Twentythree26South

14/11/2021

If you are looking for a special Christmas gift, pop into little bit different, pop into Caroline’s Ceramics c Gallery.

30/07/2021

We felt this while having our morning coffee in bed. Shook for about 30 seconds. Interestingly our dogs sat up with ears cocked moments before we felt it. The earth is not a static place.

Detailed earthquake information - overview map, magnitude, time, depth, source, shake map, list of reports. File an "I felt it" report if you felt the quake! Features interactive map, read user reports and get links to further info.

17/07/2021

More and more the beginnings of earth turns up in good old (pun intended) Southern Africa

This ancient evidence of 'methane-cycling microbe life' which may have originated from underneath the seafloor could give insights on how or where life began how and where life first began during the Paleoarchean era, 3.2-3.6 billion years ago.

22/03/2021

The codependency between the fig tree and wasp never ceases to amaze us. This article from the New Yorker explains it clearly. It is a wonder that this evolutionarily success came to pass. With an abundance of fig species in southern Africa, its importance to the environment cannot be underestimated. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/love-the-fig/amp

29/01/2021

Not only amazing for us weather nerds, but this graphic of the rare phenomena that brought so much rain over the last week is quite mesmerizing.
7 Days of Amazing Weather over Southern Africa - YouTube

Another beautiful animation of the amazing weather of Southern Africa since last Thursday when Cyclone Eloise was in the Mozambique channel until this evenin...

15/11/2020

Tracks and Signs 2020:
In September we went to Sediba Lodge, Brits, for a weekend of Tracks and Signs of the Bushveld. Our guides Debbie, Maddy and Paul walked the guests through different areas of the game farm showing them the ecology of the land while finding evidence of the resident wildlife. We are always pleasantly amazed at the abundance of natural life there is to be found in the bushveld, even before the first summer rains and that there is always something new to learn. Back at the lodge the warm evenings were spent around the campfire, where the findings of the day were discussed over a few drinks.

14/10/2020

08/09/2020

On a recent trip to a natural forest in the lower Drakensburg in northern KZN, we clamoured down to a hard to access forest with hundreds of yellowwood trees (Podocarpus latifolios broad-leaved yellowwood we believe), many of them quite old. The largest is estimated at about 500 years old, stretches well over 30m into the canopy above and two of us could just link hands around the base of the trunk. This timeless place is the kind that brings peace to your soul.

16/08/2020

It was at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia, where we observed this young bull elephant on the right, come up to each of the older bulls as they arrived, interact and have a drink together. It was interesting how they would touch trunks as part of the greeting, the younger obviously no threat, before they would get down to the social business of drinking water.

08/08/2020

Two trunks, equally beautiful. We had stopped and he peeked out from behind the tree, the rest of the elephant was behind a large shrub and we nearly missed it. We were only a few meters away from this big guy in Savuti, Botswana, but he wasn’t at all perturbed by us at all. After staring at each other for a few moments he went on foraging and disappeared into the undergrowth.

02/08/2020

Last April diving from Guinjata Bay, Mozambique, at the five meter safety stop we were visited by a shoal of jellyfish. Luckily, they were the harmless kind and they gently pulsed past us. This close up study shows the translucent beauty of this sadly, much ignored sea creature. Often disliked or feared, the jellyfish’s role in the ecology, as both predator and food, is as important an any of the other sea life.

26/07/2020

30th December 2009, one day short of a blue moon new year, the moon hangs over Ille de Mozambique across the bay. The News Year’s Eve blue moon, a rare occasion that will only happen again in 2028, was partied away at Libélula Lodge on Nacala Bay. We had such fun that, sadly, we forgot to take any pictures.

25/07/2020

Even though these pictures are mostly from Spain,

Some amazing pictures of bird flight patterns in this NG article. Check out the slideshow.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/01/photo-journal-birds-paths-migration-starling/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=SpecialEdition_Escape_20200702&rid=7A059E05504E28828A0CAD0CC14C1D0E

A photographer captures the paths that birds make across the sky.

