Sunday, April 27, 2014
April 19th. We had to leave at 10 am for the airport to catch our first of four flights home. There are 11 of us leaving today. The others are going to Livingston, Zambia, for a few days or leaving tomorrow. It has been a great trip but I'm ready to go home.
We flew from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, South Africa. After a four hour layover, we got on an Air France 380 Airbus. It's a double-decker plane. Us being in the cheap seats, we're on the bottom level. This plane carries 512 passengers and every seat's taken. It's a 10-1/2 hour flight to Paris.
Four hours in Paris, then it's on a 9 hour and 45 minute flight to Seattle. We have two hours to get through customs. Unbeknownst to us, in the past year, the US has changed things. You no longer have to fill out paperwork. All you do is scan your passport. You still have to pick up your luggage, however. That's what took the longest. Seemed like it took way too long to offload. Anyway, we then rechecked our bags, and found our flight to Boise.
It was another prop jet! Older than the one we were on in Botswana. It rattled and bounced around so much on take off that I was beginning to think we weren't going to make it into the air. We were flying so low that Stella got great pictures of Mount Rainier. She had the window seat and could see all the farms and little towns along the way.
We landed right on time at Boise, 5 pm.
It's great to go on vacation, but it's always nice to get back home.
April 18, 2014. Today is our last full day in Africa. It's a free day for us, so we can choose what we want to do. The entire group has chosen to do a Rhino safari this morning, so we were picked up at 6 am to go see rhinos. We went to a preserve outside Victoria Falls. This is a 6000 acre fenced area that has a captive breeding program for black rhinos. They have 7, with three more on the way. We drove around for 3 hours and didn't see a rhino. Finally, the two drivers stopped and the senior one said "we'll serve you breakfast and then drive around more because we really want you to see them." This was 9 am. He knew we had until 1 pm before we had to be back at the hotel. Okay. So we drive about 10 minutes, come around a corner and there they were. Two black rhinos in the road. The other vehicle was about a block ahead of us and, apparently, they popped out of the shrubs after they went by. Our driver radioed their vehicle and they came back to get a look at them. They weren't too concerned. Walked down the road at a slow pace and then went off into the bushes again. But we had seen them! And they served us breakfast anyway. More warthogs at the campground where we had breakfast.
While we were driving to the reserve, there was a very large family of baboons along the road. There must have been 25 of them climbing in the trees, sitting along the road. They seem to be right at home in town, too, because we saw them in the city park yesterday.
After lunch, we went for a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls. Six people to a helicopter. It was supposed to last 15 minutes but it seemed a little longer than that. The view was spectacular. The photographers in the group were ecstatic. It was great, I'd do it again. I had the opportunity to do it when I worked at Fish and Game but never went. Beverly LOVED it. I don't think I've seen such a grin as she had when she got off the helicopter. :) They took pictures of everyone getting on and getting off the helicopter with footage of the falls. She doesn't know if but I bought the ones of her. I figure her grandkids want to see grandma on the helicopter. :)
Tonight, we went to dinner at "Boma" which is a large place that has entertainment by African dance troops, and some drummers. They put a drum behind everyone's seat and you could join in. Beverly did, which was fun to see. It was a very loud noisy place so we couldn't visit very well which was too bad because it was the last time the group was together.
While we were driving to the reserve, there was a very large family of baboons along the road. There must have been 25 of them climbing in the trees, sitting along the road. They seem to be right at home in town, too, because we saw them in the city park yesterday.
After lunch, we went for a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls. Six people to a helicopter. It was supposed to last 15 minutes but it seemed a little longer than that. The view was spectacular. The photographers in the group were ecstatic. It was great, I'd do it again. I had the opportunity to do it when I worked at Fish and Game but never went. Beverly LOVED it. I don't think I've seen such a grin as she had when she got off the helicopter. :) They took pictures of everyone getting on and getting off the helicopter with footage of the falls. She doesn't know if but I bought the ones of her. I figure her grandkids want to see grandma on the helicopter. :)
Tonight, we went to dinner at "Boma" which is a large place that has entertainment by African dance troops, and some drummers. They put a drum behind everyone's seat and you could join in. Beverly did, which was fun to see. It was a very loud noisy place so we couldn't visit very well which was too bad because it was the last time the group was together.
April 17th, We went to the local market in the township where the locals live this morning. We bought beans, tomatoes or potatoes, something nonperishable because we will be having lunch with a local family and it's important to bring something for them. We also had tea with a local family this morning and they told us about their lives. They are from different tribes and had to go through a long ritual to get married. He's 44 and she's 43 and they have been married for 26 years. Three grown children. He told us that when natives turn 65, they are sent back to their villages to live. That answered Beverly's question because she had commented on the fact that there aren't any "old people" around.
He had been in the tourism industry for a long time but now buys used clothing from Zambia, cleans it all and resells it. I gave him my 3 BSU t-shirts. I figured I wasn't going to barter with them because I hadn't seen anything I really wanted and he could use them.
It was on to lunch after that. We divided up into groups of 4 or 5, so Beverly, Gretchen, Stella and I were together. The lady who hosted us in her house is divorced with 4 grown children. She said that she does those lunches 2 or 3 times a week when the tourist season is high and once a week when it's lower. She began by washing all our hands. Then she and her daughter brought out the food. There must have been 8 or 9 different dishes, all food that they eat on a regular basis. Kale, polenta, two kinds of beans, Mopani worms, and 3 others that I can't remember. She had silverware on the table but said that she would like us to eat with our hands like they do. First, you take polenta and roll it up a little bit, then use it to scoop up the rest of the food with. Oh, she had kale with peanut butter as well as the plain kale. I just couldn't do the worms. The others did, but I just couldn't go there. Reid had some on the bus on the way here and most tried them, but it's not for me. After lunch, she washed all of our hands again.
A group of neighborhood children had gathered while we were having lunch. They were fascinated with us. One of the girls, maybe 6 or 7 years old, kept looking at me through the door. She finally said "photo?" They wanted pictures taken. Gretchen had been using her IPad as her camera so she got it out so they could see the pictures. One little boy, about 4 or 5, didn't want his picture taken, but after seeing the picture he was right in there. Stella let them push the button her camera and they loved that. It was fun. We had a great time.
After they picked us all up, we were comparing notes in the bus. The groups that had men in them were served by the woman of the house on her knees because it is customary for the women to serve the men first and from their knees. One woman in our group was quite incensed over that but it's their custom.
Later that afternoon, we went for a cruise on the Zambezi River. More hippos and a beautiful sunset. Then we went to a very nice place for an outdoor buffet dinner that was courtesy of Jenman, the outfitters that had not done a good job on the first day in Botswana, with the broken down vehicle, etc. And the drinks were included, as Stanley said "drink until your lungs hurt because the drinks are on them." We saw crocodiles on both river cruises. I think I forgot to mention that.
He had been in the tourism industry for a long time but now buys used clothing from Zambia, cleans it all and resells it. I gave him my 3 BSU t-shirts. I figured I wasn't going to barter with them because I hadn't seen anything I really wanted and he could use them.
It was on to lunch after that. We divided up into groups of 4 or 5, so Beverly, Gretchen, Stella and I were together. The lady who hosted us in her house is divorced with 4 grown children. She said that she does those lunches 2 or 3 times a week when the tourist season is high and once a week when it's lower. She began by washing all our hands. Then she and her daughter brought out the food. There must have been 8 or 9 different dishes, all food that they eat on a regular basis. Kale, polenta, two kinds of beans, Mopani worms, and 3 others that I can't remember. She had silverware on the table but said that she would like us to eat with our hands like they do. First, you take polenta and roll it up a little bit, then use it to scoop up the rest of the food with. Oh, she had kale with peanut butter as well as the plain kale. I just couldn't do the worms. The others did, but I just couldn't go there. Reid had some on the bus on the way here and most tried them, but it's not for me. After lunch, she washed all of our hands again.
A group of neighborhood children had gathered while we were having lunch. They were fascinated with us. One of the girls, maybe 6 or 7 years old, kept looking at me through the door. She finally said "photo?" They wanted pictures taken. Gretchen had been using her IPad as her camera so she got it out so they could see the pictures. One little boy, about 4 or 5, didn't want his picture taken, but after seeing the picture he was right in there. Stella let them push the button her camera and they loved that. It was fun. We had a great time.
After they picked us all up, we were comparing notes in the bus. The groups that had men in them were served by the woman of the house on her knees because it is customary for the women to serve the men first and from their knees. One woman in our group was quite incensed over that but it's their custom.
Later that afternoon, we went for a cruise on the Zambezi River. More hippos and a beautiful sunset. Then we went to a very nice place for an outdoor buffet dinner that was courtesy of Jenman, the outfitters that had not done a good job on the first day in Botswana, with the broken down vehicle, etc. And the drinks were included, as Stanley said "drink until your lungs hurt because the drinks are on them." We saw crocodiles on both river cruises. I think I forgot to mention that.
To continue. We went to the falls. We did not have raingear, and the mist is so dense that you really need it. Anyway, when the park ranger set off, there were a lot of Asian tourists ahead of us. I hadn't even thought about bringing a flashlight so I set off at a fast pace to keep up with them because they had lights. We walked for a long ways in pitch darkness. When we finally broke out of the shrubbery and trees so we could see a "moonbow" or the falls or whatever, the mist started. I got fairly close to the lookout point and was getting quite wet. Gretchen was right behind me and when it started "raining" she said "I'm going back, I don't want to get any more wet" and turned around. I went a little farther, like 30 feet and was getting wetter by the minute so I turned around to go back, too. With the mist, you couldn't see the falls or the sky or anything. I met others of the group so we walked back together. It started to rain hard, which was the condensation from the mist. I couldn't have been wetter if I had stood in the shower for about 20 minutes with my clothes on. My shoes squished with every step. I was drenched. And so was everyone else.
