works, so we tried to stay off the main roads, but also encountered road works. Nevermind, South Africa should have some of the best roads in the world by the time they are all finished. We were going to stay in the municipal campsite which is located right next door to the big hole and museum. We arrived around 2pm and there is a huge building construction site right next door. We set up, had some lunch and then headed over to see the big hole. They do tours which involve a movie about the early days and new rush days of Kimberly, then you go out onto a viewing deck overlooking the big hole (which is incredible. Apparently around 22,500,000 tonnes of earth was extracted in the 13 years it took to make this massive hole in the ground. Also around 2200kg of diamonds were extracted and the overall depth is around 1097 meters! There is water in this hole which is natural underground water and now makes this look like a serene deep pond! We then went into an old mine shaft and learnt about how the diamonds were extracted and the conditions that the men worked in – very hard work is all I can say. Lastly we went into the vault and saw all the different type of diamonds that had been extracted here in Kimberly. There are still diamonds, but De Beers does not seem to think it is viable to extract them and since the whole area has become a heritage site no one is allowed to take anything or dig for gems any more. All in all it was an interesting tour and well worth it.
22 April Today we are off to Kimberly to see ‘the big hole’! We started out on the N12 and en countered road works, so we tried to stay off the main roads, but also encountered road works. Nevermind, South Africa should have some of the best roads in the world by the time they are all finished. We were going to stay in the municipal campsite which is located right next door to the big hole and museum. We arrived around 2pm and there is a huge building construction site right next door. We set up, had some lunch and then headed over to see the big hole. They do tours which involve a movie about the early days and new rush days of Kimberly, then you go out onto a viewing deck overlooking the big hole (which is incredible. Apparently around 22,500,000 tonnes of earth was extracted in the 13 years it took to make this massive hole in the ground. Also around 2200kg of diamonds were extracted and the overall depth is around 1097 meters! There is water in this hole which is natural underground water and now makes this look like a serene deep pond! We then went into an old mine shaft and learnt about how the diamonds were extracted and the conditions that the men worked in – very hard work is all I can say. Lastly we went into the vault and saw all the different type of diamonds that had been extracted here in Kimberly. There are still diamonds, but De Beers does not seem to think it is viable to extract them and since the whole area has become a heritage site no one is allowed to take anything or dig for gems any more. All in all it was an interesting tour and well worth it.
Tuesday 20 April 2010
19 & 20 April We were up and at the factory even before Jeremy arrived this morning. They have had two days getting all the last minute things sorted out. I will get Martin to go onto the blog and explain all the changes for all of you mechanical buffs who would be interested. I went shopping to stock up on food for the next week or so and we should be all AOK to take off tomorrow morning.
Things are definitely moving along nicely this end and we will definitely be leaving on the morrow - can't wait, can be rather boring waiting around a factory when you have already been away, but only for a week!
I will try and obviously keep as up to date as I possibly can, but will depend on the remoteness of the area and whether I can get a signal or not. Once into Mozambique I will have to look into whether I can get a sim card and use the USB I got here in South Africa - fingers crossed that I can then I will have you all along for the ride.
Mary and Ann thanks for the messages. Love and hugs to all am missing you all xxx
Things are definitely moving along nicely this end and we will definitely be leaving on the morrow - can't wait, can be rather boring waiting around a factory when you have already been away, but only for a week!
I will try and obviously keep as up to date as I possibly can, but will depend on the remoteness of the area and whether I can get a signal or not. Once into Mozambique I will have to look into whether I can get a sim card and use the USB I got here in South Africa - fingers crossed that I can then I will have you all along for the ride.
Mary and Ann thanks for the messages. Love and hugs to all am missing you all xxx
Monday 19 April 2010
Well at last I am truly up to date and you will all be able to see where we have been and what we have seen so far! We are having a wonderful time and can't wait to get started out towards Mozambique; Kerry see you there soon, Muzza God I hope you are truly on the mend - take care of yourself, James & Leanne I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon, Kym & Nana was wonderful to talk to you both today. David, Julie & Helly I hope you make it back from Hong Kong soon!
