Enjoy the "Treasures of the World" with Bill & Mary Ann on the 2014 World Cruise

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Have a great time ...

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Have a great time ...

[erewhon]

Have a super overland excursion, Stay safe.

[WJBWJB]

Hi All ,

 

The blog is now updated through report 88!

 

Happy Reading!

 

http://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com/

[Rotterdam]

for all your thoughtfulness & efforts in providing the blog & posts for their adventure. I usually start to miss the daily read they/ you provide once their cruises are completed - but I miss them already just after 2 days while they are on safari!!!!

 

Full moon / smooth seas to you all. Hello from New York City.

 

 

Hi All ,

 

The blog is now updated through report 88!

 

Happy Reading!

 

http://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com/

[WCB]

Report # 89 Durban, South Africa March 28, 2014 Friday Mostly sunny, 79 degrees

 

The Amsterdam quietly sailed into the first port of South Africa, Durban, around 5 am this morning. Anticipating a busy morning, we were already awake well before we sailed past the bright lighthouse that took us into the harbor. Everyone onboard was going to be required to pass through a mandatory immigration inspection with the local officials. Our time slot was moved to 6:30am, which was fine with us. All of the independant overlanders like us, were getting this process out of the way, so they would be able to leave as early as they needed to. We were in no hurry, since our scheduled ride was at 11am, giving us plenty of time to enjoy one last breakfast in the dining room, finish packing our few things for the trip, and let our waiters and room stewards know we will be away for 5 days.

 

The process was not as quick as usual, since the officials really took their time with each person. Complicating the inspection, were many people who chose to go early, even when they had a later number. No one was checking. Even though they tell us to bring the letter with us, no one ever reads them. From the way most people were dressed, we would say they had come straight from bed, and were heading back there afterwards. This check was still taking place when we were watching for our ride from the promenade deck at 10:30am. The ship was docked in a different berth, with another ship in the pier where we were tied up last year.

 

At the same time we were waiting for our ride, the entourage for the Archbishop Tutu's arrival were coming to the ship a little at a time. A red carpet had been rolled out, and the head staff were present for the greeting. In this crowd were the Captain, Henk and Christel, Tom G, the dining room manager, and Shiv, the head of housekeeping to name a few. Although we did not see the special guests arrive ( Stein Kruse, his wife, Gerald B., Arnold Donald and his wife, Sally Andrews, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, his wife, and several of his family members), we did see the red carpet come flying out for the new President and CEO of HAL, Mr. Arnold Donald. With all the special fuss, we wondered if the port gate had been closed to all traffic. We were told that it did delay the tour buses andpick ups. So we went back to get our stuff, and go outside to wait.

 

Our driver did arrive about 10 minutes later, which was great news. The Amsterdam was actually docked in a different place than last year, because the MSC Opera was in the regular terminal. We had no terminal and no way to check on our ride, so like we said, seeing our driver from Thompson's was a good feeling. Our driver placed our 2 HAL duffel bags in the back of the four seater car, and we were off and running to the airport by 11:15am. The King Shaka Airport was about a 45 minute ride from the port, so we got there with time to spare for our 1:45pm flight to Nelspruit, South Africa.

 

Now, the check-in and security checkpoint was a piece of cake. No long lines, no shoes to be taken off, no small ziplock bag with small toiletries to be taken out. Our bags were well under the limit of 50 pounds, and they never weighed our carryon camera bag and purse. They could weigh as much as 18 pounds, which one of them came close. The plane we were flying in was small with only 37 passengers. That meant that there were more restrictions with weight.

 

King Shaka is a very small, but modern airport, so there were only a handful of stores near our terminal. Mostly souvenier shops, perfumeries, and jewelry and watch outlets. The only thing we were nterested in buying were two small bars of chocolate, just in case we had no snack on the flight. Gosh, you would think we should be able to go for at least a day without food with all of the over-indulgence on the ship. In fact, it would do us good. Come to think of it, we did pack a few small bags of beef jerky, so we were covered.

 

Boarding time was 1:15pm, but instead of going through the tunnel hook-up, we went on a stand-up bus that took us on the tarmac directly to the waiting plane. The seating was cozy, but we had enough legroom. Still, we were glad the flight was only one hour. And we did get small bags of nuts and fruit chews with a soda before we landed. With the help of the flight instruments, the two lady pilots landed the plane at Nelspruit's Mpumalanga Airport through the many layers of thick overcast. And it got here right on time....2:45pm.

 

This has got to be the smallest airport we have ever been to, but one of the most unique. Uniquely Africa. It is situated on a high bluff overlooking the fertile valley below. There is one restaurant and perhaps four or five shops. After grabbing our bags on the turnstile inside the terminal doors, we met up with our second Thompsons driver of the day. He greeted us with a sign, then grabbed our duffels as soon as we said we would love to make it to the afternoon game drive at the camp. Once again, we had a four seater car with only the two of us as passengers. Nice.

 

Driving a bit aggressively, we ended up at the bush camp after passing through the Sabi Sabi Wildtuin Gate at 4:30pm. According to our travel documents, we were supposed to pay the entrance fee directly. But our driver reached in an envelope, handed it to the gate keeper, and we were on our way. The same thing happened last year as well......no charge.

 

We arrived at the camp around 5pm, were greeted by Dale, the current manager we met last year. He asked if we wanted to join the game drive in progress, and of course, we said an absolute yes. With that, one of the staff members took our duffels and led us to our "home" for the next five days. What a surprise to find we had unit # 4, which was twice as large as the one we had last year. We'll go into details later, because we really did not have time to even see it all before grabbing our cameras and jackets, and heading for Dale's vehicle.

 

We met our driver, Jeffrey, and tracker, Kenneth, and two couples that had been here for two days already. Lucky for one of us, the front seat was vacant, and the perfect place nt tonhave to climb into the higher rows of seats in the back. One couple, Freida and Keith were from South Africa, traveling with friends Lynn and Jack from Maryland. All close to our ages, they seemed to welcome us to their ever-changing group, as we would when we got new folks in a couple of days.

