My Christmas In Dunoon, Cape Town

In my home language (Shona, Zimbabwe) we say "Nyama yawanda kudarika huni" ( There is more meat than fire wood), when the meat supply seems to be unlimited. This is exactly what happened on 25 December 2013. This kind of braai party needs only a few preparations and its done. The day is quite memorable especially because the location was an unconventional place to go out to especially during the Christmas day.

Dunoon is a formal settlement but due to the pressure of accommodation, there are a lot of unconventional houses as testified by the picture below. However, when one wants to braai and have the South African Shisanyama then there is no better place. The life style is care free but the enterprising fellows make a living out of this.

I took my one and only son on a tour in the morning to witness the modern Christmas celebrations around the shopping Malls. I had a chance to take a picture of him at a nearby shopping mall.

I then went back home and treated him to a cake while i enjoyed my own grape juice. We say "Pfavira ngoma usiku urefu", (Be soft to the drum, the night is long). When the sun was heatin up, we took the taxi to our destination in Dunoon. Thats where it all happened.

We arrived around midday and the place was already alive. Some early drinkers were already on the high. As I arrived at my cousin's place, I was greeted by the nice scent of meat which was being hit by the fire. I knew that the day had begun.

As a meat lover, I joined him even before greeting others who were there. Thats what the Moyo totem people from Masvingo are known for. The rest will be shown in pictures. All you need is about 200 rands and you could treat yourself to this kind of braai.

Even the young boy joined us to enjoy the braai. 

It is a well known fact that smoke produced by meat is not painful to the eye so we had no problem with him taking his own share.

I leave the rest to my reader's imagination. This happens in Cape Town.

Nox and Macheso from Zimbabwe prove to be crowd pullers in Cape Town

Due to the volatile economic environment in Zimbabwe, many people have left the country, not for greener pastures but for other pastures so to speak. This may be detrimental to the growth of the Zimbabwean Economy but if you ask Nox and other musicians, they will tell you that Zimbabweans in the diaspora are a blessing in disguise. 

It is traditional that before the arrival of musicians, they post their advertisements and that is exactly what these guys did.

The banner says it all, indeed, thanks to Lock Trans Tours, the guys came to entertain their brothers and sisters who are in Cape Town.

The few highlights show how the Macheso guys treats his fans. The pictures are a rapid pick from his numerous shows across the globe.

Macheso is blessed with the rare talent of dance and playing the guitar coupled with a well fashioned multi-tone voice. You might think that someone else is singing behind him. Here he takes the Borrowdale dance while putting on his expensive suite, cab you imagine.

Macheso has a talented group of dancers and they perform some moves which i assume consume quite a handful of energy.

It is clear that these guys really enjoy entertaining the crowd, just check the smile.

When the show heats up, Macheso gets even more miraculous in his trade mark bass guitar playing style, the best ever known in Zimbabwe.

He just seems to get tired so that you can cry for more. 

 Nox Guni this time also rode on the wave with the big ones, he is well known for "mischief" on the stage. Nox originates from Zaka which is well known for producing the legendary System Tazvida. 

This guy is a serious contender in the modern Zimbabwean music scene. He knows and has what it takes to pull the crowd. I bet he will be among the greatest in the music industry. 

He is a bunch of energy and really his combination with Macheso leaves you wanting some more. At the end of the show all you need is a good rest.

You can only have eye witness of how these guys perform if you follow their charts. They regularly feature in Cape Town, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. Just keep checking, one day you might clash with them.

If you cant get them anywhere, then go to Zimbabwe, you will find them one day.

Cheers

A trip to Victoria Falls and Chobe in Botwana.

The travel experience to Victoria falls starts from the time one leaves the airport. The locals are there to introduce you to the great African culture and you really feel at home.

From the airport

You are absorbed by the melody of the African Music as you slide out of Victoria Falls Airport. The dry African savannah smoke hits you with uncertainty; the dancers confront you with the bright African smiles.That’s when it dawns on you that; you are deep in the heart of Africa. Well come to Victoria Falls Fly out of Victoria Falls Soon as you land in Victoria falls a bus will be waiting to pick you up to your hotel, lodge, Camp site or self catering lodges in the middle of the national park. Hotel ranges from 3 star to 5 star depending on what you want to choose. So often wildlife wonders around within eye sight, there could be some random close encounters with pumbas (warthogs) and baboons. Unpack your bags, wind back wonder around to the viewing platform or just relax.

