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22.01.2022 Back on (chronological) track and to DAYS 9 & 10.... "Hi everyone - We've been doing a lot of driving and staying in some remote places so email contact has been a bit of a challenge. Day 9 we sadly left Sabi Sands and Kirkman Kamp. We left Kruger Park driving towards the Lembombo Mountains through the town of Hazywood and into the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons on earth. Blyde means "happy" or "glad". It is a sight to behold. Its name was coined when a group... of Trekkers returned safely from their journey. We stopped at God's Window - a vantage point from which to view the expanse of the canyon with its lush green hillsides and dramatic cliff faces. Lots of artisans selling carvings and printed fabric in the car park. We passed through Casper's Nek Pass on our way through the canyon. Our destination was Agatha Coach House. An establishment set in lovely gardens and full of old world charm. Had a lovely meal with friends before an early night and an early rise to get back on the road. On Day 10 we headed to Mapungabwe, close to the Zimbabwe border. Tonight we stayed in huts with thatched roofs and outdoor showers. It is one of SA's recently established parks and a world heritage site full of sandstone cliffs and interesting rock formations - a very remote area with few amenities. In the Shona language it means "city of gold". Many discoveries have been found here in this Iron Age site, several in pure gold, evidence of a flourishing trade with India, China and Egypt some 900 years ago. We had another BBQ tonight overlooking the rocky hillsides. Slept well until about 4am when I was awoken by a fluttering sound - there was a small bat flying around the room. Glad I didn't know it was there earlier or I wouldn't have slept so well. A very early start this morning - 6 am to drive to the Zimbabwe border crossing at Biet Bridge. After 3 hours of filling in forms and paying fees we made it across the border. A bit of a Wild West sort of area with signs like dangerous area do not get out of your car. There was a significant police presence on the roads so that was somewhat reassuring. Tonight we stayed in a tented camp in Matapos National Park. Had a fabulous meal cooked on an open fire (including the creme caramel). Just before sunset we visited the site of Cecil Rhodes' grave on a fabulous exposed rock hillside with large boulders perched on the top. Highlight of the night - an African dance group from the local high school performed for us. They were fabulous. One of the young boys invited me to to dance with them. It was a real honour. It was great. Another dream realised. Having a fantastic time. Heading to Victoria Falls tomorrow -a long drive but mainly on good roads. Cheers for now - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

17.01.2022 A HUGE thank you to the staff of The Faculty of Human Sciences at Macquarie Uni where Janet is the Dean (and busy rallying her way through southern Africa!). They have arranged a morning tea and invited the whole world to attend and dig deep with a "crispy foldable donation" (their description, which I love and am planning to use from now on!) to help Janet and Colin in their support of the HOPE Africa project. Thank you so much....and let there be lots of chocolate and crispy folding stuff! :) http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

14.01.2022 .....and we (at HOPE Africa) would also like to thank the staff in the Faculty of Human Sciences at Macquarie University in anticipation of their morning tea on 14th May. As Janet said in her last diary update, it is such a wonderful gesture and regardless of the outcome, we are very grateful. As we said in an earlier post, support of this project continues to come from some amazing places. :)

