Africa, Finally

Our first glimpse of Africa

We’ve arrived on the African continent.

Our uneventful Singapore Airlines flights and layover saw us landing in Johannesburg 20 minutes early. With a layover of just over 10 hours, we were quietly hoping immigration and baggage collection might chew up a decent chunk of time.

No such luck.

Instead, we were gifted an exit so efficient we found ourselves defending ourselves in the wilds of O. R. Tambo International Airport within 15 minutes of leaving the aircraft. It would have been less if Malcolm hadn’t needed a toilet stop. There was a priority immigration lane for business class passengers, so we waltzed straight through. Our suitcases were numbers three and four off the carousel.

At 6am, there was not much happening. We couldn’t check in until three hours before our 4:50pm RwandAir flight (also booked with points via Qatar Airways, naturally). So we coughed up the dollars for a day room at City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo, conveniently linked to the terminal by a covered walkway. The shower and nap were well worth the AUD143.

Simple room at the City Lodge Hotel, same one we stayed overnight at in 2018!

How you know you're in South Africa, when this is the default tea offering

Relaxing at the Bidvest Lounge. One eye on the golf

The other has a view of the flight information board

Intriguing snacks! The one on the left was a touch too sweet for me but it did taste like tomato sauce!

The last flight that would take us to our destination

Very basic seat

Amenities better than Singapore Airlines'...

Welcome drink. The pineapple mint drink was yummy. This coming from a non-mint loving girl

The menu for those who likes details

Food was average but it did the job of fulfilling dinner 

Our RwandAir flight to Kigali was pleasant. In fact, everything was pleasant. Africans in general are such a warm people and everything felt so relaxed. Rwanda — often called the “Land of a Thousand Hills” — is one of Africa’s smallest countries, roughly the size of Tasmania, but with one of the continent’s highest population densities. It’s also known for being remarkably clean and orderly; plastic bags have been banned here since 2008.

Our arrival at Kigali International Airport was another speedy affair. Yet again, a priority immigration line for business class passengers. We could get used to this.

We were greeted by our guide, Jeff, and transferred to our hotel for the night: Hôtel des Mille Collines, made famous by the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, set during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The hotel sheltered over a thousand people during that time. You’ll have to Google the details as I haven’t actually seen the movie.

I'm exhausted so hopefully I can take better photos of the hotel tomorrow as we begin our first real day of adventure.

Kigali airport is tiny. Single building, no airbridge, this is the greeting area

Kigali is very green! And hilly!

Looks like this will be our range rover for most of our trip other than at Magashi Camp

Our room. We asked for a more "basic" hotel for the first night as it was literally only to sleep the night

View of Kigali from our room

Um...are we meant to take them home?

Festival of Fifty – Chapter 4: Africa

My, what long forearms you have Belinda...wait is that even Mal? Thanks chatGPT!

The BIG one.

It’s officially our birthday month. The Festival of Fifty has entered its Africa chapter and we’re ticking off one of the bucket list items for both of us: seeing the gorillas. We’re hoping the reality is every bit as awesome as we’ve imagined. We haven’t exactly held back on this trip, so we’re embracing the bougie without apology.

Naturally, as one does, we’re also swinging by Nepal on the way home. Mainly because Singapore Airlines services Kathmandu and so that was our way home sorted. Also, we are nothing if not opportunistic with airline routes. After successfully accomplishing the Olympic-level task of finding points flights between Kigali and Kathmandu (flying Qatar Airways just in case anyone was interested..) the rest fell into place surprisingly smoothly.

In Rwanda, we tracked down the local operator used by most international tour companies and basically said, “You’re the experts. Please design our adventure.” In Nepal, we found a zen wellness resort who calmly took over all Nepalese logistics (there were many!) while we nodded enthusiastically and pretended we are relaxed travellers.

All that’s left now is to cross our fingers that nothing derails us. No mystery illnesses. No post-election unrest. No unexpected plot twists. Just us, the gorillas, and a slightly smug sense of logistical accomplishment.

Minor detail: I thought I’d be hitting 75 countries by 50 DURING this trip. Turns out… I miscounted. I’ve already hit 75. So I don’t need to rely on counting that transit in Doha like a desperate overachiever. Rwanda will be 76. Nepal 77. Qatar 78. Let's not waste the opportunity!

We are, if nothing else, masters of flying the long way around. We are flying to Rwanda via Singapore via Johannesburg with long, character-building airport layovers in between,  mainly because we were too stingy to pay Qantas prices.

Milestone birthdays are for perspective.
And apparently, for routing possible chaos.

Let's go!

Cheers! Still looking fresh. Flight #1 to Singapore

Seafood vermicelli for breakfast. Not bad!

Goodbye Part 2

Soursop jelly and ice. I hadn't eaten this in decades!

It was my last day to spend time with my parents.

