Between eSwatini and Lesotho are South Africa’s historic battlefields. the Zulus vs the Boers, the Boers vs the British, and the British vs the Zulus. But not necessarily in that order. We first visited Isandlwana – the site of the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom on 22 January 1879. 20,000 […]
Small, but perfectly formed, the Kingdom of eSwatini is bordered by Mozambique to the East and South Africa to the North, South and West. It may not be a destination that immediately springs to mind for tourism, nevertheless it has a number of attractions, including the charming Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. We were lucky to meet fellow traveller, Ellen, again, as […]
Sometimes we are intent on going to a place that’s off the beaten track and/or difficult to get to and the reward at the end is not really worth the effort taken (“a long walk down a windy beach to a café that is closed”, as comedian Bill Bailey once said). Francine had heard about Adam’s Calendar, a stone circle […]
Bertha had not benefited from so much attention for a long while, as she received at TM Trucking’s “spa” and she made it known that she was not ready to leave soon. Every time we took a test drive, there was some new small issue that needed sorting. A week after our “goodbye” braai (bbq) we were still there! However, […]
We had great expectations of South Africa. Whenever we talked about buying bits or getting things done for Bertha (or for us!), we always said “we can do that in South Africa …”, but perhaps what we had failed to appreciate fully were the other reasons for visiting – beautiful scenery, amazing wildlife, friendly people and a rich, if turbulent, […]
Botswana hates us! – Or at least that was the only conclusion we could draw, as the rain came down once again upon our return to the country. However, fortunately, it only lasted for a day or two and by the time we reached our first stop at Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi pans, the skies were clear of clouds. […]
Zimbabwe: a country with recent troubles; should we be here at all? After our 47 day tour of this intriguing country – I can categorically say ‘yes’. We crossed into Zim over the magnificent dam at the north eastern end of Lake Kariba. This is a very quiet border post and entry was relatively easy. After a week at a […]
Geologists have still to discover the colossal magnet which is buried deep in the ground, somewhere in the North West of Lusaka, Zambia, but WE know it exists! For every time Bertha leaves Lusaka, we’re drawn back again – to Dylan’s garden! Here, we can enjoy the garden, do some onward planning, make small repairs/improvements and just relax with friends. […]
The rainy season was late in ending this year and, unfortunately, we decided to leave Namibia prematurely to head east into Botswana before it had departed. This led to a change of plans and instead of heading onto Zimbabwe from Botswana, we returned to Zambia to stay with Dylan and wait the rains out. More on that in another blog. […]
Kaokoland has been described as one of the last true wilderness areas of Africa. It is a remote and uninhabited region, with the exception of a few Himba villages. We regretted missing this part of Namibia in 2019 and were determined to visit this time. If you plan to travel to Namibia’s “Wild West” make sure you have enough water, […]