Waka Waka - South Africa II

I flew back to Johannesburg from Livingstone after my Cape to Vic camping. Upon arrival, called and booked with one of those hotels near the airport that included free airport transfers. While waiting for my ride, I hastily made arrangement for a 4-day Kruger safari for the next day. Note that I managed these last-minute bookings outside the S African school holidays and high season. The safari pickup was at the crack of dawn taking the Panorama Route in Mpumalanga en route to Kruger passing by some of the most impressive landscape that S Africa have to offer. Along the well-beaten path is the Bourke’s Luck Potholes.These giant potholes have been carved over centuries by pebbles swirling around in pools where the Treur River plunges into the Blyde River. Not far from the potholes is the Drakensberg escarpment in Mpumalanga - God’s Window. Just one look down and you will begin to understand why it is called 'God's Window'. It was just getting dark by the time we got to Kruger. After camping for 20 days, I opted for more luxury with an accommodated safari and for the price, I found the standard of the lodge and meals rather high although it was located outside the national park.

bourke’s luck potholes

Kruger National Park is one of the largest (nearly 2 million hectares) game reserves in Africa. This world-renowned park also offers a wildlife experience and facilities that rank with the best in Africa. Even though it was the fourth game reserve or national park that I have visited on that trip - Etosha, Chobe and Okavango Delta before that - I was still excited about going on game drives like it was my first time. You never know what you are going to see or happen on a game viewing activity so it is a different experience every time. It was also in Kruger that I finally saw a leopard - the last of the Big-Five that eluded me up to that point - albeit for only 2 seconds.

An Experience Outside This World

The other day when a friend asked what was the highlight of my Argentina/Chile trip, I replied 'the Atacama' right away without hesitation. The Atacama desert is the top attraction in northern Chile and it is easy to see why. This otherworldly land is composed mainly of salt flats and sand. The desert is believed to be the driest on earth with some areas having never received even a drop of rainfall. In the middle of the desert at about 2400m elevation, the village of San Pedro de Atacama is the base for most visitors. Most travel agencies in San Pedro offer similar packages and I did four of the most popular (half) day tours here. I will publish each of them in separate posts.

sunset at moon valley

It was a tough choice but I picked the Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) tour for Day 1. The tour began at three in the afternoon and headed first to the Death Valley (Valle de la Muerte). The Cordillera de Sal (Salt Mountains) with a variety of natural sculptures and colorations by the mineral diversity and spectacular volcanoes including the Licancabur which could be seen from hundreds of kilometers away in the background. Next, a short drive brought us to an ancient salt river bed and caves. We walked through the river bed and some caves for only about 300m before rushing off to Moon Valley for the sunset. On the way, we made a quick stop to see some strange rock and salt formation known as Las Tres Marias. The Moon Valley make for a dramatic setting to watch the sunset. To one side, a large rock formation shaped by the wind to form a valley with panoramic vista. To the other, the severe peak of Mount Licancabur shed shades of gold and orange as the sun sets. The pamphlet that I picked up from the park office read 'An Experience Outside this World' - considering the Atacama is so Mars-like that NASA frequently uses it as a test region for their personnel and equipment, that statement is not far-off.

First Peek at the Cataratas

During my flight to Puerto Iguazu from Salta, I was treated to an unforgettable spectacle. As the plane began to descend, I looked out the window hoping to catch a glimpse of the Iguazu Falls or Cataratas as the locals called it. I saw what I assumed was the River Iguazu so I had my camera ready but after several minutes, no sight of the Cataratas. Just as I thought it was not going to happen, the pilot announced that we would be flying pass the falls in a minute. It was my lucky day indeed - not only was I seated on the side with the view, I also had the window seat that was unobstructed by the aircraft wing too.

an unforgettable spectacle

The pictures in this post are understandably not of the highest quality but I like that because of the height that they were taken from, they are still quite awesome with the overview of not only the entire falls but also the surrounding jungle. Some of the details like the bridge leading to the Devil's Throat (Argentina side) and the Hotel Das Cataratas in Brazil are apparent but to find the Devil's Throat in Brazil, you may have to look a little more carefully. It was a perfect way to arrive and I cannot think of a better way to start off my visit to the Cataratas.

La Boca

While in Buenos Aires recently, I visited its most colorful, interesting and authentic neighborhood (barrio). La Boca literally means 'the mouth' in Spanish, as the barrio sits at the mouth of the river Riachuelo. In the mid-19th century, it was home to Italian immigrants who worked in meat-packing plants and warehouses. They used leftover paint to color the corrugated metal they used for building their houses. Today it is partly an artist colony and mostly a working-class barrio. The most famous street in La Boca is El Caminito and is the center of tourist activity with artists showing off their work and street tango performers. I particularly enjoyed taking a lot of pictures of the buildings and streets in this area.

colors of la boca

As a massive football fan, no visit to La Boca was complete for me without going to La Bombonera (the Chocolate Box) - home to Boca Juniors, one of the biggest football teams in Argentina. Just four blocks from El Caminito, it is worth checking the football type graffiti near and all around it. Because of my somewhat tight travel schedule, I was unable to catch a game in Buenos Aires so a stadium tour of La Bombonera was the next best thing. For a club of Boca Juniors' stature, I found the stadium rather small and the facilities modest but what it lack in size, it more than make up with its character and ambiance. It is uniquely shaped (D-shaped) with yellow-blue design which are the official colors of the home team.  I think first-time Buenos Aires visitors should definitely make an effort to come see La Boca. A word of caution though, visit only in the day and stick to El Caminito and the streets around it because the rest of the barrio is not considered safe.