 

Anyway, we saw two female elephants and two twin babies, a rarity among elephants. Sightings of wildebeests, impala, zebra came next. A big herd of impala hang around the game lodge, so if nothing else, you always see them first. Birds were abundant today with sightings of guinea fowl, goaway birds, and francolins. A big fresh pile of rhino poop indicated that he was here recently, but had moved out of sight.

 

At one point, when the sun was beginning to go down, we stopped for "sundowners", their form of snacks and cocktails. Choosing an open area with a few shrubs nearby for bush pit stops, the fellows set up a make shift bar with wine, beers, and mixed drinks. Beginning with champagne shared by Lynn and Jack, we further enjoyed ice cold local beers with snacks of beef jerky, corn nuts, and rusks, a type of African biscotti. They are addictive for sure. It soon got dark, and we loaded up to head back.

 

On the way back in the dark, the tracker lights the roadsides with a spot light, while our driver went slowly looking for game. We did see a lone hyena and a couple of chameleons that were hiding on the tree branches. They turn completely white in the light, and they were almost impossible to see.

 

 

Back at the camp, we joined with the rest of the guests including Margaret and Keith who had not gone on their drive when they arrived. It did make it an extra long day. Another new couple had arrived today named Emily and John. They seemed a bit shy, but would soon get over that with us. The camp was full with a few more guests....making the total number 16. Joining us tonight was Dale, the manager, and Sheldon, one of the young trackers. Six square tables were placed in a row to make it a complete long table for 18 of us. The dining room is covered with a roof and the wall of the living room, but the sides are opened to a view of the field down below. While dining, you get to watch for game that comes to their waterhole on the gentle slope.

 

With a little time before dinner was served at 8pm, we all had another cocktail while we got to know each other. Did we mention there are no electric lights in the camp? All we had were numerous lanterns, candles, and a fire in the pit nearby. Very neat in the living area, but not so easy in our rooms. But we'll get to that later too. Here is a quick list of our dinner items, beginning with a served potato leek soup with fresh slices of whole wheat bread and butter. Followed by a salad of a half of avocado filled with langostino shrimp and thousand island dressing. After that, we were directed to the side table that was set with plates and bowls of mixed salad, sweet corn cut off of the cob, steamed sweet potatoes and carrots, rice, and roasted potatoes. The meats were leg of lamb and roast beef, as much as you like, with gravy too. Dessert was a slice of lemon cake with cream. Amarula, a local liquere made from the marula fruit was offered to each of us. Similar to Irish creme, we sipped a shotglass full every evening. Dinner was over by 9:30pm.

 

It was great to take a shower in candlelight, and slip into the sleigh bed in our double-size room. The only light was from two large lanterns and some candles in the bathroom. Of course, there are no TV's or radios, but there are a few plugs for cameras and computers. And over the bed and sitting area are two ceiling fans. Perfect, because it was warm and sticky humid. In fact, the last customer in this room had a pedestal fan, so we also ran that all night. We slept like babes. It was one heck of a long day, but the perfect start of an excellent adventure.

 

More to come...........

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update. Enjoy your overland.

[ger_77]

Your narrative makes me feel like I'm right there with you - thanks a bunch. BTW, I absolutely love Amarula Crème liquer - there are 2 bottles in my liquor cabinet as we speak.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[bxny]

Great report from the bush. We had our first taste of Amarula in Tanzania last year. We too have a couple of bottles in the closet. Have you seen the You Tube video of the animals getting drunk on the Amarula fruit that drops from the trees. LOL

Edited April 3, 2014 by bxny

[Lauranne]

I am very interested to know the name of your bush camp.

 

Thanks,

Laurie

[WCB]

Report # 90 Safari March 29, 2014 Saturday

 

One of us slept like a log, while the other had a hard time going to sleep. The overhead fans sure did help keep the room comfortable, even though the temperature ws 77 degrees and very humid. Must be clouding up, because there was slight rain around 10pm. Knowing that we would be getting up early, one of us stashed all of the clothes and toiletries where we could easily find them in the morning. Remember, we have no lights just candles, so it makes seeing a lot harder.

 

4:00 am came all too soon, and we were up, dressed, and ready for the wake up visit from our tracker at 5:00am. Every morning, he will arrive at this time with a pot of hot water for either making coffee or hot chocolate. Packets of them were in our room with sugar, cream, and some snacks of chocolate candies, and cashews. Also supplied was a large bottle of water for our daily use in our room.

 

Loaded with our cameras, binoculars, and jackets, we met with the rest of the group in the dining room. We spent half an hour sipping a small amount of coffee mixed with chocolate, while snacking on their special cookies called rusks. Really, they are identical to biscotti, and excellent dipped in hot coffee.

 

Going to our assigned Land Rovers, we were loaded and ready to roll by 5:45am. Jeffrey was our driver/guide, and Kenneth was our tracker, who got to ride the seat on the front of the vehicle. Both fellows are from local tribes, and have been guiding for a few years at this bush camp. Of the three drivers and three trackers, we think they are the youngest. The camp we are at is part of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. It is so big, that it is divided into several parcels, all bush camps. Some are extravagant, while others are more conservative. We can say our camp is somewhere in the middle, more family-oriented, because it is family owned and run. It is described well by their brochure as an intimate safari lodge, a jewel within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, one of South Africa's finest natural sanctuaries. We strongly agree.

 

On with the morning game drive, which lasted until 9am. The list of animals we saw were a herd of impala, wildebeests, and a lone female leopard around 16 years old. Never expected to spot the leopard so soon...great surprise. She was on a mission, probably looking for a cool spot to sleep the day off after a night of hunting. Just as quietly as she appeared, she slipped back into the bush, and soon disappeared from sight. Continuing on, we saw eleven Cape buffalo. In person, these animals are built like brick houses, solid as rocks. And we understand they are mean as they come, capable of killing anything in their path without warning. That makes them the most dangerous of the Big Five.

 

Smaller animals are just as interesting like the francolin birds that choose to run the road in front of the vehicle instead of flying. The small dwarf mongoose have a habit of popping out on the dirt roads too, in search of bugs or lizrds to eat. On the other hand, the four spotted hyenas we found fighting over an old piece of rhino hide, were as vicious as they come. White-backed vultures soared overhead and were perched in trees near the hyenas. They were waiting for their turn at the rotten stinking hide. We were glad to be gone from here. Phew!