Everyone take care and sending loads of love and hugs to all xxx
Everyone take care and sending loads of love and hugs to all xxx
13 April Today we have got rather a long drive to Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. We will go on up to Upington and then on from there towards the north. This park borders Namibia on the western side and on the eastern side it is actually part of Botswana, it is also the first Transfrontier Park that was sanctioned so has had time to get it right, both Botswana and South Africa have made a wonderful park for all to enjoy. We were very excited about going as we tried to book in last year, but it was fully booked. I only managed to get 4 nights this time around; 3 at Twee Rivieren and 1 night at Mata Mata. We filled up with fuel at Upington and also grabbed some sandwiches for lunch. It is a very long, dry, hot and barren drive up to the park. The temperature was now hitting around 37 degrees at the highest point – hot, hot HOT!!!
We finally arrived at the gate and promptly checked in and paid our conservation fees; we had paid for all camping at Augrabies. We had decided we had to pick our site carefully at Twee Rivieren as we were going to be there 3 nights and it was very hot, so the more shade the better! Unfortunately there were already a lot of people already camped so we eventually agreed on a spot and set up camp. As it turned out it was a very good spot and we could only see maybe one or two better that were already taken so we did well. Yellow mongoose frequent this camp and are very relaxed so we managed to get some lovely pictures of a whole family; Mum, Dad and three babies! Needless to say ground squirrels were also around the camp, as they had been in Augrabies as well. We had some lunch and then headed out for an afternoon game drive. There are big distances between camps and also for the game driving circuits. We saw springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, steenbok, red hartebeest, kori bustards, secretary birds, tawny eagle, black bellied bustards, ostriches, whistling rats and the scenery was awesome! What a fantastic first game drive up here. You have to be back at camp by 6.30pm after having dropped your permit off at the gate. The guys at the gate keep every bodies permits and you go and collect them when you want to go on game drives or move on to another camp – quite a good way to police how many are in the park, where they are staying and what game drives they do. We had a lovely meal, good wine and watched the stars in the huge big sky!
14 April We got up early and had a light breakfast and headed out for our game drive. We were hoping to do a loop which crossed from one side of the park to the other and then going north until we ran across another road leading back to the other side! The distances are far greater than you realize and we only made it across then decided to come back the same way! We should have checked out the map better last night, we could have then packed a lunch and then stayed out until the afternoon. Never mind we still had a fabulous time; saw an ostrich family of Mum, Dad and 19 chicks which was great fun. On the way back spotted 3 African Eagle Owl in a tree and then some meerkats which are very comical to watch. Got back to camp and had a nice brunch of eggs and sausages – very yummy!!
We decided to drive out to sit and watch the meerkats in the afternoon, which was so much fun. They really are interesting to watch and look like naughty little things before you begin. We sat and watched there antics for about an hour which included the lookout falling off his perch several times (he was perched up in a dead tree to watch out for danger whilst the rest of the family foraged for food). It was just magical watching them go about their daily life, the little ones getting into trouble and trying to steal food from the adults, to see them digging furiously and almost burying themselves and then coming up with some bug or grub in their mouths – all truly funny. We drove back to camp and then had a lovely hot shower, man do you get really dusty up here! Had a lovely dinner and decided to do an all day game drive tomorrow. Thought we might drive up to Nossob Camp (we couldn’t get in as it was fully booked) and take a look around the Botswanan side of the park.
15 April We woke up slightly later this morning and had a hearty big breakfast to keep us going, you can only stop and get out of your vehicles at the designated picnic spots which also have toilets. We then packed up our lunch and plenty of drinks for the long day. This year we have got a small fridge installed in the vehicle and it certainly makes a big difference, we should have done it last year. We headed out and saw the usual suspects in the antelope field as well as some lovely birds, there are so many secretary birds which are also quite comical to watch as they stomp on their prey and then eat it. We finally arrived through to the Botswana side through the red sand dunes which are very typical of the Kalahari. Once through to the other side the area opens out a lot more just like the parks we had been through last year in Botswana. We actually didn’t see very much in the way of wildlife, but it was still a fabulous drive. Once at Nossob we had our lunch whist watching the ground squirrels playing and foraging for food – also begging for food from us tourists! We drove back a different way to try and cover as large an area of the park as we could, it got very hot during the hottest part of the day up around 37 degrees – man is it hot!! We got back and had a well deserved shower and then dinner and bed.
