Tokomaru2

An autumn cruise from Majorca to Benalmedina along the Costa del Sol

2011-11-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

Arrived in Palma by easy jet on Tuesday 4th October. Metup with Tom at the hotel by the marina. Moved onto his newly purchased boat Paupaqua a Westerly Oceanquest on Wednesday and were launched on Thursday. We had a slight hicup as the engine stalled leaving the travel hoist dock. Fortunately turning on the diesel remedied the situation and we were able to moor up without further excitements. Our first outing was to motor 4 miles to the main Palma marina to fill with diesel and pick up some chandlery. With this success under our belts we continued to an anchorage a little further to the west from Palma Cala Sta Ponsa. This was a fine sail with winds occasionally reaching 30 knots. The anchorage was pleasant but a bit rolly and as our blue sky had turned to grey with rain in the offing we wimped out of swimming although the water temperature was 25*c. Tom pumped up the dink and rowed ashore.

An prompt start at eight with a scary forecast of gales on the NE side of Mallorca but NW 5 decreasing 3 on the SW side in the Mallorca channel which was our area for the trip to Ibiza. In the event it was less than F3 all the way but a horendously lumpy sea with swells upto 2m+. So it was motor all the way and we were glad to be in the anchorage at Cala St Vicente even though some of the swell crept in here. This time the grey sky turned to blue so a swim could not be missed. Today's only excitement was the breaking of the main sail sheet traveller car.

The 24 mile trip down the coast of Ibiza was uneventful, with little wind. The harbour on Formentera is pleasant enough. We mainly dropped in here to pick up water of which we were nearly completely out but it was all locked and no one around it being Sunday. The island has a large and popular anchorage. We had a prompt start on Monday for the 58 mile to mainland Spain. Again totally calm for most of the day and as is usual for the Med when the wind did perk up in the afternoon it was straight on the nose bringing a nasty little chop with it. We arrived at dusk. The call on VHF was immediately answered and we were directed to a convenient berth. We had a rest day here while Tom fixed the main sail track and got the ancient Yamaha outboard up and running. David Beatham of Siri a Moody 44 came to chat about wintering possibilities.

Topped up with diesel on another calm morning for a 50 mile motor sail down the Costa Blanca passing by Alicante to the large yacht harbour of Santo Polo. Could not get through on VHF 9 as it was too busy so just picked up a berth. A proper finger pontoon which was a first. Not much else to say about this place as it was mostly closed up for a saint's day. The track broke again, so the hunt is on for Torlon ball bearings without which the track cars or non functional. No joy here so we motored the short distance to Torrevieja on Thursday where there are reported to be good chandleries. Arrived by lunchtime but the temperature had risen to 34* C so not inclined to go exploring. In the early evening when it was slightly cooler discovered the the English run chandler had closed down and the other had only Harken spares not the Lewmar we needed.

Friday and it is motoring again although the forecast promised NE 3-4. A little wind did eventually pick up in the afternoon so we made fine progress on the 40 mile trip towards Cartagena. In the event we sailed a few miles passed to the delightful cove " Calla Cerrado". It is Lulworth in minature. Naturists were swimming off the beach and one swam out with a €2 coin in her teeth wishing to buy some drinking water as they had contrived to loose theirs and they had a long hot walk home. Tom was gracious enough to hand over a bottle of mineral water without charge and we had a nice chat.

On Saturday we sailed for Garrucha about 30 miles distant. And joy of joys the wind picked up, almost as forecast from the NE. And so from lunchtime onwards at least we were able to have a proper sail. Garrucha is a fishing, commercial harbour, whose marina is being extended. The friendly but non English speaking harbour master sold us some diesel and suggested we use the fish dock as it would be free. We decided to stay in the marina as it was convenient and it only cost €12 which is the cheapest so far. Sunday was again a bit of a drive this time to San Jose just before Cabot de Gata the final big rounding point before Malaga. Arriving at lunchtime we availed ourselves of a very pleasant fish repast on the dock side restaurant. This place however is pricey at €30 per night in the low season, apparently €50 in the high season! Yet another drive on Monday to the giant marina development of Almerimar. Today's variation - it rained in the morning and continued cloudy for most of the day. The swell continued despite the calm conditions. Slight increase in wind in the afternoon nicely to coincide with mooring up.

Our next night was spent anchored off the beach “Ensanada de la Herradura. It had been very quiet and sunny all day for this motor sail but the anchorage was still rolly but pleasant enough for a final swim of the year. Then onto the massive “Moorish- Gaudiesque” marina that is Benalmedina at the south west end of Torremalinos near Malaga to whose airport it is conveniently near.

400 miles in just under a fortnight – not bad even if it was mostly under power. At least the engine received a good work out.

A cruise across the North sea and Baltic

2011-09-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

North sea and Baltic 2011

Depart Pin Mill on Sunday 10th July. The strong SW winds form the previous few days have dropped to a more reasonable force 3 although the forecast is still saying 4-5. Leaving at high water we take the full, stream out of Harwich and up the Sledway towards the Shipwash buoy. We have a jolly broad reach until the evening and enjoy supper in the cockpit at there table like civilised folks calm is the sea. Sadly the wind drops further to F2 and less so we have to motor the remainder of the crossing towards Den Helder. We reach the far side of the Texel separation zone around lunchtime on Monday and as the wind continues to be light decide to carry on to Borkum. We catch a mobile signal and inform our crew Chris of our intentions. The five to six forecast reports variable 3 becoming NE 5-7 latter which we find disconcerting. The Hamburg navtex gives greater precision: variable in the evening light NE by noon becoming stronger in the evening. This gives us greater confidence since we expect to arrive around eleven. And so it turns out and we are safely tucked up before the wind and rain arrive in the evening. Chris is duly met at the ferry so all is well. Wednesday is a wash out horizontal rain all day. Walked to Lidl Thursday. Walked along the coast from town Friday. Hired bikes on Saturday and cycled to Oostland, saw a Marsh Harrier (Rohrweihe) hawking over farmland near the coast.

