Noledawg's Travels

Christmas in my heart, as is Africa

2011-12-18T07:27:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's been a year since my last post. I guess that comes with the territory. But I wanted to share something we've done for Christmas.

We had been discussing the holidays a while ago, and thinking maybe rather than traditional gifting to each other, we'd like to do something different. Mom came across an idea - to gift a goat. Through some research (thank you, Alton Brown), we discovered Heifer International, an organization dedicated to ending world hunger through some amazing sustainable methods (like local community involvement, gift animals that can "pass along" to others through offspring, etc.). More research confirmed that this is an outstanding organization (shout out to my friends who helped - you know who you are!).

My correspondence with Heifer was wonderful. A particularly helpful gentleman, Tom, guided us through the process. In short order, we had made our pledge to sponsor the cost of two dairy goats, one for a project in Kenya, and the other in Tanzania (obviously we're drawn to these locations, but there is a need for so much throughout the continent). We just received the gift cards and notes in the mail, and they are awesome. We are so excited to share with friends and loved ones how we are helping a community through a gift that absolutely will keep on giving!

And of course, I think we've made some more friends. I explained to Tom how, particularly at Christmas, are hearts and minds travel back to the Micato safari experience, and how life-changing it was. Mom is drawn to it as much as Betsy and I are, even though she shared the experience not first-hand, but through our stories, pictures, and shared emotions (I've said before, she was with us every day, truly).

Tom was so excited to hear this, he quickly read through my blog and shared it with everyone at at Heifer. And perhaps we'll meet in passing through Serengeti some day, who knows?

So, on this Christmas season, may I recommend anyone looking for something different, check out Heifer International - you can't go wrong. And as always, when you feel the pull of Africa, go with Micato. They remain family to this day, and will be family always.

---

At Christmas, I find myself thinking what it would be like to wake up that morning to the sounds of the wild - maybe the hippos returning from their nocturnal adventures, or even a hyrax (!) offering an early greeting. I can imagine it, seeing the sun rise off the horizon, the reds and blues and pinks spreading over the grasses, the wind blowing through the trees. Then I realize I can be there every morning, and often I do find myself thinking back at what those mornings were like. I know Mom can close her eyes and she is back in Alaska. I do that, too. When I close my eyes I can see Kilimanjaro as bright and clear as if I were in Amboseli right now. Four years later (?!), it still moves me. I know it was a powersful experience, simply b/c I can't talk about it without getting emotional. It's the only thing that's ever done that to me.

So this Christmas morning, I will take a moment, close my eyes, see Kili, and say thank you, God, for bestowing such a blessing on me, and on us. I thank you for your gifts, and I pray that I can share with others in 2012, and beyond.

And may the spirit of Christmas be with each and every person, (and goat, and leopard, and elle), from North America, to Africa and beyond. Peace be with you.

Another Accolade for Micato Safaris

2010-09-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Turns out Micato won two Conde Nast Traveler Awards, this time for philanthropy via the AmericaShare program.

I know Betsy and I seriously considered participating while we were there, but I just wasn't sure at the time of booking the tour. Looking back now, I have no doubt we will be more active on that front, and I suspect we will take the tour on Saturday afternoon before the return flight. Several of our mates went, and they all loved it.

You know, there are a few things I keep coming back to when thinking about our trip. One, the elephant population in Tarangire. I remember Renny told us that overpopulation continues to be a problem - that the foliage cannot keep up with the growth of the herds, and there is always discussion about culling measures. How do you go about doing that? And how do you handle the backlash? There would surely be backlash.

The most recent matter involves the creation of a highway cutting through the Serengeti. You have to read this.

Wow. So many thoughts. First, is this really the best choice of route? The article suggests an alternate is available, though I'm sure there is a particular reason for the northern selection. Second, what does this do to the Mara? Again the article comments on this - as I'm sure the Kenyan authorities will.

Then I start thinking that perhaps the highway isn't needed. But I'm here in the States, where we have the infrastructure to support an economy. Who am I to say what the people of Tanzania should do with their land?

But aren't we in a global society? Isn't there a bigger obligation? And how do you balance the competing interests, anyway? These aren't easy questions to answer.

But it does raise one very important question for me - when am I going back? Soon, I hope....

Was there ever any doubt?

2010-07-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

World's Best 2010.

2003...2004...2005...2006...2007...2008...2010.

That makes seven out of eight. But for a difference of 0.18 points, this would be eight in a row.

And why did they win, again? Dennis said it best:

"...we care, personally and deeply...We strive to make our safaris exceed our guests' wildest expectations."

Well done Jane, Felix, Dennis, and the entire Micato family!

A Micato Trip to India...Eventually

2010-04-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've thought about making the trip to India someday, though I think I'd much rather return to Africa first. However, it's always fun to read trip reports, like this one. I don't know anything about this media group, but it's a good read.

Thinking About Africa Again

2010-03-21T10:57:00.001-07:00

So in September, it will have been three years since our life-changing experience with Micato. The Stanley Wing Safari has to be the best choice for a total East Africa experience.

I wonder how much African travel is picking up this year? Are we seeing an increase in advance reservations for the fall? I know domestic (US) travel is looking a bit better for summer and fall 2010. Resort destinations are preparing for anticipated upticks in volume of travelers. (Though an interesting case of supply exceeding demand has led some car rental outfits in Florida to offer $3/day one-way rentals, provided the car is driven out of the state.)

Anyway, I still encourage people to look at African safaris as an exotic, yet perfectly doable, travel experience. Where else will you get pictures like that?

And when would you ever still think about the folks you traveled with, three years later? I remember what B said, that after three years she was itching and ready to go back. I see what she meant.

And we still think about the local friends we made - the Micato family. They made us feel so very welcome, like we are now part of their extended family. I doubt highly you could get that anywhere else.

Someone asked me the other day if I were ever going to finish my trip report. It appears I stopped at Thursday the 20th, at Mt. Kenya. I just looked in my written journal, and sure enough, that's where I stopped writing. Now I know why - I didn't want the trip to end. But for the sake of completeness --

Friday, the 21st of September 2007 - a day at Mt. Kenya and the surrounding area. Today we made several different stops. We visited the Ol Pejeta reserve, where we saw several protected rhinos. We also went to the Jane Goodall sanctuary for orphaned chimps. These were both very cool stops, and again, a very well-done transition out of the bush. Honestly, after three years my strongest memories are of the times in the wild, seeing the lions and leopards, and dining with our extended family. Truly, the meals were some of the best times - discussing everything we saw that day, trying new foods, sampling the local wines. I so look forward to doing that again.

On Saturday the 22nd, we took our flight back to Nairobi. This was followed by lunch at Carnivore, a "meat-on-a-stick" location, as a friend of mine likes to call it. I thoroughly enjoyed the ostrich, by the way. Of course, the highlight was having Jane Pinto join us. I know she doesn't always get to meet up with the safaris on the way home, so this was special - maybe she knew we were a unique group (or maybe Alfred and Renny told her how awesome we were!) Betsy remembers the meal fondly, b/c she sat next to her for the meal, and had some great conversations throughout. It was wonderful seeing her on Saturday, to say goodbye. I promised her we'd be back someday. A promise I intend to keep.

After the meal we returned to the Fairmont, where our day room was available. Some folks made the trip to one of the orphanages as part of the AmericaShare experience. We passed on this, but for sure we will go next time.

So anyway, Betsy and I relaxed back in the room until it was time for dinner. I don't know exactly what Betsy did for those few hours, but I laid in bed and cried. I don't know why, probably an emotional release from realizing a dream come true. Also probably a cry coming from a part of me that hadn't awakened for many years - that part of you as a child, visiting someplace awesome and being so sad when it was time to go. Wow - I didn't expect that to happen.

We gathered back in the lobby that evening, bags packed and ready (figuratively, at least) to go home. We said goodbye to those in our group heading off to the Zanzibar excursion. The rest of us loaded up the bus and went to dinner. Our meal that night was fantastic, of course I can't remember where we ate. But it was a wonderful evening, several toasts were offered, information exchanged, and promises shared. We left in two different groups, depending on the airlines. Alfred escorted us out to the van, where we again exchanged thank yous, and hugs, and promises to return. He is a good, honorable man, and an excellent safari host. I hope he is doing well.

I was freaking out about trying to navigate the airport, and it certainly looks daunting. Unfortunately, Micato cannot escort us past the checkin counter, so we really were on our own, the four of us. (Betsy and I had the same flight as B and M, and actually had seats next to each other - not sure if Micato had something to do with that.) But getting through security and whatnot wasn't as bad as I thought. The hardest part for me was just getting through the wait until it was time to board the plane. In fact, I think I'll just stop there - nothing really to add.

So, when exactly do we go back? I just don't know. I would like to see the seven summits, even though climbing them will probably be limited to just Kilimanjaro (eventually). Looks like Fuji isn't on the list, but seeing it will be pretty awesome anyway. And I'm sure to have several blog postings at that point.

So hear's to Africa, our friends and family, and all of God's creation. May grace and comfort lay upon your foundation, and may all who travel the world come to know your beauty.

The next great adventure!

2009-11-08T16:48:00.001-08:00

Japan, here we come.....

Pride on Kopjes - Serengeti NP

2009-08-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

OK, here's my first attempt at uploading video. Just a few minutes of the pride we met in the Serengeti, resting atop a kopje. I guess it would have been on Sunday afternoon. We probably spent at least 20 minutes there, (which was OK b/c it wasn't crowded, otherwise you have to move on). These lions are beautiful! I hope you all enjoy it.

Happy Belated 4th to Everyone

2009-07-11T06:41:00.001-07:00

OK, so I'm slow on getting this update out there, but until I can figure out how to upload my first video, (very cool video of that pride resting on the kopje in Serengeti), I'll stick with wishing everyone a safe and happy (albeit a belated) 4th of July. And especially to our co-adventurers from around the country - you all are just fantastic, and I hope your continued travels bring you as much joy and pleasure and we shared together almost two years ago (has it been that long).

I hope to climb Kilimanjaro one day, but until I do, I'll stick with pictures and dreams.