 

It was time for a coffee break at a spot where there was a clearing, and a few trees and bushes for a comfort stop. Think you all get the picture. However, this is why we only had a small cup of coffee early this morning......to avoid the inevitable. This is easy for the fellows, but not so much so for the ladies. As well as coffee, they served hot chocolate and the rusks. They even taste better out here.

 

On our way back to the lodge, we saw kudu, a male and female giraffe, and a duiker, a very small antelope. Many birds were spotted, but the prettiest was the lilac breasted roller, a colorful bird with a lilac breast, blue underparts, and greenish nape. They like to perch on tree branches and even power lines, then tumble in flight while spreading their turquoise and white wings in flight. Really a treat to see.

 

Back at the lodge by 9am, we were ready for a hearty breakfast. Everyday we are offered a bush breakfast, which included eggs any way you want and bacon, ham, sausage, and/or, chorizo. Omelettes and French toast are the other two hot entrees. While you wait for your order, they bring a tray full of sliced fruit, yogurts, cereal, freshly-baked muffins, soft boiled eggs, toast, and plates of sliced meats, even sliced avocados. Juice is in the form of a fruit smoothie, and coffee or hot chocolate are served. Local jams and honey and the largest bottle of ketchup were on the table as well. With all this delicious food, we did not need to eat for the rest of the day. Eventually, you learn to taste a little of everything, especially if you like a ham/cheese/mushroom omelette.

 

We met a young couple that also joined yesterday by the names of Emily and John from Georgia. He is from England originally, and they were assigned to Margaret and Keith's vehicle. Lucky them.

 

There was barely enough time to stash our stuff and wash up for the bush walk at 10:30am. It is optional, but a fun activity here. Joseph, their most experienced Shangaan guide and tracker, took four of us today. Emily and John joined us, although their perception of this hike may have been different than what we did. Of course, we remember this walk, since we did the same one last year with Joseph. This was not like a game drive, although we could have run into some of the predators. For that reason, Joseph packed a powerful rifle and plenty of ammo wth him.

 

So what did we see? Mostly working ants, termites, birds, native trees, dung beetles, and some impala. Joseph advised us that more people in Africa die from the small critters than the Big Five. That would be snakes, scorpions, spiders, and of course, the mosquito that carries malaria and yellow fever among others. He emphasized that we need to be aware of our surroundings in the bush at all times. Even though we did not see the dangerous animals, be certain they did see us. Joseph also added that the most important thing to remember was we needed to give the big animals plenty of space between them and us. If we got charged, we should climb a tree. Oh, sure......like that is easy? Well, who knows, if an elephant was on a dead run at you, you may be able to perform miracles, like what happened last year on this same walk. Only one of us was there at the time, but they ran right into a bull elephant, who did charge. Escaping that one, they ran right into a second bull, and had to slowly retreat behind some trees. A memory to keep forever.

 

It was getting hot by now, and conveniently, we came across an ice chest full of waters and sodas, left for us by one of the trackers earlier. Even though the hike was only an hour and a half, we were parched. The ice tea and waters went down in a hurry. We looked forward to another walk tomorrow, because Joseph was full of bush stories and a pleasure to be with. Got back to the camp by 12:30pm or so.

 

Finally, time to relax at our room, or perhaps go to the pool. Frankly, we were pretty tired with all the continuous activity, that staying on our lounge chairs on the balcony was a much better idea. It was also a good idea to take a shower and shave, since this would be the last chance to take advantage of the daylight in the room. Did we mention there is an outdoor shower, as well as one in the large bathroom? It is located so no one can see from the outside, unless they were really trying hard.

 

Lunch was served before the game drive. Tomorrow we will describe what we were served.

 

While we were away from the ship, this is what was happening. Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivered his first speaking engagement in the Queens Lounge at 10:15am. Half of the guests had received admission tickets in order to split the group in two. Tomorrow, he would give an identical talk to the other half. The Soweto Gospel Choir performed an excellent show after dinner in the Queens Lounge. They are winners of 2 Grammy awards, an Emmy award, South African awards, and gave a performance at the Oscars. All of this was accomplished in a 10 year period. Pretty impressive. Sorry we missed it.

 

But hey, what could be better than going on another afternoon game drive? Nothing. We met the group at 3:30pm and left 15 minutes later. The first animals we spotted were the cute, but pesky vervet monkeys at the lodge. They are smart dudes, stealing food and even sunglasses and cameras if you are not careful. But we sure seem to remember that there were dozens more of them last year. What happened to them? In a word........leopards, according to Dale. One of their favorite food items, the monkeys had been picked off, reducing the size of the troop by three-quarters we would say. Dale mentioned it was a good thing, because with so many monkeys at the lodge, the leopards were coming too frequently and too close to the guests. OK, we got it.

 

There is a huge pond near the camp, and that was where we saw the terrapins, or fresh water turtles, sunning themselves on a huge rock. Jeffery pointed out a nest where the frogs lay their eggs in the tree branches. When the eggs hatch, the frogs naturally fall directly into the water below. This pond is also a great spot for the herd of impalas that hang out in a meadow here. Two elephants were browsing, with a buskbuck nearby. Dwarf mongoose ran out onto the dirt road, then disappeared quickly. White rhino were grazing anywhere they liked, and refused to move if they were on the road. We just had to go around them.

 

At the airplane landing strip, we saw more kudu,a larger type of antelope, and a female elephant with a baby she kept hid quite well. Nothing meaner than a protective mom elephant. Crossing a creekbed, we saw a moniter lizard swimming in the current. Then we came upon the best sighting of the day........seven lionesses laying in a sandy creekbed. Talk about lazy, they barely had the energay to raise their heads to take a look at us. Guess they are so accustomed to these Land Rovers, they ignore them most of the time. Daylight was fading fast, and our tracker had to put his spot light on them for us to take photos. Better than none at all, they did not come out great. We hope to see them again while we are here, that is, if we are lucky.

 

Time to head back. Since we were so late in getting to the lions, we missed the sundowners (cocktails in the bush). We could have stopped, but getting in and out of the vehicle in the dark could be dangerous. And not being able to see animals creeping up on you is a bad thing too. We would make up for the lack of beverages back at the lodge. We did see some roosting owls, and a scrub hare as we sped back to camp.

