From Luxury to ´Faulty Towers´ - Bon Dias Moçambique

For my last night in Cape Town I switched accommodation locations as getting to the airport is a costly activity from the hostel I was staying. I opted to re-locate to the Holiday Inn in the central business district - a bit more money per night but they provided a free shuttle to the airport in the morning. By comparison to all my accommodations to date in Africa the Holiday Inn was like living in luxury. I will admit to enjoying the ammenities of the hotel.

I arrived in Moçambique without any challenges. The country is unlike any other I have visited in Africa before. How to describe Moçambique ... it is kind of like Africa meets South America. However, not in the shake your neighbour's hand kind of meeting; I mean two frieght trains colliding kind of meeting. This type of meeting combined with the influence of Portugal makes and interesting combination that I am looking forward to exploring.

I was able to make arrangements for my first night in Maputo via the internet in Cape Town. When I arrived at Hotel Santa Cruz I quickly realized my experiences in luxury were over. The faded pink 13 floor building look run down and closed. Since it was dark when I arrived and my taxi drove off I had no desire to locate another hotel room in Maputo. From the life of luxury in Cape Town I arrived at a Faulty Towers like hotel in Maputo. The first indication the hotel was going to be an experience was when they handed me my free ration of toilet paper and soap with my room key. If I require more soap or toilet paper I would need to purchase it at the market across the road! I can honestly say this the first time I have ever been provided a ration of toilet paper.

The elevator was the next indicator of an true experience. The front desk clerk showed me to the elevator and informed me (in broken English) that it didn't stop on properly on the 8th floor. I would need to step up from the elevator onto the 8th floor. As the elevator traveled up I envisioned a small step that one could trip on - again, a naive thought. When the elevator stop I had to throw my bags onto the 8th floor and actually climb out of the elevator car. There was a good 2 foot difference in height!

On the surface my room seemed adequate - definitely did not have the amenities fo the Holiday Inn but functional. The room had a spectacular view of the city skyline from my room - very few buildings in Maputo exceed 10 floors. The light in the bathroom resembles a horror film flickering on and off and there is no water between 10 AM and 12 noon. This was a slight hint I didn't want to be eating at the hotel restaurant during these hours!

Oh the hotel restaurant - the final great experience of my frist day in Maputo. I was the only person in the place when I walked in at 8 PM. The waiter in what I think was broken English introduced me to his wife and then proceeded to offer me the special. Before he could describe the special he sent his wife off to cook it for me. 30 minutes later I had the 'special' - a greasy piece of dark meat with a lemon sauce, potatoe, and salad. The meat reminded me of goose but was much tougher. As the waiter and his wife watched me eat I had the pleasure of eating the entire mystery meat.

Maputo is going to be an experience!

Leia Mais…

Almost an Upset

The entire country were on the edge of their seats yesterday afternoon for the soccer match between South Africa (ranked 73 in the world) and Spain (ranked first in the world). The bronze match of the FIFA Confederation Cup should have been a blow out for Spain, however, Bafana Bafana had other plans.

Interesting the match was broadcast in both English and Africaans on the same channel, switching languages every ten minutes. I will admit this was a little confusing at first. The South Africans opening the scoring in the last 20 minutes of the game and looked to be cruising to victory when Spain scored two goals in the last two minutes of regulation time. The stadium started to clear out and people started leaving the pub I was in as well. In extra time the South Africans scored a great goal to tie the game, sending it to overtime. Unforutnately, the South Africans could not equal the effort of Spain in extra time and end up losing the match. Judging the reaction from the crowd in the pub one would have thought they were not watching the same game as the crowd was singing, dancing, and excited (even though their team lost the match). I can only imagine the excitement should Bafana Bafana won the match.

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Bafana Bafana

The FIFA Confederations Cup has been one of three huge sporting events ongoing in South Africa since I arrived. On any given day you can watch either a live match or non-stop repeats of previous matches. The other two key sporting events at the moment are the cricket world cup and UK-SA rugby series. The ticket prices and the location of the stadiums combined with the poor public transportation has resulted in only watching matches on the television. Even though I have not been able to take in a match live it has still been an experience.

South Africa received an automatic berth in the tournament as the 2010 World Cup hosts, not based on the previous performances. Coming in to the tournament the media had written off the team and most media was calling for the coach to be fired before the tournament even started! My first experience was watching the South Africa - Iraq game in Johannesburg at a small smoky pub (Joburg has a no indoor smoking policy, however, it is viewed as optional). The bar was wall to walk people to the point where you could not actually make your way to the bar to buy a beer. You had to pass your money through the crowd with your request and your beer would be passed back. The bar was packed and every other person brought a vuvuzela - a plastic horn. The place was super loud to start with and whenever South Africa (or Bafana Bafana as they are locally referred to as) came within scoring distance the vuvuzelas would be blown to ensure the walls of the poor pub were shaking. By half time the game as a 0-0 draw.

