June 5: Victoria Falls and even more…

Posted on June 25, 2012 by East to Hedon

First view of Vic Falls.

This morning we finally visited the constant background roar we have listened to since our arrival at the campsite: Victoria Falls – Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke That Thunders”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Falls). When you first see the falls, it’s definitely one of those, “mere words just fail me moments”. It’s just freakin’ awesome; the unimaginable amounts of water flowing over the precipice, the sheer physical presence of the roar of the falling water, and the spray… omigod! Did I say spray? At times it was literally like someone soaking you down with several garden hoses… from ALL directions all at the same time – up, down, and from all around! I had a rain shield for my camera; but even with that, the front of my lens got hit with so much water that there was actual liquid water (not just condensation) under and between my filters!

Devil’s Pool.

Double rainbow.  Also note the soaking wet people.

Soggy Roger taking photos.

Vic Falls mist.

After viewing the falls from up-close-and-drippy-wet, we walked along the “Photography Trail” for some long-shots. On the way back to the parking lot, we ran into a congress (rather appropriate isn’t it?) of Baboons. They were “wild” critters but they were so habituated to the presence of humans that  they barely looked at us while we photographed them.

Yellow Baboons.

In the evening, we were treated to our first “Ebron-meal”; a delicious scratch-made stew over rice.

After dinner, we headed back to Vic Falls for the “Lunar Rainbow”  (http://wildsidezambia.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/an-stunning-view-of-a-lunar-rainbow/); a phenomenon made possible by the light of a full moon shining through the billowing clouds of mist. Brett managed to persuade a Zambian border guard (with a $10 USD “retirement-fund contribution”) to allow our party to go out onto the Livingstone Bridge to see the rainbow. There indeed was a faint rainbow visible. Unfortunately, the lighting on the bridge (as limited as it was) prevented us from getting good images of it.

Everyone then headed back to our campsite, congregated around the campfire for a while, and then headed off to their tents; tomorrow our day was going to start at 5:00 AM.

After everyone else headed off to their tents, I stuck around to have a cigar. I lit up a Rocky Patel Select Petite Corona and was settling down to enjoy it when I heard some loud crashing and the sound of tree limbs being snapped. Since the late afternoon we had been listening to a number of Elephants trumpeting nearby, but this was close… really close! Our line of tents was about 5-10 feet inside an electrified game fence (approximately 10 feet tall but apparently NOT energized as I was later informed); these new sounds, accompanied by more trumpeting, appeared to be only a 100 feet or so away. Well, I was secure in the knowledge that we were well protected by our “electrified” game fence. So, I continued to enjoy my cigar while listening to the sounds of Africa. After a few more minutes, Brett came by just as more loud crashing and snapping was heard. He whispered, “… they’re really close.”, and motioned me to follow him. We crept towards the sounds but damned-near skidded to a stop as we passed our tents and approached the fence. Suddenly, right there in front of us, not 50 feet away loomed the dark, hulking mass of an African Bull Elephant! Luckily for us; the light was poor, the Elephant habituated to humans, and the Elephant was more interested in eating the Mopane Trees than squishing humans (namely me!). We watched him for more than 15 minutes; the light was too poor for photos but I did manage to get a digital sound recording. After the Elephant moved to another copse of trees directly behind our tent; I woke Eron up and the three of us just sat and took in the spectacle of wild bull Elephants (the first Elephant was soon joined by the rest of his “Bachelor Herd”) nonchalantly eating and trumpeting just mere feet from our position. We must have sat there in awe for a half-hour or more before the Elephants moved further away and were finally enveloped by the inky darkness of the African night. Eron and I retired to our tent and were serenaded to sleep by the trumpeting of our new “friends”. What a day; Vic Falls, a Lunar Rainbow, and finally, stalking Elephants while smoking a cigar – I don’t know if there is an official bucket-list category for that, but it’s now checked-off on mine…. 🙂

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June 04: Camping on the shore of the Mighty Zambezi

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

We had a last leisurely breakfast at The Green Tree Lodge and Andrew and Vickie drove us the short (approximately 10 minute) distance to our next part of the adventure. We’re meeting our overland expedition group at the Zambezi Waterfront Campsites (http://www.thezambeziwaterfront.com/index.html).

