Looks like Ipswich got a cool storm last night.
And the webcam caught a great lightning bolt!
And another one of sheet lighning where it looks like daylight though it was 2am.
Tuesday 29 July 2008
Lightning
Looks like Ipswich got a cool storm last night.
And the webcam caught a great lightning bolt!
And another one of sheet lighning where it looks like daylight though it was 2am.
Sunday 27 July 2008
PilanesBerg National Park and Manu. Invasion
Well, I was actually looking forward to the national park more than I thought I would be. It had started as 'something to do' after abandoning reaching anywhere decent on a motorbike in the time available. But the more I though about it, the more I was looking forward to it, and getting some good photos with the SLR-type camera and some HD video.
As I said previously, I paid for a personal guide for the day: Gert has been a guide for the last 10 years since he left the army as a Colonel. He's 64 and knows his stuff. He picked me up at 6am from the hotel, and was a font of knowledge about the animals and knew where the best chance of seeing each was at different times of the day.
Excellent weather, nice breeze, started out cold (2 degrees) but was soon up to 20 by noon or so.
It's a small park by African standards, but still more than 200 square kms, so it's no 'blair drummond'.
It's quite possible to go all day without seeing a single animal, so I was prepared to just enjoy the scenery... if we saw some animals it would be a bonus.
By the end of the day I'd seen White Rhinos, Springbok, Impala, Kudu, Warthog, Giraffes, Gnus, Monitor lizards, Crocodiles, King fishers, Ganets, Herons, Terrapins, Hippos, Eagles and Elephants!
All in the wild ! no cages, no fences, no nowt.. just 200sq km where they can go and do what they want when they want.
Had to do one quick reverse when an elephant decided it wasn't giving permission for its photo to be taken and started coming straight for the car, but apart from that, no probs.
Having Gert on hand all day was awesome compared to the trucks going by full of tourists and was well worth the cash.
Got some good photos I think, and have stuck em up in an album:
I took some HD video too, but I'll need to edit that before I can post it online. I think it should come out pretty well though: the lighting was good, and I shot most of it on a monopod.
Couldn't find any lions unfortunately, and leopards and cheetahs are notoriously hard to spot. But still an excellent day.
Got back at 6pm to find the hotel mobbed! Manchester United are over in SA on a yearly tour and were playing the local team that day in Pretoria (beat em 4-0). The Manu squad were staying in the hotel too, and there was some big dinner thing on, so it was pretty busy/noisy all night with them all partying.
Friday 25 July 2008
Power Cut
Wahee. Just having my first power cut in SA! On the laptop though, so can keep doing some work, and my server is ok too.
They are much less common this year apparently than last year, but clearly still happening.
Earlier in the year it was happening every day. They even have a name for it: 'load shedding'.
Basically every day, each area of SA would get switched for for 1-4 hours every day in order to try and let the power stations cope.
Crazy eh ?
Power is still bouncing on and off here just now.
They are much less common this year apparently than last year, but clearly still happening.
Earlier in the year it was happening every day. They even have a name for it: 'load shedding'.
Basically every day, each area of SA would get switched for for 1-4 hours every day in order to try and let the power stations cope.
Crazy eh ?
Power is still bouncing on and off here just now.
PilanesBerg
Right, saturday sorted!
I have signed up for going to Pilanesberg game reserve:
http://www.pilanesberg-game-reserve.co.za/
It is up near Sun City, about 2 hours from Pretoria.
Rather than faff around with car hire or bikes, etc I have just signed up for a tour.
But for 3x the normal price you get a personal tailor made day, so I went for that.
Get picked up at 6am tomorrow in a car, driven to the park, then I get my own personal tour ranger and car for the day, so looking forward to getting some good pictures.
Pilanesburg is 200 square km, and has all the 'big 5' inc rhino, lions, elephants, giraffes, etc.
Glad I brought the SLR over. And I'll bring my HD video camera too, in case I get lucky and see a hunt or summit.
So, should be posting some cool pictures on sunday (where my plan is to laze aboot the hotel in the sun).
I have signed up for going to Pilanesberg game reserve:
http://www.pilanesberg-game-reserve.co.za/
It is up near Sun City, about 2 hours from Pretoria.
Rather than faff around with car hire or bikes, etc I have just signed up for a tour.
But for 3x the normal price you get a personal tailor made day, so I went for that.
Get picked up at 6am tomorrow in a car, driven to the park, then I get my own personal tour ranger and car for the day, so looking forward to getting some good pictures.
Pilanesburg is 200 square km, and has all the 'big 5' inc rhino, lions, elephants, giraffes, etc.
