Archive for June 2001
Show summaries onlyMauritius
Sailing boat at sunset off Grand Baie, Mauritius
Mauritius is beautiful. The centre of the island boasts mountains of curious and intriguing shape. The coast is covered in tropical gardens. The bougainvillea, of pinks, reds and purples, are quite magnificent.
Surrounding the coast are calm waters, enclosed by a reef. At Grand Baie (in the north of the island) the water is beautifully blue. In the morning, the lagoons inside the reef are green, truly the colour of emeralds. In the afternoon they change to hundreds of shades of blue.
My photography doesn’t extend to capturing such radiance.
Mauritius. 11 June 2001.
Staying on Mauritius
I stayed at Grand Baie, the main town of Mauritius outside Port Louis. It is in the far north west of the island, with the town centred around, rather obviously, a big bay.
I had to walk along this section of the beach to get from my hotel to the town of Grand Baie.
Grand Baie itself is a busy mixture of tourists, locals, buses, taxis, hotels and shops.
Someone once advised me to photograph the view from every hotel room in which one stays. It’s an interesting experience. Sometimes the view is spectacular. Sometimes one sees only a brick wall a metre away.
In Grand Baie, I looked across a park, through trees to a glimpse of the water of the bay.
Grand Baie, Mauritius. 11 June 2001.
Port Louis
Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, is on the west coast of the island. The population is 150,000. It is a pretty white city nestling between mountains and the port. There’s a modern waterfront of cafes, restaurants and tourist shops. That merges into office and government buildings. And just two blocks away the traditional markets sell fruit, vegetables meat and other foods. Beside the markets is the world’s most hectic bus terminal, with buses of ancient lineage servicing routes all over the island.
The history of Mauritius has led to a cultural mix seen in its people and its terrific food. The Portugese popped in during the 16th century, killed off the dodo in less than 90 years, and left. The Dutch colonized in the 17th century, the French in the 18th century, and the British took Mauritius in the early 19th century–and kept it until independence in 1968.
The result is a mix of architecture that creates a splendid centre to the City, and sprawling suburbs of apartments and houses.
Catholic cathedral in Port Louis.
The main street of Port Louis runs straight up from the waterfront. It includes significant public buildings including parliament house. This is the Port Louis Town Hall.
This complex of shady trees and gardens houses the Supreme Court of Mauritius.
Port Louis, Mauritius. 12 June 2001.
Dodo
Port Louis includes the Natural History Museum, home to the dodo.
The museum contains several skeletons and a replica of a dodo. Regrettably, photos aren’t allowed inside, but you can see some illustrations of a dodo at this dodo picture site.
This is the view from the National History Museum in Port Louis.
Port Louis, Mauritius. 12 June 2001.
Submarine
While on Mauritius, I went in a five-seater mini-submarine, diving to 30m.
The most interesting sensation was the change in colours. I learned that red light doesn’t travel beyond 10m in water. So beyond that, no reds are visible and skin tones look grey. By 30m, almost everything looked bluish-purple.
These photos show the effect.
The dial above our heads showed our depth. This photograph is taken at the surface and shows 0m. The ceiling is white and skin tones look natural.
This photograph is taken at 30m when the ceiling and the skintones, indeed everything, looked blue.
I was a bit worried about claustrophobia in such a small space. But the sub was remarkably spacious, even though the light levels were very low beyond about 10m.
We saw large numbers of tropical fish, a Japanese fishing boat sunk in 1998 to create an artificial reef, and a 17th century storm anchor cut loose by a sailing ship.
This is the fishing trawler.
Mauritius. 12 June 2001.
Sunset cafe
A large waterfront complex in Port Louis attracts both tourists and locals. It includes restaurants, cafes, shops selling souvenirs of various kinds, and a cinema.
This photo looks from the Sunset Café across the waterfront towards another row of restaurants.
The Sunset Cafes at the waterfront in Port Louis and in Grand Baie featured heavily in my itinerary.
The local Phoenix beer is recommended.
Port Louis, Mauritius. 12 June 2001.
Pereybere and Coin de mire
Pereybere was my favourite place in Mauritius. It was smaller, less hectic, less urgent than other towns like Grand Baie. Pereybere is about a 30 minute walk from Grand Baie – or 10 minutes on the rickety bus.