I understand more than one of you, after reading this blog, have requested and received Micato brochures. This is awesome! If I can help in any way, just ask. (But not with packing - you have to figure that one out for yourselves.) Also, you may find the linked article fascinating.

I'll be sure to get that video posted before too long. Again, hope everyone has a great summer!

Joe

New Micato Brochures are Here

2009-01-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

Hey, just letting you all know, the new brochures are out. I'm telling you, just reading through them and viewing the photos is fun! http://www.micato.com/brochure/brochure_new.php

A friend made this comment (or variation of it) a few weeks ago over dinner, and I thought it worth sharing, because it captures the experience so well:

"One goes to Europe to worship man. One goes to Africa to worship God."

I couldn't agree more.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Joey V

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T02:29:00.001-08:00

I don't have a safari update today. In fact, I realized the other day that my written journal ended with the post at Mt. Kenya. Since I was writing those a day later, I would have written those notes on our Friday day, when I was really starting to feel down about leaving. In fact, I had to call home to talk to Momma, I was just so sad. Though I do remember a wonderful gesture from B and MJ to shuffle around spa times and to make one for me. (Thank you!) So anyway, I think I'm going to wrap up my safari postings here, but leave it with a few thoughts on this early Christmas morning.

All my preconceived notions about Africa were wrong. Africa is a thriving, vibrant world. It is full of wonderful people working hard to make life better for themselves and their countries. Yes, they have so many challenges and difficulties, but there is a genuine belief that it can all be better, with education, outreach, and time.

I thought I might feel like like an outsider during our safari. But that is far from the case. I felt at home. And not just at home with our safari mates and Micato guides. I mean at home in the bush. And no, I don't have visions of challenging Survivorman any time soon. I mean that being out in the bush, in the natural environment, is the right place to be. Like the wildlife was waiting for me, knowing that I needed to be there in person.

On this early Christmas morning (5:30, shouldn't I be in Betsy's room right now, playing cards together while we guess what Santa put under the tree, and thinking about going down to see but knowing it's too early and we're not supposed to do that and what if for some reason he hasn't arrived yet....), I want to wish you, my friends, here in the States, in Europe, and in Africa, a very, very Merry Christmas. To my safari mates and Micato family, that you for being a part of my experience. It is my true hope to return to Africa someday, and that would not be the case but for the experience we shared together last year. May the spirit fill everyone with good joy. and may you all have a very happy 2009.

Kuwa na Krismasi njema!!!

Thursday, 20 September 2007 - Mara to Mt. Kenya

2008-11-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

Once again, the morning wake up call is irrelevant, as the hippo call is followed up by the avian chorus at 6. (Interestingly, we weren't allowed coffee service after 7am, because the restaurant is open at that time. It's a shame they don't serve the wake-up no matter what. But a small matter overall.)

We had a quick breakfast, then went back to say goodbye to the hippos. I could have stayed there all day, just having a drink and watching them sleep. I thought of Momma, and how much she would enjoy just doing that. So I really wanted to do it for her.

I think I was ready for the whole family to be back together, but in now way did I want to leave this incredible feeling behind. Is that what happens when you have an experience like this? I just have to take the feeling with me is all. That's not always easy.

We board the plane for Mt. Kenya, about a 40 minute flight. On the ground we bid farewell to the otehr tour, and eventually see them take off to Nairobi. They will be back in the States by Friday night.

Now began what I call the "re-Westernization" part of our safari. The Mt. Kenya Safari Club crosses the equator. Naturally, we stopped at a tourist trap, where dudes came out of nowhere to push their stores, right before some guy with a pitcher of water attempted to explain the Coriolis effect. This would be the first of several tourist traps we would see the next few days. None of us were interested, really, so we climbed back in the vans and proceeded to the Club.

It is owned by the Fairmont chain, which was making some major investments in improvements (much like the Norfolk). The end result was that reception and the bar are under white tents, though both are very nicely decorated and laid out.

For some rason we had to kill time while the limited staff got our cabins ready. This is why we had to hang out at the equator. I don't know why we wouldn't just wait at the bar or reception. We did that for about 10 minutes anyway.

The lodges were absolutely great. Tons of room, like lush cabins in the wilderness. But is still felt like the continued transition to "real life" - more of a resort than a safari location. And I didn't really like calling for the courtesy van every time we wanted to get to the main buildings, but again, that was all a function of the remodeling work being done.

One of our perks was a free admission to the Mt. Kenya Wildlife Sancutary. Betsy and I decided to go over around 4pm. This was a gift! We were the only two folks looking for a guide at the time. We were introduced to James, a very tall man, with a strong voice, the head animal keeper at the facility. He was just great. They call him the elephant man, because he was gored through the chest by a young bull, and spent 7 1/2 months in recovery. He now loves the hippos the best!

Anyway, James took us around the facility, like on a private tour. We got to feed everything! The pygmy hippos were precious. James would call them over, and they opened their mouths as wide as possible, so we could throw the food in.

There were so many wonderful animals here. And the monkeys in particular were fantastic. We fed them all by hand. They have such tiny little fingers. My favorite, of course, was the little 3-week old Colobus. It's mother was killed by wild dogs, so they took it in. When we saw it, it was crying very loudly, so James went and got a little bottle of milk. He handed it to me, so I got to do the actual feeding! The little guy grabbed my hand and held on while he ate. He was just so precious. At that point we knew we had become friends.

When the tour was over, we went back to the office, where we signed up and make a donation to officially become Friends. It turns out the facility had closed much earlier, but James stayed with us to make sure we had a full experience. When we were done, he shook our hands, thanked us, and wished us a blessing of "Go with God." It was a great end to a great experience. We both felt wonderful about what we had done.

This was a great experience to help me. I needed this transition back to the Western life. It was so very hard for me at that point, but I found a place where I can achieve some inner peace, and pure joy. It is the Soul of Africa that has a hold on me now.

Wednesday, 19 September Masai Mara

2008-08-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to a cacophony of sounds. First the hippos returning from their nocturnal feast at 5 am. They are LOUD. I never knew how much noise they made. That was followed by something screaming like it was dying – turned out to be a tree hyrax. I was hoping we would see one, because I liked the name. It is sort of a shrew-squirrel like thing, distantly related to the elephant. Then the avian chorus kicked in at 6, right about the time our coffee and biscuits arrived. The porter put them on the night stand and we slowly got up, hippos still saying goodnight, like some sort of ending to an episode of The Waltons.

Our drives in the Mara were in cars provided by Mara Safari Club, as were the drivers themselves. Somehow we ended up with cars with open tops (ie no shade), limited leg room, and no cushions for the butt. All this would prove problematic (well, just a bit uncomfortable) as the day went on.

This would also make the writing even more difficult. I think everyone tries to come up with a shorthand to use in a vehicle. I couldn’t do it, so I just printed in very large caps. Does anyone have real skill in this department? I think E might, I remembered her being able to make good marks in her journal. Then again, she’s a teacher, so she’s probably had great practice in taking notes on the fly.

Somehow another group got the better cars, with roofs, the new ones. I would have enjoyed the shade. A slight hiccup.

It was a promising start. Not too far along we came across a leopard, just 20 feet away or so, enjoying a healthy breakfast of impala tar tar, with blood sauce. You could see the face a bit distorted. But it was the rump that was the main course. You could actually see inside! Mostly fleshy red meat. What was neat was seeing the leg of the impala twist up and down, much like when we eat chicken or turkey, and you pull it apart. Cool!

Not just 15 minutes later, we found a pack of vultures working on the remains of a former wildebeest. Before now I hadn’t really seen vultures eating up close. Now I can say this – it is VIOLENT. They make these horrible screeching sounds, they tear at the flesh, they fight amongst themselves for position. And there was one stork among them, just waiting his turn. After this, it looked like it was going to be a bloody Wednesday.

Alfred wanted to give us a big finish, so the goal was to drive out into the Reserve. Apparently our lodgings are not in the Reserve, but on private lands owned by the Maasai and donated in a joint venture with a private developer. The result is that we had about a three hour drive just to the gate, on roads closer to the Crater Rim style. When you combine the road with the cars in which we drove, and a fairly cloudless sky, we really took a beating.

However, looking back on it now, I wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else. The Mara Safari Club is so spectacular, I can’t imagine lodging elsewhere. That was a great decision on Micato’s part to put us there. The drive is long, yes, but in a covered vehicle it wouldn’t be a problem at all, and of course the three hours each way gives you all sorts of opportunities to spot game. And of course, Alfred did an amazing job making it a memorable experience…

Through the gate (and after a stop to check the tire pressure), it was about another hour to the Mara River. Along the way we took a moment to stop and listen to the thousands of animals across the plains. My Lord, I haven’t seen so many creatures in one place in my life. The Wildebeest make a really silly noise. I think that’s where the name “gnu” comes from.

Right around noon we made it to the river. At this location the animals make their final crossing into the Mara. We approached to about 20 or 30 cruisers all along the river, cameras ready and waiting. From what Alfred explained, all it takes is one brave (foolish? naive? hungry?) animal to jump, and then it’s a free-for-all. Water splashing everywhere, all sorts of noise, crocodiles making their selection, survivors scrambling up the other side, mayhem. But alas, after about 30 minutes, we concluding that nothing was happening yet, so we decided to break out the blankets for a picnic lunch just upstream.

The crew found a nice spot near some hippos and crocs; and, as we found out during “bush loo” time, a savannah monitor. I haven’t seen ladies jump that fast. Actually, I believe it was E trying to use the facilities when the lizard came running out. She screamed and ran – Alfred wasn’t too fazed. “Oh, that’s a savannah monitor. You’re fine.” I like Alfred!

Again we had wonderful box lunches, although this time I didn’t eat everything in sight. As always, there was more food than we could possibly ask for. R (R & B) put it best – “God forbid we have a hunger pain!”

After lunch we moved up river some more, as the herd was wondering that direction. A few animals would go so far as to get a drink, but none would jump. Several carcasses floated by. Given the degree of bloat, they had probably attempted a crossing early in the morning or the day before, much further upstream. We finally voted to pack it in, as it seemed clear there would be no suicide dives today (though I thought it would be easy to make it happen – just toss a few firecrackers and watch them move.) Just kidding.

