Road Less Travelled Blog » Africa

Winter in Cape Town, South Africa

Rob Gower — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:35:46 +0000

GUEST ARTICLE: The weather was freezing when we arrived in Cape Town and the dark clouds and persistent light drizzle never made it any better. After picking up our car at the airport we set up our car navigator (something I would highly recommend) and headed into the city.

The traffic wasn’t as bad as we had anticipated, although there was quite a bit of construction due to next year’s 2010 World Cup Soccer (the South Africans are very excited about the World Cup and the atmosphere is already energised).

We checked ourselves into the Ritz Hotel located on the coast and then went to grab a bite to eat across the street at an excellent little Italian restaurant across the road.

After a wonderful meal of Spaghetti and Ostrich Meatballs (which were excellent!) and a nice bottle of South African wine we packed it in for the night. On our way home we noticed the winds had picked up quite a bit, little did we know we were in for one of many long sleepless nights.

Our room at the Ritz in Cape Town was located directly on the corner of the building which was encased in windows. During the night the winds had picked up to 75kms/hr which made the windows shake so violently we thought they were going to blow in at any moment, and the noise was like nothing we’d ever heard, it sounded like a train outside our window.

Unfortunately the weather never let up during our visit there although the sun did decide to poke its head out every now and again. Because of the drastic weather the seas really churned up and they were quite the sight to see.

The next day we decided to go for a drive down the coast. Even though the weather wasn’t the best you could still see glimpses of the famous beautiful giant rock cliffs and lush green hills along the coast. We could only imagine how incredible the city of Cape Town with these surrounding cliffs and sea would look on a clear day.

We drove towards the Cape Peninsula National Park, along the way we passed some beautiful looking suburbs but we also passed some large, poor settlements called Townships.

Townships were created under the old political system Apartheid and initially meant for non-whites. Khayelitsha which is located along the N2 was established in 1985 and today it is the largest single township. It consists of shacks made out of cardboard, tin, wood and pretty much anything one can find and it is home to just over 2 million people (!!)

The outside looks extremely poor and from what we hear some sections in the Township are very dangerous and the crime rate is high. They actually do recommend tourists going for an organised ‘tour’ of the townships for a better insight on living conditions.

One of the big attractions there is Table Mountain, a really incredible landmark overlooking Cape Town. Unfortunately due to the bad weather and high winds we were unable to go on their scenic cableway but the view from the Cableway Centre was still a beauty and it offered an impressive view of the city.

“Table Mountain and the 7 sisters in Cape Town, South Africa taken from Lions Head” photo credit: by darkroomillusions

Afterwards we went to check out their massive Casino and a shopping centre called The Canal Walk. Both places were very impressive although somewhat empty? I guess you can’t expect much in the middle of winter.

Oh and before you enter the casino you must check drop off your guns/weapons at security! Overall we found things were pretty cheap – for example we went to a movie with all the trimmings for only $12AUD, perfect!

One morning during breakfast I got to talking with a man who said he had just had the scariest experience of his life. The day before he had gone to a little café at Cape Point and was enjoying some lunch when all of a sudden the café door flew open and a massive Baboon came screaming inside, arms flailing and trying to grab whatever it could off the tables.

He said he and everyone else were scared out of their wits and were cowering in the corner while this thing bared its teeth screeching at the top of its lungs.

Guess who came to the rescue – a little old lady and her cane! She charged the Baboon and hit the crap out of it until it left! Hahahaha! What I would have paid to have seen that! I guess they actually have quite a baboon problem in Cape Town with not only theft but there have also been some attacks – freaky!

So, besides the freezing windy weather we saw some pretty interesting things (tip – you rally need a car in Cape Town). We would love to go back one day (in the summer of course!) to check out the infamous White Shark feeding tours and of course the very beautiful Table Mountain.

A Township tour would also make for an interesting blog as well and it would be nice to learn more about the people and the incredible history of South Africa.

This travel diary has been written by Rob Gower, a traveler who works part-time for a bus hire company and enjoys traveling along roads less traveled!