Pereybere Beach
Coin de Mire, a distinctively-shaped island off the north-east coast of Mauritius.
Pereybere and Coin de mire, Mauritius. 13 June 2001.
Fish market
This is the fish market at Grand Baie. It operates one day a week in the park at the edge of the beach.
There were several people selling, and several dozen buyers for freshly-caught fish.
Grand Baie, Mauritius. 14 June 2001.
Sunset in Mauritius
Sunset over Grand Baie on my last evening in Mauritius
For what it’s worth, the gold sky is the original. No Photoshopping!
Grand Baie, Mauritius. 14 June 2001.
Mbabane, Swaziland
View from Mountain Inn, Mbabane, Swaziland.
Mbabane is the capital of Swaziland, a small land-locked country between South Africa and Mozambique. The Mountain Inn faces away from the city towards the Ezulwini Valley. This was the view from my hotel room.
Mountain Inn, Mbabane, Swaziland. 16 June 2001.
Later entries from June 2001
Show full text of these entries.Dr Livingstone, I presume Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. 19 June 2001.
Dr Livingstone, I presume. Livingstone’s statue presides over the end of the walk along the top of the Falls on the Zimbabwean side of the river. In 1855, Livingstone was the first European to s...Bunji jumping over the Zambezi River Bridge over the Zambezi River below Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia. 19 June 2001.
Bridge across the Zambezi – and bungi jumpers The Victoria Falls Bridge was built in 1905 to link what are now Zimbabwe and Zambia. Cecil Rhodes wanted the glory of spanning the river just below...Double rainbow at Victoria Falls Victoria Falls, between Zimbabwe and Zambia. 19 June 2001.
Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River between Zimbabwe and Zambia. With the light in just the right place, the spray from the falls creates a double rainbow. In the local language, the Falls are known ...Victoria Falls Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. 19 June 2001.
On the Zimbabwean side, a pathway meanders along the edge of the falls. Livingstone’s Statue overlooks the Devil’s Cataract. This photo looks up the Zambezi River from the point where the ...Victoria Falls town Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. 19 June 2001.
This is one of those pictures that make sense if you’ve been there. It’s the sign on the main corner in Victoria Falls town, on the corner of Livingstone Way and Parkway. ...Victoria Falls Safari Lodge Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. 19 June 2001.
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge restored my faith in grand hotels after a nasty experience a few years ago when vast sums of money resulted in awful food and poor service. VFSL was so wonderful it was alm...Eclipse camp Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls Zimbabwe to Chisamba, Zambia. 20 June 2001.
Solar eclipse On 21 June 2001 a total solar eclipse was experienced through much of Africa. I was to observe the eclipse from a camp near Chisamba, north of Lusaka in Zambia. Getting there was only ha...Waiting for the sun to move Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
On 21 June 2001 a total solar eclipse was experienced through much of Africa. I joined about 200 people at a camp set up near Chisamba, north of Lusaka in Zambia. A group at the eclipse camp in the ...First contact Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
At 1.40pm local time, the sun looked like the sun looks any old day. The photo is taken with a solar filter; so the bright blue sky looks black, and the yellow sun looks white. A moment later, lookin...Eclipse entertainment Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
As the moon covered more and more of the sun, we were entertained by an excellent band of singers, dancers and drummers. Meanwhile, the inexorable progression of the sun continued. ...Sun slivers Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
Quite rapidly, the nibble grew. Yet it took about an hour and a half from that first nibble until the sun was entirely engulfed by the moon. With our eclipse glasses, we could see three or four sunspo...Totality: The sun’s Corona and the dark side of the moon Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
Suddenly, we could see the corona around the sun. It’s always there, but we can’t see it because of the glare of the sun. You can only see the sun’s corona during a total eclipse. D...Diamond ring Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
In a total eclipse of the sun, we sometimes see what’s known as the Diamond Ring effect. It is seen at both ends of totality: just before the moon completely hides the sun, and just as the sun begin...After the eclipse Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
On 21 June 2001 I observed a total eclipse of the sun from a camp near Chisamba, north of Lusaka in Zambia. I was at a camp of about 200 people, mostly Americans or British. After the eclipse, there w...Herb Koenig, Eclipse Veteran Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
Herb Koenig, veteran eclipse-watcher, after the eclipse. ...Windhoek Lager Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
Celebrating! I knew I was on my way back to Namibia when I saw a Windhoek Lager. The bad news about the Windhoek Lager was that the caterers received a delivery of beer not long before the eclipse. Th...Post-eclipse celebrating Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
Dancing to the music of the Zambian band. Celebrating after the eclipse. ...Post-eclipse sunset Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
During the eclipse, and for some time after, several light aircraft, including one that looked like an old DC-3, flew over our camp. These were people viewing the eclipse from the air, taking off fro...Herb Koenig, Eclipse-watcher Outside Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
Herb Koenig, eclipse-watcher from San Diego. The eclipse of 2001 was his 18th total solar eclipse. I met Herb on a farm outside Chisamba in Zambia where a couple of hundred people had met to view the ...Observing the eclipse Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
People chose unusual vantage points to observe totality. I joined several others and wandered off into a field. Barry Main, a visitor from the UK, and one of the three last drinkers on the night of th...Eclipses and eclipse photography 21 June 2001.
