Travel
Currently Going With The Warm Mozambique Flow - Zavora
Being on the East coast of Africa, suffused in the Mozambique channel’s warm currents, brings a certain lightness to the soul. In this sub-tropical climate, every day feels like summer. Blue skies, puffy white clouds, here the gentle breezes and the ocean are warm. Precisely what the...
Mapping Maputo And Bilene – Our Travels Into Mozambique
Bom Dia como está? One of my favourite countries to visit is Mozambique. Its flavour, vibe and people are distinctive and have a characteristic rhythm not found anywhere in South Africa. With Serulian skies my Mozambique is everything a weary traveller yearns for. Once again we crossed the...
Mushy Mossy Magic In Magoebaskloof
Magical, mysterious and misty Magoebaskloof in the Limpopo Province between Tzaneen and Polokwane is a lush green mountainous area carpeted by an indigenous evergreen subtropical forest and vast plantations. Mist, rain and humidity are how I would describe the climate. Definitely seductive....
Catching Up, Last Days And Cyclone Freddy
We needed an entire month to organise ourselves before entering unknown territory. I told Butch, “fine,” he said, “you can have February.” And so it was that we decided to take up a February special offered, by the ATKV (Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuur Vereeniging) resorts’ Die Eiland...
A Childhood Revisited – The Lowveld - Hazyview
Childhood memories should be like a field of daisies. Bright yellow sunshine. Perfectly designed blooms that radiate simplicity, joy, and create happiness. Pick a petal at a time to see if he loves you "loves me, loves me not, loves me..." Some people vow never to return once they leave a place...
Hats Off To Hoedspruit - Highlighted By Our Antares Bush Camp Experience
When we heard our friends from England, who lived in the New Forest, decided to pick up sticks and move, lock, stock ‘n barrel to South Africa, I was impressed, but when we heard Hoedspruit was their first choice to settle in, I had my doubts. More fool me. A reasonably sized town surrounded by...
Kruger National Park And The Story Behind The Story
It is an undisputed fact that the Kruger National Park is our national treasure, and SANParks is probably one of the few state-run enterprises that works and has improved over the years. They have all my support and admiration for doing a sterling job. My photographs are just a random,...
Highways and Byways to Hoedspruit. Places We Saw And Friends We Met
Maun is not my favourite place, possibly because it’s a neither-here or there sort of place. It could also be the flashbacks I have of our off-road caravan’s demise and the dreadful trip back to Cape Town we had. Our poor caravan was in a dire state and looked like a sardine tin with a...
One, Two, Three, Four-tee-Four Elephants - Elephant Sands - Nata -Botswana
My Sister-in-law Lol is a loyal follower of our travels. When she realised, we were at Elephant Sands. She wrote, “I’ve often been to Elephant Sands near Nata, a lovely spot, but in all the years, we never saw one elephant! Good luck." While Butch was doing our registration, I...
Drotsky’s Cabins with Kat-‘n-The-Four-Kin-Airey’s – Botswana
Skedaddle is what we did to meet up with the Aireys who were in search of a Honey Badger. Nothing beats meeting up with family, particularly when you’ve been starved of your familials like we have, especially over the festive season when we all experience a little slump. Sometimes, late at...
Rain, Subtropical Gardens And A Host With The Most
When rain falls, one can expect the vegetation to change, the dry air cools, and humidity takes over. Our travels in the desert were ending as we climbed the plateaus. Small wizened trees gave way to taller, leafed trees, and game farms made way for subsistence farming. Dry riverbeds...
How Etosha Got Its Name - A Lesson In Following Our Daydreams
Once upon a time, when pharaohs were building Pyramids, a guy called Noah from Goa (just kidding, Mesopotamia) got it into his head to build a ship. Why? The message in a daydream was clear. “A flood covering the whole earth is nigh. Build a ship, Noah!” Noah proclaimed it would be made...
Visiting A Himba Cultural Village
It was my idea to visit the Himba Cultural village, and Butch obliged. He paid the R400, and arrangements were made. The guide would be alerted all in good time for preparations. We’d go for our bike ride. En route back to Oppi Koppi, we’d pop in as it was on our way. We arrived on the...
