See It Do It Live It

Spectacular sand and delightful dunes

Posted by in Africa, Namibia, Trip, Uncategorized

I have been lucky enough to grow up in two beautiful parts of England and to live in two beautiful cities, to ski in places with stunning scenery and hike through some incredible countryside. But I was still surprised by the breathtaking views in the Namib desert. A few miles from Swakopmund, all signs of civilisation disappear, and you are surrounded in every direction by bright red sand dunes and bright blue sky. It looks even better than in the photographs. There is a surprising amount of wildlife too –…read more

Swakopmund

Posted by in Africa, Namibia, Trip

It may surprise you to know that the tortoise can hardly walk this morning, because of achy legs, whereas the hare is feeling sprightly! We set off on our 23 hour journey to Windhoek on a Sleepliner. This is the most luxurious coach I have been on, with two levels, loads of leg room and seats that can be fully reclined. We were informed that we would be allowed two fifteen minute refreshment breaks – but only if time allowed! The time passed quite quickly, and I spent most of…read more

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The tortoise and the hare

Posted by in Africa, Cape Town, Trip

One of us climbs mountains like a tortoise, the other like a hare. While the tortoise slowly plods on and never stops, the hare flies ahead but regularly stops for a short break. In the end, both the tortoise and the hare reached the summit at the same time – not sure where the moral is in that story Aesop! It was a pretty steep climb up the gorge to the top, and the wind was blowing a gale. The sign at the bottom informed us that it could take…read more

Rain, rain go away

Posted by in Africa, Cape Town, Trip

The wind is howling and the rain is bouncing off the ground, foiling our plans to climb Table Mountain. Instead we decided to have a lazy morning, catch up with some admin, and wait for the weather front to blow itself out. Unfortunatley, the weather man had other ideas. So we did the sensible thing, and headed to a vineyard. Groot Constantia is the oldest in Cape Town, and for the princely sum of 30 Rand (about £1.80) you can taste 5 of their fine wines. The measures are generous…read more

Cape Town

Posted by in Africa, Cape Town, Trip

On our first day in Cape Town, the sun was shining and there was virtually no wind. It was a great opportunity to see Cape Town at its best, so we jumped in the car with Catherine, Neil and Daniel and headed to Kalk Bay. It is a real melting pot of South African life, with expensive restaurants right next door to a working harbour. As we strolled along the sea front we saw local families setting up under the railway arches, ready for a day at the beach. There…read more

Air Rage

Posted by in Trip

One of the things that makes me very grumpy is air conditioning, or more accurately air conditioning being used to cool a room to a temperature far below what is reasonable. Another thing that I don’t like is terrible customer service. Last night contained a hefty amount of both of these things. However, we landed pretty much bang on time in Cape Town this evening. The sun was shining, it was 25 degrees and the customs officer was hilarious. I think I’m going to enjoy our African adventure. We are…read more

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Dubai on a shoestring

Posted by in Dubai, Trip

I had never really wanted to visit Dubai before, as I didn’t think it ticked any of my holiday boxes, but as it was a stopover on our round the word ticket we thought we might as well stay for a few days. I’m very happy to admit that I was wrong – we have had an amazing time here. And what’s more, we did it on a budget. Couchsurfing is a great way to really get to see a place, as you often stay with hosts who are very…read more

We’re leaving on a jet plane

Posted by in Dubai, Trip

After spending the whole of Sunday packing and cleaning, we decided it would be a good idea to ‘stretch our legs’ before getting on the bus to Heathrow. So we found ourselves crossing Cambridge on foot at 1 am to start the adventure.    Getting to the airport was largely uneventful, but when we arrived we spotted a ‘celebrity’ quaffing champagne with her friend at 6am. We spent some time discussing whether it really was her, or just someone doing an impersonation. This was all quickly forgotten when I spotted…read more

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