(I’ve told Betsy that, when we go back, I’d like to time it so were closer to the peak migratory season. I really want to see a crossing. She’s not too keen on seeing that much “nature.” She might be up for a more reserved adventure while I’m out there hoping for blood.)

With the sun beating down on us all day, we were absolutely worn out. Alfred said we would try for some rhinos, and maybe a sundowner, but frankly at the time, we all would have been happy to just go back and rest. Thankfully, Alfred knew better.

Along the way one of the vehicles from the camp (not our party) broke down – an axle fell out. This did make me feel good! They gave the passengers a ride in another camp vehicle, and I have no idea what happened after that.

Closer to the camp we worked our way about ½ way up a mountain side, one that overlooked the land below. Here we were allowed to get out of our cars and, accompanied by a ranger, get within about 20 feet of three white rhinos. They are massive, beautiful animals. We were safe because of the armed guard – the rhinos know we are not a threat b/c of his presence. We stayed for just about three minutes, then gave them their space. Meanwhile, these guys keep guard 24/7. I think it is awesome.

We then worked our way a bit more up the hill, to where camp staff had set up sundowners and appetizers, around a fire, overlooking the African plains and the setting sun. I could paint that picture right now – this was another one of those “here’s the Africa of my dreams” moments. It was an amazing view. Here I am, sitting on the ground watching the sun set over the Masai Mara. Like Serengeti, I never imagined I would be here. But that landscape is burned in my brain forever.

Six in a Row!!!!

2008-07-12T15:54:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Micato Safaris, winner of Travel + Leisure World's Best Tour Operator & Safari Outfitter for the sixth year in a row! 2003 to 2008 .... that's pretty impressive!

Well done, and congratulations to Jane, Felix, Dennis, Alfred, Renny, Steven, Joe, and everyone else involved in making African dreams come true. Your awards are well earned!

And also, congratulations to the Fairmont Mara Safari Club, voted the #3 hotel in the world. Micato certainly knows how to pick them, and as you can guess from the post below, we loved it!

Tuesday, 18 September 2007 (Serengeti NP to Mara)

2008-07-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

We got up this morning, packed our things, and headed to breakfast. For every meal at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge, our server has been a young man named Charles. He was absolutely fantastic – greeting us warmly, assisting us with selections, anticipating our needs. All with a smile and sincerity. We thanked him, shook hands, and went on out to the vehicles. Out at 7:30 to get to the airstrip.

On the way were a few very cool sights. First was the pair of hyenas enjoying a fresh kill, with vultures waiting in the vicinity. One of the pair ran off with a bone, leaving the other on his own – fresh meat flying everywhere. (Somehow I loved this.) This was followed by a hippo pool, and, interestingly enough, some palm trees.

At the strip we took several group photos, while our bags were loaded onto the first of three planes. Once this was done, we said our first goodbyes, this time to Steven. I think this was hard on him, because he shook hands, maybe gave a quick hug, and continued on focusing on his task. (This doesn’t look right on the page, but believe me, I could really tell this was tough.) Renny joined us on the plane, as the safari guide always gets you to customs.

Just leaving the park was very hard on me. Betsy and I both cried a little as we started to taxi. Why? I guess it was a number of things. A great time is ending. You’ve just accomplished a very specific goal. And perhaps a bit, you don’t know if you’ll ever be back. Anyway, as we took off, Steven and Emmanuel gave us huge waves from the ground – I think they were sending blessings on our way as we neared the end of our journey. Steven, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving so much of yourself. Betsy and I will never forget it!

We touched down at the port city on Lake Victoria, still in Tanzania. This type of entry out of Tanzania was new for Micato. On the original itinerary, we re-enter Kenya by road. But for security reasons, this has been changed to an air-transfer. After this is another flight to the port of arrival on the Kenyan side. Then a third flight into the Mara.

The immigration area was basically a big waiting room, with big comfy chairs. The officials sat in chairs in front of a table, reviewing everyone’s documents and stamping away. Way too quickly it was time to say our goodbyes to Renny.

This was harder than I thought. I don’t know who started the waterworks, but about ½ the group joined in, especially Renny. I absolutely KNOW he loved being with our tour. He made this experience beyond special – I can’t imagine it would have been the same without him. Betsy and I had a group hug about 2 or 3 times, European style (each side). As we went out to our plane, he thanked us again and again. “Asante sana. Asante sana.” Then he ran to his plane back to Arusha.

Renny, you are loved and missed.

So, still crying half way through the flight, we headed to the Mara Safari Club. We touched down about 30 minutes later, and were met by reps from the club. Although Alfred had arrived earlier in the morning, our plane was actually early, so we waited just a bit for his team to arrive. But pretty quickly, around the corner he comes, standing upright in one of the camp-provided vehicles, grinning and waving!

We loaded up our things and headed away. Our driver’s name was Sammy, very nice gentleman. Along the way, we stopped at a bend along the Mara River, to see a hippo colony (gathering, herd?). HOLY COW! There must have been 60 or 70 hippos along the bend, just laid on top of each other, side by side, upside down, you name it. I had NEVER seen so many hippos in my life! And they are loud! Their noise is neat, sort of like moving furniture along a hardwood floor. (Maybe I can get one of the videos loaded up.) As it would turn out, this was just a taste of what was to come.

We arrived at the Mara Safari Club. OK – this is a favorite! The rooms are real tents. But not like little ‘in-the-bush’ things, but these beautiful canvas-sided structures, with cement and brick floors and area rugs. It felt sort of classic somehow. There are two double beds, two chairs, a dresser, and a complete bath/vanity area. By the way, these were the most comfortable beds we had the entire trip. The pillows too.

Lunch was a buffet service along the river, where you can see and hear the birds, hippos, hyraxes, and everything else. Along the path to the lunch, there is a little bend in the river called “hippo hide.” Here there were three hippos that, while floating on the surface, would, sure enough, dive down and “hide” from us! Every now and then they would take a peek and see if we were still there. Very cute.

At about 3 we loaded up for a trip to the local Manyatta, or Maasai village. We arrived at met Yussef, an elder of about 18 to 20 years. He wsa the only male there, as the others had gone off to find a lost cow, so the women treated us to a dance. They pulled me in, and I joined them! It was pretty neat, they really encouraged me to join them – I did my best. Actually, B (R&B) was the first to jump in, and M (B&M) was very enthusiastic. I think everyone enjoyed it.

We then had a tour of the village and explored the inside of a house – dark and small, as you would expect. Afterwards we did some shopping in the ‘market.’ They had several items laid out somewhat in a large circle. Everyone made a purchase, I think. Betsy and I both made a few purchases – I found the mask I wanted! Next time, though, I’m definitely expanding my collection…the quality of all the goods was wonderful. And better yet, it’s all local.

We finished the day with a nice meal and set up a 6 AM wake up knock, with an order of coffee. We climbed in bed and, after a few tense moments when the wind knocked the lamps over, we felt fast asleep.

Monday, 17 September 2007 – Serengeti NP (Cont.)

2008-07-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

I got up rather slowly around 3:30 and went to the drive around 4:00. Our goal now was, in Renny’s words, ‘the elusive leopard.’ Not an LLT (leopard like thing), but an actual ‘spotted-up.’ (Versus a ‘spotted-down’ – anyone know what that is?

At first I was confused, because we were headed out where no one else appeared to be. Before too long we got a flat tire. I could tell Steven was serious, b/c he didn’t say he had to check the tire pressure – he said we had a flat.

NOW, of course, Betsy says “I get it now. He must need to go,” thinking she’s got the code figured out!

“No, Betsy, we really do have a flat tire.”

“Oh. Well, I need to check the tire pressure.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“You do realize, we’ve got like half a dozen Micato guys out there.”

“But how many safari guides does it take to change a flat tire?” she says.

“I don’t know, more than it takes to change a light bulb?”

“What? I don’t get it.”

Smiling, (she get's it, she's just playing along), I point out that it would take AAA a lot longer to get a truck out here, so this is not so bad. And at least they’re not all pointing at the tire, coffee in hand, nodding in agreement “yup, that’s a flat tire.”

Ten minutes later, we’re back off. I asked Steven why the other two Micato cars stopped behind us and waited while we made the change. It’s primarily a safety and assistance thing. And it turns out that they do an nightly inspection of every vehicle, plus a tune-up after every tour. The vehicles change out about every three years.

The guides said something in Kiswahili, about television and road 610. Apparently, their sources suggested they head out to route 610 for spotted up. Judging by the subsequent bumping and bouncing, I’d say we took a shortcut to get there.

We arrived to about 15 cars, stretched maybe a football field long or so, near a good patch of trees and dense foliage a bit away. Sure enough, up on a horizontal branch of a sausage tree, was the leopard. You can spot the leopard (pun intended) by looking for vertical branch hanging down from a horizontal branch. The vertical branch should curl back up, like the bottom of an old-style umbrella. This of course is the tail.

(In the picture at the top of this post, you can see the cat clearly. Trust me.)

Man, I had no idea how grand the leopard would be. She is a massive creature, just the picture of strength and confidence. For me, I couldn’t get enough. I could spend an hour looking at her. I think this was my highlight thus far. Alas, after about ten minutes, she let out a big sigh, and climbed down out of the tree, and into our memories. We did it – the Big Five!

We drove back for drinks in the tv room, where Renny explained that they decided to skip the bush drinks and go searching for the cat instead. We all agreed that was the better choice. Dinner was outstanding as usual, and we all went to bed knowing how hard it would be to say goodbye. (In retrospect, we had NO idea.)

Monday, 17 September 2007 – Serengeti NP

2008-05-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

I still haven’t gotten my head around the idea that I AM ACTUALLY IN THE SERNGETI! My dreams always placed me here, but I never thought it would become reality. Mom says I need to blog more about my feelings when I do these reports…

I guess I’m blessed to have seen this beautiful place. Maybe part of the fantasy about it has been the idea that, in the 21st century, there really are no earthly unexplored frontiers. I wish there were new horizons to discover, accessible to me. There aren’t any more. But THIS IS. It is a new discovery for me. And that’s part of what I feel when I think about Africa, and the Serengeti in particular. The overwhelming sense of awe in being here. I don’t recall the last time I felt so content, just looking at the sky. An incredible blue in contrast to the greens and browns of the savannah.

