Have Itch, Will Travel

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 4 Most people who visit rate Cape Town highly, so I was curious to discover what carried Cape Town over other big cities. Apart from the dominating Table Mountain backdrop (on a clear, fogless day), we found that it didn't offer much more than any other city. The colourful neighbourhood of Bokamp is photogenic but there's not a lot happening. There were cafes , bars , restaurants , and shopping malls as you would expect. The bulk of tourists seemed to congregate at the V&A Waterfront , a harbour area rejuvenated into a large, muddled tourist trap of full-priced boutique shops and restaurants. A nearby " market " proved a disappointment as gullible tourists gathered under the white marquee to dine atop fake grass and pallet furniture, paying top dollar for dressed up pancakes and smoothies marketed as organic, vegan, gluten-free, or subscribe to some sort of eco-friendly/health fad. The best of Cape Town was...

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 3 After a few heavenly days in the stunning Drakensberg Mountains and surrounding countryside, we headed towards the coast. The mountains slowly gave way to the hills, though the Renault Sandero still struggled up the long ascents. We passed through a few small villages and towns, the latter of which were chaotic messes of people roaming amongst a makeshift marketplace along the highway. Over the final pass, we saw the coast laid out in front of us, the salty mist blurred the horizon. Our street dog escort leads the Wild Coast hike. Port St John's impressed upon me a laid-back beach town inhabited by hippies and street dogs, far too grungy to be comfortable in. Fragments of smashed beer bottles glittered in the gutters, suggestions of recklessness and violence that have never appealed to me. Instead, Rob and I took to a hiking trail that linked the empty white beaches . The narrow path was beaten into the soft side of the coas...

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 2 The further we drove from Johannesburg, the more relaxed we felt. It was not long before the urban landscape transformed into yellowed plains, and we settled in our seats for hours of scenic driving. After every pass, and around each corner, we gaped. South Africa was showing off her striking mountain ranges , hazy in the distance, the fields etched into her hillsides, village houses scattered amongst the farmland , and people, people everywhere. Near the villages, it was a regular sight to see school children walking along the road, regardless of the time. A poplar-lined dirt drive led to a gate that was the entryway to our country escape in the Drakensberg Mountains . It was a small lodge with a wraparound patio, and the most difficult decision to make was where to sit with a coffee and breakfast. Bushland bordered one side of the grassed property, and the rest were endless fields of who-knows-what, and no one to be seen. This was how ...

The tourist town of Victoria Falls is named for the 3km wide waterfall that has a coveted place on the Seven Wonders of the Natural World list. Victoria Falls additionally offers a range of adventure tours including rafting, bungee jumping, microlight flights, helicopter rides, and game tours of the neighbouring Chobe National Park . It is no wonder then, that it is one of the most popular destinations in Africa. The tour websites, magazines, and pamphlets paint a pretty picture of the town, but on the ground, it is a different story. Crocodiles, hippos, buffalo and elephants are some of the wildlife in Botswana's stunning Chobe National Park. The town appears to see very little of the tourist dollars that pour in. There is no street lighting, and limited public space and amenity. Some people believe that a lack of local government is to blame, though an internationally famous attraction might still be expected to garner closer federal attention. Private tour companies...

It was another race, this time against the setting sun. We climbed Elim Dune steadily, slowly, though our hearts beat fast with the effort. "You realise we're doing exactly what Gabriel told us not to do?" puffed Rob when we stopped for a breath. Our guide, waiting at the foot of dune, warned us that we had started too late to reach the summit for sunset, and that to pursue the top would result in disappointment after disappointment. It was practically a dare, and we set out in earnest. Gabriel was right, though, because each time we reached the "summit", we discovered a point still higher. "There!" I could see a handful of people in the distance, sitting and taking selfies. Surely that was the summit! We made a quick assessment of the sun's position and ventured on, finally reaching the summit just before the sun disappeared. We watched it with a sense of accomplishment, and then turned around. We had come a long way. It was now a race against th...