16 April Today we are driving to the north western part of the park and to the Mata Mata campsite which is very close to the Namibian border. We got all packed up and away in good time and started the 120km trek up. We saw giraffe today which seem to be more in the north as this is where the bigger trees seem to be, they were introduced from Etosha and are doing extremely well numbers are growing at a good rate. We got to Mata Mata at around 2.30pm so it was really hot, but managed to find a great spot under this stand of big trees, sharing with a South African couple and a couple from Botswana who manage a lodge in the Central Kalahari. We set up camp and then had some lunch before setting off on a game drive. There seem to be a lot more animals up here in the north, the herds of antelope are bigger and a lot more variety. We decided to do the three loop roads off the main road to see what we could see and towards late afternoon we were rewarded with bat eared foxes which happen to be one of my favourite mammals. Unfortunately we only had the one night at Mata Mata as they were fully booked as the park always seems to be, so we were making the most of the short time we had. We had a lovely chat with our fellow campers and dinner and then bed (of course the lovely hot shower was in there as well).
17 April So today we are leaving the park as we couldn’t get any more nights – so we packed up and headed off back down to Twee Rivieren which is where we had to exit. We also wanted to try and get the new carnet stamped as at this stage the car is nowhere! We had a fantastic game drive down firstly seeing a cheetah eating a springbok, three lions lying under the trees by the road and then a martial eagle trying to catch a cobra (a very big cobra at that); the eagle tried to fly off with the snake in its talons, but the snake kept curling up and trying to bite it whilst sort of being dragged along the ground, the eagle eventually landed and tried to pin down the snakes head, but I think that it was just too bigger dinner for this bird. He let the snake go and watched as it slithered into the bushes at the side of the road and then flew off – very exciting to watch. We got to the gate and managed to get the carnet stamped which will mean that we will now not have any problems trying to enter Mozambique.
We had decided to drive back down to Worcester as there were a few things that either needed changing, looking at or replacing as rather do it now with people who know what they are doing than with people that are unsure of the vehicle. So once we left the park we steadily made our way back south and kept a look out for somewhere to stay once it got to around 4.30pm. We stopped in Brandvlei for fuel and asked at the pub if it was okay to camp at the hotel in town, the said yes, but did we really want to stay in town? They then told me about a guest farm about 15km back up the road called Oom Bennas so we drove back to there to find a lovely little self contained house we could stay in overnight which meant we didn’t have to unpack everything. It had been a long day and we were both knackered to say the least, but we had a lovely bed, hot shower, good food and a roof over our heads – needless to say we had an awesome night’s sleep.
18 April We were up and away by 8.30am on our way back to Worcester. There were some stunning views from the Bloukrans & Hex River Passes overlooking the valleys below. We arrived back in good time early afternoon and Lina & Kenny who own the guest house (which is like our home away from home) were there to welcome us back. Kenny moved all the vehicles around so that we could park our huge rig inside the gate – it measures around 13 meters all up! So back in Worcester and Martin seems to have a list the length of his arm of things to do so it will be off early in the morning to the Bushwakka factory to get it started.
We finally arrived at the gate and promptly checked in and paid our conservation fees; we had paid for all camping at Augrabies. We had decided we had to pick our site carefully at Twee Rivieren as we were going to be there 3 nights and it was very hot, so the more shade the better! Unfortunately there were already a lot of people already camped so we eventually agreed on a spot and set up camp. As it turned out it was a very good spot and we could only see maybe one or two better that were already taken so we did well. Yellow mongoose frequent this camp and are very relaxed so we managed to get some lovely pictures of a whole family; Mum, Dad and three babies! Needless to say ground squirrels were also around the camp, as they had been in Augrabies as well. We had some lunch and then headed out for an afternoon game drive. There are big distances between camps and also for the game driving circuits. We saw springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, steenbok, red hartebeest, kori bustards, secretary birds, tawny eagle, black bellied bustards, ostriches, whistling rats and the scenery was awesome! What a fantastic first game drive up here. You have to be back at camp by 6.30pm after having dropped your permit off at the gate. The guys at the gate keep every bodies permits and you go and collect them when you want to go on game drives or move on to another camp – quite a good way to police how many are in the park, where they are staying and what game drives they do. We had a lovely meal, good wine and watched the stars in the huge big sky!
