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  • African shoestrings – Lesotho Day seven

    Malealea Lodge is at the top of a hill right next to Malealea Village. The lodge itself is a collection of chalets, huts, a dorm and a bar/store dotted among Pine trees and areas of brown lawn. Set to one side away from the other buildings, stood a colonial style house that the old man at the gate pointed us towards.
    There we managed to find Mick Jones with his feet up on the veranda overlooking the Malotti. Mick owns and runs Malealea with his wife Di. At the time, Mick stayed all the time at the lodge whilst Di ‘commuted’ to their office in Bloemfontain in South Africa.

    We watched Mick from our chalet veranda striding around and barking instructions at his employees in the local lingo, SeSotho, until the afternoon thunderstorms that had been threatening all afternoon, turned on a show.

    Thunderstorms are a way of life here. Incredibly more people die in Lesotho from lighting strikes than any other single cause. Which is really surprising considering the way they drive! I suppose the bottom line is that a country as poor as Lesotho, it’s one of the world’s poorest, doesn’t have that many cars but does have plenty of people travelling by foot. When you travel by foot in such a mountainous country the risk of getting struck by lighting is relatively high.

    That’s not to say that it’s unsafe to walk around Lesotho, it’s just some care is required during their thunderstorm season in the summer months.

    The spectacle of these thunderstorms is a show not to be missed, especially after dark.

    Watching this show brought home to us that we were actually living our dream. We were away from our home, family and friends travelling the world without a care, except that constant nagging fear of spending too much money. It was a great feeling and a place like this was what it was all about.

    Mother and Boy outside a hut, their home in the mountains of Lesotho
    Mother and Boy outside a hut, their home in the mountains of Lesotho

  • African shoestrings – Lesotho Day six

    Malealea Lodge is set in the quaintly called Valley of Paradise that’s about 2200 metres high.
    To get to it, after travelling on what can only be described as the ‘road from hell’, 13 kilometres of potholes loose rock and shifting gravel, you have to travel through the “Gates of Paradise”.

    This is a pass with such a beautiful vista, that a guy called Mervyn Smith left the words “Wayfarer Pause and Look Upon a Gateway of Paradise” inscribed on a plaque.
    Mervyn also founded the Malealea trading post so I guess you could accuse him of being a little bit one eyed.
    Even so the view is magnificent and gives the feeling that you are entering a secret valley of gentle rolling hills with a dramatic backdrop of mountains and storm clouds, hidden over the centuries by the locals from the mass commercialism of the white man.
    As we stood absorbed by all of this, one of those buses that can only be found in the third world, charged up the hill towards us and came to an abrupt stop amongst it’s own clouds of diesel fumes.
    This was the local bus stop and this vehicle was unloading some of it’s cargo of bags, people, children, chooks, goats and anything else that could hang onto the outside or be crammed into the interior, there were even two guys on the roof!
    Before I had time to point the camera it was off again, incredibly still jammed packed and leaving behind clouds of black smoke and some of the cutest kids that have ever been put on this earth.
    Three of these kids came up to talk us, which we thought was so nice until they stretched out the palm and asked for money or “sweets”.

    Young girl from Lesotho looking for her mother on a remote roadside.
    Young girl from Lesotho looking for her mother on a remote roadside.

  • African shoestrings – South Africa Day five

    Our next destination was a place called Malealea Lodge located in a remote part of the South West of Lesotho.
    Malealea Lodge is known for it’s Pony and Walk treks amongst other things.
    We had managed to contact them from home not only to find out info but to ask about the security of entering Lesotho on our own.
    Before we left Australia we had taken the precaution of checking with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the British Foreign Office web sites to see if they had any travel warnings about any of the countries we proposed to visit. Well they had!
    Both advised that travel to and in Lesotho should not be taken independently.
    Apparently about 6 months before there was a protest by the opposition party at the election results.
    The government declared a state of emergency and called in the South African army. This triggered off a two day violent protest with protesters looting and destroying many of numerous South African businesses in the capital Maseru.
    This unfortunately placed Lesotho on the ‘places not to visit’ list. We ‘ummed’ and ‘aahed’ about this but after talking to Di Jones, one of the owners of Malealea, decided to stick to the plan. DI had assured us that there had been no problems since and had been driving around herself without any hint of trouble.
    If by chance you’re not a great fan of mountains then whatever you do don’t go to Lesotho it’s absolutely covered in them.
    It is one of only two countries in the world to be completely encircled by another country, South Africa, (the other being San Marino) and is the size of Belgium but it’s dominated by the mountain ranges of the Drankensberg and the Maloti. In fact its lowest point is over 1000 metres.

    In the mountainous Lesotho, ponies are the major form of transport.
    In the mountainous Lesotho, ponies are the major form of transport.

