Leaving and selling

As we are leaving soon and selling some, please forward if you know anyone who might be interested:
ITEMS FOR SALE   
- Honda CR-V (RD1 model, blue, 1995, 138000 km, petrol, automatic, full time 4x4, documented maintenance, cylinder head needs replacement)    $7,000.00
- Coffee grinder    $30.00
- Blender Black & Decker, + 2 mills    $75.00
- Water filter    $15.00
- 2x 20l water bottles with pump    $30.00
- Electrical Stove (2 "plates")    $30.00
- Laundry basket    $10.00
- Two-bar heater (only 1 bar working)    $10.00
- Hot air heater    $10.00
- 5 batique/african cloths and 4 orange sofa covers (material of +/-15m²)$130.00
- 1 big yellow brown blanket    $15.00
- 1 small grey orange blanket    $10.00
- Hot water bottle    $5.00
- Chicha or water pipe + accessories (tobacco, charcoal)    $15.00
- 2 Harare map books    $20.00
- Snorkelling material: 2 pairs of flippers (size 42) and 3 masks    $40.00
- iPod speakers    $60.00
Contact:   
Bruno 0773026198 brunodeceuk@gmail.com 
Thomas 0772592715 thomas.pouppez@gmail.com
At 3, Silverhaze flat, crnr Chester and Clare Road, Avondale West 04336135   
Collecting: on Sunday 19 December 2010 (if possible)   

Mad about Madagascar

As our last and absolutely final country in southern Africa we would visit, Thomas and me spend two weeks in Madagascar.

We arrived in Antananarivo, the capital (in short Tana), where we went partying with some French Couchsurfers volunteering here.  As it was the 31st of October, Halloween was the theme…

The next day, bit hung over but with no regrets, we went to explore the city, bit polluted but still pleasant, with small alleys, lots of stairs, and hills offering beautiful views over the city. 

Next we headed up north, making our way with taxi-brousses for a total of about 24h. The taxi brousses are minibuses , filled beyond capacity (our record was 37 people in the minibus made for 20). Thankfully, the countryside was pretty enough to take away some of the pain. First stop was the Park Andronafasika, where the Lemurs (a type of monkey indigenous only to Madagascar) roamed. Then we went to the tiny island Nosy Be, the first tourist destination of Madagascar. Beautiful beaches and wonderful snorkelling, the best I have seen so far. We even saw a tortoise and an octopus that changed colours much quicker than a chameleon. And, touristy as it is, a local ‘park’ also allowed us to interact closer with some of the indigenous species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last stop was Diego-Suarez, less touristy, where we stayed in a small fishing village. The nearby sea, called Mer d’Emeraude was magnificent, turquoise…

With the weather being so hot and us spending a lot of time in the sea, I also had the reckless idea of getting a haircut to facilitate my life. So, I walked into what seemed to be a rather respectable barber place, where the woman seemed dumb founded I desired a haircut. Three neighbours were called in for second and third opinions, and explanations on how to operate the shaving machine. She trimmed here, then applied the scissors there, next tried to balance it out but clearly had no idea what she was doing, and it showed… Once she cut my ear I decided the fun was over and bailed. Now, I usually don’t care that much about my haircut, but this time it really was ludicrous. So, later on, in Diego, I called in another barber, this time with the goal to simply shave it all off and start afresh. The young dude showed up with one pair of scissors (meat ones) and one comb, but also with funky tribal designs shaved into his own hair. Considering I didn’t have much to lose, I requested for something similar…. 

But, all good things come to an end, and so did our short holiday there. To close off, a classic, as one of the things I appreciated most about Madagascar, was the sea, and the spectacular sunsets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Namibia: 3. Lüderitz

Suddenly, a taste of Germany. Lüderitz is a quaint little town, with Lutheran churches, bars from Bayern, and Nachtigallestrasse, Kirchstrasse and menus in German. Traditionally a fishing village, it is becoming increasingly a tourist destination, but still keeps that quiet, sleepy coast town feeling.

A few kilometres inland, lays a ghost town, Kolmanskop. There was a big diamond rush (legend has it you could just pick them off the ground) in the 1908 and this village was build all around that. We didn’t feel it was too impressive though (I mean, most of our houses also date back to the early 1900s), and also because our guide wasn’t very communicative. Maybe the fact that she seemed to sweep any segregation and question whether there were harsh working conditions for the local blacks under the carpet…

Highlight of our trip in Lüderitz (the only place in Namibia where we spend two consecutive nights) was the boat trip. You can go see the penguins, seals and birds on the islands just off shore.

Namibia: 2. Sesriem and Sossusvlei

After a two day drive through Botswana (sleepover in Maún) and one night to stock up and recover in Windhoek, our first real sight to be seen was Sossusvlei, a picture of which actually covers the Lonely planet guidebook. Yep, we took exactly the same picture on the same spot (though the lighting wasn’t a 100% the same). 

It’s one of those place with the image of the Namibian desert which we all have, sand dunes and… well, more sand dunes… and more sand dunes.

  Here, amidst sandy dunes (some up to 300m high) and beautiful sunsets, lies a small vlei, which when it rains (i.e. very rarely) becomes a salt lake. Now, the soil is all dried out and the trees are like rocks. It’s a bit spooky at times, but very impressive.  We camped at the entrance, and had to rush, because of the rules that you can only enter and leave the park between sunrise and sunset, while of course these are the most impressive moments, light wise.  

Off to Namibia

This Saturday 18th of September, we're going on a two week road trip, and when I say road, it really is road (planned 6.000km to drive). As Namibia is one of the only countries we haven't explored properly yet in Southern Africa, we're going for two weeks there, together with Thomas, Pieter and Hanne, my cousin who is currently visiting us. We'll be away from 18 to 4th of October, and (of course) pictures will follow afterwards but meanwhile, there might be a bit of radio silence.