Around the World in 40 Days for 40 Years
Oct 26, 2011, 7:27 pm
#46
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Part XIX - Victoria Falls Bungee Jump is now live! Enjoy!
Oct 26, 2011, 8:42 pm
#47
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 314
Enjoying your trip report, and glad you're having fun.
Thought one of your photos looked familiar and realized later that we have a mutual Facebook friend and the site has recommended I "add" you previously which is why you looked familiar.
Keep having fun and keep telling us all about it!
Thought one of your photos looked familiar and realized later that we have a mutual Facebook friend and the site has recommended I "add" you previously which is why you looked familiar.
Keep having fun and keep telling us all about it!
Oct 31, 2011, 7:08 pm
#48
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So, this is going to be another mostly pictures post. After the bungee (and thanking God we lived) it was over to Victoria Falls to see what made this place famous. The falls were absolutely awesome. I thought they were easily comparable to Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil in sheer size and volume, despite this being the low season. We only saw them in full from the Zimbabwe side, but they were incredible:
Next stop was the Boma Restaurant. .We were certain this would be a touristy hot mess, but in the end, the food ws pretty good, and it was lots of fun! . When you got there, they dressed you in "local dress" and did a bit of face painting. .It was kind of hokie, but still fun at the same time. .While it was touristy, it wasn't nearly as bad as expected. .The food:
Now, this is when things REALLY became a hot mess. .A guy came around who described himself as the "Boma Sangoma" .(see that? .it rhymes) and it means the Boma Witch Doctor. .He had a "special" drink which "would make everyone happy." .I don't remember what he all mixed in the glass, but it was semi-innocent, and quite tasty. .Yay for the Boma Cocktail!
Of course, this led to accepting the Boma's challenge. .Eating the "Mopani Worm." .Supposedly this worm is a local delicacy, but honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad once it had been cooked to a crisp. .Went down easily, and honestly tasted like sand more than anything!
Next stop was the Boma Restaurant. .We were certain this would be a touristy hot mess, but in the end, the food ws pretty good, and it was lots of fun! . When you got there, they dressed you in "local dress" and did a bit of face painting. .It was kind of hokie, but still fun at the same time. .While it was touristy, it wasn't nearly as bad as expected. .The food:
Now, this is when things REALLY became a hot mess. .A guy came around who described himself as the "Boma Sangoma" .(see that? .it rhymes) and it means the Boma Witch Doctor. .He had a "special" drink which "would make everyone happy." .I don't remember what he all mixed in the glass, but it was semi-innocent, and quite tasty. .Yay for the Boma Cocktail!
Of course, this led to accepting the Boma's challenge. .Eating the "Mopani Worm." .Supposedly this worm is a local delicacy, but honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad once it had been cooked to a crisp. .Went down easily, and honestly tasted like sand more than anything!
Nov 3, 2011, 12:05 am
#49
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I Googled the worm and according to Wikipedia you can buy tins of them in supermarkets! You guys are certainly adventurous!
I'm really enjoying the report and photos so far keep up the good work.
I'm really enjoying the report and photos so far keep up the good work.
Nov 3, 2011, 7:53 pm
#50
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Having managed to brave the bungee jump over the Victoria Falls Bridge, you'd think it would be easy to whitewater raft the river. .However, upon getting there, two things conspired against me. . First, I'd seen the river from above, and knew how sheer the cliffs were. .We were going to have to walk down the side of those to get in the river? .Uhhh....on top of that, we learned the Zambezi is considered to be the most difficult commercially-raftable river in the world, and that there were world championship events held here. .Not exactly what you want to hear when you're already nervous about rafting for the first time. .At least I'm a strong swimmer, so that much is good!
After the mandatory safety briefing, we were divided up into groups. .There were enough people for three rafts, and thankfully the guides were excellent at sizing us up, and got things right. .The "easy" raft would just hang on while the guide did the rowing. .BORING! .The medium raft would be able to row, but the guide would help out....again, BORING! .Thankfully, we got sized up as strong or adventurous, and got put in the "advanced" raft. .There were eight of us plus the guide...and it was a fascinating mix:
The two of us, two absolutely fearless and insane Zimbabwe boys, and equally crazy expat Zimbabwean lady, a slightly less fit South African couple, and an adventurous French intern who was saving the rhinos in Zim. .This was bound to be fun!
The climb down into the gorge was a nonevent...there were some railings, it wasn't too deep, and we were off. .We paddled around a bit, and went straight into it. .The first few Category 3 and 4 rapids were a good test...and we were confident. .We even managed to stay upright in the first Category 5. .Was awesome! .However, that's where things began to go tits up when we flipped in one Cat 5, and then again two rapids later. .The south african lady was freaking out at this point, but we managed to keep it together.
We had a choice about 2/3 of the way through. .The rapid had three choices: .go left, and certainly flip and likely die in a Category 5++ rapid. .Go centre to a category 5, and 95% flip. .Go right, and hit it as a Category 3, and almost certainly stay upright. .We voted, and we went middle...made it almost to the end and...yup, third flip. .I think the river pushed us a good 500+ metres downriver, but it was an absolute blast. .I can't remember the last time I had so much fun...and really want to go back!
After rafting, we had to get out of the gorge. .This would have been fine except for the fact the river had ripped one of my shoes off me. .I was forced to climb up the rocky/sandy side of the gorge with one shoe. .Between the burning hot rocks, the sand, I had to stop every 30-60 seconds and lift that foot just to prevent burning it. .It was a really unpleasant 30 minutes, but as they say it was character building and I made it. .At the top there was a good barbecue, plenty of beer, and was fun chatting with the folks we'd spent the previous few hours with. .It was clearly one of the top highlights of the trip to this point.
We got back to the hotel, rested just a little, then got picked up for our sunset river cruise on the same river. .The cruise was "above" the falls (while the rafting was "below") so it was a chance to see the river from a totally different point of view.
