Posts

What I Learned in Africa and My Two Weeks as a Human Impala

Today is our last day on safari in Botswana and tomorrow we will take four flights (including one puddle jumper) to return to the United States about 24 hours later. Before and during this trip, so many people have said that a trip to Africa is a trip of a lifetime and after 16 days of traveling, that is an understatement.   We have all learned so much and I thought I would just highlight some of the things we learned while visiting this magical part of the world: -Beyond black and white stripes, zebras also have light brown stripes towards the backs of their bodies called, “shadow stripes.”  They also have a lot of gas; -Crocodiles can survive one year without eating; -Elephants can live between 80 and 100 years old and use their ears to cool off their bodies; -New palm trees can grow from the dung of elephants who eat the fruit from those trees; -The dung from all herbivores (elephants, buffalo, giraffes, etc.) contain no bacteria and is often used for medicinal purposes for...
Post a Comment
Read more

Botswana and Zimbabwe: Bumpy Rides, Hot Temperatures and Stressful Border Crossings!

 We spent the last two days in the Chobe National Park in Botswana marveling at the wildlife from both jeeps and boats.  The boat ride was far easier on our aging bodies compared to the bumpy and/or non-existent roads in the park.  The guides affectionately call these often harrowing rides, “African massages.”  After nearly two weeks of such travel, I think that a more accurate description is, “Future Fodder for Chiropractors.” None of our necks from all the bumping, will ever be the same.  We spent one of the days in Zimbabwe, where we were anxious to see Victoria Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world and to visit a traditional African village, both being amazing and one of the highlights of our trip.  Getting into Zimbabwe however, proved to be quite a challenge.  After yet another spine and neck workout thanks to both the jeep and the “roads,” we arrived at what can only be described as the middle of nowhere, except for a couple of make-shift bu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Our Last Days of Safari in South Africa: Poop Spitting Contests and the Importance of Reading “The Memo.”

 We are currently sitting in yet another small, non-JFK-like airport waiting to fly to and spend one night in Johannesburg before a flight tomorrow to Botswana. We had so many amazing adventures at the Phinda Game Reserve which included seeing hippos, cheetahs, leopards, male and female lions, zebras, giraffes, wart hogs, just to name a few. We saw rhinoceroses-both black and white—which of course required us to ask about the difference, as they both looked the same to all of us.  Besides, seeing a “tower” of giraffes standing together, the most exciting thing we saw was a tense-filled 30 minutes watching a pride of female lions trying to take on a herd of buffalo…unsuccessfully. It was like watching a safari episode on the National Geographic channel. The trip so far has reminded me that regardless of age and success, men can immediately divert back to being children. The four of us spent two days in an open-air jeep with a couple from Johannesburg.  They had previously ...
1 comment
Read more

More Safari-ing in South Africa: Small Planes, Lions, Leopards and Scaredy Cats!

 We spent three days in the Bush outside of Kruger National Park and saw everything we hoped to see.  We all got used to riding the bumpy roads in a jeep with no top but I was still anxious when any animal—like a leopard or a lion— would walk directly next to our vehicle.  We were assured that as long as we remained seated, the animals would not feel threatened and we would be safe.  That’s all good in theory, but when you have a leopard walking right towards where you’re seated, it’s hard not to flinch.  Needless to say, I did plenty of flinching in those three days.  Last night we had to pack and prepare for a two hour van ride to another airport (also not like JFK) to take a small plane to Phinda Mountain Lodge in the southern portion of South Africa.  As we packed, I soon learned that my views and Bob’s views on packing while in the middle of a safari were completely different. Bob’s were far more simplistic: we have clean clothes and we have dirty...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lions, Giraffes and Elephants and So Many More: Our Safaris in the Bush!

Our next two days in Capetown were wonderful.  We spent one of those days traveling from vineyard to vineyard in South Africa’s famous wine region.   I didn’t know the name “Stellenbosch” from a hole in the wall before arriving  but I sure do now as it represents some of the best wine coming out of this country.  One of the wineries was a dream come true for Bob and Mark, as it is partly owned by a famous South African golfer named Ernie Els and there is a putting hole for golfers to play while drinking wine.  If anyone gets a hole in one, they receive a free bottle of wine.  Sadly, after several hundred attempts by both Mark and Bob, we left empty handed…at least what would have been free. The next day, we headed to the scenic Western Cape where we got a chance to stand at the Cape of Good Hope, the southern most point in Africa. The next stop south is Antartica! Along the way, we saw a rather smelly (but fascinating) penguin colony, a troop of baboons (th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Capetown, South Africa: Lounges, Overbooked Ferries and Bargain Basement Prices

 While long, our journey to the beautiful city of Capetown, South Africa was uneventful except for a minor incident in the Ladies’ Restroom in the Turkish Airlines Lounge. We landed in Istanbul with a two-hour layover and decided to take advantage of the airline’s lounge. The Ladies’ Room was sleek and ultra-modern with all the amenities for the 21st  Century traveler: sleek, automatic opening doors, automatic soap and running water fixtures, etc.  Imagine my surprise when I began walking into a stall and saw a hole in the floor….and that’s it.  I have seen and even used these types of toilets in the past in other countries, but as I already had one recent cortisone shot in my right knee and my deep squatting days ended somewhere in the late 2000s, this was not on option and I immediately began to walk backwards out of the stall…quickly. Fortunately, sanity prevailed on the part of Turkish Airlines and there were some stalls, now unoccupied, for those of us who absol...
Post a Comment
Read more

We are Heading to Africa! Neutral Colors, Rule-Following and a Dreaded 44 Pound Luggage Limit!

 In less than a week, Bob and I, along with our traveling partners, Mark and Judy, are headed for a safari in Africa.  The visit will begin with four days in Capetown, South Africa, and then proceed to several game reserves within South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.  We are told that we will see all of the animals who play starring roles on the National Geographic Channel, while traveling each countries’ rugged terrain in an open-air jeep. Needless to say, my Sea Bands are packed.   I have never written a travel blog a week before our departure, but the preparation for this trip has been like none Judy and I have ever experienced.  The “Hakuna Matata” Brothers, however, Bob and Mark have been less worried, but neither of them are writing the blog.  Suffice it to say that the multiple shots for Typhoid, Hepatitis, COVID boosters and the flu, along with one cortisone shot in my knee were less painful than packing for this trip. Judy and I are both thankful t...
Post a Comment
Read more