The forecast continues with its force 6 and 7s and accompanying squally rain. According to the met office it is an unseasonably deep low. Since there is no chance of us moving until Tuesday Chris decides to leave on Sunday and have a day in Hamburg. We see him off and continue listening to the wind and rain making just a brief foray to the Wattenmeer.

By Tuesday things have calmed down and around five in the afternoon we take the last of the ebb out of the Ems back into the north sea. The wind has swung round to the north-west and so is on the nose and even at force 4 makes a bumpy first couple of hours wind over tide. By seven we can head east along the Freisian islands and broad reaching with a new flood towards the Elbe we make great progress. Needless to say the wind soon falls light and we have to motor sail for a while. But enough of a wind returns for us to sail again and we are able to carry the tide all the way to Brinsbuttel, 115 miles in 24 hours. The first good weather in a week has brought everyone out so there is a big queue for the locks and we are kept waiting two hours in the pouring rain. When the signal is given to go there is a great rush and a large yellow and black steel Dutch ketch tries to barge past us in the lock so I have a pop at him, they slink off ashamed - quite right too. There is just enough room for us to raft up alongside a friendly German ketch. The skipper gives us a forecast for the Baltic side - the weather will go stormy again by Friday ugh!

Nuthatch

We have a good night sleep and in the morning head for the bunker station. A commercial ship is along side so we are directed to the inside of the pontoon. This is close to the bank and we appear to stick. A line heaved to the operator however soon has us pulled alongside. After filling up we put the engine into gear and nothing! Engine goes but the boat does not. We quickly heave the lines a shore again and investigate the problem. Then gear lever and cables work but the transmission is not transmitting.

Kasaberga

A call to the CA Kiel HLR Janet Safararovic brings the cavalry in the form of a blue boiler suited mechanic. He brings the news that the gear box will have to come off. As the fly wheel housing is integral to the gear box on our Mercedes which also incorporates two of the engines mountings this is by no means an easy task. Within three hours they are done. As luck would have it Janet and Husband Horst are out sailing themselves - returning from a trip to England they are taking the tide from Cuxhaven to Brunsbuttell while organising our rescue. We meet up with them in the evening for supper and a drink. The mechanic call next day to tell us that a spare part has been ordered from Holland and should arrive by Monday. So spend the weekend in the wind and rain tied to the jetty by the bunkering station. On Monday the mechanics come with the repaired gear box. All goes well but there is a hiatus before the engine work. On trying to start turn the key - nada. Eventually it is discovered that the main earth return to the starter motor had been disconnected when the gear box was removed and they had forgotten to reattach it. Next go engine turn but does not fire - this is more simple the stop cable had been piled out by accident. Third time engine fires no water comes out - the seacock lever had been knocked to off. Finally all is well. On Tuesday we are off at 8 and make good progress along the canal and are at the Holtenau locks by 5pm and moored up at BKYC by 7. Most of the fleet are away so we can moor alongside and avoid the box treatment.

Tokomaru2 moored Utklipan

Wednesday is wash day the first in a month. On Thursday we have a fine sail to Rodbyhavn a broad reach under full sail in F5 from NW. Fifty miles in 8 hours one of the best for many a year. I would not however have wanted it to go on any longer. There is not much to be said about Rodbyhavn but as the wind increased to F6 the next day we stayed in port. The sail on Saturday was very pleasant with a more reasonable NW 4-5 we scooted along with just genny and mizzen. Just as we were approaching Gedser on the southern tip of the island of Falster it looked like we were going to be hit by a rain squall. Mercifully it passed us by and we were able to moor in a "box berth" - our first - without much difficulty. This harbour is very popular with visiting boats and soon all available berths were taken up with much rafting besides. On Sunday the wind had dropped to virtually nothing so we had a restful motor on a calm sea to Klintholm 35 miles further on. Arriving around 6pm we found the harbour seemingly full. We joined a couple of other boats and anchored off since it was completely calm. Interestingly about another ten boats were able to fit into this "full" harbour afterwards including a fine old Baltic trading ketch. The next day at around 11am we motored in to a half empty harbour and were able to practice our box entering skills. Shortly afterwards it became very foggy and we were pleased we had decided to take the day off.

Mink

Tuesday 2nd of August, Up at six and out by seven. Clear blue sky no fog and no wind. We took this opportunity to motor all the way to Ystad in Sweden around 58 miles arriving 12 hours later. We saw fog banks swallowing Denmark but they did not effect us. We had to dodge few ferries but otherwise an uneventful day apart from being invaded by millions of tiny flies - mercifully not biting. Ystad was pretty full but we managed to raft up to a large American motor yacht. In the morning we moved into a box explored the town and shopped. This is a very busy marina with much manoeuvring for space would not want to di it in anything larger that our 36 feet though many did with much use of bow thrusters. On Thursday we continued eastwards unfortunately into an easterly wind. It was only 10 miles but with tacking we sailed 17! We were quite pleased to get into the tiny harbour of Kasebrega even though it had an adrenalin rushingly narrow entrance open to the east. Mooring turned out to easy just stepping ashore with line along side a conveniently high wall. It was interesting to see the standing stones depicting a Viking long ship.

