This month I've been wandering around Vietnam - well up and down actually...
The road from Phnom Penh was very bad but once we crossed in Vietnam they were a lot better. Spent a couple of days in the Mekong Delta, a couple in Saigon (no-one there calls it Ho Chi Minh City) followed by a few days in the hills at Dalat, then bus to Nha-trang (next-the-sea), then Hoi-An (a quaint and sleepy french village [well it was 'til we arrived]), then Hue a large town with some wicked banana pancakes, a long overnight bus ride (16 hours) to Hanoi, 3 days out in the mountains of Halong Bay - I hope you are following all this - and then a train !!! (nearly as bumpy as the bus - but not quite) to Sapa in the far north for a wonderful week and now back in Hanoi. Incidentally, the North may have won the war in 1975 but you would never know it - the South is still much better off.
The Best Bits
I hardly know where to start.....
- Sapa - Originally built as a hill station and still no bigger than a village [and not many tourists !!]. High enough in the mountains (1650m) o have fantastic views of the valley and mountains beyond - the main features here are the rice terraces thousands of them carved from the hilside and the minority people (the name the locals give to the hill tribes; though yes they are very small in height as well) in their traditional dress (which most of them wear all the time - they have no other clothes). And what views from the hotel (see later). I spent 3 days trekking in the steep sided valley where the tribes live and farm those rice terraces - still ploughing the terraces with water buffalo (Oxen). Visted 5 tribes and stayed with 2 of them overnight. But don't drink the rice spirit - especially the sort that has had dead snakes and dead birds in it for a few months/years........ The other few days I just wandered around and sat on my balcony admiring the view.....Incidentally, due to microclimates created by the mountains the warmest and coldest places in Vietnam are up here and just a mountain ridge apart - it is just a little windy over that ridge ....
Halong Bay - Basically rocks sticking up out of the water - very beautiful especially in the mist. What can I say - you just had to be there..........
Mekong Delta - Stayed with a family for 1 night on a small island near Long Xuyen (I can't pronounce it either) where they have not allowed tourists to go before (communist countries and all that) so as soon as we walked / cycled down the street we were surrounded by 20 or thirty locals asking us questions - mostly in Vietnamese (and not asking for money!). The lack of tourism had a helping hand that evening when we wandered into a bar (it was basic but there was a tv on, a few people watching it and a few spare chairs and tables) and after some pointing eventually managed to get across to the owner that we wanted 7 beers (wouldn't have though it would be that difficult to order a drink !). He promptly got on his bike and cycled down the road and bought back some beers! Apparently it wasn't a bar after all - maybe just his front terrace ....... And we went to a real floating market where we were the only tourists (a change from Bangkok).
Dalat - A really offbeat french style chill out spot with a mad monk (who made us paint pictues (mine were awful - but he seem pleased!!)); a crazy lady who has built a small 'hotel' with the rooms inside concrete trees and surrounded by a couple of giraffe and giant spiders; a charming french poet who invited us into his cafe (it really was his front room) and insisted showing us all the articles that had been written about him in the international press (there were many)... And we trekked for 2 days in the jungle......fantastic !
Hoi-An - Delightful little place. It's sooooooooo french - but apart from that it's OK !
My Son - Not a genetic reference (I am more careful than that) but the centree of the Cham empire for 900 years. A very importtant site although thanks to the Americans during the war it is now not as impressive as it once was. When compared to Angkor, it bears some resemblence to a pile of bricks......
Beer - not a place but a drink. The local stuff (drinkable) here costs US10cents (UK 7p)for half a pint. It really is cheaper than the drinking water !!!!!! but you have to drink it in the street ..... not that it matters where you start, you will probably end up in the gutter....
The bad bits...
- Crossing the road in Saigon. Ther are 2 million motos (motorbikes) in Saigon and they are all out to get you (I mean me)!!!!! Actually the best way to cross the road is simply to not look and just walk slowly across and they will all drive round you and each other (in theory). Actually I didn't see any accidents in the south of Vietnam although in the north (where there are less motos) I have seen loads - several requiring an ambulance....
- Cheap CDs - Including all your favorites - they cost about US$0.8 each (less than 60p). Unfortunately they have tracks missing and those that are there often get stuck. They look pretty though ! (Someone told me thay might be pirates.....surely not..)
- Loudspeakers - If you thought that Government broadcasts across the whole country getting people to work harder, only have a max. of 2 children etc. only happened in '1984' then think again !!! 1 hour twice a day they blare out the good communism message. Fortunately the loadspeakers have been removed from most of the areas populated by tourists (so we won't know anything about it....)
- The one pillar pogoda - Possibly the most dissapointing tourist attraction since Copenhagen's little mermaid and that peeing boy in Brussels. 'Rabbit hutch on a stick' it should be called..... but then again it was built about 1000 years ago....Oh... no .. it was completely destroyed by the French (!)and they actually rebuilt it in concrete about 20 years ago....delightful!
- Getting dragged down some rapids (unintentionally) near Sapa and then dragged under by the current just as I was abut to hit a huge rock. It's like white water rafting all over again, but without the safety boats! Not recommended !
- Saying 'Hello' - (This represents half my Vietnamese volcabulary). I had been using this phrase for a couple of weeks, much to the amusment of some Vietnamese, when I was told that tones are very important in Vietnamese and that the 2nd half of the phrase (sin jhow) needs to be pronouned with a falling tone. I think that I was pronouncing it with a rising tone .... meaning 'rice soup '!!!!! No wonder they laughed!
That's enough of Vietnam for me, now I'm off on a 24 hour bus ride from Hanoi to Vientiane in Lao (where the roads are worse (?) than Cambodia's).However, I will remember the views of Sapa from my hotel balcony for a long time....(like Swizerland only with rice terraces)...'...below me the rugged hills are covered with pine forests and dotted with 'chalets', supported by stacks of almost endless layers of rice terraces carved into the landscape in sweeping geometric patterns. Opposite a thin layer of cloud slides silently down the valley gently dusting each hilltop. Above the cloud a dark mountain ridge dominates the valley silhouetted against a blue sky sprinkled with white and black clouds calmly reddening in the setting sun and yet cooled by the chill of the mountain air.....Well that's enough of that poetic stuff .. I'm off to read Homer's 'Odyssey' and 'The Iliad'...........