We woke up to some wonderful natural sounds. At about 6 am we heard hyenas howling in the distance. Although that was a great experience, it was preceded by the European couple next door, answering the basic of human needs (and no, not food or shelter). Not exactly something I expected to hear, but at least it wasn’t someone we knew…

We ran a bit late this morning, so breakfast was just a bowl of cereal and some coffee. We again dropped off laundry, and headed to the bus at 8 for a four hour drive. (The laundry service was outstanding. I might have mentioned that before, but I’ll say it again. Next time, I’m packing lighter, and taking advantage of the amenities.)

Not but 5 minutes out, on the road to the park proper, we saw an African porcupine. It’s nocturnal, so this was a rare sighting. It is BIG! I had no idea they got that large. (That was really exciting, to see one in person. I’m quite giddy at this point.) Now I can imagine what that fight last night looked like. And the quill is considered a game trophy, along with the feather of a guinea fowl.

A bit later we saw another jackal, and eventually we came across a beautiful male lion sitting on a kopje. It has a sort of gray mane. Probably a much older male. Again the coat is just beautiful.
Still no leopard sighting, though we continued hunting. So we went over to the soda lake and met tons of birds. We turned back and not too far away was a beautiful lioness, just laying down. The area had a little bit of water in some small streams and pools. She got up, stretched, and walked over to the pool. First one leap, then another, and a drink. She looked so serene drinking the water. We noticed she was probably nursing. Sure enough, she moved to the other side and up a hill, to rest. Probably the cubs were up there.

We had visited the rhino information center earlier. This is where we learned about conservation efforts, and how the TZ officials, together with the Frankfurt Zoological Society (I hope that’s right), work on tracking and protecting the rhino throughout the Serengeti.

At about lunch time I started feeling a bit off. I ate just a little at the lodge, then went straight to the room. I had taken some Pepto during the drive, to help with the discomfort. I was probably crashing from the excitement and the food. I was asleep pretty quickly.

Let me say, there is never much time to rest. I guess this is a good thing, but I didn’t expect then when planning for the trip. I was pretty sure that we’d have a few hours every afternoon. Although we didn’t get the time generally, until this point I never really felt it. I think excitement takes you a long way.

Is there any way to explain to people how I felt about this trip? It really is a life-changing experience. You know, I’ve never been a great salesman, but I know the key is being passionate about what you’re selling. And when you’re passionate, you just start getting excited and want to share with anyone who will listen. I still do that to this day. I try and share whenever I can. And I think about the trip all the time. I want to tell all the birds, and animals, and trees, how much I love them, and how much I miss them. There’s a favorite song of mine, Find Your Grail. It’s all about focusing on what you want, finding that one that to help you through the tough times, and seeking it out. That’s your grail. Well, I always wondered what my grail was. And I found it. Africa.

I’ll continue soon with the incredible story of the evening (with pictures). Anyone reading this, please don’t hesitate to comment!

Sunday, 16 September 2007 -- Ngornogoro to Serengeti

2008-02-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Our knock came promptly at 6 AM. Once again we kept the screen closed and door open, so we were quite comfortable. We chose to have breakfast this morning, so we strolled down at about 7:15. The porters picked up our bags as always.

This time I climbed in the back of the jeep, and E sat in front of me in the middle row. Driving out we saw two amazing sights. First, there was universal evidence that elephants use the rim road during the night, as fallen branches littered the path. We clearly had to drive around them. Then a little bit later on we backed up so Steven could show us the remains of a porcupine fight - it clearly lost, quills everywhere. Although no doubt the cat wasn't exactly feeling great.

We continued along the rim road to the NCA main office, for the first of three rest stops this morning. Something strange about seeing a dish on top of the facilities. But it looks like the whole area is getting serious upgrades. This main building is getting a huge expansion and all the roads are being resurfaced. When that's done, Micato may extend stays in the Crater area to visit what will then be more accessible parts.

Now the extremely bumpy part began. The road leaving the Crater heading down is horrible. It's just barely a road, really. Actually we all laughed about it in our cruiser. But we imagine the Winnabego family might not be having a great time. Then again, given that we woke up to a tremor, perhaps we should have expected it. Every now and then we had to work around the zebras in the road.

We eventually made it to Oldupai Gorge, where we visited the exhibits showing the discoveries of homo habilis and homo erectus, and Australopithecus. The Maasai speaker gave a great talk while we sat overlooking the site. There was something odd at first about seeing him with a cell phone, but as we've learned there are those within the tribe that have accepted a bit more in the way of modern life than others.

Around lunch time we finally made it to Serengeti National Park - at last, I'm here! The name means "endless plains." This is not an exaggeration. It looks like the whole world turned into savannah grass, acacias, and inhabitants. I knew it would be impressive, but not like this.

We ate box lunches at the visitor's center, made up of yesterday's awesome lunch at hippo pool (the lunch, not the visitor's center). I ate every last bite, down to both chocolate bars, then immediately regretted it. I probably ate too fast - understandable though, given how excited I was.

But I quickly forgot about it. Renny gave a very brief talk about the Park (he really is a ranger) then led us up the path to the overlook, which was the inspiration for Price Rock in The Lion King. From here you can see to the ends of the Earth, truly. I think I have to rank this view up there with the view on the road to Denali National Park, Alaska, and from the top of the mountain in Salzburg, Austria.

We drove out to our lodge, doing some game spotting on the way. Our first big sight was a gorgeous male lion sitting in the grass. The wind was blowing through his mane - it looked so soft! And with our cameras we can get extreme close-ups. A bit further we found two golden jackals. It looked like they were hunting, but there wasn't much in the way of prey to be found where we were.

Steven stopped to show us how the Grant's establish themselves. They circle around in small loops over and over. This establishes position within the herd. I don't quite understand it.

A kopjes is a rock cropping, formed as much as 4.5 billion years ago. The pressure of hot magma forces pieces of earth up to the surface and beyond. Much like an iceberg, the majority of the rock is below the surface.

It was on a kopjes that we had our first of two magnificent lion sightings. On this rock were a male with a large mane, a juvenile male, there lionesses, and one cub. Fantastic. Again, the wind blows through their manes, making them look soft and fluffy. We were the second cruiser to arrive, so we got some great shots. The cub chewed on the momma's ear, rolled over a bit, walked a little. Everyone adored it. Eventually two vehicles moved off-road to get a better view, which is a big no-no. Steven let the other driver have it, politely. We took a few more shots and moved on.

Later, during drinks, I would ask Renny about this. He and I agreed that there is a problem when the very act of observing the animals changes their behavior you are there to observe. (I believe there is a scientific principle similar to this concept, something about studying particle behavior.) Anyway, he said all they can really do is stick to the fifteen minute observation limit. I think there's a big philosophical question here, but that's for another time.

A bit later on we came to a little area where two vehicles were parked, looking down into a gully. We couldn't see them at first, but as we crested the hill we saw them - a pair of mating lions. they mate very regularly for about five to seven days. We hung out and watched them for about 15 minutes, until the sardine can showed up. This is a huge truck designed for viewing, filled with real campers that sleep inside. Usually these guys spend 12 weeks, rolling from Cape Town to Cairo. I find them annoying, as they are loud and really clutter up the view. Meanwhile, there was a second mating pair not too far in the distance. This set was part of the same pride. If there is enough land, then you can find two dominant males together.

Our final excursion was a leopard 'hunt.' We got word of a cat in some trees not too far, so we hightailed it (no pun intended) over there. When we arrived we discovered that he had his kill at the base of the tree. We decided to wait. It really is neat, sitting out in the middle of the Serengeti, binocs around the neck, with a bunch of other 'hunters,' waiting for that elusive show. You could tell others were enjoying it the same way. One group was just sitting there, eating cookies! It sort of felt like kindred spirits all around.

The leopard never showed, so we headed to the Sopa lodge. Renny says this is his favorite, and I see why. The entire facility overlooks the Park. Each room has a balcony facing out over the plains. There is a ton of open sitting area outside. This is where we had our sundowners. They set up a fire, with chairs encircled, serving drinks and snacks. Tonight the wine was flowing. I think everyone was thrilled to be here and wished to celebrate. I myself probably had more than I should, but I couldn't resist. The meal was fantastic. Two hours later, I was asleep.

Politics takes many forms

2008-01-04T10:04:00.001-08:00

I can only pray that the events in Kenya come to a peaceful and just resolution soon. In the mean time, some of the stories of blatant corruption are shocking. I wish the world were more loud and resolute in its responses. From the allafrica.com news site(http://allafrica.com/stories/200801030754.html)

-- Meantime, The New York Times reported that, "The European Union said its observers in one constituency last week witnessed election officials announce that President Kibaki had won 50,145 votes, but on Sunday the election commission boosted those same results to 75,261 votes."

Furthermore, ECK admitted that in a constituency with 70,000 registered voters, Mr. Kibaki received 125,000 votes; in another, the tally changed at the last moment to add 60,000 to his score.

So one is left wondering where Mwai Kibaki gets the audacity to place his hand on the Holy Bible and swear-in as President of Kenya.

In an article aptly titled 'Cheated of Change,' The Times of London states, "The verdict of Kenya's voters is unmistakably clear. They have turned out in force to vote for deep reform of a political system that, although democratic by comparison with much of Africa, is deeply scarred by corruption and dominated by a pampered, self-perpetuating political elite...Seldom has an African election so clearly reflected public determination to 'sling the bastards out'. President Kibaki's government and his opportunistically revamped alliance of the political old guard have been dismissed by the electorate."

Saturday, 15 September - Ngorongoro Crater

2007-12-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

We decided to skip breakfast this morning, as we were both pretty full from the non-stop feeding. Although in retrospect we should have grabbed a yogurt or something, as we were both hungry well before lunch.

Every time we check in to a new lodge, I charge up the batteries. The power strip I plug into the adapter, and then plug everything into the strip. The stuff that needs power conversion (110 v 220) I charge later without the strip so I can use the adapter on the item.

