Our Wander Lust Around the World

Gallery: Ponto Douro and Maputo

ourwanderlust — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:56:00 GMT

Gallery: Fernando's African Bday

ourwanderlust — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:27:00 GMT

Crossing the border into Mozambique - 'Beachcombing' Ponto Duoro and 'Barhoping' Maputo

ourwanderlust — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT

What feelings does the mention of Mozambique evoke in me? Blissful state of mind as I imagine myself lazying under the palms of its stunning beaches and magical offshore islands OR growling stomach when I think about the succulent grilled prawns and fushion of African, Indian and Portuguese cuisine with a dash of peri-peri (hot pepper sauce)?

The captivating beauty of this country's coastline and culture have inspired many ardent travellers to brave the pathetic or non-existent roads/transportation. The dark civil war days are well in the past, and the country is now firmly part of the Southern Africa traveller's loop, yet enough 'off the beaten track' to be satisfyingly adventurous.

We headed off on our very own 'Off the beaten track' adventure as we drove across the South African border into the beach town of Ponta D'ouro in a 4x4 truck (loaded with 10 people) on a very narrow and precarious dirt road. But as soon as we crossed the border, I took a deep breath and felt an exhilirating sense of calm ...the place had a magicaly relaxed vibe to it. Everything around us felt so serence - the jolly happy Consulate officer at the border post who cajoled me to learn more Portuguese and the soft spoken, always smiling attendant at our hillside lodge who was amused to see how brave I was to lug a heavy backpack!

Ponto D'ouro is a sleepy beach town where offshore waters host abundant sea life, including dolphins, whale sharks etc and is very popular with divers. The wind conditions and high swells in the ocean discouraged us from exploring the underwater depth, giving us a good excuse to 'Just Chill' at the beach. Soaking the sun and chatting up with some kite-surfers for tips on where to take lessons (for Fernando), we spent a gorgeous day at the beach.

Waking up at 4:00 am to take rickety truck/mini bus full of local people and their chicken and then drive up on a bumpy dirt road for 4 hours straight is not my idea of an ideal vacation! But this is a part and parcel of any journey...brave the rough travel to get to the most quaint parts of the country. Wining and complaining, we headed out on this 'Road less traveled' from Ponto D'ouro to Maputo, expecting it to be a big 'pain in the but' but to our surprise, it turned out to be quite a pleasant drive with gorgeous country views over a lovely sunrise. We got to interact with the locals traveling with us and understand their daily lifestyle. Even spotted a Hindu temple in the middle of nowhere and chatted up some 15 Indian men (age group 25-30) who were walking barefoot 65km from Maputo (capital and the biggest city) to visit the temple!

The city of Maputo is a lively, bustling plae with an abundance of sidewalk cafes and great nightlife.

Gallery: Kosi Bay

ourwanderlust — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:51:00 GMT

Kosi Bay - A fisherman's village with a gorgeous beach

ourwanderlust — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:57:00 GMT

The jewel of the Elephant Coast, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve features a string of four lakes that tip down into an estuary lined with some of the quitest beaches in South Africa.

With an early morning headstart after a delicious breakfast prepared by our lovely host, Hdye, we boarded our lodge manager Mike's 4x4 truck...I am glad that I sat outside as the views of our vehicle snaking through thick rainforest like vegetation were to die for! We were heading to the 'Black River' for some 'traditional' canoeing as the boats were made by the local tribe out of the 'Raffia' Palm wood.

Standing at the waters edge is a Raffia Palm raft which the guide informs the hiker is quite safe. He also suggests that it would not be a good idea to fall into the river as there are plenty of Crocs waiting for a tasty morsel! Once the river is crossed, the trail winds through beautiful mangrove swamps and past some Raffia Palms. Kosi Bay is the only location in South Africa where this species occurs naturally. Its leaves, up to 18m long, are the largest in the plant kingdom.