  • African shoestrings – South Africa Day four

    At Rustlers Valley Guest Lodge, we met the occupants, neighbours and anyone else who seemed to materialise from time to time (we were the only guests) at dinner that night.
    There was Dale the local naturalist and loved snakes.
    Birthday boy Carl couldn’t believe that I hadn’t heard of some permaculture guru from Australia. I didn’t like to admit that I didn’t even know what permaculture was, let alone have any idea of its personalities!
    Then there was Bill who either had a hard life or he was old enough to have been dancing to Glenn Miller let alone Janis Joplin.
    There were other refugees of the sixties as well but none as dominant as Frick.
    Hippies have always maintained that everyone’s equal and there are no leaders in their ‘gangs’.
    Well in this case Frick was without doubt the leader. He just had that look; I would call it the Charles Manson look but that sounds rather sinister. He had the long ponytail and beard and had a sort of holier than thou sort of presence.
    When he looked at me I wasn’t sure whether he was going to bless me or offer me a joint! In fact he was actually the owner of Rustlers, so I guess he had some sort of commercial seniority.
    Apparently he was a farmer going broke when he decided to build the lodge and change direction. How he became an aging hippie was not explained.
    Rustlers are famous, amongst those that care, for their music festivals. We know this because, after the initial polite conversation, the sole topic was the upcoming Easter festival, apparently a sort of South African mini Woodstock.
    By the time our beds beckoned we knew all about running festivals and have since mercifully forgotten it all.

    An Umbrella Thorn Acacia at sunset on the savannah of South Africa. It's a native to Africa.
    An Umbrella Thorn Acacia at sunset on the savannah of South Africa. It’s a native to Africa.

  • African shoestrings – South Africa Day three

    The women at the tourist information place in Ficksburg told us that this place was considered weird by the locals but she herself thought it was “quite nice”. The Lonely Planet described it as a “dare to be different” sort of a place and gave it such a rap that we had to see it for ourselves
    Rustlers Valley Guest Lodge is not a place that we will ever forget in a hurry. The 15 kilometre potholed dirt track to its door is not easily forgotten, especially the bone jarring last five kilometres or so.
    Now we’re deep in the heart of Free State, formerly Orange Free State. This is Boer country, about as god fearing and conservative as you get. So to find a hippie commune smack bang in the middle is absolutely amazing!
    VW Kombi’s, teepees, suspicious looking patches of vegetation and escapees from the sixties dotted the place. But it was comfortable. The scenery was pretty good too. The Maloti range overlooked us in the west and the plains stretched out to the east with odd line of sandstone hills and grassy slopes here and there. Mostly there actually, because we made the mistake of following the “extensive network of tracks” up and around them until the tracks petered out or were so overgrown that only a machete and a chain saw would have got us further. to be continued………

    Rustlers Valley Lodge in the shadow of the malotti Hills in Free State, South Africa
    Rustlers Valley Lodge in the shadow of the malotti Hills in Free State, South Africa

  • London’s food and cafe’s

    Cured meats at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets
    Cured meats at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Slabs of cheese at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets
    Slabs of cheese at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Bread Sticks at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets
    Bread Sticks at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Fruit at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets
    Fruit at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Cheese at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets
    Slabs of cheese at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Slabs of cheese at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets
    Slabs of cheese at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Cafe at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets which is devoted entirely to food.
    Cafe at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Fish at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets which is devoted entirely to food.
    Fish at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Coffee shop near St Paul's Cathedral in London's CBD
    Coffee shop near St Paul’s Cathedral in London’s CBD
    Pork Pies at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets which is devoted entirely to food.
    Pork Pies at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Monmouth Coffee Shop Near one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets which is devoted entirely to food.
    Monmouth Coffee Shop Near one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Paella in London's famous markets, Borough Markets which is devoted entirely to food.
    Paella in London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Cutting cheese at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets which is devoted entirely to food.
    Cutting cheese at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets
    Olive Oil Bottles at one of London's famous markets, Borough Markets which is devoted entirely to food.
    Olive Oil Bottles at one of London’s famous markets, Borough Markets

    Nick Katin Global Eye

  • Mexican Cowboys In Guadalajara photo

    Continuing on with my Mexican Cowboy images. Another name for Mexican Cowboys is vaquero (pronounced baˈkeɾo) which means herder of cattle. These horse-mounted livestock herders come from a tradition that originated on the Iberian Peninsula. Today the vaquero is still a part of the doma vaquera, the Spanish tradition of working riding. The vaquero traditions developed in Mexico from methodology brought to  North America from Spain became the foundation for the North American cowboy.
    The vaqueros of the Americas were the horsemen and cattle herders of Spanish Mexico, and first came to California in 1687, and later with expeditions in 1769 and 1774.
    They were actually the first cowboys in the region.
    As you can see there still plenty in Mexico that may not necessarily be ‘real’ cowboys but that hat is still pretty popular especially in Guadalajara.

    Leaning Mexican Cowboy in Guadalajara, Mexico
    Leaning Mexican Cowboy in Guadalajara, Mexico
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  • Mexican Cowboys In Guadalajura

    One thing I noticed In Mexico was the number of “Mexican Cowboys”. Older guys wearing the Stetson. In fact Stetson is actually a brand of Cowboy Hat and the founder of the company, John Batterson Stetson, is created with its creation. So the term “Cowboy Hat” is the proper generic description but I digress. A Mexican cowboy is normally referred to as a Caballero, which is literally translated as’ gentleman and in the mixed history of North and Central America, The Spanish brought the concept with them. More in the next post.
    I love the look of this guy, cigarette and all.

