So what do you do when you reach the big 7 - 0? Learn something new, that's what. I could sit about and join the local Soup and Pudding Club (that's the equivalent of the Darby and Joan Club in England) but I really don't want to die that soon. I have been a photographer for many years but have never made any videos so now's the time. Starting off with a trip to the Lake District we'll see where this takes me.
A few years later .... we fell in love with the Kruger National Park in South Africa and I decided to take a video camera with the specific intention of making videos for RU-vid. I wasn't sure that my vision of allowing the viewer to see through my eyes would work. RU-vid is, after all, based on personality - look at me! - or education - I know something you don't - but I just made the videos I wanted to make and I'm astonished at how successful they've been. There's a place for the old codgers it seems!
Thank you to all who watch and especially to all who leave a comment.
Can you tell me what you are filming with? Great video, thank you for the information. How long did that line to the blue mosque take? We are heading there in August.
Filmed with a DJI Pocket 2. Took just over 30 minutes to get into the Blue Mosque but as I said get there early and you shouldn't have to wait too long. The queue for Hagia Sophia took over an hour but you might not have to queue there now as they have introduced a whopping €25 entry fee and restricted the areas you can visit. At this point in time all the other mosques are still free to enter but I wonder for how long? Probably a good idea to seek out some of the lesser known mosques which can be just as beautiful.
Great video! I am visiting Istanbul this summer and will use the trams to get around. Did you have to buy a card to get onto the trams and where did you purchase this?
You need an ‘Istanbulkart’ for all public transport which can be purchased at any metro station and most tram stops (not the heritage tram). There is a ‘tourist’ card which gives all day travel but it can be expensive if you are only taking a few trips. You purchase the card first from a machine for 50 TL (about £1.20) and then place it on the machine to load with as much credit as you want. Each journey costs 17.7 TL (about 45p). Once purchased you just tap the card on the machine on the tram as you enter (hear the beeps in the video!). You can use the same card for up to 5 people, just put on enough credit and tap for each person. Bear in mind that not all of the machines accept credits cards, especially at the smaller tram stops, so you might be better off getting some Turkish Lira. The card is valid on all transport - trams, buses, funicular and ferries. Finally you can use the machines to check how much credit you have left before boarding and top up if needed.
Ephesus is very cool and well worth a visit. I think a guide at Ephesus might be worth the money. Another option from Kusadasi, is Sirence, which a very interesting town in the hills.
Just takes a little research. The most difficult part is finding exactly where the bus departs in Kusadasi, they don't seem to have actual bus stops in Turkey!
Great video...for an old codger LOL. Nice easy going style. Have been to just about everywhere, apart from Sortland and Kristiansund. Nice smooth filming, great job, thank you. Having been on Iona, I want to go on either Ambassador or Fred Olsen. I just wondered what your thoughts are?
Thanks for your appreciation. Having been on all three of those I'd say Ambassador was the best. I much prefer the smaller ships which give you a closer feel of being on the ocean. One thing I didn't like about Iona is that almost all of the open deck areas are glassed in whereas on the smaller ships you can lean over the rails to watch the sea and the scenery. You get more more of a sense of adventure. The food on Ambassador, both in the MDR and buffet was considerably better than Iona although there is not so much choice in speciality dining. Nothing wrong with Iona (we are going on her again in November) but I still prefer the smaller ships. At the end of the day it all comes down to cost for me. I'll go on any cruise that's a bargain!
@oldcodgerwithacamera Bummer that you have to wait so long for the next adventure. We are looking forward to our next camping trip to the Olympic Penisula next month... hopefully will get lucky and see some whales or Orcas. Definately will get our share of birds and visit the temperate rainforest. Looks like Hagia Sophia is now charging foreigners 25 E per person for entry!
There's a lot more choice in Joburg so more chance of getting a good deal. Not sure what the cost of flying to Upington is but driving there has got to be cheaper although you then have to factor in a couple of days extra hire to get there. I think time and convenience is the major factor in such a decision.
Thanks! We were ready to go at 7:30 am and headed down as soon as the announcement was made around 7:45 am. The queue for the cable car was not bad and we were on within 15 minutes. I suspect that an hour or so later there would have been a much longer wait as there was another ship in. The wait later in the day to come back down was over an hour.
The list includes all animals/birds we saw on the trip not just those. Sometimes the sightings are too short to get the camera out and honey badgers run quite fast!
Many thanks! There's another series following this one called Kruger in Summer and we hope to go back to film a (final?) series but it looks like it will not be until late 2025. Hang on in there!
Yes there's a full buffet selection for breakfast in the MDR or you can choose table service if you want something like Eggs Benedict or an omelette. Either way the waiters will serve you tea or coffee. I assume that the same applies for lunch although we never ate lunch in the MDR.
Just finished a month in the Kruger Series, now starting with this one. My husband and I both love your videos. We are a young family from South Africa, and stay right next to KNP, we go at least once a month just for day drives, but in a few days we are heading to Tamboti for a week. You should really consider going to Tamboti on your next trip. It is the bush experience at its best, especially with all the night sounds. It is by far our favorite camp.
