World trip: Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Lion Park and Apartheid Museum

Cheetah at Lion Park

Johannesburg is a great destination and starting point for a trip across the country to Cape Town. Having arrived a day late from Cameroon, I had two weeks to enjoy the city and all it had to offer including Kruger National Park, the Lion Park and the Apartheid Museum. I split my time between Boksburg on the outskirts and Rosebank in the middle of things.

I'm going to try a different format with this blog to see if it's more helpful and easier to digest. I'm going to break it down into accomodation and different activities. Hopefully this will help me to marshall my thoughts a bit too.


So...

Accomodation

The Mbizi Lodge http://www.mbizi.com/home.html

Christmas mug poolside

I got to Johannesburg airport and imediately arranged for a pick up to get me to my first hostel the Mbizi backpackers. I have to say that I loved it here. It was cheap and Patrick the owner looks after you like you're family. It's out of town, but Patrick is more than happy to arrange activities for you and can suggest better alternatives, though he's not pushy if you want to do your own thing. I went to Kruger National Park from here and was the last pick up, so no driving from hostel to hotel for hours pick up and dropping off other people.

There's also a bar (I was offered a free beer on arrival) and a pool, which I used inbetween intense blogging sessions to catch up after Cameroon. I must admit hanging poolside was a new one for me and didn't feel as Christmassy as any other December I've had, but I did find a mug to remind me of the season.

I'd suggest that if you want a base to arrange activities such as safaris, visitin the Lion Park, etc, that this would be a good place to go.

Rosebank Lodge

It's cheap, not neccesarily cheerful, but cheap. Also the paid for internet was sketchy at best, but you can log onto another network that is unsecured if you like. The main thing with the Rosebank is that it's in a good location. It's by the Gautrain making it easy to get to Pretoria and the O.R. Tambo airport. It's also a few minutes walk from Rosebank mall which has a local market - perfect for picking up gifts, plus there are bars in walking distance/a short bus ride away.

Safari in Kruger National Park http://www.marcstreehouselodge.com/feedback.php
I did a four day (three night) safari, with one day in the park itself. The First day I was picked up and met the seven other people I would be doing the safari with. We were then taken to a lodge in the area surrounding the park. The accomodation was really nice and more importantly there were a ton of monkeys around the lodges which were very cheeky (who'd have guessed). Once we had settled in we went on a sunset drive which saw the landscape transform as the sun set before we had dinner in the wild. We saw a few animals, including a mongoose trying to break an egg, lots of Impala (they are EVERYWHERE), male and female kudu, some birds, etc, etc. What was really great was coming across a  breeding herd of elephants, including two tiny babies which were impossibly cute.

Sun setting on day 1 of our safari

The next day we took a daytime walk and learned more about tracking animals from our guides and got a
glimpse of hippos in the lakes, which we didn't go too near. It's easy to see why these animals are so dangerous they are HUGE! We also saw an active termite nest, not exactly what you go on safari for, but interesting non the less. The walk was followed by a drive around the park before we headed off to the camp where we were shown to our rooms/tents and had dinner. We also bumped into a group who had come back from Kruger National Park and told us that they had seen pretty much everything the park had to offer as it was such a sunny day. I assume that the animals are too hot and lazy to move from the plains.

So, this is where I got lucky. I had booked a tent (I think) and found myself in a tree house for four with a balcony and what's more it was all mine. I have to say that while the camping sounded fun, I really didn't mind having a private lodge (check out the video to see how awesome it was).

Cheeky monkey at lodge

The next day was the big one, our visit to Kruger National Park and that's when my luck changed. It POURED, which while it makes for cute videos of baboons looking sorry for themselves, also meant that a lot of animals has sought shelter in the trees and bushes. That being said, we saw some bull elephants, more giraffe, hippos, zebra, Impala, Kudu, etc. What really made it was seeing a croc eating a catfish which went on for a while, a hyena and three white rhino.This is where doing a group safari really came into its own. If I'd been on my own with a guide we wouldn't have spotted half the animals we did and more over I wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much, as it was the people I was with that made it a good trip, we all sort of kept each others' spirits up and after a few purchases at the shop (yes they have a shop and some restaurants, which shatters the illusion a little) we played a animal spotting drinking game.