First up, the native dancers that greeted us:
Then, it was on the boat cruise, which was a bit of a booze cruise - aka unlimited drinks. .The amusement stemmed from who was on the small boat. .It was us, a group of 5 older australians who were clearly entertained to be with us, and a family of four from Zimbabwe who kept to themselves while dad got absolutely hammered in the two hour cruise on some fruity cocktail, lol.
Relaxing on the river:
Up close with an elephant on the banks of the Zambezi:
Of course, what would a sunset cruise be without an amazing sunset:
After the cruise it was back to the hotel...and dinner in the hotel restaurant. .We actually had quite a decent pizza...and all things considered were pretty impressed. .They couldn't get the credit card to process, but I figured that was what I expected in Zimbabwe. .Then, it was off to bed for an early flight the next day to South Africa and time for our big drive!
After the mandatory safety briefing, we were divided up into groups. .There were enough people for three rafts, and thankfully the guides were excellent at sizing us up, and got things right. .The "easy" raft would just hang on while the guide did the rowing. .BORING! .The medium raft would be able to row, but the guide would help out....again, BORING! .Thankfully, we got sized up as strong or adventurous, and got put in the "advanced" raft. .There were eight of us plus the guide...and it was a fascinating mix:
The two of us, two absolutely fearless and insane Zimbabwe boys, and equally crazy expat Zimbabwean lady, a slightly less fit South African couple, and an adventurous French intern who was saving the rhinos in Zim. .This was bound to be fun!
The climb down into the gorge was a nonevent...there were some railings, it wasn't too deep, and we were off. .We paddled around a bit, and went straight into it. .The first few Category 3 and 4 rapids were a good test...and we were confident. .We even managed to stay upright in the first Category 5. .Was awesome! .However, that's where things began to go tits up when we flipped in one Cat 5, and then again two rapids later. .The south african lady was freaking out at this point, but we managed to keep it together.
We had a choice about 2/3 of the way through. .The rapid had three choices: .go left, and certainly flip and likely die in a Category 5++ rapid. .Go centre to a category 5, and 95% flip. .Go right, and hit it as a Category 3, and almost certainly stay upright. .We voted, and we went middle...made it almost to the end and...yup, third flip. .I think the river pushed us a good 500+ metres downriver, but it was an absolute blast. .I can't remember the last time I had so much fun...and really want to go back!
After rafting, we had to get out of the gorge. .This would have been fine except for the fact the river had ripped one of my shoes off me. .I was forced to climb up the rocky/sandy side of the gorge with one shoe. .Between the burning hot rocks, the sand, I had to stop every 30-60 seconds and lift that foot just to prevent burning it. .It was a really unpleasant 30 minutes, but as they say it was character building and I made it. .At the top there was a good barbecue, plenty of beer, and was fun chatting with the folks we'd spent the previous few hours with. .It was clearly one of the top highlights of the trip to this point.
We got back to the hotel, rested just a little, then got picked up for our sunset river cruise on the same river. .The cruise was "above" the falls (while the rafting was "below") so it was a chance to see the river from a totally different point of view.
First up, the native dancers that greeted us:
Then, it was on the boat cruise, which was a bit of a booze cruise - aka unlimited drinks. .The amusement stemmed from who was on the small boat. .It was us, a group of 5 older australians who were clearly entertained to be with us, and a family of four from Zimbabwe who kept to themselves while dad got absolutely hammered in the two hour cruise on some fruity cocktail, lol.
Relaxing on the river:
Up close with an elephant on the banks of the Zambezi:
Of course, what would a sunset cruise be without an amazing sunset:
After the cruise it was back to the hotel...and dinner in the hotel restaurant. .We actually had quite a decent pizza...and all things considered were pretty impressed. .They couldn't get the credit card to process, but I figured that was what I expected in Zimbabwe. .Then, it was off to bed for an early flight the next day to South Africa and time for our big drive!
Nov 4, 2011, 7:56 pm
#52
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So, there's no easy way from Victoria Falls to Lesotho. One of our missions for our trip to South Africa was to check-off the two small countries surrounded by South Africa: Lesotho and Swaziland. Since some of our best vacation memories have been driving around the countryside, we decided to get a car and see if we could pull this off. Lots of friends, especially South African friends, said they would never do such a trip. Too dangerous, too boring, etc. Of course, that only encouraged us more.
Up early for another game drive, and this was the winner. Early in the drive, our guide got a call on the radio that there was a fresh kill...and we sped towards it just in time. We got there right after the kill, and were treated to this!
Don't you DARE steal my food:
OM NOM NOM!
Fat and happy - notice the blood around the mouth.
Leftovers...don't even THINK about touching them!
After the drive it was back to the lodge for a quick breakfast, because our driver was picking us up for the drive back to Livingstone, Zambia for our flight to Johannesburg. The drive to the border was relatively short, immigration was hassle-free (how ARE we getting so lucky in Africa?!) and soon we were driving the hour across Zimbabwe to the Zambia border. Again, no problems, and soon we were at the Livingstone Airport over two hours before our flight which was WAY too much time. Thanks to Priority Pass we had access to the "lounge" which was really only a quiet place to wait. No internet. Nothing worth eating or drinking...but it had toilets and it was quiet.
1-Time (T6) Flight 952
Livingstone, Zambia to Johannesburg, South Africa
Depart 12:50, Arrive 14:35
MD82, Registration ZS-TRD, Manufactured 1982
Now, I have to confess - I hate MD-82s, MD90s, etc. It feels (when you're near the front) like there's no power under you, and it just feels like it takes forever to leave the ground. That said, this flight really freaked me out. Before we even left the ground, the flight attendant bolted from her seat to the 1-Right door. I've never seen a flight attendant spring out of their seat on the takeoff roll, so something was up...and she was doing something to the door. I was convinced it was still open, and we were in for an emergency landing.
A minute or so later she sat down, looking relieved, and there was no drama. A chat a few minutes later she told us that there were things sitting on the shelf near the door that were about to fly all over the place and make lots of noise, and she had to secure them. Hah, in the US the flight attendants would have let them hit the ground, roll down the aisle, etc instead of panicking the passengers. We paid for a Diet Coke and a sandwich and the flight was quite uneventful. For a discount airline, a completely acceptable experience.