In the afternoon, we headed out for yet another adventure excursion - some snorkeling and swimming in the beach. Kosi Bay's coral reef offers excellent snorkelling just offshore. There are hippos, Zambezi sharks and some crocs in the lake system, and more than 250 bird species!

Concluded the evening with some good laughs over Fernando's killer cocktails, Passion fruit 'Caipirinhias' and a delicious African meat 'Brai' (South African slang for BBQ)

Fernando's African Bday - Surprise in the woods!

ourwanderlust — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:20:00 GMT

Celebrating each other's BDay in an exotic country during our dream-come-true world trek is great but it is also the time when we missed our family/ close friends the most :-(

Fernando turned 33 while we traveled around the African jungles and we had a lovely BDay celebration for him. Matching up to the excitement of this African adventure, I added few other surprise elements to complete his day!

Check out some of his Bday videos here as well

http://www.ourwanderlust.net/Our%20Travel%20Videos.htm

A private party with Leopard, White Rhinos and playful Elephant herd in HluHluWe iMfolozi Park

ourwanderlust — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:42:00 GMT

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (we perfected the pronounciation after 2 days of trying!) is situated in the heart of KZN, some 250 km north of Durban. It offers stunningly beautiful landscape, a rich compound of misty forests, grass covered hills, enchanting river, the oldest protected area in Africa and success story of rescuing the white rhino from extinction. This park is also famous as the movie 'Tarzan' was shot here!

Heading out at the crack of the dawn, we had quite a 'killing' of game sightings, as the golden ray of morning sun brought to light many 'peculiar' animal habits! Leopards, white rhinos, elephant herd, wild buffaloes, zebra, Giraffe, baboons and many antelope species were playing in the beautiful settings of this park and it felt as if we were a part of their wild party!

Gallery: HluHluwe iMfolozi Park

ourwanderlust — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:52:00 GMT

Some more Wildlife Encounters in St. Lucia Wetland Park

ourwanderlust — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:32:00 GMT

The greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site, stretches 280 glorious kms, with the Indian Ocean on one side and a series of lakes on the other – protects five distinct ecosystems offering everything from offshore reefs and beaches, to lakes, wetlands, woodlands and coastal forests. Lake St. Lucia is Africa’s largest estuary – a mecca to watch hippos and crocs who share a common habitat peacefully. And sometimes the hippos are known to amble down the town’s quieter streets!

The Rain Gods didn't change their mood the next day as well so we ditched our plans to go kayaking in the Estuary waters and boarded a boat cruise instead to engage in a tête-à-tête with these seemingly deceptive 'friendly' animal specie - Hippos! Can you guess who is the closest living relative of Hippos? Looking at their physical resemblance, I guessed PIGS but to my surprise, the guide in the boat cruise informed us that their closest living relatives are WHALES!

As our boat cruise waded its way through the beautiful estuary waters, we admired the exotic bird species in the mangrove forests bordering the river on both sides. But our calm cruise was interrupted by some excitement under water...With a great whoosh and a snort, a seemingly quiet African river suddenly erupts from under the water just 50 mtrs from our boat. One by one, the whole family of 15 hippos emerge snorting and casting evil eyes at their audience. Every group of hippos is led by one large male who dominates the group and intimidates rivals by opening its enormous mouth, revealing its long canines. Hippos are still threatened by poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth but find a safe haven in this beautiful mangrove swamps of St. Lucia Park, a UNESCO protected site. But the interesting fact about their ivory teeth is that it is more precious than the mighty elephant's tusk and one single bite of a hippo can break the human body easily into two pieces! Even though they look so clumsy and bulky, hippos can run faster than an Olympic sprinter! Hippos are excellent swimmers and can hold their breath for about 5 minutes. They can even walk along the bottoms of rivers and lakes!

Later in the afternoon, we biked around the beautiful Estuary and visited the beach to witness some avid anglers get lucky with a great catch of the day!

