After our very successful camping trip in the USA and Canada in mid-2014, we started thinking about where we might like to go next. We keep thinking about South America, but feel that we might be better off waiting until after Brazil has hosted the 2016 Olympics. Neither of us has visited any part of the African continent, so that seemed as good a reason as any to plan a 6-week camping trip there. Greg read a great article on DIY Africa by Seth Kugel, who writes for the New York Times as The Frugal Traveller which got the cogs turning and so our travel plans got underway.
We got inexpensive return tickets to Johannesburg using as many Air Miles as we could then we paid the balance – the Singapore Airlines office in Adelaide were very helpful in explaining how to do it because information on their website was a bit … thin.
So … we’re sitting at Adelaide Airport, having checked in 40kg of camping gear. We’ll hire a car at Jo’burg Airport, stay in a nice hotel overnight, buy more camping gear and food and head north to Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. Fans of the Alexander McCall Smith No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of books will know exactly what I mean when I say that I’m going to be keeping an eye out for the Tiny White Van. If I find it, there will be photos, I promise.
What we’re really like to do is drive through Botswana to Zambia to see the Victoria Falls, but we’re not sure if the rental car company will let us do that, or whether we’ll have to switch to Plan B … or even Plan C. We’re also planning on spending time in Kruger National Park, and also want to travel south through Sth Africa to Capetown and Durban. As always what we think we’ll do and what we end up doing may not be the same things … but come along for the ride and we’ll try and keep you up to date as we go along.
The Sturt Desert Pea in the banner photo is from my mum’s garden. I found the photo of the King Protea online, but we’ll keep an eye out for some to photograph.
Who will play you both in the film? Or perhaps a documentary! Bon voyage to the dear adventurers XOX
Funny you should ask that, Joan – I was just sitting on the plane between ADL and Changi wondering the same thing! Bryan Cranston could play Greg … after he’s played Chris Hadfield (wouldn’t he be perfect as my favourite astronaut?!) but who could play moi? Well, Meryl could, ‘cos she can play anyone (ha!), otherwise Frances McDormand would be good. We started watching her in Olive Kitteridge … fantastic! Or yes, a documentary, and we can just be ourselves. xxx
have a wonderful trip you two! Are you doing the wine/garden route too?Treat yourself then to a brunch basket at Bosschendael (Stellenbosch), our family did that 20 years agonand we”re still talking about it 😉 .
Oh, and besides Kruger, there are smaller, less crowded wildlife parks too in south africa. Enjoy big (five) time!
Thanks for the tips, Mickey – that brunch basket must have really been something for you, baker extraordinaire, to remember it all these years later. I’ll add it to the must-do list. xx
Enjoy plan A,B or C.
Go well, and take care.
We’re already onto Plan B – we can’t take the hire car into Zambia, so will look into doing a bus trip to Victoria Falls from the northern Botswana border. xx
Oh, Judy and Greg what a great adventure you are going on this time , remember there are lots of wild animals there . I rather guess more sunshine than your last trip which is more important to me .(although of course sunshine and warmth doesn’t mean as much to you as it does to us Brits) x
Hi Margaret, so far the weather here is cooler than at home, although Ron mentioned that it’s not very warm in ADL at the moment. xx
http://boschendal.com/uploads/PICNIC_11.pdf
http://boschendal.com/eat-and-drink/le-pique-nique
I don’t even remember most of it, just that it seemed to us that the basket was bottomless, goodies just kept coming out of it, and the raspberries with cream were never ending too….just a beautiful way to spend a quiet afternoon! Oh…and the wines of course..!
(and a great memory for me as we travelled with our whole family to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday over the Christmas holidays 1996-1997, and this was new years day 1997). If you happen to get there, just give a little wink and toast to the skies for me!
In the mean time…ENJOY your travels!XX
Thanks for the links, Mickey – I’ll take a closer look at them when we head south to Capetown. That must have been such a wonderful trip for you and your family. xx
Love the bath with low shower. Perhaps they have lots of small Japenese tourist. ( as they are in most places we have visited) Derick has a tale he tells about the low urinals that were in the toilets in Canada, apparently because of the Japs. xx