14 April We got up early and had a light breakfast and headed out for our game drive. We were hoping to do a loop which crossed from one side of the park to the other and then going north until we ran across another road leading back to the other side! The distances are far greater than you realize and we only made it across then decided to come back the same way! We should have checked out the map better last night, we could have then packed a lunch and then stayed out until the afternoon. Never mind we still had a fabulous time; saw an ostrich family of Mum, Dad and 19 chicks which was great fun. On the way back spotted 3 African Eagle Owl in a tree and then some meerkats which are very comical to watch. Got back to camp and had a nice brunch of eggs and sausages – very yummy!!
We decided to drive out to sit and watch the meerkats in the afternoon, which was so much fun. They really are interesting to watch and look like naughty little things before you begin. We sat and watched there antics for about an hour which included the lookout falling off his perch several times (he was perched up in a dead tree to watch out for danger whilst the rest of the family foraged for food). It was just magical watching them go about their daily life, the little ones getting into trouble and trying to steal food from the adults, to see them digging furiously and almost burying themselves and then coming up with some bug or grub in their mouths – all truly funny. We drove back to camp and then had a lovely hot shower, man do you get really dusty up here! Had a lovely dinner and decided to do an all day game drive tomorrow. Thought we might drive up to Nossob Camp (we couldn’t get in as it was fully booked) and take a look around the Botswanan side of the park.
15 April We woke up slightly later this morning and had a hearty big breakfast to keep us going, you can only stop and get out of your vehicles at the designated picnic spots which also have toilets. We then packed up our lunch and plenty of drinks for the long day. This year we have got a small fridge installed in the vehicle and it certainly makes a big difference, we should have done it last year. We headed out and saw the usual suspects in the antelope field as well as some lovely birds, there are so many secretary birds which are also quite comical to watch as they stomp on their prey and then eat it. We finally arrived through to the Botswana side through the red sand dunes which are very typical of the Kalahari. Once through to the other side the area opens out a lot more just like the parks we had been through last year in Botswana. We actually didn’t see very much in the way of wildlife, but it was still a fabulous drive. Once at Nossob we had our lunch whist watching the ground squirrels playing and foraging for food – also begging for food from us tourists! We drove back a different way to try and cover as large an area of the park as we could, it got very hot during the hottest part of the day up around 37 degrees – man is it hot!! We got back and had a well deserved shower and then dinner and bed.
16 April Today we are driving to the north western part of the park and to the Mata Mata campsite which is very close to the Namibian border. We got all packed up and away in good time and started the 120km trek up. We saw giraffe today which seem to be more in the north as this is where the bigger trees seem to be, they were introduced from Etosha and are doing extremely well numbers are growing at a good rate. We got to Mata Mata at around 2.30pm so it was really hot, but managed to find a great spot under this stand of big trees, sharing with a South African couple and a couple from Botswana who manage a lodge in the Central Kalahari. We set up camp and then had some lunch before setting off on a game drive. There seem to be a lot more animals up here in the north, the herds of antelope are bigger and a lot more variety. We decided to do the three loop roads off the main road to see what we could see and towards late afternoon we were rewarded with bat eared foxes which happen to be one of my favourite mammals. Unfortunately we only had the one night at Mata Mata as they were fully booked as the park always seems to be, so we were making the most of the short time we had. We had a lovely chat with our fellow campers and dinner and then bed (of course the lovely hot shower was in there as well).
17 April So today we are leaving the park as we couldn’t get any more nights – so we packed up and headed off back down to Twee Rivieren which is where we had to exit. We also wanted to try and get the new carnet stamped as at this stage the car is nowhere! We had a fantastic game drive down firstly seeing a cheetah eating a springbok, three lions lying under the trees by the road and then a martial eagle trying to catch a cobra (a very big cobra at that); the eagle tried to fly off with the snake in its talons, but the snake kept curling up and trying to bite it whilst sort of being dragged along the ground, the eagle eventually landed and tried to pin down the snakes head, but I think that it was just too bigger dinner for this bird. He let the snake go and watched as it slithered into the bushes at the side of the road and then flew off – very exciting to watch. We got to the gate and managed to get the carnet stamped which will mean that we will now not have any problems trying to enter Mozambique.