We sloshed back to the bus. When we got on, Phil, one of the members of the group, said "where's Gretchen? I met her going back." Uh oh. Gretchen wasn't there. No one could remember where they saw her last. Someone said they saw her with Stanley. He said she went past him. By this time, Beverly is standing outside the bus to wait for Reid so see what we should do next. She didn't show up. After about 15 minutes of this, it was decided that the bus would take the rest of us back to the hotel and then come back to see if she had gotten back to the entrance.
Beverly and two others in the group went back to the park entrance after the rest of us got off at the hotel. Stella and I went back to our room to get dry clothes on and see about room service for dinner. I was worried. I just knew that something really bad had happened to Gretchen. Others got dry and then went to wait in the lobby. About 45 minutes later, Beverly called me to say that they found her. She had gotten turned around in the dark and was at the far end of the Park when the rangers found her. Luckily, she only had a cut on one knee where she'd fallen, and nothing more serious. What a relief. I think she was quite embarrassed about it all and she didn't talk about it much until a couple of days later. But it gave all of us quite a scare.
Room service. Not much to choose from but it got there in about 15 minutes. They told us to keep the dirty dishes in the room and they would pick them up the next day when they cleaned the room. Okay, we didn't think much of it. Until the next morning, when the ants had arrived during the night. It dawned on us that they probably didn't want leftover food in the corridor to bring the animals in.
It took two days for my shoes to dry. Needless to day, I think a night visit to the falls will not be on the itinerary for future tours.
We sloshed back to the bus. When we got on, Phil, one of the members of the group, said "where's Gretchen? I met her going back." Uh oh. Gretchen wasn't there. No one could remember where they saw her last. Someone said they saw her with Stanley. He said she went past him. By this time, Beverly is standing outside the bus to wait for Reid so see what we should do next. She didn't show up. After about 15 minutes of this, it was decided that the bus would take the rest of us back to the hotel and then come back to see if she had gotten back to the entrance.
Beverly and two others in the group went back to the park entrance after the rest of us got off at the hotel. Stella and I went back to our room to get dry clothes on and see about room service for dinner. I was worried. I just knew that something really bad had happened to Gretchen. Others got dry and then went to wait in the lobby. About 45 minutes later, Beverly called me to say that they found her. She had gotten turned around in the dark and was at the far end of the Park when the rangers found her. Luckily, she only had a cut on one knee where she'd fallen, and nothing more serious. What a relief. I think she was quite embarrassed about it all and she didn't talk about it much until a couple of days later. But it gave all of us quite a scare.
Room service. Not much to choose from but it got there in about 15 minutes. They told us to keep the dirty dishes in the room and they would pick them up the next day when they cleaned the room. Okay, we didn't think much of it. Until the next morning, when the ants had arrived during the night. It dawned on us that they probably didn't want leftover food in the corridor to bring the animals in.
It took two days for my shoes to dry. Needless to day, I think a night visit to the falls will not be on the itinerary for future tours.
I have no idea what that o be is on the top of the blog. Geez.
April 16th. This morning, we crossed the border to Zimbabwe. Took us an hour and a half to make it through the immigration line. They had two people working there, and there was a large group of students ahead of us. We had to pay $30 US for a visa, which was a surprise to us, but oh well. And no restrooms here, which made some people cranky.
We all went to the "bus" and waited while Reid got all the paperwork accomplished. We occupied ourselves by watching the warthogs root around outside the fence. I've decided there is no such thing as a skinny warthog. They're all potbellied and busy busy.
Our driver introduced himself to us as "Stanley" like in "Stanley Livingstone." Uh huh. It's been our experience so far that everyone who has an interesting name has chosen their own name. Our "polemen" at the mokoros were "Life, Matt, Galaxy, Jessica and Lee." We had "Life". Beverly asked Galaxy if that was his real name and he said "no, I chose it." Probably because no tourist can pronounce their real names. Galaxy had dreadlocks so his name kind of fit him.
It was another half hour or more to Victoria Falls. We're staying in a nice hotel here. It has a pool with a swim-up bar. Our rooms are in a detached building that is two story. There is a hallway that runs in front of all the rooms and has large openair windows to the grounds. We're on the bottom floor but all the rest of the group is on the second. When they went to their rooms, there was a baboon walking down the hallway. So, I keep a close eye out when walking from our room to the main building for meals.
We have a free afternoon so the four of us, me, Stella, Beverly and Gretchen, went to the market. Stella and Gretchen are not shoppers so they didn't particularly enjoy it. We were hit up by guys trying to sell us stuff every step of the way. Beverly had to go to an ATM so while we were waiting for her, this guy came up to us wearing a "tourist police" bib. He said that he would walk with us to keep the vendors from bothering us. So "John" went with us to the market. We went through the market while he waited outside. Beverly wanted to buy some carved animals for her grandchildren and I wanted to look at bowls. I had brought a lot of stuff to barter with so I gave her some bandannas, told her not to bring out more than one at a time, and wandered off. I ended up buying one small stone bowl, but she bought a number of carvings. I had a water bottle that said "Reilly's Auto Parts" on it, that I got at the car show here in Boise, and some BSU t-shirts and bandannas with me. The guy took the water bottle and a bandanna as well as some money for the bowl. I'm sure I paid more than I should have but oh well.
Gretchen and Stella had wandered off to see the stores that were close by while we were going through the market. Everyone wanted something for their mother. "My mother needs a bandanna." Uh huh. And they all wanted to look at my t-shirts but I wouldn't let them. I really didn't see anything I wanted. I was in Africa in 1998 and bought a lot of stuff then.
John was waiting for us when we finished. Beverly and I both gave him a US dollar so he would go away. He said "now I have my drinking money." Okay.
I am shocked by how commercial Victoria Falls has become since 1998. It has a population of 65,000 people now. When I was here before, it was maybe half that size, had 2-3 nice hotels and you could hear the roar of the falls from anywhere all the time. Now it has multiple hotels, a casino, of all things, and is so commercial with so much traffic that you can't hear the falls at all. Very discouraging.
Tonight, we all went to the falls so see the "moonbow". They only allow people in the park at the falls three nights a month, the night before full moon, full moon night, and the night after the full moon. We had a scary experience. I'm going to publish this because it's getting long, but I'll continue the story in the next posting.
April 16th. This morning, we crossed the border to Zimbabwe. Took us an hour and a half to make it through the immigration line. They had two people working there, and there was a large group of students ahead of us. We had to pay $30 US for a visa, which was a surprise to us, but oh well. And no restrooms here, which made some people cranky.
We all went to the "bus" and waited while Reid got all the paperwork accomplished. We occupied ourselves by watching the warthogs root around outside the fence. I've decided there is no such thing as a skinny warthog. They're all potbellied and busy busy.
Our driver introduced himself to us as "Stanley" like in "Stanley Livingstone." Uh huh. It's been our experience so far that everyone who has an interesting name has chosen their own name. Our "polemen" at the mokoros were "Life, Matt, Galaxy, Jessica and Lee." We had "Life". Beverly asked Galaxy if that was his real name and he said "no, I chose it." Probably because no tourist can pronounce their real names. Galaxy had dreadlocks so his name kind of fit him.
It was another half hour or more to Victoria Falls. We're staying in a nice hotel here. It has a pool with a swim-up bar. Our rooms are in a detached building that is two story. There is a hallway that runs in front of all the rooms and has large openair windows to the grounds. We're on the bottom floor but all the rest of the group is on the second. When they went to their rooms, there was a baboon walking down the hallway. So, I keep a close eye out when walking from our room to the main building for meals.
We have a free afternoon so the four of us, me, Stella, Beverly and Gretchen, went to the market. Stella and Gretchen are not shoppers so they didn't particularly enjoy it. We were hit up by guys trying to sell us stuff every step of the way. Beverly had to go to an ATM so while we were waiting for her, this guy came up to us wearing a "tourist police" bib. He said that he would walk with us to keep the vendors from bothering us. So "John" went with us to the market. We went through the market while he waited outside. Beverly wanted to buy some carved animals for her grandchildren and I wanted to look at bowls. I had brought a lot of stuff to barter with so I gave her some bandannas, told her not to bring out more than one at a time, and wandered off. I ended up buying one small stone bowl, but she bought a number of carvings. I had a water bottle that said "Reilly's Auto Parts" on it, that I got at the car show here in Boise, and some BSU t-shirts and bandannas with me. The guy took the water bottle and a bandanna as well as some money for the bowl. I'm sure I paid more than I should have but oh well.
Gretchen and Stella had wandered off to see the stores that were close by while we were going through the market. Everyone wanted something for their mother. "My mother needs a bandanna." Uh huh. And they all wanted to look at my t-shirts but I wouldn't let them. I really didn't see anything I wanted. I was in Africa in 1998 and bought a lot of stuff then.
John was waiting for us when we finished. Beverly and I both gave him a US dollar so he would go away. He said "now I have my drinking money." Okay.
I am shocked by how commercial Victoria Falls has become since 1998. It has a population of 65,000 people now. When I was here before, it was maybe half that size, had 2-3 nice hotels and you could hear the roar of the falls from anywhere all the time. Now it has multiple hotels, a casino, of all things, and is so commercial with so much traffic that you can't hear the falls at all. Very discouraging.
Tonight, we all went to the falls so see the "moonbow". They only allow people in the park at the falls three nights a month, the night before full moon, full moon night, and the night after the full moon. We had a scary experience. I'm going to publish this because it's getting long, but I'll continue the story in the next posting.
o be
April 15, 2014. We said goodbye this morning to our guides from Maun. They are driving back to Maun to pick up their next group. I'm sure they will make much better time since they don't have to stop as often as we wanted them to.
That reminds me, while we were at the other camp, the two guides had to walk us to our tents each night. This was to make sure there weren't some animals too close to us. A couple of nights ago, "B-Man" was walking us to ours and I asked him to show us the Southern Cross because the clouds were broken and we could see the sky. He pointed it out to us and it was brilliant. Amazingly so. We're in an area that has very little light pollution but even so, it was really cool.