By the way Vietnam was great !
LuvPete
Saturday, 31 March 2001
Monday, 5 March 2001
Where 5 Phnom Penh, Cambodia --OR-- Wat No Angkor
Hi Everyone,
Since last email (Hong Kong) I have moved to hotter and much cheaper
countries - both good news - however there are some downsides..... I spent
a couple of weeks in Bangkok (which was far too long but I had to sort out
visas for Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos) and then travelled by bus to Cambodia,
first to Siem Reap to see the temples at Angkor and then by boat to Phnom
Penh......
The good bits
- The temples at Angkor are incredible, of excellent quality and varied in style. Built by the
Khmer people as their capital city from 9th - 14th century only the temples
remain (only gods could live in stone buildings (temples) so all other
buildings were wooden and have long gone).
The crowning glory is Angkor Wat (the outline of the central towers appears
on the Cambodian flag [with which you are all no doubt familiar : )) ]which
is an incredible building (built 1113 - 1150 AD). It is surronded by a moat
200m wide and 5.5km long; the central building contains 3 levels and 1200sq
metres of stone carvings depicting legends and stories of the time. It is
in almost perfect condition despite the years and wars which have ravaged
the coutry. Said by some to be the greatest building ever conceived by the
human mind - the scale is awesome and the balance is perfect - it flows with the surrounding jungle... inspirational.
Definitely worth 3 days of my time and undoubtedly a highlight of the whole
trip.
- The Royal Palace in Bangkok - choc full of ornate and colourful temples,
chedis and monsters (guarding it all).
- Lying down buddha 46m long with feet 3m by 5m - and it was probably solid
gold .... or maybe it was painted gold .... or maybe you see so many gold
buddhas that after a while it doesn't really matter..... interestingly the
most sacred buddah in the whole of Thailand (in Royal Palace) in only about
1m tall - Even in Bangkok size isn't everything !!
- Talking to some monks at a temple in Bangkok about how they live their
life and ending up talking about Premiership football - thankfully none of
them supported ManU...
- The other travellers I have met - sometimes insane but always interesting
....... (like the Irish farmer who has been travelling for 4.5 years in an
effort to take a picture of his son's rabbit outside each of the famous
sights in the world before his son graduates from college ..... he claims to
have visited over 150 countries..)
The bad bits
- traffic in Bangkok is simply a nightmare - just trying to cross the main
roads is enough to have you certified insane and takes 10 mins - it's
quicker to take a taxi just to cross !! And Phnom Penh is nearly as bad -
few cars but an incredible no. of scooters/motorbikes. Incidentally
Cambodia is the 12th country I have been to this trip but the first place
where they drive on the right ..... not that you would notice !!
- Bangkok is just not a nice place!
- The number of cockroaches in my room. The Thai's get there own back by
frying and eating them.... no I didn't !
- The seedy side is alive and kicking - well I had to make sure it was still
there - girls wandering around in their 'night attire' entertaining the guys
(you really can do that with a string of razor blades)...and on a personal
level...No I didn't !
- Cock fighting - actually I meant the animals - possibly legal and
certainly common - but not very pleasant.
- The roads in Cambodia - they have no roads just dirt tracks with huge
holes in them - it took over 7 hours to go 152km - and it was not
comfortable !!!
The other bits
- The Killing Fields - A mass grave and a monument to the 1 million Cambodians murdered by Khmer Rouge (their own people) 1975-9 made of human skulls (they had a lot of them lying around...)
- S-21 A former school where the Khmer Rouge tortured thousands of people
before killing all but about 7 of them. Perfectly preserved (down to the 'tools' used) it
looks like it could have been used the day before I visited - a disturbing
place made worse by the pictures on the walls of each of the (short term)
occupants - men, women and children....
Next ... Out of here (on a terrible road) to Vietnam and HoChiMin City
(Saigon) ....
For those in UK, I hope the weather isn't getting you down in the foot and mouth too much.
Best Wishes
LuvPete
Since last email (Hong Kong) I have moved to hotter and much cheaper
countries - both good news - however there are some downsides..... I spent
a couple of weeks in Bangkok (which was far too long but I had to sort out
visas for Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos) and then travelled by bus to Cambodia,
first to Siem Reap to see the temples at Angkor and then by boat to Phnom
Penh......
The good bits
- The temples at Angkor are incredible, of excellent quality and varied in style. Built by the
Khmer people as their capital city from 9th - 14th century only the temples
remain (only gods could live in stone buildings (temples) so all other
buildings were wooden and have long gone).
The crowning glory is Angkor Wat (the outline of the central towers appears
on the Cambodian flag [with which you are all no doubt familiar : )) ]which
is an incredible building (built 1113 - 1150 AD). It is surronded by a moat
200m wide and 5.5km long; the central building contains 3 levels and 1200sq
metres of stone carvings depicting legends and stories of the time. It is
in almost perfect condition despite the years and wars which have ravaged
the coutry. Said by some to be the greatest building ever conceived by the
human mind - the scale is awesome and the balance is perfect - it flows with the surrounding jungle... inspirational.
Definitely worth 3 days of my time and undoubtedly a highlight of the whole
trip.
- The Royal Palace in Bangkok - choc full of ornate and colourful temples,
chedis and monsters (guarding it all).
- Lying down buddha 46m long with feet 3m by 5m - and it was probably solid
gold .... or maybe it was painted gold .... or maybe you see so many gold
buddhas that after a while it doesn't really matter..... interestingly the
most sacred buddah in the whole of Thailand (in Royal Palace) in only about
1m tall - Even in Bangkok size isn't everything !!
- Talking to some monks at a temple in Bangkok about how they live their
life and ending up talking about Premiership football - thankfully none of
them supported ManU...
- The other travellers I have met - sometimes insane but always interesting
....... (like the Irish farmer who has been travelling for 4.5 years in an
effort to take a picture of his son's rabbit outside each of the famous
sights in the world before his son graduates from college ..... he claims to
have visited over 150 countries..)