Cold, dry sand poured into my shoe, cramping my toes as they filled the spaces between with every step. My quick breaths were coming out in little puffs, keeping time with the uphill march. In the shadow of my face, the dense mist formed dew drops on my eyebrow and eyelashes. I was half frozen, and half glowing with warmth. My peripheries were numb, as was my shaded right half. But internally, I was on fire, my lungs and legs burning as they pushed against the soft sand only to gain an inch. I turned my focus from my disappearing feet and looked ahead at the line of hikers ascending Dune 45 in single file, as if balancing on the edge of the dune. We were all steady in pace, occasionally glancing at the lightening sky. Soon, the sun would break from behind the mountain and chase away the fog we were rapidly rising from. We were racing the sun to the summit. This was the way of Namibia . You were either racing or chasing, or endlessly waiting. "We must be fast with breakfast,...

This was my first visit to Europe. I was keen to witness the great cities with architecture of the old civilisations and the intricate façades of the monarchist periods. Bosnia and Herzegovina provided that first real taste, then Hungary and Romania. By the time we arrived in Poland, the excitement had turned to numbness and the remainder of our Europe leg seemed more of "in-passing" stopovers. Big cities were still just big cities, despite their beauty. We had enjoyed some of the best, in our opinion, and were no longer interested in the mediocre or sameness. Instead, we looked for unique experiences, finding Poland's WW2 history far more moving than Krakow's ancient skyline, Prague's Technology Museum thrilled us more than its over-touristed Old Town and Castle, and Berlin's enormous Tiergarten park was the highlight of our visit there. We needed to leave the cities of the First World and get back to nature. Our next stop was to be Namibia.

Unsatisfied with Ulcinj , we sought a Montenegro coastal town worthy of the praise we had heard. Kotor was it. A small tourist town set at the end of an elongated fjord-like bay, Kotor was dwarfed by cliffs and mountain ranges. The cold green water saw cruise ships daily, and international tourists flooded its immaculately reconstructed Old Town to get lost in its labyrinthine cobble stone lanes. A photographer's dream, the Old Town was also the site of fine food , coffee , and souvenirs. Just beyond the city walls, one could take a boat trip, swim , ride a bike , or simply sit at the water's edge to take in the landscape. We decided to hike . We climbed up to the mountain ridge across the bay, each switchback providing a more inspiring view of Kotor and its surroundings. At the top, we found abandoned buildings from the old Yugoslavia days, including the eerie Fort Vrmac . Its dark concrete chambers were strewn with rubble, and rusting iron fittings jutted from the wal...

We expected to simply pass through Albania during the Balkan leg of our trip. The neighbourhood known as Blloku in the capital, Tirana , surprised us with its modernity, bar and cafe culture, an d buzzing lifestyle. Nearby, public green space was available for the more active citizens. A mix of shaded forest with trails, farmland, and an immense artificial lake, Grand Park offered a place for thousands of locals to run, walk, cycle, exercise, and picnic. It was surprising then, to learn that the country had only begun to emerge from an isolated Communist state in 1985. Communism finally collapsed in 1992, but the newly optimistic population was swept up by a pyramid scheme, and its inevitable failure led to riots and a civil war in 1997. Since then, the country has been finding its feet, obtaining NATO membership and more recently vying to be part of the EU. Our admiration and fondness for the country and its progress grew from out of nowhere. Bunker by Lake Shkodra that we f...

Or, Balloons Enjoyed Three Ways  Our overnight bus trundled into the sunrise, the broad horizon grew more defined as the minutes passed. I wondered where we might be. There was always a worry of sleeping through our stop. I nudged Rob, hoping for a position check on the GPS map, but he was confident that the bus attendant would provide warning. Outside the window, several blocks of high-rise apartment buildings stood awkwardly in the middle of the desert. Who would live there? Why would they live there? I was mid-thought when they appeared. As the high-rises slipped out of sight, a hundred hot air balloons were revealed, hovering in the distance, looking like colourful defects in the sky, little floating map pins marking our destination: Göreme, Cappadocia. We drew nearer and circled under the balloons, and they seemed frozen in the air, as if a magician had suspended time to allow us to view all angles of the spectacle. Every inch the bus moved was a new vision, and the breaking...

