Plettenberg Bay

 Luca‘s first days in Plett & Keurbooms River. Oceans of space, empty beaches, great neighbours and some nice experiences. What’s not to like. 

Johannesburg to George to Plettenberg Bay

 Early morning start from our hotel to the airport. We actually moved from the Sandton area of Johannesburg to an airport hotel yesterday evening, on our return from the Safari park. Flying with Safair to George, which is the main commercial hub to the Garden Route district. Then we must collect my car which is in storage in George. After that, it’s about a 90 minute drive to Plettenberg Bay, one of the most beautiful towns on the Garden Route  

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Lion & Safari Park, Broederstroom, Gauteng

A one hour drive north from our hotel in Sandton-Johannesburg, brought us to the Lion and Safari Park. A really worthwhile visit for adults and children. We had a most enjoyable self drive tour of the park and it was also very quiet, which added to our enjoyment. 

South African Airways Museum, Rand Airport Johannesburg

 

Arrived Johannesburg from London today on the BA A380 with Heather & Luca and he was very excited to visit the SAA museum and see up close the Queen of the skies, the B747. He loved the tour. He is almost 5 so never got to experience a flight on one. Given his daddy pilots the Blackhawk helicopter, Luca just loves everything that flies. A future pilot I‘m sure  

Luca‘s first trip to Africa

Luca‘s off on an almost three-month jolly with Heather & me! Johannesburg first, then onto Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route for Oct- Dec, including Christmas. Truly a trip to remember for a 5 year old

Cape Town to Victoria Falls

Busy day In Johannesburg/Midrand

I'm over at the Toyota main dealership of McCarthy Midrand at 0830. No problem, they can give my Hilux a full service.

It looks in a complete state and is absolutely filthy after more than 6000kms of travelling, much of it through some very inhospitable terrain.

A few extra jobs for the job sheet is to fit my new number plate, which up to now has been sitting on the dashboard. Also, both handbrake and foot brake travel is now excessive so that needs to be adjusted. The engine compartment is covered in thick mud where we became submerged on a few occasions and I want that pressure washed. They drop me back at the hotel where I decide to extend my room for the day as the vehicle won't be ready until 5pm.

I just relax and they come and collect me about 4pm. Sure enough, all jobs done, the vehicle is gleaming and there's no charge, even for the extra heavy duty cleaning.

Back to the hotel, grab my gear, get an early dinner at a restaurant and head for the airport.  An action packed evening, all achieved.

Farewell Johannesburg, see you in 4 or 5 weeks.

Cape Town to Namibia

I set off from Gordon’s Bay at 8AM on Boxing Day.

A journey of approximately 800km lay ahead to reach the Namibian Border at Noordoewer. The aim is to get there for around 7pm.  Almost the entire journey is on the excellent N7 tarred road.

Being Boxing Day, there wasn't much traffic about, so a high average speed was maintained. With a 150 litre fuel tank, the only need to stop would be for a rest break.

Arrived ahead of schedule, just after 6pm. Getting through SA immigration and then the Namibian immigration was an absolute breeze, quick, efficient and friendly as always.

Just a kilometre away from the Namibian border post was the digs for the night. I'd stayed at the Noordoewer Guest House last year when I was on my motorbike trip through Namibia. I was allocated a gorgeous room back then. Sadly, this time the place looked full and I got a smaller (original) room beside reception. It was very hot and the bed was not very comfortable. At least I didn't have to worry about setting up camp after the long day. Sadly, the air con wasn't very efficient either and the room was very hot.

Very welcome drinks and dinner and retired to bed about 11pm with the aim of having an early start the next morning.

Cape Town to Namibia & Botswana

This trip will start with me heading up the west coast of South Africa into Namibia. Then to Fish River Canyon, Swakopmund & up the Skeleton Coast to Torra Bay. New Years eve will be spent at Palmwag, which is in Northern Namibia. Day 1 and 2 of 2014 in the wonderful Etosha National Park. Then up to the Angola border, along the top of Namibia and across the Caprivi Strip to the borders of Zambia & Zimbabwe before heading into the rainy season in Botswana and attempting
the very difficult passage from Kasane to Maun though Chobe National Park.