19/07/2020

This magnificent baobab tree lives in the Savuti Hills, Botswana and is estimated to be well over a thousand years old. We’ve made it a tradition on our trips to visit the wise & ancient beauty, gently touch her smooth bark, whisper words of gratitude and take away only pictures. This visit in the mid 2000’s we were still running our faithful Land Cruiser F60.

11/07/2020

Even the winter sea at Pomene, Mozambique, is warm enough for swimming costumes, suntanning and long walks.

05/07/2020

Sunset behind the baobabs almost a year ago from our bush camp in Gonarezhou Game Reserve, Zimbabwe. Aching to get back there.

23/06/2020

This was the last of the Seascapes series on Instagram that was left behind on FB.

Ille de Mozambique, Nacala and Pria Zelanzapo – Northern Mozambique:
It is in the true northern Mozambique that you find yourself in remote and seldom visited territory, with only the odd adventurer here and there. The enigmatic Ille de Mozambique that takes you all the way back to the 1500’s. The waters are empty except for local fishermen and the natural ecology prevails. From the deep Nacala bay to the wide stretches of the white sandy shores on the open sea, you come across sea life, right in the shallows and must be careful where you walk. These photographs barely tell you the true story of these places.

17/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 21
Mountain passes are an intrinsic part of The Long Road, often slow and traffic ridden, it is also exciting and always interesting: The geological upheaval that created this natural barrier tells a story of its own. When the approach is like this one going from Hoedspruit to Blyde River Canyon, it just beckons you towards it, impossible to resist.

16/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 20
In Gonarezhou Game Reserve, Zimbabwe, there are a few different routes between the north and south of the park where the better game viewing occurs closer to the main rivers. Two of these long straight tracks run parallel to each other less than 20km apart, both are mesmerizing, but in their own unique way.

15/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 19
Another favourite route is along the border inside Mozambique between Pafuri and Malvernia. Most of the way is in Mopani bush which might sound boring, but with fording through the Limpopo and Nuanetsi rivers, climbing in and out of the wide river valleys presenting glorious vistas, passing local homesteads and with a few rough spots thrown in, all makes for a very interesting drive.

14/06/2020

Long Road – Day 18:
A good sand road is usually better than a rough gravel one, and a good gravel road is always better than a bad tar road. These well-maintained gravel roads with different surfaces near Mabote on our way to Vilankulo in Mozambique, soon had us eating up the distances. Which is good for time but makes the countryside pass by all too quickly.

13/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 17:
The sand track which is the main road between Machaila and Mabote in Mozambique is one of those special routes that we simply fell in love with. Surprisingly smooth with virgin bush on both sides and special treats like this bent tree to keep you enthralled, making you eager to see what the next bend would bring you. If only it could go on forever.

12/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 16
North of the tropic of Capricorn the mighty Baobab trees begin to show themselves, the giant adult ones stand out, to be seen from afar. It’s not often that you see young ones and rare to drive along rows of them as we were privileged to do on the road between Mapai and Vilankulo in Mozambique.

11/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 15
Often, when least expected, the world gives you a magic moment, like this one in Mozambique going from Pafuri Border post towards the ferry at Mapai on the Limpopo river. After negotiating lots of mud (notice the spots on the windscreen), the road opened up to reveal a summer storm across the river valley under the lush green of the bush, with the huts of the local farmers at the side.

10/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 14:
Sometimes The Long Road gently rolls into the distance, as it does here near Tshipise going towards Pafuri, in the north Limpopo province. The undulations can be hypnotic if the road is too straight, but the odd bend, intersections to somewhere else and passing through villages breaks the monotony and makes the trip more interesting.

