September 9 & 10, 2016

This morning we got to sleep in. However I was awake from 1:00 am - 3:00 am --- just couldn't sleep. Then I woke up for good at 6:00 am. We took our time getting ready and packing our suitcases to go home. We finally went to eat breakfast around 8:30 am.

Our transfer to the airport picked us up promptly at 10:45 am. Upon arriving at the airport I asked them if our upgrade from Johannesburg to Washington had come through. He said it hadn't. We already had received it on the first leg from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg. Since the upgrade hadn't happened yet we had him to check our bags all the way through but to not check us in to our second flight.

Once we arrived to Johannesburg I turned on wifi and saw that they were unable to process the upgrade. We had to go through Customs and Security and along the way we had to stop and get a boarding pass printed.

We stopped at one of the shops for last minute shopping. I had a receipt from when I bought my suitcase in Capetown so I went and got my VAT Tax refund. It seems that everybody takes a cut of it so in the end I only got 90 ZAR which isn't much.  I promptly gave it to a young girl that had just been in the money exchange office. I told her I was leaving the country and wouldn't be needing it. She seemed appreciative.

By the time we got to the gate, boarding was less than an hour away. Once there I found that we had another security screening to go through. In that screening I had my Coke taken away that Pammy had just purchased for me. If it had been in my bag I doubt they would have even seen it. I had it in a pocket on the outside of my purse.

The seats got messed up on our flight so Pammy and I are not even sitting together. When I walked into the plane there was already a big man sitting next to my seat. So much for being comfy. We did chat some and he is very nice. He is 5th generation South African who is traveling for business.

We had one stop with this flight. We stopped in Accra to let some people off and others got on. We were not allowed to get off the plane. They came on and did a sweep of the plane. We had to get our carry on luggage down and hold it while they came through and made sure everything that was on the plane belonged there. For the seats that nobody was sitting in they checked throughout the seat cushions and the entertainment systems. It looked like they were making sure that nobody had put anything in the plane and left it there.

I have a new seat mate for this 11 hour flight. He doesn't seem to know boundaries. He is all over my side and his. He is asleep, snoring and shaking his leg. I can tell this is going to be an enjoyable flight.

The flight is almost over. Just a little over an hour to go. At one time during the night my seat mate got up to go to the bathroom so I took the opportunity to take back over my space. It worked for the most part.

I made it!  We arrived to Washington Dulles, used my Global Entry for the first time, got my baggage, found the American Airlines counter and checked my bag for my final flight of the trip.

I met back up with Pammy and we went and got a bite to eat before going our separate ways. I am now at the gate for my flight. I only have 2 more hours to wait before boarding begins. I just hope I don't go to sleep and miss my flight.

My flight to DFW was good. I was in First Class so had plenty of space. They started out giving us a warm towel and a bowl of warm nuts. My meal was a Cobb Salad with chicken breast. For dessert they served us a warm chocolate chip cookie.

My flight arrived to DFW early.  Craig was there waiting for me at baggage claim. My luggage arrived with no problems. Once I got home I began doing laundry and then fell asleep. After a good nights sleep, I felt pretty good. Now to catch up on things.

Thanks for following along on the trip.

September 8, 2016

This morning we once again had to get up early because we had an 8:00 am tour of the Falls. When we got on the bus our guide told us welcome to the walking tour. I cringed when I heard those words. Those of you who know me, know that I would NEVER sign up for that!  This tour came as part of the package. I asked the guide how long the tour was, he said 2 hours. I thought that meant from pickup to return. Nope, I was wrong. We were to be walking for 2 hours.

When we arrived at the Falls it wasn't too hot but it progressively got hotter. The overlooks of the Falls were very pretty but pretty much got to be the same view as we went on so towards the end Pammy and I cut it short and went to the Rainforest Cafe to cool off until the others came back.

Then there was some time for shopping. I think everyone on our tour bought something except for me. I had already seen some things that I wanted to get in Johannesburg airport and plan to get it when we fly back through tomorrow.

Our guide took us back to the lodge where we rested a bit and then decided to ride the shuttle in to town to get lunch. When we got to the restaurant first they didn't have something that Pammy wanted and then I ordered pizza and they said their oven wasn't working. I just said I didn't want anything so we decided to go back to the lodge and eat. It was going to be a while before the shuttle so we were looking at the shops. All at once I felt something on my neck and swatted it. I had been stung by a bee!  Pammy had to pull the stinger out. We then decided not to wait on the shuttle and took a taxi back to the lodge for $8.