We were through immigration quickly, and to our car, and soon trying to find out way out of Johannesburg. Now, I was most concerned finding our way out of the city. We had a navigation system, but the constant construction on Johannesburg's roads had me concerned. I think we only made 2-3 wrong turns (that of course weren't on the map) and soon we were headed south to Lesotho. Not bad at all!
I loved the fact the speed limit was 120kph, and we had a car I felt more than comfortable going that fast in. Driving on the left was no problem at all, and I think I've finally gotten the hang of it. A couple quick shots of the scenery as we drove past:
Just before sunset we hit the border to Lesotho, and knew we'd be driving the rest of the way in the dark. Immigration was quick and soon we were on the way. Lesotho clearly doesn't believe in guardrails or reflectors on the side of the road, so it was quite a spooky drive in the dark. Fortunately, we only had just over an hour to go to the hotel. We took it slowly, had no trouble, and were soon at the gate to the national park where the lodge was located.
Now, just on the other side of the gate is where the drama began. We were on a dirt road, and it was a bit washed out and muddy...and we got stuck. The tires spun and spun in the mud, and Matt got out to push...and soon we were free...with a very muddy car. Pics to follow in the morning!
This was Matt's birthday, and he'd chosen to spend it in Lesotho instead of in Johannesburg where we could have gone out for a nice meal, so this lodge was the best compromise. In the end, it ended up being even better than we expected! We stayed at the Maliba Mountain Lodge, which was actually quite impressive. It was five or so individual lodges/huts with a large central lodge for the meals/socializing/etc. We had a good dinner immediately upon arriving, a bottle of wine, before heading to the room to crash. It was actually amazingly nice, especially considering we were in the middle of nowhere Lesotho.
Up early for another game drive, and this was the winner. Early in the drive, our guide got a call on the radio that there was a fresh kill...and we sped towards it just in time. We got there right after the kill, and were treated to this!
Don't you DARE steal my food:
OM NOM NOM!
Fat and happy - notice the blood around the mouth.
Leftovers...don't even THINK about touching them!
After the drive it was back to the lodge for a quick breakfast, because our driver was picking us up for the drive back to Livingstone, Zambia for our flight to Johannesburg. The drive to the border was relatively short, immigration was hassle-free (how ARE we getting so lucky in Africa?!) and soon we were driving the hour across Zimbabwe to the Zambia border. Again, no problems, and soon we were at the Livingstone Airport over two hours before our flight which was WAY too much time. Thanks to Priority Pass we had access to the "lounge" which was really only a quiet place to wait. No internet. Nothing worth eating or drinking...but it had toilets and it was quiet.
1-Time (T6) Flight 952
Livingstone, Zambia to Johannesburg, South Africa
Depart 12:50, Arrive 14:35
MD82, Registration ZS-TRD, Manufactured 1982
Now, I have to confess - I hate MD-82s, MD90s, etc. It feels (when you're near the front) like there's no power under you, and it just feels like it takes forever to leave the ground. That said, this flight really freaked me out. Before we even left the ground, the flight attendant bolted from her seat to the 1-Right door. I've never seen a flight attendant spring out of their seat on the takeoff roll, so something was up...and she was doing something to the door. I was convinced it was still open, and we were in for an emergency landing.
A minute or so later she sat down, looking relieved, and there was no drama. A chat a few minutes later she told us that there were things sitting on the shelf near the door that were about to fly all over the place and make lots of noise, and she had to secure them. Hah, in the US the flight attendants would have let them hit the ground, roll down the aisle, etc instead of panicking the passengers. We paid for a Diet Coke and a sandwich and the flight was quite uneventful. For a discount airline, a completely acceptable experience.
We were through immigration quickly, and to our car, and soon trying to find out way out of Johannesburg. Now, I was most concerned finding our way out of the city. We had a navigation system, but the constant construction on Johannesburg's roads had me concerned. I think we only made 2-3 wrong turns (that of course weren't on the map) and soon we were headed south to Lesotho. Not bad at all!
I loved the fact the speed limit was 120kph, and we had a car I felt more than comfortable going that fast in. Driving on the left was no problem at all, and I think I've finally gotten the hang of it. A couple quick shots of the scenery as we drove past:
Just before sunset we hit the border to Lesotho, and knew we'd be driving the rest of the way in the dark. Immigration was quick and soon we were on the way. Lesotho clearly doesn't believe in guardrails or reflectors on the side of the road, so it was quite a spooky drive in the dark. Fortunately, we only had just over an hour to go to the hotel. We took it slowly, had no trouble, and were soon at the gate to the national park where the lodge was located.
Now, just on the other side of the gate is where the drama began. We were on a dirt road, and it was a bit washed out and muddy...and we got stuck. The tires spun and spun in the mud, and Matt got out to push...and soon we were free...with a very muddy car. Pics to follow in the morning!
This was Matt's birthday, and he'd chosen to spend it in Lesotho instead of in Johannesburg where we could have gone out for a nice meal, so this lodge was the best compromise. In the end, it ended up being even better than we expected! We stayed at the Maliba Mountain Lodge, which was actually quite impressive. It was five or so individual lodges/huts with a large central lodge for the meals/socializing/etc. We had a good dinner immediately upon arriving, a bottle of wine, before heading to the room to crash. It was actually amazingly nice, especially considering we were in the middle of nowhere Lesotho.
Last edited by ironmanjt; Mar 20, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Nov 6, 2011, 6:11 pm
#53
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Slept in just a little, and woke up and drove up to the lodge for breakfast. It was just far enough that you didn't want to walk it on a very very chilly morning. Breakfast was on the deck, and it was an amazing setting. I really want to come back here for a bit longer to do some hiking. The area is gorgeous.
