But For the Sky

Month: November 2011

  • Yum: Amarula

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    Claudia
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    Within a few minutes of leaving the Kruger, we spotted a sign telling us that The Birthplace of Amarula was only a mere 13 km away. For those of you who are not familiar with Amarula, it is the second most popular cream liquor in the world (Bailey’s is obviously first, and frankly I can’t…

  • The Kruger

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    Claudia
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    Our final stop in South Africa was the famous Kruger National Park, world renowned for excellent game viewing. Some people had suggested we spent as long as a week in the park because it is so large and the landscape so varied, but we put aside three days and in the end it was the…

  • Weekly Twitter Updates

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    Us
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    After a really tough 2 days of travel w/ 9 different forms of transport incl hitch-hiking & < 3 hrs of sleep, we're happy to be in #Malawi #

  • Weekly Twitter Updates

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    Us
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    I gave Nick a haircut the other day & he shaved all facial hair last night. He's looking fresh out of high school! # Starting the 2 or 3 day bus trip to #Malawi tomorrow. #Mozambique has been fun, but Malawi is supposed to be amazing (and a lot cheaper!) # Really want to go…

  • The Amphitheater: “South Africa’s Best Day Hike”

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    Us
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    Note: for no particularly good reason, we split the narration up between us. Claudia goes first: Claudia’s Part After our excursion in Lesotho, we made our way to a lovely backpackers’ called Karma in the “Northern Berg”. It is the closest to the start of the famous Amphitheatre day hike, which was the main reason…

  • Pony Trekking in Lesotho

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    Nick
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    Lesotho is a bit of a geographic anomaly: a country smaller than the state of Maryland, high in the mountains and surrounded on all sides by South Africa. It was founded in the 19th century by the charismatic leader, King Moshoeshoe, who led his people into the mountains and negotiated a peace settlement with the…

  • Weekly Twitter Updates

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    Us
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    made it to #Maputo in one sweaty piece. I suppose we should've known Africa would be hot. Heading to #Tofo beach in the next day or 2! #Moz # on the bus to Moz. already missing our rental car that left on time & didn't stop every 30 minutes or force us to watch Fast…

  • The Wild Coast

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    Claudia
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    Having had our temporary fill of the mountains in Hogsback, we headed yet again for the coast to a backpackers’ called Wild Lubanzi. Yes, this is the third place we’ve stayed whose name starts with the word “wild”, but this backpackers is perhaps the only one where the adjective is 100% spot on. It is…

  • Hogsback: Living Off The Grid in the Amathole Mountains

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    Claudia
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    We came here on the suggestion of Ola, the daughter of the owner of Wild Spirit Backpackers’ (the same lovely lady who gave me an awesome haircut during our stay there). As usual, our Lonely Planet book was brief on the Amathole Mountains, but one interesting tidbit we did learn was that Hogsback was a…

  • Addo Elephant National Park

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    Us
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    In the 19th century, due to sport hunting, expansion of local farms, and a growing brickmaking industry, the population of elephants in and around Addo, South Africa dwindled from a peak in the many thousands to just a few hundred, and lions and rhinos were killed off completely. Under the pressure of agricultural interests, in…