We are done!

Es ist vollbracht! Alles ist in trockenen Tüchern. Die Geldbörsen sind leer, dafür haben wir im Gegenzug wunderschöne Hotels gebucht.
Bei zwei accommodations gab es sogar großartige Deals, da z.B. das Hotel in Knysna (www.falconsview.com) zwei Huf Haus Kunden gehört und Nick dadurch einen guten Preisnachlass erhalten hat.

Den anderen Deal bekommen wir im Busch in Südafrika. Ursprünglich war ja zuerst die Ngala Buschlodge gebucht, als uns das Reisebüro anrief und uns fragte, ob wir etwas dagegen hätten, wenn sie uns upgraden würden, da eine große Reisegruppe gerne das ganze Camp in Ngala buchen würde. Da ist nämlich Platz für 20 Personen.
In der Leadwood Lodge hingegen können nur 8 Personen hausen, was Vorteile hat, da der Kontakt mit dem Ranger enger ist und man auf den Safaris mehr mitbekommt. Die Lodge ist wunderschön und wir freuen uns, so großes Glück zu haben (die Bilder oben sind aufgenommen in der Lodge und weiter unten im Blog gibt es noch ein Video dazu) http://www.sabisandslodges.co.za/LeadWood.asp

Nick hat gestern auch ein Auto gebucht, denn ohne geht’s nicht. Wir haben nun vier Wochen lang einen Golf 1, der in Afrika sehr populär ist und wieder produziert wird. Mal schaun, wie mein Rennfahrer mit wenig PS unter der Haube klarkommt :)

Gestern haben wir noch einen Booster für unsere Hepatitis A Impfung bekommen und es wurde uns nahegelegt, auch eine Hepatitis B Impfung zu machen, da man wohl als Taucher so was braucht. Müssen jetzt noch zweimal zum Nachimpfen. Keiner hat geweint - wir waren beide tapfer!

Heute in vier Wochen werden wir schon auf unserer Terasse auf Mauritius sitzen und die salzige Luft atmen, das Meer rauschen hören und einfach mal die Seele baumeln lassen.
Freuen uns schon riesig!
Nur noch vier kurze Wochen...

Falconsview Manor in Knysna

Leadwood Lodge

Task completed

It is all done! Feeling a little empty and useless now as a result - but it is ALL booked! First I found a nice accommodation for our sleep-over in Port Afred, on our way to Knysna, my favourite town of all!

Speaking of which - the beautiful hotel we are going to stay in Knysna (www.falconsview.com/) is owned by a very nice couple who own a HUF house on the very chic island Sylt in the German North Sea. They are currently designing their next house in our German headquarters - and I cannot wait to manipulate their layout and tastes when we meet them in December ;-) Oh - and they also own a farm in Tuscany...as one does...well, good people to know I'd say ;-)

But back to us working-class people: so, Port Alfred is booked too, a nice B&B somewhere near the town centre (www.halsteadhouse.co.za/), and run by Wendy who chatted to me for about 20mins today - such amazingly nice people, those South Africans!

In the Drakensberg we will be spending a week somewhere tugged away in a little logcabin, with our amazing friends Neil and Caroline (+1!!! Neil - do NOT call him or her KLAUS, please!!!) and Caroline's lovely family. It will be such a fun and relxing week in the beautiful mountains, lots of sport, chilling in the pool, walking, playing cards, telling stories...CANNOT WAIT!

Originally I had planned for us to drive from the Drakensberg Mountains to Knysna (Western Cape) in one go, until the omniscient internet ever so kindly pointed out that only a mere 1,100 km of South African roads would be ahead of us...that somehow called for a stop halfways.

Oh - and I booked a car! Now - what happened to those good, cheap rates one was able to enjoy in SA?! Not only does the exchange rate suck (€1 buys you a ridiculous ZAR11!!!) but renting a car in SA costs a little fortune! Blessed were those days when I paid ZAR250 per day for a shiny 3-series BMW...so - Golf it is! Main and only requirement - aircon. I am very excited to see how my precious will take to African summer...last time we were there it was Winter, with heating on, blankets wrapped around and logfire burning! Will be a little different this time...

I love the challenge of finding our way around this huge country without the help of a SatNav - so '90s! But my cute little blond navigator will guide me around nicely.

So, what is next? Hmm...need to figure out what is still missing, what needs to be considered, purchased, thought of...any suggestions?

Silvia and I got our Hepatitis A +B jabs today - no tears from either. Two more to go, and we are invincible down there in Africa!

Well, dear diary, I will be back as soon as I found some new task for us to get over these next, ever so long weeks...thinking of it - today in 4 weeks we will have had our first sunny day in Mauritius, indulged on the local beach, sucked in Indian Ocean air, tasted some local cuisine and met our first Mauritians!!! 4 weeks, Silvia - 4 little weeks!!!

Progress Report

Oh dear...cancelling this trip now would cost a LOT of money...so let's keep fingers and toes crossed that all works out! Booked pretty much all accommodations apart from Port Alfred...and they all request a deposit of 100%!!! How much trust must be out there?! So - Namibia...check! Knysna...check! Cape Town...check! Stellenbosch...check! me = poor...check!

And: &Beyond (formerly CCAfrica) who are organizing the Kruger Park and Namibia part (13 - 23 Dec) have just confirmed the flights from Jo'burg to Windhoek...me= even more poor now!

