Posted by Mike | Posted in Landscape Design Ideas | Posted on 31-03-2009
Tags: sunset, sunset landscaping illustrated
 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 5eaHUMIDITY DOMES $14.99 Time Remaining: 16d 12h 44m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 GARDENING PLANTING SUPPLIES TOPSY TURVY HANDY TRENDS STRAWBERRY PLANTER NIB $0.99 Time Remaining: 17h 29m |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50 PLANT LABEL TAGS $6.49 Time Remaining: 5d 5h 49m Buy It Now for only: $6.49 |
 American Girl Addy Gardening Supplies Pleasant Company Retired $49.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 2d 14h 36m |
 240W Red Blue LED Hydroponic Plant Grow Light Panel Gardening Supplies Indoor $200.99 Time Remaining: 1d 12h 49m Buy It Now for only: $200.99 |
 GRASS SHEARS MADE IN USA GARDENING SUPPLIES GARDEN TOOLS OUTDOORS $2.99 Time Remaining: 3d 7h 32m |
Where to Go On a Weekend in South Africa? Botswana
Where to go on a weekend in South Africa? Botswana
Southern Africa is becoming a new long-weekend destination for the British. There's no time difference, the flights are overnight (both ways), and you waste no precious daylight hours travelling.
The good news is that the aeroplanes depart around 8pm, so dinner; sleeping and breakfast are at the right time in the right order. The pleasure in travelling or sleeping overnight on a plane to South Africa however is that you wake-up to a different and dramatic landscape; fresh air and smiling warm faces and if you are lucky, some snarling animals as well.
BEFORE YOUR GO
The best way to travel on your weekend is to pack light and travel easy. The out-going flight is on Thursday, so carry a bag, small enough to smuggle in and out of your office:
Hand luggage can include your binoculars, camera and travel books you'll need on safari
Arrive at the airport well before time to have a glass of champagne and some smoked salmon at the Caviar House.
Travel in the loose chinos or combat trousers you'll wear for game drives, plus the baggy cotton or fleece jumper
Take a pure down baby pillow: it squashes up small, you can cosy up to it on the plane and it's invaluable in the camps where pillows are hard.
JOHANNESBURG - MAUN
Your wake-up call is a few thousand meters above Johannesburg. You have the choice to eat on the aircraft or at the airport café that is decent and above the excellent book- shop. Buy Sasol's illustrated guide to the birds of southern Africa and the Sasol mammal book. This is the old Africa hand's library; your guide will be dead impressed.
From Johannesburg, there's a comfortable connection to Maun in Botswana. The two hour flight allows another opportunity for a nap or a quick introductory lesson from your book. At Botswana, we change into another plane for the last hop to adventure. The time to go to Botswana is in our summer when the Okavango Delta swells with water from Angola.
OKAVANGO DELTA
There is mystery and romance of the Okavango's waters. Much of the fun in viewing wildlife here is by a boat. Some prefer the big boat but the sound of silence is so potent that I prefer the traditional makoro. As we glide slowly above water, Hippos pop up on each side. We paddled to a far island where birds chatter volubly in the reeds. On ground, there is a herd of buffalo munching the water meadows and there are tracks of lion and elephant.
I spent my afternoon watching a fluffy, magnificent prince among raptors - the rarest, Pel's fishing owl. He stood there contemplating us as I looked at him through my binoculars and hurriedly reading notes in my bird book. In the sunset, that was one of the most spectacular, we could see a lion pride feeding on a zebra.
En route to the tent we met the mamba, rampant, while I was withering along behind the camp manager. But when someone freezes in the bush, you shut up and freeze. The mamba dropped from its striking position and slithered off. I saw the swish of the most scary tail in Africa. Quite as bracing as my pre-lunch shower.
MOREMI WILDLIFE RESERVE
The next day, I flew to Khwai River Lodge in the Moremi Wildlife Reserve that has a drier, harsher environment. Moremi lies in the centre of the Okavango Delta. It is undoubtedly one of the world's most beautiful wilderness areas. Moremi is a place of lily-covered wetlands, grass plains and forests, where even at the busiest time of year you're likely to be the only spectators at even the most dramatic animal sighting.
The lion were at Khwai. Actually, the whole drama of life and death was at Khwai. Wild dogs are back here — a rare treat — and a pack drove a baby water buck into the river. The baby made piteous juvenile water-buck noises, its mother was frantic, the wild dog hovered at the river's edge. And the inevitable happened: the arrow-like ripple in the river, the black little eyes (nature's periscopes), the snap, the squeal, the thrashing hooves, the closing of the waters and Mr Crocodile had served himself dinner.
The next morning, while on a drive with our guide, we breakfasted with the lion. We were watching birth of a water buck in the reeds by the river's edge when our guide heard the roar of a lion in the distance. Just as lechwe began its precarious journey in the wild, we drove into the wilderness.
The pride sat at their table without knife and fork but tidily eating their breakfast, a zebra. A few feet away and in our Land Rover, we opened our packed sandwiches. The lionesses regarded the vehicles with a lack of interest bordering on contempt; were one to get out, however, the time span between touching the ground and becoming a second course would be minimal.
CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
Our next flight hop was to Chobe, often described as one of, if not the best, wildlife-viewing area in Africa today. Savuti boasts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife left on the African continent. Animals are present during all seasons, and at certain times of the year their numbers can be staggering. Its uniqueness in the abundance of wildlife and the true African nature of the region, offers a safari experience of a lifetime.
The most remarkable feature of the Chobe National Park is its huge concentration of elephants. But it's not just the elephants that make this special park worth visiting. It's so wild, a leopard made a kill in the Car park just before I. arrived and blood stains from a wild dog kill were still visible nearby.
Savuti Channel, a strange waterway that seems to have a mind of its own, bisects the park. The channel was dry for one hundred years, then flooded abruptly in the 1950s and remained flooded till the 1980s, when shiftings of the subterranean tectonic plates caused it to dry up again.
The journey home is a sleepy crash- out, arriving back in good time in the morning. Jet lag? Ah, you don't need to worry about that. There's nothing but buzz, excitement and a heightened sense of living; about going so far and seeing so much.
About the Author
© 2006 Harish Kohli.
Harish Kohli is an avid traveller who likes to share good travel ideas with others. He is also CEO of AwimAway.com where he can help tailor-make an adventure or experiential holiday for you. Visit www.awimaway.com to see what's new on line.
For more information on this subject click this link
Gardening Tips & Articles and Thank You for visiting Pines To Prairie - Bookmark this page and check back often.
|
|
SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 5eaHUMIDITY DOMES $14.99 Time Remaining: 16d 12h 44m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
GARDENING PLANTING SUPPLIES TOPSY TURVY HANDY TRENDS STRAWBERRY PLANTER NIB $0.99 Time Remaining: 17h 28m |
240W Red Blue LED Hydroponic Plant Grow Light Panel Gardening Supplies Indoor $200.99 Time Remaining: 1d 12h 49m Buy It Now for only: $200.99 |
|
SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50 PLANT LABEL TAGS $6.49 Time Remaining: 5d 5h 49m Buy It Now for only: $6.49 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES WATERING SPRINKLING $7.49 Time Remaining: 5d 6h 26m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 |
 Hydroponic Seeding Heat Mat for Indoor Garden Planting Gardening Supplies Plants $28.99 Time Remaining: 26d 8h 20m Buy It Now for only: $28.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 5eaTRAYS NO HOLES $9.99 Time Remaining: 18d 9h 42m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES 300 ea 2 1 4 JIFFY PEAT POTS $19.99 Time Remaining: 28d 12h 48m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES SEED STARTING 288 PLUGS+TRAYDOME $10.99 Time Remaining: 11h 27m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 Seedling Seed Starter trays Gardening Supplies 2100 cells $39.99 Time Remaining: 12d 21h 18m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50ea3SqPLASTIC POTS $13.99 Time Remaining: 16d 6h 26m Buy It Now for only: $13.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50 35 PLASTIC POTS $7.99 Time Remaining: 11d 4h 26m Buy It Now for only: $7.99 |
 Plastic Watering Can Gardening Supplies Watering Equipment Planting New $14.99 Time Remaining: 29d 6h 55m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
American Girl Addy Gardening Supplies Pleasant Company Retired $49.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 2d 14h 36m |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES JIFFY PEAT POTSTRAYS $12.99 Time Remaining: 24d 11h 29m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES JIFFY PEAT POTS2TRAYS $9.99 Time Remaining: 19d 10h 21m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 75 PLANT TAGS 8LONG $15.69 Time Remaining: 21d 13h 11m Buy It Now for only: $15.69 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 60 5 JIFFY PEAT POTS $18.49 Time Remaining: 18d 8h 1m Buy It Now for only: $18.49 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES PRO MIX BX MEDIUM $8.99 Time Remaining: 24d 11h 15m Buy It Now for only: $8.99 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES 5 GALLONS EA VERMICULITEPERLITE $17.99 Time Remaining: 29d 3h Buy It Now for only: $17.99 |
 LED Hydroponic Plant Grow Light Panel Red Blue Gardening Supplies Grow Tool $199.99 Time Remaining: 27d 15h 2m Buy It Now for only: $199.99 |
 Seed Starting 72 cell inserts Gardening supplies trays $6.59 Time Remaining: 25d 6h 37m Buy It Now for only: $6.59 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES 38 PLASTIC POTS WITH INSERTTRAY $13.95 Time Remaining: 24d 14h 57m Buy It Now for only: $13.95 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50 2 1 4 DIAMETER JIFFY PEAT POTS $8.29 Time Remaining: 14d 8h 37m Buy It Now for only: $8.29 |