After this 'hippy' day, we retired to the courtyard of our backpackers hostel to grill some African meat and prepare a 'Brai' (slang for BBQ). Concluded the evening with lots of 'Springbok' shooters and crazy drinking games with some cool revelers from Cape Town!

Embracing the Zulu Culture in St. Lucia Wetland Park

ourwanderlust — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:54:00 GMT

The hills and plains of Natal have been awash with blood spilled in dozens of battles. Many men have sacrificed their lives, fighting to either win her or keep her, enthralled by this region's rich beauty and fertile valleys. The name of one group of people, the ZULUS, has resounded throughout Natal and across the Western world, and the story of this people’s fearlessness and iron-willed discipline in battle has become the stuff of legend. These people transformed from a clan into a mighty nation under the rule of the famous warrior-king, “Shaka” - the fearless lord. One of his training methods was to make his warriors run barefoot across thorn fields and anyone who cried out in agony was put to death.

A traditional Zulu homestead, known as an ‘umuzi’ is a cluster of thatched dwellings that are home to a married man and his family.The umuzi is circular and consists of a number of beehive huts. We stayed in one of our own during a beautiful, full moon night in a cultural Zulu village on Elephant Coast.

Zululand is a proud nation with a social hierarchy based on respect. The Zulu believe that destiny has put each person in a certain place for a specific reason and so each person has a set place in the Zulu social hierarchy. The standing of members of Zulu society is reflected in the traditional dress still worn at ceremonies and celebrations in South Africa.

Animal skins, feathers and beadwork are worn by both Zulu men and women. Fernando dressed up as a Zulu man in the above picture is wearing a calf-skin apron to cover his buttocks. He then donned on a leopard skin which is worn by royalty only (how vain!) and used strips of antelope’s hides to wear as a skirt and cover his head.

Aditi as a Zulu woman wore a short, beaded skirt and ornamental beads and belt to adorn her. (Beads are frequently used by young Zulu women to communicate aspects of love and courtship by using different color beads to convey different messages)

The Zulus are famous for their rich singing voices and sense of rhythm. Zulu dancing is very energetic and performed only by unmarried girls and men. Men incorporate battle and hunting movements in their dancing, banging their shields and sticks to great effect, while women dance more modestly.

We experienced this fiery and passionate display of cultural dance and singing by a group of young school children around a campfire. And they even coaxed us to join them in the end to dance like they do!

It was a night to remember!

St.Lucia Wetlank Park - Arriving on a beautiful rainy day

ourwanderlust — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:18:00 GMT

It is late in the night and I am listening to the music of the pouring rain drumming on the thatched roof of our lodge in St. Lucia Park. From the wooden window, I extend my hand out to feel the water flow down my palms and the leaves of the palm trees lining the veranda, quivering helplessly in the rain. As I reminisce about our day’s adventures, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the fact that how the simplest things surrounding us can give us unforgettable moments of pleasure and excitement!

Trying to tip-toe our way carefully on forest trails flooded with venomous snakes and matching our footprints with those left behind by leopards, we amble on our bush walk through the verdant green fields strewn with wild flowers, flashing our cameras with a mere sight of activity in the distance. Accompanied by an expert ranger, who is certified in understanding animal behavior patterns and is experienced enough to lead the walk amongst wild buffaloes without carrying a gun and wearing open toe shoes, we learn how the world of animals operates – how they defend themselves against their predators; how they mate, socialize and move around; how they strategize an attack on a prey and then save their kill from other predators! On a broader level, their behavior is not too different from us human beings or vice-versa but it is indeed fascinating to learn.

Watching a group of hungry crocodiles leap out of their water pen to grab a whole chicken fed to them by the ranger and then with a single violent sake of their head (which is strong enough to tear off a human limb off its body in one move) they tear the chicken up into smaller pieces, made us marvel yet again at the simple ways with which life’s basic functions are performed. And then how little is demanded by some of these creatures to sustain life, for example, a crocodile can survive for 9 months (!!!) without any food and spends most of this time conserving energy staying very still and mostly under water or in shade to cool off.

