Sunday, 30 August 2009
Jo'burg
Driving on the highway into Jo'burg this afternoon we had a bit of a fright. A man was flashing his id from a car to the right lane of us and motioning us to pull over. We were unsure of what to do but in the end the car pulled in front of us and stopped. The man got out and came to the drivers window on the verge side of the Landy (its a left hand drive). Duncan wound down the window a little and the man flashed his id as he explained in a friendly manner that he was special police with the airport we had just passed and needed to see our id, we werent from Zimbabwe were we? When I asked to see his id more closely he demanded to know where we were from and to see our passports. I reached up for the photocopies of our passports we keep tucked into the passenger side sun visor and again requested to see his id more closely before handing over the information. The man started shouting that we had to give him our passports and I said I'd be happy for them to follow us to the nearest police station where they could see our id. I was pretty skeptical about his story as most law officials dont start yelling at you, and why would special police from the airport want anything to do with an overland vehicle. Still shouting at us, he grabbed at the handle of Duncan's door (unlocked) and yanked it open. Duncan grabbed it back, locked it and we drove off, shaken. I guess they saw the foreign number plates and thought we'd be an easy Sunday afternoon mark. We're just here to go to the place that made the roof tent for some bits and pieces before pressing on towards Springbok. I'm not feeling inspired to get out and about.
Friday, 28 August 2009
Kruger National Park
I'm sitting now at the Crocodile Creek campsite inside Kruger National Park. Its Duncan's turn to sort out dinner. A moment ago I thought I heard someone walking behind me. The campsite is fenced from the game and our site is right by the fence. I shone the light on a hyena. It looked at the light for quite some time before slowly slinking further along the fence. I've never seen any wild animal so close. Apparantly the hyena in the park patrol the fences hoping for scraps that some irresponsible humans throw over despite clear directions not to. It saddens me that wild animals learn to rely on human tourism and become so bold that they become a danger to humans and eventually are destroyed by the authorities. I think of the baboons at the Simons Town campsite methodically pushing over the bins and going through the contents and also the vervet at St Lucia. One of the many nice things about Praia Mar e Sol in Mozamique is that the wildlife we saw, was wild... and wary of humans, rather than waiting for them to leave a nice supper. On the roof of the Landy we have a plastic strongbox where we store any rubbish until there is somewhere suitable to leave it.
...
On our last day driving around the park, we stopped for lunch at the Timbavati picnic site where Duncan discovered the many corrogated roads had worked loose the spare wheel on the rear door and set about removing, re-tightening and replacing it. A sign at the site declared
which were very 'tame' and begging at all the tables. There are signs in all the campsites explaining that feeding the wild animals guarantees their demise and that anyone doing it in the National Parks will be fined and/or prosecuted in a court of law. So what was the park employee doing? Feeding the damned Bushbuck, after which the tourists who saw him, did too.
Grrr.
...
Due to a higher rainfall in the south of the park, where we started, it is greener and attracts a greater number of game except for the antelopes (we have seen so many we now refer to them collectively as 'boks') and consequently the cats that prey on them. As you drive north the greenery turns brown then grey. There were miles and miles of Mopani trees, leaves afire in colours that reminded me of the famous New England fall.
Animal spotting turns out to be quite tricky. They seem to like to disguise themselves as other things. Crocodiles masquerade as logs, hippos as boulders, elephants as shadows, rocks and dead trees and giraffes as tree trunks and branches. The giraffes in particular seemed to have a way of standing completely still and blending into the background until a twitch of an ear or blink of an eye identified them and all of a sudden they were standing right in front of you. It reminded me of those magic eyepictures that were all the rage in the 90's.
We spent five nights camping in the Kruger and in addition to all the other wild animals we saw at Mokala and the other National Parks and more antelope of various persuasions, we saw a couple of large herds of buffalo, loads of elephant, a leopard hiding in the bush and a maned lion contentedly devouring the red and bloodied carcass of something.
...
On our last day driving around the park, we stopped for lunch at the Timbavati picnic site where Duncan discovered the many corrogated roads had worked loose the spare wheel on the rear door and set about removing, re-tightening and replacing it. A sign at the site declared
which were very 'tame' and begging at all the tables. There are signs in all the campsites explaining that feeding the wild animals guarantees their demise and that anyone doing it in the National Parks will be fined and/or prosecuted in a court of law. So what was the park employee doing? Feeding the damned Bushbuck, after which the tourists who saw him, did too.
Grrr.
...
