Another wonderful trip is about to begin. A week from tomorrow Tom and I are joining our dear friends Don and Gwenna Brush for two weeks in Africa, perhaps the most exotic of our destinations so far. Gwenna orchestrated my first trip to Asia in 2004, pre-blog days, which now seem very long ago. Led by Gwenna, eleven women, including me, traveled to Bangkok, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and it was then I fell in love with travel outside of our former comfort zone, which had always been Europe. Since then, Tom and I have made two trips to Asia and, God willing and if the stock market returns to solvency, we will go again.
But Africa...now that's a different story. My few tentative suggestions to the Breadwinner that maybe we should consider a trip to the Dark Continent were met with negatives. So, not being one to kick a gift horse in the teeth, I would back off and bring up South America, or another trip to Asia, much of which is still unexplored.
And then Gwenna, the president and founder of the Maxcel Company--a highly successful supplier of incentive and group travel, conventions, and special events--asked us if we would like to accompany her and Don on a two week African adventure. And oh by the way, the travel company planning the trip is the top tour agency in South Africa and is courting Gwenna in hopes of getting her business in the future. Suddenly hizzoner was more than a little interested.
Thus the trip was planned. We have lived in anticipation for eight or ten months and now the time is here. I've read the itinerary over and over and frankly I'm still not clear when people ask about where we are going. I have to refer to the printed matter in order to tell them. Of all the ends of the earth, to me Africa is the strangest. It is huge and mysterious, full of wonders not found elsewhere. The names of the places are difficult to pronounce and just as difficult to remember.
But as an introduction to this latest blog effort, here is roughly where we will be going. After a painfully long flight--Dallas to Atlanta, then 18 hours from Atlanta to Johannesburg, and then another two hours to Cape Town, South Africa--we will finally fall asleep in a beautiful hotel on the Victoria and Alfred waterfront. Assuming we survive the flight(s), we will spend the next three days exploring the Cape Town vicinity including wine tasting, whale watching, and even shark diving which we will probably skip. We will see the jackass penguins (had to get that in there) as well. They are so named because of the braying sounds that they make.
Then we go to the true Africa--Zambia, the land of wild animals, exotic birds, and vegetation found only in the bush. Hopefully we will see the Big Five--surprisingly, not necessarily the animals you would think. Try and guess and I'll tell you later who the Big Five are. We will be staying at the Tinga Game Reserve where we will learn the basics about "bushcraft" and shown the habitats of the wildlife.
Next we go to Victoria Falls, arguably one of the Wonders of the World depending on whose list you are looking at. The Falls straddles Zambia and Zimbabwe and we will see it from the Zambian side. We will be guided privately by Mr. Russell Gammon, evidently a quite famous Scottish ex-pat whose passion for Africa and the Falls has led him to follow in the footsteps of the great David Livingstone (Dr. Livingstone, I presume) and a well-known expert in the field in his own right. To get his undivided attention is touted as one of the highlights of the trip.
We end in Botswana, at Chobe National Park, home to the largest population of Elephant in the world, approximately 120,000 of the grand and lumbering beasts. I am confidant that we will see at least a few of them. I have a particular fascination for elephants, fueled no doubt by our up close and personal encounters with them in Thailand. There is something so dignified, so majestic, and even wise, about their conduct and demeanor. When we sat atop our personal elephant at the camp in Chiang Mai, it was like being entrusted to an old and venerable sage who would protect and shield us from all evils.
During the two weeks, we will stay in a number of different accommodations--among them a large Victorian urban hotel, a private wine/olive estate resembling a Tuscan villa, a private game lodge on the banks of a river, an old farmhouse with wide veranda overlooking beautiful gardens, a health spa situated in a forest of lemon trees and lavender bushes, a grand estate house from the colonial era, and two safari lodges with luxurious suites that are actually tents rather than traditional buildings. Keep in mind that Dragonfly Africa, the above-mentioned tour company, has set this up to impress Gwenna, not us--we are merely the most willing appendages tagging along for the ride.