The Bafana Bafana surprisingly advanced into the playoffs however met their match in Brazil. Tonight is the bronze medal game against Spain and the celebration has already started on the streets (5 hours and counting before the game even starts!). I am sure tonight will be another experience.

Leia Mais…

I Didn't Come to Africa to See Snow

After two days of 'heavy weather warnings' Mother Nature cooperated and provided a bit of relief. The winds continued to gust today, however, no rains and for a while a bit of sun. The good fortune translated into a hike up Table Mountain to see the amazing skyline view of the city. A group of four of us departed from the hostel on the "2 hour" hike up the mountain. We foolish believed the local hiker coming day the trail that it would only take us non-locals two hours.

The first hour of climbing was easy but boring. There was no view other than into the living rooms and bedrooms of people living along the edge of the mountain. Since this was the first nice day of weather in a while every one was outside so there was nothing to see even in the apartments. The second hour the hike was still easy and the view was amazing. You could see the entire bowl of the city, the mountains on the other side, and the ocean. This section of the hike provided momentum for finishing the hike. At this stage we now realized 2 hours had passed and we could barely make out the top of table mountain - so much for the 2 hour prediction from the local hiker! The final hour to the top of Table Mountain almost killed us. The hike pretty much went straight up hill. I am sure the view was amazing but if you didn't concentrate on the 'trail' (small clearing among the lose rocks) you were a goner! Head down, hands out, and try not falling to the bottom of the mountain was the motto.

After 3 hours of hiking we conquered Table Mountain! The temperature along the hike had been quite warm and as a result I had peeled off most of the layers of clothing I was wearing. After the excitement of reaching the top of the mountain subsided I quickly had to put every layer of clothing I had back on. The temperature at the top of the mountain was only 1 C. Within an hour the temperature had dropped to -1C and snow flakes began to fall. Two of my fellow hikers from Mozambique were thrilled to see snow flakes for the first time in the lives. I on the other hand was not impressed. I did not come half around the world to see snow flakes! I can see those five months of the year.

The original plan was to hike up and down the mountain to save the ridiculous fee for riding the gondola. This plan was discarded around the beginning of the third hour of hiking when consensus was quickly reached that VISA would facilitate the ride down the mountain. This new plan was confirmed when reading the trail signs to go down the mountain!

Leia Mais…

Wild Weather Conditions in Cape Town

The "heavy weather warning" is continuing in Cape Town today. The forecast is for up to 70 mm of rain and gusting winds of 85 km/hr again! Power outages were wide spread throughout the Cape Town region last night. The storm is causing huge challenges for the port and the cargo ships. Last night three ships almost capsized while many ships lost cargo into the ocean. A local paper ignited a flurry of excitement when they proclaimed the lost cargo was bottles of beer from Europe. This in turn caused many fortune seekers to comb the beaches for the missing beer. The missing cargo was identified as being non-alcoholic and drifted out to the ocean and not on the beaches.

Leia Mais…

Sympathy for Dorothy and Toto

The first full day in Cape Town has been an experience unlike that of other cities in South Africa visited. The weather in the morning was overcast, light rain, and a cool wind. I complained and obviously upset Mother Nature and the travel gods. During the afternoon the weather got considerably worse! By lunch time "heavy weather warning" were announced for the city of Cape Town. The light rain has transformed into a continuous downfall of water, overcast skies turned into complete fog, and the cool wind into extreme wind gusts. The online weather forecast stated: "a minimum of 50 mm of rain and wind gusting exceeding 85 km per hour". I should have kept my complaining to myself!

My plan for the day involved exploring the Central Business District (CBD). Thanks to Mother Nature my plan evolved into explore the CBD while trying to stay somewhat dry and not blown off the continent! I can easily state I have never experienced winds like those today - it was truly amazing. By mid-afternoon I planned my travel route based on which direction involved the least walking head on in to the wind. I have a new sense of sympathy for Dorothy and Toto of the Wizard of Oz after walking (or attempting to walk) in the 85 km/hr gusting winds.

The winds generated my second causality of my adventure. Somewhere along the harbour front in Cape Town my hat was lifted off my head and into the ocean. After complaining about the weather all morning, perhaps it was karma? Second, I picked up cheap $10 watch from the dark side before I left for Africa. The watch seemed pretty durable and was labelled as water resistant to 5 metres, however, it was no match for Victoria Falls. After a couple of hours of hiking in the "mist" of the falls the watch stop working.