Many thanks for your kind words. We have stayed at tamboti before but before I started making videos. I agree that it is a great bush experience although the last time we stayed it was almost unbearable! Temperature outside was in the high 30's and inside the tent it was well above 40° making it imposible to sleep. The bedsheets were literally soaking wet by morning!
@oldcodgerwithacamera so nice and relaxing. I've had your videos on the TV all day today in the background while working on my laptop.. 😊 My husband came in to watch as well at lunch time. Are you from the UK?
Hello, first of all thank you for the extensive trip report. A report that we use as input for our visit to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park at the end of this year. The accommodations in the park are reserved, as is the Border hotel on the way there and back. What we still have questions about is the route and which roads we should or should not use. Could you tell us something about that?Robert & Bianca
Between the Border Hotel and Upington stick to the main N roads and avoid the R roads which look shorter but are often gravel and will take longer. Within the park there are only four roads so you will be travelling up and down them a lot. From Twee Rivieren the Aoub road which heads roughly west to Mata Mata and the Nossob road which heads north. Two dune roads connect these, the Short Dune road and the Long Dune road. The dune roads are great fun to drive but the wildlife is more scarce on them apart from Steinbok which are plentiful. North of Nossob you should go up to Polentswa but any further north is more of an adventure rather than wildlife spotting. We drove up to Union’s End and beyond Polentswa we saw virtually nothing, not even Oryx! There are no roads to avoid although you probably won’t want to do the dune roads more than once. Almost all the wildlife is along the Aoub and Nossob roads. If you are at the camps don’t forget to check out the waterholes at Twee Rivieren, Nossob and Mata Mata in the evenings. Waterholes in the park are hit and miss but always worth visiting. Some are dry so not worth it but you’ll discover which ones to avoid once you get there. Pleased you have booked the Border Hotel!
My wife and I took this ship, in 2002, when It was called the Crown Odyssey under Orient Lines! It was amazing with 5 Star food! The guests were mainly rich Americans, very friendly! Still looks great, the rooms look exactly the same, and the wonderful Atrium hasn't changed!
I do love your videos. I used to work next to the kruger and when I miss kruger I play your videos. How on earth do you get to do month long stints, the cost aside would floor me.
Many thanks for watching. The secret to being able to afford a month in the Kruger is to retire! Although we only have our state pensions we no longer have a mortgage and are bettter off than when we were working. Add to that that we don't drink (much!) don't go out to restaurants, don't get takeaways or coffee out and scrimp and save wherever we can and we end up with enough for a month in he Kruger most years!
Having never been to the Kruger and it’s embarrassing for a South African, your content just makes me realise more and more what I’m missing out on. Ngiyabonga(Thank You)
Brilliant series, It's really whet our appetite for our upcoming trip in Oct/ Nov 2024. Hopefully we've got our timing right for lots of sightings and many more birds too. Great videography really brought the Kruger to life. Nice to get the insights to the various camps you stayed at - the accomodation at Shimuwini looked fabulous, also Talamati looked really nice too. When we were last in Kruger in 2018 we stayed 3 nights at Berg en Dal and saw so, so many rhino - they still had their horns back then - bit sad to see them all dehorned nowadays but needs must in order to protect these wonderful beasts from the evil poachers. Thanks again for your hard work putting these videos together 😄😄😄 I've had a few goes myself and fully appreciate the time and effort you must have invested in your work. Cheers, Steven
Many thanks for your appreciation especially of the effort it takes to produce these videos. October and November are probably the best time for sightings as the bush will be quite sparse and the migrant birds will be arriving. Agree about the rhinos, it was quite shocking to see them freshly dehorned but what I didn't realise until later is that the horns grow back and once they get rounded off a bit they don't look as bad. I guess though, at some point, they will have to be dehorned again. Have a great trip.
Hi, just binged watched your Kgalagadi trip videos - wonderful insight into what to expect when there. We've been to Kruger a number of times, last trip was back in December 2018. I was interested to hear that you lower the tyre pressures as I've never considered this when driving in Kruger. What pressure do you drop to (1.5 bar ?) and how is it driving on the tar roads with 'soft' tyres ? Would you advise this for a 2 x 4 SUV vehicle as we wont have a 4x4 in Kruger ? Did you have a 4x4 ? Were lined up for a Kruger / Kgalagadi trip in October / November this year - can't wait and am binging on as much info / advice as I can get. Great videos, thanks a lot😃😃😃
When we first went to the Kruger back in 2017 we took a private guided tour and the first thing the guide did when we reached the Kruger was to let down the tires so we've been doing it ever since. We usually drop the pressure to 1.6 bar which makes the ride on some of the corrugated roads a little softer. Because the speed limit is 50kph on the tar roads it doesn't make much difference on those roads. It doesn't really matter whether you have a 4x4, in fact we have never hired a 4x4 even in the Kgalagadi. To be honest you don't really need to drop the pressure in the Kruger but it does make a difference when you hit badly corrugated roads. Hope you have a great time later this year, it looks like our next trip will now be next year. Thanks for watching he videos.
Absolutely stunning video. Love how you take us through your day with you. Really feels like I am there with you guys. Thank you once again for doing this.