And then we come home, further enriched by the beauties of our earth. We are so fortunate to be able to do this and we take nothing for granted. We thank God for this opportunity and we will make every effort to make the most of it.
Thus the trip was planned. We have lived in anticipation for eight or ten months and now the time is here. I've read the itinerary over and over and frankly I'm still not clear when people ask about where we are going. I have to refer to the printed matter in order to tell them. Of all the ends of the earth, to me Africa is the strangest. It is huge and mysterious, full of wonders not found elsewhere. The names of the places are difficult to pronounce and just as difficult to remember.
But as an introduction to this latest blog effort, here is roughly where we will be going. After a painfully long flight--Dallas to Atlanta, then 18 hours from Atlanta to Johannesburg, and then another two hours to Cape Town, South Africa--we will finally fall asleep in a beautiful hotel on the Victoria and Alfred waterfront. Assuming we survive the flight(s), we will spend the next three days exploring the Cape Town vicinity including wine tasting, whale watching, and even shark diving which we will probably skip. We will see the jackass penguins (had to get that in there) as well. They are so named because of the braying sounds that they make.
Then we go to the true Africa--Zambia, the land of wild animals, exotic birds, and vegetation found only in the bush. Hopefully we will see the Big Five--surprisingly, not necessarily the animals you would think. Try and guess and I'll tell you later who the Big Five are. We will be staying at the Tinga Game Reserve where we will learn the basics about "bushcraft" and shown the habitats of the wildlife.
Next we go to Victoria Falls, arguably one of the Wonders of the World depending on whose list you are looking at. The Falls straddles Zambia and Zimbabwe and we will see it from the Zambian side. We will be guided privately by Mr. Russell Gammon, evidently a quite famous Scottish ex-pat whose passion for Africa and the Falls has led him to follow in the footsteps of the great David Livingstone (Dr. Livingstone, I presume) and a well-known expert in the field in his own right. To get his undivided attention is touted as one of the highlights of the trip.
We end in Botswana, at Chobe National Park, home to the largest population of Elephant in the world, approximately 120,000 of the grand and lumbering beasts. I am confidant that we will see at least a few of them. I have a particular fascination for elephants, fueled no doubt by our up close and personal encounters with them in Thailand. There is something so dignified, so majestic, and even wise, about their conduct and demeanor. When we sat atop our personal elephant at the camp in Chiang Mai, it was like being entrusted to an old and venerable sage who would protect and shield us from all evils.
During the two weeks, we will stay in a number of different accommodations--among them a large Victorian urban hotel, a private wine/olive estate resembling a Tuscan villa, a private game lodge on the banks of a river, an old farmhouse with wide veranda overlooking beautiful gardens, a health spa situated in a forest of lemon trees and lavender bushes, a grand estate house from the colonial era, and two safari lodges with luxurious suites that are actually tents rather than traditional buildings. Keep in mind that Dragonfly Africa, the above-mentioned tour company, has set this up to impress Gwenna, not us--we are merely the most willing appendages tagging along for the ride.
And then we come home, further enriched by the beauties of our earth. We are so fortunate to be able to do this and we take nothing for granted. We thank God for this opportunity and we will make every effort to make the most of it.
3 comments:
Monday
Hi Sara and Tom,
I am sorry we did not talk to you before you left. I know you are as excited as we are to hear about your travels. Yes, I know it will be a very long flight(s) and you will be exhausted. But the brass ring at the end of the tarmac will be your reward and I know you will have a glorious time. God Speed to you both and give our regards to Gwenna and Don.
Hugs, Mary
i am so jealous! can't wait to read the stories and see the photos.
evan
Mom:
I just LOVE reading your beautiful writing! Not only is it great to hear what you guys are doing, but the way your write it is such a pleasure to read! I can't wait to read more as you move through your trip.
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