The bad bits
- traffic in Bangkok is simply a nightmare - just trying to cross the main
roads is enough to have you certified insane and takes 10 mins - it's
quicker to take a taxi just to cross !! And Phnom Penh is nearly as bad -
few cars but an incredible no. of scooters/motorbikes. Incidentally
Cambodia is the 12th country I have been to this trip but the first place
where they drive on the right ..... not that you would notice !!
- Bangkok is just not a nice place!
- The number of cockroaches in my room. The Thai's get there own back by
frying and eating them.... no I didn't !
- The seedy side is alive and kicking - well I had to make sure it was still
there - girls wandering around in their 'night attire' entertaining the guys
(you really can do that with a string of razor blades)...and on a personal
level...No I didn't !
- Cock fighting - actually I meant the animals - possibly legal and
certainly common - but not very pleasant.
- The roads in Cambodia - they have no roads just dirt tracks with huge
holes in them - it took over 7 hours to go 152km - and it was not
comfortable !!!
The other bits
- The Killing Fields - A mass grave and a monument to the 1 million Cambodians murdered by Khmer Rouge (their own people) 1975-9 made of human skulls (they had a lot of them lying around...)
- S-21 A former school where the Khmer Rouge tortured thousands of people
before killing all but about 7 of them. Perfectly preserved (down to the 'tools' used) it
looks like it could have been used the day before I visited - a disturbing
place made worse by the pictures on the walls of each of the (short term)
occupants - men, women and children....
Next ... Out of here (on a terrible road) to Vietnam and HoChiMin City
(Saigon) ....
For those in UK, I hope the weather isn't getting you down in the foot and mouth too much.
Best Wishes
LuvPete
Tuesday, 6 February 2001
Where 4 Hong Kong --OR-- Chinese New Year by mistake
Hi Guys
Just a 'quick' message as it's not long since the last one - but I have
found an excellent free email here so I'm making the most of it.....
First of all Kung Hei Fat Choi (Happy Chinese New Year [24 Jan]) - I am
nearly fluent in Cantonese now - well fluent in 7 words...only about 10,000
to go.... not that I knew it was New Year, in fact I only found out it was on the plane from Cape Town... and I was horrified - I thought the place would be packed...
I was intending to spend only a week here but I had so much fun that I have
spent nearly 3 weeks - I am leaving tomorrow for Bangkok - although I was
thinking of going to Bejing instead but it is very cold (-14C) there at the
moment so I'll have to do that another time....
It's not exactly warm here though - foggy and 15C ... I'm told that's about
as cold as it gets. Can't be much colder than that in UK.....
Since I've been here I 've also been to Macau (a Portuguese enclave until it
was handed back to China in Dec 1999) which is only 65km away by boat -
apart from that I have stayed put - strange not having a truck to take me
places.......
Plus Points
- Victoria Peak - the view of HK at night is superb. We got a slightly
better view by climbing up onto a higher part of the viewing roof than we
were 'probably' supposed to and then when security came round to lock up at
midnight we were still there - and so got locked out !!! Luckily they came
and unlocked us after 20 mins or so...
- New Year's Eve Flower Market - It's not just flowers but all sorts of
trees and total tat...... the locals ALL buy them as good luck for the new
year.... but it is total mayhem ! It's like Xmas shopping in Oxford Street
but with everyone waiting until Xmas Eve to buy their presents....and if you
thought that we buy tat at Xmas you should see the total c*** they buy -
basically any piece of plastic, cloth or wood that will bring them good
luck. You wouldn't catch me wasting my money on stuff like that....
- OK ... so I did buy one bit - it was the atmosphere ..... A small banner
saying (in Cantonese) 'Without Work you will have Money'. It seemed
appropriate. And then half an hour later I found HK$5 on the ground (about
50p)..... unfortunately the banner cost me HK$10 so it still has a bit of
work to do.......
- Partying on New Years Eve in a heap of clubs with all sorts of tabs going down.... until we got thrown out of the last one as it closed at about 11.30am next morning...
- The islands around HK are really nice - lots of mountains (up to 1000m)
and stuff like grass and trees which you just don't get elsewhere in HK.
- Macau - Very interesting place with loads of history, castles, temples,
views etc ... and loads of casinos ...no I didn't gamble everything away....
I was however just about the only (caucasian) tourist there - during my
day and a half there I saw no other !
- Visiting the largest Buddha (that is largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddah...) in
the world on a nearby island (22m high).
- Visit to 10,000 Buddhas Monastery - Actually there were 11,800 (so I was
told)- it seems good value to be able to worship all of them at once - a
whole lifetime of religion in one visit!!!!
- Daoism - what seems to be a really promising religion .... seemingly based
around 'Do nothing and something will happen'. I'm sure that must have been
what we practiced at NatWest....
Minus Points
- The backpacker accommodation is abysmal and not desperately cheap - but I
did manage to find a dorm that was at least clean and rat free - the
corridors outside were neither .... there are so many cats you think there
would be no rats... but there again the rats are bigger than the cats so
perhaps that explains it...
- The number of people on the streets of HK. At weekends just walking along
the street was like endlessly queuing for nothing in particular ......
- New years Eve fireworks in the harbour - the cloud was so low that most of
the fireworks whooooossssssed up into the cloud not to be seen again
(although we did here the BANGS!)
- The night markets - teeming with people, so lively, the real ambiance of
HK - So why do they all sell total c***.
- Guys on the street with never ending offers of a new suit ! Do I look
like I need a new suit.... well ..... maybe ..... but then it just
wouldn't match my rucksack !
- Not understanding the language - outside the posher end of the tourist
sector hardly anyone speaks any English - so if you want a cheap meal (there
are no english menus in the cheap places) - you have to guess and point.
I've eaten loadsa Chinese food ... but I haven't got a clue what !!
- In Macau it seems compulsory for all the locals to ride a scooter around
like complete nutcases - the cars are bad in HK ... the cars are worse in
Macau, but the scooters are in Macau are the limit - I only saw I accident
while I was there.......
Anyway enough of that...