On the way back from the safari we stopped off at Blood River Canyon on the Limpopo river to take photos. It's really breathtaking and I was able to buy a few souveniers from the local people selling items on the roadside.

Two young warthogs with their mother and father

Zebra in Kruger National Park

Giraffe in Kruger National Park

The Lion Park http://www.lion-park.com/

Playing with lion cub in Lion Park

Having not seen any big cats during the rather wet safari, I decided to go to the Lion Park. A couple from the safari had been and said it was good fun. I was picked up at 8am as I had decided to go as early as possible to avoid the crowds. I started off by playing with the lion cubs, it's only two minutes as they don't want to stress out the cubs, but it was still a fun experience. It would have been better if a certain girl and her daughter hadn't disregarded everyone else and kept running around the place. It was so agrivating, I hate these parents who think just because they've had kids they can go charging around ruining everyone else's time. It's bad manners and they should be teaching their children a bit of decorum (how English was that?!).

With a Cheetah in the Lion Park

I then went onto walk with a cheetah. I was with a French group of three people, so my plan of getting there early really worked. It was a fun experience and as with the lions, the cheetah was very domesticated so I didn't feel unsafe at all. I got to pet the cheetah too and again as with the lions, the hair was quite course and felt like it had sand in it, even though it didn't.

We finally went on a drive around the park proper and saw black buffalo, more impala, springbok, giraffe and other prey animals, before going onto the lion enlosures. There are four prides of lions, one regular and three white. We also got to see some cubs with their families. Seeing the white lions was quite strange as they aren't albino, they just have lighter fur, which in my ignorance I wasn't expecting. It was later explained that the white lions were much like ginger people in that they were perfectly normal they just had recessive pigmentation genes.

The Apartheid Museum and Mandella House

A young Nelson Mandella

These are a definite must see in the town, the museum in particular. Mandella House is also very much worth seeing to find out more about the man and his years before incarceration. However it was the museum that captured my heart and imagination, it was so eye opening to get a better understanding of the struggle and scale of the issue. I knew the theory of apartheid before, but the museum brings it into its terrible detail and tells the story of the two opposing factions. It's laid out in a chronological fashion so you get a sense of the story, the steps forward and back and the number of people who lived and died for equality. I must admit I felt quite emotional at the end, especially reading about individual stories of people who had been involved. However you end feeling amazingly in awe of what was achieved in the fight against prejudice and how they didn't just stop at race but secured freedom for all ending discrimination on the grounds of race, gender disability, sexual orientation, religious belief and so on. I can't say I can remember everything I learned and would suggest if you go that you leave yourself a good amount of time to see and absorb it all.

Tribute to the end of the Apartheid

So that's the main bits. I also went to the Magnum store to make my own ice cream, having missed out on the one in London. It was good fun, but the video covers all that.


Hope you enjoyed it all. I've put more videos of cute animals on the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/TWINETraveller please do subscribe it will help boost my ego, plus you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram on @The_end_is_Ni or on tumblr on the-end-is-ni which will inflate my ego even further (though be warned you may be creating a monster haha/not joking)
Cheers,

Ni

A different way of life: Besali, Cameroon

A simple, peaceful life in Besali

Besali is one of the outlying communities around the Cameroon rainforest and was our final stop before the expedition began. We stayed with our tracker/guide Solomon, his two wives and their children.

Having lived in London before starting my trip, I've been used to having all mod cons. Besali soon showed me a completely different way of life, living without running water or electricity and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Though I'm not sure I could do it on a permanent basis, I enjoyed the simplicity of it all and how trusting people are. You can leave your things anywhere and they would be safe, people say good morning to you on the street and everyone knows everyone, it's like a bygone era blessed with eternal sunshine.

Anna carrying provisions to base camp

Solomon's wives Anna and Constance looked after us really well and I got to try a host of new foods, which were delicious. Before heading into the forest we met with the chief of Besali who follows the towns traditional ways, part of which is the belief that the people's ancestors live in the forest. The chief was very welcoming and performed a ritual to let the ancestors know that we were coming, what we planned to do and asked for them to look after us while we were in the forest. 

