I'm Going to Mhkuze...

Mkhuze!  Finally!  The whole reason for going to Africa!  To work with wildlife conservation monitors and help them, well, monitor the wildlife in the Mkhuze game reserve.  There are many different types of animals in the park, giraffe, dogs, elephants, rhino, impala, birds etc., but only some of the animals were being actively monitored - The wild dogs, the cheetahs, elephants,  and vultures.  The dogs and cheetahs had radio collars on them.  Twice a day the dogs had to be tracked and once a day we went out either looking for the elephants or the cheetahs or whatever came along. 

Apparently, on top of loss of habitat, disease and other issues, poaching is a problem in South Africa.  Since the wild dogs are one of the most endangered species in all of Africa (I think there are only about 3500 left or something like that), they get top priority along with the cheetahs.  Literally, every single animal matters.  The wild dogs just had a litter of pups as well as the cheetah, Misty, who had 5 cubs.  

My camp consisted of 4 women:  A Brazilian, a Canadian, a German and me.  Sounds like the start of a bad joke, doesn't it? - So a Brazilian, a Canadian, a German and an American walk into a bar....... 

These women were wonderful!  Each of us there for our own reasons, but there just the same. Our monitor was Meghan who exuded passion for these animals.  

On our first day we got to see the dogs right off the bat!  All the adults!  And they were on a tear about something!  Turns out there was another wild dog that didn't belong to the pack that got them all in a tizzy.  

"It's that other dog I tell you!  I can smell it!  It was just here!  Where did it go, where did it go?"

Anyway, not only did we get to see the dogs, but we learned how to use the telemetry, learned the difference between a resting signal and a moving signal, and how to tell the direction it's coming from.  I felt very official, and so excited!

This is not me, but I do look this impressive when I am tracking too! That's my story and I'm sticking with it :-)

Vasco Da Who? And Brad Pitt is a Merman? You Don't Say!

How awesome is Cape Town?  F'in awesome!  Take San Diego, mush it with Big Sur and Napa Valley and add a really cool accent -- BINGO! Cape Town!  How are the people of Cape Town? F'in awesome!  How do I know this?  Because I made two friends while I was there.  Oh I know it was their job to be nice to me, but I really feel I made friends, even if it was just for the day.

So who were these people?  They were my guides during my stay there.  Jacques picked me up at my B&B the first day and we did The Peninsula Tour.  At first I didn't know what this entailed because my fabulous travel agent, Camilla,  booked the tour based on my request to see penguins.  That's all I cared about.  So to me everything else didn't really matter.  I was going to see penguins!  So Jacques (and no, he is not French) picked me up and started his tour guide.  He pointed out different mountains and areas and gave me the local run down.  All very interesting I must say.

However, you know that moment when you realize you may not have all your synapses firing at the same time?  No one else may realize it but you do?  I asked Jacques to give me the history of Cape Town, when it started, who was there, blah blah blah.  Basic history.  So he starts to tell me about this guy Bartholomew Dias and his ship, and I stop hearing him a little, because my brain is pinging some registration on the name.  Then he mentions Vasco Da Gama and then it all clicks. Into place. Slowly.  

It went something like this:  Bartholomew Dias, I know that name.  Where do I know that name?  I taught that name.  When did I teach that name.  Vasco Da Gama?  Oh I know that name too!  Wait! These guys are explorers.  They traveled, where?  They traveled around The Cape of Good Hope!  The Cape of Good Hope is in.... South of Africa!  I'm in Africa!  WAAAIIIITTT!  I'm near the Cape of Good Hope??? This is so much better than the penguins!!!  All of this was in my head, mind you along followed by - How did you not know this?  What 2 synapses did not function properly to make the connection? 

(Uh Duh!)

So Jacques took me to see the penguins (so cute) and the Cape of Good Hope (so awesome) and the botanical gardens (so beautiful), not to mention a seal tour (they sleep a lot).  Along the way he pointed out various points of interest and we drove through some really cool towns.  Along the way we had some really cool conversations and I realize, us humans, we are not so different.  We all have the same hopes and goals and needs and wants.  That is the best part of any trip for me. 

(Not penguins, but we saw them on the way to the Cape of Good Hope)

(That's a baboon.  He's on a boat)

The next day Yvonne picked me up and we "did the wine country".  She asked me a few questions at first to get a feel for who I was, and then she customized the tour a little bit to suit my personality.   Even though it was only 10:00am we went Brandy tour and tasting.   Brandy at 10:00 can be really nice with the right juice.  Yum!  We stopped at the oldest store in South Africa - the Oom Sammie se Winkel.  What an odd but interesting little store!  Then  we drove through Stellenbosch and had lunch in Franschoek.  From there we went to Victor Verster prison where Nelson Mandela was released.  Very moving.  Then off to wine tasting!  We went to Fairview but Yvonne kept the best for last.... wait for it....  CHOCOLATE TASTING!!!! Think about it, I'll give you a moment.  Yep, like wine tasting but with chocolate!  I think I heard angels singing, not to mention the extra baggage I had to get for all the chocolate I purchased! Yvonne's the best!!!  Even though the end of tour was at hand, Yvonne still pulled through.  She knew I wanted to see the waterfront but wasn't sure how to navigate the taxis and transportation.  She drove me to the waterfront, talked with a taxi driver and arranged for pick up at a specific time.   