They dropped us off at the reception area and we said our farewells. As it turns out, the Zambezi Waterfront is not only a campsite; it also has chalets, a lodge, an activities centre (for booking just about any kind of adventure you can imagine), and a restaurant/bar area. The complex is quite large and is located right on the shore of the Zambezi River. One of the staff was kind enough to lead us to our camping area. It was quite a sight, to turn a corner and finally see “Malaika”; our Africa in Focus (http://www.africa-in-focus.com/) overland truck. We have been looking at pictures of her and her older sibling for more and a year… and here we were standing in front of her.

Malaika

We came around the side of the truck and ran into Brett (our tour leader) and William (our driver). Introductions were made and Brett showed us around Malaika. Apparently, Ebron (our cook) was visiting relatives in Zimbabwe and would be returning this afternoon. During the tour of Malaika, another two members of our group showed up: Mel and Amit. They’re an Aussie couple but they had just spent the last two years living and working in Toronto. The other two people in our group (Peter and Anna) had already overlanded with Africa-in-Focus from Capetown to Livingston and were out exploring.

After the introductions, we went about loading our stuff into Malaika. We then all met on the restaurant’s deck for lunch and a general briefing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent setting things up in our tent and getting to know Malaika.

At 3:45 PM we all met at the Zambezi Waterfront’s dock for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. It was your typical all-you-can-drink booze cruise with a light dinner included but IT WAS ON THE ZAMBEZI! The scenery was as exotic as I had imagined and during parts of the cruise, you could see both the Zambian and Zimbabwean shores. We also got our first photos of Hippos, Giraffes, and a glorious sunset. Man, does the sun ever set fast here!

That’s not smoke, it’s Vic Falls mist!

Zambezi sunset cruise.

Our first Giraffe!

Our first Hippos!

Hippo yawn.

Sunset over the Zambezi.

Tangerine dusk over the Zambezi.

Finally, the Zambezi Waterfront has WiFi that actually works… YIPPEE!!!! And that’s why a week’s worth of postings have just been uploaded 😉 Goodnight everyone… up early tomorrow morning – we’re going to Victoria Falls!

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June 03: Livingstone

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

Chilly morning – warming by the brazier

Our plan this morning was to walk into “town”, find an internet cafe or WiFi hotspot, and post to this blog and catch up on emails. However, Andrew informs us that this may not be possible today. Apparently, the local telecoms provider is planning service and upgrades to it’s system today and there may not be any telephone or internet service, period.

Prior to coming to Africa, we had anticipated having sporadic internet service/availability, especially in the more rural areas. What we didn’t count on was the sheer pervasiveness  of problems with their telecoms infrastructure. Take for example, the theft of telecoms cable from Andrew’s neighbourhood. That was in February; four months ago! Apparently, none of the required material is stockpiled in Zambia and must be ordered and shipped from South Africa. And don’t think for one second that South Africa is immune. During the second day of our stay at the Holiday Inn in Sandton, the telephone service was  simply, “not working” for several hours. Worse yet, their complimentary lobby WiFi was FUBAR for the last two days of our stay.

So, if this is the state of telecoms in the large and medium sized cites of Africa, I’m now resigned to only “occasional access” versus my obviously over-optimistic hopes for “sporadic” internet access.

No internet, might as well get some sun

NOTE: Most residents of Zambia use their wireless telecom provider to access the internet… at “dial-up” throughput speeds. The more affluent may have access to DSL… but only if someone doesn’t make off with the copper cables.

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June 02: Livingstone

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

We enjoyed a lazy morning at the lodge; catching up on photo editing and posts for our blog. We said our goodbyes to the two groups of fellow guests at the lodge as they checked out. Incidentally, one group were US missionaries returning to their rural Zambian mission and the other group were German ex-missionaries visiting their old haunts.

