mr panda

Dfx is right, you don't have to have ANY additional software. I use GSAK, and paid for it, but that is because it makes my life easier, and I like to load caches from specific areas, but keep a database of lots of caches. It is not required. Just put the GPX files into the GPX folder on your garmin.

This may take a while to sort out, but Pocket queries and GSAK. You can set up a query on geocaching.com, and i think even load that directly to your garmin, or use a program like GSAK to sort the queries and load them onto your gps. Not exactly intuitive, but if you can find a cache, you can figure it out!

I sent the rainbow's original to Groundspeak, to let them know of it and they wrote back: Hello Mr Panda, Thank you for sending in this awesome video- we have posted it on our Facebook page! Have a wonderful day and happy caching! Kelly Ranck Marketing Assistant

Yea! awesome. ask and receive. amazing stuff. many thanks.

AWESOME. I love the SS series appearing, and the PTs look pretty cool getting published and found. Amazing work. I'd love to see a version of the cape peninsula by itself

I've found that quiet out of the way spots are not only good for caches, but trysts and loos. Found the remains of both and many many many caches, also a lot of porn mags too. funny that. While searching for stage2 of mouse catcher I found a statue of the creature from ice age 2. Oddly I had placed it as swag about a month before. Presumably it fell out of someone else's swag bag...

Oh and for those who might be interested in a Swartkop hike and a bring and braai at castle rock, when in November might be good? I'm out of town for october, and we are thinking later November as Ms panda will be taking, and I'll be marking exams in early Nov. Any thoughts, requests? Roughly how many folks might be interested? I'm thinking a casual get together at the cottage, some of us go hike, the others can hang out, do near by caches, enjoy the water, dive, explore the rocks, play board games, whatever, and then a braai when hikers get back (or start the fire just before . There would be limited beds for a few who would want to spend the night.

Not a big Facebooker myself, but it seems like a good idea to me... request sent I had joined the FB group but left as it was 1) all GP all the time, and 2)endless venom about the PT, both hating it, and co's claiming people lied .. blah blah blah [edit: i read this a few times before I understood it was a WC group.. doh! - request sent] If that has calmed down, maybe I ask to join again! Although this works too. I've got sept 18-19 on my calendar. I'd very much enjoy that (ad)venture! And I agree with Paddy, old tin mine. these are right outside of one of the greatest caches in the WC!

Well, I grab TB at somepoint with GC.com isn't freaking out.

And the server is still fallen over! If not pristine, nor swartkop, maybe up and around Muizenberg peak? I've not done any of those, and there are loads. I'll chat with MS Panda this evening and try to get a date set, and the event listed. I'd be my first, so advice comments welcome.

I would be very interested in that as well! The weather forecast I'm looking at shows nice and sunny both saturday and sunday. http://weather.news24.com/Forecasts.aspx?loc=SA&cityId=77107 I was thinking of a bring and braai event at Ms Panda's cottage nearby, tied together with that hike, but I likely wouldn't be able to do it till November, and a winter hike would be better.

Mission accomplished. Will grab TB from you now now.

Pristine? or have too many of us done it?

YAY from me too. I don't know if I'll have the time/money to attend, but I think it is a great idea, and would love to be there.

I'll make an attempt to swing by tomorrow and grab this trackable for you. Shouldn't be an issue if it is still there. I know where the coke man is, and should be able to find it. I'll report back what I find!

Dates are in the top right corner of the logs. Sorry, a bit OT They had converted them to 'about a day ago' but returned them to normal today due to overwhelming user feedback. http://feedback.geocaching.com/forums/75775-geocaching-com/suggestions/2170437-bring-log-date-back-please?ref=title They also made the avatars smaller, to better fit the size of most logs. The new world wide challenges GS is putting out are getting better. There are tweaks I'd prefer, but I can see how these will accomplish some of the aims of virtuals, with added bonuses. I think they might just turn into something pretty cool, despite my initial reaction.

challenge = virtual = *facepalm* i've done two of the worldwide ones, the cito idea is kind of cool. But yeah, not so much for me. If this pics appeared in your gallery, one could tell who posted challenges, and other aspects change it might prove interesting. Given the outcry in the 'improve' forum, I feel kind of bad for Groundspeak. Many other changes made I'm less than fond of, like losing dates in the logs and the added avatars.

I too vote nay. I don't have very strong feelings either way, and if it lasts, I might just fly up and do it. To keep up with numbers if nothing else. But this isn't why I started caching. Getting lots of caches in a day is fun. The shipwreck series for example was amazing, but each location was carefully researched, each hide clever, each listing considered... I'm all for filling out SA with appropriate caches allowing us to achieve some of the 'numbers game' awards. Like the fizzy chart for example. It would be silly to place a hide and give it a rating of 4.5/3 to be able to fill in a missing square, but having a 'real' 4.5/3 in town to do would be awesome. (I just pulled that number from nowhere, there are missing combos in cpt, but I don't remember what they are off hand, and I'm too lazy to look it up right now). I'd personally vote for more whereigos, more letterboxes, a cito, and working on the Mega. These are great goals. A single PT in SA... ok, but I'd hate to see a lot of them, even if they were on cool paths. I'm haunted by an image in my mind of a PT ringing Table Mtn along the contour path ... that doesn't seem like a lot of fun to me. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't go find them. I've yet to use my ignore list in SA, and I hope I never have to. I'm sad the issue has caused such ... disgruntledness. I ended up leaving the FB group, as I saw little point in getting an inbox full of venom. We have amazing places to go, fantastic scenery, wonderful heritage, and a lot to learn from each other. That is why I love caching in SA. in my brief experience of caching in the US, I don't think I'd have taken up the hobby had I started there. I'm not sure I'd continue it if I moved there either. What got me hooked was cism's hurling swaai cache (http://coord.info/GC1PVK6), it was my first. I'd driven past the landmark every day, but didn't know its history. Geocaching opened up a new window on reality for me, and continues to with *most* caches I do. It is an interactive guide book, history lesson, geology lesson, friend pointing out that cool flower on a hike, etc.. That is what I love, and what I try to provide with my hides. That said, if others got hooked on caching for different reasons, I'm all for letting them play the game their way too.

This is a great tip! It only took me a second, and I got the extra month. It means a lot to a poor graduate student! Thanks a boodle.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes, and well done to Zambesiboy and MnCo for a quick FTF! Now if only I could find time to get all the other new caches out of my head...

whoo-hoo! I just got my third EC published (http://coord.info/GC2M0FB). This means I'm now officially an EC Platinum Master Although all 3 of mine are based in WC, my other 19 'countries/states' are in the US where I went on a road trip about a year ago. So perhaps I don't count as an "African" EC Master yet... But I'm one and I'm here! Thought I'd share my excitement - and point out there is a FTF waiting to happen...

As said, one eventually gets an 'eye' in for urban caches. I hit a lot of DNFs before I got some of the hang of it. I think this would have stumped me forever if it was in my 'hood, but it is a very very cool hide. (only 13 seconds for those worried about bandwidth)

I'm in like flynt. There are few things that'd trump this!

Doh! just missed it with 83 finds on GC2CG7X - Bertram Garden TB Hotel. Of course it is only 7 months old, so maybe next year. Thanks again for the wonderful stats. EDIT: Actually as of a few minutes ago, it went up to 86

Don't the Somalian, Nigerian, Tunisian, & Moroccan, flags all only have 2 colours? is there one with only 1?!