Live Voyager - Dubai to Cape Town

[Travelcat2]

Where is your cabin located? Sounds like a suite we would like to avoid. Hope that it wasn't "our" server that was slow this morning;)

 

So happy that you are finally in South Africa -- such a magical place. Your hippo excursions sounds absolutely wonderful.

 

Although I have not posted much, I've followed this thread every day. Sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. Anxious to hear your thoughts on Cape Town. We were captivated by the city.

[1982CruzStart]

Where is your cabin located? Sounds like a suite we would like to avoid. Hope that it wasn't "our" server that was slow this morning;)

 

So happy that you are finally in South Africa -- such a magical place. Your hippo excursions sounds absolutely wonderful.

 

Although I have not posted much, I've followed this thread every day. Sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. Anxious to hear your thoughts on Cape Town. We were captivated by the city.

 

we are in 826 and i feel sorry for anyone else that gets this cabin. They obviously have an issue with a vent or something as last night we walked into our room to a horrid raw sewage oder. We opened the balcony door all the way up and let it air out. It was disgusting. We had trouble ever since we got on board. I complained to Davor and he took some actions but I just finally gave up until last night. Called and complained and repair guy showed up before 8 am and said he will see what he can find.

[pingpong1]

Yup, It certainly sounds like a "luxury cruising experience" to me! Well worth every penny!

[Travelcat2]

Yup, It certainly sounds like a "luxury cruising experience" to me! Well worth every penny!

 

Assuming your comment was tongue in cheek:-) The main reason we cancelled this cruise was because the first half of the trip is a repeat of what we did less than two years ago. Having read the reviews of the ports we were particularly interested in visiting, I'm not sure that it would have worked for us. It has been fascinating to read this thread and I look forward to the rest of the trip.

[1982CruzStart]

Durban, South Africa

 

Another wonderful day. I now know why so many people rave about South Africa. I am in love. Will i be able to come back who knows but i must say that all the downs on this trip have been so worth it to see the Taj and to get here. Weather was prefect, sunny but not too hot.

 

We did the Howick Falls and Ardmore Ceramics Shop. Now i wanted to see the falls because i am missing out on Victoria Falls. I am not delusional enough to compare the 2, night and day but still beautiful falls in Africa. Our guide was super. We went to the falls first and then off to lunch. It was at a hotel in a valley in the 'Midland Meander'. Picturesque setting and lunch was very good, maybe a little heavy but excellent none the less. As we were leaving a wedding party was arriving. What a lovely setting. Though not quite as spectacular as where we stayed in the Sacred Valley in Peru, still wonderful.

 

Off to the Ceramic shop. Really, i pick a place that includes shopping. Well i had no choice, it was both or neither and i chose both. I was so wrong. What a great little place. It was started by the current owner to provide additional income for her workers on the farm and has become a huge success. The pieces are outstanding. Okay, i succumbed to the art and picked up a basket and a ceramic hippo.

 

We once again were late leaving port. Every time that happened this trip i thought of the many trips on HAL and how the Captains would have had seizures.

 

Another somewhat rough night. Not bad if you had a cabin that didn't make constant noise. After a great start to this trip with seas like glass we are literally going out with a bang. We have a day and 2/3 at sea ending in Cape Town at 4pm on the 20th. I am unsure how much i will be able to write so unless the lodge has free internet this might be my last post until i get home and able to tell you about the safari.

 

So we got notice today that we are now leaving at 5:30 am. Oh yeah. We get to look forward to getting up in the middle of the night to start our safari. I am absolutely sure it will be worth it in the end.

 

I wish everyone the best Christmas ever.

[1982CruzStart]

Yup, It certainly sounds like a "luxury cruising experience" to me! Well worth every penny!

 

Everyone defines luxury in their own way. Was our cabin always the luxury experience we have had in the past, maybe not so much but the food and service have been great. Were all the tours the best ever, maybe not so much, but we were in many 3rd world countries where all they care about is making you happy and from my point of view that is way more important than the crappy buses and the language barriers. Could DS have been better, probably, but frankly who cares. The trip is what you make it. I like Regent with all it's faults and have booked another cruise though not in this suite. This overall experience works for us.

 

I said it before and say it again, I would not want to have missed 1 minute of this trip. I apologize if my posts came off overly negative, I just wanted people to be realistic in their expectations.