Due to a higher rainfall in the south of the park, where we started, it is greener and attracts a greater number of game except for the antelopes (we have seen so many we now refer to them collectively as 'boks') and consequently the cats that prey on them. As you drive north the greenery turns brown then grey. There were miles and miles of Mopani trees, leaves afire in colours that reminded me of the famous New England fall.
Animal spotting turns out to be quite tricky. They seem to like to disguise themselves as other things. Crocodiles masquerade as logs, hippos as boulders, elephants as shadows, rocks and dead trees and giraffes as tree trunks and branches. The giraffes in particular seemed to have a way of standing completely still and blending into the background until a twitch of an ear or blink of an eye identified them and all of a sudden they were standing right in front of you. It reminded me of those magic eyepictures that were all the rage in the 90's.
We spent five nights camping in the Kruger and in addition to all the other wild animals we saw at Mokala and the other National Parks and more antelope of various persuasions, we saw a couple of large herds of buffalo, loads of elephant, a leopard hiding in the bush and a maned lion contentedly devouring the red and bloodied carcass of something.
Monday, 24 August 2009
Maputo
On our way back to Maputo we stopped in the province of Inharrime to buy their famed peri-peri sauce from one of the roadside stalls. I always thought Nandos, with its peri-peri chicken was a portugese chain and I was surprised to discover its actually South African. I guess that explains the Nandos restaurants on seemingly every corner in Cape Town.
Maputo was overcast, windy and dusty. It has a vaguely art deco feel to it, but the buildings are dirty and dilapidated. We took a walk to the main market and Independence Square which was a dirty overgrown crumbling version of its former self.
On our way out of town we went to Costa do Sol restaurant on the seafront for an extremely tasty prawn lunch. The spot to be seen in the 30's, the restaurant claims to have invented the 'famous' dish LM Prawns (named after Lourenço Marques, now known as Maputo), but sadly no longer includes it on their menu.
All the books we'd read about driving in Mozambique warned of the many police roadblocks and checks that you had the right paperwork, red hazard triangles and whatnot. We ensured we had the necessary equipment and got certified copies of our passports before we went to Mozambique as it is rumoured the police there will refuse to give back your passports after id-ing you unless you pay them a bribe. We were surprised that although we probably passed nearly a dozen or so of these checkpoints, we were waved through or ignored at all of them.
Apart from the many border 'assistants' crowding around the Landy wanting some us to appoint them to deal with the complications at the border (we ignored them), the crossing back into South Africa was fast, straightforward and uneventful.
Maputo was overcast, windy and dusty. It has a vaguely art deco feel to it, but the buildings are dirty and dilapidated. We took a walk to the main market and Independence Square which was a dirty overgrown crumbling version of its former self.
On our way out of town we went to Costa do Sol restaurant on the seafront for an extremely tasty prawn lunch. The spot to be seen in the 30's, the restaurant claims to have invented the 'famous' dish LM Prawns (named after Lourenço Marques, now known as Maputo), but sadly no longer includes it on their menu.
All the books we'd read about driving in Mozambique warned of the many police roadblocks and checks that you had the right paperwork, red hazard triangles and whatnot. We ensured we had the necessary equipment and got certified copies of our passports before we went to Mozambique as it is rumoured the police there will refuse to give back your passports after id-ing you unless you pay them a bribe. We were surprised that although we probably passed nearly a dozen or so of these checkpoints, we were waved through or ignored at all of them.
Apart from the many border 'assistants' crowding around the Landy wanting some us to appoint them to deal with the complications at the border (we ignored them), the crossing back into South Africa was fast, straightforward and uneventful.
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Praia Mar e Sol
After three nights we broke camp to head back down the coast. At Quissico we decided to follow a sand track that wound 11km through coconut plantations and local villages down to Praia Mar e Sol on the coast. What a magical find.
Apparantly it used to be a beach resort before the war and now it operates as a campsite/backpacker hostel (although I have no idea where the backpackers sleep). The campsites are on the inland side of the dunes and the sea pounds the ocean side throwing up froth like bubblebath and a surprising amount of jandal carcasses. We saw many humpback whales spouting and breaching from the dunes. Slightly further inland are a number of shallow crystal clear lakes without hippos or crocodiles so perfect for cooling down in. So we did.
There were no other guests that night and Leonard and Emma, who run the place, invited us to join them at their fire. Watching Leonard I learned how to braii properly (I hope). From piling wood onto the fire to raking the coals to the right heat, to ignoring his friends repeated insistence that the food was done, until it was really done (with a secret ingredient he kindly divulged to us), I now have new barbeque methods at my fingertips.
