Relaxing in Mauritius

 After a wonderful, but busy, trip to the continent of Africa I wanted to relax for a few days! I picked the gorgeous island of Mauritius and stayed at an amazing resort on the north side of the Island. Mauritius is quite small, and gets a lot of tourists from South Africa and Europe. So it was easy to get to from Joburg, but continuing on east will be annoying!

I arrived late in the evening at the resort, but they had part of the dinner buffet still open.  It is a lovely spot and I was really looking forward to exploring the property in the morning. It looked lovely in the evening at least!

II had mostly planned my stay for relaxing, and it was a good spot. There are two excellent pools, and a gorgeous beach as well. I spent several days just reading by the pool. Luckily the resort had a little give/take library.  Though there were not many English choices! I read almost all of them!

The other reason I picked this spot was for its diving. I had some friends honeymoon here and had raved about the diving. I signed up for two days and four dives with the company there, and it was fantastic. The water was clear and warm with lots of fish and turtles! The highlight actually happened between dives, while we were relaxing in the boat a pod of dolphins swam past us!  We grabbed our masks and snorkels and slid overboard to watch them swim by!

It really was a spectacular spot to stop and unwind after the busy African safari days, I’m all refreshed and ready to head to Asia to start exploring a whole new continent! My travel days is not going to be fun, I have to fly through Dubai to get to Singapore. Hopefully I can at least relax in a luxurious airport lounge!

Family Time

My last day at the Lodge was wonderful. In the evening we did a walk with the local bushmen who taught us about their culture. It is absolutely amazing how their ancestors learned how to survive the harsh dry seasons. There is a plant that sucks up moisture in a big root ball that can be squeezed for liquid. 

In the morning we followed some young lions as the searched for the hunt. They were just juveniles so apparently not very skilled yet. Momma will keep sharing her kills with them but they’ll have to grow up soon- more cubs are on the way. 

We did get an update that The Animal Who Shall Not Be Named was spotted on the other side of the property. Our guide drove all out to get us there- it was almost time for me to catch my plane!! But we got to spend a bit of time looking at three of the the chubby unicorns. It was just amazing. 

After that I had to catch my flight- after one last look at the young lions guarding the airstrip! Then it was off to Maun where I caught my connection to Joburg. 

The next week was spent relaxing with family, I stayed with my cousins and really enjoyed seeing them and their kids. We had a lovely lunch at a hotel overlooking the cradle of humankind, I saw the Constitution Hill with the old fort and prison, and saw the Origins Museum at the University that holds many of the finds from the cradle. 

And most importantly got hugs from as many cousins as I could manage. I missed a couple on this trip- I’ll just have to come back next year!!

Botswana just gets Better

My next destination was Kanana Lodge in the Okavango Delta. I took a small six seater plane ride that made a couple stops along the way to drop off other passengers. I got to ride shotgun up front, which was a pretty cool experience.  The lodges all have small private landing strips so they were incredibly isolated. 

There was a small thunderstorm sitting over Kanana as I arrived, luckily it shifted out of the way just before the pilot decided to turn around. 

Kanana is a private concession lodge. It was absolutely beautiful and wild. A fence was in place to keep the elephants out. But literally anything else could walk aroIt was a magical place where I spent two nights. On the game drives we saw plenty of lions, including some cubs. We saw leopards- one totally chill female who let us watch her patrol her borders and a skittish male who bolted like a flash.  We had a hippo that charged our jeep, monkeys swinging in the trees and a massive buffalo herd. 

The second night I did a makoro canoe ride. While these were originally hollowed out canoes, we had a fibreglass one. But expertly poled through the channels. 

It was exceptionally peaceful with no engines running, just the three of us and all the birds.  After the boat trip we had our sundowner cocktail by the water and saw the most magnificent sunset. I have never seen the sky streak like that. Myself, the American and the Swiss guy were awestruck. Our guides laughed at us and told us it’s pretty common in the rainy season. 