 50 6 HEAVY DUTY PLASTIC FLOWER POTS for SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES $16.79 Time Remaining: 18d 6h 49m Buy It Now for only: $16.79 |
GRASS SHEARS MADE IN USA GARDENING SUPPLIES GARDEN TOOLS OUTDOORS $2.99 Time Remaining: 3d 7h 32m |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES 2 GALLONS EAVERMICULITE PERLITE $8.69 Time Remaining: 4h 24m Buy It Now for only: $8.69 |
 Seed Starting Plastic Nursery Pots Trays Gardening Supplies $23.95 Time Remaining: 7d 7h 1m Buy It Now for only: $23.95 |
 12 ea Gardening supplies 18 pot inserts Seed Starting $14.99 Time Remaining: 7d 5h 57m Buy It Now for only: $14.99 |
 25 ea Seed Starting 72 cell inserts Gardening supplies $22.50 Time Remaining: 6d 9h 2m Buy It Now for only: $22.50 |
 2 Gallons Each Vermiculite Fine Perlite Seed Starting Gardening Supplies $8.69 Time Remaining: 9d 6h 20m Buy It Now for only: $8.69 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 4 GALLONS VERMICULITE $8.69 Time Remaining: 1d 12h 49m Buy It Now for only: $8.69 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50 PLANT TAGS 6LONG $7.59 Time Remaining: 24d 6h 23m Buy It Now for only: $7.59 |
 1000 Jiffy 7 Peat Pellets 50mm Seed Starting Gardening Supplies $139.95 Time Remaining: 3d 6h 19m Buy It Now for only: $139.95 |
 Vermiculite Medium 2 Gallons Seed Starting Gardening Supplies $5.19 Time Remaining: 8d 9h 10m Buy It Now for only: $5.19 |
 Vermiculite Coarse 4 Cubic Foot Seed Starting Gardening Supplies $27.59 Time Remaining: 8d 9h 5m Buy It Now for only: $27.59 |
 LED Hydroponic Plant Grow Light Panel Red Blue Gardening Supplies Grow Tool $200.50 Time Remaining: 14d 15h 51m Buy It Now for only: $200.50 |
 Pleasant Company PC American Girl ADDY GARDENING SUPPLIES retired complete set $89.99 Time Remaining: 4d 3h 41m Buy It Now for only: $99.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 12 INSERTS12 TRAYS $34.99 Time Remaining: 28d 8h 53m Buy It Now for only: $34.99 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES OASIS SEED CUTTINGS STARTING KIT $15.99 Time Remaining: 23d 10h 32m Buy It Now for only: $15.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 28eaPLASTIC POTSTRAY $11.79 Time Remaining: 10d 13h 3m Buy It Now for only: $11.79 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50 5 PLASTIC POTS $12.79 Time Remaining: 29d 13h 3m Buy It Now for only: $12.79 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 100 JIFFY PEAT POTS $14.75 Time Remaining: 25d 14h 26m Buy It Now for only: $14.75 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 54 POTS 3 CARRY TRAYS $14.49 Time Remaining: 18d 8h 2m Buy It Now for only: $14.49 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES VERMICULITECHOICE $27.59 Time Remaining: 23d 10h 37m Buy It Now for only: $27.59 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50ea PLASTIC POTS $10.79 Time Remaining: 10d 8h 22m Buy It Now for only: $10.79 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 25 35 PLASTIC POTS $4.39 Time Remaining: 25d 12h 37m Buy It Now for only: $4.39 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES JIFFY PEAT POTSINSERTS TRAYS $16.95 Time Remaining: 27d 10h 58m Buy It Now for only: $16.95 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 50 PLANT TAGS 8LONG $11.49 Time Remaining: 21d 13h 10m Buy It Now for only: $11.49 |
 AMERICAN GIRL ADDY GARDENING SUPPLIES COMPLETE NEW $99.99 Time Remaining: 4d 14h 21m Buy It Now for only: $129.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES VERMICULITE 2 GALS $5.19 Time Remaining: 6d 11h 31m Buy It Now for only: $5.19 |
 Vermiculite Fine 5 Gallons Seed Starting Gardening Supplies $9.99 Time Remaining: 12d 8h 12m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 Vermiculite Coarse 10 Gallons Seed Starting Gardening Supplies $17.99 Time Remaining: 8d 9h Buy It Now for only: $17.99 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 3 INSERTS3 TRAYS $9.99 Time Remaining: 15d 6h 32m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES 200ea 2 1 4 JIFFY PEAT POTS $13.89 Time Remaining: 17d 13h 22m Buy It Now for only: $13.89 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES 25 ea 2 1 4 JIFFY PEAT POTS $5.69 Time Remaining: 9h 19m Buy It Now for only: $5.69 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 10 GAL VERMICULITE $17.99 Time Remaining: 6d 11h 26m Buy It Now for only: $17.99 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES 60 ea JIFFY PEAT PELLETS TRAYDOME $11.79 Time Remaining: 8d 7h 30m Buy It Now for only: $11.79 |
 GARDENING SUPPLIES SEED STARTING DIAL SEED SOWER $6.79 Time Remaining: 10d 2h 14m Buy It Now for only: $6.79 |
 SEED STARTING GARDENING SUPPLIES 100 PLANT TAGS 8LONG $21.79 Time Remaining: 21d 13h 15m Buy It Now for only: $21.79 |