 

Managing to have doubles for cocktail hour (two beers each), dinner was served at 8pm. Fine wines were offered as we sat down at the long table. The starter was tomato soup....delicious. A small salad of asparagus spears with a stcik of fried mozzarrella cheese followed the soup. Dale had a huge BBQ fire going in the pit at the end of the dining room. He was cooking sirloin strip steaks, and asked how we liked ours. After filling our plates with the sides of assorted veggies and baked potatoes with sour cream, Dale served us as much steak as we liked. It was better than any beef we have eaten so far on this trip. Of course, being in this fresh air, and getting so much exercise, sharpened our appetites to the max. Finishing the meal, they served us a chocolate pudding with chocolate candies in it. Amarula made the meal even more pleasant.

 

We were dead tired by 10pm, but there was more to be seen when we got back to our room. Awaiting us was a hot bubble bath with champagne on ice and a pile of chocolate candies, all arranged n a mat by the tub. Surrounded with small lit candles, it was a romantic setting. We could not do it justice though, because the water was steaming hot. And getting in and out of a slippery, soapy tub was not do-able. nice touch anyway. In bed by 11pm, we needed the rest to start again tomorrow on another adventurous day.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS We are still working on downloading and sorting photos. Although slow, they will be coming very soon. So stay tuned..............

[bxny]

Thank you for taking us along on your adventures. Hope to go back to Africa one day.

[snookymom]

Loving your report. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to see 7 lionesses!

[Oahucruiser]

This was a fabulous report on your adventures but how do you find time to post when you are so active and busy? We are enjoying every minute of your whole voyage.

[WCB]

Report # 91 Safari March 30, 2014 Sunday

 

We woke up suddenly to one of the strangest animal noises we have ever heard at 4 am in the morning. It was like a loud, sharp scream, and it kept up for half an hour or so. It sounded more like it was coming from the trees over our room, but the way sound travels, you never know the direction let alone the source. Suspecting it had something to do with the female leopard that came through the camp yesterday, we decided it may not be wise to go outside our room with a flashlight to try to spot the animal. Oh well, we did not need the alarm clocks set this morning.

 

We were up and ready to go by the time our guide arrived with the hot water pot. Asking him what the noise was, he said it was a female vervet monkey. She was perched in the tree above our room, and had sounded the alert because she did indeed spot the leopard near the camp. And she had good reason, because this same leopard had taken several of her family and friends since last year.

 

The two couples we had with us on the game drives were due to leave the camp this morning, so they chose to sleep in, forgoing the drive. That meant we would have the vehicle to ourselves until more folks arrived. That was good, because we could go wherever we wished and see what the guide had not shown us yet. No compromising. Our first sighting was that of a lone hyena, who literally walked right to our Land Rover. Jeffrey said that he was probably looking for a leopard or lion kill from the previous evening. These animals are known for stealing what is left of a kill. Here is an interesting fact. The hyena have learned to associate the vehicles with locating a kill. We are also looking for these sightings, and the hyena know it. If they follow us, they may find the kill easier. Good thinking.

 

The herd of impala does were exactly in the same meadow, cavorting with the bucks. They will be coming into season soon, and judging from the buck's behavior, it should be very soon. We witness the same type of behavior with the deer at home in California. Come to think of it, we have already witnessed the bull elephants and rhino getting frisky, as they like to display their "manhood" for the world to see. Never ceases to draw many amusing comments from the guests, especially the ladies.

 

As the sun came up on the horizon, we saw it was the color of an orange. Must be due to smoke in the atmosphere, but it sure was neat. It seemed to stir the birds to fly such as the lilac roller, a black-billed korhaan, and yellow and red hornbills. These birds resemble a small toucan, but their bills look like bananas. A large male warthog appeared from the brush, complete with red and yellow beaked oxpecker birds on his back. These little birds help clean the large animals of parasites, like tics and fleas. However, they can also keep wounds open as they like to pick at the meat and blood of the animal and pull out hair as well.

 

Black starlings are like a small crow, but when the sun hits them, they reflect a deep turquoise color. While examining a termite mound and learning how they are built, two hyenas popped out. Guinea fowl, the other alarm birds, sounded their screech when they saw the hyenas. None of this phased the mama rhino with her 4 month old baby in tow. The little guy was cute, as he clung to his mom.

 

Time for breakfast, we headed back to the lodge. Yesterday we had met an elderly couple, who had been here for a week already. They are from Great Britain and come here almost every year. The only game drive they do is the evening drive with Joseph. They have the vehicle to themselves, because they do not always feel like staying out until 7:30pm. Joseph will drive them back when they have had enough. Anyway, they told us an amusing story about not completely closing their sliding screen door to their room last year. One or more of the vervet monkeys figured out how to open the door enough to get into the room. Who knows how long they were in there, but when the couple came back, they found every instant coffee packet, sugar, and chocolate opened up all over the floor. They had gotten into their luggage and spread stuff around the room. The monkeys also had put their hands all over the huge mirror over the headrest of the sleigh bed. Little critters are really naughty if given the chance.

 

After finishing a hearty breakfast once again, we were surprised to see a herd of 10 kudu parading across the field beyond the dining room. Once again, the large males were chasing the does, even though the girls were having none of it. They spend all of their time grazing and watching last year's babies.

 

It was time for another bush walk, and Joseph was doing it again today. This time, it was only us, and we spent more time talking African politics, poaching problems, hunting, and game rules at the camps. While we headed up the dirt road, we all saw a small herd of impala running. Joseph was not concerned about that, but said we should wonder why these animals were running. Usually means they are being stalked, which means we could be stalked as well. Since Joseph was packing the rifle, we felt safe enough. We were back to the lodge by 12:30pm, and happy to get our fill of ice cold soda and iced tea.

 

It may have been easy to lay low in our room, but the beautiful infinity pool was beckoning us to take a dip. Joining the kids Emily and John, we found the water to be heavenly. What was even nicer were the heavily padded chaise lounges we used to take in some sunbathing. Perfect place for a quick nap too. We could have spent a lot more time here, but remember, we had to use the afternoon time for showering and shaving.