It was hard to leave. But the next stop is Dinaka which is in the northern Kalahari and home to lions with males who have magnificent dark manes. 

Dinaka is crazy beautiful. I’m actually writing this in a pool overlooking a water hole. A minute ago I was photographing a wilde beast that came to drink. (From the pool)

But the craziest thing happened last night. Sitting at dinner on the deck one of the guides announced the lions had come. We leapt up, quietly, and rushed to the edge. There were five lions drinking water maybe 15 feet away. (Though none with a magnificent mane)

One of the young males actually wandered over and lay down on the walkway that led to all the rooms. They were so close and so beautiful. It was awe inspiring. 

They did eventually wander off so we finished dinner, then the guides led us to our rooms. But the lions were roaring all night, from all around our cabins  it was a little nerve wracking to turn off the light knowing a screen door and some mosquito netting was all that was between me and the lions!! 

But we obviously survived as I’m writing this now! We are hoping for more lions tonight but the guides think they have kept going and are now on a neighbouring property. So worst case I’ll try my hand at some astrophotography tonight. 

There were lots more elephants, hippos and birds. Oh there are lots of birds.  There are lots of antelopes and impalas and jackals and zebras- and everyone has babies! I just love photographing the little animals. 

A Photographic Safari

My next stop was Botswana. I was picked up at my hotel and driven across the border to the Chobe National Park near Kasane where I stayed at the Pangolin Photo Safari Hotel. 

I’m going to pause for a moment for a PSA for my photog friends. If you want to learn, develop your skills or just have an amazing guide- look up Pangolin Safaris. They are amazing. I learned so much while I was there. They also have good cameras with 600mm lenses for guests to use. 

I arrived in lots of time for the afternoon safari. We had a photo guide (Charl) and a game guide (Dan) and we went out on a boat on the Chobe River. It’s an amazing way to go, and our boats had the seats single file with swivel mounts and camera mounts so everyone had a great view. 

Birds are the easiest thing to hunt along the river, they are plentiful and brightly coloured. There are also lots of hippos. Mostly it’s just eyes and ears above the surface but we saw a few playing and rough housing in the water.  We also saw some elephants and crocodiles in the water. 

Some how every day just kept getting better.  It’s hard to separate the days now- I spent four nights in Chobe. Almost all of it was on the boat, we did one game drive in the park where we saw (sort of) lions.  Just little heads in the grass in the distance. But still exciting. 

We saw so many elephants, baby elephants and toddlers and the whole family. And let me tell you one thing that trancends species- boys playing in the water will always try to drown each other.  We literally spend hours watching three elephants playing and splashing and grappling trunks. It was amazing. 

We switched up guides too, and I was lucky enough to get Guts who is one of the owners and an amazing photographer. You’d think it was a bad thing the morning we got rained out of the drive, but we spent the time instead learning more techniques and about editing. 

We spotted 7 different kingfishers, rare birds on the Zambezi, fish eagles fighting over food, more elephants playing, sunsets and close encounters with crocs and hippos. 

And all the while the guide is giving tips, answering questions, telling jokes. And every so often orders everyone to put their cameras down, too look around and just take in the moment. 

I can’t gush about this place enough, 10/10 would recommend it. And they also have a house boat you can stay on that they will cruise up and down the river!

And in between all those moments, was meals being served family style at big tables, amazing friendly staff, and a fantastic cook who can also put on an amazing show. 

Into Africa

After a long overnight trip I finally arrived in Victoria Falls. Another spot I’ve wanted to see for a long time- and was supposed to visit in 2020. 

I stayed in the Shearwater Explorers village close to the falls. A very nice spot with a pool and a restaurant. I chose to sleep in the tented accommodation to save a few bucks. Basic tent but with a comfortable cot. Facilities were basic, but fine. 

After a relaxing evening, I started the next day with a tour to the Falls. I grew up near Niagara Falls, so I have seen impressive falls before. But these are amazing. Vic Falls are actually twice the hight and twice the length of our falls, but water levels fluctuate wildly. Now at their lowest ebb almost all of the Zambian side is dry. When the rainy season comes the water level can rise by up to two meters. 