I hope you are all well and enjoyed England's thrashing of Wales at rugby -
I watched it live here (starting at midnight)... not such a big planet after
all.....
Best Wishes
Pete
Just a 'quick' message as it's not long since the last one - but I have
found an excellent free email here so I'm making the most of it.....
First of all Kung Hei Fat Choi (Happy Chinese New Year [24 Jan]) - I am
nearly fluent in Cantonese now - well fluent in 7 words...only about 10,000
to go.... not that I knew it was New Year, in fact I only found out it was on the plane from Cape Town... and I was horrified - I thought the place would be packed...
I was intending to spend only a week here but I had so much fun that I have
spent nearly 3 weeks - I am leaving tomorrow for Bangkok - although I was
thinking of going to Bejing instead but it is very cold (-14C) there at the
moment so I'll have to do that another time....
It's not exactly warm here though - foggy and 15C ... I'm told that's about
as cold as it gets. Can't be much colder than that in UK.....
Since I've been here I 've also been to Macau (a Portuguese enclave until it
was handed back to China in Dec 1999) which is only 65km away by boat -
apart from that I have stayed put - strange not having a truck to take me
places.......
Plus Points
- Victoria Peak - the view of HK at night is superb. We got a slightly
better view by climbing up onto a higher part of the viewing roof than we
were 'probably' supposed to and then when security came round to lock up at
midnight we were still there - and so got locked out !!! Luckily they came
and unlocked us after 20 mins or so...
- New Year's Eve Flower Market - It's not just flowers but all sorts of
trees and total tat...... the locals ALL buy them as good luck for the new
year.... but it is total mayhem ! It's like Xmas shopping in Oxford Street
but with everyone waiting until Xmas Eve to buy their presents....and if you
thought that we buy tat at Xmas you should see the total c*** they buy -
basically any piece of plastic, cloth or wood that will bring them good
luck. You wouldn't catch me wasting my money on stuff like that....
- OK ... so I did buy one bit - it was the atmosphere ..... A small banner
saying (in Cantonese) 'Without Work you will have Money'. It seemed
appropriate. And then half an hour later I found HK$5 on the ground (about
50p)..... unfortunately the banner cost me HK$10 so it still has a bit of
work to do.......
- Partying on New Years Eve in a heap of clubs with all sorts of tabs going down.... until we got thrown out of the last one as it closed at about 11.30am next morning...
- The islands around HK are really nice - lots of mountains (up to 1000m)
and stuff like grass and trees which you just don't get elsewhere in HK.
- Macau - Very interesting place with loads of history, castles, temples,
views etc ... and loads of casinos ...no I didn't gamble everything away....
I was however just about the only (caucasian) tourist there - during my
day and a half there I saw no other !
- Visiting the largest Buddha (that is largest outdoor sitting bronze Buddah...) in
the world on a nearby island (22m high).
- Visit to 10,000 Buddhas Monastery - Actually there were 11,800 (so I was
told)- it seems good value to be able to worship all of them at once - a
whole lifetime of religion in one visit!!!!
- Daoism - what seems to be a really promising religion .... seemingly based
around 'Do nothing and something will happen'. I'm sure that must have been
what we practiced at NatWest....
Minus Points
- The backpacker accommodation is abysmal and not desperately cheap - but I
did manage to find a dorm that was at least clean and rat free - the
corridors outside were neither .... there are so many cats you think there
would be no rats... but there again the rats are bigger than the cats so
perhaps that explains it...
- The number of people on the streets of HK. At weekends just walking along
the street was like endlessly queuing for nothing in particular ......
- New years Eve fireworks in the harbour - the cloud was so low that most of
the fireworks whooooossssssed up into the cloud not to be seen again
(although we did here the BANGS!)
- The night markets - teeming with people, so lively, the real ambiance of
HK - So why do they all sell total c***.
- Guys on the street with never ending offers of a new suit ! Do I look
like I need a new suit.... well ..... maybe ..... but then it just
wouldn't match my rucksack !
- Not understanding the language - outside the posher end of the tourist
sector hardly anyone speaks any English - so if you want a cheap meal (there
are no english menus in the cheap places) - you have to guess and point.
I've eaten loadsa Chinese food ... but I haven't got a clue what !!
- In Macau it seems compulsory for all the locals to ride a scooter around
like complete nutcases - the cars are bad in HK ... the cars are worse in
Macau, but the scooters are in Macau are the limit - I only saw I accident
while I was there.......
Anyway enough of that...
I hope you are all well and enjoyed England's thrashing of Wales at rugby -
I watched it live here (starting at midnight)... not such a big planet after
all.....
Best Wishes
Pete
Monday, 22 January 2001
Where 3 Cape Town, South Africa
HI All
At Vic Falls we picked up some more people - and lost some really good ones (I have to say that because they might be home now and reading this)....
We travelled into Botswana (rich country due to all their diamond deposits) to Chobe national park then Maun and then flew by light aircraft into the Okavango delta (one of the few inland deltas in the world - all the water evaporates !) where we camped for a couple of nights in the middle of nowhere. We came out of the delta on Xmas eve by speedboat and spent Xmas day at Sepupa Swamp Stop - Xmas day was blisteringly hot - we all had presents (sweets and a 'secret santa' - it's amazing what you can get for US$5).
Then to Namibia - fantastic country (my favorite in Africa) despite most of it being desert - it really is interesting honest ! Oh and hot - about 40C but very dry so the heat was bearable.
Toured round various parts of the desert and spent NewYears Eve at a massive rave in the dunes......then Etosha national park where it hasn't rained for a year and the animals have to come to the waterholes to drink - so we saw loadsa animals. Then South all the way down to South Africa, Cape of Good Hope, Penguins and Cape Town - a wonderful city.
High Points
- Watching the elephants play in the water at Chobe - they formed a line of 5 just like they were in the circus and waded in...
- Morongo trips in Okavango delta (dug out canoes for 2 people plus a poler) we went for hours through the narrow channels surrounded by water lillies and the occasional hippos and antelope.Idyllic.
- Sitting on an osterich in Namibia - a tad unstable (there is no saddle) and all you can grab onto is it's neck - though not very tightly !!!!
