Africa - Cape to Kili

The hike was very steep but had great views of the city below. At the top it was really windy, but I was happy to see that I would still be able to abseil off the top. It was a 300ft. cliff, the blasting winds making it all the more sketchy. On one section there was a huge overhang and you let the rope out and I was totally suspended in the air.

That night at the hostel, we enjoyed the party for the World Cup that would be on every TV from here to Kenya.

Cape to Kili

An Overland Tour of Africa

Distance: 5202 miles by truck

Time: 50 Days (June 8th-August 2nd 2006)

Countries: South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana,

Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya

Overview:

Africa, its more massive and unfamiliar than anywhere we had gone before. A land of storybook animals mixed with its people facing the extreme hardships of poverty, government corruption, and AIDS. It was time to turn off the TV and its incessant chaotic images and see Africa for ourselves. We were fortunate enough to spent 52 days on a overland tour, traversing much of the continent. Beginning at Cape Town, South Africa and going overland by truck to Nairobi, Kenya in Eastern Africa. The trip consisted of a huge truck full of about 19 of us from all over the world, a fantastic group of like-minded people out to explore and discover a place so mysterious and unknown to us westerners, and a few easterners. Booking the trip we had 2 options, accommodated or camping. Figuring we would rather go for a long time and knowing how expensive it was just to get there, we had no problem taking the camping tour. We are more the camping type anyway. Our tent would become home each night once again. We spent a huge amount of time on the road stopping allow the way to visiting the National Parks, people, through a variety of landscapes. Some of the land otherworldly like the deserts of Namibia to the other side of the continent on the beaches of Zanzibar.

Being on a tour definitely had its pros and cons. It took away all the stress of planning accommodations and meals off our back (It was our long awaited honeymoon after all) while it gave us the chance to focus all of our attention on the surroundings. You might also be wary of traveling Africa on your own, and it is one place where I would not want to get lost. So it was comfortable to being with a guide that knows the route and the best spots to camp and other worthwhile experiences to stop for.


			Preparation for the trip got into full swing a few months before leaving. But before we knew it we were boarding that plane for an adventure of a lifetime.


	June 10th Wow, we are here in Africa after 29 hours of traveling. We left SFO for LAX at 5:10PM and left LAX at about 9:00 PM for London. From London we were on British Airways, much better than American by the way. "We are having a contest for our pilots final flight and the prize might include large quantities of liquid that might contain bubbles," we heard over the intercom. Hmmmm, what could the prize be? Fantastic flight. Our plan to combat the jet lag worked and we slept most of the way and arrived in Cape Town, South Africa at 8AM. We called the hostel from the airport and they came and got us. Our hostel had a view of Table Mountain and had wonderful bar/hang out area. Good scene. The word on the streets was a change of weather was heading our way so we knew we could not waste any time. We headed to the base of Table Mountain.


			We had 3 days to see Cape Town before getting on our over-land tour. We booked 2 different tours. One to the Cape of Good Hope, and the other was a wine tasting out in Stellenbosh. On the way to Cape Point we stopped at this nice vista seen here.

	Another early start and we were off to the hostels bar for a cup of mud for some much needed caffeine. It had been raining since about 4:30AM , but we were ok with it... who needs good weather for wine tasting? Robby, our wine tasting professional, picked us up at 8:30 and we joined some others from Solana Beach of all places and England. As promised we were having our first taste by 10AM and enjoyed the rest of the day touring the wine country of South Africa. Robby was hilarious talking about the giraffe souvenirs. "Those bloody wooden giraffes. Its crazy. I had one guy beg me to pull over so he could pick one up. I pictured a small, two foot one, but he came back.. it was massive. The head stuck out the passenger window and the legs out the back. His plan was to cut it into thirds to get it home." On the way back to the city we passed massive townships of poverty that had poles of electricity that looked like spider webs going to the shacks. Our hostel has a large wall around it and 24hr security. The city is not the safest place to walk around at night. USA lost their World Cup game that night.


			Lots of baboons around a Cape Point beach.

	June 13th - Cape Town Robben island was on the agenda for today and we were lucky enough to book the 9AM ferry at the early price of 60 rand. The ferry ride was very choppy, 10-15 foot swells and some people on the deck got soaked. The tour, witch lasted 2 hours, was lead by an ex-political prisoner. We saw Mandela's cell where he was kept for 27 years for being a threat to the white government in control. He was released in 1994 and became the countries first democratically elected president. One thing to note about today was something that I observed during our stroll through a art/craft market. In one stall a black man had paintings depicting the harshness of township life while the white woman's stall next door was filled with pristine Dutch architecture and perfectly scenic Cape Town landscapes. The city means such different things to different people, many challenges after the Apartheid.


			Day 1- Nomad Tour - June 15th I was talking to a guy the other night at the hostel who was a tour guide for Nomad for 5 years. One of the trips he got malaria and didn't tell anyone. As a result, he woke up in a coma in Cape Town five days later. He is now doing his own tour, a 7 month trip all the way from Belgium to Cape Town with his own tour company. I asked, "How are the roads" and he responded, "What roads, I use GPS and avoid the cities." Some serious travel.