In the afternoon we walked to the main drag. After wandering about, we decided to find someplace have lunch. We settled on, “Olga’s Pizza and Pasta”  (http://www.olgasproject.com/home_uk.htm). This restaurant is part of a compound located on Natakindi Road (near the new ShopRite). The compound also has a newly constructed accommodation block and a small craft market. The compound is a joint-project of the local Diocese and a NGO. The project uses the proceeds from the businesses to fund youth training programs for skills in the restaurant trades, carpentry, brick-laying, and plumbing. The food here was surprisingly good and the portions quite large; with pastas and sauces made in-house. A “thumbs up” for Olga’s.

On return to the lodge, we met our new fellow guests and neighbours; a couple from (of all places) Victoria, BC. And yes, of course, they are missionaries… note to self, don’t use the phrase, “working our way across East Africa in front of missionaries.” Apparently, “working” refers to, “doing the work of God”; you should’ve seen their ears suddenly perk up when they thought we were fellow “holy-rollers”. Evidently, they hadn’t met me before.

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June 01: Johannesburg to Livingstone

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

Fly from Johannesburg, SA to Livingstone, Zambia.

The check-in and security check at JNB was a breeze; the security officer even smilingly told us, ” You don’t have to take off your shoes. This is not the US; we don’t have terrorists here.” Our flight to Livingstone was on a South African Airlines (SAA) Airbus A319 and would only take 1 hour fifty minutes. We were “wheels up” about ten minutes late but on the ground in Livingstone on schedule.

Getting off the aircraft, it finally felt like we were in the “real” Africa. The terminal was tiny, had no skyways, and you exited the aircraft down an old-school stairway. On the walk (on the tarmac) between the aircraft and the terminal, you literally could feel yourself walking towards an earlier time… the smells, the sounds, the fine red dust in the air – you could just feel time itself slowing down. Passport Control was merely a stop for a friendly government official to collect $50 USD per visitor (for a Visa) and Customs was even simpler. There were two doors; one for “Goods to Declare” and one for “Nothing to Declare” and there was a table between the doors with two Customs Officers. People just chose whatever door and walked through expecting other Officers. However, once you walked through, that was it…

Andrew from, “The Green Tree Lodge” (http://www.greentreelodgezambia.com/), was there to pick us up just as promised. He had us at the lodge and into our our private bungalow (the “Guineafowl Chalet”) in what seemed to be only minutes. The Green Tree Lodge is a quaint little fenced and gated compound off Kombe Road. It is comprised of five “Chalets”, a main house with attached veranda where he dining/living room/bar area for guests is located, a small swimming pool and deck area, and several other service buildings. The grounds are sprinkled with a variety of different fruit-bearing trees and has it’s own resident critters – a pair of Guineafowl hens, a number of pidgeons, and a pair of rabbits. All they’re missing is a couple of people-friendly medium-sized pooches to welcome the guests. The lodge is owned and operated by Andrew and Vickie. Peter is the owner/groundskeeper/bellhop/chef/all-around do-it-all. It’s a quiet little oasis which seems to be quite popular with ex-pats and other non-Zambians who are travelling through Livingstone. The lodge serves breakfasts, lunches, and dinners at  very reasonable prices… and the food is extremely well-prepared in a home-cooked, non-pretentious, but professional way. The chalets all feature either twins beds or a queen, a small TV, a bar fridge, air conditioning, a ceiling fan, an ensuite with shower, and a small front porch with two wicker chairs. The only disappointment is the lack of advertised WiFi. All-in-all, I would whole-heartedly give a very positive recommendation for this place. Anyone starting their African adventure in Livingstone would do well to stay at The Green Tree Lodge; it’s a great place to relax and ease into the whole African experience… and Andrew has a wealth of information and recommendations to impart.

Resident Guineafowl hens: “The Ladies”

NOTE: there is no WiFi due to the February theft of approximately 10 km of local telecom cable; effectively blacking-out the entire area for landline telephone and broadband internet services.

My first “Zambian Cigar”

The main business district of Livingstone is but a 20 minute walk away and the trip is safe to do day or night. Alternately, a one-way cab ride is K20,000 (or less than $4 USD). On or near Mosi-oa-Tunya Road (the main drag), you will find a variety of shops, restaurants, museums, and bars. There are also two ShopRite supermarkets; the “new” one ( at Mosi-oa-Tunya Square or simply, the “ShopRite Centre”) features a money market which will exchange currencies at the best rate in town. According to Andrew, you can also exchange money at any of the banks (but at a worse rate) or at the government Post Office (the worst rate of all).

