GoJo's on Tour Sept. 2012

                                                                                             

  GOJO’S ON TOUR

Diary

Thursday 6^th Sept. “GO’s on the Go”

Caution being the watchword we arrived at Birmingham Airport, courtesy of Margaret, some 6hrs prior to check-in; even the Emirates staff had not arrived. To add insult to injury the first “announcement”  was an hour’s delay in the ETD ! But were we downhearted ? Eventually check-in opened and GO’s were first in and out. Through security and into our first opportunity to use our Angel Lounge card; courtesy of Barclays. Very pleasant if somewhat extended wait until flight called. Departed BHX getting on towards 11pm but after liquid refreshment and supper settled back for an excellent 6 hour flight to Dubai. Extraordinary long coach transfer from plane to terminal; thought we were going to Joburg by road !!

Friday 7^th Sept. “GO’s in the Middle”

Arrived at Dubai, quickly through transfer/security but no time for Duty Free……gate about as far away as you could get. Quick loo stop, hot water for B’s Lemsip and then boarding. Excellent 8 hour flight got us into O Tambo Airport just after 4:15pm.

Footnote : When drinks served B had a small beer. Reflected upon the fact that in “real-time” it was only 10 to 9 in the morning !!

Usual shambles at Immigration (B’s passport stamped but no visa details, date or signature by officer.) Guess whose luggage came off first ? 4:55. Bus to hotel leaves at 5:10 ! Where’s M…loo ! Where’s bus/taxi pickup ? ….opposite Intercontinental Hotel ! Where the **** is that !

M grabs porter; B eshews trolley and risks hernia dashing with bag to exit (leisurely) approached by porter. There is a God !. Hotel bus arrives at 5:15 and exits into gridlock to get us to Hotel. Quick check-in and then an ecstatic and joyful re-union with JO’s.

Courtesy of Emirates, the Goodies arriving over us as we make our way to The Hotel in Johannesburg!

OUR TEAM IS COMPLETE……GOJO’s are Gooooo !

After brief team discussion a motion to adjourn to “The Local Grill” was passed nem con and a spendid evening followed….early-ish night and alcohol assisted slumber…or jet lag !! ..take your pick !!

Saturday 8^th Sept. “GO’s on the Road”

Excellent early breakfast followed by swift departure to Gaborone….or so GO’s thought !!!!!!!!!!!!

Those JO’s had a concocted a splendid surprise, announcing over coffee at Swartruggens, that an overnight stop at TAU had been arranged. Arrived in time for lunch with Marcus (manager) followed by a game drive in the afternoon. Highlights were the interaction between a lion and lioness and witnessing a bull elephant demolish a tree to get at the bark, from about 10 yards; astonishing. A leopard had been spotted on a koppie but we were unsuccessful in finding it as darkness had fallen. A great afternoon followed by a braai in the evening. Tau have introduced 5 crocodiles which frequent the waterhole immediately in front of the lodge balcony. A tourist in the lodge next to G & and T got a bit of a surprise to find a croc at his feet as he concentrated snapping  birds……fortunately there was a fence between them. 

Sunday 9th Sept.
The following mornings, game drive was equally magic. A beautiful ( if a bit nippy) early morning gave way to a glorious day. A fruitless search for a pack of hunting dogs was more than compensated for by a black back jackel feeding on the ribs of a kudu lion kill and being amid a herd of elephants with calves as young as two weeks. Following a splendid “brunch” we were on the road for Gabs. Bit of a delay on the Botswana side, no change there then. Stopped off to see Nikki and Jemma and later we all gathered for a lovely roast around the table. Brilliant !!

Monday 10th Sept.