Cape Town to China

 Cape Town, South Africa

Tuesday 3^rd April 2012: Cape Town to London via Johannesburg

It's time for departure. The plan is to visit the following destinations; Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, China & Borneo.

Trip duration will be at least 4 weeks. I catch the 1400 British Airways flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Flight time is 2 hours. I have a 3 hour connection in Johannesburg onto the BA 747 aircraft, non stop to London.

 

What lies ahead, on this first stage of the trip, is a long journey. The actual flying time between Cape Town & Singapore will amount to around 24 hours. That's actual hours in the air. There is a 15 hour   transit at London. So, after leaving Cape Town at lunchtime on Tue April 3rd arrival into Singapore is 2 days later, on the afternoon of Thursday April 5th.

6 Day helicopter trip from South Africa to the equator in Kenya on 5Y-RWR. Approx air distance 3000kms

This is a flying trip of a lifetime. I’ve been invited by Jim to ride along as his guest on the delivery flight of his brand new Airbus built Eurocopter EC130-B4. This is a 7 seater state of the art machine and is piloted by company pilot Ian for the duration of the trip. It’s life will be spent in Kenya and surrounding countries, chartered to tourists and government alike. It also joins his other fleet already in operation. This is also a first for Jim and his wife Lori, and Mindy. They’ve never joined previous delivery flights. 

There will be 4 of us, plus Ian the pilot.  When we get to Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, we will meet up with Caroline, a journalist writing for Spier travel magazine. She will accompany us to Kenya. I’m not a huge fan of helicopters, which probably stems from my first ever ride, a cheek clenching, nail biting sightseeing ride over the Hoover Dam in Nevada back in the early 80’s, piloted by a Vietnam veteran who clearly thought he was still back out there. 

 Ian, a far more relaxed pilot, completed a test flight on it in Johannesburg the day before we set off, which reassured me no end, but other than that, it’s a brand new machine. It was assembled by Eurocopter Southern Africa Ltd (ESAL) at their Lanseria airport headquarters in Johannesburg. This is where we departed from.

We flew overhead Sun City (South Africa’s Las Vegas) on our first day to Botswana, stopping at Maun airport to refuel before heading to Seba Camp in the Okavango Delta. Then across the Zambezi into Livingstone in Zambia, staying at the Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls hotel. I discovered that Ian actually got most of his flying experience doing Vic Falls sightseeing flights. No wonder he’s so good at take offs and landings, he probably did a dozen a day. Jim went up in a microlight, I declined. He pilots his own anyway so he’s comfortable hanging in a strap, or however you manage to stay in it. 

We then crossed to Tanzania staying at different lodges there, one being right on Lake Tanganyika. We got treated to a sunset cruise by the manager of the lodge and the helicopter was parked just a hundred metres away from our cottages. 

It was an incredible experience, especially as we flew over a lot of the ground I covered earlier in 2009 on my overland trip from Cape Town to Kenya. We would land on day 6 at the same spot in Nanyuki that I arrived at 8 months earlier, which took 33 days by road. We flew at 1000’ altitude (300metres) except when flying over game parks where we were required to fly at 2000’. Crossing Lake Victoria from Tanzania to Kenya on the last day was a wonderful experience, as was touching down at Mount Kenya Safari Lodge in Nanyuki, nestled in the foothills of Mount Kenya, on the equator. The early part of the lodge was the creation of Hollywood actor William Holden. Here’s some photos from the trip, and as you’ll see, the first one is of a partially assembled EC-130. 

