The last country on the itinerary during this wonderful trip to Southern Africa is Zimbabwe; formerly known as the bread basket of the region but now a country devastated by a collapse of the farming sector, chronic shortages of food and fuel, hyperinflation and massive levels of unemployment. Tourism levels have also plummeted in recent years due to instability and violence, but as a humble blogger I will leave further political comment to the politicians, and simply share as always my travel experiences. The previous journal left off in Livingstone, constant reader, on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. I farewelled most of the safari group, and went to the Zim border where I had to fork out a hefty…

Zambia is acknowledged as one of the world's safest places to visit, and is home to friendly people. The country boasts the majesty of the world's biggest waterfall in Victoria Falls, the wild Zambezi river, and world class game reserves. These attractions make an impressive tourist package, and to continue from the previous journal ... our safari team kept rolling on! We reluctantly left the gorgeous Okavango Delta in Botswana and piled into the truck to drive to the final destination in our eight day safari. We crossed the border into Zambia and finished our safari at a quality hostel in Livingstone, the town on the Zambian side of the awesome Victoria Falls. We checked into the hostel mid afternoon,…

Botswana is a genuine African success story, dear reader. It's a big, dry country that sits astride the Kalahari desert; the biggest continuous area of sand in the world. This country of less than two million people is home to a stable democracy, abundant resources and the breathtaking natural scenery of the Okavango Delta, without a doubt one of the most sublime places on Earth. As we continue the adventures from the previous journal, Botswana features as the next destination on our great African safari. The Chameleon tours team crossed the border from Namibia in the safari truck to be greeted at an extremely remote and desolate border by laid back customs officials, who chatted amiably while all our team's…

Namibia is a country of great contrasts and wonderful tourist attractions. Situated in West Africa and bordering South Africa, Angola and Botswana, the country of wide open spaces is home to two million people. Famous for the Namib desert including the awe inspiring sand dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia also features Etosha National Park, one of the most famous game reserves in Africa. I began my visit by flying into the capital Windhoek from Cape Town, and was immediately struck by a sense of vastness on arrival at the airport. What's the John Dory with that, I mean this airport is in the middle of nowhere! So anyways I piled into a taxi, dear reader, and my man thundered along the…

I'd been watching African wildlife specials on the telly, dear reader, and my desire to visit the dark continent was building to a crescendo. There's a famous song in Australia that goes ... football, meat pies, kangaroos and holden cars; but it seems that Africa can go one better. The prospect of spotting the big five and other spectacular wildlife amidst glorious African sunsets was very exciting, and the novels of the African writer Wilbur Smith helped fuel my passion. So I was full of anticipation as I boarded a westbound flight across the mighty Australian continent, over the Indian Ocean and onwards to South Africa. I wasn't excited to start my trip in Johannesburg, but I was aware of…

I was propping up the bar in a Durban hostel on the first night of my trip to Southern Africa. My enquiries at the hostel regarding a weekend safari at the nearby national park had reached a dead end, and it was while nursing a drink that I met the Action Man, a colourful young Alaskan guide and quite the adventurer. He dazzled me with tales of the Alaskan wilderness and encounters with grizzly bears. He would get dropped in by helicopter, he said, then wander alone camping without seeing a single soul for ten days or more before the pilot flew back to a prearranged spot to pick him up. "Why don't you come with me to Lesotho?" Action…

Bali is one of my favourite travel destinations, dear reader. This Australian tourist mecca on the Indonesian archipelago is only a seven hour flight from Sydney, and the first five hours are spent flying over the mighty Australian continent. Friends from home decided to have their wedding ceremony in Bali, and I was privileged to be invited at what turns out to be my second flight to Bali as a wedding guest. I've visited the magical island several times, but this was the first time since the Bali bombings in 2002. On arrival I paid my respects at the memorial to the victims in Kuta, built just across the road from the remains of the two clubs that were totally…

The flight from Sydney to Adelaide takes only two hours, dear reader. I arrived in the beautiful South Australian capital without a planned itinerary, but with a fortnight to explore this often neglected state of Australia. I've visited the City of Churches before, but was thrilled by the chance to finally explore the legendary tourist sights in the rest of the nation's driest state. I stumbled into a travel agency in Adelaide, and stumbled out a few hours later with a fully booked itinerary for the fortnight. Oh yes, we don't muck around here in Oz! The first journey was a long bus trip north on the Stuart Highway to the mining town of Coober Pedy, which is in the…

If you cast yours eyes across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires the coastline of Uruguay beckons. The ferry trip across the river provides a marvelous opportunity to experience life in this beautiful country of three million people; which in world terms is famous for the obvious ... Uruguay is a two time winner of the World Cup! The country triumphed at the inaugural 1930 World Cup final played in Montevideo, and managed to double the dose with a second euphoric victory in the 1950 world championship of football staged in Brazil. Oh yes, and as an Australian it's hard to forget the final qualifier for the 2002 World Cup finals when Uruguay knocked the Socceroos out of…

We were having a good old chat, albeit somewhat one sided. While waiting at the bus terminal in Foz do Iguazu a local approached and started speaking in an animated fashion. Man could he talk, and clearly it was an important message he had to share except for one small problem, I didn't understand a word he was saying! Not to worry, he just kept talking away while my facial expression changed from a look of non comprehension to positively idiotic. Finally a woman chimed in to remind him I didn't speak Portugese, and at least I understood those words. That's right bro, no fala portugese! Yet I was in great spirits as I prepared to board the bus to…