Cost, I guess. But if you can afford a trip to Africa, I can't imagine any of you being disappointed. It is wild driving around and having to slow down to wait for zebras and elephants to cross the street. So what animals have I seen so far?
Lion, elephant, zebra, ostrich, wildebeest, warthog, cheetah, leopard, hippo, rhino, cape buffalo, kuku, oryx, yellow hornbilled, rock dassies, garmer, skink, rori bustard, glossy starling, jackal, lilac breasted roller, chamelion, scorpion, snake, kudu, bats, baboon, hyena, antelope, impala, monitor lizard, crocodile, secretary bird, stork, blue crane, red billed ox picker, african pied wogtail, vulture, dik dik, sable, springbok, gemsbok, klipsringer, guinea fowl, african dartar, and tons of other bird species. All of these animals have been seen in the wild. Blows my mind at times the animals I have seen.
A bit difficult to catch people up on a blog after not posting for 2 weeks. I spent some time at the Okavango Delta which is this body of water in the middle of the Kalihari desert. Quite a unique thing. We camped out for a couple of nights on an island and did some game walks. Also participated and some native song and dance.
Chobe national Park was another destination for game sighting. Taking a boat cruise down a river that was lined with herds of elephant, giraffe, buffalo, and tons of hippos. One of the highlights was watching an elephant scratch his belly with his own penis. If it sounds impossible, then you have never seen an elephant with an erection. Last couple of days I have been at Victoria Falls. The water is so abundant as it comes over the falls, that it creates mist which makes viewing the falls a bit difficult. I took a helicopter ride over the falls today to get a nice bird's eye view.
And...I went bungee jumping. 111 meters down. I spent all day yesterday summoning up the courage to take the jump, which wasn't easy given that some woman actually plunged into the river a couple of months ago when her rope broke. She lived, but it still made me slightly uneasy. It was a blast though. Not as much of an adrenaline rush as skydiving was, but still quite a thrill. And as I was dangling in the gorge, the mist and sun created a rainbow that formed a complete circle. Didn't know that such a thing was possible. It was enormous. I only wish I had my camera with me.
Have eaten some interesting foods. Kudu, warthog steaks, crocodile tail, antelope stew, smoked bream, bbq guinea fowl, mopani worms. All quite tasty, especially the warthog.
Cheers
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Sand
I spent parts of 4 days trying to upload pics and these were all that managed to upload. At least it gives a little feel of the Great Wall. Also a random pic of the first campsite where we stayed in Namibia.
Anyway, I spent the last few days in Swakopmund, Namibia. It is this German town along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia. Massive sand dunes arise almost as soon as the ocean ends and there are tons of adrenaline activities to do. I chose to do sand boarding and quad biking. Sand boarding is is snow boarding on sand. I don't really like the board when compared to skis, and this was also the first time I had ever used a board, so there were tons of wipeouts on this huge mountainous dune. Sand kept accumulating in places where sand doesn't belong. On the whole, it was a fun experience, but it would be more fun if I was proficient with my board skills. We also got to go down the dunes on 'sleds' (essentially a piece of pressed cardboard) and I reached speeds of 66km/h. Pretty fast, and since I didn't get to do any sledding on snow this year, this was a nice substitute. The following day I went quad biking which is taking a 4 wheel vehicle and driving all around the dunes. We did that for 2 hrs and the views were amazing yet again.
I can't believe the amount of things I have seen and done already and I am only 1 week in to this 4 month adventure. Not gonna have much chance over the next couple of months to update this blog. We are going to be doing alot of camping in bush camps and actual campsites and I don't think I will be in internet connected towns but for a couple more times on this entire trip. I wish all of you well and look forward to updating you whenever possible. Cheers.
Anyway, I spent the last few days in Swakopmund, Namibia. It is this German town along the Atlantic Ocean coast of Namibia. Massive sand dunes arise almost as soon as the ocean ends and there are tons of adrenaline activities to do. I chose to do sand boarding and quad biking. Sand boarding is is snow boarding on sand. I don't really like the board when compared to skis, and this was also the first time I had ever used a board, so there were tons of wipeouts on this huge mountainous dune. Sand kept accumulating in places where sand doesn't belong. On the whole, it was a fun experience, but it would be more fun if I was proficient with my board skills. We also got to go down the dunes on 'sleds' (essentially a piece of pressed cardboard) and I reached speeds of 66km/h. Pretty fast, and since I didn't get to do any sledding on snow this year, this was a nice substitute. The following day I went quad biking which is taking a 4 wheel vehicle and driving all around the dunes. We did that for 2 hrs and the views were amazing yet again.