14.01.2022 Janet and Colin have been taking in all the wonderous sights that Africa has to offer, but back with us now..... "Hi Everyone - Sorry to be off the air for a couple of days. It has been very busy. On Day 7 we drove from Swaziland back across the border to SA and to Kruger NP. After 10 minutes inside the park we started to see animals - first giraffe, then a LARGE female hyaena with pup. This was followed by numerous impala, white rhino, a herd of elephant (about 8), a trou...pe of baboons, several large birds called southern ground hornbill, a southern yellow-billed hornbill, two huge owls (I think perhaps Verneaux's eagle-owl or the spotted eagle owl - need an expert to decipher photo). Then we got to our accommodation in Sabi Sands, a reserve adjacent to Kruger NP, where we are staying at Kirkman's Lodge - a former farm turned safari camp. After a very quick lunch ( we arrived late because we were so busy viewing the wildlife) we went on a safari ride into the bush. This was in open top land rovers with trackers on board. It was amazing. We got close up to giraffe, impala, kudu (a larger type of deer), common duiker, waterbuck and really close to a pride of 3 lions just after a kill. There were two males who had gorged themselves so much on giraffe that they could hardly move. We were within 4-6 metres of them. One male started walking toward the truck on Colin's side. It was a toss up to take the photo of the lion or Colin's face. The lion won. The female was having her turn to eat after we arrived. She seemed intent on having dinner and was not particularly interested in us. Let's just say it was an experience of a lifetime. We stayed with the lions for 10-20 minutes before we moved on to track a leopard which we found after dark. She was absolutely beautiful. Her name was quila quila ( it means one who likes to climb trees). The night photos were not so great but I got a couple of decent shots. We also saw mongoose and miniature mongoose and more monkeys and brilliantly coloured birds whose names I will get from the guide later. This was what I came here for and I was not disappointed. It was magic. I may not come back home. Just kidding. Colin was as impressed as I was, even with the fright of being approached by a young lion at 3 metres. Can't wait for the morning version at 6am. Had a lovely BBQ in the boma tonight followed by singing and dancing by the local staff. It was wonderful. This is the best holiday we've ever had. Talk to you again soon. All the best - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

13.01.2022 .....and another post for today brings us back up to date (we think...??!!!)....DAY 8 - "Hello Everyone - Day 8 up before dawn for the morning safari. A bit chilly but we were sent off with tummies full of warm coffee and biscuits. Saw more giraffe and zebra today and, of course, the ubiquitous impala. Also saw a cute little steenbok, a waterbuck pair, and vultures. Forgot to mention that last night we also saw a pack of hyaena, and a side striped jackal, and a lone bull... elephant. This morning the vultures were finishing off the giraffe from the previous night's lion kill. You would hardly know that a dead body had been there. A few bits of bone were left. Got a good shot of some giraffe with the red Africa sun rising in the background. Wish I could download the photos but am having some technical difficulties. Will share when we get back if we haven't sorted it out by then. We saw a small herd of elephant as we went in search of more leopard. The trackers are amazing. We found the same leopard from last night. She was still hunting. She looked much larger in the light of day. We tracked her for about 10 minutes and got some great shots. She walked so close to the truck that the person sitting next to me could have reached out and petted her (if one was so inclined but not recommended with a hungry cat!). We had more coffee in the bush with a local liqueur called amerula to help us warm up. We came back to a full bush breakfast served, where else, but in a clearing in the bush, complete with champagne and orange juice. Having a rest waiting for the next evening safari when we'll go in search of hippos and more rhinos. And who knows we may see quila quila the leopard again. Bye for now - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

09.01.2022 The trip is drawing to an end, but the tales from Janet and Colin are still fantastic.... "Hi Folks - it's now DAY 22 and we're well into Namibia and on the home stretch. Some of the older cars have been having some trouble today. The 1928 Crossley had to pull out of the race this morning. Andrew and Gina have done a fantastic job throughout but something was just not fixable today and sadly we'll not see them again until Cape Town. The 1954 Jaguar had a gearbox problem ab...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Apologies for the lack of progress posts over the last few days - the "post-ER" has been out of town! But back now, and with a backlog of posts....starting with DAY 6 (which would appear to have been previously omitted - so turn back the clock for a minute)..... "Hello from Swaziland Day 6 - We crossed the border into Swaziland today, driving from Cathedral Peak, along the Ladysmith road through the battlefields of the Zulu/British/Boer wars of the late 1800s. We stopped fo...r lunch at a lovely spot called Isandlwana Lodge which directly overlooked The battlefields. We visited the museum at Rorkes Drift along the way and a very fine crafts shop selling pottery, block prints, woven rugs and beading. Many people on the roads today out exercising the right to vote. Most people were dressed in their finest outfits as they made their way to the polling stations. No school today so lots of children on the sides of the roads waving and smiling. Some did little dances as the rally cars passed by. Distributed some coloured pens to the children who were very keen. The border crossing went smoothly but some of us ended up driving in the dark which we do not recommend. There are people running along the sides of the roads everywhere, even on major highways. It was a bit stressful. I had to use a torch to read the navigation points while helping Colin keep an eye out for pedestrians. We were most relieved when we finally got to the hotel at about 6:30pm. After checking in at time control to let the rally organisers know we'd arrived it was straight to the lounge for a G&T to settle the nerves. We are staying at the Royal Swazi Sun - a grand hotel with a boisterous outdoor dining area.We we treated to a braai (BBQ) in the hotel's boma (safe enclosure). Don't worry! We don't need protection. It's a traditional enclosure built in the old style and used for functions. An early night tonight as we have an early start to what I hope will be one of the highlights of the trip, as far as animal spotting goes, to Kruger National Park. Cheers - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

