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Who wouldn't like spending a few days snorkeling, walking on the beach and chill on a tropical island somewhere far away. Well that was Zanzibar in a nutshell.  To give the place a little more credit though a walk through Stone Town's narrow streets is a fun experience. We also visited a spice plantation where we tried out different spices as well as munching on some fresh coconut.  Even though it is close to the end we are still left with one of the highlights of the trip, the Serengeti.
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My first destination in Malawi was Kande Beach. We were given the grand tour; from being fed local delicacies to being shown inside a hospital, a school as well as some insights into how the locals live their lives.  After Kande Beach we made our way a little farther north to Chitimba where another beach next to lake Malawi (third largest lake in Africa) awaited and the chilling continued.  Malawi has proven to be a perfect rest stop to regain some energy after the fast pace of our trip. Now its time to get ready for some long drives through Tanzania as the last leg of the trip is upon us already!
First two days in Zambia saw us stuck on a bus all day since we needed to cover some serious ground to get up to South Luangwa national park.  Wildlife was on display there and two game drive safaris later I have rounded out the big 5 after witnessing a leopard stalk and kill an impala as well as seeing a leopard/hyena standoff, were the hyena came on top and stole the leopard's pray.  The stay in Zambia was then finished off with a relaxing day playing cards and getting ready for a long day driving and crossing over the border into Malawi.
New day, new country. Zimbabwe started with a bang. From the border we went straight to the Victoria Falls. The falls are simply breathtaking. You can feel and hear the power of the water from the cliffs.  Obviously visiting the falls once was never going to be enough so next up was a helicopter ride over the falls.  Craving more of the falls I decided to walk across the border to Zambia to see them from that side as well, a morning well spent. Now it's time to relax, get a message and get ready to cross over to Zambia again as I continue the journey north.  A night in the Okavango Delta was a night to remember for sure. We were taken into the delta on old traditional cano type boats. We slept at a cool little campsite with nothing more than a hole in the ground for a toilet. Our stay in the delta included a nature walk were we encountered an elephant, herd of zebras as well as a multitude of birds. While seeing an elephant in the wild while on foot was amazing the highlight of the stay was an amazing dinner cooked on the campfire (cake and all). The entertainment (singing and dancing) was provided by the local people taking care of us giving the group a taste of Botswana's culture.  The next destination was Chobi national park. During a boat cruise on the Chobi river I saw hippos, buffalos, crocodiles and more. Highlight being an elephant herd crossing the river no more than 50 meters away from us.  The last activity in Botswana was a early morning game drive in the freezing cold. The difficult start was worth the effort as we saw a group of 17 lions munch on a giraffe they had taken down two days earlier. Throw in 50 (alive) giraffes, a ton of buffalos as well as elephants, jackals, impalas, hippos and baboons and you get one epic game drive. Surely a great ending to a fun time in Botswana. Tomorrow we'll cross the border over to Zimbabwe where one of Africa's main attraction lies... Victoria Falls.
The stop in South Africa was a short one and I've already made my way over to Botswana. First night camping went well with temperatures around 6-10 during the night. We managed to put up our tents before dark but dinner was served around a campfire. This morning we got up before five, packed the tents, ate breakfast and started a safari in the Khama Rhino Sanctuary as the sun was rising. Rhinos and ostriches were the highlights of a good morning. After the safari we drove around 500 km farther north. Long drive but rewarding, as the afternoon was spent taking a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta. Elephant herds, giraffes, hippos, zebras, buffalos and more were on show. Tomorrow we head into the delta.
(will try to add some photographs to the next post, internet connections have been close to non existing so far) Finally on my way. Ahead waits an overland trip across Africa, from South Africa to Kenya. But first I had to get down there and day one didn't quite go as planned. Like having three flights in a row wasn't bad enough, a delay caused me to miss the last one. I therefore had an unexpected day in Doha, Qatar. In the end getting stuck in Doha proved an happy accident as breaking up the long trip from Reykjavik to Johannesburg made the journey a little easier... plus an opportunity to explore a new place.  The heat in Doha was difficult though and still an 8 hour flight left. I arrived in South Africa happy to see a bed, with a place called the Airport Game Lodge as my first (planned) stop. A nap later and strength restored I started to wonder around the lodge grounds, which hosts a myriad of different animals including ostriches, and I got my first glimpse at the monster that is Lando. Lando is the name given to the truck that will become my second home during the next few weeks.  Tonight was the official first day of my overland trip, group meeting and all. Tomorrow morning my journey north towards Kenya starts.
Now that I have been back home for a little bit I have started to go through the mountain of photos and videos that I have from the trip. As promised all worthy photos will go up where they can be easily downloaded if people are interested. Photos will all end up right HERE!.
Last few days been extremely hectic. There was a lot to see in Paris and very little time. Top attractions were the Mona Lisa,  The Eiffel Tower  and the Victory Arch.  After that it was time for the last stop on my trip, Edinburgh. The highlight from there was a visit to the castle.  The dramatic title only refers to the fact that I just arrived at Keflavik airport and will be home in a few. Now it is time to get to work on my photos from the trip! So to pick up from last time I was heading to Laos and the first place there was the capital, Vientiane. It was a short stop where the highlight was the Buddha Park with its hundreds of statues. Next up was Vang Vieng. Now there is a paradise for anyone looking for a place to relax. The best thing was renting mopeds and driving around town.  And the place to go is called the Blue Lagoon. A small but very deep lagoon with ice cold water. It has a bridge and an adjacent tree from which it is possible to jump into the lagoon. So that is off course what one does.  Luang Prabang was next up and to uphold Laos' feel for relaxation I went straight for the town's most famous attraction, a big waterfall.  And off course when faced with pools as nice as the ones there you have only one choice.  Then after spending two days cruising up the Mekong river it was time to head back to Thailand. After a short stop in Chiang Kong I headed to Chiang Mai. There I got up close and personal with some cool cats.  Now I'm back in Bangkok after a 14 hour sleeper train and tonight I jump on a plane and leave Asia after amazing 6 weeks here. It's time to start the journey home, but what fun would it be without a short stop in Paris! |
Purrkur
Icelandic, Photographer, Archives
July 2015
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