Once back at the lodge we decided to go watch them feed the vultures at 1:00 pm. It was so hot we didn't go down and watch it. We drank a coke and got a burger instead. Pammy gave her camera to Chuck and he went down and took the pictures.

I may not have mentioned that we met others on this trip since this was a trip for travel agents. From the beginning it was me and Pammy, Mary and Chuck (Michigan), Dianne and John (California), and Patrick (California). Dianne and John went back home after Shamwari. The rest of us continued on to Victoria Falls. Pammy and I have been doing a lot with Mary and Chuck. Patrick is in a different part of the lodge so we don't see him as much. When we leave tomorrow, Patrick is continuing on to Madagascar.

Later in the afternoon we had a Sunset River Cruise where we looked at wildlife along the way. They also served different appetizers and drinks. It was an enjoyable tour.

As soon as we got off the river cruise they took us to BOMA which was am African buffet where they made us dress us and painted faces.  There was also entertainment at the end. Pammy and I left early and came back to get ready for tomorrow since we will be leaving to go home.

It was a long day.

September 7, 2016

This morning we got up at 5:30 am and packed everything up. We had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Our transfer was there to pick us up at 7:50 am for another 30 minute ride back to Johannesburg airport. There was an escort at the airport to help us get checked in and onto passport control. We were leaving the country going from South Africa to Zimbabwe. We will be there 2 nights.

Even though we got to the airport early it really passed quickly because it was quite a walk to our gates and there were shops along the way to stop and look at. Our plane boarded on time. The only part I didn't like was we had to get on a bus to ride out to the plane. That is always a pain to have to do that. The plane ride was uneventful. The flight was only 1.5 hours. They served us a sandwich. The landing was very bumpy.

As we exited the plane there was a line that we were standing. They were checking our passports for us to get in another line to go through passport control and pay $30 for our visa. They did everything manually and it took us over an hour to get through. There were 2 other people on our transfer and they left after waiting 45 minutes on us. They rode in business class and were the first off the plane. In fact I saw them getting their luggage to leave when we were still upstairs.

As we were going to our hotel our driver told us of 2 tours. Riding elephants for an hour or a helicopter tour. I really didn't want to do either but Pammy had been asking me to do the helicopter and I kept telling her no.  This time I told her I would do it if she wouldn't make me ride elephants in the heat. Our driver dropped us and our luggage off at the helicopter place and we did the flight over the falls. They filmed the whole thing and then tried to sell us the video for $50. We said no thanks.

We were then transferred to our hotel. It was nice. They serve snacks and drinks in the afternoon and have a viewing deck overlooking the watering hole.

We had a free dinner included in the package. We went to the restaurant to eat and had one misunderstanding after another. At the end they wanted us to pay and we said no. They finally let us leave with an agreement it would get sorted out in the morning with our travel provider.

Upon returning to our room the had done the turndown service for us and put the mosquito net around our beds. We have to wear sunscreen during the day and mosquito repellent at night plus we have to take anti malaria tablets.

Tomorrow is another day with a tour of the falls starting at 8:00 am.

September 6, 2016

This morning was the last day at Shamwari. We had the usual 5:30 am wake up call to leave for our last game drive at 6:00 am. This morning 3 in our group of 7 decided to sleep in so there were only 4 of us that went on the game drive.

The drive really started slow. We weren't seeing anything. We stopped for coffee midway through without any sightings. I was beginning to think that I should have slept in. But then we started seeing animals. We saw a few more Black Rhinos and then the best sighting of all. We saw the big male lion that we had been looking for. He was just laying there so majestic without a care in the world.

We had to cut our drive short and get back to the lodge by 9:00 am for breakfast. Our transfer came at 10:00 to take us back to the Port Elizabeth airport where we were flying back to Johannesburg. The flight was uneventful and our driver was waiting for us to take us to the hotel. We were staying at the DaVinci Hotel in Sandton. This is a suburb and was about 30 minutes or so from the airport.

Our hotel was lovely and connected to a huge mall. We went outside and walked around Nelson Mandela Square. There was a Hard Rock Cafe there and we quickly went in there to see what they had for sale in their gift shop. We went back to our room and rested up a bit before going down to the hotel restaurant to eat dinner.

It was an early night for us as we have an early wake up in the morning to go back to Johannesburg Airport to fly to Victoria Falls Zimbabwe.