- Windhoek - capital of Namibia - an ultra modern and very pleasant relaxing city in the middle of the desert (like Adelaide apparently) - shoppping heaven for those that way inclined!
- New Years Eve Party in the dunes - about 5,000 people, 2 sound stages (main one rave, the other everything else) - absolutely amazing.........
- Sandboarding down the dunes - if it sounds like you just walk up a dune with a 2m x 1m piece of plywood, lie down and launch yourself down the steep side then your very close - just add a crash helmet and elbow pads and you can get up to 80kmh, then add a jump at the bottom and hold on f***ing tight - pure insanity.
- Quad Biking in the dunes - believe it or not you can go almost vertically up a sandune on a quadbike (160cc) if you get a bit of speed up....but then you have to go almost vertically down again - very similar type of insanity to sandboarding - 35km of great fun - almost continuous adrenalin rush especially as I/we were all just out of control almost all the time!
- Rock painting that are about 6,000 years old - Oh yes ... of COURSE this is a cultural trip ??
- Welwitschia plants - these can be up to 2,000 years old although the ones we saw were only approx. 300 years old. They grow at 1mm p.a. and only have 2 leaves but because of the wind and desert conditions they leaves are very tatty and they look like large lettuces that are passed their sell by date !!!!
- Sitting with 3 semi-tame cheethas at a cheetah reserve. You can stroke them if you are very careful and one of the handlers is keeping it calm - but then they wandered around us and nobody moved an inch in case we scared them(!) - they are beautiful animals but they have very big and sharp teeth (we were so exhilarated/scared stiff by them) - more dangerous than sandboarding but even more memorable!!
- sitting next to the waterholes in Etosha NP. Herds of elephant, giraffe, zebra, springbok(crashes of) black rhino and (prides of) lion all came to drink at the various holes we watched. Saw 15 lions in 1.5 days.
- Sunrise over the dunes (had to get up at 4.15am though and clamber up a large dune - worse than working for a living!!)
- Kolmanskop ghost town - no ghosts but an ex-diamond mining town which was abandoned in the 50's and the wooden houses have filled up with sand - weird.
- Fish River Canyon - 161km long, 27km wide (at widest) and 550m deep - all carved out by water - although for most of the year the river is dry ! Very spectacular.
- Robben Island off Cape Town - where Nelson Mandela (and most of the current SA cabinet) were imprisoned from 1964 until mid 80's (released from another prision in 1990 and became president in 94). The cells were only 2m x 2m and they were kept there 23.5 hours a day (then instead they volunteered to do hard labour just so they could get out a bit). A monument to the struggle against apartheid - very moving. Much respect to them for spending the best years of their life in such conditions and then not seeking reprisals once they got into power.
- Going up Table Mountain for sunset and then watching the lights of Cape Town twinkling goodbye on my last night in Africa beautiful - what a way to finish what was a fantastic trip of 12,000km by road through Africa.
Low Points
- Fishing on Xmas Day which was great except that we saw more hippos than fish and caught the same no of each - i.e. none.
- Getting up at 4-15am to watch sunrise over dunes, walking up a large dune in the dark only to find that my camera was (permanently) buggered! (Sand from NYE party had worked it's way in!). Just bought new camera in HK.
- The sea in Namibia (which is within the tropics) was colder than winter in Brighton !! due to cold currents from the Antarctic).
- drinking the water in Okavango delta - it was chewy, dark brown and YUK! but that was all we had for 3 days.
- Smell of Cape Cross Seal (lion) Colony - can't think of anything to compare it to - it was that bad.
- Meeting some intelligent white (Afrikaans) people in Namibia who were so racist (and claimed to base their beliefs on the bible) - basically white man was made by god whilst black man descended from chimpanzese - incredible that such beliefs persist.
And that was wot I saw in Africa. (if you read it all - well done, if you didn't then I can't blame you!) - let me know if you want to stop receiving these junk emails and I will take you off the list.
What did you get for Xmas (more than me I guess !!!!)
Now I'm heading for Hong Kong...
Luv Pete
At Vic Falls we picked up some more people - and lost some really good ones (I have to say that because they might be home now and reading this)....
We travelled into Botswana (rich country due to all their diamond deposits) to Chobe national park then Maun and then flew by light aircraft into the Okavango delta (one of the few inland deltas in the world - all the water evaporates !) where we camped for a couple of nights in the middle of nowhere. We came out of the delta on Xmas eve by speedboat and spent Xmas day at Sepupa Swamp Stop - Xmas day was blisteringly hot - we all had presents (sweets and a 'secret santa' - it's amazing what you can get for US$5).
Then to Namibia - fantastic country (my favorite in Africa) despite most of it being desert - it really is interesting honest ! Oh and hot - about 40C but very dry so the heat was bearable.
Toured round various parts of the desert and spent NewYears Eve at a massive rave in the dunes......then Etosha national park where it hasn't rained for a year and the animals have to come to the waterholes to drink - so we saw loadsa animals. Then South all the way down to South Africa, Cape of Good Hope, Penguins and Cape Town - a wonderful city.
High Points
- Watching the elephants play in the water at Chobe - they formed a line of 5 just like they were in the circus and waded in...
- Morongo trips in Okavango delta (dug out canoes for 2 people plus a poler) we went for hours through the narrow channels surrounded by water lillies and the occasional hippos and antelope.Idyllic.
- Sitting on an osterich in Namibia - a tad unstable (there is no saddle) and all you can grab onto is it's neck - though not very tightly !!!!
- Windhoek - capital of Namibia - an ultra modern and very pleasant relaxing city in the middle of the desert (like Adelaide apparently) - shoppping heaven for those that way inclined!
- New Years Eve Party in the dunes - about 5,000 people, 2 sound stages (main one rave, the other everything else) - absolutely amazing.........
- Sandboarding down the dunes - if it sounds like you just walk up a dune with a 2m x 1m piece of plywood, lie down and launch yourself down the steep side then your very close - just add a crash helmet and elbow pads and you can get up to 80kmh, then add a jump at the bottom and hold on f***ing tight - pure insanity.