In true Go tradition tea was served "a la pit" at 6:30 am to unbridled joy of all recipients ! A very leisurely breakfast was followed by an assortment of delegated tasks. Whilst the ladies prepared the supplies box for Thursday's departure and had coffee with Rick, Tim and Bern went off to do battle with the Stanbic Bank...the changing of currencies exceeded only in degree of difficulty by the successful landing of a robotic vehicle on Mars. After lunch the emptying of freezer contents and gathering of potted garden plants and tools for transfer to Nikki and Jemma's new home was completed. A priority was the sorting of the "spare room" at Niks which had been left in a shambles by previous tenants. Blood, sweat, tears, one crushed thumb and the free use of profanities saw the task completed in double quick time. After many hours at Gabs Private Hospital Niks and Jem returned.......the task of removing Jemma's cast on her arm completed......usually a 5 minute job ? A chance of a beer at the golf club was dashed......."only serving members" i.e. both of them ! so an adjournment to the stoep with cold beer, an excellent rose a Chinese takeaway and the viewing of last year videos completed a lovely day.    

The Look Out !!

Tracking Lion

Lion!!

One very big elephant!

The dexterous trunk!

Heaven !!

Sun Set over Madikwe

Tuesday 11th Sept.

My turn to Blog today as Goodie is deep in conversation with Jonesy!

Today was very much a "doing" day, shelves down, courtesy of Goodie, Mo has been updating the route planner, Gill has packed more ornaments and Tim has managed to drink a bottle of wine, lay the table and basically sat on his rear !  Bern and I ventured gingerly into the 18 degree pool.  Tim and I signed the house papers, hence the bottle of wine!!  Tomorrow is another day, we need to pack ready to hit the road Thursday!

Wednesday 12th Sept.

Following yesterday's distain it should be noted early morning tea was gratefully received by all concerned. After a hearty breakfast, again various tasks were allocated and luckily Tim and Bern were given the job of moving immensley heavy wardrobe into the house, an engineering feat that would have challenged Isambard Kingdom Brunel. A trip to the shops was curtailed when it was discovered that the rear number plate on the Jeep had gone walkabout. An intensive search at 80 mph along the earlier route failed to find the item. A new number plate was successfully made and fitted for the princely sum of just under seven pounds.

After lunch GoJo's went in their separate directions, some admit to sleeping, others did not, before assembling for the serious! photo shoot commissioned by Hello! magazine, displayed above ..... enjoy!!!

Thursday 13^th Sept.”GOJO’s on the Road – Day 1”

All packed up and ready to go by 9:45 with B in the driving seat we set off to Lobatse and the Ramatlabama border, No problems;camera and laptop declared and M told she was beautiful. Gill locked in loo; M to the rescue.

Footnote : Odd questions at Customs.

“Did we know the Pope John Paul ?”  Benedict ? Well not personally ! “ Where is he “ ? Rome ! Do you know the Queen ? Yes We saw her a couple of months ago in our town……do you like the new Duchess, Katherine ?....................blank stare. Then M told You are beautiful !!!............Africa Eh ?

On to Mafikeng and after a lunch stop in the middle of nowhere on the N14 on to Vryburg and a fuel stop. Road works caused extensive delays meant we didn’t arrive in Kuruman until 4:30. Checked in to Kalahari Lodge and then located Moffatt Mission (Visit tomorrow am). Back to Hotel; great outdoor shower; met up in bar and sumptious and huge fish dinner before adjourning for the night. A long but lovely day.

Friday, 14th Sept "GOJO's on the Road Day

Early morning breakfast of dubious quality by any stretch of the imagination. The fruit concentrate hadn't been !!! and was like sucking extra strong lemons. We were each asked our preferences in eggs bacon etc and they were 100% wrong. Even the requests for "white or brown bread" were ignored. Next was a super visit to the Moffatt Mission at Kuruman the site of the first Christian mission to Africa. Very nostalgic for Gill. On towards Augrabies Falls with lunch in Uppington and a phone update (great stress for Tim) in Koemis. On arrival at the Falls Hotel we went to view to view the Falls. Amazing, Epic Awesome....take your pick. Just about to tuck into dinner. Off to the coast tomorrow. 

