Animals

This was a real animal encounter. This Leopard had been chased up the tree by some lions who wanted his kill!

The latter part of our tour was devoted to game rides through Namibia’s Atosha national park and the Okavango delta in Botswana.

A feast of wildlife. We saw the big 5 (Lions, Elephants, Leopards, Buffalo and Rhino -white and black) but also many many more including Giraffe, Zebra, Hippos, Sprinbok, Oryx, Impala, Antelope, Hyenas, Warthogs, Crocodiles, Jackals, Wilder Beast, Kudos, Ostrich, Mongoose, Vultures and of course many Baboons and Monkeys !!

Not forgetting the hundreds of colourful small birds, too many to mention and worthy of a separate project in itself to identify them all.

But it was not just the quantity and variety of animals we saw but how close up we were to them. We had some amazing encounters that we will never forget

Neocolonialism

I took this picture sitting in the bar of the ridiculously colonial Victoria Falls hotel

As we drive a round and stay at more places in Namibia, you realise that most of the resorts and accommodations are white owned - German or Afrikaans, playing country & western music in their bars!

A Google search tells us that over 70% of the land is still white owned, 30years after apartheid. I imagine the businesses are too.

Neocolonialism is still a hard nut to crack

The Namibian Desert

Taken by one of our group and we made it to the top of the Dune 45!

Nothing quite prepares you for the vastness and colours of the Namibian desert.

Magnificent dawns and sunsets. Amazing stars flood the night sky.

Massive sand dunes, deep canyons, quiver tree forests add considerable variety to the desert landscape.

Oryx and Springbok roam the land, not to mention our over friendly baboons!

Red earth, oxidized iron sands and orange skies complete the incredible palette that leaves you breathless.

OG - The Baboon

My wife took this picture of OG has he watched us from our bedroom balcony waiting to jump!

So we have all seen the videos of baboons stealing stuff from tourists. Far fetched you think, or easy to shoo away perhaps.

But oh no, we came up against OG - the Original Gangster baboon. He had no fear of us and even mimicked our “shoo away” gestures, as he bashed on our glass patio door and tried to open it with the handle.

Fortunately, the baboons all go to bed when the sun sets, so no nighttime shenanigans. Only the nightmares of the day before to re-live!

Star Gazing

First night under the African stars. A blanket of millions at 8pm. And we can clearly see the Milky Way. Amazing sight to match the daytime landscapes. An 8th wonder of the world surely !

We Love Cape Town

We started our African adventure with 4 nights in Cape Town. And we quickly fell in love with the City, the Cape and its people.

Sort of the LA of Africa, if a comparison has to be made; sunny, great cuisine, multicultural and edgy in parts, with beautiful landscapes to discover.

But the surprise - far less racial tension than its Californian counterpart. From this first visit, good vibes, smiles and a very harmonious experience is how we will remember Cape Town

Crossing the Equator

We have been flying all night and crossed the equator early morning for a short change of flight in Nairobi. First time in the Southern Hemisphere. We will then do a fuel stop in Victoria Falls before finally getting to Cape Town for lunchtime.

First Impressions so far. The flights have been majority white. Yes, socio-economic factors certainly at work here but still a bit of a surprise for a newbie to Southern Africa like myself

And so it began

And so it began with a party. My first day of retirement (1/9/2023) was a blow out bash at the Point Éphémère. We probably chose each other - my people and the slightly edgy venue. We couldn’t have been better matched.

We drank, ate, danced and told funny stories until 2am. What a blast. I then spent 2 days in Paris feeling properly READY for the Next Stage.

Next Stop: Cape Town