We've done laundry twice now, once at Amboseli Serena Lodge and once here, at Ngorongoro Crater Sopa Lodge. Both times the clothes came back in excellent condition. I'm trying to avoid a third washing so we'll see how I do. (Aside - in the future, just do the laundry as needed, even every other day. It's very reasonable and the service is wonderful. It would save on packing. Since there were just one or two items I loved wearing, I would pack less and wash more.)

As I sat Sunday morning the 16th, writing in my journal, I took some time to just look around from me seat in the sun room at the Sopa and think about where I was. It was 8:48 am, or 11:48 pm in Colorado, where FSU was playing game 3 or so on the season. When we were in the crater Saturday, I didn't even begin to think about what was happening in the States, beyond thinking about Mom and the puppies at home (who were in my thoughts every day). I guess the truly important things come into focus at times of reflection.

Our wake-up call was not the three knocks, each louder than before, that we got in Tarangire. Instead, it was a hard rapping at 6:00 am. No jackals or hyenas, however.

Renny joined our car the entire day. He and Steven seem to make a great team. It's fun to watch them, and listen to tehm use Kiswahili, looking for the best game. I love how clear it is that they love doing this. It is clear that they love Tanzania, and want us to have an unforgettable experience.

Our drive into the crater, with me in the first row behind Renny and E now in the back with Betsy, (I'm thinking - OK, these girls are really hitting it off now) descends slowly through various areas, from teh montane forest down to the open savannah floor. (Savannah floor? Not sure, but that's what I thought of.)

We first spot a male lion in the distance, walking away from us out into some better hunting ground. Later we see three lionesses, each one apart from the other, but in the general area. One of them had her kill about 10 feet away from her resting spot in the shade of a tree. I was able to spot a jackal in the distance while the others were focuses on the lioness (way to go me). Renny had told us about how the aged elephants moved into the papyrus 'forest' to die. Sure enough, we saw an old bull, with long tusks, moving into the forest. Renny said the ele will make it no more than three months and then pass. The scavangeers will then move in and clean up.

Renny also mentioned that poaching has been significantly reduced here, thanks to increased security, ranger compensation (to combat graft), and international ivory trade bans. Those caught poching face seven years in prison mandatory.

We had lunch out on the lake, which I dubbed hippo lake. Apparently this is where all the tours eat, as all the safari vehicles were pretty much lined up around the shore. The Micato boys set up a beautiful red table cloth and china arrangement, all sorts of great drink choices, and delicious foods.

Looking back on it, I realize I saw more wildebeest and zebra than I've ever seen in my life (then again, given this was day six of the trip, that's a somewhat loaded comment). Apparently we should have seen even more flamingoes, but the soda lake had too much water and hence the crustacean population was not right. Renny was disappointed that we weren't surrounded by lions at times (from what I understand, that is not an uncommon experience). But none of us were in the least bit disappointed. We honestly couldn't have been more thrilled with everything!

After lunch we made it to the heavily forested area, where perhaps 20 to 30 cars were watching a black rhino. I got a quick shot of it on video.

On our way out of the crater we stopped and watching a cheetah, making her way around the cars toward a watering hole. Yet another feline experience to wrap up a safari locale. The next one would be even better....

A Great Article

2007-12-24T05:25:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Jess215 on the Fodors forums for making me aware of this article about the Kenyan election this week. It speaks to some of my comments earlier about tribal v national attitudes, and how that may play out on Thursday.

A Question On Colors

2007-12-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

I think I've said before that God must have been playing with his Crayolas when he got to Africa. I mean, that Lilac-Breasted Roller alone is enough to brighten any den. If I'm right, coloration usually has to do with either mating or environmental factors, yes? We know that the male ostrich turns bright pink during mating season, for example. But why the unique colors on the Agama? They don't seem to blend with the environment. Is it a mating purpose, then? Anyone have any idea? Maybe Alfred or Renny would know - I should have asked them.

I miss the colors of Africa.

Friday, 14 September – Tarangire to Ngorongoro

2007-12-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

Although we had ordered a 6 am wake-up by knocking, it wasn’t necessary. We awoke to the sound of barking. Yelp – yelp – yelp. I thought they were wild dogs. I sat up in bed, beaming, as was Betsy. Of course, when I mentioned to Steven that we had this experience, he corrected us. That noise, in fact, was a hyena. Now this was awesome! On our way to breakfast, and of course around the lodge, we saw the rock hyrax, which I took to be a cute rodent. It turns out that it is a member of the elephant family. What's neat when you leave is that all you have to do is bring your bags outside, and one of the porters will be waiting to take them away.

The breakfast included awesome pancakes, that were more like crepes. I didn't see any avocado juice this morning, though, unlike last night.

We took a picture with Steven in front of the car and began our trek into Tarangire. Little did we know we would be encountering a rather vocal pachaderm. About thirty minutes into the drive, we came across a young male bull, perhaps 15 years old, most likely recently removed from his herd. (As an aside we found out later tha elephants live to about 60 years old, losing their teeth every 10 years until at last no more come in. They then move to an area where papyrus is found, which they can chew on until they starve. Rather brutal, yet beautiful at the same time.) Anyway, this male was not happy to see us! He flared his ears, raised his trunk, made his loud noises, and 'charged.' OK, as far as Steven was concerned, it wasn't a charge. He can tell the difference. But to us it was fascinating, and a bit intense! He sort of would run to us a little bit, stop, run sideways, make more noises, then do it all over again. This continued for about 15 minutes. Eventually he settled down and took off.

The birds, antelopes, and other mammals were beyond amazing. I see now why birders love Tarangire, and why they all show up during the long rains, when it is cold north of the equator. After stopping for a drink and a snack, and a group photo, we finished our drive along the river. We came upon about nine lions fresh off a kill. Now, most of them were hidden in the bush, so it was hard to make them all out. Probably all females, most of them sleeping it off. We spent enough time there until everyone in the car spotted them all (Steven was great on this - he insisted that all five of us see them all before we continued on). Finally we all saw them, so we continued back to Sopa Lodge, for lunch by the pool, enjoying the moussaka and passion custars, and taking photos of all the Agama lizards.

Finally, we were off to the Crater, about a three hour drive, with an occasional stop to 'check the tire pressure.' We passed many towns and villages along the paved highway, built by the Japanese (?) and now maintained to promote tourism to and from the NCA (Nogorongoro Conservation Area). Betsy did some bargaining for a zebra mask, this time getting a great deal when she originally planned to walk away.

The Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is on the rim of the crater. We stopped at the visitor's center to get a brief lesson on this large ecosystem (NCA) from Renny. Here I noticed that the other tour group was not with us (pretty much OK by us). We arrived at the lodge to welcome juices and yet another bottle of South African white wine (and a free mini-bar).

We had drinks upstairs in a private room, then proceeded to a fantastic dinner and desert. Finally, off to bed, prepping for huge day tomorrow in the rim....

Thursday, 13 September - Amboseli to Tarangire

2007-11-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

We awakened this morning to the sounds of unidentified rustling outside our window. Breakfast once again was a buffet, which included an egg station serving brown hybrids that make the yolk white. This explains why my western omelet came out white. (A white-egg omelet, not an egg-white.)

Our final drive in Amboseli was on the way out of the park. We finally saw another cat, this time a cheetah. Actually two of them with a recent kill. I could sort of make out the dead wildebeest, but barely. Then we had to high-tail it to the border with Tanzania.

Near the border we had our first experience with haggling, at a shop that is supported by Micato. Bargaining is interesting. At first we got our starter price for a single item, but they insisted that we bargain all at once with other choices. After we picked our items, he offered 7,200 KSH, we offered a low price in return, and eventually we agreed on 5,000, about US$80.

We filled out papers on both sides of the border, meeting Renny at customs in Tanzania. When I mentioned I knew Lynda, he was thrilled – he gave us a big hug. He mentioned that he knew Jessica, too, which was great. We said goodbye to Joe and Martin, and said we would see Alfred in a week.

The drive to Arusha was about an hour and a half, through the countryside. Renny gave us a wonderful talk about Tanzania, its history and people. This was pretty neat, after discovering the secrets of Kenya a day before with Alfred. It’s amazing. There is a common culture, and a common commerce, and a common geography between these countries. But what I find fascinating is how a simple piece of history has changed so drastically their development. Kenya grew out of an English colonization; Tanzania, out of a German foundation. Whereas the resulting Kenyan independence led to a people identifying themselves with a tribal association ahead of a state identity, the eventual Tanzanian (or Tanganyikan perhaps) state grew into one of national identity first, then tribal. This makes sense – England v Germany, representation v socialism. Not that either identity is any less important than the other, of course. But it’s fascinating how the chance of colonization changed the evolution of a society. I am fascinated by this.

We arrived in Arusha, driving past Mt Meru along the way. Renny told us that Arusha is the host of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which has had a great economic impact on the city. We ate lunch at the hotel, a buffet.

We made it to the airport, though the plane wasn’t there yet, so we had to chill outside and wait. Finally our wings appeared. Already on board was the group from the Heart of Tanzania and Kenya tour. Five guests – Mr. Las Vegas, The Colorado Couple, and the Winnebago Family.

Betsy got in ahead of me, then when there were just two seats left, E offered me the front seat with Renny. I asked her if she would rather sit with Betsy – of course she would! (This was awesome. I’m so glad she spoke up. They really hit it off, and the result was a new friendship.) I liked it, too, since Renny and I could talk for a while.

When we landed, we headed toward Stephen’s car. Renny climbed into our vehicle, and we drove to Tarangire NP. On the way we identified tons of trees (including the whistling thorn acacia), the regular elephant sighting, and more birds than one can imagine. I see now why bird lovers go to Tarangire. With 1,500 species, you can’t go wrong. It looks like God started having fun with his Crayola 64s, but being omnipotent and all, he started blending them into shades entirely unique just for Africa. I expected not to be that high on TNP, but I’ve since changed my mind (despite the tsetse flies).