The benefit of the low water means less spray, so I was able to lots of good views. We still got absolutely soaked. There is a reason Victoria Falls has a small rainforest beside it.  

Next was lunch at the Lookout Cafe. It has stunning views up the gorge to the bridge across the border. Some zip liners whizzed by, but no bungee jumpers today. 

In the evening was a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. It was just stunning to look at the scenery, there were also plenty of hippos and a couple elephants. We even saw one swim across the river. 

The next day was a trip to Livingston Island. Another low water bonus was the chance to swim in the Devils Pool.  First I had to cross the border from Zimbabwe into Zambia, I decided to walk between the border posts to see the bridge (apparently they call in Zimzam) and then took a taxi the rest of the way. When I met up with the tour company, they took us by boat to Livingston Island and then we swam a short way to a rocky spot near the edge of the falls. 

The Devils Pool lies right at the lip of the falls. There is a fairly deep spot and the a roughly 3 foot ledge before the drop. You can lie right on the ledge and look over!  It’s very cool. Though there are small fish that nibble at your feet and I was worried I’d fall over the edge when they startled me!

My last day I decided on relaxing. It dawned with blue skies so I lay by the pool. After lunch was a massage and a thunderstorm, then some relaxing by the bar. A great last night on Zimbabwe!

Farewell Europe, till we Meet Again

My two months in Europe have flown by. I’ve loved the places I visit and Rome is an absolute highlight. But I am ready for something completely new. 

However my flight is overnight so I still have all day in Rome!  And today is the day to see one of the highlights- the Colosseum. 

Wanting to fix their reputation after the craziness of Emperor Nero, Vespasian tore down much of his grand Golden Palace and built the colosseum to entertain the citizens. He drained Nero’s lake and had it built beside the Palatine hill. 

I took a special tour that includes the underground areas. You see where the animals and gladiators waited for their battles, the remains of the impressive elevator system to quickly pop them up in the middle of the action. And most impressively the remains of the original pump system is still there. The amphitheater originally was able to be flooded and they would hold mock navel battles. 

All of the marble is gone, but an impressive amount of stone still remained. The main walls all still remain though most of the outer facade is gone, one side braced with brick to help protect its stability.  There are 80 arches around the circumference of the building, each was numbered and citizens would be given reusable tokens to know which entrance to use to help organize the crowds. 

After my tour and walking around for a bit to look at all the views, I met my mother for lunch, then we went to see Castle San Angelo.  It’s an impressive building. The original was built by Hadrian for his mausoleum, but the church took it over and used it as a fortress, hideaway, prison, and now it’s a museum. The views of Rome from the top are wonderful, and it’s interesting to look and see the elevated passageway built so the Popes could sneak out of the Vatican if attacked. Or in some cases, sneak their mistresses in. 

After a final hug and a good bye to my mom, I headed off to the airport for my flight. And in the morning- I’ll be in Africa. 

Ancient Rome

 I was most excited for Ancient Rome. To walk roads that have existed for thousands of years and walked by figures almost lost to history, it’s thrilling. 

The day started with the Roman forum. I walked down the stairs to ancient ground level by Trajan’s column. The towering monument to Trajan’s victories is impressive, but sadly the stair case built inside to the top is off limits. The path wanders through several successive forums that were built up by different emperors over the years. Most are gone, some walls still stand, some columns and lots of hunks of marble lie about. 

After walking back in time, you arrive at the original Roman forum, the Curia Julia still stands because they made it into a church. There are great triumphal archways, and columns from the temples. You can see the temple they built where Julius Caesar was cremated- people still leave flowers and coins. The home of the Vestal Virgins and their temple is one of the best preserved areas at the foot of the Palatine. 