Last night, after the dancers, I asked him to do it again because some members of the group hadn't seen it. Again, it was so bright. I loved seeing it.
So, we get in different vehicles today to go see Chobe National Park. It became very apparent that the driver is just that. A driver, not a guide. Everything we saw today, one of the group spotted first and the driver could tell us what it was but nothing else about it. We were spoiled by B-Man and Master.
We only saw one elephant this morning. It's the end of the rainy season so animals do not have to go to the river for water. There are a lot of potholes, and ponds right now so they don't move around as much. We did see a cape buffalo, which is one of the big five animals, so everyone was happy about that. We also finally saw kudu. The big males with large horns weren't very cooperative about standing and posing for pictures, though. We saw a lot of hippos in the river, one group that had about 30, we estimated. All eyes and ears looking at us.
After about 3 hours, we returned to the "camp". The camp is enclosed by fences so we can walk to our tents by ourselves. It's quite dark though so we have to use flashlights to get around. Last night, we heard elephants trumpet a lot. Sounded like they were standing on the steps to our tent. Very close. On the main road, there are a lot of signs about being a wildlife area and to be very cautious driving at night. I guess, from the sounds of it. And there was something that scratched around on the tent after dark but we never saw what it was. No spiders, though, so I'm happy. :)
This evening, we went for a boat cruise on the Chobe River. Left the bank at 4 pm and had to be off the river by 6pm. We saw large lizards, some birds that were like swallows on the banks, and we saw elephants swimming!! I didn't know they did that! There were some shallow islands in the river and from a distance it looked like large black lumps. We thought they were hippos but when we got closer, a trunk appeared. I was, and continue to be, amazed. We watched them bring up large amounts of vegetation and eat it. Then they started swimming back to the shore. It was quite deep there and they don't move very fast, but swimming! Wow! Loved it.
We had to hurry to get off the river by 6 pm, but we saw a wonderful sunset from the water. I will see if I can download some pictures of our trip. Maybe now that I'm home where the connection is good, I can do that.
After dinner, which was a buffet out by the pool area, we had another group of dancers come for entertainment. Beverly volunteered Gretchen to dance with them. She was pretty good and loves to dance.
That reminds me, while we were at the other camp, the two guides had to walk us to our tents each night. This was to make sure there weren't some animals too close to us. A couple of nights ago, "B-Man" was walking us to ours and I asked him to show us the Southern Cross because the clouds were broken and we could see the sky. He pointed it out to us and it was brilliant. Amazingly so. We're in an area that has very little light pollution but even so, it was really cool.
Last night, after the dancers, I asked him to do it again because some members of the group hadn't seen it. Again, it was so bright. I loved seeing it.
So, we get in different vehicles today to go see Chobe National Park. It became very apparent that the driver is just that. A driver, not a guide. Everything we saw today, one of the group spotted first and the driver could tell us what it was but nothing else about it. We were spoiled by B-Man and Master.
We only saw one elephant this morning. It's the end of the rainy season so animals do not have to go to the river for water. There are a lot of potholes, and ponds right now so they don't move around as much. We did see a cape buffalo, which is one of the big five animals, so everyone was happy about that. We also finally saw kudu. The big males with large horns weren't very cooperative about standing and posing for pictures, though. We saw a lot of hippos in the river, one group that had about 30, we estimated. All eyes and ears looking at us.
After about 3 hours, we returned to the "camp". The camp is enclosed by fences so we can walk to our tents by ourselves. It's quite dark though so we have to use flashlights to get around. Last night, we heard elephants trumpet a lot. Sounded like they were standing on the steps to our tent. Very close. On the main road, there are a lot of signs about being a wildlife area and to be very cautious driving at night. I guess, from the sounds of it. And there was something that scratched around on the tent after dark but we never saw what it was. No spiders, though, so I'm happy. :)
This evening, we went for a boat cruise on the Chobe River. Left the bank at 4 pm and had to be off the river by 6pm. We saw large lizards, some birds that were like swallows on the banks, and we saw elephants swimming!! I didn't know they did that! There were some shallow islands in the river and from a distance it looked like large black lumps. We thought they were hippos but when we got closer, a trunk appeared. I was, and continue to be, amazed. We watched them bring up large amounts of vegetation and eat it. Then they started swimming back to the shore. It was quite deep there and they don't move very fast, but swimming! Wow! Loved it.
We had to hurry to get off the river by 6 pm, but we saw a wonderful sunset from the water. I will see if I can download some pictures of our trip. Maybe now that I'm home where the connection is good, I can do that.
After dinner, which was a buffet out by the pool area, we had another group of dancers come for entertainment. Beverly volunteered Gretchen to dance with them. She was pretty good and loves to dance.
April 14, 2014. We were up early again. Not easy for a night person, but I do it. :) Today, we have a 9 hour drive to Chobe National Park. We will stay in Kasane, Botswana for two nights. It's pronounced "Kuh saw nay", all of us have been mispronouncing it. Anyway, Chobe is known for its elephants.
We spent 7 hours or more on dirt roads, bouncing along in our open air vehicles. We were supposed to do this in 9 hours but it took us longer because we stopped to see every bird and animal we saw along the way. The guides told our tour guide that they had never taken a group that wanted to stop as much as ours but we have 3-4 people who are serious photographers, and they take a lot of pictures. Some of them have already filled up a 16 mb photo card. It was nice and sunny today. The first really nice day since Cape Town.
We got to our "camp" in Kasane late in the day. We are in "tents" again, mosquito nets and all, but it also is on a permanent base and has a large bathroom. This one is probably 20 x 30 feet so there is plenty of room. Even a 19 inch tv if we wanted to use it, which we don't. This complex has a very large dining area, a swimming pool with a very large patio and bar. It's very nice. After dinner tonight, some local tribal dancers came and entertained us. They were great. We really enjoyed them.
When we go there, they greeted us with warm washcloths, which was very nice. We were all shocked at how much grime we washed off on them after being on the dirt roads. But it felt so good.
Tomorrow, it's off to tour Chobe.
We spent 7 hours or more on dirt roads, bouncing along in our open air vehicles. We were supposed to do this in 9 hours but it took us longer because we stopped to see every bird and animal we saw along the way. The guides told our tour guide that they had never taken a group that wanted to stop as much as ours but we have 3-4 people who are serious photographers, and they take a lot of pictures. Some of them have already filled up a 16 mb photo card. It was nice and sunny today. The first really nice day since Cape Town.
We got to our "camp" in Kasane late in the day. We are in "tents" again, mosquito nets and all, but it also is on a permanent base and has a large bathroom. This one is probably 20 x 30 feet so there is plenty of room. Even a 19 inch tv if we wanted to use it, which we don't. This complex has a very large dining area, a swimming pool with a very large patio and bar. It's very nice. After dinner tonight, some local tribal dancers came and entertained us. They were great. We really enjoyed them.
When we go there, they greeted us with warm washcloths, which was very nice. We were all shocked at how much grime we washed off on them after being on the dirt roads. But it felt so good.
Tomorrow, it's off to tour Chobe.
April 13, 2014. Today we were up at 5:30 again for breakfast and to go to the Moremi Game Preserve and see more wildlife. After a two hour drive, we reached the gates, where we all had to sign in. They wanted passport numbers. I didn't have mine with me but they didn't seem too concerned and we set off in search of the big five animals. Lots of birds again, I should have been writing them down, I guess, but I didn't. Anyway, we stopped frequently to see them. Even some kind of starling is here.
We saw a cheetah! Our guide spotted it first. I don't know how. It was in tall grass, far enough away that you needed binoculars to really see it. It was laying down, it's head in view and the tip of its tail flipping around. It stood up after awhile and started walking parallel to the road. Now we could see the entire animal and it had a radio collar on it. Beautiful animal. It's sunny today so we had a good view. We also saw a jackal.
Oh, and I forgot to mention giraffes. Yesterday, we had looked and looked for giraffes but didn't see any. This morning, we hadn't even made it to the main road from the camp and we saw giraffes. Probably 10 of them in a 3 acre area. They had come in during the night. That started it. It was a giraffe kind of day. They were everywhere it seemed. They're fun, but they just stand there usually and walk at a slow pace when they decide to move.
We saw elephants today, more zebras, lots of impalas, a wildebeest, giraffes, and steenboks. Steenboks are the smallest member of the antelope family. They only stand about 18 inches tall. We saw them quite a few times on the trip. We have been looking for kudu but haven't seen one yet. We ate springbok in Capetown but we did not see one on this trip. Warthogs, we saw them today. Some running with their tails up, like in the "Lion King", some just rooting around in the grass.
When we left the game preserve, not seeing a lion, which was a disappointment, we came across a family of baboons just outside the gate. We had seen a family of them yesterday as we were returning to the camp, but not as close up as these. They were sitting in the road, they were in the shrubs and up trees. Lots of babies, and some big males.
Another couple of hours to get back to camp, where we could hear the hippos but couldn't see them. Tonight the camp staff entertained us with native songs and dancing. It was great. The food has been plentiful and good.
We saw a cheetah! Our guide spotted it first. I don't know how. It was in tall grass, far enough away that you needed binoculars to really see it. It was laying down, it's head in view and the tip of its tail flipping around. It stood up after awhile and started walking parallel to the road. Now we could see the entire animal and it had a radio collar on it. Beautiful animal. It's sunny today so we had a good view. We also saw a jackal.
Oh, and I forgot to mention giraffes. Yesterday, we had looked and looked for giraffes but didn't see any. This morning, we hadn't even made it to the main road from the camp and we saw giraffes. Probably 10 of them in a 3 acre area. They had come in during the night. That started it. It was a giraffe kind of day. They were everywhere it seemed. They're fun, but they just stand there usually and walk at a slow pace when they decide to move.