White tailed Eagle

The following day we had a 50 mile sail to Bornholm. Unfortunately just before departure we discovered a weeping leak from the diesel tank. Some epoxy was hastily stuck over it and we set off. We arrived around 4 at Tejn an unprepossessing fishing harbour which had the benefit of an easy entrance and mooring arrangement. I contacted my friend Kaare whom I had know from teaching in Africa 30 years ago. He gave us a quick tour of some of the more quaint ( and crowded) harbours and entertained us for the evening. Unfortunately we were on a bit of a mission and a good forecast that could not be forgone so promptly on Saturday morning we headed off on the 50 mile trip to the tiny island of Utklipan on the SE corner of Sweden. We had a fine sail with wind on the quarter arriving around seven before the forecast strong winds picked up. The island has a very snug basin, originally built for fishing boats. So we had a peaceful night as half a gale from the SW blew about our ears. It tipped with rain as well as blew in the morning so we stayed the day and enjoyed a pleasant walk when things brightened in the afternoon. On Monday we sailed just with jib and mizzen up the east coast to Bergkvara where we anchored rather than squeeze into the marina for the night. On Tuesday we motored northwards on the inside of the island of Oland again setting out early to escape strengthening winds in the afternoon. In the event it it remained calm all the way with just a little breeze forming as we approached Kalmar. We had a rest day here and it blew quite strongly as we went sightseeing round the town. On Thursday it again went completely calm again and we had to motor again all the way to Borghom on Oland 17 miles northwards. With some trepidation we topped up the diesel tank as the weeping leak with a bit of extra epoxy seemed to be under control. In addition to the 50 litres we put in the tank we decided to put a further 20 litres in a jerry can and lo this too began to leak and the contents had to be put in the main tank.

Fire at paper mill

After arriving at Borgholm we took a walk through the nature reserve to the kings summer palace and adjacent ruined castle. No luck on the bird front unfortunately. Friday was again blustery - it's weird how the days alternate between force 6 and calm - so we enjoyed another rest day changing our mooring arrangement from stern buoy to alongside as the guest harbour had only ten boat s instead of the 100+ it has accommodation for. This makes getting on and off much easier. We ate out at the youth hostel cafe £6 for a pint of beer which we shared! Saturday's sail was a very boisterous affair fairly hard on the F5 ENEly wind. The forecast promised a slight veer and decrease but as usual it perked up. We had chosen an anchorage or nature harbour as the Swedish pilot book calls it called Kiddeholm and we were mightily glad to be in even after the adrenalin rush of a strong wind from behind blowing into the narrow entrance. A beautifully calm spot in outstanding scenery. We had hoped to progress on Sunday but inspecting the engine produced the horrifying result that the diesel leak had got considerably worse and around 40 litres of diesel had been deposited in the bilges. We decided to go to the nearby town of Oscarshamn a couple of miles away to see what could be done. Several days were spent between the town marina and one a couple of miles away trying to locate an engineer who would look at our problem. While waiting we purchased several jerry cans and into them pumped the contents of the bilges. Eventually on Tuesday a guy came to look and with some horror decided the tank could not be removed. With only 30 or so litres in the tank it does not leak much so we decided to live with the leak maintaining just a small quantity of fuel in the main tank topping up from jerry cans as necessary until we haul out at the end of the month.

Helicopter water bomb

So much for the theory. We sailed on to the natural harbour of Utlango. The genny roller decided to give us some gyp. But we continued regardless. Very tranquil it was and we had a swim using the dink and outboard for the first time in months. Somehow the carburettor flooded so we had to row home. In the morning we motored off in the calm enjoyed the sight of a White tailed eagle and then stop. The engine gave up. With at light and favourable wind we decided to carry on and see if we could fix the problem. Evidently the recycled fuel had blocked the filters. We made slow progress and managed with the last of the of the wind moored up at the beautiful island of Uto. We had alerted the harbour master and he had agreed to give us a tow in but in the event it was unnecessary.

Red Squirrel

On Friday we sailed on the 6 miles to Vastervik. The SE wind was favourable but at F6 rather more than we like. With rain accompaniment we reached Huges marina and with Ido's HM's helped a tow was arranged to help us moor. Joachim their engineer suggested we clean the fuel supply over the weekend and if that did not work he would give us a hand on Monday. Tom arrived that afternoon but it continued to rain and blow so it was not until Sunday that we could work on the engine. "polishing" the fuel was deemed pointless so it was all dumped - 80 litres! New clean fuel was purchased new filters fitted and with heroic efforts from Tom and much bleeding of the fuel system the engine was running by teatime. Onto the "Brig" restaurant for a celebratory supper.

Lynx and cub

On Monday (22nd Aug) we motored in a light southerly to the beautiful natural harbour of Langholmen. This was our first attempt in Tokomaru at rock anchoring and we found an idyllic spot were we could also fix up a wild BBQ. Tuesday was another motor in light and variable winds giving us another chance to flush clean fuel through our system. This time to the natural harbour on Maro. The dramatic bumping into a rock near the entrance did not add to our peace of mind. However the scenery and pilotage were fascinating. Just after leaving we enjoyed a very good view of a white tailed eagle sitting on a lighthouse. In the morning we again found that diesel had leaked. It seems the mild rocking had encouraged the seepage. We were down to only 10 litres so we topped up with our remaining 10. Thus we gingerly made our way through some narrow channels to Oxelosund.

Oxelosund guest harbour, autumn

We spent the rest of our time here. We were visited by the OCC rep Martin Westin who happened by and saw our flag. He made some suggestions for places to haul out and we eventually obtained a quote from Saltomarin. As the fishing harbour was not very convenient we motored the mile up the harbour to Brandholmen where the English educated mariniero helped us moor up, a first in Sweden. The original mooring turned out to be rolly so he moved us to a small concrete mole which gave us greater protection. We spent most of the next week doing laying up chores such as extracting the last remaining diesel from the bilges. On Wednesday 7th September we motored back to Saltomarin with just a few litres of diesel remaining in the tank. They were not ready to haul us out but did come to look at the tank which I had made accessible as possible. They indicated that this was do-able over the winter. We therefore decided to have a brief sojourn in Stockholm over the weekend before flying home on Thursday.

Wolverine

We had a very pleasant time staying in the apartment of Tom's girl friend Nina while they were away in Italy. Saw all the usual sights. The island of Skepsholmen were having their "big day".