I can't believe the amount of things I have seen and done already and I am only 1 week in to this 4 month adventure. Not gonna have much chance over the next couple of months to update this blog. We are going to be doing alot of camping in bush camps and actual campsites and I don't think I will be in internet connected towns but for a couple more times on this entire trip. I wish all of you well and look forward to updating you whenever possible. Cheers.
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| Great Wall |
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| The view from our first campsite in Namibia |
Monday, May 7, 2012
This part of the world must become part of your future travel plans
Namibia needs to be seen by all of you. No questions asked. Words can't really describe what I have seen and done. Desert, red sand dunes, white sand dunes, canyons, gorges, rolling hills, mountains, and lots of animals only seen previously by me in the zoo. We have camped under the stars with campfires every night and the sounds of animals all around us. The orange sunsets and sunrises are stunning and this unique full moon has illuminated the campsite each night. The food has been adequate at camp. Rice, beans, pasta, vegetables, meats and cheeses when available. The people on the trip are lots of fun. Most are in the 18-33 range, which would make me one of the oldest of the younger crowd. A few older people are also traveling, but it really is a fun group of Brits, Germans, Dutch, Aussies, Kiwis, and a couple of other Americans. Lots of laughs and lots of learning of new English words. The Brits and Americans may speak the same language but we don't use the same words or pronunciations to describe many of the same things. Can you believe that almost no one outside of North America has ever heard of s'mores. How can you camp without s'mores. Grocery stores don't even sell graham crackers and the Euros have never heard of the graham cracker. Apparently us Americans bastardize the English language. At least we do according to the Brits. I know it's unfair to compare Africa to SE Asia because they really are totally different but aside from Angkor Wat and The Great Wall of China, everything I have seen in my first week on this trip absolutely blows the sights of SE Asia out of the water. I don't regret seeing SE Asia and I am glad I saw what I saw so that I could learn about their cultures, but this is more my style. Everything is just stunningly beautiful and so photographic. Let's hope I can upload some pics.
Upload times suck. Will try to get more in the next few days.
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| Soussusvlei Sand Dunes |
Upload times suck. Will try to get more in the next few days.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Great White Sharks
These pics uploaded relatively quickly. So at least you can see sharks even though I owe you pics of the Great Wall.
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| Sexy |
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| Scary |
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| Jaws from a cage isn't so scary |
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Which is the More Dangerous Activity in Cape Town...
Swimming with Great White Sharks or walking down the street. I'll give you a hint. It rhymes with: stalking clown the feet. I might have thought the shark as well until I got held up at knife point while walking down the street in broad daylight. Skinny black dude runs up behind me and asks me to give him all my Rand (currency in South Africa). I didn't have any because I have been fighting with my ATM card again, so telling him that I didn't have any was the truth. I did have $1200 USD on me as I had just left the bank, but didn't have the local currency. After repeatedly telling him I had no money, he then asked for my cell phone. Didn't have that with me either. After emptying my pockets, making sure to conceal my USD, I guess I convinced him that I really didn't have anything to give him, so he gave me a fist bump, told me to have a nice day, and walked away. He's not really good at his chosen craft because I had $1200 USD on me along with at least $5000 in camera equipment. Still have it all too. Alot of things go through your head in situations like that, none of them good.
Shark diving was fun. Essentially we were in a cage off the side of a boat. Spotters on the boat would yell where the sharks were. We would then dive under and try to spot them as they swam innocently by. It was fun and not dangerous in the least.
I leave on my 4 month trip through Africa tomorrow morning. Won't be able to blog all that consistently, but I will do my best to try and keep all of you updated.
But the good news for all of you as a result of street fiasco is that I have holed myself up in the hostel and spent the better part of the last 48 hours editing photos from my entire trip. Bad news is, this silly hostel has the slowest upload time and I have to pay for internet. As a result, these are the only pics I had time to upload. They are of the Forbidden City in Beijing
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Shark diving was fun. Essentially we were in a cage off the side of a boat. Spotters on the boat would yell where the sharks were. We would then dive under and try to spot them as they swam innocently by. It was fun and not dangerous in the least.
I leave on my 4 month trip through Africa tomorrow morning. Won't be able to blog all that consistently, but I will do my best to try and keep all of you updated.
But the good news for all of you as a result of street fiasco is that I have holed myself up in the hostel and spent the better part of the last 48 hours editing photos from my entire trip. Bad news is, this silly hostel has the slowest upload time and I have to pay for internet. As a result, these are the only pics I had time to upload. They are of the Forbidden City in Beijing
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Hello Again
My apologies if this post will seem a bit scattered. We have alot of catching up to do, I have limited free wifi minutes at this hostel and I just arrived in South Africa following about 20hrs of flying/airport time.
