Bee Keeing in Swaziland

I pride myself in providing tailor-made holidays, and I do like a challenge.  However the most recent trip to Swaziland I did have a rather odd request from Terry and Vicky - to look at a local bee keeping and to exchange methods and ideas.  Knowing quite a few people in Swaziland I did a bit of asking around and came back with Bulembu.  Bulembu is an old asbestos mining town in the highlands of eastern Swaziland which has a number of small industries such as bottling spring water, diary produce and honey production.

So we set off to Bulembu, along a rather bumpy, dirt road which is used by logging trucks hurtling along precipitous tracks.  We had to stop, rather quickly, to avoid a falling tree that was being manoeuvred across the road. At times I was wondering whether the sump would still be attached to the car when we got there, it was a was a horrific road.  We arrived in one piece, shaken but not stirred, to find Joel waiting for us to give us a guided tour of the honey extracting process.  My learning curve was vertical and Terry and Vicky were fascinated with the similarities of bee keeping in Swaziland with that of England.  The most interesting aspect was Joel's participation in it all.  He had originally been involved with the asbestos industry and once it all closed down he had been transferred to start up the bee keeping.  With just a book on bee keeping in Southern Africa and a bit of support he has built up a total of 900 hives in four years!  Terry and Vicky could not believe it all. 

After visiting a number of hives and looking at the combs and how they extracted the honey, discussing the problems of the honey badgers and other marauding animals it was time to return to Phophonyane Lodge. 

The sump is still attached.

What Makes a Good Sunset?

I was looking out of my window last night and was amazed at the sunset that I saw over Cardiff, probably in celebration of Europe winning the Ryder Cup.  It is not often that you get to see such a fabulous sunset in the UK, whereas in Africa the sunsets are pretty spectacular and much more frequent.

African sunsets are memorable. This is probably because we often see them whilst over looking watering holes, with the sound of the wildlife in the background and with the taste of a sun downer on our lips.  And this is probably after an incredible day of watching wildlife and experiencing the local culture.  All truly romantic and breath taking. 

But what does make a good sunset?  Is it the colour? The vividness of it? Or is it the location?  What ever it is to you, I find that sunsets are personal experiences.  My favourite one was at Sossusvlei in Namibia when there had been a sand storm and the dust in the air made these flashes of red across the sky.  Truly remarkable.

Packing Made Easy

I love packing, it is the excitement of knowing that I am going away and that there is time for a rest on the plane!  The whole idea of travelling agrees with me.  However, packing can be a bit of a nightmare for some and to make life a bit easier here are some tips to remove the stress from the start of your holiday.

1. Have a list of the things that you need so that you do not forget anything.  Sense Africa can provide you with a generic list if you want.
2. Start a few days before by just putting things that you think you might need aside in a safe place.
3. Use a soft bag as this is easier to transport around whilst in Africa and also is less cumbersome than a solid suitcase.
4. Keep things to a minimum, you will probably not be staying in one place for the whole holiday so the less you have the less you have to pack at each stage.  And that means less stress!
5. Pack the larger items first so that you can squeeze the smaller ones around it.
6. Pack items in the same way each time so you know where everything is.
7. Put penknives etc in your main luggage.
8. Put valuables such as cameras and phones in your hand luggage.
9. Also have a spare set of clothes in your hand luggage - sometimes bags do go walkies for a while!
10. Have a book handy so when you get to the airport early you can relax.

With this in mind I have printed off my list and going to pack for Tuesday when I am off to Africa, happy days.