We saw elephants today, more zebras, lots of impalas, a wildebeest, giraffes, and steenboks. Steenboks are the smallest member of the antelope family. They only stand about 18 inches tall. We saw them quite a few times on the trip. We have been looking for kudu but haven't seen one yet. We ate springbok in Capetown but we did not see one on this trip. Warthogs, we saw them today. Some running with their tails up, like in the "Lion King", some just rooting around in the grass.
When we left the game preserve, not seeing a lion, which was a disappointment, we came across a family of baboons just outside the gate. We had seen a family of them yesterday as we were returning to the camp, but not as close up as these. They were sitting in the road, they were in the shrubs and up trees. Lots of babies, and some big males.
Another couple of hours to get back to camp, where we could hear the hippos but couldn't see them. Tonight the camp staff entertained us with native songs and dancing. It was great. The food has been plentiful and good.
Hello again. I was unable to connect with wifi the last week or so of our trip. Here's my update.
April 12, 2014. After not getting to bed until almost 1 am, we were up at 5:30 to go on a game drive. We all loaded into the two vehicles and set off. Our driver's name is "Master" which is a nickname he received in school. He's great, we like him. We had not gone more than about a quarter of a mile when we pulled over to see the hippos in the river that runs right along our camp. Four or five sets of eyes and ears above the water watching us. We watched for awhile and they would periodically come up a little and snort. A really LOUD snort, so now we know what we were hearing during the night. After a few minutes, we moved on and there was another pod or group of hippos. This time one of them came partially out of the water and lunged at our vehicle. Two or three times, it lunged at us. Our driver did not turn off the vehicle and moved after the last one. We figured it must have had a baby and was protecting it.
Continuing on down the road, we saw lots of birds, red-billed hornbills, Battalier eagles, storks, and lots that I can't remember the names of. We did see one today that was called a violet breasted roller and it was beautiful. Wonderful blue color. I think we probably saw 30 species of birds over the course of the trip. Beverly and Kay, another member of the group, were keeping track. There was one bird that Master told us was the "alarm" bird because it had a very distinctive call and would sound the alarm when there were predators in the area. I noticed he would stop, listen and look whenever he heard it.
We drove around for a couple of hours this morning, stopping for pictures of birds and whatever else we saw that we felt we needed evidence of. After an hour or so, we came cross a small group of zebras. There was a baby zebra and the others, about 6 or 7 immediately surrounded it for protection. Impalas were common this morning, and we saw a number of baboons, African tree squirrels, even mongoose. One of the members was sure he saw a giraffe but no one else could see it. We were just going back into the camp, when we came around a curve and there was a huge bull elephant about 20 feet from the road. First one we had seen. It just ate leaves and ignored us. It had perfectly round hole in its left ear that was from insects, I think our guide said.
We got back in time for lunch. After lunch, there was a nature walk scheduled for 3pm. Stella and I elected to have a nap and then see what the weather was. It was raining again by this time. Well, we slept through the nature walk, and we didn't have raingear anyway, so it was just as well, I think. The couple that have the tent next to ours told us at dinner that they watched the elephant for quite awhile in the afternoon, and it was right behind our tent. Elephants are very quiet. We didn't hear a thing.
Our accommodations are large tents, complete with full bathrooms. The bathrooms can be completely zipped off from the main room. The main room had two twin beds, a table and a shelving unit for luggage. The bathroom had a full shower, large counter with sink and a toilet. It also had two of the biggest spiders I've seen in a long time. One on the wall right beside the toilet and another right under the mirror over the sink. One was a fuzzy one and one wasn't. I wasn't too thrilled with that but I was too tired last night to worry about it. The "tent" is on a permanent platform made out of that composite decking. It had a porch that was very large, they called it a "veranda" with two camp chairs on it.
When we got back today, the spiders were gone. I thought the cleaning ladies had probably gotten rid of them. Well, tonight they were back. We went for a night game drive where another guide/assistant came along to use a spotlight so we could see what was in the trees and shrubs. We didn't see much, and were only out for about an hour or so. This activity prompted Stella to say "just like a Saturday night in Owyhee County." :) I had decided to squish the spiders if they were there when we got back this afternoon but they were nowhere to be seen. Tonight they were back in their "usual" places. I've decided they probably eat mosquitoes so I left them. But I don't like it.
The dining area is very large, thatched roof with a fire pit and deck area overlooking the river. It has rained too much for the fire pit but maybe tomorrow.
April 12, 2014. After not getting to bed until almost 1 am, we were up at 5:30 to go on a game drive. We all loaded into the two vehicles and set off. Our driver's name is "Master" which is a nickname he received in school. He's great, we like him. We had not gone more than about a quarter of a mile when we pulled over to see the hippos in the river that runs right along our camp. Four or five sets of eyes and ears above the water watching us. We watched for awhile and they would periodically come up a little and snort. A really LOUD snort, so now we know what we were hearing during the night. After a few minutes, we moved on and there was another pod or group of hippos. This time one of them came partially out of the water and lunged at our vehicle. Two or three times, it lunged at us. Our driver did not turn off the vehicle and moved after the last one. We figured it must have had a baby and was protecting it.
Continuing on down the road, we saw lots of birds, red-billed hornbills, Battalier eagles, storks, and lots that I can't remember the names of. We did see one today that was called a violet breasted roller and it was beautiful. Wonderful blue color. I think we probably saw 30 species of birds over the course of the trip. Beverly and Kay, another member of the group, were keeping track. There was one bird that Master told us was the "alarm" bird because it had a very distinctive call and would sound the alarm when there were predators in the area. I noticed he would stop, listen and look whenever he heard it.
We drove around for a couple of hours this morning, stopping for pictures of birds and whatever else we saw that we felt we needed evidence of. After an hour or so, we came cross a small group of zebras. There was a baby zebra and the others, about 6 or 7 immediately surrounded it for protection. Impalas were common this morning, and we saw a number of baboons, African tree squirrels, even mongoose. One of the members was sure he saw a giraffe but no one else could see it. We were just going back into the camp, when we came around a curve and there was a huge bull elephant about 20 feet from the road. First one we had seen. It just ate leaves and ignored us. It had perfectly round hole in its left ear that was from insects, I think our guide said.
We got back in time for lunch. After lunch, there was a nature walk scheduled for 3pm. Stella and I elected to have a nap and then see what the weather was. It was raining again by this time. Well, we slept through the nature walk, and we didn't have raingear anyway, so it was just as well, I think. The couple that have the tent next to ours told us at dinner that they watched the elephant for quite awhile in the afternoon, and it was right behind our tent. Elephants are very quiet. We didn't hear a thing.
Our accommodations are large tents, complete with full bathrooms. The bathrooms can be completely zipped off from the main room. The main room had two twin beds, a table and a shelving unit for luggage. The bathroom had a full shower, large counter with sink and a toilet. It also had two of the biggest spiders I've seen in a long time. One on the wall right beside the toilet and another right under the mirror over the sink. One was a fuzzy one and one wasn't. I wasn't too thrilled with that but I was too tired last night to worry about it. The "tent" is on a permanent platform made out of that composite decking. It had a porch that was very large, they called it a "veranda" with two camp chairs on it.
When we got back today, the spiders were gone. I thought the cleaning ladies had probably gotten rid of them. Well, tonight they were back. We went for a night game drive where another guide/assistant came along to use a spotlight so we could see what was in the trees and shrubs. We didn't see much, and were only out for about an hour or so. This activity prompted Stella to say "just like a Saturday night in Owyhee County." :) I had decided to squish the spiders if they were there when we got back this afternoon but they were nowhere to be seen. Tonight they were back in their "usual" places. I've decided they probably eat mosquitoes so I left them. But I don't like it.
The dining area is very large, thatched roof with a fire pit and deck area overlooking the river. It has rained too much for the fire pit but maybe tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Here's my first installment. For whatever reason, it saved it in draft form. Oh well, you can compare it, I guess. It's Wednesday, April 16. We are now in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Let me bring you up to date.
Thursday, April 10, I was getting my stuff packed in preparation for our Friday flight to Johannesburg and on to Maun, Botswana, when the biggest beetle/cockroach I have ever seen ran out of our bathroom. It was headed toward my suitcase and backpack, both of which were open. I'm dancing around in a panic because I did not want it in my bags. I grabbed one of my shoes and proceeded to swat at it twice before hitting it and knocking it away. That's all fine and good except now I can't see it anywhere. Stella is standing by her bed watching all this. It ran across the floor and back to the bathroom. By now, Stella has come around her bed and can see it. She says "turn the light on in the bathroom" I'm thinking "no, that will make it run more." Anyway, we turn the light on and it runs behind the toilet. I had a stiff paper bag laying on the bed that I had gotten when I bought some souvenirs so we put it on the floor thinking maybe it would run into the bag. No, it ran up on the side of the bag and stayed there. Stella carefully picked it up and shook it off into the toilet where we flushed it. Honestly, it was probably a little more than two inches long, had a hard shiny dark brown shell. I don't think it was a cockroach, but I didn't want it catching a ride in my suitcase. I told Beverly about it the next morning and she said that she saw it running in the hallway on Wednesday on the floor below us. Maybe we flushed the hotel pet.
Friday, April 11. Up at a little before 4 am. This was a real test of my happy face because I am not a morning person in any way, shape or form, but we had a 6 am flight to Johannesburg. Checking in was kind of a nightmare. They weigh all your carry-on luggage as well as your checked bags. I didn't have a problem, but they made Beverly repack all her stuff. She got the agent who was hardcore about it, and, consequently, the entire group had to wait while she went through everything and rearranged.
The flight was an hour and 50 minutes. Then we retrieved all our luggage, toted it all through the airport and checking in for our flight to Maun (pronounced Moan), Botswana. I can't remember the last time I flew on a prop jet but that's what it was. A 50 passenger one. The overhead bins and under the seat space was so small, I had to have them check my backpack. It rattled and bucked around but we made it so that was good. :) When we arrived at Maun, the outfitter informed our guide that one of their two vehicles had broken down 18 kilometers out of town and they were trying to get it fixed. Eleven of us went in the vehicle that was working and left for our camp with a stop for a mokoro ride along the way. The other 8 stayed behind to go in the next vehicle.
