Travel pics and stories
Before leaving Swakopmund, and after an approximately 2 minute training session, I did some desert quad biking. Admittedly I shouldn't have been taking photos while driving! Quad-biking on sand dunes was so much fun, especially accelerating really fast before curving up and around the dune surface! It's also quite dangerous as a tumble can result... Continue Reading →
Swakopmund was founded by colonial Germany in 1892 for its location and became in an important port. I loved being near the ocean and desert at the same time. Plenty of souvenirs to buy! The jetty was a cool place to hang out. The German history could be felt in seeing the German businesses, cafes... Continue Reading →
After the scorching heat of Sossusvlei, we hit the road again. I loved driving through the desert. We stopped by at Sesriem Canyon, one of a number in the area. Despite the heat, to our surprise, we found water deep in the canyon, and frogs! On the road again, we began to see Zebras and... Continue Reading →
Amazing journey along the salt pan among dead trees, and on to gigantic dunes.
We arrive at the Namib desert and tackled the formidable Dune 45...
Namibia is a large country. From South Africa, you enter Namibia surrounded by desert. It is one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. There was something really special about watching the desert landscape rush past. Our bus had technical problems along the way! We visited the Fish River Canyon which is claimed to... Continue Reading →
Land of contrasts...
Things to do in rural Zambia
Every year, like other African tribes, the Chewa people hold a traditional ceremony to celebrate their traditions and pay homage to their king. They belong to the Bantu ethnic group and number over 10 million people, in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They're know for their traditional dancing and masks: representatives from all over Chichewa-speaking... Continue Reading →
Zambia by road It took a full two days to transfer registration ownership of a charming 1996 Toyota Landcruiser that I bought from a volunteer leaving Zambia. You do (somewhat) get used to these administrative inefficiencies! Having a break on the side of the Great East Road. Major roads like the Great East Road are... Continue Reading →
The Chewa people, who inhabit these parts of Zambia, live a very simple lifestyle. They're mostly subsistence farmers, which means they live directly off the land and rely heavily on rains. However, this is slowly changing. Women play a pivotal role in society - they look after the children, work in the fields as well... Continue Reading →
When we first arrived to the capital, my friend and I were picked up by Chamvu, one of the hospital drivers, and his two children. It was rainy season, and it would rain and clear several times over the next few hours! The strangeness of the place brought with it a sense of excitement! Saint... Continue Reading →
When you travel to places like the rural eastern province of Zambia, every now and then you meet a remarkable person like Benson. He's a jack-of-all-trades gardener, foreman, cook, tour guide, social worker and community leader. Benson was the guy you went to if you needed something to be done, like have your walls painted... Continue Reading →
Although Zambia is not known for mountainous treks, some nice hikes can still be had! These are photos from some short hikes we did on some hills in the Eastern province. Villages and towns in the background. One of the trips involved climbing a hill near Katete, then travelling along the ridge across four more... Continue Reading →
Before I came out to Zambia, I really had no plans to do any Safari. For more than half a year I nonchalantly declined to go with friends for weekend trips. Then one day I decided to go - and was instantly hooked! Croc Valley I was so impressed with the safari operator I visited... Continue Reading →
This was my third and fourth visit to this beautiful part of Zambia. On the third trip, we saw a lot of birds, and giraffes were the highlight of the last trip. Red-billed oxpecker feeds off the ticks that live on this impala. Their relationship was previously thought to be mutually beneficial - the bird... Continue Reading →
My second visit to this beautiful park.
The South Luangwa National Park is a little gem in Eastern Zambia. Over the last few months I visited four times and saw pretty much everything except male lions! If you ever come by Zambia, you've got to pay a visit. Impalas are plentiful in South Luangwa. The hippos are probably the most hilarious animal... Continue Reading →
One of my favourite things to do is to go for a stroll to the Baobab tree which is a few minutes' walk along one of the roads leading from the hospital. Apparently, these trees can live over 1000 years! Riding past the Baobab tree. The tree looks particularly nice at sunset, when the tree's... Continue Reading →
Or: A Tale of Two Leukaemias The patient and the problem Mavuto is a healthy 14-year-old boy. Of late, he’s been feeling weak and off his food. He’s also had some unusual mouth ulcers. These relatively vague symptoms belie a very specific problem. Inside Mavuto’s body, within the bones where blood is made, something has... Continue Reading →
The purpose of this blog is to share some photos and stories with friends and others, and an avenue to write. Hope you like! 🙂 Sahara Desert, Morocco. French Alps. Antalya, Turkey Antalya, Turkey