We had decided to drive back down to Worcester as there were a few things that either needed changing, looking at or replacing as rather do it now with people who know what they are doing than with people that are unsure of the vehicle. So once we left the park we steadily made our way back south and kept a look out for somewhere to stay once it got to around 4.30pm. We stopped in Brandvlei for fuel and asked at the pub if it was okay to camp at the hotel in town, the said yes, but did we really want to stay in town? They then told me about a guest farm about 15km back up the road called Oom Bennas so we drove back to there to find a lovely little self contained house we could stay in overnight which meant we didn’t have to unpack everything. It had been a long day and we were both knackered to say the least, but we had a lovely bed, hot shower, good food and a roof over our heads – needless to say we had an awesome night’s sleep.
18 April We were up and away by 8.30am on our way back to Worcester. There were some stunning views from the Bloukrans & Hex River Passes overlooking the valleys below. We arrived back in good time early afternoon and Lina & Kenny who own the guest house (which is like our home away from home) were there to welcome us back. Kenny moved all the vehicles around so that we could park our huge rig inside the gate – it measures around 13 meters all up! So back in Worcester and Martin seems to have a list the length of his arm of things to do so it will be off early in the morning to the Bushwakka factory to get it started.
11 April We got up and Martin felt a lot better which was great news so we had a quick breakfast and headed off to Augrabies Falls National Park around 8.30am. Fortunately we can exit the park from a different gate – it is always heaps nicer to be able to travel different roads each time if possible. All the roads around this region are very good gravel, but talk about dust – phew somehow or other it is managing to get in the car somewhere we will have to try and find out where to fix the problem. A good drive up to Augrabies and I never knew that it was such a huge industry in raisins in this area. There are literally thousands of grape vines and it appears mainly for raisins. Apparently it is a very big export business in the region. There are also a few vineyards in amongst the raisin farms.
We got to the park gate at around 1-2 o’clock quickly checked in and paid and then were off to the campsite to choose our spot. We were staying for 2 nights and it is a lot hotter up here getting to around 33 degrees in the hottest part of the day. We found a great spot under a lovely big tree which shaded us from the sun almost all day – terrific! You have to be quick to get the good shady spots in the game parks here in South Africa. It is always funny to see everyone coming in and choosing their spots – can take a good 10 minutes or so to both agree on where to camp! We decided to have a big sort out of our clothes as we were both carrying around far too many and some things we knew we would never wear again. At last we could finally put all of our clothes into the drawers provided for them and we will give all the discarded ones to the staff at Bushwakka on our return. We had a lovely evening, nice meal, good drinks and company – very relaxing; at last we feel that we are finally on holiday again.
12 April We had a wonderful sleep and got up early for breakfast. Time to check out the falls; apparently back in February this year they had very good rains and the falls were flooded quite a bit. A lot of the viewing points were closed to too much water and being too dangerous. We made our way towards Reception which is close to where the main part of the falls are and came upon 3 klipspringer grazing around the verandah – very lovely you don’t often manage to get this close to these guys so was super to get some nice close up photos. Even though we arrived almost 2 months after the flood there was still a heck of a lot of water going over the falls and the power of the water was immense. We went around all seven viewing points which I might add are very well done. The South Africans certainly know how to make great walkways to the viewpoints in their parks always very smart. We had a couple of drinks on the verandah before heading back to the campsite. I had noticed a washing machine in the laundry room and we certainly needed some doing! Unbelievable, only took about an hour to 2 at the most to get everything dry, won’t have to worry for a week or so now. We had a nice relaxing afternoon mainly watching the naughty vervet monkeys and baboons trying to steal food off the campers. They have became very clever and just wait around until someone makes a mistake by not watching their food for a minute and they animals are in and out with a bag of bread, apples or whatever before you know it. We also had a lot of dassies around the camp which were lovely to watch as well.
I am slowly getting up to date, sorry for the delay in getting back to you all, but up in the Kgalagadi there was no signal for alot of the time.
Love and hugs to all xxx
We got to the park gate at around 1-2 o’clock quickly checked in and paid and then were off to the campsite to choose our spot. We were staying for 2 nights and it is a lot hotter up here getting to around 33 degrees in the hottest part of the day. We found a great spot under a lovely big tree which shaded us from the sun almost all day – terrific! You have to be quick to get the good shady spots in the game parks here in South Africa. It is always funny to see everyone coming in and choosing their spots – can take a good 10 minutes or so to both agree on where to camp! We decided to have a big sort out of our clothes as we were both carrying around far too many and some things we knew we would never wear again. At last we could finally put all of our clothes into the drawers provided for them and we will give all the discarded ones to the staff at Bushwakka on our return. We had a lovely evening, nice meal, good drinks and company – very relaxing; at last we feel that we are finally on holiday again.