Ah yes, the tsetse flies. I had always heard about them, but of course having never seen one I didn’t know what to expect. They are big, about the size of a Florida love bug. The reason you need bug repellent is not because of sleeping sickness (rare occurrence if at all). It’s the pain of their bite. It feels like a needle in your arm. Most unpleasant.

We made it to the lodge, and were welcomed with juice, room keys, a hot towel, and a bottle of wine. We were escorted to our room by the porters. We then headed back down to the common area to talk a bit about what our Tanzanian experience may be like, and to plan for the next day.

We had a nice dinner, socializing with B&M. Eventually we headed back to the room, to enjoy mosquito nets, bookmarks from the Pintos, a random spider, clothes placed in a cupboard, and windows open. And then much-needed sleep.

Wednesday, 12 September 2007 (Amboseli)

2007-10-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

After getting my first solid sleep since we arrived (OK, now that I look through my journal, I guess I was restless for a while), we awoke at 5:30, not to coffee and tea but to birds and insects outside. All the rooms face the park, so you can hear the sounds of nature. We left the back door open with the screen closed, and didn’t bother with the mosquito nets around the bed. Actually, beds – two twin beds pushed next to each other.

(As I made my notes for this entry in the afternoon, we were sitting at the pool. A black-faced vervet monkey was staring at me in my lounge chair, while Betsy took a dip. He’s a bit nervous, because at any time one of the Maasai that stroll the lodge will come along and shoo it off with their sling shot.)

I don’t imagine I can ever think about Africa again and not smile. I’m having a hard time not laughing once a day at the thought that I’m actually here.

The drive this morning was great. The highlight was the young female lion with her fresh zebra kill. Fascinating because last night the cars were zipping around like vultures on a kill when word got out that there might be a lion. Speeding on the roads and even off them to get past us. Joe and Alfred decided we couldn’t make it. They understand patience. This morning we patiently waited for the lion to appear. We saw the zebra but couldn’t make out the lion. The driver behind us (definitely NOT Micato) starting shaking keys trying to get the lion to move. We are not going to do that. Micato (and several other outfits, of course) respect nature and the environment and recognize that we are intruding, and must allow things to happen in due course.

Every now and then the lion would pop up his head, then lay back down (zebra tryptophan?). Eventually a jackal came wandering over to try and get some meat. Needless to say, this girl was not pleased. After a few stares, she stood up and walked to the other side of her kill. This of course got a huge reaction from all of us, as this was the most feline excitement we had had yet.

Frankly, I was as much taken in by the jackal as I was the lioness. One of the things I was really looking forward to was seeing wild dogs and other canines. I’ve always been a dog person, so this was a real treat for me. There are times when I see the little ones at home and think about what dogs and wolves are like in the wild, when their pack behavior takes over. I see the kids behave like pack animals, and I’ve always wanted to see it for myself. In this case, at least I was seeing what a solitary would do. That little guy (girl?) would sort of just walk slowly over a little bit, pause, think about it, then come closer, keep trying to get a bite. I really kept staring at the jackal rather than the lioness. But of course, eventually she shot up to protect her lunch, and that made us all gasp with delight.

Alfred mentioned yesterday the concept of the stupid wildebeest. You can see one, lone gnu just standing out in the open, staring into space. Waiting to be a meal. Not really, it’s usually a male just asserting territory, but he stands there, staring into nothing. I haven’t quite figured this out yet, but it’s funny.

After the morning drive we returned for breakfast. This included a fantastic omelet station, with peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cheese, and jalapenos. All sorts of breads and jams, meats and cheeses, and French press Kenyan coffee.

At 11, Alfred led us in a lecture/discussion on East Africa history, culture, and society. All about the tribes, languages, politics, and customs. I found this really fun to hear and to talk about. I think he realized that we would enjoy this type of experience, given the enthusiasm we had shown, and I think he was right. None of us are here, for the sake of saying that we’ve done it. We’re in Africa because we genuinely want to be here, to experience this. Are we all kindred spirits? Maybe sort of – or at least we all have a common appreciation for what the world can provide, for those who just take the time to see.

Betsy spent some time during the afternoon to swim with the monkeys. OK, not literally, but she wanted to say that she swam while the monkeys were out. And sure enough, those vervets were all over the place, including up in the trees around the pool. I thought it was too cold to swim, but hey, how often can you do this!

Before the evening drive, everyone gathered out on the veranda, to have coffee and biscuits. I think this is a common thing, at least at this Serena lodge, to provide refreshments to the guests before they head out for the drive. (I think I’ve mentioned before how neat it is to see all the safari vehicles lined up outside, waiting for their charges. I wonder what the lodge looks like during the drives. I imagine it’s pretty sparse.) Anyway, earlier in the afternoon Betsy and I enjoyed a coconut latte. This thing is fantastic. It’s a latte, served with a jigger of coconut flavoring, for about 200 shillings, or roughly $3. Frankly, you’d pay more than that for a specialty drink at Starbucks. So having had that already, I stuck with one small cup of coffee not wanting to need a bathroom while out in the park.

The evening drive was warm, and the animals showed it. They were mostly lying around with dust swirling around them. Our crew was still hanging tough, R&B in the middle, E up front, Betsy and I in the rear. As always, I’m wearing my hat on my head and the glasses around my neck. I felt real!

The Micato vans are pretty neat. Plenty of room to stand up and hold on. It feels like something out of a movie to be standing up in the back of the van, with the glasses, looking front, back, everywhere, like I’m some sort of expert!

Our goal was to venture off away from the crowds and find some leopards. This didn’t happen (although we didn’t know at the time that we would have success later). But we did get more elephants, the occasional Japanese rhino (aka warthog), and some fast-moving ostriches. There is a unique elegance to that bird. And in dryness like this, they really kick up the dust. We saw five of them taking off across the landscape, leaving a trail of dust behind them.

Eventually we stopped at overlook hill, ostensibly to get a view of the surrounding area from a great distance. We were let out to start walking up the small climb. Betsy and E needed the facilities, so they decided to check out the hole in the ground. I missed out on this life-changing experience. Apparently, this was one of the worst smells on the trip. Sorry I missed it. This was nothing more than an outhouse with a huge hole in the ground. There were two ladies from another tour that skipped this and went straight to the bush loo – this was the preferred option.

Betsy and I walked up with R&B to grab a picture together with Mt Kilimanjaro in the background, plus a few landscape shots. Back at the foot of the hill, we had our first bush drink. Alfred, Joe, and Martin had set up a table with wine, drinks, chips and nuts, to toast our first taste of wild Africa. We toasted our experience. I had to stop and look around me, realizing I was having wine at the foot of the Mountain, my mountain, acacias around me, wildlife moving to their chosen resting location, sun setting on the horizon. Very rarely does reality even match fantasy. We tend to take the images we gather over time and blend them into an expectation of our own true account, should the opportunity arise. It was while we were out here that I realized – this is what I pictured! This was a fantasy come true. All of it matched what I had imagine it would be like. My God, I am blessed.

Given that all parties are supposed to be out of the park by 6:30 every night, Joe hightailed it through one of the many “very good” roads leading out of the park proper, taking us along the back way, past one of the local Maasai villages towards Serena lodge. This was our first African massage, what we were supposed to find out later is a common experience on the road to Arusha.

Back at the room we had waiting for us two beautiful eyeglass holders, hand made by local Maasai. We cleaned up and headed back to dinner.

On our way we discovered a group of impalas, perhaps 30 or so, hanging out inside the grounds, grazing. They were still there after dinner. This was the second of the our neat lodge animal experiences. The first was before the evening drive, when the vervet monkeys, one in particular, attempted (and often succeeded) to steal whatever snacks could be found un-attended on a plate. It was while this little guy was working the crowd that I got a great shot of him, standing not but two feet away from me. I understand that they are pests and cause problems for the staff, but for us newbies they are a cute addition. Or at least to me they are.

At dinner B joked that she would start auctioning off her 33 pounds of plane space, since her KLM luggage had not arrived yet. We got a good laugh out of this, and she seemed to be taking everything in stride.

We headed back to the room to pack up our stuff for tomorrow’s journey to Arusha, Tanzania. Once again, we crashed pretty quickly.

Today's pictures.

Tuesday, 11 September 2007 (Nairobi - Amboseli National Park)

2007-10-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, I should add one more individual to the cast of characters. My sister, Betsy. Thanks to Mom for pointing that out to me this morning. (Oops.) And to clarify who everyone is, just in case.

I was up at 4 am this morning, ready to go. (OK then, so perhaps early-on during the safari, my sleep was unusual, but this morning the cause was excitement, not jet lag.) We had trouble with the air conditioning, but the fantastic staff brought fans, two of them actually, and it really helped. I would have been up anyway, I was ready to go! We left our bags in front of our room around 6, with the door slightly cracked open (I have this American fear about leaving bags unattended anywhere that isn’t secured). Sure enough, the porter was by promptly to take them to the bus. At 6:30, we gathered at in the lobby, some of still shaking the sleep out of our eyes. We were on the bus at 6:45 and we were gone.

The trip to Wilson airport was fairly quick, maybe about 15 minutes. Wilson is more like a landing strip – well, no, better than that. Probably more like a local airport in the States like PDK, but with a bit more traffic. We thanked our Nairobi driver, George, and proceeded to the security area. Security consisted of a hand-check of our carry-ons and a walk-thru machine. The bags were weighed while Alfred oversaw the operation. I didn’t think weight would be an issue, since we were short one bag thanks to B’s lost luggage. As expected, we had no problems in this area. And as it turned out this would be the only time the bags would be weighed anyway. (And as a plus, the carry-ons don’t get weighed, which meant all the camera equipment was excluded from the calculation. This was excellent, and as I had hoped based on some comments on various sites.) Boarding passes are just a laminated card of a particular color. Today, we were handed a yellow card (insert soccer joke here). When the time came, we walked through the door, handed the ‘gate agent’ our little yellow card, and walked out to the twin otter, 18 seat prop.

After buckling up, Alfred handed out little Micato pouches, with gum and ear plugs inside. And the on-board refreshments provided by the airline are a little box of mints/candies for the trip. I think this is kind of neat. It was pretty overcast outside, so we really didn’t see anything until we got low. But as we descended, I noticed the small hills. Well, I thought they were hills, but they were really trees. No, my mistake, those are clearly bushes. And they are moving. Wait a minute! I’m seeing African wildlife!