- Quad Biking in the dunes - believe it or not you can go almost vertically up a sandune on a quadbike (160cc) if you get a bit of speed up....but then you have to go almost vertically down again - very similar type of insanity to sandboarding - 35km of great fun - almost continuous adrenalin rush especially as I/we were all just out of control almost all the time!
- Rock painting that are about 6,000 years old - Oh yes ... of COURSE this is a cultural trip ??
- Welwitschia plants - these can be up to 2,000 years old although the ones we saw were only approx. 300 years old. They grow at 1mm p.a. and only have 2 leaves but because of the wind and desert conditions they leaves are very tatty and they look like large lettuces that are passed their sell by date !!!!
- Sitting with 3 semi-tame cheethas at a cheetah reserve. You can stroke them if you are very careful and one of the handlers is keeping it calm - but then they wandered around us and nobody moved an inch in case we scared them(!) - they are beautiful animals but they have very big and sharp teeth (we were so exhilarated/scared stiff by them) - more dangerous than sandboarding but even more memorable!!
- sitting next to the waterholes in Etosha NP. Herds of elephant, giraffe, zebra, springbok(crashes of) black rhino and (prides of) lion all came to drink at the various holes we watched. Saw 15 lions in 1.5 days.
- Sunrise over the dunes (had to get up at 4.15am though and clamber up a large dune - worse than working for a living!!)
- Kolmanskop ghost town - no ghosts but an ex-diamond mining town which was abandoned in the 50's and the wooden houses have filled up with sand - weird.
- Fish River Canyon - 161km long, 27km wide (at widest) and 550m deep - all carved out by water - although for most of the year the river is dry ! Very spectacular.
- Robben Island off Cape Town - where Nelson Mandela (and most of the current SA cabinet) were imprisoned from 1964 until mid 80's (released from another prision in 1990 and became president in 94). The cells were only 2m x 2m and they were kept there 23.5 hours a day (then instead they volunteered to do hard labour just so they could get out a bit). A monument to the struggle against apartheid - very moving. Much respect to them for spending the best years of their life in such conditions and then not seeking reprisals once they got into power.
- Going up Table Mountain for sunset and then watching the lights of Cape Town twinkling goodbye on my last night in Africa beautiful - what a way to finish what was a fantastic trip of 12,000km by road through Africa.
Low Points
- Fishing on Xmas Day which was great except that we saw more hippos than fish and caught the same no of each - i.e. none.
- Getting up at 4-15am to watch sunrise over dunes, walking up a large dune in the dark only to find that my camera was (permanently) buggered! (Sand from NYE party had worked it's way in!). Just bought new camera in HK.
- The sea in Namibia (which is within the tropics) was colder than winter in Brighton !! due to cold currents from the Antarctic).
- drinking the water in Okavango delta - it was chewy, dark brown and YUK! but that was all we had for 3 days.
- Smell of Cape Cross Seal (lion) Colony - can't think of anything to compare it to - it was that bad.
- Meeting some intelligent white (Afrikaans) people in Namibia who were so racist (and claimed to base their beliefs on the bible) - basically white man was made by god whilst black man descended from chimpanzese - incredible that such beliefs persist.
And that was wot I saw in Africa. (if you read it all - well done, if you didn't then I can't blame you!) - let me know if you want to stop receiving these junk emails and I will take you off the list.
What did you get for Xmas (more than me I guess !!!!)
Now I'm heading for Hong Kong...
Luv Pete
Wednesday, 20 December 2000
WHERE 2 - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Since I last wrote in Zanzibar we have done heaps!!
We spent 4 nights in Zanzibar, 2 at the beach which was absolute paradise - white sand, perfect sea, beautiful weather etc...
We then got a boat back to Dar and drove all the way to Malawi where we spent 6 nights camping at 3 different beaches on the lake (3rd largest in Africa). From there we drove via Lilongwe (capital) into Zambia and into Zimbabwe at Kariba to spend 2 nights on house boats (luxury in comparison - hot showers and a bed and a cook!) on Lake Kariba. Then back into Zambia to Livingstone (one side of Victoria Falls) and then into Zimbabwe again to the town of Victoria Falls where we have just spent 3 nights. Today we are going to Botswana...
Highlights for last 3 weeks
- Going through the border into Tanzania and teh official not asking me for the usual US$55 fee for a visa - looking at the monet being thrown in a drawer, I figured it was all a big scam anyway so I hung onto the cash - everyone else in the party paid. Then about 10km down the road, just as I was revealing my good fortune to my truck-mates, we were chased and caught by a car with a man leaning out of it waving a bit of paper at us who we recognised as the official at the border. Heart in my mouth and my $55 at the ready we slowed and stopped as he approached our driver and said 'You forgot yoru receipt'. It was made out in full for the whole group as if everyone had paid and oddly enough it was made out in my name! So I did pay and I have the piece of paper to prove it!
- The pure white sand beach in Zanzibar - absolutely perfect.
- Changing money at the border between Tanzania and Malawi. I got the job of changing the money for the whole 20 of us. It was mayhem - everyoneof the crowd of local dealers surrounded me trying to push wads of money into my handsand at the same timeall trying to rip me off by giving me a crap rate (so I held an auction from the safety of the truck for the best rate), short changing me , giving me old notes (we had no idea which ones were valid), saying they had no change in small notes once they had counted out the bulk of the notes etc. etc. After counting and recounting several times we finally handed over our cash and we succeeded - they didnt rip us off - must have been all those years of bank training!
- Snorkelling off Kande beach in Lake Malawi - there were so many fish and so many different types. Apparenty 80% of freshwater aquarium fish come from Lake Malawi.
- 2 days of luxury and excellent food surrounded by hippos and crocodiles on Lake Kariba.
- White water rafting down the Zambezi - rapids 4 to 19 over a distance of 25km.We flipped our raft over twice and were just a bit(?) scaredbut we survived unhurt - although a few of us managed to lower the level of the river by drinking huge amounts of it.
- Victoria Falls. Despite this being low water time of year it was still an immense amount of water falling over 100m.