Glad I brought the SLR over. And I'll bring my HD video camera too, in case I get lucky and see a hunt or summit.
So, should be posting some cool pictures on sunday (where my plan is to laze aboot the hotel in the sun).
Thursday 24 July 2008
Weekend
So, Dunno what I'll do at the weekend.
I looked into hiring a bike and doing the national parks.
Problem is: apparently lions go for bikers. They are about the size of antelopes, and move about the same speed, etc.
So, bikes are banned from parks with big cats. poofs.
It is ok for a few other parks like GoldenGate and Karoo that don't have cats, but do have elephants and rhinos, etc... so not sure I get the logic.. maybe rhinos don't go for bikers ??
But they are both further away that the nearest one (Kruger).. and that was still 500Km away.
So, I reckon that too, is just too far for a weekend driving.
It's only about 500Km to the Zimbabwe border and I considered going up there for an adventure.. go over, become a trillionaire for the day, etc. However a look on the british embassy page shows they are advising against ANY travel to Zimbabwe and telling all current british citizens to leave immediately if possible... poofs.
Weather looks like being ok, and the hotel looks like it is sorting out sunbeds, pool etc so must have hit the 'spring' date over here. So reckon I might just hang about at the pool and listen to some books.
I did fancy the bike hire, but it is gonna be a pain to organise, going down to Joburg, etc and it is not worth doing unless I have a real goal.
Renualt F1 are here sunday down the road near Joburg with a street race thing. But I reckon that'll be pretty boring.
I might have a word with one of the guys here tomorrow and find out where that cooling tower swing thing is. Or there is also a 600m long death slide somewhere which might be a larf.
Possibly hire a car locally sat and do that sort of stuff, the hang about the hotel sunday maybe.
After hearing from my aunty at the weekend about people getting shot dead on a weekly basis for their cars though (only 4 weeks ago my cousins friend was in a car with 3 of her friends and the driver was shot dead in the head, 2 weeks ago another friend of hers was raped 5 times and killed. A bloke fishing last week was shot dead for his tackle box, etc), it sort of takes the excitment away a bit....
I looked into hiring a bike and doing the national parks.
Problem is: apparently lions go for bikers. They are about the size of antelopes, and move about the same speed, etc.
So, bikes are banned from parks with big cats. poofs.
It is ok for a few other parks like GoldenGate and Karoo that don't have cats, but do have elephants and rhinos, etc... so not sure I get the logic.. maybe rhinos don't go for bikers ??
But they are both further away that the nearest one (Kruger).. and that was still 500Km away.
So, I reckon that too, is just too far for a weekend driving.
It's only about 500Km to the Zimbabwe border and I considered going up there for an adventure.. go over, become a trillionaire for the day, etc. However a look on the british embassy page shows they are advising against ANY travel to Zimbabwe and telling all current british citizens to leave immediately if possible... poofs.
Weather looks like being ok, and the hotel looks like it is sorting out sunbeds, pool etc so must have hit the 'spring' date over here. So reckon I might just hang about at the pool and listen to some books.
I did fancy the bike hire, but it is gonna be a pain to organise, going down to Joburg, etc and it is not worth doing unless I have a real goal.
Renualt F1 are here sunday down the road near Joburg with a street race thing. But I reckon that'll be pretty boring.
I might have a word with one of the guys here tomorrow and find out where that cooling tower swing thing is. Or there is also a 600m long death slide somewhere which might be a larf.
Possibly hire a car locally sat and do that sort of stuff, the hang about the hotel sunday maybe.
After hearing from my aunty at the weekend about people getting shot dead on a weekly basis for their cars though (only 4 weeks ago my cousins friend was in a car with 3 of her friends and the driver was shot dead in the head, 2 weeks ago another friend of hers was raped 5 times and killed. A bloke fishing last week was shot dead for his tackle box, etc), it sort of takes the excitment away a bit....
Learning to Drive
Got picked up last night by the hotel from work as usual.
But 2 of them in the car. We pull away and it is immediately obvious that the bloke driving can't. That is... he is all over the road, treats the brakes like an on/off switch, and keeps forgetting to change gear and missing or stalling it several times...
Yup.. they are 'training a new driver'.
Now, you'd think that might mean showing him the best routes through the city, taking him through the paperwork, etc. Oh no, it means teaching him how to fecking drive apparently.
I got about 2 miles and after him driving through the 2nd stop sign without seeing it, I demanded we stopped and either the other bloke take over, or I'd bloody drive, but I'm damned if I am sitting here while some numpty learns to drive a car with me in it.
Quite how they ever thought this was acceptable I can't get my head round.