With the ritual complete we then gathered our belongings. Solomon's wives, Joy, his eldest daughter and a local man took our tents and provisions up to the camp. I rather naïvely said I could take my own things, but Bedwin our biologist said it was best if they did it. After trekking two hours to base camp on tough terrain I was glad I wasn't carrying my things as I would have certainly injured myself. I am in complete awe of how Joy, Anna and Constance took all our stuff up in baskets which were strapped to their foreheads and rested on their backs.

I'll tell you all about life in the rainforest in another post as there's a lot to tell. However when we got back Bedwin and I did a tour of six local schools where I taught the children (often 100 at a time) about conservation. It was challenging for the most part as the kids didn't get my accent, but with some help from the teachers and Bedwin we got through. I also invented a game which was a variation on musical chairs in which the desks were rainforest and the children were gorillas. If we put books on the desks they became farms and the children could no longer sit at them. The game worked really well and the children got to see the effect of farming on the gorillas, however it did occur to me on day two that I was an ostensibly white man telling a bunch of black kids that they were gorillas... So that happened. Anyway the main thing is that it worked I suppose.

And on that note, I'll leave you with a video of my adventures

Gran Canaria - Las Palmas and Maspolomas

This is going to be a short one. Due to some personal developments and some inclement weather, this trip didn't turn out as expected and I wasn't able to go surfing or paragliding. However that's not to say that I haven't fallen for the charms of Gran Canaria, or more specifically Las Palmas.

I arrived by a tiny propeller plane to Las Palmas. The flight was pleasant, smooth and the staff at Air Marroc were the best I've come across. I then checked into my hostel, The Little Surf House, which was amazing, clean, bright and welcoming  without feeling clinically put together like a chain of hotels - everything a hostel should be!

Rosa, the owner, met us and had learned from this very blog that I grew up in Ramsgate, somewhere she had lived for 9 months. For people from a small town this is a MAJOR NOVELTY, and I am nothing if not a victim of novelty. So we chatted about Ramsgate and what to do in Las Palmas. It has to be said that Rosa was amazingly helpful, even getting me signed up to an international hostel group to help me save money. 

Over the coming week I, along with a friend, did a tour of Las Palmas, visiting the old quarter, Vagetta, which holds a tapas night every Thursday. You can actually get tapas and beer for two euros! It's beautiful and full of large imposing Dutch architecture, I sincerely wish I could live in one of these beautiful period homes!

We also went to Maspalomas, which for my taste is too touristy. That being said I did pick up an awesome Back to the Future tshirt which I would have added a picture of if Blogger worked properly with Google Drive! Anyway, Maspalomas doesn't really have a soul or any Spanish spirit, but what it does have is night life. We ended up arriving for the last night of gay pride. While it's not my cup of tea, I did meet some great people from Albania who worked at one of the bars. I am still in touch with them, so that's good. I'd say they were my first new travelling friends. In that I met them and not that they wear sovereigns and bad fake tan!

The shopping in Las Palmas is good, they have a big shopping centre on the sea front with restaurants and lot of sports outlets, plus a gym and what's really great is that it's open late. I went there at 9pm and there was no sign of shops shutting, which is what I like to see. I also came across something I'd never encountered in European shops. If you go into the main supermarket with a plastic bag, you have to use a machine to seal another bag around it - one assumes to prevent shop lifting, though you could quite easily break this outter bag if you wanted and carry on your pilfering ways, if that's your intent.

All this aside, what I really want to talk about is the activity in Las Palmas. As someone who enjoys being active this place was amazing. Within a stones throw of the hostel I could go rock climbing, do yoga, visit several gyms, visit a dance studio. Plus, still within stones throw is the beach, where you can use a number of outdoor gyms or run the length of Las Canteras coast with the swathes of other joggers taking in the views of the sea, harbour and the island's biggest auditorium. Finally as if that wasn't enough, Rosa is on hand to arrange paragliding, surfing, wind surfing, kayaking, mountain biking and I'm sure a whole host of other activities. 