If you’ve travelled somewhere off the beaten track, can write well and have good quality photos I encourage you to contact me and I’ll consider publishing your travel diary here including generous attribution and links back to your website as thanks for your contribution

Casablanca Morocco – A Different World (With Fantastic Food)

Rob Gower — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:26 +0000

GUEST ARTICLE: Casablanca, Morocco didn’t exactly have the romantic sentiments feel that was expressed in the famous movie. We arrived on a hot June afternoon and as we meandered through a maze of dirty streets and highly congested traffic we found our hotel located in the old area of the city (Maamoura Hotel – well deserved high rating on Tripadvisor)

Our room was quite nice and spacious with high vaulted ceilings and arched doorways, giving it a real, authentic feel. Feeling a bit peckish we ventured out into the streets in search of some of that famous cuisine Moroccans are well known for.

Luckily our friendly hotel staff literally showed us the way to a real authentic Moroccan restaurant. It was everything and more than we had anticipated. The décor was incredible, thousands of tiny hand painted mosaic tiles covered the walls, stained glass windows lit the room with an array of warm colours and the furniture was beautifully handmade adorned with colourful cushions.

And the food! We were given a list of set menus to choose from and gorged ourselves on mouth watering Tangines (Moroccan stew) with delicate couscous accompanied with fresh salads and breads – yum!! We did find out later that you don’t have to order from the ’set’ menus but rather from the main menu, which turns out to be cheaper…tourist trap? Yup, just keep your eyes open.

The next day we jumped in one of the local taxis called “Petit Taxi.” They are tiny old red cars which are the main transport around the city. Make sure you get the driver to use the meter and unless you don’t want them to pick up additional passengers along the way, you’d better say so (very common there). We got dropped off at Ain Diab located along the oceanfront.

It’s a nice strip consisting of some bars and beach clubs. It’s not quite as beautiful as some that we’ve seen but if you’re looking for a beach chair for a price and some R&R, this is your place. And for the ladies, you can wear your bikini but forget about taking a dip in the freezing Atlantic ocean in June…brrr

The main language spoken there is Arabic but there is also Berber, French, some Spanish and English. The dressing attire for women can range from full cover to western wear, depending on what you want to wear but be prepared for the looks and comments that may come with it. Don’t forget their culture is very different than that of western culture.

The last tourist site we ventured to was an old city called The Old Medina (Ancienne Medina). There are numerous little alleyways consisting of small shops selling clothes, local crafts, food, jeweller. There are plenty of things to see but if you’re looking to buy, make sure to take a good look around first as prices vary greatly (don’t get caught in the tourist trap!).

A common trick is to approach you as you come into the Medina, escort you to a shop and sell you something before you’ve had a chance to see what the price really should be,

While we were looking around we were befriended by a local man who called himself ‘Friday’. As we walked Friday came along to give us a full historical breakdown about our surroundings. In the end we parted ways but felt obligated to give a ‘donation’ for his unrequested service?! To end our short trip we had lunch at a beautiful restaurant called Café Maure and ate our last mouth watering Tangine and couscous.

I don’t think we’d go back to Casablanca but would rather check out some other spots like Marrakesh or Fes, and of course to partake in some more of that delicious Moroccan cuisine! Highlight of Casablanca – the food!!

This travel diary has been written by Rob Gower, a traveler who works part-time for a bus hire company and enjoys traveling along roads less traveled!

Spectacular Namib Desert Sand Dunes in Sossusvlei, Namibia

Rob Gower — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:45:42 +0000

GUEST ARTICLE: Our drive from the little town of Swakopmund located on the Skeleton Coast to the Sossusvlei took us about 4 hours. The Sossusvlei is in the heart of the Namib Desert. We stayed at the Betesda Lodge located about half an hour the entrance of the park. It was hard to believe anyone could actually set up any type of accommodation out there it really was literally in the middle of nowhere.

Nicknamed the world’s oldest desert, the Namib stretches along the coast of Namibia to form one of the most spectacular and richest deserts in the world. Gently sloping toward the Atlantic Ocean, it is patterned by a sea of giant red sand dunes, some that reach 1000 feet (305 m) high. Because of its long, stable climate over time, a number of species boast ancient origins. Others have evolved unusual adaptations to survive in the extremely harsh environment. – National Geographic

As I got out of the truck to go check in I was almost knocked back on my ass from fear of seeing the biggest bug I’ve ever seen! At first all I saw was this massive ‘thing’ by my foot almost the size of my hand, not so good being a lover of spiders (not!)