It was great riding along in an open air vehicle, looking at the countryside. Africa has a definitely different smell to it. There was a variety of sage along the road and it was strongsmelling. Not unpleasant, though. Nice weather for this portion, but we got to the Okavango Delta where we had rides in mokoros which are flatbottomed boats that are poled along. Two people to a boat. This is my "I can't take Stella anywhere" part of the story. The boats are fiberglass, kind of canoe sized but the sides are lower. They put in hard plastic seats, kind of like stadium seats, but they weren't attached to the boat. Stella got in first, we had to go one at a time. Well, when she sat down on it, she just kept going and ended up on her back with her feet in the air. I'd have given anything t have a video of that. It was in slowmotion and there she was like a turtle. She was laughing and so were all of us. The guy who was going to pole us along and the guy with the boat next to us hurried up and got her sitting upright. From then on, our guy, "Life" was what he said his name was, made sure he was hanging on to both of us as we sat down. Beverly said "I almost did exactly the same thing, Stella" so we could have had two "turtles."
We were poled along through the delta. It was really nice, but storm clouds were threatening. We had a lot of water lilies and birds to look at. We stopped for snacks, which consisted of individual bags of chutney-flavored potato chips, an apple, some dried fruit and "biltong" which is their form of jerky. I tried it but thought it was awful. Pop and water finished up the snacks. We hurried and got back into the boats because rain was imminent. A little ways back, we met the other group. By this time it was sprinkling, and it turned into a downpour. I had my fleece jacket, thank goodness. It was a little damp but not too bad. The other group turned back and were soaked by the time they pulled up in the boats. We waited for the storm to pass a little in a lodge there, and then loaded up for the journey to our camp. The situation with the
Thursday, April 10, I was getting my stuff packed in preparation for our Friday flight to Johannesburg and on to Maun, Botswana, when the biggest beetle/cockroach I have ever seen ran out of our bathroom. It was headed toward my suitcase and backpack, both of which were open. I'm dancing around in a panic because I did not want it in my bags. I grabbed one of my shoes and proceeded to swat at it twice before hitting it and knocking it away. That's all fine and good except now I can't see it anywhere. Stella is standing by her bed watching all this. It ran across the floor and back to the bathroom. By now, Stella has come around her bed and can see it. She says "turn the light on in the bathroom" I'm thinking "no, that will make it run more." Anyway, we turn the light on and it runs behind the toilet. I had a stiff paper bag laying on the bed that I had gotten when I bought some souvenirs so we put it on the floor thinking maybe it would run into the bag. No, it ran up on the side of the bag and stayed there. Stella carefully picked it up and shook it off into the toilet where we flushed it. Honestly, it was probably a little more than two inches long, had a hard shiny dark brown shell. I don't think it was a cockroach, but I didn't want it catching a ride in my suitcase. I told Beverly about it the next morning and she said that she saw it running in the hallway on Wednesday on the floor below us. Maybe we flushed the hotel pet.
Friday, April 11. Up at a little before 4 am. This was a real test of my happy face because I am not a morning person in any way, shape or form, but we had a 6 am flight to Johannesburg. Checking in was kind of a nightmare. They weigh all your carry-on luggage as well as your checked bags. I didn't have a problem, but they made Beverly repack all her stuff. She got the agent who was hardcore about it, and, consequently, the entire group had to wait while she went through everything and rearranged.
The flight was an hour and 50 minutes. Then we retrieved all our luggage, toted it all through the airport and checking in for our flight to Maun (pronounced Moan), Botswana. I can't remember the last time I flew on a prop jet but that's what it was. A 50 passenger one. The overhead bins and under the seat space was so small, I had to have them check my backpack. It rattled and bucked around but we made it so that was good. :) When we arrived at Maun, the outfitter informed our guide that one of their two vehicles had broken down 18 kilometers out of town and they were trying to get it fixed. Eleven of us went in the vehicle that was working and left for our camp with a stop for a mokoro ride along the way. The other 8 stayed behind to go in the next vehicle.
It was great riding along in an open air vehicle, looking at the countryside. Africa has a definitely different smell to it. There was a variety of sage along the road and it was strongsmelling. Not unpleasant, though. Nice weather for this portion, but we got to the Okavango Delta where we had rides in mokoros which are flatbottomed boats that are poled along. Two people to a boat. This is my "I can't take Stella anywhere" part of the story. The boats are fiberglass, kind of canoe sized but the sides are lower. They put in hard plastic seats, kind of like stadium seats, but they weren't attached to the boat. Stella got in first, we had to go one at a time. Well, when she sat down on it, she just kept going and ended up on her back with her feet in the air. I'd have given anything t have a video of that. It was in slowmotion and there she was like a turtle. She was laughing and so were all of us. The guy who was going to pole us along and the guy with the boat next to us hurried up and got her sitting upright. From then on, our guy, "Life" was what he said his name was, made sure he was hanging on to both of us as we sat down. Beverly said "I almost did exactly the same thing, Stella" so we could have had two "turtles."
We were poled along through the delta. It was really nice, but storm clouds were threatening. We had a lot of water lilies and birds to look at. We stopped for snacks, which consisted of individual bags of chutney-flavored potato chips, an apple, some dried fruit and "biltong" which is their form of jerky. I tried it but thought it was awful. Pop and water finished up the snacks. We hurried and got back into the boats because rain was imminent. A little ways back, we met the other group. By this time it was sprinkling, and it turned into a downpour. I had my fleece jacket, thank goodness. It was a little damp but not too bad. The other group turned back and were soaked by the time they pulled up in the boats. We waited for the storm to pass a little in a lodge there, and then loaded up for the journey to our camp. The situation with the
I am not happy. I had a full page or two written when my computer decided to reconfigure windows and I lost it all. AGGGGGHH.
We're in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It's Wednesday, April 16th. Let me get you up-to-date.
Thursday, April 10th, I'm in my room getting packed for our Friday flight to Johannesburg when the biggest beetle I have ever seen ran out of the bathroom and headed for my suitcase and backpack, both of which were open on the floor. I'm dancing around panicked so I grabbed my closest weapon, my shoe, and proceeded to swat at it twice, hitting it once. I couldn't see it so I didn't know where it went. It runs back across the floor to the bathroom. Stella came around her bed to see what the commotion was. She said "turn on the bathroom light". I'm thinking that will just make it run more but I turned on the light and it ran under the toilet. We're trying to decide what to do about it when I picked up a heavy paper bag that I had gotten when I bought some souvenirs and put it on the floor thinking it might run in there. It ran up on the side of it and sat there. Stella picked up the bag, shook it off into the toilet and flushed it. The next morning, Beverly told me that she had seen it running in the hallway on Wednesday on the floor below us. Maybe we flushed the hotel pet. We're not sure.
Friday, April 11th, we were up a little before 4 am to catch our 6 am flight. This was a real test of my happy face because I am not a morning person in any way, shape or form. Checking in was kind of a nightmare because they weigh all your carry on luggage as well as your checked bags. I didn't have any trouble, but Beverly got a hardcore agent who made her repack and rearrange all her bags. This held up the entire group. I finally put some of her stuff in my carry on. The flight was an hour and 50 minutes. I sat next to a woman from South Africa who told me all about her life and experiences.
We had to retrieve our bags and then tote them all through the airport and recheck them for the flight to Maun (pronounced "Moan"), Botswana. I cannot remember the last time I flew on a prop jet but that's what it was. A 50 seater, that was loud and bumpy. The overhead bins and under the seat space was so small I had to check my backpack.
When we got to Maun, the outfitter told our guide that one of their two vehicles had broken down 18 kilometers away and they were trying to fix it. Eleven of us got in the vehicle they had there while the other 8 waited for the next one. This was the start of a bad situation that only got worse as the day went on. We headed for the Okavango Delta for the mokoro ride. Mokoros are fiberglass flat-bottomed boats that are poled along through the delta. Two people to a boat, getting in one at a time. Stella and I were in one, and Beverly and someone, I don't remember who, got in another one, as well as the rest of the group. The seats were hard plastic ones, kind of like stadium seats, but were not fastened to the boat. When Stella went to sit down, she just kept on going, ending up on her back with her feet in the air. Kind of like a turtle. I was standing there watching and wishing for a video camera. It was just in slow motion, with her ending up looking at the sky. We all howled at that, including her. The guy who was going to "pole" us along and the guy from the next boat, hurried over and got her sitting upright again. After that, they hung on to us so we didn't do the same thing.
That's my "I can't take Stella anywhere story" for the trip. We have laughed and laughed over it. She's a good sport about it and laughs too.
It was such a great time, riding along through Africa in an open vehicle on the way there, but clouds were threatening and our ride was cut a little short due to rain. We were on the way back when we met the rest of the group in their mokoros. We got rained on but they got drenched. And the vehicle that the outfitter had scrounged up didn't have room for their luggage so it was coming later. No one was able to get out dry clothes, which didn't help their mood any. We waited at a lodge for awhile to let the rain drizzle out and then we were back in the vehicles to continue on to camp. It was getting dark now and driving after dark in Botswana on back roads is really not allowed. We stopped at another lodge to see if the luggage was going to show up so they could get dry. No luck. I had on my fleece jacket and was just a little damp. Our driver put down the sides on the vehicle so we weren't getting rained on at all. Anyway, to make along story short, we finally made it to the camp after 11 pm. We were expected at 7pm. It was a very long day, up for 20 hours before we made it to bed.
I need to save and publish this so I don't lose it again. More in a minute.
We're in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It's Wednesday, April 16th. Let me get you up-to-date.
