Have Itch, Will Travel

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 1 Maboneng is a trendy district in Johannesburg ; the streets are lined with hipster cafes , moody restaurants , artisan stalls, and boutiques. There are sculptures in the lanes and murals on the industrial brick walls. Maboneng is also only as big as two blocks and security staff man each entry, making the district a European-style island haven surrounded by dodginess. In fact, it was recommended that we Uber it to anywhere outside of Maboneng, even to another "safe" neighbourhood just 1 km away. We felt stuck and needed to leave, despite the welcome cheap offerings of excellent food and coffee , and planned to navigate our way out of dodge in a surprisingly affordable rental car . After a few nervous wrong turns, thanks to closed on-ramps and an inaccurate map, we raised our arms on the freeway bound for Cape Town, wooting, "Road trip!" Rob had been to Cape Town several years ago and considered it one of his f...

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.

I always wanted to visit Budapest . I had envisioned an exotic and grand city, but strangely, this "vision" had no formed image. I had no idea what its buildings looked like, whether there were mountains or snow, I didn't even know that the Danube River ran through it (wasn't that in Austria?). The extent of my knowledge was this: vizslas, salami, and langos. One can enjoy a delectable, fully loaded, fried bread in Budapest (or Eat Street Markets, Brisbane) We stayed in one of the hundreds of apartment blocks on the Pest side of the city. An enduring memory of mine involves the gridded streets of residential buildings, great concrete things several stories high, seemingly identical but somehow each unique. The clatter of trams and trilling of the overhead wires echoed off the walls, providing regular reminders of our location whenever our minds meandered. We always liked a city with affordable light rail, but discovered a more fun alternative: MolBubi , Budap...

Jeremy Clarkson said it was the greatest road ever made, so naturally, Rob wanted to test the hairpins of Romania 's TransFagarasan Highway. We started our Transylvania loop in the 13th century town of Braşov , and enjoyed the activity in the ridiculously photogenic Piata Sfatului . People slurped on frappes and sucked down gelati under cafe umbrellas as rows of delightfully pastel buildings embraced the cobblestone square. The spires of the ominously gothic Black Church  meanwhile, peered over the goings-on from nearby. Piata Sfatului was originally a marketplace. Before embarking on the TransFagarasan, Rob warmed up our trusty steed for the week, a pure white Renault Clio. The TransBucegi Highway  (Route DJ 713) gave us a taste of the Transylvanian alps as we wound through Bucegi Natural Park , and reached an altitude of just under 2000m. But the 39km stretch was only a primer for the TransFagarasan Highway. The TransFagarasan connects the centre to the south, and wa...