With my hand squeezed tightly over my mouth and eyes bulging I had to take a second look before I tried to figure out what the heck it was.

I later found out it was called an Armored Beetle, thankfully not dangerous but there is also no shortage of the lovely creatures…So freaky walking around trying not to step on one..eeek!! Also they have friends, jet black Scarab’s about half their size.

Photos and Satellite Image of Sossusvlei, Namib Desert

View Larger Map

The next day we headed to the main attraction, the Sossusvlei. The Sossusvlei has some of the highest, most spectacular sand dunes in the world. It’s really hard to describe the beauty of that place, the colours were absolutely incredible.

The deep blue sky in contrast with yellow grassy fields and deep red dunes was unreal. The clean lines of the dunes and the height were impressive and made for some of the best photos I’ve ever taken.

We decided to drive right into dune territory with our little 4×4. We noticed quite a few people being taken in by locals with some pretty hefty trucks but us being us thought we’d give it a red hot go.

We put her in low and pinned it, about halfway in we found out the reason for the big trucks, the sand was ‘extremely’ deep and at one point I thought we’d had it. Luckily, because of the driver’s expertise driving (wink* wink*) we made it out to more stable land, now the fear was having to go back.

Fortunately after that we were old hands at it and after being shaken around like a couple of bobble heads we made it out safe and sound no worries.

Next we decided to climb ‘Dune #45’. It’s over 170 meters tall and is composed of 5 million year-old sand, pretty cool eh? It was hard going at first but as we neared the top and took in the view… all I can say is WOW! The dunes seemed to go on forever, such an amazing site! Going down was pretty fun, such soft silky red sand!

Well that was the rest of our trip in Namibia, such an incredible place and so much more to explore. This place is a definite must!!

This travel diary has been written by Rob Gower, a traveler who works part-time for a bus hire company and enjoys traveling along roads less traveled!

If you’ve travelled somewhere off the beaten track, can write well and have good quality photos I encourage you to contact me and I’ll consider publishing your travel diary here including generous attribution and links back to your website as thanks for your contribution

Vingerklip Rock Formation, Damaraland, Namibia

Rob Gower — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:20:05 +0000

GUEST ARTICLE: After our trip around Etosha National Park we headed south into Damaraland to a popular tourist attraction called Vingerklip (“Rock Finger” in Afrikaans) located amongst some other impressive rock formations called the Ugab Terraces.

Vingerklip is an incredible rock structure that has been formed over 15 million years and stands 35 meters high. This unique rock formation located in such a vast valley is picturesque especially during ’sundowners’.

We stayed at a really incredible place called the Vingerklip Lodge. This place is truly amazing, African style thatched roof huts cradle the valley and mountainside and are in perfect view of the Vingerklip. The layout of the lodge is really unique, stone pathways lead off into different directions to various huts, pools or rest areas with incredible views of the valley.

For dinner we were recommended to have an African style bbq dinner up on the mountain at the lodges ‘Eagle’s Nest Restaurant.’ The hike up was fairly easy and once we got to the top we realized – incredibly worth it! The restaurant was located near the edge of a cliff with fantastic views. It was very nicely done, the interior didn’t disappoint, decked out in unique African style.

After grabbing some wines from our lovely hosts we wandered out to their viewing deck to marvel at the incredible colours of the valley, Ugab Terraces and the Vingerklip. The panorama view was extraordinary, especially as we watched the beautiful African sunset, at one point the Vingerklip was the only thing highlighted by the sunset, quite a sight in that vast valley.

For dinner the chef prepared a delicious bbq feast of native African meats (Oryx, Impala, Kudu) accompanied with fresh veggies and their daily staple of mais (polenta). Our hosts were very hospitable and entertaining and the waiter was from the local Damara Tribe who speak with ‘clicks.’

The Damara people have four different types of ‘clicks’ they use when speaking their language, it is a very interesting language and like nothing I’ve ever heard before (also very difficult to replicate!). After dinner we slowly made our way back down the mountainside guided by a path of soft lights. That was a totally unique dining experience and made for a really memorable night.

