During breakfast, which was at 7am, as usual, I suddenly bit into something that felt like an olive stone. But I was eating white bread with butter; no olives. Discreet inspection left me with a gold crown on the tongue. Fortunately, no other teeth seemed damaged and I managed to remove said crown and slip… Continue reading Day 3: Marla to Cilaos
Day 2: Cirque de Mafate – Roche Plate to Marla
We felt somewhat rested after a good night’s sleep and sat down to breakfast at 7am. The light breakfast, Petit Déjeuner, which was part of our package, was ‘interesting’. It consisted of bread, butter and jam; no plates. Coffee was served in cereal bowls rather than mugs. We were not sure if the intention was… Continue reading Day 2: Cirque de Mafate – Roche Plate to Marla
Day 1: Cirque de Mafate – Sans-Souci to Roche-Plate
The day had arrived that we were to embark on our long-awaited trek. I have often imagined it during the past 20-odd years. Knowing that the day was going to a long one we made sure we had a substantial breakfast. At least 9 hours of walking over challenging terrain, according to the itinerary. But… Continue reading Day 1: Cirque de Mafate – Sans-Souci to Roche-Plate
Clockwise around the Island – Hell-Bourg to L’Ermitage
We awoke to a beautiful, clear day and regretted not being able to spend more time in this charming village. We had to get going early as there was a long day’s driving ahead, many sites to visit along the way, and our car had to be returned by 4pm. In April 1977, Piton Sainte-Rose… Continue reading Clockwise around the Island – Hell-Bourg to L’Ermitage
Clockwise around the Island – St Denis to Hell-Bourg
We don’t normally like air conditioning but the night was hot and humid. It was noisy with the aircon on, and with it off there was a lot of ambient noise, so we were up and down until Roger eventually resorted to ear plugs. I was silly not to have done the same. After a… Continue reading Clockwise around the Island – St Denis to Hell-Bourg
Reunion – How it all started
Reunion Island is located in the Indian Ocean, 800km from Madagascar and 210km west of Mauritius. It is a very small volcanic island; an overseas ‘department’ of France and the official language is French. 42% of its territory has been claimed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and they are very focused on adventure travel.… Continue reading Reunion – How it all started
The end of an era, or new beginnings?
Roger had for a long time been dreaming about freedom. Freedom from the ‘flying schedule’. Freedom to travel more and do interesting things. The way the dream would play out is as follows: he would resign from Comair and do a PC12 conversion. That would then be our passport into the world of charter flying.… Continue reading The end of an era, or new beginnings?
The Eviction
It was rather a shock when I realised we are in the 3rd quarter of the year. My mother once said to me “The older you get, the faster time goes!” and needless to say, I did not really believe her. Now I know what she was talking about and I suppose that just means… Continue reading The Eviction
FLOODS, MUD AND FOG – A MT KENYA EXPERIENCE
ONE It is 2 am and I am lying awake, listening to the rain pouring down on our tiny two-man tent, supplied by the adventure company Wild Frontiers. The rain has not stopped since we started our walk up Mount Kenya this morning; in fact, I feel certain it is coming down even harder now.… Continue reading FLOODS, MUD AND FOG – A MT KENYA EXPERIENCE
Going Home (15-16 Aug 2017)
We had coffee and rusks in camp the next morning, packed up and were on the road by 9am, as usual. Brunch was at Wimpy in Francistown. We were looking forward to getting home, as we always do after a holiday. We would be sleeping over at Marakele National Park before the last stretch of… Continue reading Going Home (15-16 Aug 2017)