12 April We had a wonderful sleep and got up early for breakfast. Time to check out the falls; apparently back in February this year they had very good rains and the falls were flooded quite a bit. A lot of the viewing points were closed to too much water and being too dangerous. We made our way towards Reception which is close to where the main part of the falls are and came upon 3 klipspringer grazing around the verandah – very lovely you don’t often manage to get this close to these guys so was super to get some nice close up photos. Even though we arrived almost 2 months after the flood there was still a heck of a lot of water going over the falls and the power of the water was immense. We went around all seven viewing points which I might add are very well done. The South Africans certainly know how to make great walkways to the viewpoints in their parks always very smart. We had a couple of drinks on the verandah before heading back to the campsite. I had noticed a washing machine in the laundry room and we certainly needed some doing! Unbelievable, only took about an hour to 2 at the most to get everything dry, won’t have to worry for a week or so now. We had a nice relaxing afternoon mainly watching the naughty vervet monkeys and baboons trying to steal food off the campers. They have became very clever and just wait around until someone makes a mistake by not watching their food for a minute and they animals are in and out with a bag of bread, apples or whatever before you know it. We also had a lot of dassies around the camp which were lovely to watch as well.
I am slowly getting up to date, sorry for the delay in getting back to you all, but up in the Kgalagadi there was no signal for alot of the time.
Love and hugs to all xxx
Sunday 18 April 2010
05 April – time to say goodbyes to all we saw before departing Morgansvlei as we were heading back across to Worcester to pack up the trailer and get everything sorted. We called into another one of the accommodation spots to catch up with Crusty, Kate & Henry also Clive & Rachel – fortunately for us Trevor, Rochelle, Eleanor & Ruby were there also so had a lovely catch up of the last 4 years or so which was wonderful.
06 – 08 April –Spent the time packing up the trailer and car around the workers as they still were working on both vehicles. Got everything sorted and then had a lovely meal out with Kim & Jeremy one night and Jasper the next night.
09 April – Today we are meant to get away around 11am to Tankwa Karoo National Park. Unfortunately the brakes aren’t working on the trailer so big problem!! Decided to spend the night and let them sort it all out and hopefully get away tomorrow morning.
10 April – YIPEE we finally managed to get away around 10am on our way at last towards the big wide open! Headed out to Tankwa Karoo National Park. Arrived around lunch time to our campsite ‘Pyper se Boom’ which is a campsite at which you have to be fully self sufficient – so straight back into it with the rough camping. We then went about sorting out the trailer, everything in the right place. It was an extremely hot day and unfortunately Martin got dehydrated. He couldn’t eat and felt really lousy so had an early night. The big sky is fantastic up there – stars absolutely everywhere.
06 – 08 April –Spent the time packing up the trailer and car around the workers as they still were working on both vehicles. Got everything sorted and then had a lovely meal out with Kim & Jeremy one night and Jasper the next night.
09 April – Today we are meant to get away around 11am to Tankwa Karoo National Park. Unfortunately the brakes aren’t working on the trailer so big problem!! Decided to spend the night and let them sort it all out and hopefully get away tomorrow morning.
10 April – YIPEE we finally managed to get away around 10am on our way at last towards the big wide open! Headed out to Tankwa Karoo National Park. Arrived around lunch time to our campsite ‘Pyper se Boom’ which is a campsite at which you have to be fully self sufficient – so straight back into it with the rough camping. We then went about sorting out the trailer, everything in the right place. It was an extremely hot day and unfortunately Martin got dehydrated. He couldn’t eat and felt really lousy so had an early night. The big sky is fantastic up there – stars absolutely everywhere.