Where to begin. The reason I haven't been posting is because I haven't been allowed. China isn't exactly keen on free speech, so all access to Facebook and my blog was completely restricted. Vietnam was a bit more lax on allowing me to blog, but their communist regime also blocked Facebook. But I am free to speak my mind again, so who knows what crazy things will flow off the fingertips. I might even tell you that I got married. Which would be utter nonsense, except for the fact that I actually did get married...kind of. And I gotta tell ya...not all it's cracked up to be.
So I last left you before my trip to Halong Bay. It is recognized as one of the new 7 wonders of the world and is one of those UNESCO world heritage sites. Not quite sure what the standards are for becoming one of these world heritage sites, but the Chesapeake Bay should put themselves up for nomination. That is to say, in spite of the fact that there are hundreds of these massive limestone rock formations rising up out of the bay, there was garbage floating around everywhere. Combined with the fact that it was hazy the whole time, and the whole experience was lesser than I was anticipating. I also got ripped off by my tour company in that I paid about $30 extra for what I thought was going to be better lodging than everyone else on the tour, but essentially I lived just as they did and then got charged an additional single supplement fee. So all told, $40 more than everyone else for the same experience. We were fed like kings, which helped. I think the French were a bit appalled by how much and how fast this American ate, but whatever. Stop your incessant rambling at dinner and you could eat a bit more as well. Spent the trip with 3 Brits which provided nice company, and overall, if you look past the garbage, it was still a worthwhile adventure.
Got back to Hanoi and then took an overnight train into Guilin, China. For the record, I really liked China, but for that whole free speech limitation issue. Sun everyday didn't hurt either. I stopped in Guilin because of convenience and because of these terraced rice fields. At the Longji Rice Fields, there is this village with women that have the longest black hair you have ever seen. Some lengths of hair are over 6' long. Anyway, they put on this little show where they flaunt their black hair, and then they marry off some of the villagers that are still single. Well, they wanted a westerner to go up there, so I, along with 3 Chinese guys went up on stage to get married. They ask you to go over and pick the girl you would like to marry, and the one I chose actually refused me. Just like real life. She passed me off to her friend and then they take you backstage where you are forced to buy a bracelet for a wedding gift for your bride to be . You could pay anywhere from $5-8. What a scam. I got this bag as a wedding gift in return, but I would have rather saved that money for some other fun activity besides getting hitched to the old ball and chain. I also had to sing a song to profess my love to her. Didn't know what to sing, so of course I sang, Happy Birthday. I am so romantic. Luckily I got an annulment, and I am back on the market again ladies. Being a divorcee might have hurt my street cred.
Spent another 2 days in the town before taking a 29hr train ride to Beijing. I thought I was going to have a sleeper bed for the trip, but there was a communication lapse between me and the train ticket agent, and I ended up with just a seat on a bench next to another Chinese dude. Not exactly luxury confines for such a lengthy train ride. Pretty tough to sleep. I was also the only white dude in my car, which as the trip progressed, was kind of a good thing, because I was like a circus side show act. These 2 guys kept buying me beer and rice wine, so we drank the trip away drinking beers and taking rice wine shots out of water bottle caps. I think they were surprised I could drink with them. We kept chasing down the drinks with peanuts and hard boiled eggs.
Got to Beijing and then had to wait about 1 hour at the train station before finally getting a cab to the hostel. Of course the cab driver didn't know how to get me to the hostel and I forgot to write down the phone# to the place, so we were driving aimlessly around Beijing at like 1am. I kept trying to find free wifi at restaurants and hotels without luck. Finally got the idea to call my dad at home and he got the number for me. But then I argued with cab driver about the fare because he wanted to charge me for the time spent wandering aimlessly in his cab. Not my fault he couldn't find the address. I paid him less than what he wanted but not by as much less as I would have preferred since my cash supply was low. Couldn't find a bank in China to do a cash advance on my credit card and since I have been without ATM card for about 1 month, I actually had to borrow money from another American while in Guilin, just to finance the rest of trip in Beijing.
Anyway, loved Beijing. My first official day of Spring was April 24th. Don't know when it was for everybody else, but it was the first cool day I had experienced in 6 weeks. Bright blue skies and fresh air in Beijing. Never thought I would utter those words. Visited the big sites and absolutely loved the Great Wall of China. One of the coolest things I have ever seen. I must have walked about 4 miles on the wall, and it was strenuous. So strenuous that my knees physically ached by days end and it limited my sightseeing the following day. But that wall is a photographers dream.