But 2 of them in the car. We pull away and it is immediately obvious that the bloke driving can't. That is... he is all over the road, treats the brakes like an on/off switch, and keeps forgetting to change gear and missing or stalling it several times...
Yup.. they are 'training a new driver'.
Now, you'd think that might mean showing him the best routes through the city, taking him through the paperwork, etc. Oh no, it means teaching him how to fecking drive apparently.
I got about 2 miles and after him driving through the 2nd stop sign without seeing it, I demanded we stopped and either the other bloke take over, or I'd bloody drive, but I'm damned if I am sitting here while some numpty learns to drive a car with me in it.
Quite how they ever thought this was acceptable I can't get my head round.
Monday 21 July 2008
Richards Bay
Went to Richards Bay at the weekend to see my aunt and Uncle.
I'll write some stuff up over the next few days, but for now, visit the gallery for a slideshow at:
http://powerlord.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=5489927&AlbumKey=FfT7Y
or just go direct to the gallery to browse at:
Thursday 17 July 2008
Sunrise and Sunset
I think I mentioned before how early it gets dark here. Sunset is at 5.30pm.
"Yeh, but it is their winter" you are thinking.
Well, true it is the heart of winter now. But even in their warmest month (january), sunset is at 7pm!
Basically we are still pretty close the the equator here, so the differences in times between day and night are pretty constant, whatever time of the year (i.e. about 12 hours daylight always).
Which takes some getting used to. I remember being in Capetown in October (dark just before 7), and you are so used to summer == long nights to do stuff, that it keeps surprising you when it is dark so early.
Quite a lot of folk seem to start work early all year round (and schools start early), so you get a bit of daylight to do stuff at the end of the day. But it is still a far far shorter day than we are used to getting in our summer... for example, length of day in the UK just now is 16 1/2 hours.
It sort of affects everything you can do, when 6 months of the year you are used to an extra 4 hours of daylight at the end of your working day (even if the weather is rubbish it is still light) which they just never get.
"Yeh, but it is their winter" you are thinking.
Well, true it is the heart of winter now. But even in their warmest month (january), sunset is at 7pm!
Basically we are still pretty close the the equator here, so the differences in times between day and night are pretty constant, whatever time of the year (i.e. about 12 hours daylight always).
Which takes some getting used to. I remember being in Capetown in October (dark just before 7), and you are so used to summer == long nights to do stuff, that it keeps surprising you when it is dark so early.
Quite a lot of folk seem to start work early all year round (and schools start early), so you get a bit of daylight to do stuff at the end of the day. But it is still a far far shorter day than we are used to getting in our summer... for example, length of day in the UK just now is 16 1/2 hours.
It sort of affects everything you can do, when 6 months of the year you are used to an extra 4 hours of daylight at the end of your working day (even if the weather is rubbish it is still light) which they just never get.
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Change of plan
Right, so with stops on the bike, etc you are talking a 12 hour trip there, and a 12 hour trip back.
Which is totally mental. It's mental in a car even with 2 folk to share the driving. It's insane on a bike.
So I have chickened out and booked a flight direct joburg to richards bay. get there saturday 10am, leave at 1600 on the sunday.
Aileen (my neice) has went back to Varsity near Durban so I'll have to drive 100 miles or so down to there to see her either saturday or sunday, so I will see about hiring a bike in Richards bay to do that as it looks like a cool drive down the coast. But failing that, I'll get a hire car.
Even then it will be a 200 mile round trip.. so say 4 hours driving. So that's a nice amount for biking.
Dunno if I'll be able to hire a bike in Richards bay though. But I can but try.
Which is totally mental. It's mental in a car even with 2 folk to share the driving. It's insane on a bike.
So I have chickened out and booked a flight direct joburg to richards bay. get there saturday 10am, leave at 1600 on the sunday.
Aileen (my neice) has went back to Varsity near Durban so I'll have to drive 100 miles or so down to there to see her either saturday or sunday, so I will see about hiring a bike in Richards bay to do that as it looks like a cool drive down the coast. But failing that, I'll get a hire car.
Even then it will be a 200 mile round trip.. so say 4 hours driving. So that's a nice amount for biking.
Dunno if I'll be able to hire a bike in Richards bay though. But I can but try.
Hmm.. it's a long long way to ...
Funny how you look at Africa, and yer sub concious I reckon changes it to 'britain'. So you look at pretoria to Durban and think: aye, thats like london to Brighton.
And you see 600Km but it's km so it doesn't mean much anyhoo.
Oh, and I need to go to Richards Bay, not Durban.. which is another 100 miles up the coast.