Wednesday 14 April 2010
Sunday 04 April – the big day “Leanne getting married YIPEE who’d have thought it would actually happen and what a most beautiful bride she was, an absolute picture of pure happiness. James and Martin (James’s bro) sort of looked like a modern day Blues Brothers in their glasses and suits. It was a little windier than we would all have liked but nothing was going to spoil this day! The beautiful little chapel at Montpellier Estate was a picture with all the huge windows open and looking out at the surrounding vineyards and mountains made it very special. Everyone looked just fab in all their glad rags and I must say we all scrub up extremely well. Mr Bam’s old Mercedes had a new lease of life and the bride arrived up the hill looking gorgeous. Barbs looked stunning as the bridesmaid in a super little dress that only Barbs could pull off. Bill Leanne’s father looked ever so proud walking his daughter down the aisle, both Mum’s looked gorgeous and the stage was set. The minister was very amusing and very aware of the fact that English wasn’t his first language, but he did a great job. I must say that I was glad of a tissue or 2 in my handbag, but what a wonderful day it was.
We had a wee break of a couple of hours whilst the official photos were taken with all the family and it was fantastic to see so many family from both sides in SA – was also great to meet them all. So we either took off to the bush pub or to our own accommodation to go swimming, relaxing or drinking – all of the above I think was the order of the day! Back to Montpellier Estate for the reception and meal. The speeches were fun and witty and fortunately no one was keen to rattle on for too long. The meal was great and definitely almost overdue at this stage and then it was “let the dancing begin”! What an awesome day/night, thanks to Lea & James for inviting us – we had the bestest time! Big congrats also and hope the “honeymoon” went well and all were well behaved.
We had a wee break of a couple of hours whilst the official photos were taken with all the family and it was fantastic to see so many family from both sides in SA – was also great to meet them all. So we either took off to the bush pub or to our own accommodation to go swimming, relaxing or drinking – all of the above I think was the order of the day! Back to Montpellier Estate for the reception and meal. The speeches were fun and witty and fortunately no one was keen to rattle on for too long. The meal was great and definitely almost overdue at this stage and then it was “let the dancing begin”! What an awesome day/night, thanks to Lea & James for inviting us – we had the bestest time! Big congrats also and hope the “honeymoon” went well and all were well behaved.
Saturday 10 April 2010
Well there is a lot of catching up to do as I have only just got the USB modem to get onto wireless. It appears that our card reader in our computer is faulty so hence we had to buy the USB modem instead this time around. Nevermind, I will now endeavor to update you all.
Wednesday 31 March we headed out on a boat for a sunset cruise from the Waterfront towards Camps Bay. This was all part of the wedding pre celebrations. It was very windy (such a shame), but so many people to catch up with from all over the world. And a “new brother” for Leanne to meet as well – long story, but a lovely one. We then trundled along to Mitchells pub for a few drinks whilst waiting for the minibus to pick us up and take us to Millers Thumb for dinner. So many old faces it was fantastic catching up with the likes of Fi who I hadn’t seen for 4 years plus, Clive & Rachel (4 years), Muzza, Homer, the list goes on and on. Anyway all in all a great night out.
Thursday 01 April it was off to Leanne and James’s place for a lamb on the spit. Got to meet a heap of Leanne’s relations and also some of James’s as well. Once again more people had arrived from all over and a great night was had by all.
Friday 02 April we drove up to Worcester to collect our vehicle to take across to Tullbagh for the wedding weekend extravaganza!! We got our car which is about a foot longer now (we had it cut and stretched) and it looks great. Headed across to Tullbagh which is a lovely drive through a wine region. We stayed at Morgansvlei Country Estate which is a beautiful spot. Looking out from the front verandah at a lovely lake and the mountains in the background quite special. Got settled in and meet some friends of James from UK – so we all headed in to town to get some lunch. Had a fabulous lunch at a lovely little restaurant called Readers Restaurant and Curious Cats, in a quaint little street – Church Street which is where all the cafes etc are. We got back to Morgansvlei and relaxed until the evening where we were meant to be meeting up with most of the other guests at the Bush Pub down the road.Well it was just magic, like a huge overland reunion! Only down falls were they ran out of beer, then cider and to top it off Vodka!! Can you run out of Vodka I ask you. They also gave our meals away to someone else and so I had to go and see the kitchen and sort things out there. I just don’t think they were prepared for us, even though Leanne and several others had warned them well in advance. Oh well it was Easter Friday and nothing else open so I think that most people were drinking Milk Stout in the end as that was all they had left.