Patio Prattle and Die Vingerklip– Oppi Koppi Rest Camp
An Extract From My Notes “I’ve positioned myself near the electrical plug and hotspot, hoping a solid Wi-Fi signal will enable me to write. I must catch up with some emails, update Polar Steps and write two blogs. My fingers are poised just above the keys, ready to strike the first letter. My...
Resuming The Journey And Why I Wear A Hat - Munsterland Guest Farm - Khorixas
We’ve been on the road for five months. The Honey Badger is our tiny home; although snug, we have a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and dining room, and here I sit and type in my “study”. It’s currently raining. We find summer rainfall quite a novelty. Whispy, feathery clouds build up into...
Boldly Bowled Over By Boulders - Spitzkoppe
The big smile and spring in Billy’s step when he entered the house couldn’t hide his happiness. He beamed. There was a new lightness about him. Like water cascading over smooth polished rocks, his zest bubbled and gushed, and words tumbled out excitedly. He’d just returned from a fortnight...
SMS –Sand, Mist, Swakopmund
Thirty years ago, before the SMS, my telegram to family, anxiously awaiting my safe arrival in Swakopmund, would’ve gone something like this. “Safe arrival. Sand, mist, Swakopmund.” The charge, twenty cents, the message would be relayed by telex or morse code to the Stellenbosch post office....
The Road
Our journey is nothing like The Road, a post-apocalyptic novel by Cormac McCarthy, where an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea. The novel’s main themes are Faith, Trust, and Doubt. In the harsh world of The Road, everything depends on trusting or distrusting...
Finding Order Unexpectedly At Tsauchab River Camp
Have you ever entered a room and felt utterly overwhelmed by the décor, the sudden onslaught of colour or the furniture placement? I find antique shops with the clutter of overstocked bric-a-brac or art galleries where paintings hang too close together and where colours, textures, and...
First days in Namibia – Lapa Lange Guest Farm
Early this morning, before I could decide how the weather would turn out, my beloved left with our Honey Badger in tow to have new tyres fitted, have a bull-bar attached, as recommended by other overlanders, and to install a Thule storage container, our current one is far too heavy. He did warn...
The Joys of Travel Are A Mata of Taste – Mata Mata
We have to own our retirement, make the most of it, see the adventures, challenges and be unapologetically thrilled by all the opportunities thrown at us. You say. I say, who would’ve thought it possible that we could sit here, on a fine Sunday, my fingers flying over my keyboard, while...
The Company We Keep – The Da Silva’s - Nossob – Kgalagadi
Butch and I have just returned from the bird hide where we’d spent a few minutes in the hope of seeing and ticking off some birds on our list. There wasn’t one. Not even a laughing dove. We did enjoy the ground squirrels digging and dashing and chittering about though. This morning we'd...
Nature Calls - Askam And A Meerkat Sanctuary
Before I start with this blog I must tell you why it’s published after my Kgalagadi blog. I always upload my Word documents onto my admin page, then I add my photographs individually. We are at the mercy of whatever Wi-Fi connectivity we’re in range of. At the moment it’s not good. Slow...
Sitting On The Fence In The Kgalagadi - Nossob
It’s midday, I'm sitting in the Honey Badger typing this blog. Now and then, I look up, binoculars at the ready, and see small critters sitting or clinging to our fence. They’re our pole dancers. My company is a lizard, Cape Glossy starling with a slurred warble, an ever-chatty...
Maintenance Steps, Malls and Mosquitoes in Upington
Although I am very much a creature of habit, e.g. I use the same brand of toothpaste and tomato sauce as I did when my mom did the shopping and, I still wear the same brand of knickers, and have used the same fragrance for 40 years, I am not keen to repeat experiences. Firstly, life is too...
Medjool Dates In Klein Pella
Upington feels like our home away from home. But first, we had to get there. It was Thursday, and I’d made a pinky promise a year ago that I would never spend another weekend in Upington. Come hell or high water, I was sticking to my guns. We left the Richtersveld on a bright sunny day,...