A train trip across Europe

2011-01-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

Take the train from St Pancras to Brussels at 8.30 am. There is slight mayhem outside the station as Police sort out a serious accident. The train is so quick we don't notice going through the Tunnel. A brief stop over and we are soon speeding onto Cologne on a Deutch bahn ICE express. We stay at the Station backpackers hostel which is pleasant but basic. The cathedral right outside the station is very impressive.

We explore by the Rhine and have dinner outside under heaters. The town is quite attractive busy with shops and shoppers. Prices seem similar to UK. After another walk round on tuesday we take the cable car across to the far side of the river and enjoy a walk in the park past the expo. On the bridge back over the Rhine young couples have shown their commitment to each other by attaching a padlock to the railings.

Wednesday the 13th and we are off again on the ICE to Berlin.

We stay on the east side in the very charming and reasonably priced Markischerhof hotel. Berlin is a very charming city which is easy to walk around it being so flat.

So we see the sights including the Brandenburg gate and the Pergamom museum with its recreations of archeological ruins.

After three nights we proceed to Warsaw again via ICE. The scenery continues flat as it has been all the way from Calais - amazing. Tom meets us at the station after a 6 hour journey during which we meet a couple of jolly German ladies in the dining car who are choristers on the way to a Chopin festival. Warsaw too is flat and easy to explore on foot. There are delis on every street.

On Sunday Tom drives us to the quaint village of Kazimierz Dolny. This has the nearest thing to a hill we have seen on this trip. We have some fine meals out including soup served inside a loaf of bread.

The highlight of the trip are the Red squirrels in the park by the Presidential palace.

On the road, Africa, spring 2010

2010-04-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

South Africa and Namibia Jan 2010

Arrive in Cape Town on Wednesday 13th. Tom is waiting at the airport and we spend the next week getting our act together for the big trip. By Thursday the 21st we are all in order and set off at the crack of dawn for the first days run to Namibia. We arrive at the border around lunchtime to be greeted to 45 degree temperatures and gratifyingly straight forward boarder procedures. Our first night is spent at Ai-Ais at the southern end of the Fish river canyon:-

The site is very nicely laid out with new and interesting birds flitting amongst the trees. The only down side being the swimming pool water which is the temperature of a bath and thus hardly refreshing. Next day we potter along the canyon rim and again set up camp this time at the Canon road house. This has been recently done up and is looking very good the pool was also at a more appealing temperature. Their design feature is a selection of ancient vehicles built into the garden. As we proceed to Windhoek it begins to rain. By the time we reach Windhoek's altitude of 1700 metres the vegetation was quite green compared to the desert scrub further south.
Carmine Bee-Eater

The Rivendell guest house gives us a very pleasant stay in Windhoek even though I try to blow it up by not operating the oven correctly. We then proceed north east to Botswana. And does it rain - so much for the Kalahari desert it is positively in bloom - green and lush. The border crossing again goes smoothly and we continue on to Ghanzi and the Kalahari arms hotel into whose electricity free embrace we gladly enter as camping is deemed unsuitable in such weather. Fortunately electricity resume in time for supper.

Botswana Jan 2010

It continues green all the way to Maun where we find lodgings at the Okavango river lodge. This is a rather tired establishment but cheap and cheerful enough in its way with a pleasant river aspect. The afternoon is spent booking a campsite in Moremi and paying our park fees. The day is complete with a fine steak dinner. Had a quick peak at the Maun game reserve; the birding is good but this is otherwise a very neglected place.

On Wednesday 27th we head off to Moremi game reserve and our booked accommodation at 3rd bridge campsite. The ungraded piste is a bit more tricky than we anticipate with many soft sand patches, ruts and water filled pools of indeterminate depth. After much use of 4 wheel drive and occasional low range we successfully pitch up at 3rd bridge in the early afternoon and are very nicely greeted by Rachel the camp supervisor. On the way we have fine sightings of Elephants and Hippos. Latter another Brit couple turn up, an old guy with his 22 year old daughter Laura. They are making an abbreviated circular tour via Zim. similar to ours. They are planning to continue through Chobe which we have decided against as we were told the road was in very poor condition. We have a jolly evening drinking and chatting to them by the camp fire. In the morning we spot the tracks of a leopard that has walked between our two pitches during the night.

Our first game drive to Baobab tree gives us many sightings of Impala and zebra, in the afternoon we spot Giraffe near the 2nd bridge. We are the sole occupants this evening and just after sunset a hippo calmly walks passed our camp within 10m of where we are sitting. On Friday our morning drive is less successful. Although we identify lion tracks on the dirt road we never spot the lions themselves. After driving upto Xakanaxa. we become lost on the pistes going round Maya pan. After much use of GPS we manage eventually to find the Baobab tree of yesterday's drive and work our way home to camp. The only new sightings are of Wildebeest, young impala and zebra so not much to show for our epic game drive. There is much noisy animal activity that night and in the morning Baboons make their presence felt especially as they manage to contrive a disruption to the water supply to the ablution block. We bid farewell to the ever cheerful Rachel and head back to Maun again negotiating many deep pools but not having any good game sightings until we are leaving the park, where upon we see a Giraffe sitting in the road. We think it must be injured but on our approach it lolops off without difficulty. Nata Lodge

The 300 km to Nata is uneventful and the surroundings were much greener than I remember from 30 years ago. We pitched up at Nata lodge just after lunch and were very warmly greeted. The lodge chalets are very nicely appointed with a bath in "the front room" and an alfresco shower. We tried a visit to the Nata bird reserve on the edge of the Magkladi salt pans where we were reliably informed thousands of flamingos reside. The burned out lorry and hut at the entrance was off putting enough but the route to the viewing platform was just too difficult to negotiate so this enterprise had to be knocked on the head and we retreated to the lodge pool, Man U's trouncing of Arsenal on sat TV and and jolly lamp lit supper. The silence when out on the pan was truly amazing although only a couple of kilometres from the road.