Which brings me to my point about this whole post.  Jacques and Yvonne were my tour guides, but they both made me feel like an old family friend.  They could have stuck to the "tour guide speech", but instead I got to know them as people. And what great people they are!  Jacques could be the type of guy you drink a beer with, watch a game, have a b-b-q with, while Yvonne has that total Mammaluca vibe (yes, I made up this word but it works)!  She looked out for me as if I were one of her family.  Without them, Cape Town would not have been the awesome experience it was!  Thank you both!

PS - There is a mall at the Waterfront and when you go up one of the escalators, this unfolds in front of you.  Tell me I'm wrong!  I dare you!

Where in the World????

For those of you interested in knowing where in the world have I been, get out your maps. I landed in Johannesburg, South Africa and then caught a flight to Livingstone, Zambia.  It is there I got to see the beautiful Victoria Falls along the Zambezi River.  The River Club is also on the Zambezi. 

The next day we drove to the Botswana border. After you cross the border (an affair in and of itself) you take a water taxi across the river. This particular spot is where 4 countries meet - Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe I think. Need to double check.  from there, we drove to the the Chobe River and spent some time on a boat cruise.  Following  me so far?

 Ok, we left the boat cruise and drove to the "airport" in Kasane which consists of nothing  but an airstrip. No terminals, no bathrooms, no currency exchange place, no building. Nothing. An air strip. This is where we caught our "flight" to Linyanti.  By flight I mean sardine can with wings. Nothing about this was ok.  I don't want to see the pilot. I don't want to be able to see out the front window. It was a bumpy ride, and with every breeze we hit I was convinced we were going down. Going down with a panoramic view of the crash! If you haven't noticed,  I'm very dramatic when it comes to flying.

 

Needless to say 35 minutes later we landed on an even smaller airstrip and then headed to the camp on the Linyanti River. This camp is where we saw the cheetah, leopard, lioness  and our afternoon visit from the elephant. Not to mention the nightly hippo party which were sometimes crashed by the elephants. Very noisy at night, everyone seemed to be having a good time and we were not invited. I felt like a small child who had been put to bed but couldn't sleep because my parents were having a party downstairs with all their friends and I wasn't  allowed to get out of bed.  

We stayed in Linyanti for a few days and then back to the airstrip for another flight to Khwai. This time, one of the members of my group was able to sit up front seat with the pilot. Weirdly that really intrigued me!  And I have so say this ride was much better.  This pilot looked like he could do this bush flying in his sleep!  So off to Khwai we flew and stayed in that camp for a few days.  Still with me on the map?

The last leg consisted of driving from Khwai to the airstrip in Banoka to catch a tin can to Xigera  in the Okavango Delta. I, yes I, sat up front next to the pilot. Captain, my Captain! Or Darren if you prefer, is one of these old salty, bush types in the making. Give him another 20 years and he will have achieved it.  Instead of my usual "Give me a Xanax, we're all gonna die!", Cool  as a Cucumber, This is Child's Play, Darren, made the whole thing quite uneventful. It was awesome!

Blurry Darren

Yep, me sitting in the front!  

Do you see them?? 

As you can see the Okavango Delta is nothing like what we had been staying in for a week.  There is no way to get to Xigera except by either speed boat or Makuro.  Personally, I liked the Makuro the best.  Our "driver" Chris, is the one who had never heard of Star Wars yet is on Facebook and has e-mail.  He was a great guy, and  his wife worked at the camp as well.  Again, everyone exuded joy, passion, and delight with the world.  They each told me how much they love working for Wilderness Safaris and they love living in the "outdoors".  

Heading to our camp

Me getting a Makuro driving lesson.  I have to say I was pretty good!

That's the problem with wildlife, they walk away just when you get the perfect shot!

It was sad to end this portion of my trip but I had a couple more planes to catch.  We left Xigera and flew to Maun, Botswana.  A veritable metropolis!  And the airport was actually a building!  Granted it was one room, but they had a bathroom, and a check in, and a customs section.  From there I flew back to Johannesburg and then caught a connecting flight to Cape Town where I have been for the past 4 days.  You know, by the time this is all said and done, Salty Dog Darren will have nothing on me!!!

I Made It!!!

So after a 15 hour flight, 4 movies, 1 1/2 mile walk around the plane, a 1 hour stint at a vodacom store at the airport to buy an international phone (even though I brought one with me- don't ask) and rent data plans for said new phone and iPad, I finally made it to the hotel and slept!  This morning I got up and headed to the airport for another flight to Zambia to officially start my safari when I was told the flight was overbooked and there were no more seats available!!!! WTF??? My trip is going to end before it even began???? I have to say one thing though, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in South Africa is very nice and the customer service is superb!  However, even with them being top notch customer service people, there is only so much one can do for an overbooked flight. I mean, are they going to strap me to the roof? Put me it cargo?  It all rested on this one mysterious open business class seat. After a nail biting hour and a half of hanging out at the airport, wondering if all my new data plans were being hacked as I read my e-book, I was finally allowed to race through security, run to the gate and catch my flight. Was it worth it?  You betcha!!! Take a look at Victoria Falls and my room for this evening at The River Club!