07.01.2022 NAMIBIA...and its breathtaking landscape.... "Hi Everyone - fFinally wifi that works. It's now day 20. We're on the homeward stretch - about another 2000 km to go. Yesterday we had a free day to drive through Etosha National Park in Namibia. It took about 4 hours. A very different terrain from Kruger NP in SA and a very different animal viewing experience. The park encompasses a large salt pan that goes on forever - you could have staged the moon landing here. But it is... also home to large herds of zebra, impala, wildebeest, etc. We had to stop for several minutes to let a herd of over 50 zebra cross the road. It gives a new meaning to zebra crossing. We had a similar experience with impala. Some of our friends saw a huge herd of elephant with a very testy bull who was not happy about the cars. He bellowed at them but then went on. We also saw our first gemsbok - large antelope with long pointy horns and striped face. We also saw a secretary bird - most impressive. Sadly, one of them was killed some days ago when it also broke the windscreen of one of the classic cars. It is quite a large bird. But the highlight of the day was spotting a black rhino. I never thought we would see one and there it was at a waterhole close to the main road through the park. It was sitting in the pond but we waited a while and he got up and took a walk to another pool to take a drink. I was so excited I could barely keep the camera still. But we got some great shots - Sideways and front on. It was the front on approach to the car that made us decide it was time to leave. But what a great experience. Etosha is home to 10% of the world's surviving black rhino population. Later in the evening (while I was out on yet another Safari drive) Colin and friends who stayed back at camp saw 3 black rhino - one baby at the waterhole at the camp. We saw numerous fabulous birds, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, reebok and 4 lions. Another group saw a pride of 15 lions with cubs in tow. Unfortunately, we missed the larger group. Off to Twylefontein this morning. Hope to be in touch there and add anything we've forgotten from the days in the wifi wilderness. Hope all is well back home. All the best - Janet and Colin" See more

06.01.2022 Loving this commentary from Janet and Colin - we feel like we're travelling in the back seat!!! DAY 4 - "Hi Folks Day 4 was a looong drive - 640 Km but we made it safe and sound. The people at Des Tuishuise packed us a lovely picnic lunch which we shared at a picnic stop on the road with some of our travelling companions - Greg and Liz. The driving was more interesting today. We went in two Time Sections - that's where you try to achieve a set distance within a specified t...ime (i.e., 9.85km in under 8 minutes). These are usually done on dirt tracks where there is less traffic. Don't worry we are careful. We almost made the first one within the time but a cow got in the way and we had to slow down. One crew made it in 5:37 - pretty impressive. We won't discuss the second TS we were less than impressive but what the heck, we're having fun. We can reliably report, the Nissan x-trail is no competition for Porches and Bentleys. No animal sightings today other than cows and sheep. The scenery was, as usual, spectacular - while we were mainly driving on the plains you seem to be always surrounded by mountain ranges and fabulous cloud formations. The environs were quite lush in places, lots of cherry trees and other fruits growing near our destination - Golden Gate Park. We were driving quite close to the Lesotho border. Unfortunately, we won't be going there but the mountain ranges look amazing. Another great meal this evening with excellent company. Going to take a walk tomorrow morning to work off all this food. We may actually get to see a baboon. There's a baboon warning in our room saying don't leave doors and windows open. They were running over the roof all night long. Talk to you again soon. A short but more difficult drive today to Cathedral Peak in the Drakensburg Mountains. All the best - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

