OF PHARAOHS AND SOUKS

Cairo. The Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx.

The Red Sea. The River Nile.

Theban Hills. The Valley of the Kings.

Aswan.

Abu Simbel.

- image from travel.nationalgeographic.com

That, but in actual fact, there are two reasons for Egypt. One is Peter, the other is Hassan; a promise made that I’ll come visit if by coincidence I’m in the neighborhood.

Coincidently coincidental. I most definitely will not pass this chance.

ZAMBIA - RESEARCH PART 1

Capital: Lusaka
Population: 13 million
Official Language: English (other languages include Bemba and Nyanja)
Currency: (Zambian) kwacha


Truthfully there's little that I knew about Zambia until I started to seriously think about this trip. The only reason why I knew it existed is because it's the other country that starts with the letter 'Z' (the other one is not New Zealand by the way).

I've heard so much about Victoria Falls that is 'somewhere in Africa'.

1. Victoria Falls a.k.a. Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders) ~ I like how cool the names are like the Dragon Mountains in South Africa

Located on the Zambezi River, southern Zambia near Livingstone, it is the largest waterfall in the world. Don't be confused, it is not the highest nor the widest waterfall but the combination of the two make it the largest sheet of falling water.

A visit is a must and so is a photograph. The challenge may just be finding the right spot to capture it at its best.

A more adventurous option is to bungee jump from the bridge. Mind you, if you ask me 5 years ago I'd say yes in a heartbeat. But I'm well past that stage and now I opt for, hmmmm....white water rafting.

Knowing my fickle mind, that may change.

I think I'll die at the monstrous rapids THEN die with a rope around my ankles.

- images from lonelyplanet.com and amazingplaces.onsugar.com respectively

....this piece of info doesn't seem much but I'm feeling a bit lost without the books I left in Kuala Lumpur.

WHERE THE ATLANTIC AND THE INDIAN OCEANS DIVIDE (OR MEET)

 

How can you travel a gazillion miles to Africa and not go to the southernmost tip of the continent?

It's Cape Agulhas by the way, not the Cape of Good Hope, thank you very much.

....the Cape of Good Hope relative to Cape Agulhas....

I'd totally beat the 5th graders if this is a World Geography question :) 

- all photos from Wikipedia

IT'S CHRISTMAS

The research may take a back seat for the time being.

Merry Christmas everyone. Happy new year 2011.

KENYA - RESEARCH PART 1....OK, I CHEATED!

Thanks to Mr. McGregor and Mr. Boorman, I now have a mission in Kenya.

CROSS THE EQUATOR!

There are 6 countries that the Equator passes through in Africa - Somalia, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of The Congo, Uganda and Kenya.

A sign from the Jedi Master ignore you must not....

Note: Ewan and Charley crossed the Equator riding from Lewa to Nakuru in Kenya.

OBI WAN DOES AFRICA!

In the spirit of all things African, I was down at Kino and bought this.

Coincidently, Ewan and his best mate Charley journeyed around every single African country I'm planning to cover, albeit going the opposite direction. Awesome! :)

Hoping to pick up tips from the Master.

The evening ended with a fun catch up dinner with Billy talking about the possibilities of things to come in the 6 months I'm away.

BOTSWANA - RESEARCH PART 1

Time to be moving on to the next country.


Botswana.

Capital: Gaborone
Population: 1.5 million, majority 'Batswana'
Official Language: English (Setswana more widely spoken)
Currency: Pula

1. Xai-Xai (West of Botswana, bordering Namibia)

Described as 'a community-based tourism among Bushmen and Herero herders', this seems to be a promising start to getting myself acquainted with 'the culture'. Alas I found very limited references online, a visit also come in a package. Hmmmm....not my ideal way to getting to know the locals so I'll leave this one until I'm actually there to find out more. Besides, it came with a warning, "If you decide to come, don't do so expecting to meet 'traditional' hunter-gatherers; these days the Basarwa or San (that's Bushmen for you) only dress up for the benefit of visitors."

Looking forward to discovering what's not mentioned in the guide books.



Other than that, it's just a long list of National Parks and Nature Reserves, thanks to the charm of the Kalahari wildlife. One that interests me is the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

2. Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Serowe

Established in 1992, it's another community-run project to preserve Botswana's rhinos, poached almost to extinction in the 1980s.

Activities range from camping to rhino trails to bird watching.

More research needed.

SOUTH AFRICA - RESEARCH PART I

Capital: Pretoria (Tshwane)
Population: 47 million, main groups Zulu and Xhosa
Language: Zulu, Xhosa, English, Afrikaans
Currency: South African Rand

The two destinations to explore in South Africa: -


1. Table Mountain, Cape Town
 It's quite apparent how Table Mountain got its name. It's a flat-topped mountain stunningly overlooking Cape Town. There are several trails for hikers, the other option is to hop on the cable car.


Mission: Photography - Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain; trekkers up Table Mountain

- image from wayfaring.info




2. Drakensberg a.k.a the Dragon Mountains (border of South Africa - Lesotho)
 Another nature walk is to Drakensberg, bordering Lesotho in the West. It's the highest mountain range in South Africa. Frankly, I'm not so sure if we're going to make it to that corner of South Africa but I'm adamant not to miss this if I do.


Mission: Photography - Ancient Bushmen rock paintings; most peculiar life form encountered in Drakensberg

- image from 100destinos.com

SIX

Target destinations in Africa:


South Africa - Botswana - Zambia - Tanzania - Kenya - Egypt

All 6 countries are finally picked from an initial 12 based on these criteria: Visa requirements (none), diversity, accessibility, safety (to a certain degree until I get a real feel of things) and potential.

FIRST-TIME AFRICA

Well, you have to start somewhere....

FOOTPRINTS

When I was 4 years old I started reading the encyclopedia. The first set of books that I indulge in day in day out. Everything I read intrigued me. Everything fascinated me. The smallest of creatures to the tallest of mountains. The people I never meet and the unfamiliar languages they speak. What tornados are like and how snow feels on my face. Discovering the world became a dream.

I've never travelled beyond South East Asia. 

So this year I started devicing my grand master plan to travel around the world and experience every page of the encyclopedia. As of last June, my itinerary include Taiwan, US and Eastern Europe.

One day, Riz appeared at my door and I found myself a travel buddy, a confidant and more importantly, I finally found a companion for the one destination that has been very low in my list. Africa. I never want to travel alone in Africa so I knew I couldn't let this opportunity slip away. In March 2011, South Africa is where I start, moving my way north until I embark on a solo journey throughout Eastern Europe. 

Riz said that the odds are that I may be the only Dayak girl making my way up Africa to Eastern Europe, but I guess we'll have to find out. All I know is that it's going to be a hell of an awesome  journey.

For the most part, Sticky In Africa is where I'll document my travel. It'll be my source of information and where I pen my thoughts along the way. Sticky In Africa will continuously evolved as I go along, eventually picking up photos of my own and real experiences.

I don't know what to expect by the end of all this. Turn this into a book? An independent documentary? Put everything away in a box and fall back to (gasp) routine? For now, I'm taking it one day at a time, just soaking it in.

So this is my journey.

Wish me luck.