No electricity meant no light pollution other than the braii fire and the night sky was awash with bright stars. The milky way was clear, or rather, very milky. I dont think I've seen it like that since I was a kid out in the bush in New Zealand.
We liked Praia Mar e Sol so much we stayed an extra night. The next morning Duncan woke up with a whole load of little spots on his face.
He thinks they're an allergic reaction to the new bug spray we bought. I'm worried they're mosquito bites from the tent invasion the night before.
Apparantly it used to be a beach resort before the war and now it operates as a campsite/backpacker hostel (although I have no idea where the backpackers sleep). The campsites are on the inland side of the dunes and the sea pounds the ocean side throwing up froth like bubblebath and a surprising amount of jandal carcasses. We saw many humpback whales spouting and breaching from the dunes. Slightly further inland are a number of shallow crystal clear lakes without hippos or crocodiles so perfect for cooling down in. So we did.
There were no other guests that night and Leonard and Emma, who run the place, invited us to join them at their fire. Watching Leonard I learned how to braii properly (I hope). From piling wood onto the fire to raking the coals to the right heat, to ignoring his friends repeated insistence that the food was done, until it was really done (with a secret ingredient he kindly divulged to us), I now have new barbeque methods at my fingertips.
No electricity meant no light pollution other than the braii fire and the night sky was awash with bright stars. The milky way was clear, or rather, very milky. I dont think I've seen it like that since I was a kid out in the bush in New Zealand.
We liked Praia Mar e Sol so much we stayed an extra night. The next morning Duncan woke up with a whole load of little spots on his face.
He thinks they're an allergic reaction to the new bug spray we bought. I'm worried they're mosquito bites from the tent invasion the night before.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Praia de Tofo
Your stereotypical tropical paradise - a two horse town at the end of a peninsula with a curving beach, high sand dunes and palm trees waving in the breeze. The first morning we saw humpback whales swimming and spouting from the deck of the hostel and later (with the binoculars) doing breaching further out at sea. This was sort of ironic as we'd been to many places along the western and southern coasts of South Africa hoping to see whales then they just pop up unexpectedly here.
After three days of non-stop driving we took it easy with a walk on the beach and up to the local dive centre to arrange some trips. Duncan dove Mantray Reef while I went on a boat for an ocean safari where I saw a baby humpback whale, a pod of humpback dolphins and snorkled with an enormous whale shark. I wouldnt want to have encountered that creature by myself in the sea without first knowing what it was. Actually, not sure I'd want to again either...
After three days of non-stop driving we took it easy with a walk on the beach and up to the local dive centre to arrange some trips. Duncan dove Mantray Reef while I went on a boat for an ocean safari where I saw a baby humpback whale, a pod of humpback dolphins and snorkled with an enormous whale shark. I wouldnt want to have encountered that creature by myself in the sea without first knowing what it was. Actually, not sure I'd want to again either...
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Mozambique
We made a relatively early start though it took some time to make it through the Maputo traffic to the road out of town. In town the roads are crowded with chapa's or mini buses of varying degrees of roadworthiness and stoved in frontage. The sliding door for the passengers on one of the vans we passed had come off completely and was being held up by passengers. As the Bradt guide to Africa Overland mentions, driving is theoretically on the left but in reality vehicles come from all directions. When Portugal pulled out of Mozambique in the 1975, the newly independent republic reached out to the socialist eastern states for assistance to rebuild infrastructure and political guidance. The street names in Maputo reflect that history - our hostel was on Avenida Mao Tse Tung, just off Avenida Vladimir Lenine.
The main highway we were following was sealed and in excellent condition until we reached Xaixai where it degenerated into a series of potholes strung together with a little tarmac. Not much further on we encountered still more roadworks although the Mozambique road workers technique of working the stop/go sign for use of the single lane was more erratic than South Africa. Several times traffic was coming straight at us from the opposite direction. I was curious to see Chinese workers at the surveying tripods at several points and at one point we were following two trucks full of dirt with Chinese numberplates so I guess the road is being constructed by China. I read recently that China had recently leased large swathes of land in Mozambique (and other African nations) for growing food crops to import into China and wonder whether the upgrade of the road is so they can transport the goods to the port.
Around 80% of the population of Mozambique engage in subsistence farming at least part of the time and the land along the roadside reflected this. Instead of the enormous fields of grain or cattle pasture we saw in South Africa (or right by the border, banana and sugarcane plantations), here it is a little more haphazard with small plots of corn and tomatoes with coconut and banana palms and other fruit and nut trees growing in the middle of them and the odd cow or few goats tethered nearby. As we drove north it became greener, rather than drier. It must take a lot of effort to keep those gardens green. Driving through villages we would see a parade of local women with 20 litre plastic containers carefully balanced on their heads enroute to or from the local well.