I don't remember if I mentioned in any of my earlier blogs or not, but while on game drives if you needed to go to the bathroom you just had to squat behind a tree. Needless to say, I didn't drink much before I went on the drives because that wasn't going to happen. The drives lasted anywhere from 3 to 4 hours each time.

September 5, 2016

This morning was another early morning -- wake up call 5:30 am and safari at 6:00 am. Back to the lodge around 10:30 am for breakfast.

This morning we saw Lions and Black Rhinos. We happened upon the Black Rhinos and they scampered on off across the field and settled down on the other side. We saw 2 different groups of Lions -- 2 females with 2 Cubs and 2 males.  The 2 males got really close to the vehicle. So majestic.

We also stopped by the Born Free exhibit where they house animals unable to live in the wild. They come from zoos, circuses and personal owners. There were 3 leopards and 3 lions there at the moment.

When we returned back to the lodge, I rested a bit and then fell asleep. I woke up at 2:25 pm and jumped up and ran down to the lodge. Lunch is only served til 2:30 pm. I was sure I had missed lunch but they fixed me a sandwich so I was good.

We went out on the drive again at 4:00 pm and didn't get back til 8:00 pm. We ant straight to dinner.

On the evening drive we were able to see hippos.

We will be picked up at 10:00 am in the morning for our transport to the airport to go on to Johannesburg.

September 4, 2016

Today was the first of our morning game drives. We got a wake up call at 5:30. We were to meet at the lodge at 5:50 where coffee was served. We left for the drive at 6:00 am. It was still dark outside. It was misty and cold but not as bad as the previous day. I dressed in layers since I didn't bring many warm clothes. i wore a t-shirt, sweatshirt, hoodie jacket and a light weight jacket. The ranger gave us rain ponchos to wear which helped keep us warm as well.

This morning we saw zebra, giraffes, buffalo, wart hogs, and elephants. We stopped after about 3 hours for coffee. The vehicle was really high off the ground and I didn't feel comfortable getting out because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get back in without a loading platform. However, I was quite happy staying in the vehicle.

By the time we made it back to the lodge it was 10:00 and they were waiting on us with warm towels and warm drinks. We then went for breakfast where they had both a continental breakfast as well as a cooked to order breakfast. It was good.

After breakfast I was worn out so went back to the tent and took a nap which helped me feel revitalized.

We were leaving on our afternoon drive at 3:00. Since we ate breakfast so late I wasn't hungry for lunch so I just ate peanut butter crackers to hold me over till dinner.

When we got to our safari vehicle this evening, it was a different vehicle than we had previously. On this one someone had to sit in the front with the driver. I called that seat because I was able to get in and out of it without a loading platform.

This evening we saw white rhino, elephants and cheetahs. It is amazing how close we are to the animals and they don't seem to be afraid of the vehicles. We park right next to them and sit and watch them. The elephants are pretty amazing animals.

We were back to the lodge at 6:30 where they said they had a special surprise for us. It was making sandwiches and grilling them. They also served champagne but by the time I went to get a glass, they were all gone. I guess somebody had more than their share which was ok by me.

We had just enough time to go clean up before we had to be at dinner at 7:30. Dinner was good and we all had a good visit. It was after 10:00 pm before we got to bed and the next day was going to be a 5:30 wake up call again.

September 3, 2016

This morning we had our last breakfast at Twelve Apostles. We were sadly having to leave this place but are moving on to something more exciting.

Our shuttle to the airport picked us up at 8:40. Once we arrived to the Cape Town airport it was very quick to check in and go through security. Pammy was even able to bring a bottle of wine with her in her carry on. They don't have strict rules for travel throughout the country.

Our flight was very short -- just a little over an hour. Once we arrived at Port Elizabeth our driver wasn't there to meet us. She finally did arrive though. There had been quite a bit of rain at the Reserve and she had been stuck in the mud so it made her late.

After an hour drive we arrived at Shamwari where we were greeted with lemonade. We were taken to the main lodge where lunch was ready for us. None of us had any idea what anything wasn't  they served up a big platter for the table with samples of each for us to try. I really didn't care for much of it.

After a quick lunch we were shown to our rooms where we were able to check them out briefly before we had to be back at the lodge again to go on our first drive. It began raining on us while we were out so western all given ponchos to wear which kept us both warm and dry. By the time the drive was over, it was quite miserable. It had gotten really cold. We did get to see lots of animals which was exciting. There were a couple of cheetahs and a bunch of elephants.