- and surprisingly after driving for 2 long days through Zambia where we hardly saw another person or vehicle on the Trans Africa Highway we hit the outskirts of the scruffy capital Lusaka and suddenly came across the most modern shopping centre ever. Paradise. It was unreal.
Low Points
- Being ill for about a week - but I am fully recovered now.
- Forgetting that my watch was no longer waterproof and wearing it in the sea in Zanzibar. I bought a new Casio for £25 at that shopping centre in Zambia.
It doesnt seem like Xmas here. in fact I forgot it was December until I saw a shop assistant wearing a Happy Xmas hat. Despite moving on to areas where there are more Christians and less muslims there are very few Xmas decorations (but there are a few Xmas trees).
Happy Xmas and New Year to You All - Did I mention how hot it is here...?
Best Wishes
Luv
Pete
We spent 4 nights in Zanzibar, 2 at the beach which was absolute paradise - white sand, perfect sea, beautiful weather etc...
We then got a boat back to Dar and drove all the way to Malawi where we spent 6 nights camping at 3 different beaches on the lake (3rd largest in Africa). From there we drove via Lilongwe (capital) into Zambia and into Zimbabwe at Kariba to spend 2 nights on house boats (luxury in comparison - hot showers and a bed and a cook!) on Lake Kariba. Then back into Zambia to Livingstone (one side of Victoria Falls) and then into Zimbabwe again to the town of Victoria Falls where we have just spent 3 nights. Today we are going to Botswana...
Highlights for last 3 weeks
- Going through the border into Tanzania and teh official not asking me for the usual US$55 fee for a visa - looking at the monet being thrown in a drawer, I figured it was all a big scam anyway so I hung onto the cash - everyone else in the party paid. Then about 10km down the road, just as I was revealing my good fortune to my truck-mates, we were chased and caught by a car with a man leaning out of it waving a bit of paper at us who we recognised as the official at the border. Heart in my mouth and my $55 at the ready we slowed and stopped as he approached our driver and said 'You forgot yoru receipt'. It was made out in full for the whole group as if everyone had paid and oddly enough it was made out in my name! So I did pay and I have the piece of paper to prove it!
- The pure white sand beach in Zanzibar - absolutely perfect.
- Changing money at the border between Tanzania and Malawi. I got the job of changing the money for the whole 20 of us. It was mayhem - everyoneof the crowd of local dealers surrounded me trying to push wads of money into my handsand at the same timeall trying to rip me off by giving me a crap rate (so I held an auction from the safety of the truck for the best rate), short changing me , giving me old notes (we had no idea which ones were valid), saying they had no change in small notes once they had counted out the bulk of the notes etc. etc. After counting and recounting several times we finally handed over our cash and we succeeded - they didnt rip us off - must have been all those years of bank training!
- Snorkelling off Kande beach in Lake Malawi - there were so many fish and so many different types. Apparenty 80% of freshwater aquarium fish come from Lake Malawi.
- 2 days of luxury and excellent food surrounded by hippos and crocodiles on Lake Kariba.
- White water rafting down the Zambezi - rapids 4 to 19 over a distance of 25km.We flipped our raft over twice and were just a bit(?) scaredbut we survived unhurt - although a few of us managed to lower the level of the river by drinking huge amounts of it.
- Victoria Falls. Despite this being low water time of year it was still an immense amount of water falling over 100m.
- and surprisingly after driving for 2 long days through Zambia where we hardly saw another person or vehicle on the Trans Africa Highway we hit the outskirts of the scruffy capital Lusaka and suddenly came across the most modern shopping centre ever. Paradise. It was unreal.
Low Points
- Being ill for about a week - but I am fully recovered now.
- Forgetting that my watch was no longer waterproof and wearing it in the sea in Zanzibar. I bought a new Casio for £25 at that shopping centre in Zambia.
It doesnt seem like Xmas here. in fact I forgot it was December until I saw a shop assistant wearing a Happy Xmas hat. Despite moving on to areas where there are more Christians and less muslims there are very few Xmas decorations (but there are a few Xmas trees).
Happy Xmas and New Year to You All - Did I mention how hot it is here...?
Best Wishes
Luv
Pete
Tuesday, 28 November 2000
WHERE 1 - Zanzibar, Tanzania
Hi Everyone
Just a couple of months ago I was employed as a bank manager and now I am ... an unemployed un-bank manager and loving it...
I have been having agreat time and have done loadsa stuff. I am currently in an aircon internet cafe in Zanzibar (just off the Tanzanian coast) and it is roasting hot here and there is a severe water shortage - so maybe those of you in UK should feel lucky that you have plenty of ice around at the moment cos we will soon be having to drink chemically trested meddy water (again). It has not been all sun, sun, sun since we left - once in the high ground around Lake Victoria there was a lot of rain and also in Ngorongoro Crater it rained for 24 hours which is not good news as we are camping!
We left Nairobi (Kenya) about 2 weeks ago - we being me plus 21 other people I didn't know - on a truck. Of the group most are Brits and Aussies with a few Kiwis, 2 Danes and a Canadian. We have all got on well so far with a couple of exceptions. 14 are doing the full 9 weeks to Cape Town and 6 are stopping after 5 weeks when we get to Victoria Falls (those with jobs!!!) and 4 new people joing for the last month. The truck is fairly big and comfy although we are at capacity so there is not a lot of room - and we have done some long driving days...
We started in Nairobe on 15/11 and we travelled up to Lake Nakuru, crossing into Tanzania on 19/11 and going to Musoma on Lake Victoria, through the Serengeti to Ngorongoro crater, onto Arusha and then to Mount Kilimanjaro followed by a long drive to Dar (Es Salaam) and by ferry to Zanzibar. En route we went to several national parks in Kenya and Tanzania and we have seen huge nos and variety of game inc.giraffe, elephant, lion, leopard, water buffalo, rhino (black and white), hyena, hippo, zebra, various gazelle and antelope, vultures, eagles etc etc - the only major animal we haven't seen is cheetah.