You can be occupied with Tour of the Falls in the morning and the world famous booze cruise above the Falls. One can even take a drive to the local townships. There are plenty of local treats that will keep everyone entertained.

Traditional Dancing Group

Entertainment at the River

Game Viewing

Rhino

Leopard

Buffalo

Water Games

Enjoying the River SIde

White Water rafting

It is a slow start. Could be in anticipation or just a blow from the previous night’s Booze cruise. After a short drive you will negotiate your way to the bottom of the Batoka George and embark into the rafts.

Intensity and numbers of rapids decrease as you move further from Victoria Falls. Start with breakfast, load all your gear into the rafts and paddle down and enjoy some alcoholic beverages as you watch the river disappear downstream and the sun sinking into the horizon. Most of the the camps are on beautiful sand beaches

HWANGE NATIONAL PARK

This park is Zimbabwe's premier game reserve and by far it's the largest . The park is about 14,260 square km in the north east corner of Zimbabwe and is the size of east Angola. The park supports about 300 Giraffe, 2000 Sables, 15000 Buffalo, 6000 Impala, 5000 Kudu, 3000 Zebras, 22000 Elephants, 413 Bird species, 90 varieties of animals and up to 1000 species of tree and shrubs of which over 250 have been identified and recovered. Hwange National Park is one of Africa's finest havens for wildlife and is home to vast herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra and has a very large concentration of giraffe. It is also home to many predators and endangered species plus very large and varied birdlife. The park is situated on the main road between Bulawayo and the world famous Victoria Falls. The Park carries 105 mammal species, including 19 large herbivores and eight large carnivores. Elephant make up the largest proportion of the biomass. All Zimbabwe's specially protected animals are to be found in Hwange and it is the only protected area where gemsbok and brown hyena occur in reasonable numbers. The population of wild dog to be found in Hwange is thought to be of one of the largest surviving groups in Africa today.

Safari

Transfer from Victoria Falls to Botswana border. And there you are met at Kazungula border by operations company, assisted through Immigration Zimbabwe and Botswana side by guides and transferred to the jetty. This includes all transfers to/from Chobe National Park – Botswana

Other Animals to see

Zebra

Girraffe

Botswana Side

THE CHOBE PARK

Chobe National Park, in northwest Botswana, has one of the largest game concentration in Africa continent. By size, this is the third largest park of the country, after the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Gemsbok National Park, and is the most diverse. This is also the country's first national park The Serondela area (or Chobe riverfront), situated in the extreme Northeast of the park, has as main geographical features lush plains and dense teak forests. The Chobe River, which flows along the Northeastern border of the park, is a drinking spot for elephants and buffaloes at dry season. The famous bee-eater is also spotted here, along the river. This is probably the most visited park section, partly because of its proximity to the Victoria Falls. The town of Kasane, situated at the river, is the most important town of the region and serves as northern entrance to the park. You can choose from amongst - Victoria Falls Bungi Jump, Elephant Back Safari, Helicopter Flight, Horse Back Safari, Lion Walk Safari, Gorge Swing and many more. We have a dedicated Activities Bookings Office conveniently located in the middle of town for additional information as well a reliable Internet Café in the same office.

If you are into fishing sport please bring your fishing gear, lots of Big Zambezi fishes can be caught during rafting and camping

Chobe

Thatched

Road map

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Holiday planning Tips

Planning a Holiday Trip to Cape Town, Bulawayo or Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Where do I go ?

Sometimes the name of the place and its history may be very exciting but when it comes to taking a holiday trip, there is great need to know the kind of activities that one can engage in when they get there. The activities are definitely dictated by the weather and the political environment. Cape Town has extreme summer and winter conditions and the activities differ strongly. As a point of advice, it is best to visit Cape Town in summer, you can really enjoy yourself. Bulawayo and Victoria falls are all season destinations though there is need top confirm the weather because it can be highly unpredictable.

Victoria Falls in Pictures

Visited by A monkey

Many times in life we need to be away from our usual environment and explore new places. This can only happen when we plan to take a trip and the trip can last from one day to even several months. There are some basic things which can make or break the trip and these need special attention. The fundamental thing is planning itself. There is a common saying that "Failing to plan in planning to fail", and many times it it comes out to be true .Money is the first thing that should come to mind because without the money there is no trip to plan. Things like the expected activities, who is to be included in the trip and the duration of the trip are also aspects to be considered.