Friday 14^th September GOJO’s on the Road – Day 2

After an interesting and un-appetising breakfast at Kalahari Lodge (don’t ask !!) we went on pilgrimage to the Moffatt Mission. Very interesting and nostalgic visit for Gill giving an insight into the dedication of the missionaries who followed  Moffatts footsteps. Journeyed on to Augrabies Falls, spotting a variety of birds and wildlife including camels, warthog, mongoose, ostrich etc. and a spectacular shot of a Pearl Spotted Owl with a rat in it’s talons (taken by Gill at Kuruman). After checking in to Falls Guest House visited the spectacular Augrabies Falls; very impressive. Adjourned to a table beside the pool for sun downers, followed by an excellent dinner. A very impressive venue, right down to the under floor heating in the bathroom. We were all impressed with the vast acreage of beautifully set out vineyards  around this region. Advised by the owner of guest house that majority going for bunches of dessert grapes (? UK supermarkets) and raisins, as evidenced by the concrete drying pans seen from the road.

MMBA

Mo and Bern viewing the Falls

Mo and Bern ready for breakfast

The Falls guest house

View of The Falls Guest House

Saturday 15^th September GOJO’s on the Road – Day 3”

After an equally excellent breakfast we set off on the long haul to Port Nolloth. Some impressive (Social/Buffalo) weaver bird nests on the telegraph poles sighted (according to Maureen) by the availiability of building material for the birds…..a theory that impressed other GOJO’s !. As we neared Springboek and the Aeneous Pass the flora along the way became like a carpet of orange, yellow, purple, white, lemon, mauve flowers…..stunning. A long straight road eventually brought us to Port Nolloth and the Atlantic Ocean. Exceedingly hot but the ocean very impressive. Lunch at the Italian Restaurant before checking in to Voet Baai Chalets. Less than impressive. Only one chalet at a cost of R3000….compared with R800 currently on internet. “Sarah” the caretaker very objurate about the cost floating between R1000 and R1500 per Chalet per night; phone call to Marilise the owner proved fruitless. No sea view, no hot water in kitchen, no braai kit, no starter pack for kitchen or bathroom…….GOJO’s not happy but as next venue unable to take us a day early the pioneering spirit prevailed and comforted ourselves in the evening with Pizza, Chips and Alcohol. To round off the evening the power went off to a chorus of profanities…..came on again after 15 mins………bedtime !

Flowers +++

Mo holding the sun!

Sunday 16^th September GOJO’s on the Road – Rest Day”

Our Hunter Gatherer!

Add caption

After all that, we all had a great nights sleep with EMT not being delivered until 10 to 8. Weather dull, overcast, damp; a complete contrast to yesterday….winter draws on…..well, jeans and sweaters. anyway. Hearty full English and a visit to the Slaghuis (butchery) for meat etc for todays braai. Joking apart…it is bloody cold !!! To make the most of it we set off north to see if there were places of interest but were slightly baulked by the fencing and razor wire around the diamond prospecting concessions. Into reverse and headed south and found the old fishingjetty where we parked up and bird-spotted for awhile over hot coffee and biscuits.The GO’s headed off into the sand dunes like a pair of teenagers at Mablethorpe. Back to the Port Nolloth “Oberoi” where a hearty braai, salad and jacket potatoes was washed down with modest amounts of alcohol. To round off the evening we watched “Strictly” followed by a very entertaining “punch-up” between two Mexican boxers…….looking towards better things !!

The next door neighbours!

Monday 17^th Sept. “GOJO’s on the Road – Day 5”

Crack of dawn start and on the road heading south shaking the dust (sand ?) from our sandals. Over Aeneous Pass and on to Springboek continuing on the N7 all the way to Welverdal. Stop for shopping, fuel and a KFC lunch. A monumental effort of driving by Gill. Journey enhanced by more spectacular flower displays along the route.  On to Strandfontein which proved a revelation after Port Nolloth. A pretty coastal village with well maintained houses and gardens and our villa perched beautifully no more than 10 metres from the sea. Huge Atlantic rollers, rocks and stretches of beautiful sandy beaches forming an epic vista from bedrooms and stoep. GOJO’s much happier bunnies. Shops closed but advised by neighbour of shop/fish restaurant at Doring Bay; 4km down the road. Also advised of pod of three Southern Right Whales sighted in the bay around 5pm. Early evening spotting proved fruitless on this occasion. Ventured to Doring Bay and found restaurant adjacent to the Fryers Bay Winery. Lack of alcohol licence meant quick trip to the local pub off licence for wine. Sumptuous sea food platter of Lobster, prawns, hake, snook, herring roll mops served with a huge bowl of chips was thoroughly enjoyed by us all. Return to villa, coffee and bed………tired but very happy.