Saturday 03 April today is the big cricket match – Africa v’s Others. This was booked and paid for in advance and so you can imagine the reason James was so livered when he found the cricket pitch flooded. This was at Morgansvlei and apparently the groundsman had put on the sprinklers and forgot about them for 24 hours!! AWA (Africa wins again)! Anyway James got them all jumping around and they managed to get the pitch mostly dry or should I say drier than it was. A very entertaining match commenced at around 2pm and the very lovely Rochelle was the score person on the bank and a very wonderful job she did too. Meanwhile James Uncle John made a fabulous umpire. There were a few disputes over certain members of teams: e.g. Trevor born in SA and living in Aussie playing for others, but an entertaining game to boot. Martin, James’s brothers provided special t-shirts for both sides and kindly paid the bar tab at the end of the game – big thank yous and appreciation all round for that! The cricket pitch had a lovely little bank in front which was great enjoyment for all the kids who grabbed all the cardboard and proceeded to slide down it all afternoon. A great day was had by all and it was a wonderful buildup to the wedding. We all headed off down to the Bush Pub again for dinner and I am glad to say that they had bought in enough food and drink for everyone this time round.
I will try and get some photos on later. Love and hugs to all xxx
Wednesday 31 March we headed out on a boat for a sunset cruise from the Waterfront towards Camps Bay. This was all part of the wedding pre celebrations. It was very windy (such a shame), but so many people to catch up with from all over the world. And a “new brother” for Leanne to meet as well – long story, but a lovely one. We then trundled along to Mitchells pub for a few drinks whilst waiting for the minibus to pick us up and take us to Millers Thumb for dinner. So many old faces it was fantastic catching up with the likes of Fi who I hadn’t seen for 4 years plus, Clive & Rachel (4 years), Muzza, Homer, the list goes on and on. Anyway all in all a great night out.
Thursday 01 April it was off to Leanne and James’s place for a lamb on the spit. Got to meet a heap of Leanne’s relations and also some of James’s as well. Once again more people had arrived from all over and a great night was had by all.
Friday 02 April we drove up to Worcester to collect our vehicle to take across to Tullbagh for the wedding weekend extravaganza!! We got our car which is about a foot longer now (we had it cut and stretched) and it looks great. Headed across to Tullbagh which is a lovely drive through a wine region. We stayed at Morgansvlei Country Estate which is a beautiful spot. Looking out from the front verandah at a lovely lake and the mountains in the background quite special. Got settled in and meet some friends of James from UK – so we all headed in to town to get some lunch. Had a fabulous lunch at a lovely little restaurant called Readers Restaurant and Curious Cats, in a quaint little street – Church Street which is where all the cafes etc are. We got back to Morgansvlei and relaxed until the evening where we were meant to be meeting up with most of the other guests at the Bush Pub down the road.Well it was just magic, like a huge overland reunion! Only down falls were they ran out of beer, then cider and to top it off Vodka!! Can you run out of Vodka I ask you. They also gave our meals away to someone else and so I had to go and see the kitchen and sort things out there. I just don’t think they were prepared for us, even though Leanne and several others had warned them well in advance. Oh well it was Easter Friday and nothing else open so I think that most people were drinking Milk Stout in the end as that was all they had left.
Saturday 03 April today is the big cricket match – Africa v’s Others. This was booked and paid for in advance and so you can imagine the reason James was so livered when he found the cricket pitch flooded. This was at Morgansvlei and apparently the groundsman had put on the sprinklers and forgot about them for 24 hours!! AWA (Africa wins again)! Anyway James got them all jumping around and they managed to get the pitch mostly dry or should I say drier than it was. A very entertaining match commenced at around 2pm and the very lovely Rochelle was the score person on the bank and a very wonderful job she did too. Meanwhile James Uncle John made a fabulous umpire. There were a few disputes over certain members of teams: e.g. Trevor born in SA and living in Aussie playing for others, but an entertaining game to boot. Martin, James’s brothers provided special t-shirts for both sides and kindly paid the bar tab at the end of the game – big thank yous and appreciation all round for that! The cricket pitch had a lovely little bank in front which was great enjoyment for all the kids who grabbed all the cardboard and proceeded to slide down it all afternoon. A great day was had by all and it was a wonderful buildup to the wedding. We all headed off down to the Bush Pub again for dinner and I am glad to say that they had bought in enough food and drink for everyone this time round.
I will try and get some photos on later. Love and hugs to all xxx
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