05.01.2022 ....the final days in Botswana....in the very beautiful Okavango Delta (sigh!)..... "Hi everyone - we've been out of contact with the outside world for a couple of days deep in the Okavango Delta. It was fabulous! We stayed in tented accommodation at lodges that can only be reached by light aircraft or boat. The tents had proper en suites but with outdoor showers. You just had to remember not to leave your doors open or leave anything in the shower or the baboons would get it.... We saw one tent surrounded by baboons one afternoon. They were jumping around like crazy and the lead male was barking loudly like a dog. There were elephants, warthogs, leopard, hippos around the camp. After dark you had to be escorted to and from your tents. We went on boat safaris around the delta and spotted all sorts of creatures but the highlight was the performing hippos. We encountered them in a large pool and when another boat came they weren't pleased to have their space invaded so a couple of them charged the other boat coming right out of the water so you could see their pink underbelly. A little scary but all were safe. We travelled by canoe to Chief Island ( a large island in the delta) to take a two hour bush walk. We spotted roebuck, birds, elephant and buffalo. Boy those buffalo are huge. Fortunately, they were in a thicket of trees and we were on a high termite mound about 30 metres away. You don't want to get too close to buffalo. We had been tracking their footprints as well as their "fresh droppings" for quite some time. They were also being followed by lions as we also saw their footprints on the track as well as a large paw print in a fresh pile of you know what. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, we didn't see the lions. Friends of our at another camp had an elephant come up to their verandah and poke his tusk through the railing. They were also trapped in their tent for awhile by a troupe of baboons. After the boat safaris we had sundowners out in the bush -G&Ts all round. On our last night at Moremi Crossing in the Delta the staff of the camp performed songs and dances for us. It was lovely. The staff were very friendly and helpful. On the flight back to Maun airport in a 5 sweater Cessna, we spotted elephants, giraffe, roebuck, zebra and buffalo. It is truly an amazing place. Another one for a return visit. Off to Namibia now. Cheers - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

04.01.2022 .......DAY 5.... "Hi Everyone Guess what - I've finally seen a baboon, two in fact, just outside the restaurant window while having breakfast. Colin missed out. He slept in while I went for a bush walk. ( He did drive the 640 Kim's yesterday, so deserved a rest). After seeing the baboons, Liz and I made sure to take the walking sticks with us on the walk. We did not encounter any animals but plenty of 'evidence' that they'd been around. I need a scat identification book. D...ay 5 was fairly leisurely ( we needed it after Day 4). We had a late start and drove only 171km to Cathedral Peak Hotel in the Drakensbergs. We drove through Oliviershoek Pass. The roads were not good but again the scenery, how many times can I say it, spectacular. We saw lots of zebra and eland along the way inside the Golden Gate Park. Really exciting. The bird life is wonderful at Cathedral Peak. Great place to holiday. You can also have a round of golf here, if you're so inclined. This evening we heard an inspiring talk given by the tour leader Philip Young. It was about the great battle fought between the British and the Zulus in 1878. Have you seen the movie "Zulu"? If not you should. The Zulus defeated the British and defended their homeland. We're going to see the site of that battle today. We had another outstanding buffet dinner last night. I'm starting to practice portion control, but it's not easy. We celebrated the 42nd wedding anniversary of a couple from Italy last night. They were overjoyed as was everyone for them. I've just heard it's someone's birthday today. Life goes on, on the road. It's great being part of it. Talk to you tomorrow. All the best - Colin and Janet" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa See more