[Travelcat2]

Having done 1/2 of your cruise, I feel that it is important to be as honest as possible - especially in terms of doing excursions in 3rd world countries. Many passengers on our India cruise were upset and angry a lot of the time because they had not read up on what the conditions were going to be. Your truthful descriptions of some of the African ports made me realize that we may not need to visit there (my heat tolerance is not great -- I was a "puddle" in India:-)

 

Happy that you are seeing what so many of us do when visiting South Africa. It is such a lovely place. Will miss your posts but look forward to reading all about it after your cruise -- once you have time to relax -- enjoy Christmas, etc.

[pingpong1]

1982CruzStart - My comment ONLY referred to your following report

 

".......we are in 826 and i feel sorry for anyone else that gets this cabin. They obviously have an issue with a vent or something as last night we walked into our room to a horrid raw sewage oder. We opened the balcony door all the way up and let it air out. It was disgusting. We had trouble ever since we got on board......"

 

It sounds like you have been enjoying pretty much the rest of your cruise and I'm happy for you in that respect. It does not sound to me that you have been "overly negative" in any way whatsoever. I have to believe that most of us would be quite upset (and rightfully so) if we experienced that in our respective staterooms. To be totally honest and candid, I think it's incumbent upon all of us to report both the "positives" and the "negatives".

 

TC2 - I know you always like to put the best possible "spin" on virtually everything and anything that happens to anyone on a Regent Cruise - whether it be positive or negative. So please, "spin away", and tell us how we should all enjoy, look forward to, or treasure the smell of "raw sewage" in any one of our respective staterooms. I'm sure you will have a well-reasoned and logical explanation as to "why" we should all actually be looking forward to such an event.....why it happens on virtually all cruise ships.....and why Regent simply can't do anything to prevent it.

 

Regards.

[jillyf]

Thank you so much for your honest reviews.

We are on the Dubai to Cape Town cruise next year and appreciate the posts.

 

You have given us a glimpse of the different ports and even though we have started to research them, and looked at the likely excursions, we will know a bit more of what to expect.

Was there an excursion you heard about from others that you were a bit sorry you didn't take instead?

 

We are also delighted to hear of the good food and service and look forward to experiencing it.

We are doing the pre cruise tour in Dubai as somehow we missed the included tours in the cabin when we booked, and had already arranged a stay in Cape Town and safari by the time we found out.

 

Still a long way off! Thanks again.

[Travelcat2]

No "spin" on sewage smell or noise in the suite. That suite should be avoided at all costs.

[1982CruzStart]

1982CruzStart - My comment ONLY referred to your following report

 

".......we are in 826 and i feel sorry for anyone else that gets this cabin. They obviously have an issue with a vent or something as last night we walked into our room to a horrid raw sewage odor. We opened the balcony door all the way up and let it air out. It was disgusting. We had trouble ever since we got on board......"

 

It sounds like you have been enjoying pretty much the rest of your cruise and I'm happy for you in that respect. It does not sound to me that you have been "overly negative" in any way whatsoever. I have to believe that most of us would be quite upset (and rightfully so) if we experienced that in our respective staterooms. To be totally honest and candid, I think it's incumbent upon all of us to report both the "positives" and the "negatives".

 

 

Regards.

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding. You are very right about the cabin.

[1982CruzStart]

Thank you so much for your honest reviews.

We are on the Dubai to Cape Town cruise next year and appreciate the posts.

 

You have given us a glimpse of the different ports and even though we have started to research them, and looked at the likely excursions, we will know a bit more of what to expect.

Was there an excursion you heard about from others that you were a bit sorry you didn't take instead?

 

We are also delighted to hear of the good food and service and look forward to experiencing it.

We are doing the pre cruise tour in Dubai as somehow we missed the included tours in the cabin when we booked, and had already arranged a stay in Cape Town and safari by the time we found out.

 

Still a long way off! Thanks again.

 

Off the top of my head I would take the Abu Dhabi City Tour that visits the Grand Mosque. Everyone I spoke to that visited it raved about it. If you like to snorkel you should definitely take those options in The Maldives & the Seychelles.

I hope you enjoy your cruise next year as much as we did this year.

[mrlevin]

This has been a very good cruise. Ship is in great shape and service has been pretty good. I think the lack of "catering" to Titaniums and Platinums is probably good for most of the passengers but it annoys me a bit; this is first cruise where I ever had any issues getting into Signatures or Prime 7 without planning long in advance. No fault with Regent or staff; I just need to adjust to new reality.