The expert on eclipses is Fred Espenak. He works at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he hosts the eclipse home page which presents more information about eclipses than you ever thought po...Sensations the photos don’t capture Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
For this first-time eclipse watcher, the most memorable sensations can’t be captured on a photograph. The first was the drop in temperature. Eclipse Day was hot: a day for short-sleeved shirts, ...Drinking partners Chisamba, Zambia. 21 June 2001.
While there was great revelry immediately after the solar eclipse, most people had gone off to bed by about 9pm. A once-in-a-lifetime event, and they’ve disappeared to bed! Barry, the Libr...The morning after Chisamba, Zambia. 22 June 2001.
The morning after the eclipse, the camp was full of people packing up all their gear and preparing to continue their travels. Packing up the buses ready to leave. Mike and Rosemary getting on the b...Taita Falcon Lodge at Victoria Falls Taita Falcon Lodge, Livingston, Zambia. 22 June 2001.
Victoria Falls are on the Zambezi River, and at that point the river forms the boundary between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The better-known Victoria Falls town is on the Zimbabwe side, but for my money the ...Deck at Taita Falcon Lodge Taita Falcon Lodge, Livingston, Zambia. 22 June 2001.
I had stayed at Taita Falcon Lodge in December 1999. When I learned that I would have to go through Victoria Falls to get to the eclipse, I was keen to get back and to see AnMarie and Faan, who own an...Batoka Gorge, from Taita Falcon Lodge Taita Falcon Lodge, Livingston, Zambia. 22 June 2001.
This is the view from the deck outside the bar and dining area at Taita Falcon Lodge. Taita overlooks the Batoka Gorge of the Zambezi River. A sheer cliff drops 200m to the river, and the deck is perc...Hawk Eagle bungalow Taita Falcon Lodge, Livingston, Zambia. 23 June 2001.
The verandah outside my bungalow at Taita. These bungalows are built of natural materials to a local design, yet are fitted out all necessary modern conveniences. When I visited Taita in December 1999...Grounds of Taita Falcon Lodge Taita Falcon Lodge, Livingston, Zambia. 23 June 2001.
The path leading to my bungalow within the grounds of Taita Falcon Lodge. ...AnMarie Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. 23 June 2001.
Anmarie, who with her husband, Faan, is owner and manager of Taita Falcon Lodge. This picture was taken at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge where AnMarie and I shared lunch on the way to Victoria Falls air...Black-backed jackal On the road from Okaukuejo to Okondeka, Etosha National Park, Namibia. 28 June 2001.
This cute little creature is a black-backed jackal at Etosha National Park in the north of Namibia. They are found throughout Namibia, and outside the national parks farmers find them less than cute, ...Yellow mongoose Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
This is a yellow mongoose, photographed at Salvadora waterhole in Etosha National Park. The mongoose was a perky and inquisitive little thing. It sat quite near my car for some time, looking at me, lo...Etosha National Park Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Etosha National Park is the most extraordinary place I’ve ever been. It is in Northern Namibia, about 6 hours’ drive north of the capital, Windhoek. Etosha National Park is a semi-arid are...Swaziland Swaziland. June 2001
This is a traditional Swazi shield, made of cowhide. A young man is given a shield when he comes of age. The decoration of the shield denotes his age group. As he gets older, his shield (and that of h...Twyfelfontein rock engravings Twyfelfontein, Namibia. 30 June 2001.
