Mabibi

Trip Start Apr 19, 2009

Trip End Dec 20, 2009

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Flag of South Africa Mabibi, South Africa
Sunday, May 3, 2009

It was quite fitting that we bid Gerda goodbye in St Lucia's Wimpy with their legendary coffee and toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches. It is amazing what you become loyal to. Marvin gave me a four week (5 hours every Tuesday) gourmet cooking course for Christmas (I hope it was no hint regarding my culinary skills...) where we learnt the art of making a sauce b�chamel and how to smoke potato gratin...skills we were sure to find handy on our long Africa trip...and here we are tucking into Wimpy's toasted sandwiches wherever we get a chance....some things are best kept simple. Not to say that we have not also had a lovely smoked red wine potato gratin in the poetjie over the fire...Peter (www.senseoftaste.co.za) we did learn something!! Thanks.

So, as I was saying, we bid our farewells to Gerds and headed off north to Mabibi. The weekend with my special friend was as always inspiring

Travelling in the Jungle Tunnel

. It keeps on amazing me that you once were the girl asking me for spiritual advice in your Christian walk and now are the woman that so eloquently dishes it out to me! Thanks for that...your faith-driven walk through life is such a testimony and can only serve as a true light and encouragement to us. We take that vision along. Of course that is not the only thing we still carry with us...lots of memories....good laughs...a growing six pack...and of course half a kg of Stockbrot : )...you keep us going Gerds.

The road to Mabibi, as with anything worth attaining had its ups and downs. Literally we cruised along the largest freshwater lake in southern Africa, Lake Sibaya, through deep sand for a good 90 minutes. The vegetation left and right of us was pure jungle, creating a green tunnel for us to travel through, between the trees we could spot the odd hippo pod here and there...the sun was setting, another magical day in Africa was coming to an end.

The long weekend rush was already far gone when we arrived at this remote little spot along the North Coast. Along with one other tent that left the next day we were the only vehicle in the campsite, visited only by the odd bushbuck and a group of crested guinea fowl - or guttera edouardi (we are starting to up our birding skills and for those of you who do not know this particular species of guinea fowl is very rare and nearly endemic to this area). The two days spent here were quiet...maybe a tad too quiet. There is always something slightly eerie about being on a campsite designed for at least 60 people ... all alone. It feels a bit like staying in a village were everybody else has moved out...you keep on wondering what alarm bells you missed hearing.

So we finally left for the border and crossed into Mozambique at Kosi Bay/ Ponto do Quoro...we had left beautiful South Africa and were entering our first 'foreign' country.

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