Jun 4, 2017 - Back to civilization

Up at 5:30 and get picked up by the bus and taken to a cold breakfast. Then we loaded up the truck and started the long drive to the airport. We stopped a couple times for toilet breaks and as we were running a bit late we decided on a take away lunch. We stopped in at a mall and ordered food and drinks. Some odd trips to the bathroom and a bit of a delay as Shadrick had not gotten lunch yet. Then off we went with one more rest stop then at the airport. There we said goodbye to everyone and went looking for our flight. Met by “helpers” who...

May 21, 2017 - All around the park

Up at 5:30 after a very chilly night! With the toilet all the way across the camp it was time for innovation during the evening! We got dressed in the dark and headed off to a cool breakfast with everybody shivering - it was in the low 40s or so. But we were all in good spirits because we had slept for the first time on our whole trip and it was going to be a day in Kruger! We headed off at about 6:30 as that was when the animals would be most active. We headed to known watering holes in particular. We at first saw a herd of impalas that...

May 20, 2017 - Kruger National Park!

Flight landed at about 5:30 and we disembarked with no problems. Customs was not an issue. However, when we got to the luggage pickup there was no luggage. Jan and Kitty stayed to deal with the problem and I went and caked the tour company to let them know we were finally there. Kitty and Jan came out after about ½ hour and we waited – I got a text from Alice saying to get in touch with the tour company. I did again and after a bit of back and forth it was straightened out. Maxwell – one of the guides – showed up about 7:20 and we joined...

Mar 19, 2017 - Last day

Now that it's time to leave I've finally got this wifi/cellular data/internet thing figured out! My biggest insight in that department is that trying to type a journal on a phone is ridiculous. Okay, and now the phone is, literally typing most of this for me! Cracks me up! I'll write one more entry after I get home, with, perhaps, a little more insight. This is a beautiful place. Gotta go

Mar 16, 2017 - Finally, wifi that works!

We'll, this hasn't worked out quite like I'd planned. Turns out that this "My Trip Journal" takes a lot of band width to send, and the routers out on safari just couldn't support it. For the best description of our first week, check out the "4 day, lodge/treehouse safari" at Vivasafaris.com. We had a blast, saw all of the "big five", and met wonderful people. I loved seeing all the animals and being outside all the time. We got little to no sleep, but we were having too much fun to notice. We ate some traditional foods, freshly prepared...

Mar 14, 2017 - Sleepless or sleeping in Toronto

Well folks, “it ain’t over till it’s over” as wise Yogi Berra once said.Seems our problem of missing a flight at Nairobi was a harbinger of what was to become The Return Trip. To give a perspective of the return timeline, we were dropped off at 5 AM Monday Montreal time at George airport, and by the time we arrived home, it was 7 PM Wednesday. My abacus is snowed under in Montreal, but I can attest that it is a fairly long time to be sleep deprived when traipsing through airports etc. So, 2 hours from George to Johannesburg, 2 hours...

Mar 7, 2017 - Overnight in Capetown

Spent the night in a real bed, sleeping horizontally. Luxury! Now we're back at the airport to catch another flight, this time to Johannesburg to catch up with our safari group. Now the fun begins!! We're booked on a 4 day, "Treehouse" safari at Kruger National Park. We stay in huts (which are as large as my house, I think), out in the bush, then go out in Jeeps or hiking to look for animals. Gotta get on the plane.

Mar 4, 2017 - R&R at Letizia and Ric's

March 5-12 2017 Good decision to travel to Kilimanjaro in the daylight. Driver had two speeds, slow and slower. Foot on accelerator then on brake over and over again. Sylvia's motion sickness pills were put to a real stress test. Back at the Kia Lodge –wine was good but the showers had as previously reported the two water jets again – very hot from one and very cold from the other! First hint of trouble was after a 04:00 start we were told the Air Precision (really!) flight was one hour delayed. Since we had a one hour twenty minute...

Jan 10, 2017 - South Africa 2016/2017

December 10/11/12, 2016 Toronto to Munich, Germany We flew Air Canada from Toronto to Munich. We spent a sleepless 7 hour night flight in the back row, not only unable to recline our seats back but with the passengers in front of us reclined into our laps! We enjoyed German brewed coffee in the airport before stepping out into the festive atmosphere. The Christmas decor consisted of a large skating rink that was full of skaters, and a large, festive market. We hopped on the train ride for a 45 minute ride to Marine PLatte in Munich. We...

Sep 27, 2016 - More once-in-a-lifetime experiences

As we sit here in the lounge in the Johannesburg, there is a lot to remember and discuss over the past couple of days. Our trip could not have ended any better than it did at Ulusaba Safari Lodge. After the first day, we awoke early again for another drive where we saw many more animals making their way to water and food. It was another nice day outdoors and we needed massages back at the lodge to settle us before the long journey home. After a nap and lunch, it was time for the evening drive. It was nothing spectacular as it began, so we...

Sep 25, 2016 - The Big 5

There is so much to say here I don’t even know where to begin. There are so many details I will try to capture without boring everyone to tears! We arrived at Skukuza Airport around 12:30 and were met by our guide and tracker that we would be with the next 2 days. The guide’s name is Ismael and the tracker is called Wanted. Immediately, we knew we would hit it off with them. They drove us to the lodge in the open-air Land Rover Defender (we would use this for game drives as well), and upon arrival were met by a very friendly staff and our...

Sep 25, 2016 - Ulusaba and animals feeding

We left Lion Sands Narina with heavy hearts, as we knew we would miss all of the wonderful people that made our time there so memorable. Ismael and Wanted, Darren, Eugene, Ellon, Simon and all the rest. Thank you for such an unbelievable time and you are all very special people! We made the hour trek to Ulusaba, which would be our last stop on this African adventure. Ulusaba is game reserve located in Sabi Sands and owned by the English billionaire Richard Branson. We were greeted warmly upon our arrival and shown to our rooms. The property...