Jumped onto a new truck leaving Livingstone towards Johannesburg. 9 people on this truck, 6 of which came from my last truck so we had the majority. A lot more space so we all had 2 lockers, 2 rows of seats and it just felt good to be able to spread out. I think 24 was too crowded, 9 is too small, so 15 is the perfect number. At the Zambia/Botswana Border Crossing, I met a guy Rocky trying to sell me necklaces who was wearing a Grant Thornton hat. It was even in the new logo...crazy! First stop was Chobe National Park where we had a sunset cruise on the river. Got pretty close to some hippos and alligators and tried to get them to ram the boat with no luck. Leaving Chobe we stopped at Elephant Sands and took a game drive and nature walk in the bush searching for elephants...spotted plenty of them along with giraffe and zebras. Crossed the border into South Africa and made camp right outside Kruger National park. Took a night drive on a private game reserve bordering Kruger and spotted 4 of the Big 5. The next day we had an all day Game Drive in Kruger and spotted all of the big 5!!! Perfect way to end the overland trip. Long drive to Johannesburg where the group said our goodbyes and I got ready for my solo Christmas in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Days 48-53 -- Livingstone and Victoria Falls
We left Malawi on route to Zambia, spending a night in Lusaka, the capital city. Since Zanzibar we've had a lot of ground to cover so we've spent 8-10 hours on the truck everyday...luckily for the Ipod dock and library on board or else I may have gone crazy. Anyways, we arrived to Livingstone, adventure capital for Africa. Spending 4 nights here so it was a good feeling to set up the tent and know it wasn't coming down in the morning. Here I found out that I would be the only one on my truck headed to the Okavanga Delta so they allowed me to switch to another truck going through Kruger ending in Jburg. Our campsite in Livingstone was right on the Zambezi and offerred all sorts of adventure activities...minutes away from the Falls. Our visit to the Falls was on a cloudy day, but the size of the curtain of falling water was crazy. Never been to Niagra so nothing to compare it to, but very impressive. The first day, a few of us did the Livingstone Island tour...took a boat over to Livingstone Island at the top of Victoria Falls. The Falls were spectacular and we had an opportunity to swim at the top, less than 20 meters from the where the water goes over the edge. After much pressure, we convinced the guides to take us to Devil's Pool right on the edge of the Falls. AMAZING!! You have to see the pictures...the pool is literally right on the edge of the falls and you can lean up against a rock wall to prevent you from being swept over. A quick Google of Devil's Pool at Victoria Falls will show you what I mean.
That night we did a booze cruise since a few others were leaving the group. After the cruise we spent the night in the dance hut... The next morning, eyes still half-shut, had to get up early for a full day of whitewater rafting. The Zambezi offers Grade 5 rapids and we were lucky to have our entire group of 8 share a boat with a good guide. We flipped a few times, I was thrown in a few more, instantly waking me up from the night before. These were some intense rapids and according to locals we rafted one of the top 5 sites in the world! The last day we had planned to do the bungee, but all these activities were taking a toll on the budget so I passed. The highest bungee in the world is just outside of Cape Town so I think I'll plan to save my money for that one.
That night we did a booze cruise since a few others were leaving the group. After the cruise we spent the night in the dance hut... The next morning, eyes still half-shut, had to get up early for a full day of whitewater rafting. The Zambezi offers Grade 5 rapids and we were lucky to have our entire group of 8 share a boat with a good guide. We flipped a few times, I was thrown in a few more, instantly waking me up from the night before. These were some intense rapids and according to locals we rafted one of the top 5 sites in the world! The last day we had planned to do the bungee, but all these activities were taking a toll on the budget so I passed. The highest bungee in the world is just outside of Cape Town so I think I'll plan to save my money for that one.
Days 42-47 -- Lake Malawi Beaches
So internet in Africa is real sketchy so I'm going to blast through the end of the overland trip to get caught up. South Africa looks like it has decent access so I hope to stay on top of it like I did when I started...