After breakfast, we took a slow trip back to the room to pack up...a view of the five individual rooms at the resort:<!--more-->
...and a quick pic of the "damage" to the car from our run-in with the mud the night before:
We got directions from the lodge to the nearest post office, which included "go about 30 minutes on the road back, and then stop at the town with the helicopter." We had no idea what that meant, but sure enough there was a small town with a mini broken-down helicopter. Out of the car, and we started looking for anything that looked like a post office. Found it, but no luck...it was locked up. We asked some of the chatty ladies in town where it was, and nobody spoke english...but they went off to find the one younger lady who spoke english. Meanwhile, they used the only words they knew: "SHOOT ME!" We were confused, until we figured out that this meant "take my picture" lol!
The young lady who spoke english arrived, and the conversation went like this:
Us: Is the post office going to open soon?
Her: Maybe
Us: Where is the person who runs the post office?
Her: Not here
Us: Will he be coming back soon?
Her: (pensive) Hmmm.......no.
Hah! This isAfrica of course! We had to bail on getting postcards and stamps unfortunately, and continued our drive to a site that was supposed to have some rock paintings from thousands of years ago. It was a bit underwhelming, but still worth the stop:
After this we continued our drive to the border, and back into South Africa:
We continued on the drive to Ladysmith, which we'd chosen for the overnight because it was approximately halfway to Swaziland. Had a very tasty lunch at a small cafe in Clarens, South Africa, before driving on. It was a gorgeous drive, and we even saw our first zebra of the trip!
Eventually we got to Ladysmith...and it was a bit of a spooky town. It clearly had seen much better days...maybe 50 years ago, and the whole place just had an uneasy vibe about it. Hotel was...adequate and clean, and since we really didn't have much other choice we stayed
We had chosen the Royal Hotel which seemed to be the nicest place between Lesotho and Swaziland, and I would say it was still barely a 2-3* property. Oh well, can't complain!
Headed out to dinner, and found a place called the "Guinea Fowl" which was actually surprisingly good! It was packed, and the menu had a fun little saying on it:
..and what would it be without a guinea fowl in the restaurant as cheesy decor?
After dinner (which was actually a delicious steak - who would have guessed!) it was back to the hotel to crash early since we had a very long day of driving the next day.
After breakfast, we took a slow trip back to the room to pack up...a view of the five individual rooms at the resort:<!--more-->
...and a quick pic of the "damage" to the car from our run-in with the mud the night before:
We got directions from the lodge to the nearest post office, which included "go about 30 minutes on the road back, and then stop at the town with the helicopter." We had no idea what that meant, but sure enough there was a small town with a mini broken-down helicopter. Out of the car, and we started looking for anything that looked like a post office. Found it, but no luck...it was locked up. We asked some of the chatty ladies in town where it was, and nobody spoke english...but they went off to find the one younger lady who spoke english. Meanwhile, they used the only words they knew: "SHOOT ME!" We were confused, until we figured out that this meant "take my picture" lol!
The young lady who spoke english arrived, and the conversation went like this:
Us: Is the post office going to open soon?
Her: Maybe
Us: Where is the person who runs the post office?
Her: Not here
Us: Will he be coming back soon?
Her: (pensive) Hmmm.......no.
Hah! This isAfrica of course! We had to bail on getting postcards and stamps unfortunately, and continued our drive to a site that was supposed to have some rock paintings from thousands of years ago. It was a bit underwhelming, but still worth the stop:
After this we continued our drive to the border, and back into South Africa:
We continued on the drive to Ladysmith, which we'd chosen for the overnight because it was approximately halfway to Swaziland. Had a very tasty lunch at a small cafe in Clarens, South Africa, before driving on. It was a gorgeous drive, and we even saw our first zebra of the trip!
Eventually we got to Ladysmith...and it was a bit of a spooky town. It clearly had seen much better days...maybe 50 years ago, and the whole place just had an uneasy vibe about it. Hotel was...adequate and clean, and since we really didn't have much other choice we stayed
We had chosen the Royal Hotel which seemed to be the nicest place between Lesotho and Swaziland, and I would say it was still barely a 2-3* property. Oh well, can't complain!Headed out to dinner, and found a place called the "Guinea Fowl" which was actually surprisingly good! It was packed, and the menu had a fun little saying on it:
..and what would it be without a guinea fowl in the restaurant as cheesy decor?
After dinner (which was actually a delicious steak - who would have guessed!) it was back to the hotel to crash early since we had a very long day of driving the next day.
Nov 7, 2011, 8:55 pm
#54
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Up early to explore Ladysmith before the long drive to Swaziland. Breakfast at the hotel was pretty uninspired, but given the location and what we'd seen of the hotel the night before that was perfectly fine. It was clean, sufficient, and we were on our way. First stop was the Ladysmith Town Hall to see the museum. Ladysmith was a key focal point in the Anglo-Boer wars in the early 20th century, and had an interesting museum to show for it. Unfortunately, it felt like the town never quite recovered all the way. A couple shots of the Town Hall / Museum:
After an hour or so we packed up, and drove north out of town. The route from Ladysmith to Swaziland is known as the "battlefields" since it was the area the Boers/English/Zulus clashed repeatedly. But first...we got hungry and had to stop at a local shack that was selling biltong. Kudu, ostrich, and beef....yum!
Next stop was the Talana Hill battle site, which was honestly quite disappointing. Several exhibits that had nothing to do with the battles themselves (un-PC these days perhaps?) and more to do with the visits of Princess Di, Quilts, etc. Quite a bummer, but at least we found a few interesting historical things on site:
After that, we continued our drive to the Ncome Museum. It was perhaps one of the most interesting we'd seen, mainly because it required driving over 20 miles on dirt potholed roads each way to get there. Up until this point, even the secondary roads in South Africa had been amazing quality, so it was really nice to get somewhere that felt remote and "authentic." A self-appointed "guide" attached himself to us to explain the site...and in the end it worked out very well. He wasn't looking for money, just proud to show off the museum. I don't know what it is, but we always seem to get lucky like this. I know lots of people complain about touts taking advantage of them, but we've had the good fortune over and over to run into local guides who just want to show us sites.
Driving out was a bit more challenging!
Soon enough, after quite a bit more driving...we'd reached the destination!