 

My primary complaint is lack of originality on menus. First, they are repeating every 12 to 14 days. No problem with repeating dishes however, in the past, they would not repeat the same complete menu even on long cruises. Second, there is a complete lack of game meat. It was amusing that I was able to special order quail stuffed with foie gras but never saw whole quail on menu (may have been on during one of nights i stopped in another restaurant). Of course, this is all tempered by fact that they still do special orders and have agreed to all of my requests.

 

Davor and Marcel are great managers and Jamie and Dana always ensure a fun cruise. Trivia has been great with a number of wins including a 15 of 15 showing a couple of days ago. I have had issues with destinations but they have tried; the problems are with home office. Chris, Marcell, Gabriella, and Mandie have been very courteous and have worked very hard; just their hands are tied.

 

Marc

[Hambagahle]

I am SO glad you are enjoying SA after reading your reports of the other countries on the cruise - I thought you would!

 

A word about Ardmore ceramics - a close friend of mine is a Director of the association and she has a huge collection of them - a few years ago in London they had a sale of their ceramics at Christies - and sold out ! The value of those pieces has been going up and up so I think your little hippo and basket will prove not only a great reminder of your visit to SA but also a good investment.

 

If you are still in Durban and want any spices do not miss the Indian market. There is a spice sold there called "hellfire" and it makes a very good (and hot!) curry.

 

I can't wait to read what you think of the other ports in SA... if you go to Port Elizabeth and can get to Addo Park - go! Loads of elies there. And Cape Town is an elegant city with a long long history (from 1653 on...)

[gnomie1]

we are in 826 and i feel sorry for anyone else that gets this cabin. They obviously have an issue with a vent or something as last night we walked into our room to a horrid raw sewage oder. We opened the balcony door all the way up and let it air out. It was disgusting. We had trouble ever since we got on board. I complained to Davor and he took some actions but I just finally gave up until last night. Called and complained and repair guy showed up before 8 am and said he will see what he can find.

 

Reading this is quite upsetting - last December we were on the Voyager (on the 7th floor) and suffered through the sewage smell for most of the cruise. It was not restricted to any one cabin but seemed to have affected the entire floor. However, when we were on this past summer, we had no problems so I thought the problem was resolved, obviously it has not.

 

Regent's "solution" to the problem was putting this machine in our room which was so loud it was impossible to have a conversation and was driving us crazy so after 12 hours we had the machine removed. We could hear the hum of this machine coming from many different cabins.

 

We are on the 8th floor next year - I truly hope the problem is resolved by then.

 

gnomie :)

[Travelcat2]

We are on the 8th floor next year - I truly hope the problem is resolved by then.

 

gnomie :)

 

If this has already been going on for a year, it may be wise to change locations of your suite while there is still availability (if there is still availability).

[rarin2go]

If this has already been going on for a year, it may be wise to change locations of your suite while there is still availability (if there is still availability).

 

More than a year I think - we were midships on 8 (?842/3?) in 2013 and the noise from the ceiling (creaks and cracks) in anything more than moderate seas made sleep difficult!

[gnomie1]

If this has already been going on for a year, it may be wise to change locations of your suite while there is still availability (if there is still availability).

 

 

The problem was really bad in December 2013, but by August 2014, when we were only across the hall, there was no problem at all which is why I am dismayed that the problem seems to have returned. We were on the 7th floor, the current problem is on the 8th floor - who knows where it will be next year?

 

gnomie :)

[1982CruzStart]

Still making our way home but willl post what i have had time to do so far.

Our trip to Kapama River Lodge was memorable but not in a good way. OUr flight to the Nelspruit airport was cancelled due to cloudy skies and a navigational system killed by a lightening strike. We had a 6 hour bus ride arriving about 11 pm. A very long day after getting up at 3:30 to be ready for an early departure from the ship and a lousy night sleep due to the return of the seage smell. Not going to go on about it, it is over and what more can i say.

The Tour company that Regent contracted the trip was great. They were right on top of our problem and hence we only missed the 1 game drive.

 

There are 3 vehicles designated for our group of 23. There are 3 sets of layered seats that hold 3 to a row. Off we go into the woods with a Ranger and a tracker. The tracker sits on a seat set on the front of the vehicle. They seats are comfortable enough and with no cover you get great views but also are subject to the sun, wind and any rain.

 

To a certain extent the game drives have blurred together so i will do my best to give the highlights but they may not be in the right order.