After finishing the Forum, I walked up the hill of the Palatine. Said to be where the twins Romulus and Remus were nursed by a “she-wolf” (linguists have theorized it was a prostitute who raised them, not an actual wolf as they were called LupaeXXX) after being abandoned as babies, this was the site Romulus wanted to build his first proper city. During a fight with Remus who thought a neighbouring hill was better, Romulus accidentally killed his brother. He went a head and built his walled city and ruled as king of the new Rome. 

The leaders and wealthy patricians continued to live on the hill as Rome spread with the eventual emperors slowly took over the hill for their Palaces. The hill is almost all ruins now, with one Franciscan Monastery still in use as well. Their story goes that a friar was concerned at the colosseum being dismantled for building materials centuries ago, so he built pilgrimage markers and a large crucifix beside it and managed to get the pope to declare it sacred. Thus the building was preserved. 

After a few hours of walking through Ancient Rome, I moved down the Via Appia Antica and a few centuries ahead to the Catacombs of St Callistus. Early Christians we’re not allowed to be buried within the city so they dug catacombs beyond the city limits. Over a few hundred years millions of people were buried in miles of tunnels up to a depth of 20 meters. 17 early popes were also interred there. Though when they stopped using the site the popes were moved to the Vatican. Some early archeology showed many of the bones had completely decomposed. A lot of the graves were opened and studied. Many were resealed, though thousands left untouched. 

My day wrapped up with meeting my mom for dinner. It was the last night with her tour group so we had a nice dinner and then drinks on their hotel roof top terrace. 

The Vatican

Of course a major part of Rome is the Vatican. I’m not here to stir up debate but I’m not religious at all. And for all I was excited to see the Vatican due to its history I also had some reticence due to their history. 

But my ticket was booked. And really it is a gorgeous and impressive little country. Additionally due to some scheduling issues I ended up booking the French tour of the the Vatican. I was pleased that my school girl French held up - of course the Italian guide was also speaking French as a second language. 

It is an impressive site. It’s been there for a couple thousand years with more and more work done on it. We saw the museum where all the Greek and Roman statues are kept. They also had some old popes apartments available for viewing. 

Before arriving at the Sistine Chapel we were told that pictures are forbidden and that the guide wouldn’t be there to tell us anything. The guide not speaking was due to the moisture in our breath causing damage to the walls. 

We can’t take pictures however because a Japanese company paid for the recent restoration and now owns the copy right until 2030. There may or may not be pictures taken of the famous ceiling. 

After leaving the Vatican I got an update my mom was in Rome. By pure chance she was in Italy at the same time as me, and I had made sure to finish my trip here to see her. Her tour group was kind enough to invite me to lunch when they arrived. 

It was just great to see my mom and chat with her, and we walked around Rome a little and a drink in the Piazza Novena. After that was dinner on a roof top terrace at their hotel. Apparently it’s famous for its views. It was spectacular with the Vatican to one side and the Castle of San Angelo to the other. 

Rome at Last!

I have been dreaming about Italy for as long as I can remember, if you’ve been reading all the posts you’ll have seen my excitement at Venice, and Pompeii was a thrill. And now, Rome. Just incredible. 

A lot of my knowledge about Rome does come from reading historical fiction. I never studied it or anything. Although I often will Google people or events to try and understand what is really happening during the events of the novel. (I can’t recommend enough Roma by Steven Saylor)

Anyways. I was staying reasonably close to the Roman Forum so on my first day I walked down to have a look. It’s kind of a thrill to be standing on a street corner, turn around and see the Colosseum was right behind you!!  And a short walk from that is the Palatine hill, the forum and the Capitoline hill. 

Rome was built on seven hills. They don’t look that impressive now. Though I think ground level was at least two meters lower and the hills have probably been shaped so much over the years.   The modern road cuts through the forums, but gives a great vantage point down to look at them. 