After Zanzibar, we spent another night in Dar es Salaam where we had to say goodbyes to a few people who left the truck. We added a few more so with 23 people, it was still crowded. Crossed the border into Malawi and drove Mikumi National park. Our first night was at a campsite right on Lake Malawi. The lake is so expansive, covering a fifth of the country, that you really feel like you are at an ocean. Set up camp right off the shore and enjoyed the sounds of small crashing waves as I slept. We then headed to Kande Beach to a popular campsite for overland trucks. About 4 other trucks when we got there so the campsite was buzzing with activity. It was Brooke's 30th birthday so the group had a big night with an amazing barbeque dinner and a big night at the campsite bar. The people of Malawi were very friendly and on the whole the country is really cheap. The weather was decent, but since it is the rainy season there were some big storms that passed so the extent of our activities was limited. I picked up a few hand-made Malawi chairs with some intricate designs...not sure how I'll get them home, but hopefully postage won't kill me.
After Zanzibar, we spent another night in Dar es Salaam where we had to say goodbyes to a few people who left the truck. We added a few more so with 23 people, it was still crowded. Crossed the border into Malawi and drove Mikumi National park. Our first night was at a campsite right on Lake Malawi. The lake is so expansive, covering a fifth of the country, that you really feel like you are at an ocean. Set up camp right off the shore and enjoyed the sounds of small crashing waves as I slept. We then headed to Kande Beach to a popular campsite for overland trucks. About 4 other trucks when we got there so the campsite was buzzing with activity. It was Brooke's 30th birthday so the group had a big night with an amazing barbeque dinner and a big night at the campsite bar. The people of Malawi were very friendly and on the whole the country is really cheap. The weather was decent, but since it is the rainy season there were some big storms that passed so the extent of our activities was limited. I picked up a few hand-made Malawi chairs with some intricate designs...not sure how I'll get them home, but hopefully postage won't kill me.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Days 37-41 -- Zanzibar
So most of the game drives are finished now until we get down to the Okavanga Delta towards the end of the trip. Looking back on it, I should have gone with the longer tour b/c the first 10 days have flown by...Most of the people on my truck are taking all the way down to Cape Town, but I get off at Livingstone/Victoria Falls and jump on another truck down to Jburg...will be interesting having to meet a new set of people. 24 poeple on the truck and its been an enjoyable experience. Every campsite has a campsite bar with $2 beers...so much better than the struggles in the Middle East. Everyone is really cool and I've settled into setting up and taking down a tent daily and long days on the truck...
Anyways, we made our way through some tough traffic down to Dar es Salaam, jump off point for Zanzibar...beautiful beaches with white sand. On our first day in Zanzibar we did a spice tour where we went to the fields to see how spices were grown...ranging from cinnamon to stuff i've never seen/heard about. Made a stop at the slave auction site which was crazy and toured the dungeon where slaves were held until the auction times...not sure how poeple were able to survive in those conditions. The next 2 days in Zanzibar were spent on North Beach and had free days to relax and enjoy the sun. Plenty of beach volleyball, a beach massage, a couple of sunsets and some big nights and our relaxation time was over...back to the regular routine of tents up and down everyday.
Anyways, we made our way through some tough traffic down to Dar es Salaam, jump off point for Zanzibar...beautiful beaches with white sand. On our first day in Zanzibar we did a spice tour where we went to the fields to see how spices were grown...ranging from cinnamon to stuff i've never seen/heard about. Made a stop at the slave auction site which was crazy and toured the dungeon where slaves were held until the auction times...not sure how poeple were able to survive in those conditions. The next 2 days in Zanzibar were spent on North Beach and had free days to relax and enjoy the sun. Plenty of beach volleyball, a beach massage, a couple of sunsets and some big nights and our relaxation time was over...back to the regular routine of tents up and down everyday.
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