The Twyfelfontein area is at the base of the mountain range including the Brandberg, the highest peak in Namibia. It is one of Africa’s richest sites of rock art. There are some rock paintings, ...Ground squirrels Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
I saw ground squirrels all over Etosha. These were my first, photographed between the Okaukuejo camp and Okondeka, a kilometre or two from where I saw the black-backed jackal, below. They seem to be m...Rhinocerous at Kalkheuwel Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Sometimes, you’re just lucky. I arrived at Kalkheuwel waterhole just as this rhino was taking a drink. He left a few minutes later. There are maybe 2,000 or 3,000 black rhino left in the world (...Rhinos doing it Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
This photo was taken at night, at the Okaukuejo waterhole. The waterhole is lit with a red light. The photo has been colour balanced to reduce the red tint created by the lights. These two rhino seeme...Kori Bustard Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
I think that this is a Kori Bustard. It was three or four feet tall, and stepped around the grass with a very deliberate gait. This one was photographed between Okaukuejo camp and the Pan waterhole. ...Black-backed jackal Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
This cute little creature is a black-backed jackal. They are found throughout Namibia, and outside the national parks farmers find them less than cute, because these jackal take young animals of sever...Warthog Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Warthog live in family groups, and I saw several families at waterholes. I also saw a warthog in entirely different circumstances at Okonjima Lodge. ...Ostrich Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
I found Ostrich difficult to photograph. They are skittish, and run away as soon as I stopped the car to look. These were photographed at Nebrownii, a waterhole just east of Okaukuejo camp, on my firs...Cheetah Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
At Etosha you approach a parked car with caution: it indicates an interesting animal nearby. I was driving from Salvadora to Charitsaub when I saw three or four vehicles parked on the road ahead of me...Pied crow Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
I think this is a Pied Crow. I know it was an inquisitive and raucous bird. As several cars stopped on the road to watch the cheetah, above, this crow hung around for over an hour. He (she?) hopped on...Lilac-breasted roller Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
In the north-east of Etosha National Park, on the road to the Andoni Plain. My previous expertise in identifying birds was probably sufficient to distinguish a sparrow from an emu. Even armed with a g...Spotted hyena Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
First, an admission: these two photographs of a spotted hyena have been cropped. The hyena came out of the bush about half an hour after sunrise to drink at the Kalkheuwel waterhole, near Namutomi. Th...Giraffe at Etosha National Park Chudop waterhole, Etosha National Park, Namibia. 30 June 2001.
An inquisitive giraffe at Chudop waterhole, Etosha National Park, northern Namibia. Etosha National Park is one of the most wondrous places I have ever visited. As I took this photo, there were over 3...Zebra at Etosha National Park Near Okerfontein waterhole, Etosha National Park, Namibia. 30 June 2001.
There are thousands of zebra in Etosha National Park. After several days of seeing zebra every day, I became fascinated by the unique patterns of their stripes, and the ways that family groups interac...Lions on the road near Etosha Pan Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
At Etosha Pan lookout, some South African visitors told me that lions had been seen 7km west of the turnoff to the lookout. So back I went. Almost exactly 7km from the turnoff two cars were on the si...Tree Etosha National Park, Namibia. 30 June 2001.
OK, so I have this thing about taking photos of dead trees. We all have our little peculiarities! ...Giraffe Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
I found that zebra would stop and look and investigate people and cars in the park. So would springbok and impala, and gemsbok always looked up suspiciously when I neared them. But giraffe largely ig...A pride of lions v. one giraffe at Homob Homob, Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Two days after I saw the lions on the road, above, some German tourists told me they had spent over an hour looking at lions at the Homob waterhole. So off to Homob I went. What transpired still seem...Zebras Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Zebra crossing I observed that zebras walk in long, ordered lines to waterholes. The lead female first; the stallion last; foals interspersed with other adults in the middle. Sometimes I saw much lar...