    Mexican cowboy at El Parian, Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara, Mexico
    Mexican cowboy at El Parian, Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara, Mexico
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  • American classic cars in Havana

    In Monday’s post I posted a picture of Red Buick in Havana as an example of the good condition most of these cars were in.
    The question is why are there so many vintage cars in Havana?
    Well to answer that you have to go back to two years after the Cuban revolution – 1962.
    The new Cuban government nationalised all property owned by the USA, USA business’s and citizens. In retaliation the USA strengthened its existing commercial, economic, and financial embargo that was imposed two years before to be almost total. That meant no spare parts! So the Cubans somehow managed, with a great deal of innovation and opportunity, to keep most (at least 60,000) of these on the road. The opportunity came when some cars become unrepairable or written off and were stripped for it’s parts to create a huge second hand car parts market.
    Interestingly the Soviet imported cars (the only ones allowed in the country) are not so well looked after. The Ladas taxi I got from the airport lacked a huge amount of love and care!

    The front of a Red Buick, one of Havana's old classic cars
    The front of a Red Buick, one of Havana’s old classic cars

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  • Yank tanks in Havana

    You know before I went to Havana, I had heard that the place was full of American vintage cars but until I saw it with my own eyes I didn’t realise how many!
    Almost every car was a ‘yank tank”. What I also didn’t expect was the condition of them. A collector of vintage cars would be in their element. Most were in superb condition like this taxi below. Polished and shining they obviously were well cared for and in the ones I travelled in, literally ‘purred’ along.
    More on this on in the next post.

    A Red Buick, one of Havana's many classic cars
    A Red Buick, one of Havana’s many classic cars

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  • A wet Piazza San Marco in Venice

    Following on from my post earlier this week, I’d thought I’d drop in another piccie of a rather wet Piazza San Marco.
    Apart from the many tourists you can also see located alongside the square, the 12th century Procuratie Vecchie, buildings that housed the apartments and offices of the procurators, the equivalent of the modern day public servants, and now house some of the restaurants I mentioned before. They are hidden under the marque’s (you can see the rather wet chairs in front).

    A wet Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy
    A wet Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy

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  • Reflections of Piazza San Marco in Venice

    The main piazza (square) of Venice is undoubtedly Piazza San Marco. It’s a large square ringed on two sides by tourist restaurants with classical music playing and dominated by  St Mark’s Basilica.
    On the day I was there it had been raining and the image below is a wet refection of the Basilica on the paved Piazza surface.
    It’s design originally marked the location where merchants could set up their stalls.
    Its a well known fact that Venice floods regularly and the Piazza is usually under water when it does. In this case I can assure you it was just rain!

    Reflections on a wet Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy
    Reflections on a wet Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy


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  • Restaurant widow in Matilda Bay Perth

    I guess we all complain about where we live at one time or another. As some of you know i live in Perth Western Australia and like everyone else you become blasé about your surroundings. Matilda Bay is a small bay that is a part of the Swan River and from there you get a great view of the City and river.
    Near the water’s edge is a restaurant, café and a couple of Yacht clubs. In fact, for those yachting aficionados, the famous Royal Perth Yacht Club is one of these. RPYC was the Club that won the America’s cup in 1983 after the New York Yacht club had successfully defended it for 132 years, the longest winning streak in sporting history.
    This image is a bit abstract but you can see the yachts in the reflection.

    Reflections from the restaurant at Matilda Bay part of Perth's Swan River in Western Australia
    Reflections from the restaurant at Matilda Bay part of Perth’s Swan River in Western Australia


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  • Che Guevara in Cuba

    In Cuba the late Che Guevara is everywhere. On buildings, T shirts, posters and books to name just a few. His popularity seems from an outsiders point of view to be bigger than Fidel Castro’s. Maybe dying young in pursuit of another cause creates martyrdom or maybe the many years of Castro’s dictatorship has made the Cuban population blasé about their leader.
    I’ve been away for a few weeks to watch this spot fro some images from Morocco, France and England.

    Che Guevara in colour on the front of books on Che Guevara
    Che Guevara in colour on the front of books on Che Guevara

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  • Wine tasting in the Napa Valley

    I’ve written before briefly about my love of wine. See Willamette Valley. So more in that theme.
    I’ve been to some of the most famous wine regions in the world and none more so than the Napa Valley in Northern California. Well known for it’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardies (Chardonnay), it’s also got a few runs on the board for other varietals such as Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
    But really it’s a show-piece for Californian wine with some of the big blockbuster wineries located there with all the bells and whistles like wine tours, tastings, restaurants, art galleries and just about anything else you can think of. This is the Hollywood of wine and well worth spending time whether you love wine or just have a passing interest.

    Wine tasting glasses at Beringer winery in the Napa Valley
    Wine tasting glasses at Beringer winery in the Napa Valley

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