Thursday, April 10th, I'm in my room getting packed for our Friday flight to Johannesburg when the biggest beetle I have ever seen ran out of the bathroom and headed for my suitcase and backpack, both of which were open on the floor. I'm dancing around panicked so I grabbed my closest weapon, my shoe, and proceeded to swat at it twice, hitting it once. I couldn't see it so I didn't know where it went. It runs back across the floor to the bathroom. Stella came around her bed to see what the commotion was. She said "turn on the bathroom light". I'm thinking that will just make it run more but I turned on the light and it ran under the toilet. We're trying to decide what to do about it when I picked up a heavy paper bag that I had gotten when I bought some souvenirs and put it on the floor thinking it might run in there. It ran up on the side of it and sat there. Stella picked up the bag, shook it off into the toilet and flushed it. The next morning, Beverly told me that she had seen it running in the hallway on Wednesday on the floor below us. Maybe we flushed the hotel pet. We're not sure.
Friday, April 11th, we were up a little before 4 am to catch our 6 am flight. This was a real test of my happy face because I am not a morning person in any way, shape or form. Checking in was kind of a nightmare because they weigh all your carry on luggage as well as your checked bags. I didn't have any trouble, but Beverly got a hardcore agent who made her repack and rearrange all her bags. This held up the entire group. I finally put some of her stuff in my carry on. The flight was an hour and 50 minutes. I sat next to a woman from South Africa who told me all about her life and experiences.
We had to retrieve our bags and then tote them all through the airport and recheck them for the flight to Maun (pronounced "Moan"), Botswana. I cannot remember the last time I flew on a prop jet but that's what it was. A 50 seater, that was loud and bumpy. The overhead bins and under the seat space was so small I had to check my backpack.
When we got to Maun, the outfitter told our guide that one of their two vehicles had broken down 18 kilometers away and they were trying to fix it. Eleven of us got in the vehicle they had there while the other 8 waited for the next one. This was the start of a bad situation that only got worse as the day went on. We headed for the Okavango Delta for the mokoro ride. Mokoros are fiberglass flat-bottomed boats that are poled along through the delta. Two people to a boat, getting in one at a time. Stella and I were in one, and Beverly and someone, I don't remember who, got in another one, as well as the rest of the group. The seats were hard plastic ones, kind of like stadium seats, but were not fastened to the boat. When Stella went to sit down, she just kept on going, ending up on her back with her feet in the air. Kind of like a turtle. I was standing there watching and wishing for a video camera. It was just in slow motion, with her ending up looking at the sky. We all howled at that, including her. The guy who was going to "pole" us along and the guy from the next boat, hurried over and got her sitting upright again. After that, they hung on to us so we didn't do the same thing.
That's my "I can't take Stella anywhere story" for the trip. We have laughed and laughed over it. She's a good sport about it and laughs too.
It was such a great time, riding along through Africa in an open vehicle on the way there, but clouds were threatening and our ride was cut a little short due to rain. We were on the way back when we met the rest of the group in their mokoros. We got rained on but they got drenched. And the vehicle that the outfitter had scrounged up didn't have room for their luggage so it was coming later. No one was able to get out dry clothes, which didn't help their mood any. We waited at a lodge for awhile to let the rain drizzle out and then we were back in the vehicles to continue on to camp. It was getting dark now and driving after dark in Botswana on back roads is really not allowed. We stopped at another lodge to see if the luggage was going to show up so they could get dry. No luck. I had on my fleece jacket and was just a little damp. Our driver put down the sides on the vehicle so we weren't getting rained on at all. Anyway, to make along story short, we finally made it to the camp after 11 pm. We were expected at 7pm. It was a very long day, up for 20 hours before we made it to bed.
I need to save and publish this so I don't lose it again. More in a minute.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
April 10, Thursday. Yesterday, we did two wine tastings. Our schedule said three, but we only did two. Went to a beautiful winery in the morning, tasted 6 wines with cheese, marmalade, etc. Francois did a wonderful job telling us stories about all the wines, taking us on a cellar tour, talking about the oak barrels they use, and how they can only use a barrel four times before they have to replace it. All the barrels are obtained from New England because the oak trees in South Africa grow so fast that the wood is porous.
We were back on the 20 person van yesterday, but Gretchen elected to sit in the back where there was a little more room, so it was just me, Stella and Beverly in the front seat. We had enough room that we could actually have raised our arms to vote on things but there was nothing to vote on. I forgot to tell you that on Tuesday, Stella and I entertained ourselves trying to take a "selfie" with her smartphone to show just how jammed in there we were. Beverly was not amused and if any of the pictures turn out, you can only see the back of her head. I had to lean over so far to get in the picture that my chin is on Stella's shoulder. If any of the pictures turn out at all, my face might (emphasis on might) be only half in it. She hasn't figured out how to download anything from her phone over here so those pictures may not show up for awhile.
After a lunch stop, we ventured off to the second winery. Beautiful setting, on a hill that looked out over the valley. The mountains surrounding this area are truly amazing. Rocky and steep. Even after seeing the Sawtooths and Tetons, I am in awe of these. We had 4 wines to taste at this stop and there was a chocolate pairing with each one. Everyone agreed that the Venezuela chocolate was he best, and all the chocolate contained 70 percent cacao so it was all dark and no milk chocolate.
When we were driving to the wineries, our guide, Conrad, pointed out the largest mall in the southern hemisphere, along the freeway. It rivals the Mall of the Americas in Minneapolis, had the roller coaster, too.
We have had great luck with the weather, although it was almost 100 degrees F here yesterday. It does cool off at night which is good. All our rooms have air conditioning.
Last night, 8 of us walked down to a fish and chips place a couple of blocks away. It wasn't the best, the fish was hake and mushy.
I had an experience last evening that I would never ever have in the US. I've been fighting a cold/allergy thing since last Wednesday. As the day wore on, my right ear started to feel weird and by the time we got back, it had progressed down the side of my throat. Felt like the lymph glands were swollen and kind of achy. I decided that I needed to have it checked out before we disappear into the wilds of Botswana on Friday (tomorrow), so I asked our guide if he could help me find a doctor or clinic to go to. Reid said I should ask at the hotel desk so I explained my problem to the man working there and he told me that I would have to have a doctor write a prescription for antibiotics but that I should go to the "pharmacie" across the street and down a block and talk to the pharmacist first. So I walked to the pharmacie and explained my symptoms. He said that antibiotics would probably be the best idea. I said "I need a doctor for the prescription, don't I?" He kind of shrugged a little bit and then said "I can do it." He quizzed me about whether or not I am allergic to penicillin or any other medication, asking three times. When I said no, he went over to a shelf, got a box of Amoxocyllin, explained the usage to me, charged me 190 rand, which is $19 US and sent me on my way saying "if you had gone to a doctor, they would have charged you $35 just to write the prescription." No one in the US would ever sell antibiotics without a written prescription. I was amazed. So I took one last night, and one this morning, with food, as he stressed, and will for the next five days. I kind of feel like it's getting better today. Yesterday morning, after tasting 6 wines, it felt just fine for awhile. :)
Today was our "free" day from the tour, but 16 of us opted to take a boat trip out to Robben Island to tour the prison that Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years in prison at. It took an hour to get out to it, we saw seals swimming in the bay while we putted along, and about a zillion cormorants. I have never seen so many. Thousands lined up on the jetty walls and on every rocky outcropping. We did a short bus tour through the prison compound area, and then walked through some of the cell blocks to see Mandela's cell. It was kind of like doing the Alcatraz tour. But the tour guide was a former inmate and he was very interesting talking about how he was arrested for political reasons, had a five month trial, then spent a long time in prison with all the other political miscreants, including Nelson Mandela. Conditions were not good. Torture by the security police was frequent until he was actually imprisoned. They used hunger strikes to get better living conditions, some of the strikes lasting 4-5 weeks. After another hour ride back to the harbor, we had lunch and came back to the hotel.
Earlier this evening, one of the women in the group organized a room tour here at the hotel so we all trooped through everyone's room to see how the others were decorated. All the rooms have themes, ranging from "Sailor Jerry", who was a tattoo artist years ago and now has rum named after him, to a room with all four walls covered with 3"x3" photographs of different people, to a room with all four walls covered with 8x10 pictures of sunrises and sunsets and mirrors on the ceiling. Our guide, Reid, has the "501" room. 501 as in Levi's jeans. There are actual back pockets from jeans hanging on the walls for use as places to put things. Only a few, not covering all four walls. But the kicker in that room is, when he lowers the window shade, it's a scene from "Brokeback Mountain." And the toilet seat is inlaid with buttons from 501 jeans.
The man running the boat today was very weatherbeaten from spending all his time in the sun, I'm sure. His name was Mark but Stella thought he should be called "Captain Jack Sparrow". His crew of two were barefoot and spent their time walking around the edges to make sure no one was going to fall overboard trying to take pictures. And there are a lot of pictures being taken, with everything from cameras with very long lenses to Iphones and Ipads.
As I'm writing this, the others are out on the balcony doing a wine happy hour. I had to come down to the lobby today to get wifi connection. It's been pretty spotty.
Tomorrow, Friday, we leave for Botswana, flying first to Johannesburg and then on to Maun, Botswana, where we meet our guide and do a mikoro (not sure that's spelled right, kind of a flatboat that will be poled along by guides) ride through part of the Okavango Delta. Then we will arrive at our camp for the next three nights. After that, we go to Chobe National Park for a couple of nights. To make a long story short, we will not have internet access for five days, so you will not be hearing from us until mid-next week.
We had to start our malaria medication today in preparation for being out in the bush. And we have to be ready to get in the van to go to the airport by 5 am tomorrow. Ugh.
More next week.
We were back on the 20 person van yesterday, but Gretchen elected to sit in the back where there was a little more room, so it was just me, Stella and Beverly in the front seat. We had enough room that we could actually have raised our arms to vote on things but there was nothing to vote on. I forgot to tell you that on Tuesday, Stella and I entertained ourselves trying to take a "selfie" with her smartphone to show just how jammed in there we were. Beverly was not amused and if any of the pictures turn out, you can only see the back of her head. I had to lean over so far to get in the picture that my chin is on Stella's shoulder. If any of the pictures turn out at all, my face might (emphasis on might) be only half in it. She hasn't figured out how to download anything from her phone over here so those pictures may not show up for awhile.