I declined a proposed trip to the Malaysian border, and we settled on a compromise instead: Bukit Panjang. A part of Singapore that still feels decidedly local, with no Western or expat gloss. Old HDB buildings I remembered from childhood. A non-air-conditioned hawker centre. Men drinking kopi o and playing Chinese chess, unhurried and deeply unconcerned with the rest of the world.

We wandered through the loud and busy markets where my parents bought things for their grandchildren. Chines New Year paraphernalia were out in force. My father ate more durian. And, naturally, we ate again.

Somewhere in between meals, I managed a short nap. The past week had been utterly exhausting in the way only constant eating can be. Then it was time to shower, pack, and head to the airport.

My parents, who were ever so sweet, took public transport with me so we could spend a little more time together. And also, of course, eat again. It’s never too early to celebrate Chinese New Year.

My dad ordered yusheng, a raw fish salad traditionally eaten during Lunar New Year, where everyone gathers around the table and tosses the ingredients high into the air while calling out wishes for prosperity, health, and good fortune. The higher the toss, the better the luck. It’s chaotic, symbolic, and oddly joyful. A fitting note to end on.

My flight wasn’t until just after midnight, so we said our goodbyes at the airport. I lingered for a while longer, drifting through duty-free, then into the lounge, where I did what I’d been doing all trip.

I ate again.

An entirely appropriate way to end this chapter of the Festival of Fifty.

Exploring Singapore on public transport like pros. This is my parents hobby when in Singapore

Local market at Bukit Panjang. Prices are still good here

And...its time to eat...again

When in Rome...

Everyone has their marketing red packets ready!

More local fruit. Jambu. I still don't know what the best English translation is

This sight is becoming less common with all the public spaces and hawker centres "modernising"

Otak otak (Singapore style not Indonesian just to be clear! They are very different...) another childhood favourite

Eating yusheng. Each ingredient has its own saying with associated meaning when poured on. 

The extra long chopsticks for tossing

Lets go!!!

Goodbyes

Sadly, our time in Chiang Mai came to an end.

Verdict on the trip? We all had a good time. But then again, we usually do as a family. Was it the most exciting or memorable trip we’ve ever taken? No. But that wasn’t really the point.

It was a short break that did exactly what it needed to do. Time together. A change of scenery. Space to slow down and step away from the everyday rhythm of life. And as an added bonus… it was cheap. Which never hurt! There were many more chapters to go in the "Festival of Fifty"...

We flew back to Singapore on the same Scoot flight, then parted ways at Changi airport. Mal and the boys stayed overnight at an airport hotel, opting for an early morning flight back to Sydney rather than the age-inducing overnight option.

Lara, my parents, and I headed back to the family apartment. Which of course meant one thing.

More eating.

My parents know how to play this game

The tiny Chiang Mai airport

Lounge was not bad

Came with free 15 min massage

Elliot lounging in the tiny Yotel

The view out of the family apartment

My parents knew what I liked. Sar ho fun

Can you guess what major annual event is coming up

My parents bought this for me as must try. Have never seen this in Australia

You eat it as is. SOOO sweet

Chocolates we had to have

I mean who doesn't need Chinese New Year kitkats

Chiang Rai & The Golden Triangle

The White Temple

Today was a long travel day.

We drove for around three and a half hours north to Chiang Rai, with the main aim of visiting the White Temple.

Wat Rong Khun is impossible to miss. Blindingly white. So white it actually hurt our eyes. Designed by contemporary Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, it’s a modern temple rather than an ancient one, heavy on symbolism and visual impact. I’m still not quite sure what I think of it. Parts were striking. Parts felt more like an elaborate art installation than a spiritual space. It’s undeniably impressive, but it also felt very much designed to attract tourists. Which, to be fair, it does extremely well.

Our pit stop. An odd place with hot springs where vendors sell eggs boiled in the water!

Eggs in basket

We made it! Although I think it is more bedazzling in real life

We actually felt hot for the first time we've been in Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai

What is this strange place?!

Uh...is that a TNMT?!? Why yes it is!

I feel like this guy was in a movie too

Thanos

And because a silver one wasn't enough, they built a gold one too

From there, we continued on to the Golden Triangle.

This is the point where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet along the Mekong River, once infamous as the heart of the opium trade. Today, it’s calmer, more reflective, and very aware of its own history. We took a short boat ride on the river, drifting past borders that felt both significant and strangely abstract from the water.

And then… we got back in the car.

Another four-hour drive home.

Was it worth it? I’m not entirely sure. It was a very long day for what amounted to a handful of stops. But the kids can now say they’ve seen Laos and Myanmar, even if only from a boat, and sometimes that’s enough.

Not every travel day needs to be transformative. Some are just long.

I think the geography is best seen with the eyes rather than described..

Terrible photo but you get the idea

Time to get into the water

So we could marvel at the Chinese built apartment buildings and casinos in Laos across the water

Fresh coconut break. So cheap at under AUD2 each. It was icy cold too with handy spoon to eat the meat after, AND a tap to wash your hands

Traditional lanna meal to end our time in northern Thailand