03.01.2022 ....and now into Botswana...and wall to wall elephants!!!.... "DAY 14 - we left the wonderful Victoria Falls Hotel to head for Botswana - a much better border crossing than the one into Zimbabwe. We did have to clean our shoes and tyres before entering Botswana but that was a minor issue compared to the melee that was the Biet Bridge crossing into Zimbabwe. One of our friends had there tires spiked at the Zimbabwe border when they crossed at night alone and were followed by... bandits. Fortunately they had the good sense not to stop and simply drove back to a police station on the rim. Lots of lovely people here but like everywhere, there are also some bad guys. Just have to be careful. Well they said we'd see lots of elephants in Botswana. We weren't 2 km inside the border when we saw a young bull elephant on the side of the road then a little further on a small herd. We also saw some zebra and buck called Tsessebe. We're headed to Nata Lodge driving along the eastern edge of the northern Kalahari. Nata is an oasis on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans. We'll be driving out tonight to see the Pans and whatever they may have in store! The Makgadikgadi Pan were beautiful stark grass planes with large expanses of water at this time of year. They also have barren salt patches. It's the quintessential Kalahari. There were small herds of gnu ( or blue wildebeest). Apparently they get their name from the sound they make. One of of travelling companions, Do from Belgium, made this duck like sound and the gnu became very interested. I think they'd never heard anything quite like it before! We also saw interesting birdlife on the water, small wading birds, an elegant white heron, some grey heron and pelicans. The sunset was spectacular and if I had been quick enough with my camera I could have gotten one of those iconic shots of two pelicans flying into the blazing red sunset. Unfortunately, I was not but I hope I'll never forget seeing it in real life. We also saw a couple of hippo - well as much of a hippo as you ever see before dark - just the tops of their heads as they swim along. We had another braai (BBQ) tonight and our accommodation is Safari tents, this time with full en suite. However the shower was an outdoor affair which was a bit of a challenge at 5:30 am with a temperature approaching 12 degrees C. Off to the airport at Maun this morning for a flight to the Okavango Delta for a two night stay in a remote Safari camp called Moremi Crossing. Supposed to be a great wildlife location - we might even see black rhino! We'll keep you informed. Bye for now - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa

02.01.2022 ...who said lions were scary...???....not Janet!! Check this out..... "Hi Again - staying two nights at the fabulous Victoria Falls Hotel. It overlooks the falls and the Zambezi River bridge to Zambia. The first night we had a gala dinner in the Livingstone Room. Outstanding ostrich carpaccio. Today I started at 6:30am to take a walk with some lions - Shingala and Savannah. (Colin slept in as he was tired from his long drive yesterday.). The lions were 1 year old females ...who were orphaned and have been raised by a conservation group who are trying to increase the much depleted lion population. They will be mated in captivity and later released in a protected area. We were able to walk alongside the lions and actually pet them. There were some rules about letting the lions go first and don't touch the head or tail. Shingala seemed to really enjoy a scratch on the back haunches. She rolled over as if to say give me a tummy rub. (I wasn't at all scared although some of the photos might suggest otherwise.). Shingala even allowed me to pick a tick of the back of her ear. It was pretty special. Got back to the hotel in time to take a walk around the Victoria Falls with Colin and two other members of the rally from the UK, Yvonne and Philip. The falls are phenomenal. The amount of watering thundering down the cliff side is truly amazing. The spray reaches so high that from the hotel all you see is a constant mist. Down close it is like being rained on. We got soaked but pretty well dried off by the time we walked the kilometre back to the hotel - just in time for a hot bath and to get ready for a river cruise on the great Zambezi River. It was amazing. We saw some hippo and a small crocodile - but the highlight was seeing the spectacular sunset on one end and then turning around to see the rising of the full moon on the other. It was stunning. I cannot believe how amazing this country is. It is absolutely beautiful. An early rise tomorrow and on to Botswana. Hope this border crossing is easier. All the best - Janet and Colin" http://www.gofundme.com/Rally-for-HOPE-Africa