Africa so far

Dead Friends and family

Just a quick update on my travels although I have arrived in Africa
about 2 weeks ago but there was hardly no Internet access.

The flight to Joburg and continuing to Cape Town was long and long and long...the food good though. Trying to knock myself out with sleeping tablets wasn't successful in the way I was hoping it would be but I got a decent sleep I think. The first accommodation in Cape Town was fantastic. Parker Cottage, a private owned guesthouse. Phil, one of the owner, gave us a quick introduction and we went to see table mountain straight after arrival as it can be tricky to get up there with the cable car if it is too windy.We were lucky and got 5 minutes of perfect view but then had to leave after they started using the horn because of dangerous winds coming up.
Table Mountain was closed the next couple of days.We also jumped on this red sightseeing bus, jump off and on thing, and got a nice tour through the city and its surrounding coastal line...beautiful place to stay but still troubled and dangerous. On sunday we discovered that someone took half of our US Dollars. We started counting the money to get our local payment which we had to pay that night at the pre-tour meeting and realized that we just had enough money to pay it and who ever it was left generously 300$.
Anyway, we think it got stolen maybe on the plane out of the bag while everyone was sleeping or in the guesthouse...but gone is gone.

The tour started with a township tour in Cape Town which will be along lasting experience. They took us to the tree different housingstyles which was living in the deepest slum in tin houses-you can't even call it a house, then the house option where 13 people are charing ONE room- thought shared housing in Sydney is a pain and the last one called the Beverly Hills houses. Well, they looked colorful and got a door, oven and maybe a bathroom and only 7 people charing it.The kids are smiling and playing everywhere...Which is shocking if you see all this dirt and rubbish lying around. The community spirit is so strong though that they never will leave their township completely because it's their home, where they grow up.
Today, we are somewhere in Namibia heading towards Etosha National Park. So we have passed South Africa and went through the Namib Desert and have seen high dunes we climbed up to see the sunrise, went to the second largest and least visit canyon and had a walk in the desert where we were tracking a snake and also found her chilling in a bush-a big one.We went sand boarding and quad biking in the desert around Swakopmund,the most German city in Namibia, with nice european cheesecake .
Skydiving was closed unfortunately but the other activities in the mid of now where- were just fantastic. Speeding up the high dunes and getting rewarded with a great view of the coastal line or ocean and horizon.

This morning we had a tour in a cheetah park where we took amazingpictures with them and also patted them. On the way to Etosha were elephants and giraffes, springboks and zebras. During the night we stayed at a waterhole and were watching two rhinos fighting. So we are hoping to see a lion, too and furthermore not getting sick with malaria as we are actually behind taking the tablets...ooops, can't count all my mosquito bites we have got from last night. These creatures were crazy and so busy. The confusing thing with malaria, everyone tells you a different story when to start taking the tablets, whether you actually need them in the areas we are passing etc. But nevertheless,we started taking them now. Fingers crossed.

Yes, everything is fine, only the early morning starts are shit. You get tiered at 7ish after another nice dinner and going to bed is most likely between 8 and 9pm. We got one big snorer and two moderate ones;) so earplugs can be a must.It can be annoying to build up your tent every day and leaving then ext day,its early and dusty. We have breaks in between for 2 days but often we drive for about 5-7 hours so my back is complaining everyday.
Ok, what's next so far..we will hit the Okavango Delta today or tomorrow where we will stay on a houseboat for two nights.The last big stop and finish of the tour will be in one week's time in Livingston at Victoria Falls including a fair it of luxury in terms of health recovery and accommodation ;) before we will fly back to Johannesburg on May 30th. Staying there for one night before flying back to Germany the next day-arrival Frankfurt June 1st.
That's from me so far. Hope you enjoyed this "brief" summary and you are all well.

Take care.Ina

Welcome to South Africa

Wir haben es geschafft und sind gut ueber den Teich gekommen...Afrika hat uns soweit gut empfangen, abgesehen von dem Verlust US$950, die uns aus dem Rucksack gestohlen wurden :(
Einmal Bungee Jumping weniger ;)

Cape Town war super und heute haben wir die Grenze Sout Africa to Namibia passiert. Camping 21 Tage pur!!!

OK soviel von mir. In ca. 2-3 Tagen kann ich eventuell mehr schreiben...
LG