In the morning we sadly left our beautiful little abode and headed south towards the Skeleton Coast. Along the way we came upon some very interesting local tribes selling their handicrafts alongside the road. The Herero tribe are proud cattle farmers and you can really see that in the way the women dress. Adorning colourful billowy dresses adopted from early European influence and a horn shaped hat made out of rolled cloth to represent the cow.

Unfortunately there are only about 175,000 Herero left today due to German colonial troops that exterminated about 75% of the Herero in the early 1900s. We also met a girl from the Himba tribe, a close relative to the Herero. They are well known for their deep reddish brown skin made by rubbing on a mixture of rancid butterfat and ochre powder and also for their unique traditional garb and braided hair.

This small group of women came together to make a living by flagging down passing tourists to try to sell their homemade crafts (you can also get your pic taken with them for 10 Rand!). Despite their obvious hardships they are a lovely people with some very interesting traditions.

Damaraland was an incredible place. There are other wonderful sights to explore in Damaraland like the Petrified Forest that dates back millions of years, Namibia’s highest mountain and Bushman engravings. It’s a wonderful area of Namibia still thriving in local tribal traditions, such a wonderful thing to see in this day and age

rock paintings at Twyfelfontein. Damaraland, Namibia. photo credit: eclogite

This travel diary has been written by Rob Gower, a traveler who works part-time for a bus hire company and enjoys traveling along roads less traveled!

If you’ve travelled somewhere off the beaten track, can write well and have good quality photos I encourage you to contact me and I’ll consider publishing your travel diary here including generous attribution and links back to your website as thanks for your contribution

Do-it-Yourself Safari in Etosha National Park, Namibia

Rob Gower — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:30:59 +0000

GUEST ARTICLE: We left Perth Airport on June 10th at 11pm and flew a long 12 hours before ending up in Joburg (Johannesburg, South Africa). I think we got about a whole 3 hours sleep on the plane and then had to wait 4 hours in the Joburg airport before getting on our final bird to Windhoek, Namibia 2 hours away. There is a -7 hour difference between Perth and Windhoek so we literally started our day over and struggled to keep our heads up for the rest of it.

We rented a small 4×4 and fortunately got a pickup at the airport seeing as Windhoek is 40kms away from the airport! The weather was perfect, bright blue skies and a warm 24C. The city of Windhoek seemed like a nice place, although it was hard to tell through foggy red eyes.

We checked into our hotel and then went to stock up on some food and drink supplies needed for our upcoming personal safari. Miraculously we were able to stay awake until 8 that night after running on pure adrenaline and 3 hours of shut eye for the last 37 hours…worth it? Yes!

At 6:30am the next day we headed north on highway B1 to the Etosha National Park. Along the highway we saw warning signs for Springbok and Warthogs…we didn’t see any Springbok but tonnes of cute little Warthogs! They seemed pretty road conscious though and only kept to the sides eating who knows what. We also saw some pretty big Chacma Baboons sitting on fences and in trees alongside the road. I don’t think I’d want to be hitchhiking along the road with them babies about!

For lunch we stopped at a cool little café and for $12AUD got the biggest steak I’ve ever seen! I don’t think it was your typical beef but probably more like your typical Namibian Oryx, whatever it was it was delish! Not too long after we turned off the highway onto road C38 to the Etosha National Park, it was goodbye to paved roads for a while (we heard a 4×4 was going to be a good idea).

We opted out on a GPS navigator and just stuck with our map, the right thing to do seeing as the roads were easy to navigate, just had to keep your eyes peeled for the little signs is all.

Our hotel ‘Ognuma,’ was situated not to far from the Lindquist Gate. As we passed through their own personal gated sanctuary we came upon a couple of Giraffes, what an incredible sight to see them in their own natural environment! We stayed in the Ognuma Bush Camp, and we were allocated an exquisitely done round African style thatched roof hut.

The place itself was pretty impressive the grounds were very nicely done decked out with a pool, fire pit, outside sitting area/restaurant and their very own watering hole – elegantly rugged? After checking in we didn’t waste any daylight and immediately went into the Etosha National Park, after paying about 90AUD for a 3 day pass we embarked our very own safari.