Holy cow! We arrived at Amboseli NP, and the cars were waiting along the strip. It was so exciting to see the Micato vans sitting there, two smiling faces waving. There were two drivers greeting us, Martin and Joe. We chose the latter, for no real reason other than the name! When I mentioned my name is also Joe, he gave me a hug. Serving hot coffee and tea right there on the strip was a nice touch, too.

Kilimanjaro was waiting for me! It was peaking out of the clouds, however briefly. Fortunately, I would see more of it later in the day.

Betsy and I sort of gravitated to travel with R&B, so they joined us in the vehicle. We sat in the back, R&B took the middle, and E joined us in the front. So that left an extra seat for shifting around as we wanted to. And we enjoyed moving every now and then, just because.

Seeing that little warthog go running off like there’s no tomorrow was awesome. Joe said (maybe it was Alfred) that it is a rather stupid animal. In fact, pumba (pumbavu) is Kiswahili for stupid. The reason being, they will go running off away from a predator, then stop and forget why they were running. Sort of like “Run away! Run away! Run…oh look – food.”

I saw wild elephants! My god, they are beautiful. It looks neat seeing them in the waters, they come out with a black marking from the water level, like someone was painting them and couldn’t reach the top.

The drives are great. With five people there is room to stand up (actually, even with six there would be room) and shift for photos. We all tended to make room for each other, to make sure everyone got a good picture. Water is always available in the vehicles, as well as very strong Micato binoculars.

Just on day one, we saw:

v Saddle-billed Storks
v Spotted Hyenas
v Blacksmith, Spurwing, and Long-toed Plovers
v Ostriches, both male and female
v Hippos
v Wildebeest
v Cattle Egrets
v Burchell’s Zebra (Plains Zebra)
v Cape Buffalo
v Elephants
v Yellow Baboons
v Egyptian Geese
v Reedbucks
v Grey Crested Crane (national bird of Uganda)
v Grey Herons
v White-bellied Bustard

I remember being worried at the time that we would get too used to seeing some of these animals, sort of de-sensitized to it all.

Our morning drive was basically the commute from the landing strip to the Amboseli Serena Lodge. A rather roundabout commute, though. I love going on a drive when we’re actually headed to a destination. We arrived at the lodge, and the staff was waiting for us at the drive. We received a warm jambo (and cool washcloth to wipe off the dust). Inside we all received a drink (a fantastic juice of some kind, frankly now I can’t remember). We were handed our keys with a schedule to return shortly for lunch.

Lunch was buffet style. Choices included roast goat, roast beef, salad bar, desert bar, pasta bar, etc. Actually, I eventually realized I couldn’t keep up with all the choices of food, so I stopped trying to write it all down. Just know that there was always an option, and you would never be hungry. In the immortal words of R (R&B), “God forbid you have a hunger pain.”

My plan for journaling in the afternoon fell apart when I fell asleep instead. But there was something that felt so good about being there and seeing Africa with my own eyes that brought me great comfort – I think I had already reached a state of serenity. Napping was easy now.

The evening drive was neat from the start. All the vehicles left at the same time from the lodge, making it feel like a race. Of course, it felt like a race when, all of a sudden, some vehicles go whizzing by on radio talk of a lion spotting. (I was just waiting for Wilson to come over the radio and tell Ms. Jobson to slow down.) Alfred and Joe decided we couldn’t make it to the supposed location without jeopardizing the safety of the wildlife. I admire that. (Alfred was in our vehicle for Tuesday evening drive. He shifts between the two drives everyday.)

I’ve seen the African sunset on television and in books, but it is something that must be experienced to truly understand. If I face one direction, a see the blue and purple skyscape of Kilimanjaro. If I turn 180 degrees, I see the red and orange horizon of the setting sun. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing – the same sky, two completely different sets of colors. Every time I would look up at that mountain, I just started smiling. Isn’t that what a vacation is supposed to do to you?

Dinner was very enjoyable. The food was wonderful, as expected, but the company was even better. Very quickly I felt comfortable with this group. I don’t think that always happens – this turned out to be a blessing, having such a wonderful set of companions.

We eventually rolled back to the room, completely wiped out from our experience. Our turn-down gift was a hand-made journal, bound in what I assume is cowhide. This and all gifts would be locally made. This was a nice touch, and would come in handy when I needed to make a quick note. We fell asleep quickly, ready for our first full day out in the parks.

And the photos from today's safari.

A Sampler of Pix to Come

2007-10-20T05:47:00.001-07:00

Because everyone is anxious to see more pictures, and I can't post fast enough, here's a sample of what's to come. Enjoy.

Monday, 10 September 2007 (Nairobi)

2007-10-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day. It was our first full day in Africa, and all the excitement was really set to begin now. I expected to have trouble sleeping for a few days, but looking back on it now, I never had any problems at all. Well, save of course for those few moments when I could have slept in, but for what I like to call "Natures Cacaphony." (Actually, that's not fair, there was nothing discordant about any of it - it was harmonious beyond imagination. But more on that later.)

We started this morning with a meeting to discover what we would be doing these next two weeks. We weren't really hungry, still being on a different eating schedule. So after a quick bite of banana and muffin, we headed on down to the conference room reserved for the Micato group. There, we met some of our Micato staff who would guide us during our stay. We had already met our Kenya-side director, Alfred, last night. Kisea (I hope the spelling is right) would be our concierge in and around Nairobi, and assisting her was Regina. Both ladies were just lovely. They handed us our awesome hats, shukas (Maasai red wrap) and hard-carved wooden necklaces (Betsy and I wore this everyday). Alfred walked us through the trip summary, giving us the highlights to come, and some tips for safe travel (don't stress, take your pills, wear long pants and sun protectant, use your Micato hat).

Rakita the elder talked for about 10 minutes, telling us a little bit about his way life as a Maasai. The thing I remember most about his comments, and the thing I try to remember every single day, is the following: "Put your problems out of your way. Stress, I will not allow you to enter my life." (Boy, have I used that the past month since I got back.)

The staff offered to change cash for those who needed to do so, which was a nice touch. And the rate was better than I got at the airport. Oh well. After that, we headed outside to the big van, where Felix and Jane Pinto stopped by to say hello. We also spoke briefly with Rakita, who told us about his only trip to the States. He had gone to New York with Jane to appear on The View. Naturally he was wearing his traditional clothing, so he was spotted constantly afterwards all over the streets! He had several offers to buy him a beer. They then went to Chicago, where he discovered the joys of deep dish pizza. It was neat to hear about his travel to our country.

We boarded the bus to drive briefly around Nairobi, stopping at the pre-selected store, where we could browse and think about what we might like to buy when we return in about two weeks. We drove past several landmarks, including government buildings, churches, parks and the location of the former American embassy. Every year on August 8th a memorial service is held.

We had to cut short our city tour and head over to Lingata Giraffe Center. This was fantastic! Feeding giraffes is an awesome experience. You can't help but smile when you do this. They tend to be pretty gentle, although Daisy will do a nice little head-butt when she's not getting enough.

Then we went to the Karen Blixen Museum (in Kenya, not Denmark - that would be a long drive). This is her former estate/coffee plantation/home of the greatest chick story every told. OK, having never read Out of Africa, I didn't have the typical experience that most everyone else seems to have. (I probably haven't seen the movie because of my attitude toward Meryl Streep - I'm with Jerry Seinfeld on this one.) Still, you could tell this was neat for those who knew what to look for. Frankly, the highlight for me was seeing a real African flame tree. More properly called the African tulip tree, the bright orange flowers up top naturally lend its nickname. I thought this flame tree was just something made up - I was wrong.

For lunch we headed to the Kiambethu Farm, where Marcus welcomed us to his home, for a brief lesson on the tea trade, coffee and drinks, and the first of a zillion fantastic meals. The Colobus monkeys that live on the estate are a sight to see, especially when one of the 10 dogs starts barking at them.

We eventually headed back to the city for a brief rest. That evening we ate dinner at the Pinto's estate. Although Felix was out, Jane met us at the top of the stairs to welcome us to her home. We started with an awesome passion fruit punch, wine, and veggie dip (yummy yogurt-based). Dinner was curry chicken, sweet potatoes, corn off the cob in coconut sauce, and many other treats. We were treated to Alfred leading a chorus of Jambo Bwana, while presenting the birthday cake to B. (That reminds me, I need to introduce everyone, so my shorthand makes sense. See below for our cast of charcters.) Jane and the staff of Micato presented the first of what would be a nightly gift. (In Africa, it is tradition for the host to present a gift to the guest when invited into the home.) The men received a hand-carved soapstone dish, and the ladies were presented Malachite bracelets. We were instructed that we would be leaving at 6:30 tomorrow morning, so we headed back to the Norfolk for the night, with instructions to have our bags outside our door at 6:15 for the porters to deliver to the bus. Betsy and I went to bed that night, with heads spinning and so anxious to get to Amboseli!

For a few shots to enjoy, click here.

And now, introducing our cast of characters:

R&B - A couple from outside Jacksonville, Florida. FSU fans. In our safari vehicle. (They have tried several tour companies, and love Micato.)

B&MJ - A couple from outside Tampa, Florida. Travelling with MJ's sister-in-law E. (MJ can make things happen.)

E - Single traveller from New York. In our safari vehicle. (Having her in the van was a true gift - her enthusiasm is infectious.)

Jn&Je - A couple from Bakersfield, California. VERY experienced travellers. (Je takes excellent candids.)

B&M - Two friends from opposite coasts. (B is a second-time Micato guest, and M tells fabulous New York stories.)

Sunday, 9 September 2007 (Amsterdam to Nairobi)

2007-10-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

(As told to my journal by me) -- Technically it is Sunday morning, though I don't feel like it is. The flight went pretty quickly, actually. We had a decent breakfast, sort of a breakfast panini and a box of cookies. And normally I don't drink coffee on the plane, but given all the travel and the need to stay awake, I splurged.