Rich, Richer, Richtersveld
Writing the Richtersveld’s story is way above my intellectual abilities, and articulating eloquently about this extraordinary place is an injustice to the reader and the Richtersveld. Often the less one knows is dangerous, and the more you know, the more intimidating the subject becomes. I am...
Third Time Lucky - Goegap Nature Reserve - Springbok
Sometimes, one must read and adhere to the rules to sidestep disappointment—case in point. Goegap Nature Reserve. On two previous occasions we've stopped at the gate to stay over and wondered why no one opened it. It’s because they close at 16h00 every day. Not a minute earlier nor a minute...
Going Green - Wild Camping At Groenrivier
Some random photographs I couldn't help but share. ...
Two Nights In Strandfontein A Reflection
I’ve been to Strandfontein twice before and thoroughly enjoyed myself both times. Once with dear friends from the UK, who were our frequent travelling companions during the summer months when they were Swallows to our shores. On the last trip, we wild-camped for a night in the picnic area by...
Camping in St Helena Bay And Beyond
The drive along the scenic dirt road maintained by Spoor Net is a highlight; we always choose this route for its beauty, even when works temporarily reroute us to the tar road. Paternoster is a must-visit for its charming, timeless vibe; the crayfish hawkers and children selling wire hearts...
Langebaan – Greece On The West Coast - Leentjiesklip
It’s hard to believe we’ve only visited Langebaan a few times, and the last visit was decades ago with a friend who had a timeshare. Sharing this history helps connect you to our journey and shows how perceptions can change over time. We hadn’t made reservations and decided to follow...
Cape Town Capers – Making The Most Of The Mother Of All Cities
Only the people who suffer from negativity, boredom, frustration, or resentment are the sufferers. It is, therefore, not worth the space it takes up in our minds or emotions. Here we were in the City, rated among the world’s top ten. We were going to squeeze every drop of juice from this...
Our Authentic Travel – Three Anchor Bay Stay
Family and fish go off after three days. This mantra is so ingrained in me that staying as a house guest for an extended period does not sit well. We had hardly dragged our suitcases, bags and bits and bobs up the flight of stairs in Green Point when Butch and I decided we needed our own space....
The Right Side Of The Tracks - Wild Camping
If I could have my life all over again, one career choice I’d consider is becoming a train driver. I love trains in any form. As a child, journeys to and from boarding school by steam train were highlights, filling me with nostalgia and wonder. The clickety-clack would lull me to sleep, and I...
The Old And The Nieu Bethesda
Visiting Nieu Bethesda feels like visiting a favourite grandmother. Her familiar smells, curves, and the colour of her curls create a comforting sense of home. We’ve shared so many stories and experiences that it feels like reconnecting with an old friend. Like iron ore to a magnet, the pull...
Wild Camping At KaKhulu Karoo
Like everyone else, I love a riddle or a lekker ou skinder, but this visit left me with more questions about the landscape and wildlife than answers. As instructed, we turned left onto Pearston Road. We made good time and soon pulled up, our engine rumbling, at the imposing gates of KaKhulu...
Winter Wandering Into The Great Karoo
We picked up sticks and headed northeast towards Graaff Reinet. To celebrate the 4th of July, we stopped for tea and cake at Sophie’s Choice, a fascinating coffee shop just south of Willowmore. Quirky is the only word to describe this worthwhile stopover. Exploring the eclectic outbuildings...
Whether we can, Weather we can’t!
Our brief holiday depended on the weather. Where are the days when we could judge the weather by the way the day feels, e.g., putting your head out the door, feeling inclement weather in your bones, or watching a mountaintop being covered by a cloudy cloth, which used to be a good indicator...
Life After The Great Trek
Our gut is our best guide to what’s good and what’s dire. We’ve been incredibly fortunate on this journey, with all the pieces falling into place. For us, that's a good sign we’re on the right track. Anyway, that’s how I see it. This time, the dealer is on our side. Exhausted after weeks...