Highlights so far include:
- Watching (from less than 10 metres away) a herd of 100+ water buffalo as they approached a pride of 8 lions who were resting under a tree. Over about 30 mins the buffalo got closer and closer until they were about 10-15 metres away - the tension was unbelieveable - neither side wanting to yield but the buffalo were certainly forcing the issue. Eventually the male lion ran off with a couple of lionesses and cubs, leaving 2 lionesses to guard their rear for 30 seconds or so before the buffalos charged and won the day - no injuries to report (human or animal).
- millions of flamingos (and a few pelicans) on Lake Nakuru - the whole lake was simply pink.
- thousand and thousands of blue wilderbeast (gnu) sweeping majesticaly across the plains of the Serengeti (not as seen from a Torquay hotel bedroom window in Faulty Towers).
- the great rift valley 6,500kms long - but we didnt see all of it.
- watching sunset and sunrise from (opposite sides of) the same tiny outcrop on Lake Victoria.
- the view across Ngorongoro crater (an extinct volcane crater 25km wide and full of wild game)
- climbing up to base camp of Mount Kilimanjaro
- swimming in the sea at Dar - warmer than any shower we have had
- the slushies in the beach-bar at Dar (I have no idea what was in them butthey were very cold and so we drunk loads and went to bed at 3am.
Downsides include
- having to get up at 6am to make breakfast after having drunk slushies in the bar at Dar... and thinking... why did we do that.
- 24-hours in the rain at Ngorongoro crater, everything was wet through.
- Arusha market - buying 15kg of fruit and veg in an atmosphere only slightly less threatening than a war-zone - one of our guides had here pocket slahed with a knife (and also her leg which was cunningly hidden behind her pocket. I was just glad to get out intact.
- the truck getting stuck in the Serengeti - tehn the rescue truck got stuck - we were knee deep in muddy water trying hopelessly to push a 13 tonne truck out of very soft mud whilst being surrounded by wild animals. No we didnt manage it but we didnt get eaten either and eventually got pulled out by a JCB. Actually it was fun.
- the lack of hot water at most places we visited and the lack of any water at some - I guess we all smell the same amount.
We have 4 days on Zanzibar for snorkelling and sunbathing - then back to Dar and onto Malawi. Looking forward to it...
Bye for now
Lots of Luv
Pete
Just a couple of months ago I was employed as a bank manager and now I am ... an unemployed un-bank manager and loving it...
I have been having agreat time and have done loadsa stuff. I am currently in an aircon internet cafe in Zanzibar (just off the Tanzanian coast) and it is roasting hot here and there is a severe water shortage - so maybe those of you in UK should feel lucky that you have plenty of ice around at the moment cos we will soon be having to drink chemically trested meddy water (again). It has not been all sun, sun, sun since we left - once in the high ground around Lake Victoria there was a lot of rain and also in Ngorongoro Crater it rained for 24 hours which is not good news as we are camping!
We left Nairobi (Kenya) about 2 weeks ago - we being me plus 21 other people I didn't know - on a truck. Of the group most are Brits and Aussies with a few Kiwis, 2 Danes and a Canadian. We have all got on well so far with a couple of exceptions. 14 are doing the full 9 weeks to Cape Town and 6 are stopping after 5 weeks when we get to Victoria Falls (those with jobs!!!) and 4 new people joing for the last month. The truck is fairly big and comfy although we are at capacity so there is not a lot of room - and we have done some long driving days...
We started in Nairobe on 15/11 and we travelled up to Lake Nakuru, crossing into Tanzania on 19/11 and going to Musoma on Lake Victoria, through the Serengeti to Ngorongoro crater, onto Arusha and then to Mount Kilimanjaro followed by a long drive to Dar (Es Salaam) and by ferry to Zanzibar. En route we went to several national parks in Kenya and Tanzania and we have seen huge nos and variety of game inc.giraffe, elephant, lion, leopard, water buffalo, rhino (black and white), hyena, hippo, zebra, various gazelle and antelope, vultures, eagles etc etc - the only major animal we haven't seen is cheetah.
Highlights so far include:
- Watching (from less than 10 metres away) a herd of 100+ water buffalo as they approached a pride of 8 lions who were resting under a tree. Over about 30 mins the buffalo got closer and closer until they were about 10-15 metres away - the tension was unbelieveable - neither side wanting to yield but the buffalo were certainly forcing the issue. Eventually the male lion ran off with a couple of lionesses and cubs, leaving 2 lionesses to guard their rear for 30 seconds or so before the buffalos charged and won the day - no injuries to report (human or animal).
- millions of flamingos (and a few pelicans) on Lake Nakuru - the whole lake was simply pink.
- thousand and thousands of blue wilderbeast (gnu) sweeping majesticaly across the plains of the Serengeti (not as seen from a Torquay hotel bedroom window in Faulty Towers).
- the great rift valley 6,500kms long - but we didnt see all of it.
- watching sunset and sunrise from (opposite sides of) the same tiny outcrop on Lake Victoria.
- the view across Ngorongoro crater (an extinct volcane crater 25km wide and full of wild game)
- climbing up to base camp of Mount Kilimanjaro
- swimming in the sea at Dar - warmer than any shower we have had
- the slushies in the beach-bar at Dar (I have no idea what was in them butthey were very cold and so we drunk loads and went to bed at 3am.
Downsides include
- having to get up at 6am to make breakfast after having drunk slushies in the bar at Dar... and thinking... why did we do that.
- 24-hours in the rain at Ngorongoro crater, everything was wet through.
- Arusha market - buying 15kg of fruit and veg in an atmosphere only slightly less threatening than a war-zone - one of our guides had here pocket slahed with a knife (and also her leg which was cunningly hidden behind her pocket. I was just glad to get out intact.
- the truck getting stuck in the Serengeti - tehn the rescue truck got stuck - we were knee deep in muddy water trying hopelessly to push a 13 tonne truck out of very soft mud whilst being surrounded by wild animals. No we didnt manage it but we didnt get eaten either and eventually got pulled out by a JCB. Actually it was fun.
- the lack of hot water at most places we visited and the lack of any water at some - I guess we all smell the same amount.
We have 4 days on Zanzibar for snorkelling and sunbathing - then back to Dar and onto Malawi. Looking forward to it...
Bye for now
Lots of Luv
Pete
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