The eternal spring weather also means that activities are on most of the time, though there are still some times when they have to down tools to keep people safe. 

All in all, I'd definitely stay here again. In fact I plan to. Maybe a little earlier in the year, but not by much as temperatures still went up to 30 degrees at times, which is high enough when you're being active. I'll also be back to visit my new found friends and have a big night out in Maspalomas, though it will be Las Palmas I'll be returning to as the lifestyle has really captured my heart.

What to pack for travelling

So before I went travelling,  I thought I would take you through what I'm packing (oi oi)... In my bag. The video below gives a few highlights and some of the reasoning behind my choices, so do check it out and please do subscribe to the channel!!

So I've managed to pack everything I want and it's come to 16kg approx, which I'm pleased with. 

The first thing I have to cover off is my bag, the Osprey Farpoint 70, which I'm really pleased with. A few things I haven't mentioned in the vid are that the straps all pack away behind the bag to avoid damage while in the hold. It's also waterproof and one of the front straps has a whistle, which is fun if nothing else. As you'll be able to see the front casing straps can also be used to attach a sleeping mat, which is handy.

Onto the contents... Rather than list everything in the bag, which would be boring/exhausting, I'm going to just mention the bits that I found out about through research and suggestions, so hopefully some of these will be news to you. 

- a no pegs clothes line, there may not always be somewhere to drape your clothes so this apparently is a must

- quick drying clothes. I've got some regular clothing, but a lot is made of quick drying materials to ensure I don't need to pack any wet clothing

- zip lock bags. While my bag is water resistant it's best to keep your tech and docs dry

- lip balm. I'm not much of a beauty products guy, but the organisers of my dune boarding trip have suggested this is a must

- mosi bands. I have to thank Dorcas at my last place of work Kazoo PR (brilliant agency btw) for this suggestion and for lending me a bunch of stuff. She's one of the best travelled people I know, so if she swears by them then they're going in my bag!

- sleeping bag liner. This may seem obvious, but again Dorcas had the inside scoop and said that silk was the only way to go, something which my research backed up. It will be much easier to wash this than an entire sleeping bag!!

- A-Z multivitamins. It seems odd, but as one blog pointed out, you need to look after yourself if you don't want to contract some illness your body has never encountered before

- plastic bags - to separate clean and worn clothes in my bag

So that's a few of the more unlikely bits I'm taking. I haven't gone into the tech that I'm taking, as I don't want to invite any unwanted attention from pick pockets, etc (like this blog is that big haha). 

I'll revisit this post in a few months/a year, hopefully with the benefit of experience, to asses what worked, what didn't and ultimately what I would have packed if I had my time again.

Hope you enjoy the vid, which has more info and please do subscribe and share :)

Live long and prosper 

Ni 

Ten tips to do my trip of Morocco and sand boarding

I would definitely suggest Erg Chicaga and Morocco to anyone who wants to do something active and a bit different, with the opportunity to see some amazing natural sites. Some of these tips are a bit different to those in the vid, which gives you an excuse to look at both (and isn't because I was woefully unco-ordinated making this blog and Vlog haha) - enjoy...

1) Know your exchange rate and haggle. This one is pretty obvious, but worth remembering, people will try and rip you off if they can. Not the guys from the camp though, they were amazing! However in the souks and roadside shops, always remember to haggle and don't be corralled into buying things you don't want.

2) If anyone offers to help you, let's say to find your hostel, or to give you directions, THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY! They will be really forceful about it too, so be warned. There have been a few exceptions, but in general they aren't helping out of the kindness of this hearts. If you genuinely so need help, then go ahead, but be prepared to haggle and be firm afterward or agree a price up front.

3) Pack carrier bags, they are really handy for splitting out sand covered clothes from clean ones in your luggage.

4) Bring plasters, the chances are that you will fall off your board and cut yourself. I busted my
shoulder a bit and you can see pics Of one of my cuts here. Don't worry you shouldn't need anything more than a normal plaster, just to keep the sand out of any small cuts and grazes.

