adventure – Seite 3 – rene bauer photography

Coastal Road To Cape Cross

Not much to see on the coastal road, my stepdad moans. So i was challenged to show the beauty along the road. A sandstorm shaked us up on the long drive to Hentjes Bay, where we met the Atlantic Ocean. The wind freshed the waves up for big surfs, hitting the beach with roars. Following the coastline on hard earthen road, we were passing salt fields. Wooden tables with snow white or pink salt crystals were displayed for sale. Stop, i gotta fetch one, my mom asked. She picked a small nice pink colored one and we drove off into the smell of the seal colony at Cape Cross. Thousands of those animals playing in the water, lazing on the rocks and even occupying what supposed to be a picnic spot for visitors. The spectators doesn’t mind anyway, but were busy with selfies with the seals. As we did do. Just next to the mass of those mammals, two crosses for remembering the first landing of Portuguese sailor Diogo Cão at 1484 are erected. Another selfie and a brief explanation of the history were done there, although i knew the historical datas are sooner forgotten than the stench of the seals.

Mai 8, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, animal, landscape, Nambia, nature, reportage, Uncategorized, wildlifeTags: adventure, Africa, atlantic, coast, landscape, mammals, namibdummies, namibia, nature, overland, people, reportage, sea, seals, Travel, wildlife Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

On The Way To Spitzkoppe

The area called „moon landscape“ and especially the Welwitschia plains are not to miss if you travel towards Spitzkoppe. The oldest plants on earth, welwitschia mirabilis, is odd to see and can reach an age of 2000 years.

Much younger were the kids who sells art crafts next to the streets. My mom shouted „stop, i wanna buy something from those cute children“. It gave me the opportunity for a brief photoshooting. The little ones already knows to look and enjoyed to get pictures in funny poses.

Just right to catch nice evening lights we arrived our camp at Spitzkoppe. A few rocks further, a group of young travelers on adventure tour, were busy to pitch their tents. before they start to roam around, i got few nice shots from the natural rock arch.

Mai 7, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, HOPE, humansofplanetearth, landscape, Nambia, nature, portrait, reportage, travel, UncategorizedTags: adventure, Africa, landscape, moonlandscape, namibdummies, namibia, nature, overland, people, plant, portraits, reportage, spitzkoppe, Travel, welwitschia Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

A Stroll In Swakopmund

Swakopmund is a pleasant town for many activities around, but even more for a day off. Doing some shopping, having a coffee in a nice cafe or just stroll around the streets with plenty of well-maintanand colonial buildings.

Mai 7, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, landscape, Nambia, nature, portrait, reportage, travel, Uncategorized, urbanlifeTags: adventure, Africa, culture, daily life, landscape, namibdummies, namibia, nature, ocean, overland, people, pier, portraits, reportage, sunset, swakopmund, Travel Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

home of good hope

Guiding my mom and her husband trough Namibia, i didn’t only want show the touristic spots of the country, but also bring them closer to real life. A soup kitchen project in Katatura/Windhoek supported by my friend Barbara, was a good start.

In the „Home Of Good Hope“ approx. 600 children daily get food, explains Monica, the founder of project. When we arrived groups of children, some in school uniforms, waited in front of the house from corrugated iron sheets. Under the eyes of helpers the kids washed their hands in bucket filled with soapy water before entering the big gloomy room. Inside wooden banks were provided, sorted in rows like in a church. Monica and her few helpers clapped in their hands and started to sind church songs with the kids, doing little daces with them, cheering them up to praise the lord, although there is no differences made by religions of the kids coming in. The only difference is made by school kids, who gets served first because the have to be in school on time. Four Swedish girls came in to help serving the simple, but nourishing meal. They’re in Windhoek as exchange from nursing school and volunteering the soup kitchen today. In front of the building was a table with watery juice and apples cut in small pieces.

We brought from children clothes from home. Immediately they were sorted and given to kids attending this morning the soup kitchen. Some wear it with proud when the left the building. Amongst other things i discovered boxes for first aids, and indeed, a boy came with a wound on his leg. One of the helper cleaned the wound, put desinfection fluid on it and covered it. All in completely routine. Still all the laughter in our ears we left that place with good impressions.

Mai 2, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, HOPE, Nambia, portrait, reportage, travel, Uncategorized, urbanlifeTags: adventure, Africa, children, daily life, food, katatura, kids, namibdummies, namibia, ngo, people, portraits, reportage, soupkitchen, Travel, volunteering, windhoek Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

wildlife tour serengeti/ngorogoro crater

Despite the high costs, visiting the Serengeti plains and the Ngorogoro crater was considered as a Must. Travel with my Landrover wasn’t affordable, so i booked a tour by group. With bad maintenanced cars we drove the long was from Arusha into Serengeti area. First rule; never trust the words of a tour agencies. I’m not gonna start a list of all false promises and failures this overpriced tour brought me, but just tell you, that there was no tour group at all, which get what they told them.