After a lunch stop, we ventured off to the second winery. Beautiful setting, on a hill that looked out over the valley. The mountains surrounding this area are truly amazing. Rocky and steep. Even after seeing the Sawtooths and Tetons, I am in awe of these. We had 4 wines to taste at this stop and there was a chocolate pairing with each one. Everyone agreed that the Venezuela chocolate was he best, and all the chocolate contained 70 percent cacao so it was all dark and no milk chocolate.
When we were driving to the wineries, our guide, Conrad, pointed out the largest mall in the southern hemisphere, along the freeway. It rivals the Mall of the Americas in Minneapolis, had the roller coaster, too.
We have had great luck with the weather, although it was almost 100 degrees F here yesterday. It does cool off at night which is good. All our rooms have air conditioning.
Last night, 8 of us walked down to a fish and chips place a couple of blocks away. It wasn't the best, the fish was hake and mushy.
I had an experience last evening that I would never ever have in the US. I've been fighting a cold/allergy thing since last Wednesday. As the day wore on, my right ear started to feel weird and by the time we got back, it had progressed down the side of my throat. Felt like the lymph glands were swollen and kind of achy. I decided that I needed to have it checked out before we disappear into the wilds of Botswana on Friday (tomorrow), so I asked our guide if he could help me find a doctor or clinic to go to. Reid said I should ask at the hotel desk so I explained my problem to the man working there and he told me that I would have to have a doctor write a prescription for antibiotics but that I should go to the "pharmacie" across the street and down a block and talk to the pharmacist first. So I walked to the pharmacie and explained my symptoms. He said that antibiotics would probably be the best idea. I said "I need a doctor for the prescription, don't I?" He kind of shrugged a little bit and then said "I can do it." He quizzed me about whether or not I am allergic to penicillin or any other medication, asking three times. When I said no, he went over to a shelf, got a box of Amoxocyllin, explained the usage to me, charged me 190 rand, which is $19 US and sent me on my way saying "if you had gone to a doctor, they would have charged you $35 just to write the prescription." No one in the US would ever sell antibiotics without a written prescription. I was amazed. So I took one last night, and one this morning, with food, as he stressed, and will for the next five days. I kind of feel like it's getting better today. Yesterday morning, after tasting 6 wines, it felt just fine for awhile. :)
Today was our "free" day from the tour, but 16 of us opted to take a boat trip out to Robben Island to tour the prison that Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years in prison at. It took an hour to get out to it, we saw seals swimming in the bay while we putted along, and about a zillion cormorants. I have never seen so many. Thousands lined up on the jetty walls and on every rocky outcropping. We did a short bus tour through the prison compound area, and then walked through some of the cell blocks to see Mandela's cell. It was kind of like doing the Alcatraz tour. But the tour guide was a former inmate and he was very interesting talking about how he was arrested for political reasons, had a five month trial, then spent a long time in prison with all the other political miscreants, including Nelson Mandela. Conditions were not good. Torture by the security police was frequent until he was actually imprisoned. They used hunger strikes to get better living conditions, some of the strikes lasting 4-5 weeks. After another hour ride back to the harbor, we had lunch and came back to the hotel.
Earlier this evening, one of the women in the group organized a room tour here at the hotel so we all trooped through everyone's room to see how the others were decorated. All the rooms have themes, ranging from "Sailor Jerry", who was a tattoo artist years ago and now has rum named after him, to a room with all four walls covered with 3"x3" photographs of different people, to a room with all four walls covered with 8x10 pictures of sunrises and sunsets and mirrors on the ceiling. Our guide, Reid, has the "501" room. 501 as in Levi's jeans. There are actual back pockets from jeans hanging on the walls for use as places to put things. Only a few, not covering all four walls. But the kicker in that room is, when he lowers the window shade, it's a scene from "Brokeback Mountain." And the toilet seat is inlaid with buttons from 501 jeans.
The man running the boat today was very weatherbeaten from spending all his time in the sun, I'm sure. His name was Mark but Stella thought he should be called "Captain Jack Sparrow". His crew of two were barefoot and spent their time walking around the edges to make sure no one was going to fall overboard trying to take pictures. And there are a lot of pictures being taken, with everything from cameras with very long lenses to Iphones and Ipads.
As I'm writing this, the others are out on the balcony doing a wine happy hour. I had to come down to the lobby today to get wifi connection. It's been pretty spotty.
Tomorrow, Friday, we leave for Botswana, flying first to Johannesburg and then on to Maun, Botswana, where we meet our guide and do a mikoro (not sure that's spelled right, kind of a flatboat that will be poled along by guides) ride through part of the Okavango Delta. Then we will arrive at our camp for the next three nights. After that, we go to Chobe National Park for a couple of nights. To make a long story short, we will not have internet access for five days, so you will not be hearing from us until mid-next week.
We had to start our malaria medication today in preparation for being out in the bush. And we have to be ready to get in the van to go to the airport by 5 am tomorrow. Ugh.
More next week.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Tuesday, April 8. The Paris to Cape Town flight was full. The four of us, me, Stella, Beverly and Gretchen had the four seats in the middle of the plane. Stella was on one aisle, Gretchen was on the other, I was between Stella and Beverly, and Beverly was between me and Gretchen. We were butt to butt to butt to butt. Gretchen and Stella used the aisle armrests but we did not use the other three that were between us because we had more room without them.
This morning, we left the hotel at 8 am to do a tour to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. We had a large 20 passenger van to travel in. Conrad is the local guide. He's 28 and very buff. And he knows the area well and all the history that goes along with it. But I digress, when we all loaded into the van, the four of us were in the seats right behind the driver and guide. Butt to butt to butt to butt again. I sat next to the outer "wall", then Stella, then Gretchen, and then Beverly. At one point, we were supposed to give a show of hands on what menu item we wanted for lunch. We took a lot of ridicule from the others because we were late getting our hands up and Reid (our tour guide) had to recount twice. I finally said "we're so jammed in here that we can't get our hands up" which was pretty much true.
We went by some beautiful bays with nice beaches today. It was an absolutely perfect day weatherwise. No wind, sunny but not too hot. We went to Cape Point where it was foggy, and it is most of the time apparently. We had 45 minutes to hike to the top of the Point to the lighthouse or take pictures or whatever. Well, we spent 40 minutes in the gift shop. A few climbed to the lighthouse where they could see nothing but fog so they went into the gift shop to look at postcards to see what they couldn't see up there. At the parking lotfor this location, there were a lot of "Baboons are dangerous. They are attracted to food" signs, but did not see any. We stopped at an ostrich breeding center this morning and looked at them for a few minutes.
We had to wait in line at the Cape of Good Hope sign to take pictures. A busload of Asian tourists were there and they took a long time to get organized for their pictures. The Cape of Good Hope is the most southwesterly point of Africa. It was a very scenic drive today. After the pictures there, we continued on to a penguin colony. They are very small penguins, maybe 12 inches high. There had originally been penguins there but had been decimated by predation. In 1986, two breeding pairs were brought in and now they estimate there are 3000 at this location. They were very close to the boardwalk, some only a couple of feet away. After spending about 15 minutes there, we went to lunch and then on to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. It's a very large area. We walked around part of it and then went to the gift shop and ate gelato. Do you sense a pattern here? :)
After that, we beat feet back to Cape Town to catch the last cable car up Table Mountain. Table Mountain is about 3600 feet in elevation but it goes from sea level to that elevation, so it is very steep. A few members of our group were not enthused about going in a cable car. A very steep cable car that the floor rotated all the way up so you can get a good 360 degree view, but they sucked it up and went. I thought it was great and the views are fantastic from there. A wonderful sunset. We saw some dassies, which I thought were marmots, there. Not very wild either. One ran within about 6 inches of Stella. Never get between a dassie and its food, not a good idea.
Dinner was on our own tonight so a group of 8 of us walked down to a burger restaurant that had been recommended by some locals and it was very good.
Tomorrow we're off to do the winery tour.
This morning, we left the hotel at 8 am to do a tour to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. We had a large 20 passenger van to travel in. Conrad is the local guide. He's 28 and very buff. And he knows the area well and all the history that goes along with it. But I digress, when we all loaded into the van, the four of us were in the seats right behind the driver and guide. Butt to butt to butt to butt again. I sat next to the outer "wall", then Stella, then Gretchen, and then Beverly. At one point, we were supposed to give a show of hands on what menu item we wanted for lunch. We took a lot of ridicule from the others because we were late getting our hands up and Reid (our tour guide) had to recount twice. I finally said "we're so jammed in here that we can't get our hands up" which was pretty much true.
We went by some beautiful bays with nice beaches today. It was an absolutely perfect day weatherwise. No wind, sunny but not too hot. We went to Cape Point where it was foggy, and it is most of the time apparently. We had 45 minutes to hike to the top of the Point to the lighthouse or take pictures or whatever. Well, we spent 40 minutes in the gift shop. A few climbed to the lighthouse where they could see nothing but fog so they went into the gift shop to look at postcards to see what they couldn't see up there. At the parking lotfor this location, there were a lot of "Baboons are dangerous. They are attracted to food" signs, but did not see any. We stopped at an ostrich breeding center this morning and looked at them for a few minutes.