Am in South Africa and am going diving with Great White Sharks tomorrow. Going down in one of the shark cages and just watching the sharks come at me. I will upload pics and share some other thoughts in the next few days.
Where to begin. The reason I haven't been posting is because I haven't been allowed. China isn't exactly keen on free speech, so all access to Facebook and my blog was completely restricted. Vietnam was a bit more lax on allowing me to blog, but their communist regime also blocked Facebook. But I am free to speak my mind again, so who knows what crazy things will flow off the fingertips. I might even tell you that I got married. Which would be utter nonsense, except for the fact that I actually did get married...kind of. And I gotta tell ya...not all it's cracked up to be.
So I last left you before my trip to Halong Bay. It is recognized as one of the new 7 wonders of the world and is one of those UNESCO world heritage sites. Not quite sure what the standards are for becoming one of these world heritage sites, but the Chesapeake Bay should put themselves up for nomination. That is to say, in spite of the fact that there are hundreds of these massive limestone rock formations rising up out of the bay, there was garbage floating around everywhere. Combined with the fact that it was hazy the whole time, and the whole experience was lesser than I was anticipating. I also got ripped off by my tour company in that I paid about $30 extra for what I thought was going to be better lodging than everyone else on the tour, but essentially I lived just as they did and then got charged an additional single supplement fee. So all told, $40 more than everyone else for the same experience. We were fed like kings, which helped. I think the French were a bit appalled by how much and how fast this American ate, but whatever. Stop your incessant rambling at dinner and you could eat a bit more as well. Spent the trip with 3 Brits which provided nice company, and overall, if you look past the garbage, it was still a worthwhile adventure.
Got back to Hanoi and then took an overnight train into Guilin, China. For the record, I really liked China, but for that whole free speech limitation issue. Sun everyday didn't hurt either. I stopped in Guilin because of convenience and because of these terraced rice fields. At the Longji Rice Fields, there is this village with women that have the longest black hair you have ever seen. Some lengths of hair are over 6' long. Anyway, they put on this little show where they flaunt their black hair, and then they marry off some of the villagers that are still single. Well, they wanted a westerner to go up there, so I, along with 3 Chinese guys went up on stage to get married. They ask you to go over and pick the girl you would like to marry, and the one I chose actually refused me. Just like real life. She passed me off to her friend and then they take you backstage where you are forced to buy a bracelet for a wedding gift for your bride to be . You could pay anywhere from $5-8. What a scam. I got this bag as a wedding gift in return, but I would have rather saved that money for some other fun activity besides getting hitched to the old ball and chain. I also had to sing a song to profess my love to her. Didn't know what to sing, so of course I sang, Happy Birthday. I am so romantic. Luckily I got an annulment, and I am back on the market again ladies. Being a divorcee might have hurt my street cred.
Spent another 2 days in the town before taking a 29hr train ride to Beijing. I thought I was going to have a sleeper bed for the trip, but there was a communication lapse between me and the train ticket agent, and I ended up with just a seat on a bench next to another Chinese dude. Not exactly luxury confines for such a lengthy train ride. Pretty tough to sleep. I was also the only white dude in my car, which as the trip progressed, was kind of a good thing, because I was like a circus side show act. These 2 guys kept buying me beer and rice wine, so we drank the trip away drinking beers and taking rice wine shots out of water bottle caps. I think they were surprised I could drink with them. We kept chasing down the drinks with peanuts and hard boiled eggs.
Got to Beijing and then had to wait about 1 hour at the train station before finally getting a cab to the hostel. Of course the cab driver didn't know how to get me to the hostel and I forgot to write down the phone# to the place, so we were driving aimlessly around Beijing at like 1am. I kept trying to find free wifi at restaurants and hotels without luck. Finally got the idea to call my dad at home and he got the number for me. But then I argued with cab driver about the fare because he wanted to charge me for the time spent wandering aimlessly in his cab. Not my fault he couldn't find the address. I paid him less than what he wanted but not by as much less as I would have preferred since my cash supply was low. Couldn't find a bank in China to do a cash advance on my credit card and since I have been without ATM card for about 1 month, I actually had to borrow money from another American while in Guilin, just to finance the rest of trip in Beijing.
Anyway, loved Beijing. My first official day of Spring was April 24th. Don't know when it was for everybody else, but it was the first cool day I had experienced in 6 weeks. Bright blue skies and fresh air in Beijing. Never thought I would utter those words. Visited the big sites and absolutely loved the Great Wall of China. One of the coolest things I have ever seen. I must have walked about 4 miles on the wall, and it was strenuous. So strenuous that my knees physically ached by days end and it limited my sightseeing the following day. But that wall is a photographers dream.