If their eating and hunting behavior is not enough to make us realize the joys of simplicity, these ferocious animals put us to shame when it comes to sharing their space and territory with others! Hippos, the clumsy herbivores and Nile Crocodiles, the cunning carnivores peacefully share the murky waters of the St. Lucia estuary, making it a fascinating spectacle to watch for tourists. The picture below shows a couple of crocs lazing on the beach while the hippos wade around in the water right next to them! But both these animals pose grave danger to humans and can deceive you with their bulky and lazy style as they leap to attack and kill without any warning, so swiftly and quickly that you will never live to learn what hit you!

And of course, no journey is complete without sampling the local cuisine. So we had our yummy fill every night with some authentic seafood - grilled ‘Catch of the day’ from the estuary laced with ‘per-peri’ (hot) sauce and of course, the CROC-CURRY! (Croc’s tail is the only edible part for human consumption and it tastes very much like chicken)

Now we wait for the rain to die down (and make everything around us look greener and more wonderful) so that we can get out there and kayak the wetlands inhabited by these wonderful creatures – after all, we must learn the value of sharing from them!

Gallery: St. Lucia Wetland Park

ourwanderlust — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:58:00 GMT

Gallery: Zululand

ourwanderlust — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:59:00 GMT

Zululand - Culture and Village Experience

ourwanderlust — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:30:00 GMT

After tasting the hot curries and enjoying the water rides in Durban, it was time to go back to the very reason we crossed the Atlantic - to see the real AFRICA and experience the pulsating culture of its innumerable tribes, their peculiar lifestyle and rich traditions and rituals!

A short 2 hours drive north along the Elephant Coast of KZN state (so named as hoards of Elephants used this coastline to migrate in the past) we arrived in ‘Eshowe’, in the heart of Zululand. You may remember hearing references made to ‘King Shaka’ in folklores or jungle book stories from childhood. Anyway, the Zulu King Shaka, the Great formed a powerful army and for the first time tried to establish a black empire in Africa, by conquering other weaker tribes. The city of Eshowe and most of the Elephant coast territory is steeped with Zulu history and their battles, conquests and colonization by the English. Probably most important events which shaped the Zulu empire were the Difaquane (the forced migration of weaker tribes running away from the Zulus), and the Anglo-Zulu wars. One of the main sites in Eshowe is a very well preserved British fort which has been turned into a museum depicting the most important battles of the war. While at first, I was under the impression that the British with their technical supremacy had an easy victory but it was interesting to learn that in fact, the Zulus managed to enjoy important victories of their own, as they outnumbered the Brits easily. The front-loaded British bayonets of the time could not shoot quickly enough to stop a full charge of the Zulu army, and before a second load could be prepared the soldiers were already engaging in a man to man fight in which the Zulus were mostly at advantage. The turning point of the war was the arrival of a few machine guns. In one of the most important battles of the war, the Zulus could have inflicted a decisive defeat on the British, but they turned away due to the use of these lethal machine guns. Ironically, early in the battle the machine gun got jammed, but at that time the Zulus were already overwhelmed by its shooting power and retreated anyway.

After visiting the fort / museum, we also went for a walk on an aerial boardwalk in the forest. The walk goes as high up as 20 meters and boasts an impressive and unique view of the forest canopy. As we finished our day traversing this boardwalk , precariously hanging above the tree-line, we scanned the agricultural fields of rural Zululand in the distance and the ‘kraals’ (small villages) which we will be visiting on an early morning hike the next day.

