All posts filed under: africa

Lichinga

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Originally posted on Head over Heels 2014:
Sunrise, Emma and Mike set off every day at dawn Emma is taking a rest day tomorrow. We stop early today (early by Emma’s standards at this point means after 40km) and head north to Lichinga to check into a hotel where we can enjoy soft comfortable clean smelling beds, showers with plenty of warm water and privacy. We all still wake up by 5am the next day, which is a lie-in. This video is of Emma running through a village in Mozambique and in to her stopping point for the day. I like it because it gives a good feel of what the journey was like: Lichinga is a busy hot town and extra busy because it is Saturday. To get cash, I stand for hours in a long queue of people squashed together and overheating in the sun. It seems there are 10 people in each booth. Many people are getting money for other people. The queue barely moves. Happily, after a couple of hours Woocash discovers…

Malawi

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Originally posted on Head over Heels 2014:
? ? Malawi is flourishing green, although sadly all the big ancient forests have been cut down and sold. At 5.30am shops are open and people are busy. Tasty tomatoes. Woocash and Robert disappeared off into the surrounding area to hunt out Oofa (Sadza) which has now become a team favourite food. In the meantime, these ladies were lovely and friendly and happy to sell me their produce. The land of smiles is full of people smiling and waving. Food on the roadside is cheap and delicious. Ripe sweet mangos and home made doughnuts become daily treats. Insects are fluffy and the police are helpful. After a policeman checked our ID at a road block, he sent someone to fetch water for us from his house! A man we met along the way brought us sandwiches on our lunch break. In the centre is the kindly man who came searching for us in our lunch break. It took him a while, we were well hidden. I must take up…

Travel Bucket List: Victoria Falls, Namibia

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Originally posted on The Picky Eater Travels:
Travel Bucket List #2 Next on my travel bucket list is Victoria Falls in Namibia, Africa. What makes this place extra special besides being massive, at 5,604 feet wide, and 354 feet tall, is that there a spot in the falls called Devil’s Pool, where you can actually swim up to the edge looking over the falls. September- December is the best time to go, when the river flow and current are at a low level, and the rock barrier forms an eddy to help keep you from falling off the cliff. It is recommended though that you have someone hold you by the legs when you are taking a picture of your body somewhat over the cliff, as there have been some accidents where people have slipped off the rocks and fell off the cliff, but if you do your research and follow safety. I think this is one of those experiences where you are truly going to regret it if you don’t do it at least…

My Top Ten Bucketlist Moments

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Originally posted on The Wanderlust Times:
I owe some of my most treasured memories to travel. Theres a reason I’m so obsessed with seeing the world, and I smile every time I look back at these moments in particular. I was most likely thinking something along the lines of “I love my life” at the time. Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge Thoughts when cycling over the bridge: “Wow, it’s really windy. And cold… isn’t it supposed to be summer? There are more people on this bridge than cars. Stay on your side pedestrians!” Thoughts when having to get up the hill to this view point: “I can’t cycle up that thing. I’m going to try…. Ok I’m walking the bike up.” But it was worth every second. With beautiful views of the city whilst going over the bridge and once up this hill, there were even better views. On that day I grew a strong appreciation for humanity and the beautiful things we create. Here’s a list of some of the best places to view the bridge.…

Brenda’s Best Baobab

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Originally posted on Head over Heels 2014:
Brenda’s Best Baobab is a gentle giant of a tree. Wider than several people and disappearing into the sky, surrounded by a deck for tables, the Baobab stands quietly. ? Upon crossing into Zambia we soon come across small shops catching attention with their delicious smells and fresh shiny fruit and vegetables. As predicted there are several banks in … but not one of them is working. “Maybe tomorrow” the locals tell me helpfully but tomorrow we’ll be miles away. I silently mourn the unattainable healthy fruit and vegetables available and decide, for the sake of team morale, not to mention that having cleared our stocks of food before crossing the border, we may be a little short for the next 5 days. Unexpectedly, the Sesheke town rolls on and it is clear that we will not find a camping spot by nightfall, which is how we have found ourselves at Brenda’s Best Baobab, an immaculate looking campsite. But, with only 5 kwacha, we are hoping for Brenda’s generosity.…

Border Crossing #3 Namibia to Zambia, Wenela:Sesheke

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Originally posted on Head over Heels 2014:
Woohoo! We are heading into a new country. We stop for lunch in busy Katimo Mulilo before heading to the small border post Wenela. I have read that border crossings require cunning, preparation, bribery and patience. For our preparation we have eaten all the fresh fruit, vegetables, and bread as apparently taking these items across borders is illegal and can result in trouble with the officials which may mean unpacking your whole car – something to be avoided. In the early afternoon, we head towards the border. I have not prepared much for Zambia as the plan, until the day before yesterday, was to go through Botswana. But we are sure we can wing it. Leaving Namibia is easy. Then it’s a short drive to enter Zambia. This is my first ever land crossing and there’s a long patch of no mans land in the middle. Who owns that bit? We need $220 for all our visas and the car to enter Zambia. I have British pounds as back up…

Francis in Africa: Pope Will Travel to Kenya, Uganda, and Central African Republic in November

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Originally posted on Millennial:
The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will travel to Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic at the end of November. This confirms recent comments from Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo, via Vatican Radio: The Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya (and South Sudan) Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo has said that the proposed Apostolic visit of the Holy Father to Africa, the first to the continent since he became Pope, is being worked on, revealing that the trip would involve three capitals beginning with Nairobi in Kenya, then Uganda’s capital Kampala and conclude with Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic…. He had mentioned first to Central African Republic and also Uganda. I think it was in relation to the political situation in Central African Republic, the serious unrest, the violence, that was a concern to him. These kind of things, migrants, immigrants, places where there is some social unrest, are of special concern to him. If people can remember, the first trip out of Rome that he made was to the…

Day Fifty-Two to -Five: Val di Sole 

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Originally posted on Chasing James:
Since Salzburg on Sunday I have gone back to Innsbruck where I met up with my dads friend to go to Val di Sole in Italy for the UCI Mountain Bike World Champs. So here I am, in Italy, getting to see the best riders in the world go at it this weekend. So from the beginning.? Having spent a night in Salzburg I was satisfied with what I had seen (it’s smaller than it might look and super super touristy with the whole sound of music thing going on) and decided that moving on was needed. Furthermore it was raining. So after organizing my lift to Val di Sole I booked a train back to Innsbruck where I would stay in the same hostel as last week. In Innsbruck not much happened (I had already stayed there for four nights so I had been there done that already. It was also raining. Yay me. I did however meet four Canadian fellas that happened to be good company and we…