An African Adventure

[coyote25]

Zimbabwe

 

[drron]

I agree with you about Botswana.A success story.When it became independent in 1966 it was the 3rd poorest country in the world.In 2016 it had moved up to number 93 with 136 countries below it.In 1966 it had 12 Km of paved roads,22 University graduates and 100 secondary school graduates.
Mostly that is due to it's first president.
Seretse Khama - Wikipedia
Unfortunately under his son the 4th president it has slipped a little especially in regards to corruption though it still ranks in the 30's as least corrupt nations.The San certainly are facing increased discrimination.

A story we heard a couple of times in the Okavango was that when it was declared a National Park the president went to every village explaining why and keeping his promise of them having priority for jobs at the lodges.

 

[coyote25]

Namibia
Population: 2.8 million
Visited: 07/01/2018 - 17/01/2018
Places visited: Windhoek, Etosha National Park, Brandberg, Spitzkoppe, Swakopmund, Sesriem, Fish River Canyon
Visa: No Required

I found Namibia to be more like the Africa of my imagination, desert or arid conditions and I loved it, well maybe not well doing a hike to the Deadvlei (the Dead Valley)! Closing form Botswana wasn’t really an issue other than my passport was basically out of space, I temporarily removed a loose Brazilian Visa to make space but was warned I was nearing the end of my passport use.

Among the highlights of Namibia was seeing the vultures and jackals devouring a dead zebra over the course of a few hours. Nature at it’s most efficient and gory (the zebra has an unborn baby when it died which to jackals tried to pull out).

Namibia still had a range of wild aminals to experience including Giraffes, Lion, Cheetah, Wildebeest, Jackals, Hyenas, Ostriches, Elephants, Vulutures, Flamingos, Seals, and Buffalo. However the landscape, hash and hot was to me the real highlight for example the thousands of years old rock paintings at Spitzkoppe, Dune 45 at Sossusvlei (and the arid Deadvlei) and the sunset at Fish River Canyon made this a visually stunning country to visit.

While Namibia was the only country in which I got slightly unwell (I think heat exhaustion but not too bad) I still really enjoyed this country.

Namibia Blog Entries

 

[coyote25]

Etosha National Park

Brandberg (our truck)

Spitzkoppe

Swakopmund

Dune 45 - a long way up

Deadvlei (the Dead Valley)

Fish River Canyon

 

[Jacques Vert]

Great photos.

We also loved Namibia.

 

[JohnM]

Did you come down Dune 45 the fast way?

 

[coyote25]

Did you come down Dune 45 the fast way?

Faster than I planned - LOL

 

[coyote25]

South Africa
Population: 55.9 million
Visited: 17/01/18 - 21/01/18
Places visited: Gariep River, Cederberg Mountains, Cape Town
Visa: No Required

I was only in South Africa for five days with the last day being traveling home from Cape Town to Melbourne via Johannesburg and Sydney. Despite this I still enjoyed me time in South Africa. The border cross into the country was the most formal with walls and barbed wire. I only had room in my passport for one stamp so South African Immigration made it clear I needed to head home when leaving their country.

Cape Town is currently in a severe dought and showers were restricted to 90 seconds. While the countryside was still mostly green around Cape Town I recalled it being greener last time I was there.

Highlights included Cape Town Township Tour, curio shopping and the best of all wine tasting while in the Cederberg Mountains! Something about drinking wine and beers while playing billiards across from a beautiful landscape that makes you feel content with life.

After 12 different countries across 62 days my trip was over once leaving South Africa.

Blog Entries.

 

[coyote25]

Gariep River

Cederberg Mountains

Cape Town

 

[coyote25]

The Journey Home - Cape Town to Johannesburg

It was time to return home. I'd booked a one way Qantas J Award CPT-JNB-SYD-MEL costing 122k points and $428.20 which I thought was a fair use of points given a January (peak period = high paid fares). Qantas released the J award JNB-SYD over the phone, no problems finding and linking in domestic flight to Johannesburg and from Sydney to Melbourne.

The first leg was on a B737-800 with Comair (part of British Airways). I had selected seat 2A which was in Club World (Business Class). Before this flight I used the domestic Cape Town SLOW Lounge (blog review here) which had good tarmac views and very nice selection of finger food and a loo with a view. Nice part of the J experience getting lounge access (which I would have had as a WP anyway).

Flight was a midday departure so no rush to the airport in Cape Town and good transit time in Johannesburg. Flight had priority boarding which worked well.