We're scheduled to land in about 15 minutes, or 6:45AM. Given that were booked for a 7:25 touchdown, that's pretty good. No way Delta would have made that time, and they get priority out of ATL. (So far, KLM has done a great job. I really didn't know what to expect, but it's been better than I thought it would be. Although I don't understand why they collect the headphones at the end of the flight. Glad I have my own.)

9:53AM -- The airport got busy quickly this morning. Luckily we arrived at gate F-2 and had to go to F-9. We ran into the same couple we saw at ATL, at check-in, then again at the mailbox at concourse E. They were on our flight over, one aisle behind us, then right in front of us at F-9. (This would end up being a theme.) They are from Alpharetta, meeting some friends for another safari. He said they did it about five years ago, and the experience was just indescribable (yet another recurring theme - although isn't that adjective pretty much contradictory?) They said they are doing a sort of private safari, picking particular places they'd like to visit this time, based on what they saw earlier. Meanwhile, I heard my first Kiswahili being spoken, to the Dutch flight attendants behind us. And I haven't found any other Micat-ites yet.

1:52PM -- Trying to get myself awake. Probably a good idea not to sleep the rest of the flight, so as to get on the right schedule. I should put my contact lenses in. And when do we cross the equator, anyway? I want to say a little hello and thank you to Paw-Paw when we do - as adults, we never got to talk about his Navy experiences, but Mom said he always remembered getting thrown into the Pacific on his first southern crossing. I'm making my own!

5:41PM -- Now I am seriously clock-watching. And just a little bit nervous! Whoever said the food on KLM was bad was nuts. I just had a great soup, salad, and dessert. It was a curry soup with those little fried onion things, and a carrot salad with dried papaya fruit. And it was served McDLT-style, which is awesome.

10:52PM -- I' M HERE! Wow, this is too amazing. We bought some cash as soon as we got off the plane. No idea how good the rate was (65:1), as compared to non-tourist locations. (Didn't know at the time that Micato would change Shillings for us tomorrow at a slightly better rate.)

We had to wait in two different lines at visa control because they didn't know what to do with us since we already had our visas.

Waiting for our bags was actually nerve-racking, not knowing what to expect, how long it would take, which direction the thing would go, etc. It seemed to take forever. Little did (wait a minute - shifting now to past-tense reporting style) we know that Micato had an ace up their sleeve - Selma, she who can make magic happen at NBO! I think she spotted us when we reached for another Micato bag, not ours. Within seconds she was over to introduce herself, and to welcome us to Kenya. She said there were six total on the flight, us plus four others. (These would turn out to be the couple from California, J&J, and the two friends that work together, but live on opposite coasts, B&M. B's luggage experience, and Selma's relentless pursuit of the bags, would come up again later.) When the bags showed up, Selma showed us where to sit and wait for the other four. After gathering everyone, we proceeded to the vans, joined by driver Charles. The drive to the hotel was sort of uneventful, since it was well into evening at this point and there was very little to see.

The hotel, the Norfolk , is beautiful. It looks like classic royal lodgings. The lovely Micato hostess (Kisea, our concierge), brought our keys and led us to our rooms, with an appointment to get started on our Monday gathering at 7:45AM. The room had roses waiting for us, and a wonderful fruit basket. This was also my first experience with bottled water as a cleaning tool. It's easy to slip up with things like running your toothbrush under the faucet by mistake. But there is always bottled water available at every lodge, and Micato always makes sure you have plenty available wherever you are. The room was two twin beds, and a very comfortable bathroom. There was some construction going on, so we had a view of the under-renovation health club. But as we would find out quickly, it wouldn't matter too much, because Micato makes sure you earn your free time (i.e. - they keep you pretty busy!) We settled in pretty quickly, cleaned up just a bit, then went to sleep, ready to get the adventure started tomorrow.

Saturday, 8 September 2007 (Atlanta to Amsterdam)

2007-09-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

I had been smiling non-stop all day long. It started with a Weight Watchers meeting, where B and I had our pre-safari weigh-in. We thought it would be neat to see how we did after two weeks of African safari food. (Little did we know exactly how well we would eat during our journey.) We had our friends witness our living wills (always a good idea to get an update before traveling overseas), and they wished us luck, happy pictures, and happy eating.

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:45, so we spent the day relatively quietly. This was going to be very hard, saying goodbye to Momma and the Three for two weeks. I expected it to be hardest on Noble. Abby and Angus tend to stick together, whereas Noble, being the Alpha, is most comfortable when the entire pack is together. And they know the difference between a weekend in Tallahassee and a major trip (though either way Angus enjoys a good nap on the clothes.) I don't remember how many times we kissed the furries between wake-up and lunchtime.

After going through the bags one final time, we had a light lunch, then headed to the airport around 1:00. They say give about 3 hours for an international flight out of ATL, so we made sure to get there around 1:45. I wish we could have spent more time as a family, but usually it's easiest if we just say our goodbyes at the curb. Again, it was very hard, handing out the hugs, and best wishes. But all the time I have been reminded of how great this gift was, and would be, to be able to make this safari, when I never in my life thought it could happen. So we said goodbye, thankful for the chance to come home and share memories, pictures, videos, and to celebrate being together again. Backpacks on our shoulders, Micato bags rolling behind us, through the doors and off we were.

Thankfully the typical ATL experience was not typical this time. From check-in, through security, and to the gate, under an hour. Really not too shabby at all. B went and got a Starbucks, and I started listening to my safari mix on my iPod (for the first of a zillion times on this trip). We spoke to Momma two or three times before boarding KLM flight 622. We had some nice folks sitting all around us, including a young gentleman with a look of purpose on his face. I wondered where he was off to in Europe, but figured I'd never find out. Sitting in seat 20B, I couldn't help but look around us and wonder to myself "who else on this flight is going on safari?" I guessed we wouldn't find other adventurers until we got on the next flight. We were scheduled for 12 in our group, so there seemed to be a good chance to have at least two others on our next leg.

It was a very comfortable plane, comfy seats, with those neat side-folding headrests and a cornucopia of choices with the in-seat entertainment. The dinner was good, with chicken, curry cous cous and a light sponge cake. Of course I followed that with a brownie, a Butterfinger, and a mint patty, all from home. The lights didn't go off until very late, and although I liked the idea of choosing from the movies, I brought my sleepmask for the purpose of actually sleeping, so I figured I should go ahead and get a few hours, but not before enjoying some more iTunes. I had loaded Toto's Africa, and it wasn't until recently that I realized the line "...as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti" was a complete myth - Kilimanjaro rises over Amboseli, thank you very much. I should write a letter to VH1. Time to get a few winks, just enough to make it through the layover at Schiphol.

My First Serengeti Lions

2007-09-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

The Lilac Breasted Roller

2007-09-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

19 hours to take off...

2007-09-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Will I even get any sleep tonight? Probably, I'm pretty beat.

Lord, please be with us all while we go on our adventure. Even when our family is apart, we know that we are together because you are with us. Thank you for this blessing.

One more day at work...

2007-09-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Then it's off to Africa. Trying to wrap up everything here and get my mind in the right frame of mind. Funny, how some vacations will put you in the right frame of mind (Disney, anyone?) and others need a little prepping. I think just being over there will do it for me, but I enjoying trying to focus on what's to come.

Mother just sent me a wonderful message, the Real Simple Daily Thought:

September 06, 2007
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.
— St. Augustine

Even longer than I thought

2007-09-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm at work, so I have to make this quick, but MAN, this is going to be a long week. I've checked the countdown clock (get it here at http://www.timeleft.info) on my desktop about 30 times already. I've even set my watch ahead 7 hours. This is nuts.

The final countdown

2007-09-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

Something tells me this is going to be one of the longer weeks in recent memory...

In one week, I'll be in Nairobi

2007-09-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

The bags are packed, saved for a few items. We've been through our list a few times, and the weight in each duffel (duffell?) is less than 33. It helps to add the heavy stuff to the backpack, and make sure they don't weight that!

I wonder how relaxed or removed from stress I'll feel this time next week. I hope so.

One Week

2007-09-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Flight leaves a week from today. Now is the time to go through the bag and make sure we have everything. I noticed that Micato changed the recommended packing list. No they say just 4 sets of underwear, fewer changes of clothes, etc. That's not a bad thing, I guess. It all turns on weight and how often you wish to have your clothes cleaned.

I've updated my backpack, now it's ready to go.

And currently playing on mouseworldradio....Horizons ride-thru. Nice.

A Brief Detour

2007-08-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

Only because I like spreading the word, a few great blogs for Disney-philes out there. Or really anyone who likes interesting trivia, news, and information about Disney, especially if you plan on taking a trip at some point.

Jeff Pepper's blog - http://2719hyperion.blogspot.com/
Lou Mongello's site - http://disneyworldtrivia.com/
Lou's Podcast (go listen to show #26 for 8/5/07 - Lou read my email) - http://wdwradio.com/
Foxxfur's blog (I don't recall her name - great stuff about theme park design) - http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/
DIS Unplugged (awesome podcast) - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-podcast/
Mouse World Radio (24/7 streaming of real in-park audio) - http://mouseworldradio.com/

9 Days, 6 Hours....

2007-08-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

OK, I had to pack a few extra items. Now that I know my carry-on doesn't count against my weight limit, I've put back some shampoo, and some spray-on insect repellant. I've also added one more pair of shorts and some pajamas. Normally, I wouldn't worry about over-packing, but in this case, I will. However, given that the camera and film take up about 6 pounds, and they will be on my back, I think I'm going to make it.

10 Days And Counting

2007-08-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I've got just about everything packed. My Micato bag weight is under 33 pounds. (Thanks to Lynda for the reminder.) B and I will probably just go through everything again this weekend, make any last minute purchases, then watch the calendar. I need to get a flickr account or something set up, and I've got to check on power options one more time.

Oh man, I'll be on a plane a week from Saturday, on my way to Africa....

2007-07-08T06:24:00.001-07:00

Just 60 days away from the trip. Most of the items have been collected, save for some new sunglasses and tapes for the video camera. Once the duffel arrives from Micato, we can start packing.

My adventure begins soon

2007-06-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting all sorts of updates and other stuff as I approach my dream trip - Africa!