My first full day I decided to take the hop on hop off bus around town. It was great to drive around and see these sites I’ve read about so much.  Some is so well preserved- like the Theatre of Marcellus that was made in the time of Augustus. It is actually an apartment block now that has the curving facade similar to the colosseum.  Others are a jumble of low brick wall and fallen pillars uncovered below ground level were the guide mentions it as the probably site of the murder of Julius Caesar. 

The bus tour also helped me find places I’d forgotten about. They mentioned the church of Sam Maria della Vittoire that houses Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St Teresa. Not only was Bernini a master sculpture, but the story of St Teresa’s is a pretty funny one. I had first heard about it in Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. 

I also walked to the Trevi Fountain where I tossed my coin over the left shoulder to ensure my return to the Eternal City.  Then I found the Pantheon, an absolutely beautiful church. Originally built as a Roman temple by Marcus Agrippa, the Catholics couldn’t bare to tear it down so they just removed the Roman gods and made it a church. It has the worlds largest unsupported concrete dome, with a large hole, “oculus” in the middle that lets in the light. 

Funny little side fact. I heard a tour guide explaining how it was made for Emperor Hadrian with the guide pointing out Agrippa’s name on the front as his architect. But Agrippa lived in the time of Augustus. It confused me enough I did a quick check, and Hadrian did renovate the temple but that was all!!  I did hear a few times guides giving credit to Hadrian though!

One of my last stops on the bus was back by the forums, the area around the original forum boarium.  There was a little church with a huge line to pose with the statue of the Mouth of Truth. Inside I found there was a little crypt. A pope decided he wanted to dig down and create the crypt and found ancient building blocks. It is believed due to the location that this is the site of Rome’s first temple. The Alter to Hercules was created to give thanks to Hercules, they say that before Rome was founded there was a settlement on the banks of the Tiber. They were terrorized by a man/monster called Cacus. It was Hercules who slew him and saved the people of the village, so they built the alter to give thanks to their first God. 

Ruins of Pompeii

Well now I really am living my dream. I have loved ancient history since I was young, and would have loved to have been an archeologist if I had the patience for such a slow precise job!!  So I booked a guided tour of Pompeii with an archeologist to get the history. 

It’s such a huge site and near impossible to see everything. We started at the marine gate on what was the shore before Vesuvius extended the coastline a little.  She showed us the old forum, and some common popular spots like a brothel and the theatres. It’s amazing to see the frescos and graffiti that are still on the walls. Several shops had campaign ads for a government post. 

So much was preserved thanks to the couple meters of rock that buried the city for a couple millennia. But there was a lot of damage when the city was rediscovered. A king his collectables so sent prisoners to tunnel around the ruins looking for the good stuff.  Luckily a more methodical approach was taken in later decades. 

There are still several areas buried under the volcanic rock. There is some excavations going on, but as some areas are really delicate they are hoping for technological advances to occur before they do anymore. 

Also, hilariously there is a big house build on the surface right in the middle of Pompeii on the rubble. Because it’s several centuries old they aren’t allowed to tear it down- which means no surveys happening below. 

Pompeii had several warnings of their impending disaster. A big earthquake caused a lot of damage a few years before, they can even see where repairs were still being done. But of course they didn’t have the knowledge or science to understand what their mountain really was. 

Lots of townspeople didn’t make it out in time, amazingly it was discovered that the stone had incased the bodies before they decomposed.  To preserve these, the hollows were filled with plaster to make casts of these poor people. The hollows also left behind left enough detail in some cases that they could tell what clothes they had on.  This helped a little in dating when the eruption was. 

Eyewitness Pliny the Younger wrote about the eruption in his later years and stated in happened in Aug 79AD. But evidence suggests it was fall due to heavier clothes worn by the people that day. Our guide also mentioned they recently found some graffiti that some one wrote with their name and the date (Oct 16th I believe) that they ate at a restaurant. So they are even more confident that it was a fall event. 

I covered about 10km in Pompeii. On ancient uneven rock paved roads!! But there was so much to see, and it was just incredible to see the ancient city that was left untouched for us to experience now. 10/10 would recommend for a visit!!!