Sun-dried Mopane Worms, anyone?

On our first walk-about around the area, the one thing that really struck us was the sheer number missionary groups and Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) operating in just our little corner of Livingstone. Andrew later confirmed our observation; Zambia, like most of it’s central and eastern African neighbours, is NGO-central. NGO’s, missionary groups, and (more specifically) the money they bring into the country make up a large percentage of the countries’ economies; the balance of the GDP’s are mostly from tourism and (if fortunate) the export of natural resources. The vast majority of non-Blacks we will meet in Zambia (in fact, all of East Africa) will either be Christian Missionaries or working directly for a NGO.

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May 31: The Butcher Shop and Grill

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

Tonight we had dinner at, “The Butcher Shop and Grill”  (http://www.thebutchershop.co.za/), at the Nelson Mandela Square. This restaurant is located across the square from the previously panned Trump BBQ and Grill. This restaurant features prime South African beef, some cuts dry-aged forty or more days. If your appetite runs larger than their listed cuts, they will even custom-butcher a cut sized to your needs.

Eron had the Game Meat Pie; a huge baked pot pie topped with very nice puff pastry. Very tasty indeed with many chunks of meat, carrots, and potatoes all in a rich dark-brown gravy. The only possible negative was that it became just slightly too salty for our palates as we ate more of the pie.

I had the Sirloin steak. It was grass-fed beef at it’s best. The beef had that slightly gamey flavour and was literally fork-tender; it was cooked to medium-rare perfection. It was prepared in the Argentine-style; grilled with just a hint of salt, nothing else. It is up to the diner to use pepper and or sauces to season to taste.

It’s also noteworthy that in their menu, this restaurant correctly distinguishes between Jack Daniels as being a Whiskey and Jim Beam as being a Bourbon. Very few restaurants (even in North American) correctly make that distinction. This is one restaurant I would definitely recommend.

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May 31: Cradle of Humankind

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

Today, we visited two of the fourteen South African sites that collectively form the World Heritage Site that is known as, “The Cradle of Humankind”. These two are the closest to Johannesburg and are about 90 minutes outside of the city.

The “Maropeng Site” houses, “The Cradle of Humankind Museum”  (http://www.maropeng.co.za/). On approach, the entrance is an imposing mound of grass covered earth. The entry to the exhibit area is through a cleverly designed floating river-raft ride which takes visitors through a “cave”. This “cave” introduces the visitor to the elements and conditions that allowed the development of humankind; water, ice, wind, fire, and earth. Visitors then walk through a tube that is surrounded by a spinning vortex of light representing the passage of eons. This is where the actual exhibits finally start. Unfortunately, the exhibits (while interesting) are not particularly captivating. I felt they were a sort of “Science World-Lite”.

Stalactite: “The Elephant”

The “Sterkfontein Caves Site”  (http://www.maropeng.co.za/index.php/sterkfontein/) consists of a visitor centre and the cave complex. The visitor centre house a small exhibition hall; many of the exhibits are similar to or the same as ones at the “Cradle Museum”. The guided tour through the cave complex takes about about a hour.

On leaving the caves, visitors can walk to the adjacent site where they are still actively excavating.

My overall impression is that at R200 per person for a Combination Entry (allowing entry to both sites; they are approximately 10 minutes drive from each other), the visit while certainly interesting, was not a particularly good value for the money.

On the way back to Joburg, we stopped at a restaurant named, “Carnivore”. It looked great and specializes in game meats. Unfortunately, we just missed their lunch service were too early for the dinner seating. Too bad for me 😦

Instead, we settled for a quick bite in the food court of a brand new casino complex; the “Montecasino”. The casino is absolutely huge with the exterior made to look like a cross between an Italian village and a medieval fortified town. The interior was pure, “Viva Las Vegas, baby!”. Even the shopping area was like a combination of the Caesar’s Palace Shopping Forums and The Venetian’s shopping mall. The interesting item to note was that due to the common practice of carrying legally-permitted concealed firearms (pistols), the casino provides a secured check-in service to safely store patrons’ guns while they are enjoying the casino’s offerings… damned civilized I’d have to say.