Zambia Feb 2010

The drive to Kazengula went well and the road was not in the poor condition we expected. We were able to drive straight onto the ferry. But it was there the fun and expense began. The touts were out in force to "assist" our progress through 6 offices. Immigration were very efficient but customs took an hour to produce a simple form. After about 2 hours we were done and on our way to Livingstone and a view of Victoria Falls. The 450 k trip to Lusaka next day was uneventful. Had supper at O'Hagans in the Manda hills mall. The Fairview hotel was not upto much. We spent a day dodging rain showers and pootling around Lusaka which has expanded enormously in the last 30 years. Cairo road has become a bit of a shifty area. Like LA the middle classes have moved to the suburbs were shopping malls like Manda hills and Arcades have been built. Rain, rain beautiful rain again on Thursday as we set off for Kasanka national park where we were put up in nice rondavel chalets. The deal here is to bring your own food which they cook for you and serve with great charm in the lodge's dinning room or veranda. We asked Tom the gap year volunteer to suggest a game drive; this produced sittings of: baboons, duiker, oribi, mongoose, puku and an as yet to be identified vulture which was seen from the bat hide high in the canopy of a Mahogany tree. It also produced many sitings of Tetse flies which seem very attracted to the car which did not impress the pontoon operator, whose contraption was pulled by hand across a small river by ropes. In theory it could have taken the car but we decided on a more pedestrian arrangement. Our second attempt to sit around a campfire was again thwarted by rain, it was nevertheless pleasant to chat to a group of Dutch visitors.

The trip to Mansa went very well on a smooth road across the Benguelu swamps that was built by the Chinese in the eighties. Unfortunately it became very pot holey around Samfya. It was quite strange arriving in Mansa after 28 years. The town has grown immensely. 72 eating establishments where before there were 2. Half a dozen hotels and even taxis! The Asian shops have gone to be replaced by a South African supermarket.

The road to Mbereshi and Nchelenge has now been tarred but nevertheless has potholes. The trip went ok but Tom was disappointed by Kashkiki's expansion. Although it was pleasing to see the commercial development the street and general ambience was in a deplorable state. We checked in to the Mweru Water transport guest house and had a few drinks on the veranda looking out over lake Mweru. We were joined by Fillip VanTerpe and his parents who are the Lemon sherbet kings of Belgium. His father first came to Congo in 1951 and built up a cattle ranch in the highlands of Katanga, which was wiped out in the civil war of 1998 and they lost 15000 head of cattle. A few years ago they decided to restock a have brought 400 cows from South Africa via Zim, Lusaka and the Chinese road that we have just travelled on. The farm is managed by Congolese staff and they visit twice a year flying from Brussels to Addis Ababa and Lubumbashi and then by road through Zambia to Nchelenge an on to the Congo on a road not marked on my map via Kaputa, Balanga and Mobu on the shores of lake Tanganyika from which it is just 80 km south to their ranch.

On Monday we went to visit Mabel Shaw memorial high school. The first time in 28 years. We were given a very friendly reception by the head teacher Mr Xgambo. We were shown round by the very perspicacious Mrs Chilumbwe (who looked just like the secretary in the film of "the number 1 ladies detective agency". Mabel Shaw is the school that time forgot. The English office is almost just as I left it. There were quite a lot of new books but some - RUR & the Insect play - were still there from the seventies. A remarkable testimony to the teachers who have carefully looked after their limited resources. The science department was ever sadder with no new books and the same old equipment that had seen no renewal in 30 years. The is nevertheless well maintained and my old house is there just as it ever was - it too could do with a lick of paint. Most of the teachers have satellite dishes and the school does have a room of computers though they are old a tired; no doubt the cast offs from some more favoured establishment. Mbereshi remains a quiet backwater with none of the commercial expansion of Nchelenge - may be just a couple more small shops. The back to Mansa and the Mansa hotel which turned out to have more spacious rooms at no greater price. We were told that President Banda was due the next day so there was a bit of a hubbub about the town.
My school house in 1980

And now in 2010

It was a very long drive back along the Chinese road and then up the great north road to Mpika and Shiwa Ngandu. About 600 klicks all told taking about 8 hours. We were pleased to see work being done to fill in the potholes but lamentably in some places the surface was completely destroyed. This is the main road from Dar and seemingly takes all the fuel into Zambia but these heavy trucks do chew it up.
At Kapishya hot springs lodge in the grounds of the Shiwa Ngandu estate were were warmly greeted by Mark Harvey the owner and grandson of Stuart Gore-Brown the founder and builder of the "Africa House". We were soon installed in the bar for sundowners and chatted to him well into the night. And what a place delightful chalets in beautiful grounds and a river, hot springs and excellent tucker - amazing. We visited the "House" the following day and had a walk upto the graves which give a fine view over the Shiwa Ngandu lake. The house is certainly an amazing concept and has been spectacularly restored. It is clear that there is still much to do. A short game drive only produced a few Impala. Hunting still takes place on the estate and I guess the animals are more wary. We had a dip in the hot springs before taking a drive with Mark to a nearby waterfall. We were joined by 6 Belgian young people who had driven down from Ghent via Cairo and Kenya and who were on their last lap to CT. Mark again regaled us into the night with bush stories.