Our travel adventure recipe is never complete without the touch of the essential ingredient, the local human experience. How could we leave Zululand without meeting the Zulu tribe? With an early morning start, we started hiking up the hilly terrain from one Zulu village to another with a local guide, who was very eager to tell us all about his tribe’s culture and way of life, only for an exchange of learning how to speak better English with our help! Everyone in the village was very friendly (except for a big group of cows who were ready to charge at me with their horns while the herdsman struggled to control them) and using few phrases in their local language,’Siya-bonga’ went a long way. We were invited to the villagers home where we chatted with a 96 year old Zulu woman who looked healthy enough to live past 100; learnt the technique to build the traditional Zulu huts (conical shaped called ‘Rondavels’) and then helped them with their project of installing a thatched roof; shared some laughs with an old Zulu man as Fernando made some good aim sharing his sling shot; danced in the sun with another old but young at heart Zulu woman, who apparently knew one English song and insisted that we all dance with her as she sang it out loud! An interesting fact about the Zulu marriages is that a man has to ‘pay’ the bride’s family with 11 cows or equivalent amount in local currency in order to betroth her! We also visited the local school, met the local ‘sangoma’ (‘witch-doctor’) and a Norwegian missionary church. Exchanging goodbyes and some English-Zulu vocabulary words, we headed back feeling good about leaving our footprints in Zululand and bringing back stories to share about their culture with all of you.

Durban, Hot Curries and Some Water Rides

ourwanderlust — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:11:00 GMT

After 4 lovely days in the peaceful Drakensberg mountains, we meandered our way to yet another diverse and rich part of South Africa , the state of "Kwazulu-Natal". Rough and ready, smart and sophisticated, rural and rustic, KZN is as eclectic as its cultures, people and landscapes. It has its metropolitian heart in the port of Durban, the pristine beaches, the Elephant Coast, home to some of Africa’s most evocative traditional settlements and cultural sites, where Zulu culture and heritage are popularly displayed.

Hungry for some city life, we started off in Durban, South Africa`s third largest city. As we drove towards the city we started seeing the Indian Ocean in the distance, and started to get excited for the amazing warm days at the beach and scuba diving ahead of us…and of course, our mouth watered with the thought of Durban`s famous Indian food (ready grilled to perfection ‘kebabs’ and hot curries). The city has the biggest population of Indians in the continent, mainly due to large scale migration of indented workers who supplied labor for the sugar plantations in the Natal province. And most interesting of all, this city has played a key role in India`s independence struggle. It was here that the Mahatma Gandhi, then an unknown lawyer, started the passive resistance (“Satiagraha”) movement, to fight against the racist laws of Apartheid that were affecting the Indian population in the region. In South Africa, Gandhi acquired experience and notoriety, which he took back to India to fight for independence.

Our first day in Durban was a bit of a disappointment though. We went scuba diving at the world famous “Aliwal Shoal” area, listed by Jacques Cousteau as among the 10 best dive sites in the world and famous for its “raggies” (ragged tooth sharks). Sure, there were quite a few sharks and manta rays around but the visibility was low and the dive site is in the wide open ocean, which makes it a less than pleasant experience as you are jolted violently by big swells of angry ocean. Overall, this was one of those “been there, done it” experiences and we would not recommend it very highly.

The second day in Durban was interesting in its own way – “uShaka Marine Park” is probably as far from an African experience as one can dream of. A modern amusement park based right on the ocean front, it is SeaWorld and Wet`n’ Wild put together (yes, exactly the same brands you find in Florida). The location though made up for it. Instead of Mickey Mouse for neighbors, uShaka Marine Park is right on the beach and from it you can soak in an amazing view of Durban`s modern beachfront skyline. Not to miss out though - a “Bollywood” movie shooting with mainstream stars present on the set! So after a day gliding down the slides, watching the dolphin and the seal shows and taking some surf lessons, we sat in a lovely waterfront bar covered under some cozy blankets and watched the sun go down and the city light up, as the mango daikiris went lower and lower in the glass…

Lesotho - Hike up to the "Kingdom in Clouds"

ourwanderlust — Sat, 9 Aug 2008 18:15:00 GMT

Lesotho (le-soo-too) – What is it? Where is it? You may not have read about it in your geography books or must have missed it on the world map, but believe it or not – it is the one of the smallest yet highest country in the world! Popularly known as the ‘Kingdom in the Sky’, still ruled by a king and with the lowest point in the country at 1800m above sea level, it is a mountainous bean-shaped country, nestled island like, right in the centre of South Africa. Found it? Find out more about this quaint country and its people in this story….