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May 30: Off to Soweto

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

We were picked up this morning by Elia (our driver). He took us out to Soweto (more formally known as the South Western Townships). The Soweto I “knew” was fixed in my mind due to the news coverage of the violence and destruction of the 1976 riots and the subsequent decades of protests and mayhem. However, the Soweto of today is very different. Some areas of Soweto are still little more than rough shantytowns but many more sections are vibrant, tidy, and even quite affluent. Elia further dispelled our concerns by telling us that the residents of Soweto are fully aware of the importance of tourism and have actively protected visitors. He admits that there is still violence but most of it is now targeted, criminal-on-criminal. Most crime now are property crimes or crimes of opportunity.

First we visited 8115 Vilakazi Street, better known as, “Mandela House”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandela_House). This is the house Nelson Mandela called “home” in Soweto. This is where he lived before being incarcerated on Robben’s Island and where he returned upon his release. The house has been restored to it’s former look and even some of the furnishings are original.

Next, we visited the “Hector Pieterson Museum”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Pieterson_Museum). This building and it’s exhibits are dedicated to the memory and events of the 1976 student protests against the

South African government’s edict to offer Bantu (Black) education only in Afrikaans. The protests took a sudden and violent turn for the worse with the fatal police shooting of an unarmed 13 year old school boy named Hector Pieterson. This was a pivotal moment in the transition of various protest groups into the organized movement to abolish Apartheid. This single act of violence also helped galvanize world opinion against Apartheid.

We also visited the Regina Mundi Catholic Church (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Mundi). It was one of the epicentres for the planning and organizing of the various student protests against the Apartheid Regime.

Finally, we visited the “Apartheid Museum”  (http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/). The unpretentious exterior and simple sign do not prepare the visitor for what lays in store. The tone is set by the museum’s clever method of initially segregating visitors. Ticket buyers are randomly given a coupon classifying them as either “White” or “Non-White” and they enter the museum through separate gates marked for “their” race. After walking through the segregated entry exhibit, all visitors experience the rest of the museum’s exhibits together. The exhibitions are well thought out and incredibly thought-provoking. In fact, there is so much information presented, it is a little overwhelming at times. Overall, a very worthwhile way to spend your time… to do the museum justice, plan to spend at least 3-4 hours.

On the way back, we drove by one of several Chinese-owned shopping centres… as you can see, they don’t put up Chinese-language-only signs just in Richmond.

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May 29: First day in Johannesburg – ups and downs.

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

Africa – South & East.

We arrived right on time at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), made the usual hike through the terminal, and managed to quickly retrieve all three pieces of our checked luggage… and they were even undamaged! Even our trip through South African officialdom went incredibly smoothly. Their “Food Police” inspector only spoke with us for a couple of minutes and the Customs Officer just wanted to welcome us to his country and to record our Passport numbers; no hassles at all and the officials we met were all incredibly warm, smiling, and friendly. No one even came close to asking to inspect our luggage! No one asked, so we didn’t to have to ‘fess-up about the 100+ cigars Roger had with him….

We did, however, have a little trouble getting to our hotel. We were victims of the old, “take you to the wrong hotel scam”, and it cost us a few extra bucks to eventually get to the right one. Unfortunately, this would be an omen of things to come.

We had web-booked a three night stay at The Westford Hotel & Suites (http://www.thewestford.co.za/) in Sandton  (a “safe” suburb of Johannesburg) due to reviews in Trip Advisor.com. Per the reviews, this hotel was supposed to have the necessary amenities at a reasonable daily rate.  About the only thing that was as advertised was the price, everything else was a severe disappointment. The WiFi didn’t and hadn’t worked in “a while”, the rooms were very spartan (in a converted sanitarium-room kinda way), the lift (elevator) didn’t work, the interior and exterior were noticeably run-down, and there was a glaring lack of other guests. About the only upsides were the friendly staff and the fact that you could smoke cigars in your room, the pool deck, on the bar patio.