According to Brabys Road Map, it is gonna take 9 1/2 hours.
http://tinyurl.com/5d67g3
which is quite a way to drive in a day in any vehicle.. never mind an Enduru Dakar motorbike.
So.. having second thoughts that I have bitten off more than I can chew here tbh.
I'll need to work through it tonight I think.. but I am thinking that 10 hours each way is a bloody long way.. possibly too long to do in 2 days on a bike... might need to think again.
And you see 600Km but it's km so it doesn't mean much anyhoo.
Oh, and I need to go to Richards Bay, not Durban.. which is another 100 miles up the coast.
According to Brabys Road Map, it is gonna take 9 1/2 hours.
http://tinyurl.com/5d67g3
which is quite a way to drive in a day in any vehicle.. never mind an Enduru Dakar motorbike.
So.. having second thoughts that I have bitten off more than I can chew here tbh.
I'll need to work through it tonight I think.. but I am thinking that 10 hours each way is a bloody long way.. possibly too long to do in 2 days on a bike... might need to think again.
Monday 14 July 2008
Bungie Swing
The blokes at SARS think I'm a bit of a nutter with the biking thing. Plus, I suppose, the fact that last time I was here I jumped out a plane.
So one of them showed me something they thought I might like to try today...
Aparently quite closeby there is a closed powerstation that has 2 of those massive concrete water towers.. you know the ones you see with steam coming out them sometimes ?
Well some bright spark has run a steel cable between the tops of them, about 200m apart.
And half way between the 2, at 400 feet high, attached a rope and seat...
so you climb up one tower, grab hold of the rope, and jump of the tower... and feel like you are going to die, until you start swinging all the way over to the other tower, and back again.
Not particularly clear to me how you are supposed to get off right enough.. maybe there is a lake in the middle and you jump or something.
Anyway, if the biking doesn't come off, that will be a definate.
So one of them showed me something they thought I might like to try today...
Aparently quite closeby there is a closed powerstation that has 2 of those massive concrete water towers.. you know the ones you see with steam coming out them sometimes ?
Well some bright spark has run a steel cable between the tops of them, about 200m apart.
And half way between the 2, at 400 feet high, attached a rope and seat...
so you climb up one tower, grab hold of the rope, and jump of the tower... and feel like you are going to die, until you start swinging all the way over to the other tower, and back again.
Not particularly clear to me how you are supposed to get off right enough.. maybe there is a lake in the middle and you jump or something.
Anyway, if the biking doesn't come off, that will be a definate.
Bikes
Looked into the bike hire a bit today. There is a company half way between here and Joburg that do a BMW 650GS for 1600R for the weekend (aboot 110 quid).
So plan is to try and get that delivered to the hotel friday evening so I can get an early dawn start on saturday.
This assumes I go to Durban. I've sent my aunt an email, so I'll have to wait and see if it is convienient for that weekend. If not though, I'll still have the bike and go down to the national parks.. I reckon it will be well cool to drive through the national parks on a bike.. loads of great scenery and wildlife... clearly I'll have to be a bit more careful about where I stop than when in a car if I want to avoid getting eaten by lions or stomped by elephants, but will be a larf anyhoo.
So plan is to try and get that delivered to the hotel friday evening so I can get an early dawn start on saturday.
This assumes I go to Durban. I've sent my aunt an email, so I'll have to wait and see if it is convienient for that weekend. If not though, I'll still have the bike and go down to the national parks.. I reckon it will be well cool to drive through the national parks on a bike.. loads of great scenery and wildlife... clearly I'll have to be a bit more careful about where I stop than when in a car if I want to avoid getting eaten by lions or stomped by elephants, but will be a larf anyhoo.
Security
Just sitting in the bar with the laptop here while my room is cleaned (they forgot to do it today...)
The Sheraton in Pretoria is the sort of best big hotel in Pretoria, so because of that and the fact that Pretoria is the governmental capital of SA (and the embassies, etc are here) it tends to be the place all the world leaders, ambassadors, etc stay when they are here.
I think something or other must be on this week, as the hotel is fully booked.
I've been watching them set up a conference room at the end of the corridor opposite the bar.. security folk, etc all setting up... so they have this security metal detector thing.. you know the sort of doorway thing, folk have to walk through and it beeps if it detects metal, etc...
So they set it up in the middle of the corridor in readiness for the conference delegates.
They spend the next 10 minutes testing it by walking through it again and again with various metal objects... so talking it all seriously.
Finally, the staff all arrive (20+ people) and need to get in. So.. the security guard has a bit of a brain wave and clearly thinks:
"hold on, this security barrier will hold up all the staff, so I'll just lift it up and move it to the side so they can all get in".