Lesotho came into existence even before South Africa ever existed as a unified country. When this part of the dark continent was still being disputed amongst the "Boers"(Dutch warriors), Zulus (African Tribes) and the British, many of the weaker tribes chose to escape rather than subjugate. Most migrated north to present day Zimbabwe and Botswana, but some of these people, led by their king 'Moshaeshoe' took on a different route. They climbed high up in the Drankensberg mountains where protection was easier. Still they were easily outnumebered by the Zulus and overpowered by the Boers. The King then sought protection from the British and ever since then, his kingdom became a 'protectorate'.

Once you cross the border of the kingdom with South Africa, you can easily tell what an isolated yet peaceful and pristine this country is. Men ride their ponies wearing colorful woolen blankets which symbolize their position in the hierarchial society and young boys as herdsmen (who are made men by the notorius 'Coming of Age' ceremony, where they are circumsized using sharp bark and are expected to take the pain like a man without crying) tend to their sheep while smiling and exchanging some pleasantaries with us.

A local 'Basotho' guide welcomes us and shows us the new school project sponsored by these organized tours for tourists. Watching the arid land being tilled by the farmers and their cattle, playing with the local children who kept asking us for sweets, hiking up to the top point in the village to view some primitive rock art depicting the huntings and celeberation of ancient bush men, trying out the local staple and beer and then listening to the enchanting stories of the local 'Sangoma' (witch-doctor who heal people by getting cues from the spirits of their ancestors)filled our cultural day in Lesotho.

As the sun starts its descent into the horizon behind the mighty and proud mountains of this Lesotho village, we boarded our mini-van to attempt getting back in time before the border police closes the gates for re-entry into South Africa!

Gallery: Day Seven - Lesotho tour, Kingdom in Clouds

ourwanderlust — Sat, 9 Aug 2008 09:38:00 GMT

Hiking the Drakensberg Mountains - Day Five through Seven

ourwanderlust — Thu, 7 Aug 2008 18:34:00 GMT

After the previous day’s uneventful and hectic bus transfer from Joberg to the North Drankensberg mountains (popularly known as OverBerg), we were eager to scale and hike up these lofty mountain chain.The Drakensberg Escarpment marks the point where the high veld plunges down over 1000m, before spilling out onto the Eastern low veld. It’s one of South Africa’s most scenic areas, marked by stunning views and abundance of adventure activities.

We were lucky enough to find a lodge which kept up the African lifestyle accomodation we had in Krueger: Amphitheater Backpackers is located in a lovely farm right bellow the Drakensberg, and was the perfect place to rerlax and have fun after the mountain hikes. A super cool bar with sauna and jacuzzi, delicious food, myraid of international cocktails that were also cheap and strong( try to beat a $1-2 price) and a lot of laid-back, interesting people around...

But since it`s only fun to enjoy all that after a day exploring the mountains, we headed to the Royal Natal National Park, a preservation area surounding the 'Amphitheater' mountain,which is the highest mountain in the OverBerg range and it looks like an Ampitheate. The hiking was great - well maintained trails, great views, good weather. And with such an extensive network of trails, we could explore freely without the need for hard-core planning. From almost any point in the park, we could easily return to the car and what is even nicer, by a different trail from the one we had ascended on. A terrific day, even better after the happy hour back at the lodge...with almost 'free' flowing drinks, soaking tired muscles in the warm jaccuzzi and indulging in good conversations about everything with fellow travellers from different parts of the world!

Gallery: Day Five - Hiking the Dranknensburg Mtns

ourwanderlust — Wed, 6 Aug 2008 07:55:00 GMT

Gallery: Day Three

ourwanderlust — Tue, 5 Aug 2008 05:16:00 GMT