Tanzania Feb 2010

On Thursday 11th of Feb we were off bright and early for Tanzania. The border crossing was again a bit of a circus. Many large trucks were blocking the way around making it difficult to negotiate the way to offices. Many "agents" were out in force making the whole process even more of a hassle. After a couple of hours of trotting between offices and the bank we were free at last to continue our journey. We pitched up at the tranquil Utengule coffee lodge which is situated on the side of a hill looking back - westwards - towards Zambia and giving a fine sunset view for our sundowners. The scenery in Tanzania is quite different to Zambia with wide open plains instead of Miombo/Mopane woodland. The thatched huts of Zambia are replaced by brick houses with tin or tiles roofs. Our first night was at a fine lodge near Mbeya called Utengule coffee lodge. We enjoyed a very pleasant sunset drink on the lawn with a very fine view followed by supper on the veranda.

we had a fairly easy drive towards Iringa to another lodge - the old farmhouse. This has a variety of thatched chalets and faux native rondavels. It main visitor attraction being to become lost walking between them. The supper was jolly pleasant. Saturday was a bit of a bad hair day for Tom. When packing up to leave he could not find his camera and while using an internet café his phone went missing. So this had to be stopped and in the meantime we were waiting for a new front number plate to be made. The dirt road from Iringa to Rhuaha turned out to be more difficult than we had been led to believe and when we arrived at The recommended hill top lodge we turned out to be the only guests in Tanzania's answer to Fawlty towers.
Lilac breasted roller

We set off early after a parsimonious breakfast for the park. Picking up a guide at park HQ we set Goodluck the task off finding us the 3 big cats. In the event we managed 2 out of 3. After much mob phone contact with colleagues we obtained a good lioness sighting and just after lunch were rewarded with a Cheetah unfortunately it remained mostly in the long grass so no good photos. Finally we saw a group of 3 young lions just after depositing the guide at HQ. Other animals seen: Jackals 2, elephants many, Eland 6, lilac breasted roller many, weaver birds, warthog 2, impala and zebra many, grants gazelle, giraffe many, ground hornbills, water buck.
Peregrine falcon

Back at hilltop we are welcomed with hot towels but no cold beer. They are apparently unwilling to start their generator before 7 and so no cold drinks are available until after dinner. This is any event has to wait until the local bus arrives with food for dinner. They do bring ice so after a wait all is well and the tucker is surprisingly good.

In the morning we negotiate a 10% reduction and move on to Mikuni and the Tan-Swiss lodge where luxury of luxuries cold beer and air-con is to be had. This is just as well since dropping in altitude from 1600m at Iringa to 600 at Mikumi has turned up the heat to 35 degrees. On Tuesday we head to Mikuni national park. Here we pay $80 entry and take on board the loquacious Kim as our guide. We ask to see lions as all tourists do to which Kim says you'll be lucky but after a bit mobile phoning amongst his friends we do indeed come across 3 lionesses trying to keep themselves cool in the shade of a bush. After a bit more driving we come across several young lions shading themselves under a Toyota. We spend the rest of the day having good sightings of: Giraffe, Elephants and babies, impala, zebra, warthog, reed buck, and Eland while we had lunch at the lodge.

On Wednesday while Tom had a quiet day at the lodge I sallied forth to Udzwanga national park about 60 km south of Mikumi half on tar and half on fairly dodgy gravel where the route was further encumbered by narrow bridges. This park has no roads so the entry fee is only $20. Today's guide, Ishmael, soon finds red colobus monkeys which are indigenous to this park together with black and white colobus which are found elsewhere. There are plenty of butterflies but the walk turns out to be very sweaty underneath the the forest canopy which is not relieved by a downpour. It is very nice to have a walk in a park instead of the usual drive.

On Thursday 18-2 we move on to Dar Es Salaam. The main road, a continuation of Zambia's great north road, passes through Mikumi NP. During the first part of the drive a car overtakes us at speed and ploughs into an Impala that springs out of the bush. The Impala is boomeranged into the park making a great mess of the car's front end. In Dar we hook up with Chris' friend David Smith, ex cameraman, and now local director of "Feed the Children" in O'Willies Irish pub which overlooks Msasani bay and is conveniently 5 minutes walk from David's house. He makes us most welcome and we chat into the night after enjoying Mama's home cooked chicken and rice.
Black kite

Dar is an unprepossessing city; many of the roads are unmade up even in the posh areas and down town is very busy with big 4*4s creating traffic jams - so I guess some people have money. David's driver does not turn up in the morning so we give him a lift to his seminar in town and then spend the day looking round and doing chores to book hotels for the next stage of the journey. David has adopted a Tanzanian family: Mama, grand children Sammy and Louise, great nephew Hanny and great grandson David. We have supper with them. Mama makes a bit of a production of grace. After booking our ferry tickets to Zanzibar we take David to lunch at the slipway - the nearby ocean front shopping mall, and buy some Tingatinga naive/ethnic paintings.
The market Stone Town Zanzibar

On Sunday we head for Stone town on Zanzibar by fast catamaran ferry. The 2 hour trip is a bit bumpy. Dar from the sea looks more attractive than our road arrival. Stone town is a maze of narrow streets. We have a delightful supper in the monsoon restaurant. All around there is bustle has a couple of landing craft acting as freighters are unloaded. The island has electricity generating issues and each hotel or restaurant has to operate its own generator whose thrums on every street corner fills the night air as we walk the darkened narrow streets. Back at the Dhow palace we enjoy the aircon. On Monday morning we explore Stone town's winding narrow streets and visit the bustling street market. In the afternoon we chill out buy the courtyard pool. The following day we try a spice tour in the hotel's taxi. This is not a real taxi but has a license for a "one day tripe". This does not stop us being flagged down by the police on several occasions. The spice tours are a bit of a con since there is no real commercial spice growing since the farms are very small scale compared to international competition. Still they put on a show and it is interesting to see the different spices growing. We have lunch on Nungwi beach at the north end of the island. This is very charming spot with a beautiful white sand beach and fringing coral reef. The village, however, is very rustic and the road through the village is in a very poor state. Back in stone town we enjoy a fine sunset from the terrace of the Africa house hotel. The trip back to Dar on the ferry goes very well despite the dodgy films and we are met by David's driver Mlekwa. We have a final enjoyable night with David and his adopted family with a sunset meal at the Irish pub overlooking Msasani bay. Again they have no bananas (only in Tanzania) so no pud - what a disappointment.