After arriving back to the lodge we went back to our rooms to freshen up and then had dinner at 8:00. Dinner was much better than lunch. After dinner we went back to our tents and went to bed. We were totally exhausted.

September 2, 2016

This morning we got up and had another good breakfast. We had a tour booked with another Tours By Local Gude, Clive.  He was taking us to see seals, penguins, and the gardens.

The first stop was Houk Bay where we got on a boat and rode out to seal island. The islands were covered by seals. I was quite a site. The boat ride out there was rather bumpy and at one time a big wave hit the side of the boat. Thank goodness I was inside under cover.

After that we went on a nice coastal drive and stopped at Cape of Good Hope. We rode the funicular up to the top of the mountain. From there if you wanted to go to the light house there was quite a climb up stairs to get there. We opted to just look from below.

Our next stop was to see the Penguins. They were everywhere along the beach. We even saw one walking down the street. While we were there, we opted to eat lunch at the Seaforth restaurant where they had fresh fish. I had prawns with a small salad. It was delicious.

When we first started our day, Clive asked us if we had seen the Cheetahs the previous day. We had not and really wanted to see them. He said w could do that instead of the gardens if we wanted to. We decided to switch the 2 out. It was quite a drive to get there. When we were about 15 minutes away Pammy told him that we really wanted to do the private cheetah encounter. He got on the phone right away and called and talked to the head person what we wanted to do. They said it would be very expensive and we said ok. The exchange rate is in our favor now and I think it cost about $150 per person and we thought that was reasonable.

We were able to pet Romeo. He was absolutely beautiful. At times he would get up and start walking around so we had to step back until he settled down again. We also got to pet a Bat Eared Fox. She just laid down and went to sleep. It was a really good experience.

When we got back to the room we were really tired so we ate at the hotel and got packed up for our flight the next morning to Port Elizabeth. We will be starting our safari tomorrow at Shamwari.

September 1, 2016

When the alarm went off this morning we were totally exhausted. We had to get moving as we had a tour booked. After another good breakfast, our tour guide, Albert, picked us up for our tour.

Today we went wine tasting and chocolate tasting. The first place we stopped was chocolate tasting. We tasted 6 different chocolates. The cocoa beans were from different locations which gave it distinct flavors. At the same location Pammy also did a craft beer tasting. There was also a shop that sold Glass items that were made there.

We went to a couple of other places and had wine tastings. I enjoyed the tastings even though I'm not much of a wine drinker.

We had lunch at a restaurant with an amazing view. The food was very good and enjoyable. We then drove through a few small towns where we had the option of getting out and walking where we could go through the shops but we opted to keep moving.

We tried to go to Table Mountain at the end of the day because the sun was finally coming out but we didn't have enough time before the cable cars closed.

When we got back to the hotel we were both pretty beat. After resting a bit we decided to go to the spa and relax in the hot tubs. By then we were really tired so we went back to the room and ordered room service.

It was a good day. Tomorrow we are seeing penguins, seals and gardens.

August 31, 2016

I got a good nights sleep last night and slept in until almost 9:00 am. I think I am adjusted to the new time which is 7 hours ahead of Dallas time.

We went down to have breakfast that is included in the stay. It was very good and filling. While eating we were trying to decide what we wanted to do for the day. We decided to go into Cape Town (our hotel is about 30 minutes outside of town). We asked the concierge if he could find us a private tour of Cape Town and Table Mountain.

Our tour guide picked us up at 11:00 am and took us into Cape Town. He told us it was too overcast and windy to do the mountain. There wasn't much to see in the city.  The guide stopped by the sea so we could get out and take pictures. He then took us to a shopping mall on the waterfront. There was the Cape Town wheel there that we rode. It was like the London Eye. On the way back to the van I stopped in a luggage store and bought another piece of luggage to use as my carry on. This one is light weight and has wheels. The one I brought is very heavy having to carry through the airport.

After the mall we went to a street market to see what the locals were selling. I purchased some artwork. Then the guide took us to a tanzanite store. They had pretty stuff but it was expensive.

After we got back to the hotel we both had massage appointments. In the meantime we decided that we would like to see if they had any suites available. They did, so we arranged to have our things moved to the new room after the massage. Our new room is a 1 bedroom suite with a balcony that faces the ocean. Our other room was a deluxe room with a partial ocean view and mountain view.