5) Pack warm night wear and a jumper. It gets cold at night so you'll want to wrap up to see the stars, sit by the open fire, watch the sunrise, etc.

6) On the subject of sunrises, be aware that the tents block out a surprising amount of light. I almost missed the sunrise because I hadn't realised that it has started getting lighter.

7) Take an action camera. I used my GoPro Hero 3+ Silver edition and I feel it's a better way to remember the feeling of dune boarding, plus they take great photos. 

8) Watch the stars, after a long day, and a big, hearty dinner (with wine included), it can be quite easy to slope off to bed, but take the time to sit out and see the stars, they are phenomenal and the camp has a telescope, should you wish to see more.

9) The food is spiced, but not spicy, which means it's full of flavour. My favourite dish was beef and prune tagine with couscous, which was served at the camp with red wine. In a word, DELICIOUS!

10) Visit in November apparently. I had a great time and the place wasn't overrun with other visitors, while the cities were still very lively. The weather was also just right during the day.

Hope you enjoyed my tips and as always suggestions, shares and comments are always great fully received :) 

World travel days 3&4 - Erg Chicaga: sand boarding and the sun

 I wake up lazily on my first and only full day at the camp, fighting the urge to lie in further,  having I the night freezing. The camp attendants let me know that breakfast is ready whenever I want it, but I decide to wash first and a bucket of hot water is brought to me five minutes later. I then have breakfast and see the only other guests leave - I now have the camp to myself. I request to ride a camel and go sand boarding.

Riding a camel isn't as uncomfortable as I thought and provided a great vantage point to view the endless array of dunes. We soon arrive at the big dunes and I try my best to make it to the bottom, which I don't (see the video for a collection of wipe outs). I noticed that I got better as the morning went on, but soon it was time to call it a day (or rather morning) and head back.

We get back in time for lunch and I spend the hotter part of the afternoon on a hammock reading while two new guests arrive. I then grab a board and take my second shot at the dunes. 

This time I do a lot better, getting to the bottom of several dunes. The key I find is to concentrate on something in the distance and try not to worry about how fast you are going. That being said I did hit my shoulder pretty hard, an injury I instantly knew would be with me for a few days (it's all better now though). While dune boarding I watched the sun set, which was magical. I thought I had captured it and the evening's activities on my GoPro, only to realise that I had been out of sync. turning the camera off before going down the dunes and back on when I reached the bottom. I also hadn't realised that I had put it onto a setting that took photos every few second rather than filming. This however turned out to be a brilliant mistake as I have some amazing photos of the sunset, which you can see on the video.

I then have dinner with the new guests, Ollie and Ellie, a really nice couple from Wandsworth who are doing a tour of Morocco. We exchange travelling stories and I learn that Ollie has recently become an economist and that Ellie works in marketing. They tell me that I looked pretty proficient with a dune board, as they had seen me while watching the sun set themselves. I put this down to the fact that the lower half of my dune was obscured to them, so they couldn't see my many face plants!

Day 3: I wake up during the night with a very sore shoulder in the freezing cold, though I had prepared and was in a sleeping bag under the duvets. I struggle to ignore my shoulder but eventually get up and soak a hand towel in cold water to use as a compress, which helps and I soon manage to get to sleep, but not for long as my alarm sounds meaning it's time to get up and see the sunrise. It's tempting to stay in bed, but I forsake my napping and go out into the very fresh, very cool and very still morning  and boy was it worth it. Just as with the sunset, I'm totally blown away, this time with how the landscape goes from twilight to bright sunshine in a matter of minutes, the dunes casting dramatic, dancing shadows as the sun pierces the horizon. It's also hard to quite explain the stillness and quiet of the new day, which is totally silent with the exception of the occasional chatter of birds and camels, the latter making rather bizarre but conversational noises.

I then head back to my tent and wearily pack my bag and head to breakfast. I am joined by Ollie, with Ellie following soon after and we chat about the previous night and the couple's plans to sand board, go trekking, camel riding and quad biking, all of which I am sad to miss, but, with breakfast now over, it's time to go. Hitcham is by the entrance and we head off toward Marrakech.