 

With that accomplished, we went to lunch at 3pm. Lunch is more like a tea. Small plates of sandwich type foods are brought to you, and included in the mix were three types of cheese with crackers, ham and salami slices. Some days they have pizza slices and other days there were quiches. Their mixed salad was delicious with a lemon and olive oil dressing seasoned with a little sugar and Italian spices. Dessert is always good with homemade cookies and cakes with sliced fruit. Bottles of ice tea and ice water are always on each table. Thanks to some advice given to us by our cruise buddy Martha, we know to consume something salty. Salami, ham, cheeses, and crackers fill the bill. And once again, restricting your fluid intake helps keep you from having emergency stops in the bush. In fact, they cannot stop just anywhere, and you have to wait until "sundowner" time to get any relief.

 

Our afternoon drive would not be private, since we got new people. Three couples joined us, and we figured they were parents traveling with their daughter and son and their significant others, probably in their 20's. Judging from their accent we would say they were British, and not all that friendly. They had also been here previously and seemed to know all the staff well. On the plus side, they loved seeing the bird life as much as we do. The downside was that the vehicle was crowded now with three sitting on the back row, and the two couples in the other seats. Lucky for me, I held my spot in the front seat.

 

We had lots of sightings this evening. Can you believe we saw all of the Big Five in three hours tonight? Starting with a Cape buffalo, we saw two adult rhino with a year old baby, that mewed like a kitten. In the air, we spotted a red-backed shrike, more hornbills, colorful rollers, and the goaway bird, who makes a noise that sounds like "go away". We thought the three elephants were exciting, until we saw the eight lionesses laying in the grass. We almost missed them. Our tracker never saw them in the tall green grass, but one of the fellows with us did see the creamy color of their coat as we flew by them. As powerful as these animals are in the bush, they look like big household kitties that like to sleep the day away. They could care less that we were there within feet of them. None of them had babies, because according to our guide, they lost them all one by one to predators, sickness, and other big cats. Life is tough for them in that respect. Our driver stayed for his alloted 5 minutes, enough time for us to take copious amounts of photos.

 

Continuing on, we passed two elephants, an eagle owl, and baboons.....two big, mean-looking males with a couple dozen females, all with babies hanging onto them. They were in the exact same meadow as last year, taking refuge in a huge tree off the road we we approached. They seemed to be fighting and nipping at each other all the way to the tree.

 

This was a good place to stop for sundowners, where we were promised "doubles", since we missed last night's cocktails. Actually, every night doubles were there for your taking, since they are most generous with their hospitality. Three beers and one white wine later, all the men found their bush to go, while the ladies refrained.

 

On the way back to camp, we were in for a surprise. Jeffery had a call that directed him and all of the other vehicles to see something special. Never saying an animal by name, they have codes like marula (elephant) or mandela (perhaps a cat). A gut feeling told us we were going to see a leopard. Jeffery kept mute on that, because if they slip into the bush, we would be dissappointed. Well, we were correct. Not only a leopard, but a huge healthy male was strutting across the road, through the trees, oblivious to the many trucks chasing him. He was gorgeous, majestic, a creature to be most admired. And dangerous. Although the daylight had left us long ago, the lights from the truck lamps gave us enough light to snap photos and even video as he slipped out of sight into Mala Mala, the place we are not allowed to venture. That sure made our night.

 

It was getting late, so Jeffrey floored it, passing by a waterbuk, a duiker, and three rhino in a mud pond. They are not allowed to light up any animals that are hunted by the meat eaters. But they can put the light on the predators sometimes. We will explain this further tomorrow.

 

While we were waiting for dinner and enjoying more beverages, we talked about what we may have missed today on the ship with Margaret and Keith. It was the morning that Archbishop Tutu held a Sunday Eucharist at 9am in the Queens Lounge. The Soweto Gospel Choir accompanied his service, and must have been an unforgettable experience. Because they are professionals, none of their performances could be televised. We hope that Tutu included prayers for the passengers and crew that have been missing for almost a month now on that mysterious flight from Kuala Lumpur. Perhaps when we get back to the ship, there will be some more news. Hope it is good. Also, Tut's second speaking engagement took place, as well as the Mariner Appreciation cocktails in the Queens Lounge. The evening was formal and the Gala Dinner included complimentary African wines. They supplied music in the dining room orchestra pit by the group Amabush, with the sounds of the African Marimbas. Guess this was one of the major days of the Grand Visit.

 

Dinner began at 8pm on the dot. It included cream of asparagus soup, wines, and an excellent salad. This would have been enough for dinner......a grilled portabello mushroom with a mixture of sauteed onions, veggies, and bacon under it. On the top was a slice of melted cheedar cheese. Oh, so good. The buffet table was set with more green salads, roasted ptatoes, and chicken masala in a stew pot. The little spotted genet peeked his head around the corner, looking for a piece of that chicken. He was unsuccessful tonight, because they had put a lid on it. He is the neatest little cat in the bush. A slice of cheesecake followed the ample meal along with a shot of amarula. We all finished by 10pm, tucked in bed by 10:30pm. We slept soundly until three am when we were awakened by.........RAIN!!

 

To be continued...............

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[harrodsfan]

These are some of the best posts on animal tracking I have ever read. So interesting.. that this must go on my bucket list! Thanks so much for sharing!

[WCB]

Report # 94 Safari March 31, 2014 Monday

 

RAIN!! Oh no......It began lightly around 3am, but within moments it was hitting the roof with a vengence. All sorts of things ran through our minds about whether or not the game drive would happen, or how wet are we going to get on it? Even with ponchos and raingear, photos would be out of the question. Considering ourselves very lucky to have seen what we have up to this point, we are pleased to find the worst of the rain had stopped by 5am.

 

Again we were awake and up well before our morning visit, and had enough time to leave a bag of laundry to be washed and dried. Funny thing is we did not realize they did this complimentary once a day. We could not find it in print anywhere, but Margaret had already sent a bag, and got it back the same day. Guess it worked.