Epic Bus Journey

You may be wondering why I have chosen to start off by writing about some bus rides on my recent trip to Argentina and Chile. After all, there are no shortage of surreal or awe-inspiring places to share with you. Although bus travel can be an excellent way of seeing new places, I generally do not look forward to it especially if it starts early in the morning and takes all day. But the return bus ride (about 10 hrs each way) between Salta, Argentina and San Pedro de Atacama, Chile was to put it mildly, one heck of a ride.

an oasis near the chilean border control

Due to the effects of fatigue and traveling in varying altitudes, I was not able to fully take in or appreciate the Salta-Atacama leg. But in the return, I was much better conditioned and managed to stay awake for the entire journey to witness some of the most breathtaking landscape that I have ever seen. Best of all was probably between the Chilean and Argentine border controls at the beginning of the ride. There were oases of lakes and greenery with birds and wildlife, salt pans and snow-capped mountains for background in this barren land. In Argentina, we passed long narrow valleys flanked by high mountain ranges and as it got lusher, it turned into miles of cactus valleys. But the one that got many passengers excited was the Salina Grande or salt flat in Jujuy.

Waka Waka - South Africa

Shortly after we had entered Namibia overland, my new Korean friend turned to me, 'Hey, now it's really starting to feel like Africa.' I could not have agreed with him more. After spending a couple of days in Cape Town and a few more camping in the Cederberg Mountain Region and Gariep (Orange) River, it was the first time on the trip that I felt the real sense of Africa.

boulders beach

Do not get me wrong, I like South Africa. It is without doubt, a premier travel destination in Africa with some amazingly beautiful scenery and top-class game parks. It is also an ideal jumping-off point to the rest of the Southern African nations. But the further up north I went, the more it felt like the 'real Africa' to me. I think it was partly due to the changes in the terrain and color of the land as we traveled north and the frequent sightings of wildlife at places where I least expected to in some of the other countries. It was common to see springboks and to a lesser extent, giraffes, ostriches, oryxes and other antelopes all over Namibia. In Botswana and Zimbabwe (near Victoria Falls) elephants were surprisingly spotted on and off the paved roads. I even saw an elephant one evening in the middle of the town of Victoria Falls. In S Africa, outside the parks and game reserve, wildlife - with the exception of baboons - were not seen.

3D2N at the Delta

Maun, Botswana - the gateway to the Okavango Delta and that was where we stayed for a night to prepare for our bush camp in the Delta. That afternoon, along with other campers, I was driven to the local airport for a scenic flight. I was looking forward to it partly because I had never been on a small propeller plane (6 seater including pilot) before and of course, it was a flight over THE Okavango Delta. The Delta is truly a unique ecosystem: a delta in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. Each January, rains in the Angolan Highlands flow south-east along the Okavango River into Botswana. The water does not reach any sea or ocean. Instead, when it reaches a flat, depressed area of around 15,000 sq km, it simply washes across a vast floodplain. Here, dammed by two fault lines, it backs up and creates a swamp. For any traveler, it has to be one of the ultimate safari destinations and few remaining places to witness nature wild Africa. The 45 minute scenic flight got off well and the aerial view was amazing and wildlife, mainly the larger ones like elephants and giraffes could be easily spotted. After some time, I began to feel a bit of nausea and headache which is a common sign on this kind of flight but that did not mar the experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

where's my ride?

Next morning, took the mokoro (traditional canoe) through the waterways, we entered deep into the Delta. Going with the flow, soundlessly gliding among the reed beds and water lilies of a pristine wilderness. After almost 90 minutes, we finally arrived at the spot where we would be putting up our tents. For the next 2 days, there was really not much to do except for nature walks led by our mokoro polers in the morning and late afternoon. It gave us a rare opportunity to view wildlife up close in the open, not from the inside of a vehicle. Personally, I was a little apprehensive about that, after all we were in lion country and none of the guides were armed. In the end, no lions were sighted and instead we saw other game like zebras, buffaloes, wildebeests and giraffes. The bush camp was an incredible experience indeed. Apart from the bottled water that we brought for drinking, water for all other purpose including cooking, making beverages and washing were taken from the Delta. I even had a go at poling a mokoro and it was definitely more difficult than it looked. Answering to the call of nature after dark was particularly daunting, picture this - temporary dug-in toilet in the bush some distance from our camping area (for obvious reason) with a lit candle next to it for easy locating, when predators are most active. On our last evening, we took the mokoro out to a great spot for the sunset. It must be one of the most serene moments so what more could I have asked for? ... A hot shower perhaps....

A Lesser Known Greek Island II

On my second day in Folegandros, I took the early bus to Ano Meria - a scatter community of small farms and houses that stretches for several kilometers. This is traditional island life, untouched by tourism and life quietly wanders off sideways. Using the paved road, I walked back to the Chora and was rewarded with some excellent cliff top views of the coastline.

view from ano meria

Once back at the Chora, it was lunch before heading out to the Panagia. A steep path leads up to the church of Virgin Panagia, which sits perched on a dramatic cliff top above the town. I did not see anyone on my way up so unsurprisingly, there was nobody in the vicinity of the church. As I wandered around, I discovered that parts of the church building structure were actually steps, enabling one to easily climb to the top of the church's dome roof. At the top, I felt a certain calm and peace and the view of the Chora and surroundings was quite breathtaking.