The wildlife, landscape and experience of „real Africa“ was given. The following pics was chosen in a hurry. Sorry for not editing (at all), but just put it on my blog. I hope you still enjoy and get an idea about Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater

April 6, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, animal, landscape, nature, reportage, tanzania, travel, UncategorizedTags: 4x4, adventure, Africa, animals, landscape, nature, ngorogoro, overland, people, reportage, safari, serengeti, tanzania, tour, Travel, wildlife Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

public transport in Tanzania

A weekend out of town with two nice German guys. Nora, a friend of a friend, want show us her village in a more remote area. Just to travel to the foot of Kilimanjaro from Arusha is an experience itself. No, not an expedition, as many western visitors call any step they do in Africa, but daily life experience in a normal-crazy-traffic-way.

Lucky to find the express-bus almost empty, we got a seat at the back. All seats were occupied pretty quick and a western guy considered it „full“. But not the Tanzanian bus driver. As he drove off, every few meters he stopped again to take more passengers till they stand tightly packed in front of my camera lens. Surprisingly quite in the bus, but then my neighbors start to talk and laugh with me. Humor and patience also needed if a passenger from the back has to crawl all the way trough the crowd to get to the front door.

Dala-dala, are the mini bus version for shorter distances. Short in terms of just a few hours. Squeezed like fishes in a tin, i start to sweat and smell like a fish too. The sound of the engine, that thin, rattling ironskin of the vehicle and the bumping movements on uneven roads makes me smile. Not because it’s funny, but out of upcoming fear and images of accidents i saw on the road. And indeed, a sudden shot, a blast let the dala-dala slinger. Lucky the driver could stop at the side of the road without anybody get harmed. A tyre puncture is very common, and having a look on the tires, no one wonders why.

Where the data-dala stops, are only taxis or moto-taxis, so called „toyos“, which brings one further. Our taxi driver couldn’t afford the latest model of a car, nor a proper repair or replacement of broken parts. Anyway, the look trough the spiderweb-like windscreen has its own character.

Arrived on foot of Kilimanjaro, the only way to go further is by foot itself …until the highest point of Africa, for people who want give themselves the challenge and are willing to pay a big amount of money for the fees and tour agencies. For those who decid to climb the mountain very spontaneous can hire the gears just at start point. The three of us are just happy to get a coffee at Nora’s place and have a rest.

März 10, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, reportage, travel, UncategorizedTags: adventure, Africa, culture, daily life, landscape, overland, people, reportage, Travel Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

flight over africa

A small crappy vid made by my cellphone from the flight from Schiphol/Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro airport/Tanzania
The view over mountains, sea and deserts with all its colors and formations was just stunning.

Februar 3, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, travel, UncategorizedTags: adventure, Africa, airline, airplane, alps, amsterdam, Assuan dam, austria, balkan, birdview, egypt, ethipia, flight, kenya, klm, landscape, nature, nile, overland, reportage, river, sahara, schiphol, sea, sudan, tanzania, Travel Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

best of -wildlife

for a portfolio i collected my recently „best-of“ wildlife pictures

Januar 12, 2016 by Rene Bauer Categories: Africa, animal, nature, travel, UncategorizedTags: adventure, Africa, nature, overland, Travel, wildlife Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Santa Claus on wheels

Just seen in Zürich/Switzerland today.

Santa Claus is traveling fast by motorbike this year.

Dezember 6, 2015 by Rene Bauer Categories: switzerland, tradition, travel, UncategorizedTags: adventure, fun, motorbike, people, portraits, reportage, santaclaus, seasons, switzerland, Travel, zurich Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Yufu-shi Area – Park Oike

There’s plenty of options if you want hike around Yufu Town. Since i got invited with a bunch of ‚tourist experts‘ the organizer showed us the nicest places. Park Oita, at foot of Mount Kuradake, has not only extend forest and mountain walks to offer but also little waterfalls and fresh springs to drink from. The quality of water is superb. Not far from the park is a small factory for bottling the water just from the spring behind the buildings. Over the explanation of micro-small bubbles in natural carbonized water, trough high pressure deep in the rock, i start to doubt. The best way to get rid of my doubts was to taste it myself. The taste was differently indeed. After a group photo with the director we start heading back to Yufu …with some bottles of that special spring water in our bags, of course.

In der Gegend um Yufu gibt’s viele Möglichkeiten zu Wandern. Da ich hier mit einer Gruppe von ‚Tourismus-Experten‘ eingeladen wurde, zeigen uns die Organisatoren die schönsten Ecken. Dazu gehört der Park Oike am Fusse des Kuradake. Neben ausgedehnten Wanderwege durch dichten Wald, bietet der Park auch Wasserfällen und frische Quellen. Nicht weit vom Park wird Quellwasser in Flaschen abgefüllt. Einer der Quellen soll natürlich karbonisiertes Wasser enthalten. Durch den hohen Druck im tiefen Fels wird Kohlensäure in microkleinen Blasen ins Wasser gepresst. Ich zweifelte erst, wurde dann aber bei der Probe überrascht. Winzig kleine Kohlensäureblasen prickeln dem Gaumen entlang. Nach einem Gruppenfoto mit dem Direktor persönlich, fuhren wir zurück nach Yufu. Natürlich mit einigen Flaschen des Prickelwassers in den Taschen.