We had dinner reservations in the hotel restaurant. The fresh catch of the day was sea bass and it was delicious.

So far all the people we have encountered have been really friendly and helpful. South African prices in everything are really inexpensive. It is amazing how much you can get for your money.

Tomorrow we have a wine tasting tour.

August 30, 2016

We boarded our plane around 10:30 am yesterday morning. As I mentioned before, we didn't get upgraded on this flight so it was to be 15 hours in economy.  As we got settled we could see it was going to be VERY cozy. I quickly looked at the seat map using an app that I have. We noticed that a lot of the seats were blocked and there was nobody sitting in them. Pammy asked one of the flight attendants if she could move to one of them and they said she could. As she was trying to decide which one to move to (most of them were at the very back of the plane), she noticed the row behind us was vacant.  The seat map showed it as occupied but for whatever reason it was vacant. The door was about to be closed so we felt we were good. Nobody else boarded so we each had a row with 2 seats each.

Our pilot has 30 years with South African Airways and this is his last flight. As we were leaving JFK, he got a send off by the Fire Engines as they sprayed the plane. I wish I had gotten a picture.

They served us lunch. We had a choice of chicken or beef. I chose the chicken as usual. It was good and I sure am glad I had the row to myself because I was using both trays to get everything situated.

We had our own TV screens at our seat with some very recent movies. I was planning on getting caught up with the ones I hadn't seen yet. I started the Jungle Book and I was having a hard time hearing it. I was having to use the cheap headphones they provided because I didn't have an adapter for mine. I then switched to another movie and it kept stopping. They announced they were having problems and would reboot the system. After they rebooted the system I couldn't get anything to play.  A 15 hood flight with no entertainment. I thought it would never be over.

About an hour before we landed, they came around and served breakfast. I didn't think it was very good. I did manage to eat the fruit and yogurt.

When we got to Johannesburg we had to walk a very long way to go through customs. The lady telling us what line to go to told me to take off my glasses. I was stumbling along and didn't know why I had to take off my glasses or where I was supposed to be going. I finally figured it out and then I got in a line with a guy that wanted to carry on long conversations with everyone.

I finally got through customs and then had to walk a long way to get my luggage. It then had to be taken to a desk to be dropped off for my flight to Cape Town.  Then off to our gate which was up a floor and a couple of miles to the other end of the airport and then down 2 floors. We then had to board a hot bus to get to the plane. I was beginning to think they were driving us to Cape Town. We finally got on the plane and settled into our first class seats. What a difference that was from the other flight.

Once we got to Cape Town we claimed our luggage, went to ATM to get South African Rand and then met our driver who took us to the hotel. We were pretty tired by this point so went to the hotel and took a shower and put in fresh clothes and went to explore the hotel. It is a really nice hotel and only has 70 rooms. Everyone here is really friendly. Before coming back to the room we booked a massage for tomorrow afternoon. We don't have any tours booked for  tomorrow so not sure what we will do.

The lady came to make up our room for the evening and put hot water bottles on our beds. This really feels good on my cold feet. I'm sure I will sleep good tonight. I am almost going to sleep as I type this.

August 29, 2016

Yesterday was a long day traveling from DFW to JFK. My flight left DFW at noon and I finally arrived to my hotel around 6:30. We ended up staying in at the hotel and had dinner at their restaurant which was good.

This morning we got up early, had breakfast and headed out to JFK using Uber. We are hanging out at Buffalo Wild Wings until time to board our plane at 10:30. This will be a 15 hour flight in economy to Johannesburg where we have a 2 hour layover and then continue to Cape Town. This will be a 2 hour flight in First Class. By the time we get to Cape Town you all will be waking up in the morning.

August 28, 2016

Well today is the day I leave home for my big trip to South Africa. I fly out of DFW at noon to NYC where I will stay at a hotel near JFK. I will meet up with my travel partner, Pammy Tyler, there. Tomorrow morning we board our 15 hour flight from JFK to JNB (Johannesburg). We have a change of planes there and continue on to Cape Town where we will spend 4 nights.   We put in for an upgrade to Business Class but so far it hasn't come through so looks like we will be in Economy. The upgrade for the short flight to Cape Town did come through so that will help some.

If you look to the right side of this page, there is a link that shows our detailed itinerary where you can follow along. There is another link for pictures which takes you to my Facebook Album for South Africa so you can see all my pictures through Facebook.