 

We sipped a cup of coffee, while eating a few rusks while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. The young girls did not bring safari clothes with them, but wore short shorts and tank tops with a shawl to cover them instead of a jacket. Yesterday, Joseph sent one of the girls running back to the room to put on long pants on the bush walk. Warning her sternly that there were tics in the brush and mosquitos everywhere, although we never saw one, they are here. She left and never came back. Oh well. Perhaps in defiance, she was back this morning in, you got it, short shorts, but full of bites. Oh well.

 

There was a total of 22 animal and bird sightings this morning. The most amusing was the huge male rhino who was laying in the road, sleeping, and refusing to budge an inch. We watched as the oxpecker birds worked him over for insects, then we drove around him. A dozen guinea fowl dug the ground around him, while the logtail shrike tried to get his share. Yellow and red beak hornbills were perched in the trees overhead. They are the crows of the bush, cleaning up anything they can.

 

We arrived at one of the open fields to find a mix of animals grazing.....impala, a male zebra, and a male wildebeest. Why were these two animals alone? Jeffrey said they were kicked out of the herd because they were male, and needed to start a herd of their own soon. Our guide searched for some lions reported nearby, but we never found them. Then he was told they had left Sabi Sabi and went to Mala Mala last night. Or did they? We would find out later.

 

Stopping briefly for coffee and more snacks, we stretched our legs, then loaded up again for the ride back. Two goaway birds watched as we passed another frisky rhino, a nyala, and some dwarf mongoose. While driving around a bend in the road, we surprised a mother elephant with her older baby, who decided to charge us. Even though she was smaller than the mom, she was still big enough to scare us as she trumpeted loudly with her trunk high in the air. Jeffrey quickly backed up, and got out of Dodge. Closer to the camp, we saw a troop of vervet monkeys playing in a naked tree. Bet these are the camp monkeys that made so much noise the other morning.

 

Well, we were happy to have been able to make the drive rain-free. Back in the dining room, we all enjoyed another bush breakfast. Only one of us decided to take the bushwalk with Joseph. I stayed back to wash my hair, and relax for an hour or two. Boy, was that the right decision to make, since within 45 minutes of leaving, the rain began to fall. And not a passing cloud either. Wonder if anyone thought to bring a plastic bag for their cameras? And probably no rain gear. The sun was out when they left. It rained so hard, it sounded like it would come right through the metal roof. It was exciting to watch from the comfort of our room, especially the covered balcony outside. When Bill returned, he was soaked to the bone, but his camera was dry, thanks to someone sharing a plastic bag with him. Good to remember....never leave home without a bag. We had to hang the jeans and t-shirt on hangers on the curtain rod with the fan running on them for the rest of afternoon.

 

What was happening on the Amsterdam today? Robert V. Taylor, a media commentator and author in South Africa, had accompanied Desmond Tutu on this cruise. he was the interviewer of Tutu during his talks. He is also the head of Desmond Tutu's Peace Foundation in New York. He gave a talk in the Queens Lounge. Later in the day, Stein Kruse had a Q & A session with the guests from 2:30 to 4pm. Among other subjects, he announced the 2016 World Cruise itinerary, which will go through the Suez andpick up two ports in Israel. The better news was that everyone who had purchased an internet package, would get a 50% refund on our shipboard accounts. We think that is fair. Also 120 passengers disembarked, while 134 go on today.

 

A hot shower was in order, and some downtime before we went to lunch in the dining room. By 3pm, the rain had let up, leaving the air fresh and cool. We kept lunch really light, snacking on the saltier items, as well as some of the delicious salad. Of course, the slices of lemon cake were so good, we had to finish those.

 

The eight of us were ready by 3:45pm for the afternoon drive. Naturally, we packed some plastic bags for the cameras and raincoats, hoping we would not need them. The first thing we did was accidently run over a terrapin turtle that had been hiding in a deep puddle on the dirt road. Looking back, we saw that it was upside down and still wiggling. Oh well, things happen all the time, and Jeffrey said that it how other animals are fed. He did add that the terrapin was seldom eaten, because it tasted nasty.

 

We had been watching a female giraffe from our balcony,and she was still in the trees grazing. On our way to search for those elusive lions, we saw many birds. they seemed to like the rain we just had, and took to the sky. Lilac and purple crested rollers, lapwing plovers, blue starlings, and the ever-present guinea fowl and francolins were everywhere. One lone male warthog was rooting in a green gully. Geez, they are ugly, only a face a mother warthog could love. Four buffalo were wading ina muddy pond, coating themselves with the black goo.

 

But the frosting on the cake was finding the lions, one female and two males....all about 5 years old. In good condition, well-fed, these animals were beautiful. Simply feet away from them, we snapped photos of them yawning, while displaying a pretty impressive set of teeth. Can you imagine those canine teeth sinking into your neck? You would not have a chance, especially with four of them hunting together. They did look so innocent, laying in the grass all regal-like. Especially the two males. They have a long way to go to be fully grown, but staying together to hunt will insure they will live a long time.

 

There was a special sundowner gathering planned for all of the guests this evening. Near dusk, Jeffrey headed for a plateau where we joined up with the other two vehicles for a BBQ beef, chips, and salsa party. A table was set with a full bar, whatever we wanted......beer, wine, champagne, cocktails or soda. Joseph, the most experienced guide and longtime employee of the camp, stood behind the two bonfires and performed his famous animal calls. We wondered what he would do, if any of those animals answered him back? He did the sounds of the wild dog, hyena, lion, and leopard to name a few. We all enjoyed the sundowners, but it was time to head back, as all good things have to come to an end. On the way back, we saw another flap-necked chameleon hiding, or so he thought. Looking closer, we could see his revolving eyeballs, just like those we saw in Madagascar.

 

Back at the camp, we continued to re-hydrate with more Black Label beer and lemon ice tea. We were so parched, that one of us drank three cans of ice tea before and during dinner, forgetting how much caffeine is in it. Well, that was a mistake, although it sure tasted good going down. Since it had rained, we were welcomed back to the living room and dining room with both fireplaces roaring. The living room is attached to the dining room, and has several couches and comfortable chairs and tables. As you would expect, it was decorated with everything African. Next to this room, is the bar, which is stocked to the gills with everything. And even though our documents mentioned that only beer and wine, water and sodas were included, none of us ever got charged extra for a cocktail. Pretty generous, we think.