We had to wait in line at the Cape of Good Hope sign to take pictures. A busload of Asian tourists were there and they took a long time to get organized for their pictures. The Cape of Good Hope is the most southwesterly point of Africa. It was a very scenic drive today. After the pictures there, we continued on to a penguin colony. They are very small penguins, maybe 12 inches high. There had originally been penguins there but had been decimated by predation. In 1986, two breeding pairs were brought in and now they estimate there are 3000 at this location. They were very close to the boardwalk, some only a couple of feet away. After spending about 15 minutes there, we went to lunch and then on to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. It's a very large area. We walked around part of it and then went to the gift shop and ate gelato. Do you sense a pattern here? :)
After that, we beat feet back to Cape Town to catch the last cable car up Table Mountain. Table Mountain is about 3600 feet in elevation but it goes from sea level to that elevation, so it is very steep. A few members of our group were not enthused about going in a cable car. A very steep cable car that the floor rotated all the way up so you can get a good 360 degree view, but they sucked it up and went. I thought it was great and the views are fantastic from there. A wonderful sunset. We saw some dassies, which I thought were marmots, there. Not very wild either. One ran within about 6 inches of Stella. Never get between a dassie and its food, not a good idea.
Dinner was on our own tonight so a group of 8 of us walked down to a burger restaurant that had been recommended by some locals and it was very good.
Tomorrow we're off to do the winery tour.
Monday, April 7, 2014
There are a few things I forgot to tell you about our hotel. It is called the Daddy Long Legs, has about 16 rooms, all with a different theme. The reception desk is also a bar where you can order a mixed drink or wine. Down the hall from the reception desk is a restroom that has one way glass. You can sit on the throne and watch everything that happens in the hallway but no one can see you. And the glass, from the inside, has painted outlines of nude figures.
Our room is the "Far From Home" room with a mural showing a desert scene, complete with a barbed wire fence. If there were a couple of more buttes between Boise and Mountain Home, it would look just like that. And the mural is also on the sliding door to the bathroom, but if you turn on the bathroom light, the door becomes clear glass. The room next to ours is called the "Fresh Room" and is completely done in Mentos. Yes, Mentos like the candy. The tables are glass with packages of mentos inset, there is a wall decoration made entirely out of mentos. All the mirrors are mentos, mentos over the bed, and the crowning glory is the window shade that is Mona Lisa holding mentos.
Beverly and Gretchen's room, I can't remember the name of it, has maps of Africa in various sizes on all the walls and ceiling and everywhere that Cape Town is on the map, it has a 3 inch round "pillow" for lack of a better word that is hot pink and has lace around it. One of the other rooms has all black walls with large white flowers. We haven't seen that one yet. Another has all the walls covered with photos of sunrises and sunsets.
Tonight, we had a group dinner at "Mama Africa's" restaurant where we had large platter size plates, one for each of us, that had crocodile, springbok, ostrich, kudu, and a kudu/springbok sausage, with hominy and a potatolike side dish. I tried it all, well, except the sausage, not a sausage person, and the springbok was the best. The ostrich wasn't bad and the crocodile was okay, but nothing to write home about.
Tomorrow we leave for a day trip to Cape Point at 8 am, and won't get back until dinner, which is on our own.
Later.
Our room is the "Far From Home" room with a mural showing a desert scene, complete with a barbed wire fence. If there were a couple of more buttes between Boise and Mountain Home, it would look just like that. And the mural is also on the sliding door to the bathroom, but if you turn on the bathroom light, the door becomes clear glass. The room next to ours is called the "Fresh Room" and is completely done in Mentos. Yes, Mentos like the candy. The tables are glass with packages of mentos inset, there is a wall decoration made entirely out of mentos. All the mirrors are mentos, mentos over the bed, and the crowning glory is the window shade that is Mona Lisa holding mentos.
Beverly and Gretchen's room, I can't remember the name of it, has maps of Africa in various sizes on all the walls and ceiling and everywhere that Cape Town is on the map, it has a 3 inch round "pillow" for lack of a better word that is hot pink and has lace around it. One of the other rooms has all black walls with large white flowers. We haven't seen that one yet. Another has all the walls covered with photos of sunrises and sunsets.
Tonight, we had a group dinner at "Mama Africa's" restaurant where we had large platter size plates, one for each of us, that had crocodile, springbok, ostrich, kudu, and a kudu/springbok sausage, with hominy and a potatolike side dish. I tried it all, well, except the sausage, not a sausage person, and the springbok was the best. The ostrich wasn't bad and the crocodile was okay, but nothing to write home about.
Tomorrow we leave for a day trip to Cape Point at 8 am, and won't get back until dinner, which is on our own.
Later.
We're in Africa
We left Boise at 1 pm, Friday, April 4. We flew to Salt Lake City, where we changed planes and took a direct flight to Paris. 10 hours later we landed. It was a long full flight. We had the worst seats possible. Stella and I were on the left side of the plane in the 2 seats, 1 aisle and 1 window right across from the lavatory. Which seemed kind of handy. Then we realized that there would be a lot of foot traffic. And boy, were we right. I swear every person on that plane used the lavatory at least twice by the time we got to Paris. My sister, Beverly, and her friend, Gretchen, had the same two seats on the right side of the plane. Needless to say, we all used the eye masks that the flight attendents handed out to everyone, because with the lavatory door opening and closing all night long, the light was going on and off and on and off, well, you get the picture.
We had a 12 hour layover in Paris and had made reservations to do a 4 hour city tour. After taking at least an hour to check our carryon luggage, buy metro tickets, get to the train station, we settled down for the trip to the city. It's like herding cats, and there are only 3 others (I'm Norma, by the way). But we made it to the stop we needed to be at and only had to change from one line to another one once. We got on a bus and did an hour tour around the city, went by the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc. Then we got off and went up the Eiffel Tower, and got the overview of the place. It was a beautiful spring day, must have been in the high 60's and everything is in bloom. It was crowded, but not too bad. We gave up on the boat ride because there was such a line that we couldn't have made it back to the airport in time to retrieve our hand luggage before 9:30 pm. As it was, we didn't get off on the right subway stop and rode 4 stops past where we needed to change to get to the airport, but we finally figured it out and retraced the route. We got to the airport with about a half hour to spare, got our luggage, ate dinner, found the next gate. At almost midnight we were wheels up on the way to Cape Town. After a 10-1/2 hour flight, we landed on Sunday morning. Beautiful weather here, actually, it's downright hot and humid.
Stella and I saw something in Paris that we decided we would have to put in the blog and do you think we can remember it now? Um, that would be no. But maybe we will before the trip is over.
We took a taxi to the hotel, and the driver made Stella sit in the front seat which made the three others of us smile. He was telling us about all the sights we should not miss, like Table Mountain which has a cable car. He patted Stella's arm and said, "but you could hike it in 4 hours." She did not agree with him and he said "you could if a lion was chasing you." :)
The others went out and walked around the neighborhood after we got to the hotel but I have such a cold/allergy thing going on that I slept for awhile. Our rooms weren't ready so I slept on the couch at the hotel until they came back and we got our room keys. We're on the third floor. There's about a zillion steps, but it's a fun hotel, every room has a different mural. Our has a desert scene complete with a barbed wire fence. Beverly and Gretchen's room has the map of Africa painted on all the walls with a bright pink fluffy thing glued on where Cape Town is.
I revived enough to go eat dinner last night at a nice restaurant that overlooks the market that was busy packing up and closing for the night. When we got back to the hotel, we discovered that the rest of our travel group had arrived to it was a long-time-no-see reunion with them. These are mostly the same people we went to Croatia with and some that Beverly and I went to India with. The tour doesn't officially start until 5:30 tonight when we all go to dinner together so we want to the market and shopped a little bit this morning. It's an 8 hour time difference from Boise, by the way.
So, tomorrow, we go to Cape Point. More later.
We had a 12 hour layover in Paris and had made reservations to do a 4 hour city tour. After taking at least an hour to check our carryon luggage, buy metro tickets, get to the train station, we settled down for the trip to the city. It's like herding cats, and there are only 3 others (I'm Norma, by the way). But we made it to the stop we needed to be at and only had to change from one line to another one once. We got on a bus and did an hour tour around the city, went by the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc. Then we got off and went up the Eiffel Tower, and got the overview of the place. It was a beautiful spring day, must have been in the high 60's and everything is in bloom. It was crowded, but not too bad. We gave up on the boat ride because there was such a line that we couldn't have made it back to the airport in time to retrieve our hand luggage before 9:30 pm. As it was, we didn't get off on the right subway stop and rode 4 stops past where we needed to change to get to the airport, but we finally figured it out and retraced the route. We got to the airport with about a half hour to spare, got our luggage, ate dinner, found the next gate. At almost midnight we were wheels up on the way to Cape Town. After a 10-1/2 hour flight, we landed on Sunday morning. Beautiful weather here, actually, it's downright hot and humid.
Stella and I saw something in Paris that we decided we would have to put in the blog and do you think we can remember it now? Um, that would be no. But maybe we will before the trip is over.
We took a taxi to the hotel, and the driver made Stella sit in the front seat which made the three others of us smile. He was telling us about all the sights we should not miss, like Table Mountain which has a cable car. He patted Stella's arm and said, "but you could hike it in 4 hours." She did not agree with him and he said "you could if a lion was chasing you." :)
The others went out and walked around the neighborhood after we got to the hotel but I have such a cold/allergy thing going on that I slept for awhile. Our rooms weren't ready so I slept on the couch at the hotel until they came back and we got our room keys. We're on the third floor. There's about a zillion steps, but it's a fun hotel, every room has a different mural. Our has a desert scene complete with a barbed wire fence. Beverly and Gretchen's room has the map of Africa painted on all the walls with a bright pink fluffy thing glued on where Cape Town is.
I revived enough to go eat dinner last night at a nice restaurant that overlooks the market that was busy packing up and closing for the night. When we got back to the hotel, we discovered that the rest of our travel group had arrived to it was a long-time-no-see reunion with them. These are mostly the same people we went to Croatia with and some that Beverly and I went to India with. The tour doesn't officially start until 5:30 tonight when we all go to dinner together so we want to the market and shopped a little bit this morning. It's an 8 hour time difference from Boise, by the way.
So, tomorrow, we go to Cape Point. More later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)