The drive into Swaziland was on some seriously windy roads, but they were in much much better condition than the roads into Lesotho. There were also many more people on the sides of the road, and the whole country seemed much more active and productive. We reached the hotel shortly, checked in, and headed straight out to dinner. We walked around the capital Mbabane, but everything looked seriously sketchy, so we decided to drive into the valley where it was said all the ExPat places were located. We found a place billed as a local pub, ordered some drinks and...out went the lights.
We soon learned there had been major demonstrations in the country, and the polyamourous/polygamous King had decided to cut power to the country to punish the unions for demonstrating against him. Fantastic. There were a few brief flashes of power...enough to get our burgers cooked fortunately...so even though dinner took well over two hours for a simple pub meal the drinks kept coming and we didn't end up with food poisoning. You can't complain too much about that. The woman who was clearly the owner of the pub was eating at the table next to us, and was clearly frustrated and embarrassed about the situation. Driving back to the hotel in pouring rain after a few drinks probably wasn't the easiest thing, but fortunately all went well and soon we were crashing for the next day's adventure to Mozambique...and nearly the end of the adventure.
After an hour or so we packed up, and drove north out of town. The route from Ladysmith to Swaziland is known as the "battlefields" since it was the area the Boers/English/Zulus clashed repeatedly. But first...we got hungry and had to stop at a local shack that was selling biltong. Kudu, ostrich, and beef....yum!
Next stop was the Talana Hill battle site, which was honestly quite disappointing. Several exhibits that had nothing to do with the battles themselves (un-PC these days perhaps?) and more to do with the visits of Princess Di, Quilts, etc. Quite a bummer, but at least we found a few interesting historical things on site:
After that, we continued our drive to the Ncome Museum. It was perhaps one of the most interesting we'd seen, mainly because it required driving over 20 miles on dirt potholed roads each way to get there. Up until this point, even the secondary roads in South Africa had been amazing quality, so it was really nice to get somewhere that felt remote and "authentic." A self-appointed "guide" attached himself to us to explain the site...and in the end it worked out very well. He wasn't looking for money, just proud to show off the museum. I don't know what it is, but we always seem to get lucky like this. I know lots of people complain about touts taking advantage of them, but we've had the good fortune over and over to run into local guides who just want to show us sites.
Driving out was a bit more challenging!
Soon enough, after quite a bit more driving...we'd reached the destination!
The drive into Swaziland was on some seriously windy roads, but they were in much much better condition than the roads into Lesotho. There were also many more people on the sides of the road, and the whole country seemed much more active and productive. We reached the hotel shortly, checked in, and headed straight out to dinner. We walked around the capital Mbabane, but everything looked seriously sketchy, so we decided to drive into the valley where it was said all the ExPat places were located. We found a place billed as a local pub, ordered some drinks and...out went the lights.
We soon learned there had been major demonstrations in the country, and the polyamourous/polygamous King had decided to cut power to the country to punish the unions for demonstrating against him. Fantastic. There were a few brief flashes of power...enough to get our burgers cooked fortunately...so even though dinner took well over two hours for a simple pub meal the drinks kept coming and we didn't end up with food poisoning. You can't complain too much about that. The woman who was clearly the owner of the pub was eating at the table next to us, and was clearly frustrated and embarrassed about the situation. Driving back to the hotel in pouring rain after a few drinks probably wasn't the easiest thing, but fortunately all went well and soon we were crashing for the next day's adventure to Mozambique...and nearly the end of the adventure.
Nov 9, 2011, 7:54 pm
#55
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Join Date: Mar 2003
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First off apologies that this will be mainly a text post. I don't know why I didn't take more pictures on this leg...but just didn't.
Got up pretty early to catch an early breakfast at the hotel in Swaziland, which was fascinating on its own. The buffet area was small - a dozen tables or so at the Mountain Inn - and most will filled with large South African tour groups. Regardless, we got a good breakfast, and got ready to head on our way. We'd planned to head out of Swaziland on the northern side via Pigg's Peak, but there was very very thick fog, and the front desk advised us this route would not only be dangerous, but we were unlikely to see anything at all. Oh well - can't control the weather!
Headed out via the west, and it was still very foggy. We had to get to Nelspruit, South Africa where we were due to catch a Greyhound bus to Mozambique. The drive was slow and quite foggy, but we still made it in plenty of time. Dropped off the car at the airport, and caught a way overpriced taxi back to the bus terminal. No problems at all - which in and of itself was quite surprising. Bus was even on time!
The bus was half full at most (and a double decker) and in less than two hours we were at the Mozambique border. We had purchased our visas in advance, so the border was a complete nonevent. We even had time for a couple pictures:
<!--more-->Soon we were over the border, and the bus lady was walking through checking on things...and caught us misbehaving. It seems there was no alcohol allowed on the bus, and we got a good chastising and a warning that she should kick us off right then and there! So, we hid the rest and drank it discretely
We arrived in Maputo just after sunset, and I was seriously concerned about finding a safe taxi to the hotel. In the end, it was a complete nonevent, and there were plenty of honest taxi drivers hanging around the bus terminal. 10 minutes later, we were at our hotel, checking in, and off to hunt down dinner.
Decided to go to Mundo's restaurant, which was listed as a bit of an expat haunt and sports bar. After a long day of travel something low-key and "safe" sounded good, and we set off on the walk. Got lost a couple times, but after 30 minutes we made it there. THank God for the iPHone and maps, or we never would have found it. I seriously don't know how we traveled before it.
Got a couple pizzas and drinks, and decided to grab a cab back to the hotel instead of wandering in the dark again. Lots of exploring to do the next day!
Got up pretty early to catch an early breakfast at the hotel in Swaziland, which was fascinating on its own. The buffet area was small - a dozen tables or so at the Mountain Inn - and most will filled with large South African tour groups. Regardless, we got a good breakfast, and got ready to head on our way. We'd planned to head out of Swaziland on the northern side via Pigg's Peak, but there was very very thick fog, and the front desk advised us this route would not only be dangerous, but we were unlikely to see anything at all. Oh well - can't control the weather!