 

Dinner was served promptly at 8pm. We took our seats at the BBQ end of the dining room, and Sheldon joined the four of us. He is the 20 year old in training to be a ranger. Right now, he is a replacement for Gideon, our tracker from last year. Sheldon had some bad news concerning Gideon, who we thought was on vacation. He is currently in the hospital with a case of malaria, which was disturbing to say the least. It has startedto occur more recently with several cases popping up among the locals. How do you get malaria? It is carried only by the anopheline mosquito and the only carriers of it are the females. She needs blood of the victims to nourish her eggs. The mouthpiece of the male is not stong enough to penetrate skin, but the mandibles of the female have no such problem. In order to spead the disease, she transfers, through her saliva, the parasite from host to host. These parasites multiply rapidly then rupture in the blood stream 48 to 72 hours later. Symptoms may not occur until 10 days to 4 weeks later, where you have a fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting, and convulsions. Cycles of high fever and sudden coldness occur over and over afterwards. It is treatable, but for us, we are most happy to take the preventable medications to avoid it.

 

Perhaps that made you all lose you appetite, but here is the line-up for dinner tonight. We began wth a served cream of mushroom soup with fresh slices of whole wheat bread. Thinly sliced tomatoes and mozzarrella cheese balls topped wth balsamic vinegar was the next course. The side table was set with mixed salad, cauliflower, green beans, and squash coated lightly with brown sugar. Roasted kernal corn and baked potatoes or rice filled the plate. A chicken marsala and oxtail stew was the main course. Dessert was a square of tiramisu, followed with a shot of amarula and colorfully wrapped chocolate candies.

 

Filled to the max again, we wandered off to our room, always accompanied by a staff member with an extra flashlite. Since we were going to be leaving tomorrow, but taking a final morning game drive, it was necessary to pack our bags tonight. Doing this by candlelight was not easy, but the lamp Dale had loaned us helped a lot. We showered and got to bed by 11pm. Note to self: never, ever drink three cans of ice tea before and during dinner......way too much caffeine. By the time sleep came, the alarm clock was going off rudely in my ear.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thank you for taking us along on your adventures..

[WJBWJB]

Hi All

 

The photos through report 91 are now posted on the blog. Will put more up as they become available to me.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com/

[ger_77]

WJBWJB, you are the best - we love reading their blog, but the photos bring it to life!

 

Thanks for your time and energy spent on this project for your parents and us.

 

Smooth Sailing!

Gerry

[Gail and Ken]

Yes, your re-posting of your Mom and Dad's posts with the photos is greatly appreciated. Can't thank you enough.

 

Sent from Gail's Galaxy S3

[marysb]

What fantastic photos !!! You have incredible close-ups of the animals ....really Love the bird photos too.

It was nice to see the lodge photos too. Looks like a great place, and it must have been quite magical at night with only firelight.

Thanks so much for sharing this fantastic journey.

 

Mary

[hotzej]

your descriptions and pictures are wonderful. Who did you use for the safari? If I ever get there I would love to do what you have done. Thank you

[JamesEM]

Very nice, enjoy keeping up with your trip.

[WCB]

Report # 93 Safari April 1, 2014 Tuesday

 

Sadly, today is our final one at the bush camp, and we cannot believe five days went by all so quickly. Always a sign that we were have not only a wonderful time, but an experience to remember forever. We are not going to miss getting up at 4am, however. Reminds us of the days when we worked, either commuting very early to beat the traffic, and actually starting work at 6am. Nope, have not missed that either.

 

The trees and ground were still damp from yesterday's rain, leaving behind many muddy puddles in the dirt roads. One good thing was that it made it easy for our tracker to find lion tracks in the sand not far from the camp. If we are lucky, we may see more of these before we leave. Every morning, Jeffrey asks everyone in the vehicle what we would like to see today. We all say leopard, lion, rhino, or perhaps a kill. No matter what we say, Jeffrey will answer with, "What do you think this is, a zoo????" Then he laughs. This morning Dale, the manager, overheard him say that to all of us, and we do not think he was amused. With the different nationalities visiting the camp, you can never assume everyone gets that type of humor. We did, but others did not.

 

The first animals spotted this morning were the impalas and the grey duikers. Being so close to the camp, they did not know the leopard was tracking them all night, judging from the tracks we found. With the damp brush, many of the bird species were out and about. We saw the African hawk, a brown snake eagle, a brown-headed parrot, and a jacobin cuckoo.

 

On our way to see some wildebeest, we passed a huge spider that was munching on a grasshopper about as big as the spider was. A small, but colorful kingfisher was spotted sitting on a branch. He was as pretty as the lilac roller. The zebras and wildebeest were great to see, but the real treat was when we found a pride of lionesses sleeping in an open sandy area right off of the road. There were eight lazy cats, stretched out, sleeping the morning away. When we approached the pride, some of them looked intently at us from a prone position. They simply stare, size you up, decide you are not a threat or good to eat, then close their eyes, and plop down to sleep again. Considering that our bush camp has over 2000 acres and we can cross over to neighboring Sabi Sabi with 12,500 acres, finding these big animals is not always easy, but with the help of several rangers who keep in touch with each other, it is do-able. Considering that the entire Sabi Sand Game Reserve has 160,000 acres with over a dozen game reserves in it, finding these animals is really incredible. Now if you consider that the size of Kruger National Park is 5,000,000 acres, the chances of seeing game animals up close and personal there is rare, unless you know where you are going.

 

There were a few more sightings of a tree squirrel, a red-backed shrike, and a grey goaway lorie, followed by a female elephant with two babies. That was where we got into trouble. Attempting to drive around these elephants to make room for another Land Rover, we ended up stuck in a boghole, that was created by a spring uphill from us. Our driver did not see it before he turned in the grass. The back tires went down, and the more he gunned the engine, the more we dug in. All we could smell was burning tires. So the other driver from Sabi Sabi drove his vehicle right next to us, and the four younger people transferred over to their truck temporarily. The four of us older folks had to stay in the Land Rover, because we could not get out on the ground due to the elephant being so close. The two rangers and two trackers got their big hand-cranked jacks to lift up the backend of the vehicle. Digging out the sandy muck with shovels allowed them to jamb dead tree wood under the tires to get some traction. They tried over and over to get us out, but it did not work....all we saw was dead wood go flying in the air.

