Ready, Steady Here I go...



Just trying things out on this new blog...

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Myanmar Part I: Spit, Upchuck & Chew Upon This!

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Myanmar , a largely impoverished country that has been isolated from the rest of the world since 1962 when the military seized control of its government, is somewhat heartbreaking, particularly the capital city of Yangon. It is immediately apparent upon exiting the international airport, that this city is falling apart at the seams infrastructure-wise. The roads are filled with potholes, the buildings are crumbling and the sidewalks? Let's just say that I , the klutziest of klutzes, had to remain constantly vigilant else I find myself tripping over a crack/hole in the pavement. Furthermore, it broke my heart a little every time I walked past an old majestic colonial building that had been tragically neglected since the British were kicked to the curb in 1948. Seriously, if some rich philanthropist à la Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey or Warren Buffett would just hurry up and donate a thousand cans of paint and give these buildings a much-needed makeover, it would make a world of differe...
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We're (NOT) Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!

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BAZ BUSSING (Stop #1): Mossel Bay, South Africa (April 12-16) Before I begin recounting my toothy exploits in Mossel Bay, I would like to offer a few words of explanation on what precisely it means to be "Baz Bussing." Baz Bus is an exclusive South African backpacking hop on/off bus service which allows backpackers, like yours truly, to travel the length of the country conveniently, safely, and fairly cheaply. One can buy tickets for the bus for a limited time period or opt for an open-ended ticket like I did which permits me to travel from Cape Town to Johannesburg (one way), taking my sweet ass time in the process. My flexi-pass ticket also includes a few tours, such as the Cape Peninsula Tour I described in a previous blog entry. One simply has to book a seat on the bus a couple of days in advance but that is NOT a problem for someone as organized anal as me, ha ha. I definitely think that it is an incredible service and hope that other countries hop on the Baz bandwa...
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Overlanding in Namibia Part II

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Spitzkoppe to Swakopmund, Namibia (March 31-April 3) Spitzkoppe (March 31-April 1) Our third day overlanding brought us to Spitzkop, i.e. "the Matterhorn of Namibia." It is an area of great natural beauty consisting of a group of red rocky granite peaks rising spectacularly above the surrounding flat plains. We camped near the largest peak (1787m) and went on a short guided walk of the area in the late afternoon. During our exploratory walk, we were shown some Bushmen rock paintings that depicted different animals. The red color used in some of these paintings was achieved, so we were told, using a mixture of iron and sacrificial animal blood. Umm...lovely? Our guide kept checking his watch and trying to hurry us along for he had planned for us to reach the "rock bridge" in time to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, time was not on our side due to our dawdling so the guide suddenly urged us to " Run! (Forest) Run!! " And off we all went, sprinting towa...
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