The main highway we were following was sealed and in excellent condition until we reached Xaixai where it degenerated into a series of potholes strung together with a little tarmac. Not much further on we encountered still more roadworks although the Mozambique road workers technique of working the stop/go sign for use of the single lane was more erratic than South Africa. Several times traffic was coming straight at us from the opposite direction. I was curious to see Chinese workers at the surveying tripods at several points and at one point we were following two trucks full of dirt with Chinese numberplates so I guess the road is being constructed by China. I read recently that China had recently leased large swathes of land in Mozambique (and other African nations) for growing food crops to import into China and wonder whether the upgrade of the road is so they can transport the goods to the port.
Around 80% of the population of Mozambique engage in subsistence farming at least part of the time and the land along the roadside reflected this. Instead of the enormous fields of grain or cattle pasture we saw in South Africa (or right by the border, banana and sugarcane plantations), here it is a little more haphazard with small plots of corn and tomatoes with coconut and banana palms and other fruit and nut trees growing in the middle of them and the odd cow or few goats tethered nearby. As we drove north it became greener, rather than drier. It must take a lot of effort to keep those gardens green. Driving through villages we would see a parade of local women with 20 litre plastic containers carefully balanced on their heads enroute to or from the local well.
Monday, 17 August 2009
Mozambique Border
Once we turned back east around past the top of Swaziland the landscape changed from sun baked plains grazed by cattle into more green sugarcane fields. The N4 cuts through a beautiful gorge, all dramatic cliffs of red rock and twisting corners. After still more roadworks we finally made it to the Mozambique border not long before 4pm and I was pleased to see there was little queue ahead of us. We enquired at the enquiries desk about where to go about getting the Landy's carnet sorted out and were promptly accompanied by a self appointed assistant. Once the correct stamp had been made in the carnet and signed by the official (who had no pen of his own and declined to return mine), immigration stamped us out of South Africa promptly.
A few hundred meters down the road we completed visa application forms then went to get the Landy stamped into Mozambique. After much heated discussion between the official and our helper (his self made badge said he was customs clearance) the carnet was stamped and a receipt issued for the fee. Upon examining the carnet documents however, Duncan saw they'd stamped the Mozambique stamp on the very first page - the one for Australia where the Landy started last November! They were supposed to complete a form, stamp it and tear the perforation and retain the bottom third. Duncan went back to the official with our Portugese speaking assistant and with some more back and forth, by completing the form himself and ensuring it was processed correctly the Landy was legal to drive into Mozambique. I waited in line to sort out the visa's while Duncan showed the customs inspector the vehicle and its contents. There was some concern about bringing in a box of wine we purchased for special occasions and also about the jerrycans on the roof, until explained via our assistant they were currently empty. Once he understood the nature of the trip itself, the Landy passed the inspection while the customs inspector shook his head in wonder at the mad plans these foreigners have.
We made it into Maputo just as darkness fell and have set up the tent in the carpark of a local backpackers hostel. The plan for tomorrow is to hightail it up to the seaside resort of Tofo for some more diving, then pootle back along the coast. We have to return to South Africa via the same border crossing.
A few hundred meters down the road we completed visa application forms then went to get the Landy stamped into Mozambique. After much heated discussion between the official and our helper (his self made badge said he was customs clearance) the carnet was stamped and a receipt issued for the fee. Upon examining the carnet documents however, Duncan saw they'd stamped the Mozambique stamp on the very first page - the one for Australia where the Landy started last November! They were supposed to complete a form, stamp it and tear the perforation and retain the bottom third. Duncan went back to the official with our Portugese speaking assistant and with some more back and forth, by completing the form himself and ensuring it was processed correctly the Landy was legal to drive into Mozambique. I waited in line to sort out the visa's while Duncan showed the customs inspector the vehicle and its contents. There was some concern about bringing in a box of wine we purchased for special occasions and also about the jerrycans on the roof, until explained via our assistant they were currently empty. Once he understood the nature of the trip itself, the Landy passed the inspection while the customs inspector shook his head in wonder at the mad plans these foreigners have.
We made it into Maputo just as darkness fell and have set up the tent in the carpark of a local backpackers hostel. The plan for tomorrow is to hightail it up to the seaside resort of Tofo for some more diving, then pootle back along the coast. We have to return to South Africa via the same border crossing.
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