Am in South Africa and am going diving with Great White Sharks tomorrow. Going down in one of the shark cages and just watching the sharks come at me. I will upload pics and share some other thoughts in the next few days.
Monday, April 16, 2012
A tale of two anagram cities
Let's do a little Jeopardy.
I'll take anagrams for 1000 Alex.
Alex: Oh Ian. Did you enjoy your trip to these two Vietnamese cities?
Jeremy: What are Hoi An and Hanoi?
For the record, respectively yes and no.
Hanoi is just another big Asian city. Not much needs to be said about it. Ho Chi Minh, the leader, is entombed in a mausoleum, has a museum that details his rise to power, and a large chunk of land that shows where he once lived. There is the prison where John McCain was held during the Vietnam War. Not much else. There is a phrase that is quite popular in SEA (southeast Asia). Same Same but different. Not exactly sure how it got started, but essentially every big Asian city I have visited is same same but different. Basically different in name only and similar in all of the sights, food, culture, etc.
Hoi An is a different story. It is quite possibly the best small town/city I have visited in all of my travels. It is a coastal town, so there is a beach. The nice thing about the beach is that it is about 4km away from the heart of the old town. So the masses can go to the beach during the day and still leave the old town with that intimate feel. Lots of fun just wandering the streets lined with restaurants, souvenir shops and silk shops which will tailor quality suits and dresses for bargain basement prices. There is a sprawling market where everyone goes early in the morning to buy their food for that day and that day only. Most of the residents live simply and don't have the modern conveniences of refrigerators and freezers. So they buy food and ice for that day, and do it all over again the next day. I spent a day doing a cooking class on a tiny island and another day on a bike ride on another small island. Saw how villagers make mats, bricks, inlay wood, boats, basket boats, rice milk, and ice. Yes, ice. Again, the lack of freezers requires that people buy their ice. There aren't many places where I travel that I could sightsee for more than 2 days. Could have stayed an extra few days but moved on to Hanoi. Not for Hanoi, but for Halong Bay. It is a Unesco world heritage site that has been earmarked as a must see sight since the start of my trip. Will be doing a 3d2n cruise and then move on to China after that.
The pictures show my time in Hoi An and the food I have eaten from Bangkok-Siem Reap-Hoi An
I'll take anagrams for 1000 Alex.
Alex: Oh Ian. Did you enjoy your trip to these two Vietnamese cities?
Jeremy: What are Hoi An and Hanoi?
For the record, respectively yes and no.
Hanoi is just another big Asian city. Not much needs to be said about it. Ho Chi Minh, the leader, is entombed in a mausoleum, has a museum that details his rise to power, and a large chunk of land that shows where he once lived. There is the prison where John McCain was held during the Vietnam War. Not much else. There is a phrase that is quite popular in SEA (southeast Asia). Same Same but different. Not exactly sure how it got started, but essentially every big Asian city I have visited is same same but different. Basically different in name only and similar in all of the sights, food, culture, etc.
Hoi An is a different story. It is quite possibly the best small town/city I have visited in all of my travels. It is a coastal town, so there is a beach. The nice thing about the beach is that it is about 4km away from the heart of the old town. So the masses can go to the beach during the day and still leave the old town with that intimate feel. Lots of fun just wandering the streets lined with restaurants, souvenir shops and silk shops which will tailor quality suits and dresses for bargain basement prices. There is a sprawling market where everyone goes early in the morning to buy their food for that day and that day only. Most of the residents live simply and don't have the modern conveniences of refrigerators and freezers. So they buy food and ice for that day, and do it all over again the next day. I spent a day doing a cooking class on a tiny island and another day on a bike ride on another small island. Saw how villagers make mats, bricks, inlay wood, boats, basket boats, rice milk, and ice. Yes, ice. Again, the lack of freezers requires that people buy their ice. There aren't many places where I travel that I could sightsee for more than 2 days. Could have stayed an extra few days but moved on to Hanoi. Not for Hanoi, but for Halong Bay. It is a Unesco world heritage site that has been earmarked as a must see sight since the start of my trip. Will be doing a 3d2n cruise and then move on to China after that.
The pictures show my time in Hoi An and the food I have eaten from Bangkok-Siem Reap-Hoi An
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| Inlay wood process |
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| Bricks still in un-dired clay form |
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| basket boat |
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| Jeremy in basket boat |
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| floating bridge I had to cross by bike |
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| mat making |
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| tired tour guide |
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| hammerhead shark at the market |
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| tossing rice to separate grain from husk |
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| My creations during cooking class |
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| bamboo leave steamed herb fish, eaten on the beack |
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| Cau Lao |
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