Once they all pass, they put the barrier back up.
class.
The Sheraton in Pretoria is the sort of best big hotel in Pretoria, so because of that and the fact that Pretoria is the governmental capital of SA (and the embassies, etc are here) it tends to be the place all the world leaders, ambassadors, etc stay when they are here.
I think something or other must be on this week, as the hotel is fully booked.
I've been watching them set up a conference room at the end of the corridor opposite the bar.. security folk, etc all setting up... so they have this security metal detector thing.. you know the sort of doorway thing, folk have to walk through and it beeps if it detects metal, etc...
So they set it up in the middle of the corridor in readiness for the conference delegates.
They spend the next 10 minutes testing it by walking through it again and again with various metal objects... so talking it all seriously.
Finally, the staff all arrive (20+ people) and need to get in. So.. the security guard has a bit of a brain wave and clearly thinks:
"hold on, this security barrier will hold up all the staff, so I'll just lift it up and move it to the side so they can all get in".
Once they all pass, they put the barrier back up.
class.
Saturday 12 July 2008
Out to SA again!
Well, writing this from the BA executive lounge in T5 Heathrow. It's pretty special. Terminal deserted, and no queues at security.. obviously no flights on sat nights ? Anyway, 2 big lounges each end of the massive glass building for us business types :-) Really nice facilities.. every wine and spirit, beer and fruit juice under the sun..except champers.. no bloody champers.. I think I will complain.. Nice fresh sandwiches, soups, etc. Top nosh.
So now got a couple of hours to kill before the departure, so sitting in a sofa typing this on the free PCs with a glass of chablis.
I notice Gordon Ramsay has a restuarant here. It was empty. But then again, the whole place is empty.. I've never been in an airport during the day when it is so quiet. very weird.
Just watched an AirIran plane take off... could this be a connected fact ?
So, Im off to Joburg/Pretoria for another 3 weeks. 2 weekends to do summit or other... after crashing and burning on the sky diving, I have been thinking of something else I can do.. and today it came to me!
I have an aunt in Durban, which is about 650km away from Joburg on the east cape coast.
I was originally thinking of flying down, but it would be a bit much to go down for the whole weekend in Durban with my aunt and uncle.
Then it struck me... if Mr McGregor can do it, so can I !
Long way round it may not be, but I can still have 2 mini-weekend biking adventures.
So, the plan is to hire a BMW motorcycle (same one as he used) for the weekend, and blat down to Durban, see my aunt, uncle and neice, and then blat back.. so about 1200km in 2 days. Which, if you are a biker you will know is a lot of miles. An awful lot of miles.
But it will take me through the Zula Natal, through some amazing scenery I'd miss in a plane.
Assuming I am still alive, the next weekend, the plan will be to hire a bike again, but this time go to some of the national parks and see some wildlife on the bike.
I've brought my HD video camera, and my bridgeSLR, so I am all gadgeted up to take some good footage. I've even brought my satnav with SA maps, so I won't get too lost.
I've got a seperate bag with my helmet, gloves and leathers in.
Let the adventure begin!
So now got a couple of hours to kill before the departure, so sitting in a sofa typing this on the free PCs with a glass of chablis.
I notice Gordon Ramsay has a restuarant here. It was empty. But then again, the whole place is empty.. I've never been in an airport during the day when it is so quiet. very weird.
Just watched an AirIran plane take off... could this be a connected fact ?
So, Im off to Joburg/Pretoria for another 3 weeks. 2 weekends to do summit or other... after crashing and burning on the sky diving, I have been thinking of something else I can do.. and today it came to me!
I have an aunt in Durban, which is about 650km away from Joburg on the east cape coast.
I was originally thinking of flying down, but it would be a bit much to go down for the whole weekend in Durban with my aunt and uncle.
Then it struck me... if Mr McGregor can do it, so can I !
Long way round it may not be, but I can still have 2 mini-weekend biking adventures.
So, the plan is to hire a BMW motorcycle (same one as he used) for the weekend, and blat down to Durban, see my aunt, uncle and neice, and then blat back.. so about 1200km in 2 days. Which, if you are a biker you will know is a lot of miles. An awful lot of miles.
But it will take me through the Zula Natal, through some amazing scenery I'd miss in a plane.
Assuming I am still alive, the next weekend, the plan will be to hire a bike again, but this time go to some of the national parks and see some wildlife on the bike.
I've brought my HD video camera, and my bridgeSLR, so I am all gadgeted up to take some good footage. I've even brought my satnav with SA maps, so I won't get too lost.
I've got a seperate bag with my helmet, gloves and leathers in.
Let the adventure begin!
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