Business class has five across seats with A & B having the two seats and D, E & F having the three. It did not appear that they sell seat E in business class. I had no one seating in 2B. Seats have leather covers. The plane had no inflight entertainment. Drinks (water, juice and wine) were offered pre-departure. After takeoff we were offered two meal choices in business class, either pasta or chicken sandwich. I choose the pasta severed with salad (and dressing), crackers and cheese, a Lindt chocolate, an a cake. The meal service was very good for a short 2 hour domestic flight.

Full Flight Review – BA6416 Cape Town to Johannesburg is located here.

 

[coyote25]

Cape Town to Johannesburg Flight

 

[coyote25]

The Journey Home - Johannesburg British Airways Galleries First Lounge

Once I landed in Johannesburg it was a 5 minute walk from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. My bag was checked though to Sydney from Cape Town so no need to pick up and recheck my bag.

I had access to the British Airways Galleries First Lounge as a Qantas WP member but could have instead accessed the
Galleries Club as a J passenger if not for my membership status.

Note: The showers are in the Galleries Club side while the Galleries First side has view of the shopping area in the terminal.

There are two food stations in the First Lounge but fairly limited selection of food. There is a self serve alcohol in fridges (beer) and chilled wine. The fridge also has mini cans of soft drink and water bottles. There is also a coffee and tea station. The wifi requires a password which reception will stamp on the back of your boarding pass. There are many power points but surprisingly doesn’t use the South Africa standard power point but reception staff will provide a plug converter.

While the lounge was fine, and a shower before a long international flight is most welcome it didn't feel like a first lounge. In fact you could argue that Qantas Sydney Domestic Business Lounge is slightly better. So more like a business lounge and very much appreciated.

 

[coyote25]

Johannesburg British Airways Galleries First Lounge (January 2018)

 

[Flying mermaid]

It did not appear that they sell seat E in business class. I had no one seating in 2B. Seats have leather covers. T.

unless things have changed recently they will sell the middle seat on peak hour flights. It is always sensible to choose the A side just in case.

Disappointing that the food selection wasn't good in the BA F lounge - the times I have been there it was pretty good. Did they at least still have a decent champagne? Nothing surely can be as bad as the Qantas Syd J lounge

You have had an amazing time - thank for all the work here and on your blog.

 

[coyote25]

The Journey Home - Johannesburg to Sydney

I'd booked a one way Qantas J Award CPT-JNB-SYD-MEL costing 122k points and $428.20. This is the two leg which was made possible by Qantas releasing a J award JNB-SYD. The second leg was on the grand old lady of the sky a B747-400. I had pre-selected seat 5B for this flight as there was no 5A meaning both a window and direct aisle plus additional storage space and was very muich looking forward to this flight experience.

Priority boarding was both done and enforced. They started first with business class, Platinum and Gold members. Several passengers were sent to the back of the line for not being eligible for priority boarding which I've never really seen Qantas do on any other flight, at least not any flights from Australia domestic or international (the occasional you shouldn't do this but they still got to board early).

These business class seats are the fully-flat Qantas Skybed II seats (not the amazing A330 J seats) with the following specifications: 60.9cm (24in) bed width, 203.2cm (80in) seat pitch and bed length, back massage function, leather armrests and 30.7cm (12.1in) in arm entertainment screen. The entertainment screen and seat operate correctly though out the flight.

Dinner and Breakfast menus were waiting on the chair. Pens were given out for the breakfast order which the cabin crew collected before pushback. I had pre-ordered my dinner options which I had to remind the flight attendant but no problem getting the order.

Amenity kit included face mask, toothbrush and paste, ear plugs, soaks, a postcard, and the Aspar Travel Essentials pack (hand cream, face moisturiser, lip balm). Pyjamas were also offered, several passengers rushed to change before pushback but most waited for after takeoff including myself. With the flight leaving around 7 pm PJs were most welcome (and still be used back home!).

For dinner I ordered:
– Small plate: braised beef, mushroom and red wine shepherd’s pie
– Large plate: Seared kingklip with roasted potato wedges, smashed peas, tartare sauce and lemon.

The food was in good proportions and tasted great. I only selected soft drink as a beverage but there were many other alcohol options along with juices.

The windows were closed for the majority of the flight in order to encourage passengers to sleep especially given we were moving into daylight half way though the flight but our bodies were on nighttime hours. Breakfast service commenced about 2 hours from landing. I recall having an omelette and cereals.

This was a smooth and fast flight with fast tail winds pushing us quickly to Sydney and we landed 30 minutes early turning this into 11 hour flight instead of 11.5 hours.

I really enjoy flying home on Qantas, you start flying you are home from the moment to board. The extra bonus was flying on a boeing 747 is it is an amazing plane and part of aviation history having started the modern jet age back in the 1970s. With this plane type quickly being phased out I enjoyed what will probably be my last ever B747 flight.

