GEOCACHING Archives - TRAVELBUCKET

THE TALE OF THE SACRAMENTO

Like many old artefacts there is a story behind the story and so does the Sacramento canon also have a back story. This canon was on the deck of the Portuguese galleon Sacramento when it ran aground on 30 June 1647 off the coast of Port Elizabeth – for those of you who do not know Jan van Riebeeck only arrived in 1652 in the Cape of Good Hope so five years prior to old Jan setting foot ashore at the Cape of Good Hope. What caused the disaster and how many people were aboard the Sacramento is unknown, but 72 made it to shore. After 10 days the group decided to walk from Port Elizabeth to Maputo – which is about 1 300 km away by the way – from where they planned to get a ship to Europe. It must have been hostile and wild country back then… Read more >

SOUTH AFRICAN BLOG AWARDS 2018: BEST ENVIRONMENTAL BLOG

It is official! Travelbucket was awarded the title of Best Environmental Blog during the 2018 South African Blog Awards! A full list of all the winners and runners-up in all the categories is available here. We are still stunned! We woke up one day, going about our business to save the planet one plastic piece at a time, when suddenly, we were hit by the big surprise of the announcement of the Category Winners and the Runners-up. Not in our wildest dreams could we ever hope to achieve something like this. Blogging is not about winning, it’s about sharing and learning from others. Travelbucket is a true reflection of our everyday adventures as a family. A family who has a passion for nature and it’s wildlife. We appreciate the fauna and flora that we are blessed with. Yes, we do set goals for ourselves. We do have Bucket Lists on… Read more >

HOW TO ACT AROUND WILD ANIMALS

Your trip is planned and you are about to set off on your overland trip! Excitement is big and contagious, but on the other end of the scale you are also a bit nervous as you are unsure how to act around wild animals. Let me, as an experienced and seasoned African traveller, give some basic do’s and don’ts when you are out there: Zip up your tent – no matter how hot it is in side, zip up for various reasons. It keeps out bugs, mosquitoes and slithering things like snakes. A lion will not bother you in your tent. They do not realise that they can rip open the canvas with a quick stroke of the paw and no, an elephant will not trip over your tent. Elephants are amazingly gracious when they walk. When you go to bed stow all food (and garbage) either in your tent… Read more >

FOREST LEGENDS

While everyone else was hanging out on the beach for the first day of January 2016 our family went to visit the Forest Legends Museum on the gravel road as you traverse the Prince Alfred Pass from Knysna to Uniondale. What a pleasure to drive through the damp forest and then unexpectedly arrive on top of the hill at the coffee shop. It was a lot busier than we expected. Families with grannies and young children were having something to bite in the shade of a tree, others were taking hikes and on the decks families camped out and were just relaxing and enjoying nature. This is far from the maddening crowds and cell phone towers. First we ordered something to eat from the coffee shop – a vetkoek stuffed with curried mince, a home made hamburger and toasted bacon and egg sandwich washed down with delicious home made gemmerbier. … Read more >

CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE (CKGR)

We were camping in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) in Botswana. It was our first visit to CKGR and I did not know what to expect at all. I expected barren, flat, open areas with sparse vegetation. How pleasantly surprised I was! The Kalahari was not green, but the yellow grass was waving in the wind and trees dappled the hills. After filling up at the Shell Petrol Station in Rakops (only three pumps for different types of fuel. We could luckily fill up before they ran dry a couple of days later. Thereafter, we set off on the sandy road leading to Matswere gate. After driving about 500 meters we decided to deflate the tyres to enhance a more comfortable and easy ride on the corrugation with the fully laden bakkie. As you have to be self sufficient in all aspects, we took 40 litres of diesel and… Read more >

FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE

With the ongoing ebola outbreak in West Africa I am pretty sure most of the world now knows where the once forgotten Sierra Leone is located. My first experience of Sierra Leone in 2011 was ten years after a bloody civil war (1991- 2001) and before the horrendous ebola outbreak in 2014 which is the largest in history. Sierra Leone – a struggling country filled with friendly people with warm and welcoming hearts. Crossing Africa on my flight from Johannesburg (via Nairobi and Accra with Kenya Air) to Freetown I sat next to a proud soldier who was on holiday from Afghanistan. He was super excited to see his family back home in Freetown after an absence of three years from his home country. His eyes were shining bright and he could not wait to put his feet on home soil and hug his family once again. Oh yes, and… Read more >

GRYSBOK TRAIL @ NMMU

It was an early rise and shine on a Saturday morning for a walk on the Grysbok trail. The whole of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) campus was declared a Private Nature Reserve in 1983. The 830 ha is dominated by the St Francis Dune Thicket vegetation. This fynbos vegetation is highly threatened due to agricultural clearing and coastal development. Despite some problems with invasive Australian Acacias the vegetation is in very good condition. The trail meanders through the reserve, providing opportunities for observing the exciting fauna and flora of the area. Do take time to visit the reserve on different times of the year to experience the whole spectrum of the flora and fauna. There are two trail options that can be walked, a 3.2 km or a 2.5 km loop. Both trails cover relatively flat terrain and are suitable for moderately fit people and no bundu… Read more >