The Lycian Way is a continuous hiking trail along 500km of Turkey's southern coastline, starting from Ölüdeniz and ending in  Geyikbayırı (near Antalya). It is named after the ancient Lycian people who inhabited the coast from 1200-1500 BC until the 7th to 9th centuries AD, when the culture and population declined due to earthquakes, war, conquests, the introduction of Christianity, and the plague. Remnants of the ancient culture can be found along the trail in the form of city ruins and sarcophagi. In 1999, the trail was researched and marked by Kate Clow, and has since attracted hikers from around the world. View of Ölüdeniz from above This post outlines some tips and lessons learned from personal experiences. You may find them useful if you are interested in hiking the Western section from Fethiye to Alınca, and I highly recommend that you do! Context Route: Fethiye to Kabak trail and then a Kabak - Alınca - Kabak loop Time of year: April Weather: no rain,...

Image of cliffs between Kabak Beach and Al ı nca courtesy hiker "suntrail" at wikiloc.com The toe of my hiking shoe nudged the small rocks to reveal a stable stone surface at the exposed edge of the boulder. The overdrawn clatter of the rocks as they fell was a reminder of how high we were. Keeping my eyes forward, I groped for a secure handgrip and scoured the boulder surface for my next foothold. We had been hiking uphill for a good hour along a lesser-used trail on the coast between Kabak Beach and Alınca when the trail stopped at a rocky cliff face. After a mutter and scratch of his sweaty hair, Rob started to scale the cliff, having seen no alternative path, and was now two metres above me. "I don't know which way!" he called out, clinging to the rock awkwardly. My eye caught sight of a red and yellow marker, painted in the centre of the cliff face, as apparent as our deaths should we put a foot wrong. This was indeed the way of the trail. "U...

I had promised Joe that I wouldn't be away from Peru too long, and was determined to make it back to Lima by my birthday. I had six days left; the last three needed to be allocated to the full three day bus trip from Buenos Aires to Lima, so I was left with just three days to experience the Falls on both the Brazilian and Argentinean sides, as well as allow for overnight stays to get buses. It seemed like an impossible task, but I was to have a few lucky days. I finally arrived in the town of Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil at 2:30pm. I thought it was too late to see the Falls and had all but decided to find accommodation for the night. Before I left the bus station, I went to the tourist information desk for details on how to get to the Falls and they said I still had time today. What the hell! I thought. I jumped on the next shuttle and was pleased to see that the visitor's centre had lockers where I could stow away my pack and be free to wander. The Falls were just incredible....

The tour to the Valley of Viñales was a lovely, relaxed one. We stopped over at a cigar factory in a small town where some of the famous exports were made and subject to rigorous quality control. This was explained to us in the small building where the skilled workers waved bundles of stolen or rejected cigars at us from under the desks when the officials weren't looking. Outside too, were locals trying to attract our attention like drug dealers on a main street, to sell us fakes or rejects. We passed a lot of beautiful scenery like tobacco farms, rolling hills and palm tree groves on our way. After a glass of fresh cane juice , we went for a walk through a dark limestone cave that ended with a short boat ride out on the little river. Then, headed towards the love-it or hate-it Prehistory Mural , we passed between two cliffs where stalactites were visible on the faces. Apparently, the whole area was once an enormous cave that had since collapsed, and the stalactites are eviden...

At the hostel, I met Lacey and Isaac who recognized me from Lanquín. I realized later that they were the couple who stayed in the dorm next door, but had left the day after I had arrived. On the island as well were more of the gang from Lanquín and Flores. Caye Caulker was what I had been hoping Bocas del Toro would be. You could see the gorgeous water as you strolled down the sandy main drag while rastas rode by on their old skool white walled bikes and golf buggy taxis trundled about carrying tourists. Though hugely touristy, it never felt crowded and maintained its chilled out vibe. A great part of this vibe had to be credited to the rasta type folk there who spoke their pidgin English. Dreads were worn everywhere, sometimes tucked under big knitted hats. While Isaac spent the day diving at the legendary Blue Hole, Lacey joined me and Nicole on a Raggamuffin snorkeling tour of Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Reserve. As soon as we arrived at Shark Ray Alley , the fish appeare...