Leia Mais…

Rain and Cold - Cape Town

Mother Nature is not cooperating today. The weather in Cape Town is horrid - single digit temperatures, raining, and cold wind off the Atlantic. Considering this is the first time I have had sub-par weather during my trip to southern Africa I shouldn't complain. I was going to hiking around Table Mountain this morning, however, you could not see the mountain from my hostel because of the all the fog. Seems point less to simply walk a trail and see nothing along the way. tomorrow will have better weather.

Leia Mais…

Trouble at the Border

My first adventure via bus through Zimbabwe instilled a false sense of optimism. The bus adventure through Zimbabwe to Zambia provided no evidence of challenges or barriers in visiting the country. This false sense of optimism came crashing down last Friday when I went across the Zimbabwe border to the community south of Victoria Falls.

Crossing the Zambia-Zimbabwe border should have been smooth as I had received a Zimbabwe tourist visa a week earlier. Upon entering Zimbabwe the headache started, however, it was over fairly quickly after producing US$25 to appease the customs officer. When I returned to the Zimbabwe border to exit the hassles continued as the immigration officers were concerned if my Canadian passport was "authentic". They would not process my exit from the country until they could determine if my passport was valid. After an hour of sitting in the lobby with other foriegn travelers the immigration officers were satisfied my passport was authentic and allowed me to proceed to Zambia. The Zambian immigration officers shock their head and laughed at the ordeal and said, "Only in Zimbabwe".

Leia Mais…

Crickets and Roosters

The sounds heard at the hostel in Livingstone, Zambia make each morning a new adventure. I have very few complaints regarding the accommodations. The place is clean, reasonably priced, food is good, and staff are helpful. The hostel is constructed of traditional materials and design - thatched roofs, cement floors, and mud walls. The acoustics in the hostel are also amazing, however, not in a good way.

Everything that goes on in the hostel sounds like it came from behind the mud wall even if it occurred a couple rooms down. Crickets and the zapping sound of insects flying into the electric fence dominate the evenings. The morning brings a symphony of undesired sounds - roosters (starting around 4 AM and squawking every 10 minutes or so), cleaning staff, patrons praying to the porcelain gods (hostel is home to a lot of under 20 youth here to party), and people departing for day trips. Given the circumstances I have been up by 7 AM every day in Livingstone. I am looking forward to an opportunity to sleep past 8 AM.

Leia Mais…

Photos Posted

I was finally able to post a few photographs from Soweto (South Africa), Victoria Falls (Zambia), and Chobe National Park (Botswana). The photos can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/ryanfgibson

Leia Mais…

Victoria Falls

The primary reason for journeying to Livingstone, Zambia was to see Victoria Falls. One of the seven wonders of the world I wanted to witness the world's largest water falls. Based on conversations with other travellers I arranged to have a tour of the island that sits on the edge of the falls at the crack of dawn. At 6 AM I hailed a taxi to the departure point on the Zambezi River, not aware the tour departed from the Royal Livinstone Hotel (5* hotel averaging around uS$500 per night). Needless to say I was slightly under dressed for the hotel! The island tour provided a hike around the island, a bit of history, and allowed everyone to get close to to the edge of the falls. At the end of the tour each participant was invited to wade through the rushing water and hike out onto the edge. I was the only person in my group up for the challenge. After removing my socks, hiking shoes, and pulling up my pants I waded into the warm rushing water heading out to the edge of the falls with one of the guides. The view from the edge was amazing and humbling to watch all the water rush by and crash hundreds of feet below. At the edge it resembled standing in a shower - the mist from the water falls came down in sheets.

Leia Mais…

Arrived in Zambia After a Few Moments of Uncertainty

I arrived in Livingstone, Zambia late this evening after a very full day of riding multiple buses. I departed Joburg, South Africa at the crack of dawn and took a bus to the South African-Zimbabwean border. I was not aware that the South African bus could not go through Zimbabwean customs. The bus simply dropped three backpackers off at the border and proceeded to drive away. The bus drivers parting words were that the Zimbabwean bus company would pick us up "shortly". Clearing customs took all of 5 minutes (and US$50) and me and two girls for Finland sat waiting for the next bus. After an hour there was no sign of a bus nor any indication a bus would come. At one point, a girl from Finland asked what there was to do in the community, however, we all looked at each other and admitted we didn't know exactly where we were! After 80 minutes of sitting on our luggage and wondering if the bus would ever come it appeared out of nowhere (accompanied by whipping sand and dust). After 15 hours of riding a hot, humid, and dusty bus I am happy to have a bed in Livingstone.

Leia Mais…

Visit to Soweto and a Beer in Randon Make-Shift Pub all Before Noon - Interesting Birthday

The second day in Jo'burg I decided to venture out into the South Western Townships (Soweto). Based on handy advice from both websites and fellow travelers I was informed I could go to Soweto, however, coming out is a challenge due to a lack of street names. As it was only my second day in Joburg I didn't want to tempt the situation and opted to join a group of backpackers who had hired a local guide to tour them through Soweto. Coincidentally all but one of the people on the impromptu tour was Canadian.