The way back is much clearer and having taken a different route, we soon stop in a dried up sea bed where Hitcham points out fossils. It's bizarre to think that at any time this dry landscape could have been under water. We then jump

Back in the car to a rug making co-operative where I have tea with the owner and then onto an Argan oil co-operative where the owner explains how they get the oil and how the business, which employs local orphans, helps the local people. I also take a look at their products and after a demonstration come out with very moisturised hands smelling of various local plants.

Co-operatives seem to be the largest for of trade between local people and tourists, with many people contributing to each store.

We then stop off at a small roadside restaurant where I have a tagine of beef and prunes, along with bread and local Argan oil and nut butter with honey. 

We make quick time and I get to the hostel early with the help of a guide. I memorise the route for the morning after. 

The next morning we head to Casablanca for my flight which I can't find on the boards. I'm then told the flight is going the next day. Something that had escaped my notice when the travel agent changed the flight time. I kick myself for not checking the details more thoroughly and indulge in a little panic before making a plan of action. I get the train into town and find an Internet cafe and arrange accommodation across town. I have to admit I didn't think much of Casablanca and decided to stay close to the hotel where I had dinner before getting an early night. At least it would have been if I had not come down with an aggressive form of the flu, which almost stopped me getting the flight to Las Palmas. I do have to say though that the staff at the hotel were amazing, bringing me mint tea and yoghurt to help my stomach free of charge throughout the morning.  

Oh and a Moroccan man stopped me in the street to say I had a very Moroccan face, which was nice. 

And that's it, my Moroccan journey is complete.

World travel day 2 - Road to the Sahara

Mists over the Atlas Mountains

I wasn't planning on making another video on my second day, after all I was spending 10hrs in a car... However I underestimated Morocco and it's amazing scenery, dramatic weather and very interesting people, for that Morocco I am sorry.

The day started at 6:30am, which I was surprisingly awake for. I was met by my driver Hicham and we quickly made our way through the winding back alleys of the souks to the car, a big 4x4 with a safari snorkel.

It was still very cold and just around sun rise. This meant that the mists were still low and hugging the Atlas Mountains when we got there, creating beautiful views and an unexpected rainbow, all set to the background of burnt red rocks and deep green trees. As the day went on the sun burnt the mists away and the vast views of the mountains and later on the wide expanses of desert were epic. 

En route we stopped at a few cafes and tourist shops where the local people were actually less pushy with their wares than I thought they would be. 

Throughout the journey Hicham highlighted points of interest, including the country's main filming location, where they shot Gladiator and some scenes from Babel. This and the ever-changing scenery made the journey pass very quickly and we were soon at the desert. 

The real fun started when we went off road. Hicham picked out the path with an obvious knowledge and understanding of the area, throwing the car around very safely over hills, along long since dried river beds and even through a sand storm that brought visibility down to a couple of feet. Hicham said that they were expecting a sandstorm as there had been snow and mists on the mountains that morning.

We arrived at 4:30pm and I was quickly shown to my tent, which far out stripped my expectations. I then unpacked did some video editing and was considering going to bed when I was informed dinner was ready, I then realised it was only 6:30pm.... It had been a long day and surprisingly tiring, but a lot of fun, which did bode well for the day ahead. 

If you want to find out more about sand boarding I'll be posting another blog with the rest of my experience soon, plus you can check out the camp's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ErgChigagaLuxuryDesertCamp

World travel day 1

So today has been the day. I woke up in London at my flat and now roughly 12 hours later, I'm sat in Equity Point, a hostel in the middle of Marrakech, trying to eat dinner while a random cat sits on my lap trying to get at said dinner.

It's been a strange day leaving everyone behind, but it's also a day of excitement, so it's a mixed bag.

It's hard to believe that this is the start of a trip that will take me round the world, but that's exactly what it is. I feel amazingly lucky to be here and excited to start this chapter of my life, what I'm not excited about is tomorrow's 6:30am start to go dune boarding...

I was also invited to have drinks with some American students. I had to politely decline due to that 6:30am start, but it has reassured me that I am going to meet lots of new people on my travels.

The cat just sneezed, it was adorable.