From Lanquín, nearly everyone was headed to Flores , and I took a shuttle with the people from the caves (not cave people, but the four I did the bat cave tour with) to the tiny island. It's a cute touristy place with nothing to do but walk around and go for a dip in the lake. It is so small that if you stand in the main plaza at the center of town, you can see the edges of the island from each of the four sides of the square. The hostel Los Amigos was pretty nice and had amazing vegetarian food. There, I met more people from Lanquín, crazy Canadian girl Cathy, and later met up with Nini again and her friend Asaf. It was lucky that when the shuttle first dropped us off we managed to get accommodation without having booked ahead. Nick and Suzi got their room, but there was only one dorm bed left. Tom graciously gave it to me and took a hammock for the night. If you're headed that way, it might be a good idea to book a bed. Some people recommend taking the pre-dawn shuttle ...

It was difficult to resist the promise of thousands of bats flying over you as they exited their cave. Maybe I should've gotten my rabies shot. But I joined the Lanquín Cave tour with Nick, Suzi, Caroline and Angel. We explored part of the enormous limestone cavern and our guide pointed out the usual formations in the stalagmites and stalactites. Having seen the Reed Flute Caves of China, I wasn't terribly impressed. If you've seen one limestone cave, you'll have seen this one. But it had bats! So we sat at the mouth of the cave at dusk and the lights were turned out. A few started early and quietly left the cave, but not long after, there was a steady stream of tiny bats fluttering over us. They were so quiet, you could hardly tell that they were about if not for our camera flashes and torch beams. In fact, they were so quiet we didn't realize that they weren't just flying over us, they were also flying about us. But Suzi felt one brush past her head, a...

On a tour organized by El Retiro Lodge , the group was herded into the back tray of a truck and headed to the Kan'Ba Caves . We each stripped down to our swimming gear, were given candles, and followed our guide into the cave where an underground river flowed. We started by wading about single file in candlelit darkness, but soon, the floor dropped and we found ourselves swimming with one hand in the freezing water while trying to keep our candles aloft. Submerged rocks scratched at our feet, but it was all worthwhile to be able to bomb dive into limestone pools, slip down into the water on a smooth limestone slide, scramble over rocks and scale a wall with a rope against a waterfall. We emerged from the cave shivering and pleased with the little adventure. After that, we did a bit of tubing in the Cahabón River , all linked up and giggling. Then, it was a short trip to Semuc Champey , the reason we had come to Lanquín in the first place. There was a difficult hike up to th...

I jumped into the back of a shuttle headed for Lanquín and when we stopped for a toilet break about an hour or two outside the small town, our driver got on his phone to confirm everyone's room bookings. "It's the weekend, so even if you have booked, it is good to confirm just in case," he said. Hmmm, I thought. I had lost track of the days and knew that I should have booked for a weekend, but didn't realize that it had crept up on me. Fortunately, the driver offered the phone to those who didn't already have a booking. So I spoke the person on the other end, not knowing what the name of the place was, where it was or how much I would be parting with. My only consolation was that it was the same place that several of the other backpackers in the shuttle were staying. I asked the German girls, Christiane and Rebecca, what the place was supposed to be like. They told me it was called El Retiro Lodge and assured me that they heard it was great. And it was....

The only reason I went to Santa Elena was to do a canopy tour . I'd never done anything like it before and was keen to try it in one of the best places to do it in the world, Costa Rica. There were many operators, each offering different kinds of experiences like rappeling, abseiling down waterfalls, hanging bridges and whatnot. I went with 100% Aventura which was pretty good. We sailed over valleys and fast through the tree tops. There was also a rope bridge and 10m drop on the rappel which produced the best reaction from one of the Dakotan guys: "Gaaahh!" Classic. The features of the tour though, were the Tarzan Swing and the Superman cable. The Superman cable was a superlong, superfast cable from mountain to mountain while suspended face down. Unfortunately, I wasn't heavy enough in the high winds and showers that day, so I had to tandem with someone else who was too light. It was still brilliant though. The pulleys screamed all the way down and the views f...