Soweto has a long and interesting history, unfortunately marred by many tragic events. The township were when Africans were evicted from Joborg. The townships have grown from a few people to over 3.5 million. Interestingly, Soweto is the only community in the world to have two Nobel Peace Prize winners live in the community: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The tour of the community was intriguing. An interesting mixture of poverty, upscale development, and traditional lifestyles. I was able to visit a couple of museums, walk the back streets with random children inviting us to play soccer, and speak with a group of local 'elders' (the wife of one man laughed when they referred to themselves as elders).

On the way out of Soweto the tour guide learned it was my birthday. To celebrate we pulled into the first make-shift pub. The "pub" was in the garage of a random person's home with a couple of older gentlemen drinking beer. We later learned they were hiding from their wives to enable them to skip church. As it was Sunday morning at 11 AM we quickly rushed into the "pub" and informed to close the gate to ensure the police didn't know they were already serving alcohol. One of the clearly intoxicated gentlemen, Obry, provided me words of wisdom for my birthday - "be elephant". As I was not as intoxicated as Obry I missed the meaning of his profound statement which was later translated by a lesser drunk old man in the "pub" to mean I hope you live a long life. Apparently elephants, according to Obry and the second drunk gentlemen, can live to be 200 years old. I figured a compliment is a compliment regarding if you understood it.

Leia Mais…

Feet on African Soil

My feet are once again on African soil. After 47 hours of traveling, with pit stops in Toronto and Zurich, I have reached my destination. The thought of traveling on another long-haul flight any time soon sends shivers down my spine. Although I have no itinerary for the trip I am now in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Arriving in Jo'burg was chaotic. Prior to arriving in Jo'burg I had read about the horribly long customs/immigration process in the airport. Given that (and the fact that I was in row 43 - second last on the plane) I leisurely made my entrance to South African Customs. I was shocked at the number of people waiting in line and slow pace of line movement. To compound the situation, the FIFA Confederations Cup soccer tournament starts in Joburg this week and at least three teams along with coaches, trainers, and family arrived just before my flight. Almost two hours later I emerged from customs tired and with a fancy label in my passport.

I now find myself in an old mansion on the hills looking down into Joburg. This will be home for the next couple of days. The main goal for tonight is to get a full nights rest for the first time in three days.

Leia Mais…

Half way there?

After 20 hours of traveling I am approximately (only) half way to my destination. I survived the first two legs of the journey arriving in Zürich, Switzerland this morning (or last night time Manitoba time). A 16 hour layover in Zürich provided me the opportunity to explore the city. About lunch time the lack of sleep and jet leg caught up with me!

Flying into Zürich provided a reminder what June weather should be like. The sun is in full force with a temperature of 23C. By 8 AM I had cleared customs and was downtown ready to explore. I stumbled upon a city bus tour went really well until the second hour when I could barely keep my eyes open. Although I had a great seat on the Toronto - Zürich flight my sleep was continually interrupted. By the end of the bus tour my head was bobbing up and down and eyes closed. After the tour I decided it was time to locate an internet café to sit down and rest. I uploaded a few of my photographs from the bus tour - http://picasaweb.google.com/ryanfgibson/Zurich#.

Leia Mais…

The Trip Begins - Early Morning Departures

I arrived in Winnipeg after a 4:00 AM start to the day in Neepawa. If I learning nothing else during the next weeks the trip has re-inforced my hatred for early mornings. Consequently, my day started with a few taps of the snooze button, however, made it into Winnipeg in good time (considering there is virtually no traffic during a 5 AM drive to the city). I am now waiting at the airport - an activity I will experience a couple times on my trip to southern Africa. I will arrive in Johannesburg (pending any canceled or missed flights) in 47 hours (7 AM Saturday morning). The early morning and two days of travel are daunting, however, the adventure awaiting will hopefully be worth the wait (and lack of sleep).

Leia Mais…

The Next Adventure ...

After a six months of remaining in Brandon (for the most part) my next adventure is quickly approaching. On June 11 I will jet off to southern Africa for a couple of weeks of exploring and relaxing. As usual, the adventure does not have a definitive itinerary; the journey will take shape once my feet on African soil.

My first African destination will be Johannesburg, South Africa. Beyond Johannesburg there are a few communities I wish to visit, such as Victoria Falls and Cape Town. The remainder of the adventure will consist of journeys to the surrounding countries of Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Although I intend to venture off the beaten path I am hoping to have a semi-regular access to the internet. I will attempt to post details and photographs of my adventure as connectivity permits.

Leia Mais…

New Trip - New Site Design

To celebrate a new adventure I have re-designed this blog. It is now a little more fitting for a travel journal.

Leia Mais…