Tuesday, 18^th Sept. “GOJO’s in Paradise – Day 6”

Good nights sleep to a backdrop of crashing waves but woke to overcast sky. Blue sky and sun broke through making for a lovely day. Cooked breakfast followed by a fresh mussel collecting excursion among the rocks by B armed with knife and carrier bag. Trip to “Supermarket” ? in Doring Bay by B & T to get much needed washing up liquid; called into Fryers Bay Winery in the hope of purchasing logo'ed glasses (not sold !) but came away with two bottles of their finest !! Tim was interested to note that at last the ANC is doing something about the massive deterioration of the west coast fishing industry with the establishment here of 3 dinghes (with motors) for crayfish fishing and the establishment of a two man abelone venture. Picked up a kilo of prawns (lunch) and then elicited mussel cooking instructions from neighbour…….order of the day ?

Which Muscle shall I pick?

Cooked by Gill !!

................easy chairs, sun beds, binoculars and some serious relaxing. Joy upon joy !.........whales !! a Southern Right Whale was spotted first by its “blow”, quickly followed by fins and finally a breach, photographed by Gill.

Much frolicking followed (the whale not the GOJO’s) until a further whale appeared judging by the speed of its arrival, with amorous intention. More fin thrashing etc. Closed the evening with a braai overlooking the bay….a momentous day.

Wednesday, 19^th September “ GOJO’s on the Road – Day 7.

Early (ish !) start i.e. on the road by 9, with G taking over from B for “the hilly bits” which involved mountain roads around Clanmillan Dam and the Cederberg Mountains. B informed the views were breathtaking and was happy to take the others word for it !!!. Back on the flat and a bit of a slog on less than “A” road until St Helena Bay. Pulled into the Shelley Point Hotel & Country Club for lunch and then on to the OysterCatcher Lodge…..fantastic.

Oystercatcher Lodge

Set on a headland, yards from the ocean, so wide you can watch the sun rise and set. Run by a lovely couple everything  is brilliant, rooms with balconies , overlooking the ocean…….even the bar is operated on a trust system. After check-in, sorting out etc. JO’s retired to their balcony for tea, whilst GO’s walked along the coastal path from the lodge to the lighthouse and back. B’s impression of Mr Spock using large mussel shells on his ears recorded but not likely to be posted on the Blog !! Fifteen (unsuccessfull) minutes whale watching from the bench above the beach before logging on to collect and send emails. Off to a fish specially restaurant this evening (booked for us by our “host” Luke.). The Beira Mai  was a Portuguese restaurant right on the beach. Too cold to sit out but lovely. Great atmosphere and food except G’s “Portuguese Chicken” was a touch on the vindaloo side…..brought the colour to her cheeks. T graciously shared his ice cream desert with G to cool things down !

Thursday, 20^th September “ GOJO’s in Paradise again – Day 8

Woke early to blue sky, calm sea and just the sound of waves breaking on the shore. Tea, then on to the balcony to await the sunrise……….exquisite ! Huge, and I mean HUGE, flocks of cormorants flying in “Red Arrow” formation inches above the sea…wonderful. Its worth noting here that JO’s amazing ability to, not only spot birds, but identify them is marvellous….just like having your personal ornithologist…..the latest flock of cormorants has just gone by………………..at least 200. Little bit of action out at sea but too far out to distinguish between seals or dolphin…..or penguin possibly. GO’s went for their customary walk at 7 along the beach in preparation for breakfast. Super breakfast served by our Swiss hosts then relaxing morning updating Blog.

Loads of ships off shore waiting for their turn in the harbour + smaller fishing boats breaking the ocean view from time to time.

Sparkling sea view all round us, and at the moment the sun is shining.  Not a whale in sight to say how much ocean we can see.