 

What a fantastic morning. We saw multiple impalas, zebras, beautiful giraffes, African buffalo and other animals and birds. The super part is how close the animals really are to the vehicle. We also came across a lone hippo submerged in a watering hole. We watched him put his nose and eyes in and out of the water. I said i didn't expect to see any hippos because i didn't think there was water close by. Now we are staying at the Kapama River Lodge, get it river, hippos,duh. But the highlight of the morning had to be getting up close and personal with a pair of mating lions. I bet they were no farther away from our vehicle than 15 to 20 feet. When we first got there they were just lying around sleeping. The male had a magnificent two toned black and tan mane. Gorgeous. As we were watching them the lioness started walking around, the male watching carefully. Some of the other passengers were getting nervous but i was sure our guys would never put us in a dangerous position. Besides my DH was between me and the lions. haha. Next thing we know they are mating. Quite a thing to see. They apparently do this every 20 minutes to make sure it catches. What an experience. We also saw a white rhino and its baby off a bit in the distance. White rhinos are not white they get their name from the white around their mouth. Pretty good view. There is a coffee break part way through the morning where we just stop somewhere in the shade and have some coffee, tea or hot chocolate and biscotti.

 

So first morning, we have seen rhinos, lions, buffalo, 3 of the big 5 and so much more. Wow what a morning and all in some fabulous scenery. Our Ranger and tracker are unreal.

 

They offer a visit to the Endangered species centre.

 

What a fascinating experience. After a short video we headed out in a game drive vehicle to see the various animals that they have saved and some that are bred for return to the wild. The main project is the re-building of the number of cheetahs in the reserve and South Africa. More in a bit.

 

They have a pair of rescued rhinos from the reserve that had their horn cut off by poachers and left to die. To begin with it was unknown if they would survive as the horns were cut so deep. They are thriving now but they don't know if the horns will re-grow or not. They can't be released back unless their horns re-grow. They have many varieties of vultures and even an ugly stork (that is what our guide said) and The Vulture Restaurant. Oh the odour was unbelievable and of course we had to stop right there to get the info. Vultures and the stork are scavengers so to feed them they take all the left over bones from the carnivores and throw them in a pit for them to eat. Twice the year they clean the pit (wow how badly must you have pissed off someone to have to do that job) and the bones go to a processing plant where they are ground up and used in animal food and cosmetics. Yeah expensive cosmetics. Yuck.

 

Also there was a baby rhino that had been left to die when poachers killed the mother for her horn. As baby rhinos can not be left alone they have a sheep to keep it company. Seems to be working well and they intend to release it into the wild when it is old enough to take care of itself. It was in its home so we only saw the sheep.

 

They have a lion pair that had been abused in a Polish circus and left to die in cages by the roadside. Human beings can be so ugly. They were rescued by an animal rights group there and then asked the Centre if they could take care of them until they die of natural causes. This group pays for their food and care. Okay human beings can also be wonderful. The male was castrated so has no mane and generated extra growth hormone so is it is about 25% larger than the normal male lion. It was huge. They are doing very well and have lost some of their hatred of humans.

 

An accident at the Centre resulted in a pair of brother lions. Another mating pair of rescued lions were being kept at the Centre, the female on contraceptives as they do not want any animals born in captivity that can't be released in the wild and generally lions can't be. Unfortunately the contraceptives didn't work and the brothers were born. They have some health issues and would never survive in the wild so will live their lives out in very comfortable surroundings being well taken care of.

 

The cheetah project is great. They have cheetahs at various ages and work very hard to make the setting as close to the wild as possible so they can be re-introduced into the wild at the age of 4. Cheetahs are I think the only cat that can be raised this way. All other cats must learn to hunt from their mothers but with cheetahs the instinct is built in so they can be raised, released and naturally know how to take care of themselves. It was very special to see all the cheetahs that will eventually return to the wild.

 

Wonderful experience.

[1982CruzStart]

Safari part deux

 

Off we go for the afternoon drive. So happy with everything we saw in the morning are very content with just enjoying the scenery and seeing whatever comes along.

 

Correction from the morning drive we did see a group of lionesses sleeping in the shade so really we had seen 4 out of the Big 5 already.

 

We drive along the trails seeing many wonderful sites and many animals. We travel to the grasslands and see many many zebras, impalas, wildebeest (forgot to mention we saw them in the morning) and more beautiful giraffes. This is mating season as well as the season when many species recently have had their babies. We saw so many cute babies running and playing over the large expanse of grassland.