It was only minutes before we came upon a small herd of Zebra on the road and then some more Giraffe along with Impala, Kudu and Oryx just to name a few. We only had about an hour before we had to leave the park before sundown (they close the gates). With some good South African wines in hand we planted ourselves on our hotel’s balcony and watched our first African sunset and yes it’s just like you see on TV – incredible.

The deep fiery red orange orb looked massive as it sank into the horizon and set off an array of incredible soft colours across the land, it was really amazing and something I will never forget. After a delicious dinner of wild Oryx, wild rice and squash and homemade dessert we packed it in for the night in preparation for the next day’s safari.

Again we awoke at 6am-ish (the time change was a good thing after all!), after a wonderful homemade breakfast we were back in safari mode and slowly headed to our next stop. The speed limit in the park is about 80kms but you find yourself going even slower in anticipation of seeing more animals and also trying not to hit a lot of them. We were headed to a place called Okaukuejo, I can’t really say how far it is seeing as there are numerous detour roads you can take but we made it in about 3 hours give or take.

Along the way we came across some more fascinating animals like a huge African Elephant. He was about 3 times as big as our little truck and he let us know it! He was about 30 feet away from us on the side of the road and at first looked at us just as curiously but then gave us the big ol’ puffy ears and head shake to let us know it was time for us to move on…no problemo Dumbo!

Next we came upon some Blue Wildebeests and Ostriches, totally cool! The roads were in pretty good nick although there were a few spots that wouldn’t be too car friendly, even though we did see a few cars I wouldn’t recommend it just to be on the safe side. Traffic isn’t very common and there are signs with very good intention for you to “Not to leave your car,” you never know what might be lurking in that tall grass.

Our next hotel was called the Okaukuejo Resort, a network of African style villas, kind of like a fully functional little town. I don’t think I’ve had better accommodations than Namibia, for the price, location and culture it is truly a gem. We spent a few days there and embarked on a few more personal safaris which turned out to be pretty incredible.

One day we drove along a road called Rhino drive and wouldn’t you know it not too long after driving down the road we scared the crap out of not only ourselves but also a massive White Rhino which was grazing only about 10 feet from our truck/road.

It’s amazing how camouflaged even the biggest animals can be, he was easily as big as our truck thankfully he wasn’t looking for a duel! There are quite a few little watering holes scattered about the park and one hole in particular that we came upon was truly a sight to see, if you could imagine the Garden of Eden then that was it. The area was thick with animals of every kind, a very picturesque moment.

On our last night in the park we headed to a watering hole called Okondeka, there had been many Lion sightings there and we were keen to see one since we hadn’t come across any yet, or at least none that we were aware of.

It was almost sunset when we arrived and it turned out to be the perfect time for the big cats. We saw a massive Lion sitting nestled among some green bush soaking up the scenery and in the back of us I spotted his Lionesses and cubs lounging about. They were so hard to spot seeing as they are exactly the same colour as the wheat coloured grass…scary!

On our way home we spotted another huge Lion and a Lioness walking off into the sunset, what a way to end our safari, it was perfect. At the resort they have a big watering hole and nightly animals come for a cool drink. We saw 7 White Rhinos, Giraffe, Elephants and some Jackyls and if we would have stayed up even later we would have seen a pride of Lions. The next day we headed south to a place called Vingerklip Lodge located in the heart of Damaraland.

If you’ve ever wanted to go on a ‘do it yourself’ safari, which is perfectly safe and easy to do and explore an animal-dense massive game reserve (22,270km^²), then Etosha National Park is for you! I don’t think even 10 minutes went by without us coming across some sort of animal. The people are also some of the nicest we’ve ever met and the most hospitable.

The food is excellent, accommodations wonderful and the prices really reasonable. Namibia is known to be a safe country and with good reason – it is. It’s a gem and one I can’t wait to continue to explore! Stay tuned!

This travel diary has been written by Rob Gower, a traveler who works part-time for a bus hire company and enjoys traveling along roads less traveled!

If you’ve travelled somewhere off the beaten track, can write well and have good quality photos I encourage you to contact me and I’ll consider publishing your travel diary here including generous attribution and links back to your website as thanks for your contribution