GEOCACHING Archives - Page 2 of 2

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

While we were on holiday in Thailand we made a quick dash across the border to Siem Reap in Cambodia to visit the ancient Angkor Wat and at the same time pick up some geocaches along the way and get a new visa stamp when we enter back into Thailand. What immediately strikes you when you cross into Cambodia at Aranya Pratet is that life is quite different from Thailand – different modes of transport, different language (Khmer) and even less English speaking people than in Thailand, more poverty, but all over very friendly people. One thing that does not differ however is the humidity and the heat. We left our vehicle for the weekend in the parking lot at Aranya Pratet and crossed per foot into Cambodia and rented a taxi (which uses gas as fuel) in Poipet to take us to Siem Reap for the weekend. What we… Read more >

A WEEKEND VISIT TO HOGSBACK

During December of 2013 we took a quick pre-Christmas break to Hogsback to celebrate our daughter’s successful academic year. The road took us high up into the Amathole mountains amongst cloud and rain. As we arrived at the beautiful Hogsback Arminel Inn the rain was pouring down and our hopes to do some walking diminished. So we were on to plan B at J R R Tolkien’s place of Hobbits and fairies! Plan B included driving the road (indicated on maps as a normal road, but do not be fooled as this has degraded to a 4×4 track) from Hogsback to Seymour, which was on hubby’s to do list, as well as picking up some caches in the area. However the weather did not have a sunny outlook so we followed the road less traveled through the forest to Keiskammehoek Thanks to Geocaching we passed traditional huts and villages,… Read more >

ZANZIBAR

‘n Spur of the moment besluit die Sondag om die Maandag ‘n vinnige draai by die reisagent te gaan maak om kaartjies te gaan koop en dan Dinsdag op die vliegtuig te wees vat ons Zanzibar toe. Omdat die ander helfte van my in transit moes bly op OR Tambo moes ons die lang roete via Nairobi neem na Zanzibar. Die eiland was al baie lank in my travel bucket gewees en nou was dit ons kans. Gewoonlik is die besige Afrika lughawe ‘n miernes van mense wat kom en gaan en drentel en wag maar vanoggend is Jomo Kenyatta aan die stil kant en ek wonder of dit die gevolg van ebola is aangesien dit ‘n aansluitingspunt is vir vlugte vanuit Wes-Afrika. Maar voort na Zanzibar. Hier op Jomo Kenyatta moet jy amper alles uittrek om deur sekuriteit te kan gaan – skoene, geld, horlosie, belt, oorbelle, enigiets wat… Read more >

BETOWERENDE BOTSWANA

Ons kom Botswana binne by Ramatlabama Hek (06:00-22:00) en kies koers in die rigting van Gaborone en dan oor Serowe na Khama Rhino Sanctuary waar die Botswana regering ‘n teëlprogram het vir swart renosters. Hier by Khama Rhino Sanctuary kwetter die voëls in die bome en die bokke kom loop sommer mak hier om jou staanplek rond in die aand terwyl kos aan mekaar geslaan word en die son rooi sak in die Weste. Gepantser teen die koue en met groot opgewondenheid neem ons my 76-jarige ma, wat nog nooit op ‘n aand game drive was nie, uit in die veld! Wat ‘n belewenis was dit nie vir haar. Absoluut die moeite werd om die rit aan te pak en ouma bo-op die wildkyk voertuig te kry. En soos wat dinge nou maar is, is die geluk nie aan ons kant nie, want as gevolg van ‘n wildtelling aksie wat… Read more >

A WEEKEND IN MONTAGU

An all girls weekend wandering took us to Montagu in the Boland region. The town was named after the former secretary of the Cape Colony, John Montagu. It was also known as Agter Cogman’s Kloof. With its picturesque setting Montagu is famous for the mineral springs nestled on the verge of the town, impressive rock formation as you drive westwards on the R62 towards Robertson, outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and rock climbing, good food and local wines and of course the Montagu Dried Fruit Company. We used Paul and Shirley’s Koo Karoo Cottages as our base and explored the town and surrounds. Our first wandering took us to the Old English Fort – declared a monument in 1999 – perching on top of the “tunnel” in Cogmanskloof about 4 km from Montagu as you drive towards Ashton on the famous R62. The fort was built by stonemason William… Read more >

A VISIT TO BANGKOK, THAILAND

It is holiday time – where shall we go? So I bought the tickets, meet up with hubby at OR Tambo and off we go via Doha to Bangkok to do a double take on this – see some family and see where the road leads us for the next 28 days! As we were picked up late at night at Bangkok airport by the relatives you realize that you are in for a hot and humid couple of weeks. Luckily we packed light. Bangkok is a big sprawling city which is literally sinking away a couple of centimeters every year – or is it the sea level rising? – with a lot of bling that is constantly in your face. As we were staying in Rangsit we set off by bus, train, taxi and a long boat to explore downtown Bangkok with a local resident. The shops are… Read more >