 

We stop for our evening sundowner, which is a glass of wine or beer or soft drink under the shade out in the middle of nowhere. Great chance to stretch our legs and have a little refreshment. Back on the vehicle and off we continue. Next thing we know we are driving like a bat out of hell over bumpy roads and the effect of the bumps are magnified in the back row. Not sure what is happening but we hang on. Well unbelievable. Here is a herd of elephants by the water including a baby. WOW. At first they are just kind of hanging around eating the nearby leaves and drinking from the water. Then they start to play in the water. I mean really playing, pushing each other around, going under the water and having a great time. It truly was unreal and according to the Ranger and tracker a very rare thing to see them so playful and actually going under the water. Breathtaking.

 

The drive was mind-blowing. Now we head back to the Lodge in the dark with the tracker swinging a spotlight back and forth in front of us. It was again unreal the number of night animals we saw. How he can spot these animals as we are driving down these trails at a decent speed is beyond me.

 

Dinner is in the outdoor Boma and our Ranger joins us. Impala is on the buffet. A nearby farm raises impala for food consumption just like we raise cattle. Dinner was very good and it was fun getting to know our Ranger. Early night as we are bagged and it is 5 am again tomorrow.

 

Next morning. More rested and off on another drive. We are so happy what we saw that we are all very content to just enjoy the drive and really check out the birds. Our first day was so fantastic that we don't know how we can top it. Got some great photos and some sightings of the most beautiful birds you can imagine.

 

We drive leisurely along and come across a rhino and baby really close. Wow, to see them so close. So many giraffe and so very close up. Double wow. Now our driver seems to be on a mission, oh what today? Well the most difficult but amazing sight. We caught a brief glimpse of a leopard. We saw the whole animal but not enough time to take a picture. We catch another glimpse of its back, face and tail and then it was gone. Our Ranger was not giving up, we head through heavy brush, bowling over trees and trying to keep from being scratched and hurt by the trees that have thorns of various lengths. He tried very hard but unfortunately no luck finding him/her again. However we feel so blessed to just have had the opportunity to see one. They are so elusive. We are ecstatic.

 

How can this day have more to offer. We had a coffee stop and on our way back to the lodge when they spotted a pride of 9 lions on the move. They head to the best spot to see them, how they know exactly where they are going is beyond me but they do. So here we are watching these lions walk right towards us on the road. We must be dreaming, a small pride of lions just sauntering right at us. Beyond real. There was a mud puddle on the opposite side of the road and they stopped right there to drink. Hearing them drinking was unreal. They were about 10 to fifteen feet away. After drinking, at least one laid down almost in the middle of the road. Fascinating for us but not good as she chose the main road into the Lodge. Of course more vehicles started to arrive and they are not allowed to have too many vehicles at any one sighting so we back away to let others see.

 

 

This day couldn't get any better or could it?

[DeepFreeze63]

What a great read on Christmas morning; thanks for your reporting.

Best wishes for the trip home.

Happy Holidays!

Jim C

[1982CruzStart]

Sorry to post so much in row but we are killing time waiting for our late evening flight so thought i would take advantage of the chance to get caught up.

 

safari 2nd day continued

 

Forgot to mention we had a light mist of rain off and on during the morning but no big deal, cooled things down a bit.

 

We had booked the elephant interaction event so off we went after a brief breakfast and a short bit of downtime. Because of the lions we didn't get back in until 10 to 10 so not much time before our 11 am pick up time.

 

We headed out with the Ranger from another part of our group. He is so busy talking to us and trying to point out more animals that we lost track of the Ranger who was showing us where to go. A little back tracking and there we are.

 

We meet a huge 18 year old elephant that started their whole elephant program. They use them for elephant safaris and as an educational tool. They do not breed the elephants into captivity, these are rescue animals that can't be turned back into the wild once they are healthy and grown. This one was part of a herd when he got stuck in the mud and despite the efforts of his herd to free him they were unable to do so and had to go on to find water. Someone came along and found him while he was still alive and nursed him back to health. All the other elephants have been rescued and have a minimum amount of training. They are rewarded with treats as they learn some basic maneuvers. Ones that give the guests the opportunity to see how they use their trunks, allow us to fed and touch them. They roam free at night in a portion of the reserve. We also did a small amount of interaction with a 6 year old one. You can tell the animals are well taken care of and seem to really love their trainers.