 

How do I get there ?

One of the decisions that one has to make when planning a holiday trip is how they are going to travel to their holiday destination and how they will travel around the place once they arrive. If one stays in the intended holiday destination then there is not much to worry about because they will have the details about the transport options. However, if public transport is to be used, then it is advisable to cross check the transport service for the day of travel.

If one does not stay in the area then enough research has to be done to avoid possible frustrations. For Cape Town, the transport service is far above standard. There are options for road, rail and air transport. To get to Cape Town from other countries and continents, air is the most convenient but is one is in the Southern part of Africa, they can still use road but the travelling distances are very long and sometimes exhausting. There are many international air line services that service the Cape Town International Airport. From the airport there are numerous car hire services which can assist to take you to your chosen accommodation. The car hire service provider can be found on the travel guide websites fro Cape Town.

In Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, it is advisable to consult with your accommodation provider so that they can get you the best deals for air port transfers and car hire services. This is because there are very few operators who can be booked online and during busy days they are normally fully booked.

When one has no option but to fly, then there is need for more research. There are numerous flight booking sights that are there specifically for flights to Africa, Cape Town, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. Cape Town has several direct flights but for Bulawayo and Victoria Falls sometimes one has to take connecting flights. The easiest way is to get a flight to Harare International Airport and then connect to Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. If one has enough cash they can chatter a plane to Victoria Falls from Harare of Bulawayo. The other option is to get to O. R Tambo airport in Johannesburg then connect to the intended destination in Zimbabwe.

When one gets to Cape Town, there is an option to use the Metro Rail Tourism facility but this has to be confirmed because it might not take you to where you want to be exactly.

However, it is best to book for transport in advance or at least get written confirmation about the transport options available before leaving for the holiday destination.

What are the conditions there ?

Personal health is a major point of consideration because , for example, I would not advise an asthmatic person to visit Cape Town in winter. Know your body and choose the best whether to be in. Cape Town has beaches, the Table Mountain, wine tasting festivals, canal walks and sea cruises. The historical Robbin Islands cruises are booked at the Victoria Waterfront in Cape Town. Bulawayo has national parks for game viewing as mentioned above. The Victoria falls is viewed in Vic Falls where one can meet disciplined wild animals in town. Don't run away, they are harmless. In Vic Falls, the Zambezi River Cruise is something not to be missed. You can have a close encounter with Hippos during the cruise. Locals also offer good entertainment on board.

Where do I stay ?

When planning for a holiday it is crucial to plan for accommodation. There are 3 star to 5 star hotels in Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Bulawayo. These facilities give discounts for ling stays and large groups. It is expedient to contact the service provider directly and make the necessary bookings before leaving for the holiday. Written documentation is very important for purposes of reference in case this go wrong. The money spent on accommodation makes the greatest contribution to the holiday trip bill so the aspect needs close attention. You can get online booking facilities to be sure that your accommodation is secured. It would be a bad idea to look for accommodation after arrival. This may work sometimes but may not work during busy times. If no accommodation is available, it is better to cancel the trip than to get frustrated in an unfamiliar environment.

What should I carry ?

If the transport and accommodation have been booked, then its time it's time to pack your bags. You don't need to want to realize that you forgot your passport when you about to check in at the airport, or when you are at the border, or to realize that you left your medication. This can be very worrying and sometimes costly. The activities that you want to engage in are very much dictated by the weather, a dictator that can unfortunately not be unseated. You can check the weather conditions from the registered weather forecast websites. For Cape Town check here, for Bulawayo check here, and Victoria Falls, look here.

If you are crossing international borders, check that you have a passport, a travelling visa and all the necessary travel documents. There might be need for proof of accommodation and funds to sustain you in the place of stay.

Personal clothing depends on the weather and there is need to have comfortable shoes because the type of shoes may affect your holiday. I have mentioned this because I have seen many people holding their shoes in their hands, and this is highly degrading.

A well planned holiday is very refreshing but poor can cause frustration and defeats the purpose of going on holiday. So plan ahead and enjoy your holiday Like I said, " Failing to plan is planning to fail."

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