PS did anyone watch Logans run last night starring Michael York?

What a classic, sooooo funny,
DQ

Home sweet home

Happy to be home, still got jetlag, back at work next Wednesday - do I have to? :)
My laptop crashed again, I'm just waiting for HP to send me a courier package so I can get it repaired. You will have to all be patient with me to see the photos, as my laptop issues stopped me from processing any of the photos while I was away. I still can't do any now. I only managed last night to get it to work long enough to have my first good look at the Namibian photos, so it is going to take me weeks before I can show anyone.
C'est la vie! Think I want an IPAD...
DQ

The worst predators - taxi drivers in Windhoek!

They charged me 50 Namibian rand for like a 2 minute trip, the shopkeepers said that was a ripoff, but what can you do? I'll hopefully get a shuttle to the airport, at least I've been shopping!!!! Might go again in the AM,
DQ

Predators

When we arrived at the Kuala lodge they explained that there were no fences around the lodge, and there were animals roaming but not predators! Um thats good :)
They did warn us to look out for scorpions & snakes though (common). As there are no phones in the room we had a horn to blow in an emergency and a snake/scorpion handler would come running to our rooms. Very funny was so careful but we all survived. Shem however did leave his sandles outside his room in the desert lodge and there was a scorpion in them the next morning so I was very careful after that :)
On the way on my trip (on the road)I've seen baboons, springboks, oryx, a jackal, a falcon, giant cricket looking insects (forget the name) ostriches, but no zebra, oh well next time!
DQ

End of the road

The workshop is over, I got dropped off back at Windhoek about an hour ago. It was really great and I learned a lot but my Sony equipment didn't stand up to the test. I'm going to go Nikon when I get back, but will have to payoff the credit card first, and then save the pennies. The sand dunes at Susselvei (or Sausageville as we named it) are spectacular. We didn't climb any of them including Dune 45 - we were there for photography. A lot of red tape stopped us from getting into the park at right times before and after sunset/sunrise, even though we were supposed to have exclusive access at these times. I wonder what it would have been like? It doesn't matter as it was still fantastic. I would definitely go back! I think actually my favourite pictures are from the Namibrand - but I've got many hours of processing to do when I get back! First up though I will need to get my laptop fixed - I managed to fix the hard disc fault myself, but there is still something amiss.
DQ

They didn't pick me :(

Just had the best night, after dinner the staff came out singing and dancing, it was soooo beautiful and tribal, 2 men were playing the drums, I wanted to get up and dance sooooooooo badly. Thought they would pick people at the end and they did, and usually I would just get up anyway but I missed my opportunity.
:(
not DQ

Greetings from Sossulvei

We just arrived at our lodge, have had lunch and heading out to the dunes for the first time in 90 minutes. Our lodge has been downgraded- very dissappointed, the Kuala Lodge had plunge pools in each room, this one doesn't, I was soooooooo looking forward to it, but at least there is still a pool and a bed on the rooftop so you can sleep under the stars, I'm going to give it a go I think! If there are too many bugs or I don't feel safe I'll go back to the bed tomorrow night. I've been learning heaps but everyone else has already done a few of these photographic workshops and I'm a bit behind. Also my camera equipment is not as expensive as theirs and last night we were doing star shots and my camera wasn't good enough to take them. So it wasn't the technical experience or creativity that stopped me but the money!!
Maybe I'll have to upgrade to Nikon....
Sossulvei is the reason I'm here so I'm excited about the photos this afternoon.
Stay tuned....
DQ

Greetings from Namibrand reserve

Quick message, Jane my NTFS recovery disc drive playing up again! Been holding me back, am now using the photographers laptop instead. Great workshop, great scenery, my photos are fantastic so far.
Love DQ

Vind-hook

Thats how you pronounce Windhoek, I had it all wrong :)
I'm in my hotel, it was so hot when I arrived I was headed for a swim and then the temp dropped and I went to dinner dressed like an eskimo I was sooooooooo cold. Shem - the professional photographer is picking me up @ 6am for our drive to the desert lodge in Namibia. I think it will take many many hours not looking forward to that. I got a bit sick from drinking the water in Joberg, the hotel doesn't sell bottled water, and there is a sign saying how safe it is to drink. I know better but I got in at midnight and was thirsty as the dreaded Kenya Airways confiscate your water bottles (well some times I sneaked them in but not this time). The one time I did sneak one on the plane it spilled in the overhead cabin luggage and someone noticed water was leaking -oops Karma! (Faye will love that).
DQ

I'm off to Windhoek

Its Saturday morning, I'm still chilling at the hotel, but will be heading back to the airport soon. I spend one night in the hotel in Windhoek, then I get picked up by C4 Images and we be staying amongst the sand dunes in Namibia in Sossusvlei and the Namibian Rand (forget the name).
Have to run
DQ

Greetings from Johannesberg Part 2

Sorry I missed my daily blog in Zanzibar, the Internet wasn't working there. I have some amazing photos of Stone Town & the beach where my resort was. I might add a couple in the morning before I check out - after that it is unlikely that I have internet access again until Perth. I wish I could remember everything I was going to write! Arrived late @ the hotel at Stone Town and wondered what the hell I was doing there, but the next day my guide arrived to take me on a tour around the streets. It was driving me crazy that I couldn't just photograph every person, as most of them don't like it. I finally had a taker for this man who owned a shop, so I took his photo and bought 2 items from his shop as a thankyou. My guide also took me through the fish markets which I LOVED, but wasn't allowed to take photos of the people, just the fish. Afterwards he (Ramadan) took me to Prison Island where I did some snorkelling and fed some turtles, the water is spectacularly beautiful. Later that day I was transferred to the northern beach hotel. On the way we passed all the local farms, and saw people including young kids walking along the road. Mum they tie up the cows so they don't ruin the rice crops! I felt sorry for them, they use them to carry heavy loads and for milk. Once again no photos. Then we arrived at Ocean Paradise Resort - this place is amazing and has the biggest pool ever. It was hard walking up and down the beach as the 'beach boys' follow you to sell you trips etc, but I got my telephoto lens out and took photos of the locals collecting seaweed on low tide. I really could have done with another couple of days, I still wanted another day to take more photos, and then a few days to just swim.
Anyhoo I'm here, it was great sorry about the wait, is anyone reading this anyway?
DQ

Johannesberg

Hello good people! Couldn't find internet access so I'm now on day 3. Monday 28th March. South African Airways get the thumbs up as the only airline I've been on that regularly brings you bottles of water, and you don't have to ask for them - very impressed, when you ask for water on other airlines its like pulling teeth.

The hotel here @ Joberg is really great, I went to the food court next door (which is part of a casino) last night, it was very safe and lots of fun. Bit of a culture shock there are black people everywhere, and they are so beautiful, and there skin is so nice looking. Everyone has been friendly so far.

Sick of travelling, just wasting time before I get my free shuttle back to the airport which is like 5mins away!! Thanks to my travel agent Corinne for that :)
Can't wait to get to Zanzibar and have a swim:)

Talk soon,
DQ

Day 1: the road to Africa

Well I made it here to Perth! I've never been here before but unfortunately its just an overnight stop and my good Perth friend Deb is out of town :(
I actually have quite a bit of energy so was very excited to hit the pool as its 33degrees here, but there is no pool :(
So I thought OK I can see the river/water from my hotel I'll go and hang out there in the shade. Nope, you can't swim there and there was no shade. LOL so I'm back in the aircon with wet togs after having a swim in the shower. Good news is I found an Irish pub just down the road so I might have dinner there :) :) :)
Jill AKA Dancing Queen