Every day we flew, we had our on board bar at hand. Jim and I were rum and coke boys, and the girls enjoyed white wine. Obviously, it begged the question from me as to how we would manage any personal needs in flight. This wasn’t exactly a 747 with rest rooms available. Jim merely replied that if we needed to, we would just land at any available clearing. Well, glad to say we never needed to, probably because the range of the helicopter itself necessitated fuel stops or else we just had short flying days. I enjoyed rum and cokes with Jim that progressively started earlier each day and we never even ran out of ice. On one day, we made the mistake of having a wine bottle with a cork so after much effort, we eventually removed it with some shape object or other. Thankfully if all else failed, there was a corkscrew in the baggage hold but that was not in the cabin. 

P

                                                                  The assembly line 

                                               Day 1. Lanseria Airport Johannesburg. 

                                              The flat terrain of Botswana. 

                   Immigration and refuelling at Maun airport in Botswana. Gateway to Okavango Delta 

                                                Landing near Seba Camp, Okavango Delta 

                       This is not something you’d even dare attempt in the bush. This is a tame elephant. 

                                                No corkscrew, no problem.. 

                                               Jim about to microlight over Victoria Falls in Zambia. 

Jim’s previous helicopter. They kept the JIM part of the reg but changed country code. 9J is Zambia

                                                Entrance to our hotel at Victoria Falls, Livingstone 

             Livingstone airport. Ian refuelled elsewhere, using contacts from his Vic Falls flying days. 

                                                  The Luangwa river in NE Zambia

                                                   Overnighting at Mfuwe, Tanzania

                                                               Mfuwe Lodge

Write up and photo of elephant in reception borrowed from Mfuwe lodge website......... Each year at Mfuwe Lodge we have some very special guests that pay us a visit. Whole families of elephants have been regular guests at the lodge for a number of years, visiting between October and December to feast on the fallen fruit from the large wild mango tree. The elephants have become accustomed to walking the same path they’ve always walked, irrespective of the fact the reception is now in their way. 

                                             Our navigator Lori just checking Ian is heading the right way. 

                                               Refuelling stop at Mbeya airport in Tanzania. Refuelled from drums.

                                            Not all of it went in the tank, but seemingly no dramas. 

                                            It is Africa after all, so they don’t do dramas

                                              Stopping at our lodge at Lake Tanganyika 

                                                Fuel preordered for our arrival. 

                                                Tanganyika lake boat ride for sundowners

                                                                         Tabora, Tanzania         

                                     Last refuelling stop before the long haul to and across Lake Victoria. 

                                               Our last lodge in Tanzania before Kenya. Luxury.

First refuelling point in Kenya, after the long run from Tanzania. I was keeping a watchful eye on the fuel gauge, as was Lori in the back. It was pretty low when we got to the other side of Lake Victoria but Ian was the man in charge and I’m sure we could’ve easily flown for another 10 minutes if needed😂

                      Then past tea plantations and vegetable growers on the way to the magnificent.......

                                              Mount Kenya Safari Lodge, worthy of 6* any day. 

                 Perfectly executed touchdown on the croquet lawn, permission granted in advance. 

This is the creation of William Holden, Hollywood actor. His partner Stephanie Power still has a home here in Nanyuki, on the slopes of Mount Kenya. 

                                              Ian, our wonderful Kenyan helicopter pilot and friend. 

                                                      Mindy’s remote home, near Nanyuki. 

                              And a farewell to Lori, Caroline, Jim and Ian after being dropped off

 Regretfully, 5Y-RWR met a sad and extremely premature end in August 2010 at Lake Turkana in Kenya. Fortunately, a low height, manoeuvring accident, and might I add, not flown by Ian, and no casualties. 

I am deeply indebted to Jim and Lori for inviting me to share this incredible journey with them. It was fun all the way, and I wouldn’t even try and recreate it here. This is but a brief snapshot for my own blog. It’s probably not even the sort of trip a huge lottery winner would contemplate, so I know how fortunate I’ve been.  I’ve also been invited to accompany them on another adventure, closer to home for me next time. More to follow later.