Post script: coming from Africa means the immigration kiosks won't work for you, instead you need to see an immigration officer who will ask you a few basic questions about hiking and exposure to the elements in Africa. No real problems. My bag was waiting for me so extremely quick service given immigration delay was only 3-4 minutes. From here I walked outside to the Domestic transfer service and an enjoyable bus ride across the tarmac to domestic terminal and the waiting Qantas Business Lounge and leg 3 SYD-MEL B737-800 J flight home.

 

[coyote25]

The JNB-SYD QF064 flight home

 

[coyote25]

unless things have changed recently they will sell the middle seat on peak hour flights. It is always sensible to choose the A side just in case.

Disappointing that the food selection wasn't good in the BA F lounge - the times I have been there it was pretty good. Did they at least still have a decent champagne? Nothing surely can be as bad as the Qantas Syd J lounge

You have had an amazing time - thank for all the work here and on your blog.

To be fair the F Lounge was probably very good but after F Lounges in Melbourne (Qantas) and Dubai (Emirates) plus I was heading home so a little disappointed the adventure was over played on my review.

I actually like the QF SYD DOM J Lounge on the few times I've been there which to be fair was not during peak times so seeing it during zoo time might make me see it a little different

 

[coyote25]

So this was an amazing and enjoyable trip. I now look back very fondly and remember are the great times and even the not as fun stuff (putting up tents in the dark, long drive between places, border crossings) with a more favourable eye.

I'll never forget the heart pumping day that I experienced a lion jumping out from a bush and briefly chase my open air vehicle just a few minutes after an elephant threatened us by trumpeting and doing mini charges (video here) and then setting up our bush camp with a pride of lions only 10 minutes drive from our campsite at Chobe National Park! And this was after witnessing lions fighting each other on the same day. Just a day in Africa

Over two months I traveled to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. The trip was a participatory overlander experience, basically a truck tour group in which we all chip in via a duty roster which includes cleaning the truck, food preparation, move tables and chairs (ie campsite and lunch time setup) and cleaning dishes. It definitely forces you to interact with your fellow tour members and was very different to the Emirates First Class experience flying to Kenya

I did this trip with On The Go Tours, their overlander trips have three crew members, a tour leader, driver and cook. OTG Tour booking representative Cherylyn Antao was great, happy to provide her direct details if looking to book with On The Go Tours. With very few exceptions the tour members across the three legs of the Great African Expedition tour (made up three smaller tours: Gorilla and Game Trek, Wildlife Express, and Falls to Cape) were great and interesting individuals who wished to experience the world. Travel vehicles used during the trip included truck, light airplanes, helicopter, hot air balloon, 4WD / Jeeps, boat, rafts and canoes (mokoros).

During this trip I achieved several bucket list goals; flying international first class, experiencing the endangered mountain gorillas, visiting the Serengeti and Victoria Falls. Other highlights of the trip included experiencing the big five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) but beyond that an amazing array of wildlife including monkeys, ostriches, warthogs, guinea fowls, hippos, hyenas, crocodiles, wildebeest, gazelles, elands, zebras, giraffe (even giraffes fighting!), cheetahs, antelope, African wild dog, baboons, gorillas, mongoose, impalas, bushbucks, dik-diks, jackals, seals, dolphins, springboks, and flamingos. And this doesn’t even count the colourful birds, pelicans, and the scary looking vultures.

The landscape is obviously a big part of an African experience. Earlier in the trip in area it was lush greenery which was surprising to me, moving onto coupled with semi-arid areas and then plain arid / desert area. Victoria Falls is definitely a wonder of the world. I got to cross the equator a couple of time as I travel over 5,000 kilometres around east and southern Africa.

I got to spend a short time with indigenous peoples in the Masai and the San people. I learned from them the dangerous of the wild and the skills needed to survive (which I have none of). I saw rock paintings that were over 4,000 years old and highly skills artist creating magnificent art and craftworks. I danced with school children and orphans and got thoroughly beaten playing football (soccer) with them.

During this trip swam in two oceans – the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. I somehow survived several desert hikes and hiking to the dead valley (Sesriem, Namibia). I got to witness a huge herd of wildebeest running / migrating. I saw government corruption at first hand during a border crossing. I managed to get passed every border crossing with a now totally full passport (RIP old friend, time for a new passport ).

Time to now plan my next trip – I’m thinking Nepal and Tibet and then other experiences on my To Do List

 

[coyote25]

Some final photos from Africa

 

[coyote25]