We leave promptly for the 500km trip to Moshi and the Ameg lodge where tantalisingly Kilimanjaro pops her head out of the clouds just as the light fades. A party of Kenya-Asians, now from Toronto Canada, now visiting Africa for the first time in 35 years are much impressed by our trip from Cape Town. We spend the morning looking for the perfect photographic view of Kili. It is hazy so it is difficult to decide on a near or far shot so we try both the head off to Arusha and Ngorogoro. The park office efficiently relieves us of $500 and we are installed in the Rhino lodge genially welcomed - karibued - by the Masai proprietors. Spend the afternoon bird watching from the veranda. In the evening we are joined by Americans Mary and Diane, who lives in Moshi, for a very pleasant dinner which is punctuated by Masai dancing.

We are up before dawn, just, for breakfast and then off at 7 with guide, Benedict, for the crater. It is misty with low cloud and rain. The temperature is 12c unprecedented on this trip. It clears and warms as we descend. The game viewing is excellent: Thompsons and Grants Gazelle, buffalo, Zebra and Wildebeest are the ones seen a plenty. Storks, Bustards, yellow and sparrow weavers, black kites, experienced at stealing food, greater and lesser flamingos are in the bird contingent. There are also elephants but not in Mikumi numbers, Hippo, 2 Black Rhino (mother and calf) but only in the distance. We had several Lion sightings, including 2 big males and a team of 4 Lionesses who look as though they are planning a hunt and although we wait quite a while it comes to nothing. Overall we probably see 12 Lions during the day. It is very busy in the crater, maybe 50 SUVs, at one stage there were 20 vehicles at one Lion sighting. An nice little earner at $200 per vehicle and $50 per visitor $20,000 per day just to the parks department?

Kenya Feb 2010

We leave promptly the next day and head for Kenya. The boarder crossing goes smoothly but again we are dragooned into buy 3rd party insurance. This requires changing money with dubious characters. When we carefully count the change they look aggrieved "we are Kenyans not Nigerians" they exclaim. The road between Arusha and Nairobi is in a but of a state with extensive diversions on gravel where the road is being resurfaced. There is particular mayhem just south of Nairobi where the Arusha road joins the Mombasa road at Athi river. Nairobi is busy with traffic even on a Sunday. Nevertheless we arrive in good time at the Holiday Inn. I'm up at the crack of dawn again. This time on an organised trip to the Nairobi National park. The day is overcast and drizzly not good conditions for game viewing. However the driver gives it a go. On hearing that there are lions about we go haring off at breakneck speed on some very slippery roads. We obtain good sightings of the lions and have 2 more sightings during the rest of the morning making a total of 8 - quite amazing only 5 miles from a large city. We also have good sightings of Black Rhino including mother and calf - making a total of 5. In addition we see: giraffe, baboons, impala, zebra, hartebeest, secretary bird, warthog. On the way back we become stuck when the minibus slips into a deep rut and the transmission grounds on the central hump. Attempts to jack the car are a forlorn hope since in the soft mud the jack sinks rather than the vehicle rises. In due course help arrives in the form of another minibus full of German tourists. We are eventually pulled free with jerky movements which break the towing point and the steel hawser in the process. Unfortunately having been towed out backwards we attempt a three point turn and become stuck again as our rescuers have left the driver again tries jacking and becomes covered in mud in the process. Back at the Holiday inn the commissionaire recoils in horror at the muddy apparition that returns for lunch. After a brief sorte to central Nairobi we repair to "Carnivore" for dinner. Here swords are used to bbq all manner of meat - nyama - including ostrich (tasty)and crocodile (tough fishy) which carvers serve with a flourish until you can eat no more. In the local paper which is delivered to our door we read that the Permanent secretary at the lands ministry has raided her own offices to discover why so many files are missing - a scam has been uncovered where "lost" files are strangely found for a small fee. A number of officials will shortly be appearing in front of the beak we are assured.

On Tuesday 2nd of March we make our last northward trip to the equator at Nanyuki. The sign, an ancient rusty thing, is, according to our GPS, 0.015 minutes south of the correct position. This is about 30 metres out! Any demonstration of the Coriolis effect would have to be a fraud. So we leave the hawkers and head south to the Aderdare country club. Their gravel drive leaves much to be desired. Most of the customers are here for lunch before proceeding to "the Arc" for an overnight wildlife experience. The rest are on a week long German government sponsored YNHCR jolly. Unfortunately the weather deteriorates and the night game drive is cancelled which is a bit of a disappointment. In the morning we are woken by courting Hornbills.
The next day we head back to Tanzania. Hopefully Kilimanjaro will make the appearance that Mount Kenya doesn't. We try to skirt round Nairobi instead of going through the centre. The Satnav directs us along the "outering" through the most insalubrious suburb of "Cariobanga". It is awash with mud, detritus and dodgy looking shacks. We are glad to be out of it and heading south even though we have to traverse the junction at Athi River were cement trucks have turned the road to rubble. The boarder crossing is quite straight forward for a change and the touts who recognise us steer clear. Driving, once again on the Arusha Moshi road Kili is in cloud. We head this time to The Marangu hotel, which at 2000m has an alpine feel and a beautiful garden where weaverbirds noisily construct their nests. From here we drive 650 kms back to the Tan-Swiss lodge at Mikumi were we meet up with 2 Finnish women, Pamela and Inge, on a safari to Ruaha national park.

