West family

Is:
– too hot outside
– too cold inside
– an orgie in bad taste
– too expensive
– best experienced just once and for a maximum of two days
– an environmental disaster

Leaving tomorrow!

Last week we spent at cinemas, shopping malls, and restaurants in Pretoria recovering from our lack of civilization. Our last week has however been much more eventful. Our friends Dino and Marlies from Simon’s Town flew out here  to be with us during our last week in Africa. We’ve stayed in a mining town Rustenburg, Marlies father is an engineer at one of the platinum mines in the area. He took me along to work one day and we went down 1600 meters down into a mining shaft that is being built. Very very very cool. And the weekend was spent at one of Marlies friend’s ranch close to the Botswana border which was great fun. The old farm house was built not on fortunes made from diamonds, gold or sheep farming – no the farms fortunes were made from the early 1900’s export of Dagga (south african for Happy Tobacco/ marijuana). Fun place!

This is our last night in South Africa, we are leaving tomorrow to spend 4 nights in Dubai and one more night in London before returning home.

After several long days on the road we made it to Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. Botswana was a big country and full of wild animals. Elephants wandering on the roads etc. Up until now we have only seen animals in game reserves so it was great to see some wild wild animals. Huge elephants that don’t move out of the way…

We got to Pretoria yesterday evening and got caught in the traffic jam of the people heading to Johannesburg (40km from here) to see the World Cup final. South Africa has acually done a good job of hosting the World Cup, and the sense of pride and the enthusiasm is noticeable everywhere.

Being back in SA – our old numbers work again: Call my phone since Sirpa’s battery is still a problem: +27795453092

Warthogs in front of hotel

High Tea - colonial style

We made it to Victoria Falls! And due to the fact that hotel prices in this country are all surreal and not based on reality we decided to head straight to the finest and fanciest hotel. The Grand Victoria Falls Hotel; an iconic 1909 colonial hotel that is as famous as the falls themselves. The hotel.com price was $USD 600 a night per room (times two for us with two kids).  I told the reception to take a good look at my tired old Audi outside and that I have had enough of the ridiculous Zimbabwean prices. I really want to stay but I need a fair price. After a little discussion they offered me a $800 discount. Good deal! Anyway – the place is awesome, the veranda looks out over the falls and everything, the whole atmosphere is from a bygone era – of the British Colonial bigshots living the good life in the middle of Africa.

Today we saw a dead hippo floating downstream, they often venture too close to the edge of the falls and fall off. Tomorrow we visit the falls on Isaac’s 8th birthday.

I love this hotel – we have Internet!!!!!!!

After five days in Zimbabwe I know why there are no tourists. Traveling here is difficult. And expensive. The country doesnt have their own currency and uses $USD. Everything is in $ and the prices are just made up. The country is really beautiful and we have so far had som amazing experiences both good and bad: horseback safari we had a nature reseve\game park to ourselves and rode horses around getting within 10 meters of giraffes and other animals, stayed in an empty 5* hotel in the mountains, drove around a golf cart on a PGA Champion course, which also was empty, seen the Great Zimbabwe ruins (awesome), felt the healing properties of african mineral hot springs, got speeding ticket and bribed the police so that I didnt have to stay in jail for a night waiting for a court appearance the next day, bribing hotel staff to give us a decent discount… now at an internet cafe (not many in Zim) while the rest of the family is in our hotel room. I am going to buy bread for breakfast, since the breakfast at the hotel costs $USD 36 per person (sic!). Everyone is fine and we are today heading north to Victoria Falls, Isaac wants to turn 8 (tomorrow) at the mighty Vi Falls. Spoiled kid!

We left Malawi and drive back into Mozambiquewhich is the shortet way into Zimbabe. In Tete I got stopped by a very rude police. Fined for making a “wrong turn”…  we were warned that this would happen but have so far been lucky enough to avoid bribe-seeking police. My license was taken awayand I was to pay the fine the next day at the police station. At the motel we stayed at I was told that I could just forget about ever getting back my license withou major hassle and bribes even after paying the fine.  Despite fears all went well and we were off again the nest day.

Made it down to Chimoio which is close to Mutare in Zimbabwe; and checked into the backpackers with the great name of The Pink Papaya. Only planning to spend one night we have now been here 4 nights, mostly due to the fun people we have met here; everyone get along o well that the whole lot of us (guests) keep postponing our departure.

Tomorrow we leave for Zimbabwe, or Zim as it is referred to.  Zim is very infrequetly visited by tourists, and thu is both problematic and exciting to travel in.  Very exciting! Mot people drive around Zimbabwe on tours thru Southern Africa, but according to reliable and current reports we should be fine and most importantly we will have the country to ourselves due to the lack of visitors. We have stocked up on cocacola, bras, panties and lipstick since these are usefull as bribes at the unofficial roadblocks set up by the military.  I can’t wait to bribe my way thru a roadblock with a bra!

Elsa doing Yoga on the shore of lake Malawi

Elsa kayaking on Lake Malawi

Fishing boats and 'single log canoes' on the lake shore

Isaac mending the nets

Walking in the bush - en route to Hippo Village

About an hour into the jungle... still en route to the hippos

Isaac get carried over the leech infested swamp

Fire wood transport - here the women do all the work the men drink Carlsberg beer

Finally we found a nice and cheap place to stay here in Malawi – and we could start exploring the area. The highlight and most exciting excursion was when we went to see the hippos at Hippo Village.  In the fishing village we met three boys that would take us on the short walk to see the hippos.  Short was only 3 hours thru bush, swamps, and reeds. The worst was the leech infested swamp that we had to wade thru, the kids got carried but Sirpa and I had to take off our sandals and wade thru the murky muddy water.. exciting! We thought the walk was going to be about 20 min so we had no water or anything with us and as the walk got longer and longer and ventured further into the jungle/swamp we were really looking forward to getting to our destination “Hippo Village”. There we expected to find a build up area with a patio from which to iew the hippos as well as a snack shop with cold CocaColas.  Nope. Hippo Village was a small bridge over a small muddy pond. No shop, no drinks and no hippos… Anyway we refused to walk back thru the swamp and thus had to take a detour around the swamp on our way back. This was an experience none of us will ever forget.

Malawi is a beautiful country, at least around the lake itself. The people deserve their reputation for being the friendliest in Africa.  We will stay one more day here by the lake in  Senga Bay before heading to the commercial capital Blantyre. We want a little city time after 8 weeks of rural traveling… and are lured to the city by an ad from Cine City Cinema that promises in large print: NOT AFFECTED BY POWER CUTS.

In Malawi now. Beautiful lake, nice people and cheap food… We have unfortunatly had to stay at VERY expensive lodges the past three nights since there seems to be no middle?budget class accomodation. It is shitty brothel-style local places that cost $5 a night or places that target international rich travelers that charge $200 and up. I have managed to negotiate the prices a little but it is still damn expensive. We are now staying in Senga Bay at a very nice fancy lodge. There is a family of small monkeys watching me tight now as I stare at the computer. I’ve got a phone: +265 881278489 (or try +265 0881278489) but not internet connection, so there will be no blog updates or photos for a while.
Today we have to decide what to do next: either we head north in Malawi and hope to find reasonably priced decent accomodation, or we will head to Zambia and make our way to Victoria falls (26+ hours of driving).

Kids are still happy travelers – they appreciate the fancy lodges with swimming pools and kayaks on the beach of the clean clear lake Malawi. Getting bit by a spider is no longer anything to complain about, and seeing monkeys in the trees is an everyday sight.