 

Now any other day, we would not care about getting back late, but since we were scheduled to leave the camp by 9:45am, we were starting to get concerned. Worse come to worse, Jeffrey would have called Dale, who could have picked us up in his truck. Obviously, these things happen all the time, and the fellows knew what to do. What we finally thought was that every vehicle should be outfitted with winches to pull each other out of such predicaments. Eventually, the wood trick worked, and we were on our way, taking back the four kids into the back seats. All in all, it only took 30 minutes to get us going again. Sure glad this did not happen near the lions.

 

As we pulled away, we looked back to see that a spring was running down the slope where we had gone off-road. Well, count that up as another unique experience for us, and some entertainment for the three elephants that stayed in the trees watching the show. Again, we missed the bush coffee stop, but no one was complaining.

 

We were back to the lodge by 9am, and served a quick breakfast. Deciding not to order hot food, we were happy to dine on what they brought us. That was yogurts, cereal, fruit, juice, toast, and plenty of coffee. Back at the room, we finished packing and were ready for our ride, which had arrived while we were gathering our bags. Honestly, we were sad to leave. As you can guess, this type of side trip was right up our alley.....trees, meadows, wild bush, animals, birds....how good is that? Being outdoors, swimming, walks in the heat of the day, two game drives, watching wild animals from your private balcony? Perfect. Meeting the friendly staff, the excellent generous meals, all the beer and sodas, and amarula? Priceless. Our only wish is that we can come back here again someday soon. It was good for the soul, if you know what we mean.

 

Our buddies Margaret and Keith had left ahead of us, driven by our driver/guide from last year. His name is Tinyiko, and he happened to come back from his week vacation today, in time to drive them to the airport. Since they had left first, we did not see him. However, on our way to the Mpumalanga Airport, our Thompsons driver passed him, and got us to the airport 15 minutes ahead of them. Since the drivers never know what will happen on this road, they take advantage of the chance to speed to make sure we are on time. Early is better than late when you need to fly somewhere. And they seem to know the spots where the cops are, and slow down temporarily.

 

What we did miss was the chance to stop to look at the wood carvings and fabrics displayed on the roadside on the hour and a half drive to Nelspruit. There is no doubt in our minds that we would have picked up something exotic to go with the collection at home. The only thing we slowed for were the few vervet monkeys that crossed the road occassionally.

 

At the Mpumalanga terminal, we finally spotted Tinyiko saying goodbye to Keith and Margaret. He recognized us, shaking our hands, and we remembered him instantly. Really nice fellow, soft-spoken, and an excellent ranger we recalled. We had time to flip through the pages of the cookbook we bought at the camp, and found that Tinyiko's photo was in it with some of the other staff members. We wonder if he is part of the family that co-owns the lodge? We certainly hope to see him again also.

 

Well, the flight was on time and checking in was a piece of cake. We noticed that around 22 of the HAL guests were also flying back with us. Most of them had taken the HAL tour to Lukimbi, another game lodge in the area. We secretly smiled, because we knew they had paid double of what we did, and may not have had such a great experience, judging from the stories they were sharing with each other. This flight held 87 people, very close to each other, but enough legroom to keep it comfortable. We boarded it from the tarmac once again, and were airborne by 1:15pm.

 

Lunch was served even though the flight was under three hours in duration. There was a choice of two entrees....chicken and beef. We each took a different one, although the chicken won out over the curried beef. The crackers and cheese were good, as were the chocolate candies and diet soda. Very sleepy, we snoozed off and on until we landed at Cape Town International Airport.

 

With these smaller planes, you always debark on the tarmac, then transfer to the standing buses to the terminal. The baggage pickup carousel was quite close, so we waited for our bags to come. But with so many other HAL passengers with us, most all the duffel bags were the same. Remembering to use something colorful on the bags, like a luggage tie, or a yarn ball, it helped to locate ours quicker. However, only one of ours arrived. Then the carousel stopped. Oh no, there is no way it got lost on the way. Eventually, it started up again, and our duffel was the very last one to arrive. Hey, better late than never, we say.

 

Outside the doors, our driver from Thompsons was waiting with a sign with our names on it. Gosh that is a good feeling. He greeted us and insisted on taking my bag on the way to his car outside. Walking past the HAL group waiting for their bus, we loaded into the car and were happily on our way to the pier. That is the beauty of traveling independently....no waiting for anyone but ourselves.

 

Despite some commute traffic, which was going in the opposite direction, we arrived to the Amsterdam by 5pm. It did feel good to be back "home" as all of the staff greeted us with a welcome back as we checked in. In our room, we had five days worth of daily newsletters, newspapers, pillow cards and candies arranged neatly on the bed. Also, we had two very large and heavy books, titled "Tutu", with photos and text about the life and times of Archbishop Tutu. Two mimeographed cards signed by him were next to the books. This was our formal night gift from the Mariner Appreciation Days.

 

It was obvious that the party was over with the CEO's of HAL's royal visit. They had all left the ship, and we do know that Gerald B., the President of the Mariner Society, will be going on a private safari with some of his buddies. He was so excited about the adventure when we shared dinner way back in January while in Ft. Lauderdale. Our biggest disappointment was that we missed seeing him. We did leave a thank you note for the nice bottle of wine he sent to us after we embarked the ship in Florida. He is one of the nicest guys.

 

Spending the rest of the afternoon unpacking, we were already missing the bush camp. We could have easily missed dinner at 8pm, but since six of us had been gone for 5 days, we had missed being with Barb and Maureen. And we did want to find out how Bill & Marianne had liked their trip to Zambia and Botswana. They had a different type of excursion, but equally as exciting as our trip. They saw Victoria Falls, Chobe, rode elephants, and took a dinner train ride, as well as a sundowner boat ride on the Zambezi River. They loved every minute.

 

We were so tired, crawling into the bed was great. But not until one of us worked on the computer for an hour in an attempt to catch up with the reports. Since our stay in Cape Town will be cut short, leaving around 2pm, we will need to get up early if we want to go to the waterfront. Drats!

 

Bill & Mary Ann