And: bit of a break for the old credit card - &Beyond cannot accommodate us for 4 (rather than the orginally requested 3) nights...our bad...and therefore they had to reshuffle...and have moved us up to the exclusive Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve...and to the amazing Leadwood Lodge www.sabisandslodges.co.za/LeadWood.asp

Sorry to be bragging...but these are VERY exciting news! And it puts me into the very good book with my precious ;-)

So - not that much more to do! Apart to wait for another 4 looong weeks...

Südafrika

Wir werden ja über Weihnachten bei Neil und Caroline, Freunden von Nick und mir, sein. Fahren dann am 27. Januar bis 3. Jan. mit ihnen in die Drakensberg Mountains. Und ab 4. Januar machen wir uns dann Richtung Kapstadt und werden auf der Gardenroute und in Knysna einige Pausen in sehr schönen Hotels machen:

• Port Alfred 3.-4.
http://www.halsteadhouse.co.za/index.htm

• Knysna 4.-7.
http://www.falconsview.com/

• Cape Town 7.-10.
http://www.welgelegen.co.za/

• Winelands 10.-12.
Stellenbosch - http://www.lavenir-lodge.com/

• Winelands 12.-15.
Franschhoek - http://www.lacabriere.co.za/



Und danach geht es am 15. Januar auch wieder zurück.
Aber daran wollen wir jetzt erstmal noch gar nicht denken.

Busch- und Wüstensafari in Namibia und Südafrika

So, jetzt haben wir auch die Zeit von 13. Dezember bis 23. Dezember verplant, wo wir im Busch in Südafrika und in Namibia sein werden. Das Wüstencamp in Namibia wird mit Sicherheit das Highlight unserer Reise werden:

http://www.andbeyondafrica.com/luxury_safari/namibia/sossusvlei/and_beyond_sossusvlei_desert_reserve

Es sieht folgendermaßen aus:

• 13 December 2009 Meet and Greet at OR Tambo International airport
• 13 December 2009 4 nights at &Beyond Leadwood Lodge http://www.andbeyondafrica.com/luxury_safari/south_africa/sabi_sand_game_reserve/and_beyond_leadwood
• 17 December 2009 Transfer from Hosea Kutako International airport to Olive Grove Guest House
• 17 December 2009 1 night at Olive Grove Guest House Garden suite BB http://www.olivegrove-namibia.com/
• 18 December 2009 Transfer from Olive Grove Guest House to Eros airport
• 18 December 2009 Flight from Eros airport to Mokuti airstrip
• 18 December 2009 2 nights at Onguma Plains Camp at The Fort http://www.ongumanamibia.com/
• 20 December 2009 Flight from Mokuti airstrip to Swakopmund airport
• 20 December 2009 Transfer from Swakopmund airport to the Hansa Hotel
• 20 December 2009 1 night at Hansa Hotel Suite BB http://www.hansahotel.com.na/
• 21 December 2009 Transfer from Hansa Hotel to Swakopmund airport
• 21 December 2009 Flight from Swakopmund airport to Sossusvlei airstrip
• 21 December 2009 2 nights at &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge Suite FI http://www.andbeyondafrica.com/luxury_safari/namibia/sossusvlei/and_beyond_sossusvlei_desert_reserve
• 22 December 2009 Sossusvlei Excursion
• 23 December 2009 Flight from Sossusvlei airstrip to Hosea Kutako International airport

Not much to add to that, apart from - that I have now signed life and fortune away to "&beyond" who will hopefully turn that wheelbarrow load of money into one hell of a trip...

Last time I was in Kruger is a mere 13 years ago, straight off the plane from Germany as young, slim, cheeky, big-mouthed Rotary Exchange Student, about to conquer the world. Man, that feels like a lifetime ago...very fond memories. I have never been to Namibia, heard only good things - hence my excitement about the desert life there! Further I am really looking forward to hearing stories and to finding reminiscence about and of the history-laden German South-West Africa period.

How very exciting!!!

New Home Mauritius

Endlich haben wir auch die Wohnungen in Mauritius unter
Dach und Fach. Wir müssen einige Male umziehen, da keine
Wohnung für eine Langzeitmiete verfügbar war, aber so werden
wir wenigstens etwas auf der Insel rumkommen. Hauptsächlich
halten wir uns jedoch an der West- und Nordküste auf, da es dort
eine uns empfohlene Tauchschule gibt.

Air Mauritius will take us on 17 Oct from London to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport of Mauritius. From there we will be collected and taken to the North coast of this wonderful island, to find ourselves a new home, well it is more like 4 new homes in those 8 weeks...

They all look nice and clean, probably rather basic than posh - but it is merely a place to sleep and to chill, and I can be happy just about anywhere you park me - as long as I am with my girl... (*sob*)


18 Oct - 8 Nov BB Studios in Pereybere
http://www.annerose-thoms.de/html/blue_bird.html

8 Nov - 23 Nov Kuxville in Cap Malheureux http://www.kuxville.de/

23 Nov - 30 Nov Ocean Villas in Grand Baie http://www.ocean-villas.com/rooms/contemporary-beach-suites.cfm

30 Nov - 13 Dec Le Cerisier in Mon Choisy http://www.annerose-thoms.de/html/cerisier.html