Eron was tired (from a combination of having the flu and almost two full days of being in transit) so she took a nap. I went down to the bar patio to have my first “African Cigar”. The patio was absolutely deserted and featured one lonely patio set and a couple of conversation areas with beat up old coffee tables and a number of rather disgusting sofas – they were ratty, stained, sun-faded, and had patches of

what looked suspiciously like black mould on them. Good thing I brought my ashtray and bevie; there were no ashtrays to be found and no bartender either. In fact, I was twenty minutes into my King’s Court Churchill before anyone even came out to ask if I would like a drink. And during the entire time it took for me to smoke my Churchill, only one other guest came into the bar or out onto the patio.

After Eron’s nap, we walked to the nearby Nelson Mandela Square Mall to grab a bite and discuss our hotel-situation. We ate lunch at the “Trump Grill”; a specialty BBQ and grill restaurant. Definitely give this place a miss. The staff was friendly and the service was decent. However, Eron’s BBQ chicken was bland and flavourless, my ribs and veal chops were slathered in a “chef-made sauce” that would’t hold a candle to most store-bought BBQ sauces, and the background(?) music was intrusive. Overall, a dining experience not befitting the price-point of this establishment.

Back to our “hotel-situation”; over lunch, we discussed the pros and cons of checking out of the Westford. One of the main reasons we chose it was that Johannesburg is a very expensive place for hotel rooms. Although The Westford had received a number of mixed reviews on the web, it was generally considered to be a “good value” given the nightly rates at better known hotels. That and the advertised free in-room WiFi convinced us to book our three nights in Joburg at this hotel. This is where reality trumps a business’ web image. Our final decision was that even though any better hotel would come at a much higher cost, sticking with The Westford would likely sour our entire experience in Joburg; in Eron’s words, she felt staying in The Westford made her feel like she was being held “hostage”. Especially since it was considered “unsafe” to be  walking about at night on the streets surrounding the hotel.

It was decided; we would try to find a more suitable hotel in a better area. As luck would have it, I had spotted a Holiday Inn from the patio while I was smoking my cigar. So, we started our search there. What a difference only four blocks make! The Holiday Inn, Sandton is located two blocks on one side of the main train station while The Westford was two blocks to the other but they could’ve very well been in entirely different cities. The contrasts were dramatic; mere blocks away the Holiday Inn was modern, well-maintained, offered all the expected amenities and services, and (most importantly) was in an area that was considered “safe” to be walking around in – even at night. The only thing the two hotels had in common were their friendly and welcoming staffs. We immediately made arrangements to check in, got a cab back to The Westford to check out, and moved all our stuff over to the Holiday Inn.

The Holiday Inn  (http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/sandton/sndrr/hoteldetail?sicreative=18991617579&sicontent=0&sitrackingid=333157467&cm_mmc=Google-PS+US+HI+Regions-_-G+B-EMEA-_-Exact-_-holiday+inn+sandton&siclientid=4660) staff and management were very accommodating; after hearing our tale of hotel-woe, they even gave us complimentary breakfasts for the length of our stay. And the great news… when asked about smoking cigars, they told me I could smoke in a designated area near the main entrance or on a covered section of their ninth floor roof-top pool deck. Of course, this is where I headed off to for my second “South African Cigar” – a Pepin-rolled Casa Royale Churchill. Sitting on a chair with a view of Joburg’s city lights nine floors below you while enjoying a cigar without any hassles from staff or other guests… that’s a fine way to forget about any and all disappointments.

 
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May 29: A couple of hours and we’re off.

Posted on June 4, 2012 by East to Hedon

A couple of hours of sleep a we’re out the door. It’s 3:30 Am and we’re already checked out of our hotel room and waiting for boarding to commence.

The second leg of our journey to Africa begins with Flight EK 761 on another Emirates Airline aircraft; this time a Boeing 777-300ER. This 7 1/2 hour flight had the one thing the first lacked… peace and quiet. There were only a couple of young children on board and they behaved themselves admirably. Emirates Airline proved that their first flight was not an anomaly; the food was great (in fact, excellent, when you consider how most airlines serve absolutely horrible breakfasts), the service superb, free bevies (including alcohol), and the overall customer experience spectacular. They are are indeed the world’s number one ranked airline and deserve to be recognized as such.

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