09/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 13:
The Long Road takes on a different meaning when touring through Lesotho. Distances between towns may appear close on the map, but can take you several hours even on reasonably good dirt roads as they wind you down into a valley, up over the next mountain, only to have another valley laid out before you. This is the beauty of the small, rural, mountainous kingdom.

08/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 12:
Some roads just draw you in like a magnet and there is little you can do to resist it. This one heading towards the Brandberg in Namibia is definitely one of them. You can’t stop, you can’t turn around, you want to get there without speeding up and at the same time you want it to carry on forever. This is the spirit of The Long Road.

07/06/2020

The Long Road – Day 11:
The return trip is also an important part of The Long Road. You have gone the route, experienced the places, but now it is time to go back. This leg of the tour gives you time to reflect, to allow it all to sink in and let it all become part of you, while still on the journey. Here in Botswana we have left the dirt roads behind us, heading from Kasane towards Nata. And then on home.

06/06/2020

The Long Road - Day 10:
One of my favourite long drives is going in or out of Savuti, Chobe National Park, Botswana. It is the better part of a day’s drive and you can’t rush it. On the way there, you are slowly drawn into this special place which clamps onto you and enters your soul. Consequently, the long drive out is necessary, as the place gently lets you go.

05/06/2020

The Long Road - Day 9:
Driving into the wilderness on dirt tracks is always time consuming, not only are you distracted by landscape and wildlife sightings, but there is also the unknown to contend with: Road conditions, water crossings, punctures, getting stuck and the weather. The reason why we still do it, is because it adds to the adventure and makes the reward of arriving at your camp so much more satisfying. This is the road going into Moremi Game Reserve, on the edge of the Okavango Swamps in Botswana.

04/06/2020

The Long Road - Day 8:
A tar road is a wonderful luxury after days in the bush, both for speed faster than a crawl and for smooth comfort rather than being rattled about through the rough spots. Here we’re enjoying a section of road after coming out of Central Kalahari Game Reserve on our way to Maun in Botswana.

03/06/2020

The Long Road - Day 7:
One of those magical places that ends up stealing your heart is the north of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana. It is much less visited due to the distances required to get there, but with wide open plains, intermittent pans and remote bush camps and it’s unique wildlife, the long drive in and out is well worth the time. Knowing that wherever you are is on average 150km from a town in any direction, and with only dirt tracks to guide you, it is one of the few true wilderness areas left on earth.

01/06/2020

The Long Road - Day 6:
On an exploratory trip through the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana, we decided to drive from Khutse Game Reserve to Piper Pans in one day, after all it was only 320km. Being a sand track the whole way, it ended up taking us 12 hours, which takes a bit of the fun out of it. If we were to do it again, we’d definitely spread it over a few days.

31/05/2020

The Long Road - Day 5:
Anywhere in Botswana is far, but these days most of the roads to main towns is on good tar. If your time is limited this makes travelling up to 900km in a day quite possible. Since small our children knew to take toys, books, pillows and their selection of music to pass the time. Once settled, it is surprisingly how fast it goes especially when enjoying the changing countryside outside the windows. Only the driver has to keep an eye back of the convoy. This photo was taken between Serowe and Orapa in December.

31/05/2020

The Long Road - Day 4:
Not the greatest photograph but it completely embodies the essence of The Long Road. It was taken in Limpopo province after crossing from Zimbabwe into South Africa on the return leg of our epic trip to northern Mozambique. Driving the 3000km northwards took 4 days, leaving each morning at 5am, driving on average 750km, looking for accommodation around 3pm and after an early supper settling into bed at 8pm. Only to do it all again the following day. Experiencing good roads, potholes, no-road, tollgates, long bridges, animals, people, heavy vehicles, donkey carts, roadside markets, towns, villages, with the enigmatic Ille De Mozambique as the reward, it was absolutely worth it. The lesson for next time is to take it slower, stop in more places for longer to enjoy the people and the amazing array of landscapes of unspoilt Africa.

Remember the bonus photo's on Instagram for Twentythree26South.