Headed out via the west, and it was still very foggy. We had to get to Nelspruit, South Africa where we were due to catch a Greyhound bus to Mozambique. The drive was slow and quite foggy, but we still made it in plenty of time. Dropped off the car at the airport, and caught a way overpriced taxi back to the bus terminal. No problems at all - which in and of itself was quite surprising. Bus was even on time!
The bus was half full at most (and a double decker) and in less than two hours we were at the Mozambique border. We had purchased our visas in advance, so the border was a complete nonevent. We even had time for a couple pictures:
<!--more-->Soon we were over the border, and the bus lady was walking through checking on things...and caught us misbehaving. It seems there was no alcohol allowed on the bus, and we got a good chastising and a warning that she should kick us off right then and there! So, we hid the rest and drank it discretely
We arrived in Maputo just after sunset, and I was seriously concerned about finding a safe taxi to the hotel. In the end, it was a complete nonevent, and there were plenty of honest taxi drivers hanging around the bus terminal. 10 minutes later, we were at our hotel, checking in, and off to hunt down dinner.
Decided to go to Mundo's restaurant, which was listed as a bit of an expat haunt and sports bar. After a long day of travel something low-key and "safe" sounded good, and we set off on the walk. Got lost a couple times, but after 30 minutes we made it there. THank God for the iPHone and maps, or we never would have found it. I seriously don't know how we traveled before it.
Got a couple pizzas and drinks, and decided to grab a cab back to the hotel instead of wandering in the dark again. Lots of exploring to do the next day!
Nov 11, 2011, 6:11 pm
#56
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,528
We were up early, for what I would consider our first proper day of wandering through a major African city. Yes, South Africa is Africa, but it's kinda Africa-lite in some ways. Walking through a major city like Maputo was going to be a bit of an adventure. Out the door, and down Vladimir Lenin Avenue, and soon we were at the Museum of Natural History.
Upon entering there was a giant full-wall mural explaining just how we all evolved from plankton. I feel so deprived in my U.S. education now - they never explained any of this to us!
The museum was full of schoolchildren, who kept saying hi to us. Unfortunately, my Portuguese doesn't go much beyond yes/no/thank you, so we couldn't chat with them. Just like in Venezuela, I was kinda bummed...kids aren't afraid to ask anything and you do get a really unique insight into local culture. That said, the displays were absolutely...um, fascinating, lol!
From the museum, it was a 15 minute walk through the streets to the National Cathedral. It was a bit overcast which was nice because it kept the temperatures down a bit. The cathedral was nice, but certainly nothing special.
Just outside the cathedral was a statue of the national hero Samora Machel. He was a revolutionary fighter who let the fight against the Portuguese and liberated Mozambique. We were kinda surprised - usually freedom fighters turned dictators have very nice statues, but this one was run down and missing several letters. Maybe a commentary on what people currently think of him?
From there, it was on to the national money museum. It gave a pretty good story of the history of money in Mozambique. We were the only ones there, and by this point the humidity was awful. It was actually good just to get out of the sun...and play with a giant puzzle!
On the way out of the museum we ran into an incredibly bizarre statue/objet d'art - no clue what it was supposed to be!
We decided to head back to the hotel...and hopefully find lunch on the way. It was a nice walk down Robert Mugabe Street (I swear Maputo has the best street names anywhere...there was a Chairman Mao street, Karl Marx Street...) and along the water, but we got back near our hotel without finding anywhere that passed the cleanliness tests...so we ended up back at Mundo's again - same place we had dinner the previous night.
We got a couple of awesome appetizers for lunch - wish I'd grabbed a picture. One was peri peri chicken livers, and the other was a calimari with peri peri dipping sauce. Absolutely awesome! We split a pizza, and had a few ice cold diet cokes (which were surprisingly hard to find here) and then went back to the hotel to relax a bit.
For dinner, we decided to check out Restaurant Zambi which was listed as one of the most amazing seafood restaurants in the area. We decided to brave it (seafood can be more than a little risky in the developing world), and were so glad we did!
Started out with an amazing Octopus Carpaccio, and some prawns. Was absolutely awesome.
For dinner, I decided to try out my new Portuguese word: "Lula" which meant squid. I had a grilled lula steak, which was absolutely amazing. Grilled and then covered in fresh butter, it was absolutely amazing. The manager was quite friendly (ahem) and came over and insisted we get dessert...which if we regretted it later would be on him. Ok, fine...awesome malva pudding with amarula ice cream and a glass of south african dessert wine...and nope, we loved it! Was amazing!
Back to the hotel, and off to bed for an early flight in the morning. Mozambique had made a really great impression on us!
Upon entering there was a giant full-wall mural explaining just how we all evolved from plankton. I feel so deprived in my U.S. education now - they never explained any of this to us!
The museum was full of schoolchildren, who kept saying hi to us. Unfortunately, my Portuguese doesn't go much beyond yes/no/thank you, so we couldn't chat with them. Just like in Venezuela, I was kinda bummed...kids aren't afraid to ask anything and you do get a really unique insight into local culture. That said, the displays were absolutely...um, fascinating, lol!
From the museum, it was a 15 minute walk through the streets to the National Cathedral. It was a bit overcast which was nice because it kept the temperatures down a bit. The cathedral was nice, but certainly nothing special.
Just outside the cathedral was a statue of the national hero Samora Machel. He was a revolutionary fighter who let the fight against the Portuguese and liberated Mozambique. We were kinda surprised - usually freedom fighters turned dictators have very nice statues, but this one was run down and missing several letters. Maybe a commentary on what people currently think of him?
From there, it was on to the national money museum. It gave a pretty good story of the history of money in Mozambique. We were the only ones there, and by this point the humidity was awful. It was actually good just to get out of the sun...and play with a giant puzzle!
On the way out of the museum we ran into an incredibly bizarre statue/objet d'art - no clue what it was supposed to be!
We decided to head back to the hotel...and hopefully find lunch on the way. It was a nice walk down Robert Mugabe Street (I swear Maputo has the best street names anywhere...there was a Chairman Mao street, Karl Marx Street...) and along the water, but we got back near our hotel without finding anywhere that passed the cleanliness tests...so we ended up back at Mundo's again - same place we had dinner the previous night.