Malawi March 2010

And again another big run to Malawi and the lakeside town of Kironga. The remainder of the Great north road is busy with trucks some of which have ended up in the ditch. Every so often the trucks have to pass a weighbridge but this seems to do nothing to deter them from being overloaded. The road to the Malawi boarder rises to 2000m and is refreshingly cool and also fertile judging buy the produce on sale by the road side. The boarder crossing is fairly easy by African standards and we are soon checking into the Beach chambers lakeside resort. This is not so special and it takes a while before they agree to a reasonable room rate. The rooms are pleasant enough and supper satisfactory. We also enjoy a cold beer sitting on the beach overlooking the lake. Malachite sunbird

We decide on the following day to go to a forest reserve in the mountains. It is interesting to see all the forestry activity. Unfortunately all the lodges are closed so we have to return to the lake at Makuzi beach lodge. On the way down to the lake we find the road is completely broken up and buses and trucks are complete stuck in the sub surface mud. The Nissan fortunately has no difficulty and we soon on our way. Interestingly in the local paper the next day we read that local people have complained to the roads department saying they should fixit it. The minister replies that this is not the procedure - an aid agency will need to be contacted to see if they will finance the deal. At Makuzi beach we find again that we are the only guests; it again takes some effort to achieve a reasonable room rate. The setting is very beautiful and dinner is excellent. The roads of Malawi are plagued by police road blocks even more than Tanzania and Zambia. We can only assume it's a job creation scheme. The police have no numbers so it's easy for them to shake travellers down. For the most part they leave us alone - simply asking where we are going to, we tell them we are on holiday. We arrive in Blantyre around 3pm in the wake of a slow wedding procession. The outskirts are a bit bleak but not as bad as Nairobi. The centre of town is more scruffy than I remember but the Mount Soche hotel is just as pleasant.
Sunbird

On Monday we visit the hill top resort of Zomba. It is much overgrown from how I remember from 30 years ago. There is a fine new hotel and a beautiful garden, which attracts sunbirds but has very few clientele. After a coffee we continue to Liwonde national park. This has few clientele too indeed like before only us. A short drive around illicits sitings of: waterbuck, impala, warthogs, baboons, a bateleur eagle and a water monitor. The roads of Malawi are full of police road blocks so Kamuzu's police state lives on under President Bingu - do these folk never learn. Some of the barriers are sponsored by sycophantic businesses.

Mozambique March 2010

When we leave the Mount Soche next morning with a bitter taste as they have tried to overcharge us. When we have sorted this out we head off to to the Mozambique border whose crossing we achieve with relatively little hassle. And then onto Chimoio. The road is in good order and we arrive quite early and have time to look round the supermarket where we find grog prices to be surprisingly agreeable. The police are much less in evidence in Moz which is also pleasing. Our only hold up is the single lane working on the Samora Machel bridge over the Zambesi at Tete. Our next hop is to Vilancoulo. This time the road conditions vary from good to potholed. It is clear that funding is provided to fix a bit and then the money runs out so the next section is poor. The roads do not seem to get much use. We book a dhow safari to some nearby islands but "Junior" blows us out so we proceed to Inhambane where we are welcomed to the Pensao Pachica by Dennis and Russell who prove to be very hospitable hosts. The town is the most pleasant we have been to in Moz with many attractive art deco buildings which are sadly deteriorating due to lack of tlc. With the curious exception of the railway station which is in very good order despite never having seen a train in 20 years. We have a very fine meal involving Mozambique's famous seafood with Dennis and Russell while watching the sunset over Africa.

In the morning we are off to Maputo, Mozambique's capital. The distance of 450 kms is half on smooth tarmac and half on very distressed road which is the process of being repaired. All goes well and we are soon installed in The Southern Sun hotel. We are welcomed by Bruce Chapman the General Manager. We are not sure if he has materialised because someone has had the temerity to ask for a discount or if he is generally out an about. Experience shows it is the latter. We take a taxi in the evening to the Costa do Sol restaurant. Specialising in seafood this is Maputo institution of 70 years. The meal is indeed magnificent and 2 prawn filled happy bunnies return to the hotel.
Masks in the Market Maputo, Mozambique

Dennis from Inhambane has given us the phone number of Susan who he has told us will be happy to show us round Maputo. We arrange to meet at 10 and she arrives at 11. In the most dilapidated taxi you can imagine cracked windshield and sans shock absorbers we "do" Maputo. The driver has taken global warming to heart and drives slowly with maximum fuel consumption in mind. The craft market is very attractive but lacks customers as is the railway station which also lacks trains. The town is attractively laid out with wide boulevards and not much traffic - but this is a Saturday. Back at the hotel I can relax by the pool with the Indian ocean in the background with small sailing dhows busily zooming up and down.

South Africa March 2010

View from the "White House" Genoubi

In the morning, as we check out, we are informed that Mo Ibrahim, Bono, and other wealthy, worthies associated with the Bill Gates foundation are in the lobby with us, along with their accompanying flunkies, about to be bussed off to an aid project. The 600km drive to Durban goes well with 2 border crossings: moz-Swaziland and Swazi-SA passing without a hitch. At the Southern Sun in Durban we find ourselves in a seaview room with waves crashing on the beach. Our next stop is Genoubie near East London another 600 klicks or so. We continue on the fine dual carriage way to Port Shepstone. Here the roads divide with the dual carriageway continuing along the coast to Ramsgate and Margate while we go on the mountain road through the Transkei and its capital Umtata, close to the birthplace of Nelson Mandela . This is a very "African" part of South Africa with many of the towns looking scruffy and neglected as you would find in Zambia or Mozambique. In places the road reaches nearly 2000m and the scenery is spectacular. At Genoubie the N2 touches the coast again and we pitch up at the White house b&b a very charming and beautiful guest house right by the sea. Here in spring you can whale watch from their lounge. We are too late in the year unfortunately but the stay is very enjoyable just the same. On the way to Plettenberg bay we pass by "storms river mouth" in Tsitsikamma national park. It is calm today but the waves break noisily it would be spectacular on a breezy day. We add Rock Dassie and Duiker to our list of animals sitings. Between here and Plett is the world's highest bungy jump. In Plett we have a very nice supper at Emily Moon's slightly out of town their veranda has very fine views over the nearby countryside. We arrive back in Cape Town on Wednesday the 17th of March exactly 8 weeks on the road. To make our journey complete we detour to Cape Agulhas Africa's southern most point. CT to equator and back 17,500 kms, 3,000 litres of petrol, 9 countries, 10 boarder crossings, 12 national parks and 37 stops in 56 days.

Lucy Moon's restaurant Plettenberg bay