 

Back to the lodge, a little down time and off to our afternoon drive. So can we continue on our high note? Let's see. Bit of a slow start but who cares, we have had the most fantastic time from the first 3 and are just content to drive around and enjoy the area and seeing the animal we now call 'dinner' as they(impala) are so abundant. It seems the Ranger has a goal after all. OMG (sorry i know it is overused and cliche but) in front of us is a huge bull elephant along with a couple others. WOW but just the tip of the iceberg. We move along a bit further and there are a pretty big herd. We just sit there and enjoy their wanderings. A Mom and baby come pretty close to us, again WOW but the most mouth dropping is when the whole heard decide to cross the road right in front of us. Unreal as they just saunter across the road ignoring us and the vehicle that is just down the road. They walk between us. Another unbelievable experience, at this point i am pretty sure this is all the most wonderful dream and any moment i will wake up.

 

Okay more vehicles want to see so off we go to give others the chance to see. We head back to the grasslands to again see the large herds of grazing animals. Wonderful to see. We move long and see a vehicle out in the middle of some grasslands away from the herds and figure they have stopped for their sundowner and watch the sunset. Not so. There in front of us is one of the release cheetahs from the Centre. What a spectacular find as they have only released 4 so far and aren't often spotted. Again WOW (sorry i just don't know what else to say). All the animals are just so nonchalant around us. She/he just lays there watching us occasionally but showing no real interest in us. After a short viewing we are off.

 

We now head to our sundowner and a lovely sunset. It was such a prefect end or at least we thought end to our drive. It was fairly dark when we started our drive back to the lodge, Tracker again swinging his spot light back and forth. Unreal, there in the dark is a feeding hippo, really what are the chances of seeing that out in the middle of the grasslands. Too dark to get a decent picture but he was there in all his glory. Seriously can this keep happening to us. Apparently so. We came across an owl, a chameleon (now you have to think they planted this thing cuz how the hell do they find this tiny animal in a bush with a spotlight) and we spotted a couple more elusive night animals.

What a day.

 

Another dinner in the BOMA with our Ranger.

[1982CruzStart]

Final instalment. If i get the chance i will try and post some pictures after i am home. I hope you enjoyed some of what i wrote. It was a fantastic time.

 

Early morning, yada, yada, yada.

 

So one of our group really wants to see a hyena - go figure but our guys are determined to give them what they want if they can. We drive out of the lodge parking area and virtually turn a corner and there in front of us on the road is a hyena. How do they keep doing this? It turns around and heads back into the bush and we drive on in time to see a couple more in the bush. I simple can't think of anything we have missed. I know there are many more animals but it seems we have seen just about everything. Continue on, checking out some magnificent birds and scenery.

 

The tracker spots fresh lion tracks and the hunt is on to find them. They were determined and we were here and there tracking them. We found out later that part of the reason they were so diligent was that they thought the lions had been chasing a leopard and maybe we could get another look. No such luck but after driving through the bush down on the floor of the truck we find 3 brothers lounging in the shade. The tracker along with the help of a very large giraffe was able to catch up with them. What a find. They hadn't been spotted in quite a while and thought they might have been killed so it was very special. Now maybe you wonder what the giraffe had to do with it but i guess the tracker took note of how the giraffe was keeping an eye out in a certain direction and that is where we headed and there they were.

 

So off we go, leaving a hint on the location to other vehicles that may come behind us.

 

Of course we just can't end on this very high note. Oh no, just so we don't think everything is perfect, we discover we have a flat tire. Really, things were going so well after the slow start to the entire safari we hoped for a great ending. Not that big a deal but did we really need to take some of our precious time at the end to change a tire. No chance for a leopard sighting now. Oh well we did get to see one, the only vehicle of our group to do so. Very very lucky.

 

I am sure you don't really care about the trip to Jo'burg as everyone apparently calls it. We stayed at a very lovely hotel. Dinner was included and we had a very enjoyable last night with a super group of people. Our flight is not until 9 pm so we do try to find something to do but in the end we paid a reasonable fee to extend our stay to 5 pm and hence the opportunity to get caught up.

 

THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER.

[Mr Rumor]

And your blog, 1982CruzStart, was one of my best reading experiences ever on this message board. Thank you for taking us along, and wishing you a safe trip home!

[crusin7]

And your blog, 1982CruzStart, was one of my best reading experiences ever on this message board. Thank you for taking us along, and wishing you a safe trip home!

 

I agree that you did a fantastic job with the blog. Thanks a million for your excellent reporting. I'm sure we would all love to see some of your photos.:D