We got a couple of awesome appetizers for lunch - wish I'd grabbed a picture. One was peri peri chicken livers, and the other was a calimari with peri peri dipping sauce. Absolutely awesome! We split a pizza, and had a few ice cold diet cokes (which were surprisingly hard to find here) and then went back to the hotel to relax a bit.
For dinner, we decided to check out Restaurant Zambi which was listed as one of the most amazing seafood restaurants in the area. We decided to brave it (seafood can be more than a little risky in the developing world), and were so glad we did!
Started out with an amazing Octopus Carpaccio, and some prawns. Was absolutely awesome.
For dinner, I decided to try out my new Portuguese word: "Lula" which meant squid. I had a grilled lula steak, which was absolutely amazing. Grilled and then covered in fresh butter, it was absolutely amazing. The manager was quite friendly (ahem) and came over and insisted we get dessert...which if we regretted it later would be on him. Ok, fine...awesome malva pudding with amarula ice cream and a glass of south african dessert wine...and nope, we loved it! Was amazing!
Back to the hotel, and off to bed for an early flight in the morning. Mozambique had made a really great impression on us!
Last edited by ironmanjt; Mar 10, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Nov 13, 2011, 5:23 pm
#58
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
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This is probably a good time to explain why we chose Mozambique in the first place. Yes, we'd heard it was pretty cool with a decent amount to see, was pretty easy to get to from Swaziland but most importantly....there was a daytime flight to Europe from Maputo! We actively try and avoid redeye flights as much as possible, and there was a daytime flight to Lisbon that would not only get us there in time for dinner but also...had a really good fare! Sold!
We got up early, since upon asking the night before the hotel had told us that breakfast started at 630am. Only one small problem: that was for weekdays...it was 7am on weekends! The buffet staff was great, however, and let us in at 630 for some coffee and pastries - more than enough to hold us over until the airport. We were determined to get in as many pastéis de nata (portuguese cream tarts) as possible when in lusophone countries, so it was a good thing!
Hotel arranged a taxi to the airport which was completely reasonable and put it on the room. At this point, I need to gripe. We stayed at the hotel Cardoso, and were quoted our room price in dollars. Upon checkout, it was converted back to Metecais before being billed. They used a rate which was around 5% disadvantageous to us...I absolutely detest when hotels in developing countries pull this scam. We asked to pay in US$ cash at the quoted rate, and they refused. GRRR! Another thing...we had asked to borrow an outlet converter since Mozambique uses strange non-standard plugs. It appeared on our bill at a rate of over $30. These things can be bought in local markets for $3, and it was a battle getting them to take it off even though <strong>borrowed</strong> had been made very clear. Staff at the Cardoso were friendly, rooms were cool and clean, and no complaints other than the feeling they were trying to fleece you at every turn.
Got to the airport, and here's where things went tits-up a bit. Despite being in business class, the check-in agent refused to let us carry on our rolling bags because they were over 8kg each which was the limit. No amount of arguing would help. Fortunately, they were just filled with clothes and replaceable things, so it wasn't a big deal if they went missing (which they didn't.) Passport control and the lounge were completely uneventful, and soon it was time to board.
TAP Portugal Flight 264
Maputo, Mozambique to Lisbon, Portugal
Depart 8:50, Arrive 19:00, Flight time 11:10
Airbus A340-300, Registration CS-TOA
Seats 1H and 1J
I'm not going to comment a whole lot about this flight because, well, it was pretty much exactly as expected. A few thoughts:
The seats: They were old-style business class seats, but perfectly comfortable for a daytime flight. They went flat or nearly so, were the shell-type, and in the bulkhead just fine. No complaints at all about the seats. They had power adapters, movies were adequate, so overall...nothing special.
The crew: Unfortunately, they were of US-standard and seemed to be doing the absolute minimum...except with the non-rev passengers. There were clearly several TAP employees on board, and they were plenty chatty with them. They also seemed to warm up more to the other Portuguese-speaking passengers...and it wasn't a language issue. Their English was fantastic, but they just seemed cold and bothered towards us. Even requests for water or a diet coke seemed a chore for them most of the time.
Now...the food. All in all, it was a pretty standard business class meal, although I found the portions rather smaller than one would normally expect...even when compared to United or Delta which are the ones I'm most familiar with.
First, there was an amuse-bouche...a nice start, since you never see this in US business class any more:
<!--more-->This was followed by a soup and salad which were perfectly adequate, if not a bit small and on the stingy side. The salad was made to order from a cart, but when you asked for an ingredient, you literally got one small piece of it. Pretty stingy!
Next up was the main course, and I can't for the life of me remember what this uninspired meat was. I ate it...because a growing boy needs his protein, but seriously? This passes for a business class meal?! Come on folks!
The last was a dessert...which honestly made me so upset I didn't take a picture. Those of you who fly United will understand when I say the cheese choice made United look like a gourmet cheese platter (yes, it was THAT bad) and the "special desert" alternative was even worse than the United options. Major disappointment.
All in all - thoughts on TAP in business class. For what we paid, we expected legroom and a better seat, in-seat power, and a slightly better meal and that's exactly what we got. It didn't come anywhere close to comparing with the better business classes in the world, but then again neither did the price. If I was on the same route again, I wouldn't hesitate to book it is the bottom line.
We landed on time, bags were more or less waiting after we finished walking halfway to Spain for them, and the taxi queue was only about ten minutes...and the taxi driver was honest. All in all...nothing at all to complain about. Except...we had made no plans for Lisbon beyond our hotel!
It was a quick layover, and all we knew is we wanted a special dinner for the last night of the trip. Our first time to Lisbon several years ago, we had a hard time finding fun restaurants that weren't tourist traps, and we wanted to avoid that this time. I texted a coworker from Lisbon in hopes she might be able to come through...and did she ever! It was an absolutely perfect end to the trip!