			We grabbed our gear and took a cab to the Nomad headquarters early the next morning and hung out with a large group of travelers that we would be living with for over a month. We were in the lounge of the office and when signing in the roster I noticed that we were the only Americans. I was still feeling a bit nauseous from taking a Malaria pill that morning without food or water- will not do that again. It was an exciting time loading up the truck and powering out of town. The truck (Its NOT A bus!!!, our guide threatened) is massive. Ray was his name and weighed in at 17 tons. It is about 15 ft tall and towers above the road. Everyone stares as we drive by. All the Nomad buses are named after rock stars. Sitting on the truck you hear so many different languages. There are people from Germany, England, Korea, Mexico, Holland, Denmark and Canada. About half the group was going all the way to Nairobi with us, the rest ending the trip halfway at Victoria Falls.

	We were on our way to our first nights destination, the Cedarburg Mountains. We did stop at a grocery store outside the city to stock up on food before heading out. Surrounded by large windows it is great for seeing the countryside as we drive through green, rolling hills, not anything like you picture the Africa landscape. A few hours later we pulled into an orange orchard. The Gecko Backpacker Lodge and Camp was beautiful and we were able to eat all the oranges we wanted. After a tent building demonstration and a lunch, we took a hike with a local who gave lots of interesting info on the area and showed us some pictographs by the river. The evening was spent drinking beers and figuring out a game plan for the money fiasco that all of us going to Nairobi are facing. We need thousands in US dollars on us to use for all the optional activities. The problem is that there is not many banks that carry US dollars and we will need lots especially towards the end of the trip for the Serengeti. That night we were glad that we brought gear for Kilimanjaro's temps at 19,000 ft because it is absolutely freezing. No one was expecting such low temps in Africa of all places.


			Morning, we were up early and started the day with a nice shower in a bamboo shack overlooking the water. Our excursion that most of the group signed up for that morning was a raft down the river. The river was the highest it had been in 5 yrs. Really murky water, we were told the sediment from it is what blows off the ocean to form the massive dunes we will see in a few days in Namibia. Birds were chirping, sky was blue, we paddled our way back to camp.


			Sascha, Steve and Brutis


			Back on the road we crossed over the river into Namibia. Now we are in a magnificent desert, I can't believe it, but fields of flowers as far as the eye could see covered the dry ground. This is such a fantastic way to travel I thought. It feels like a holiday, kick back and enjoy the ride, no worries.


			We rolled into Hobas camp and had to set up our tents quickly so that we would make it to the rim of the Fish River Canyon for sunset. Not one person stood behind the rail as we all were taking pictures beside the cliff. Johann was telling us about the 5 day hike he did along the canyon to a mountain far off. Another end to a day on the road.


			Back at camp Johann was telling us some stories around the campfire of past clients. "There was this crazy American who carried a machete and dressed like Rambo. He found amusement in jumping out of the truck at a lions waterhole and jumping electric fences to throw rocks at elephants." After doing this tour 45 times he had seen it all. This morning it was freezing (well 8 C) as we woke up at 5AM to get on the road. 7-9 hours of driving today toward the Namib desert. We were on a large gravel road and pass large herds of Springbok that scatter as we drive by. Everyone on the bus is wrapped up in their recently purchased blankets to stay warm. We aren't expecting to see to many people today as there are only 1.5 million people in all of Namibia.


	June 18th - Day 5 - Namibia Yesterday was a brutally long drive that seemed to go on forever. It was through some interesting landscapes and we eventually came through a valley with desert mountains all around us. We stopped at a small slot canyon called Sesriem Canyon that brought back memories of Buckskin, although not nearly as deep or colorful. To navigate the roads around here you really do need a 4-wheel drive truck. I was starting to feel a bit ill so went to bed early and this sickness would eventually catch up to me


			Once again we were up at 5 am to catch the sunrise at the top of Dune 45. Sam described it as one of the coolest things that she had ever done. The sand dune is massive and the red becomes brighter as the sun makes its appearance. Sand between the toes while the pictures were snapping. Some of these dunes are over 1000 ft tall and go on as far as the eye can see. Breakfast was served at the base of the dune 45.


			After Dune 45 we joined the Bushman tour and headed to Sossuvlei for a guided walk. He talked about how the Bush Men (the people in the movie "The Gods must be Crazy" ) and animals survive in this dry, scorching desert. Bushmen were hunted for sport up until the 1920's. All you needed was a permit, they were seen as animals. Bushman would leave their sick, elderly, and children behind at times because being nomadic is a matter of survival here.


			We made it to a large flat area where there were dead trees that were more than 900 years old. Seeing these with a backdrop of red dunes and blue sky was stunning. After some time at camp and lunch we are now off to our next camp for the night. Only about 7 1/2 hrs away!

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