We arrived at the Sheraton, where we'd also been semi-disappointed a few years prior. Not this time. The staff was great, and went out of the way to find us a suite. It was a smoking suite, but they convinced us to try it out because "most of the time, you can hardly tell." I'm glad they did, because even though I'm usually very sensitive to smoke, I couldn't smell anything...it was a great upgrade!
Got to dinner at Restaurant Pinoquio in the Restauradores neighborhood, and it was absolutely amazing. The food was good - above average - but it was the atmosphere that was a real winner. We ate outdoors at small tables with dozens of mostly locals, and the atmosphere was really lively. They had giant jugs of amazing sangria, and everything we had to eat was awesome. A shrimp cocktail, grilled squid kebabs, a seafood risotto, and everything we had was amazing - a true win...and a fantastic last night to the trip.
We got up early, since upon asking the night before the hotel had told us that breakfast started at 630am. Only one small problem: that was for weekdays...it was 7am on weekends! The buffet staff was great, however, and let us in at 630 for some coffee and pastries - more than enough to hold us over until the airport. We were determined to get in as many pastéis de nata (portuguese cream tarts) as possible when in lusophone countries, so it was a good thing!
Hotel arranged a taxi to the airport which was completely reasonable and put it on the room. At this point, I need to gripe. We stayed at the hotel Cardoso, and were quoted our room price in dollars. Upon checkout, it was converted back to Metecais before being billed. They used a rate which was around 5% disadvantageous to us...I absolutely detest when hotels in developing countries pull this scam. We asked to pay in US$ cash at the quoted rate, and they refused. GRRR! Another thing...we had asked to borrow an outlet converter since Mozambique uses strange non-standard plugs. It appeared on our bill at a rate of over $30. These things can be bought in local markets for $3, and it was a battle getting them to take it off even though <strong>borrowed</strong> had been made very clear. Staff at the Cardoso were friendly, rooms were cool and clean, and no complaints other than the feeling they were trying to fleece you at every turn.
Got to the airport, and here's where things went tits-up a bit. Despite being in business class, the check-in agent refused to let us carry on our rolling bags because they were over 8kg each which was the limit. No amount of arguing would help. Fortunately, they were just filled with clothes and replaceable things, so it wasn't a big deal if they went missing (which they didn't.) Passport control and the lounge were completely uneventful, and soon it was time to board.
TAP Portugal Flight 264
Maputo, Mozambique to Lisbon, Portugal
Depart 8:50, Arrive 19:00, Flight time 11:10
Airbus A340-300, Registration CS-TOA
Seats 1H and 1J
I'm not going to comment a whole lot about this flight because, well, it was pretty much exactly as expected. A few thoughts:
The seats: They were old-style business class seats, but perfectly comfortable for a daytime flight. They went flat or nearly so, were the shell-type, and in the bulkhead just fine. No complaints at all about the seats. They had power adapters, movies were adequate, so overall...nothing special.
The crew: Unfortunately, they were of US-standard and seemed to be doing the absolute minimum...except with the non-rev passengers. There were clearly several TAP employees on board, and they were plenty chatty with them. They also seemed to warm up more to the other Portuguese-speaking passengers...and it wasn't a language issue. Their English was fantastic, but they just seemed cold and bothered towards us. Even requests for water or a diet coke seemed a chore for them most of the time.
Now...the food. All in all, it was a pretty standard business class meal, although I found the portions rather smaller than one would normally expect...even when compared to United or Delta which are the ones I'm most familiar with.
First, there was an amuse-bouche...a nice start, since you never see this in US business class any more:
<!--more-->This was followed by a soup and salad which were perfectly adequate, if not a bit small and on the stingy side. The salad was made to order from a cart, but when you asked for an ingredient, you literally got one small piece of it. Pretty stingy!
Next up was the main course, and I can't for the life of me remember what this uninspired meat was. I ate it...because a growing boy needs his protein, but seriously? This passes for a business class meal?! Come on folks!
The last was a dessert...which honestly made me so upset I didn't take a picture. Those of you who fly United will understand when I say the cheese choice made United look like a gourmet cheese platter (yes, it was THAT bad) and the "special desert" alternative was even worse than the United options. Major disappointment.
All in all - thoughts on TAP in business class. For what we paid, we expected legroom and a better seat, in-seat power, and a slightly better meal and that's exactly what we got. It didn't come anywhere close to comparing with the better business classes in the world, but then again neither did the price. If I was on the same route again, I wouldn't hesitate to book it is the bottom line.
We landed on time, bags were more or less waiting after we finished walking halfway to Spain for them, and the taxi queue was only about ten minutes...and the taxi driver was honest. All in all...nothing at all to complain about. Except...we had made no plans for Lisbon beyond our hotel!
It was a quick layover, and all we knew is we wanted a special dinner for the last night of the trip. Our first time to Lisbon several years ago, we had a hard time finding fun restaurants that weren't tourist traps, and we wanted to avoid that this time. I texted a coworker from Lisbon in hopes she might be able to come through...and did she ever! It was an absolutely perfect end to the trip!
We arrived at the Sheraton, where we'd also been semi-disappointed a few years prior. Not this time. The staff was great, and went out of the way to find us a suite. It was a smoking suite, but they convinced us to try it out because "most of the time, you can hardly tell." I'm glad they did, because even though I'm usually very sensitive to smoke, I couldn't smell anything...it was a great upgrade!
Got to dinner at Restaurant Pinoquio in the Restauradores neighborhood, and it was absolutely amazing. The food was good - above average - but it was the atmosphere that was a real winner. We ate outdoors at small tables with dozens of mostly locals, and the atmosphere was really lively. They had giant jugs of amazing sangria, and everything we had to eat was awesome. A shrimp cocktail, grilled squid kebabs, a seafood risotto, and everything we had was amazing - a true win...and a fantastic last night to the trip.
It's been a great read.
Nov 14, 2011, 7:08 pm
#60
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,528
Thanks so much for the compliment. There's just one more post left, but rest-assured there's an absolutely epic trip coming up in under two months....I should give a teaser, but a personal drop-in on the Arab Spring might be saying too much