On Safari with the Grants – Day 2

There is just something disturbing about arising out of a perfectly good bed at 5:30 in the morning. I mean, really, this is a vacation? But for those of you who know the Lady that brooks no relaxing on vacation, all this makes perfect sense.

So, by just a tad past 6 am, we were plunging once again through the bush of the Kruger National Forest on the look out for elusive big game.

As you can see from this picture taken in the afternoon, we had Chris out front on the tracker seat, Ishmael in the driver's seat and the rest of us displayed like tiered prizes.

In less than 10 minutes we came upon a pride of lions, which were a lot smarter than us because they were all still asleep. So asleep that neither the truck noise, the camera clicks nor the oohs and aahs disturbed them in the slightest. The pride consisted of one female and three males of varying ages. We were sitting in the tuck about 10 feet from the sleeping beauties. At one point, the female raised her head and opened her eyes and carefully took us all in as if to say, “You people are crazy, you should be in bed.” I couldn’t agree more. She then laid her head back down and snoozed away. We came across the same pride during our afternoon drive and guess what? They were still sleeping. I think I might make a good lion.

We next came upon one of our groups whose Range Rover had broken down. It seems that their tie-rod had decided to take a holiday and that was that. We took two of their group with us and another truck came to pick up the rest. We were told that 1-800-RangeRover had been contacted and would be making a bush call.

As we pressed on, the sky was becoming increasingly threatening. The weather report was calling for 50% chance of rain and those chances were looking good. But then we found the elephants. They were munching everything in site along the boundary of an area where transferred animals are kept in quarantine before being allowed into Kruger. As we sat only about 20 yards away and watched the elephants and they watched us, that 50% chance of rain became 100% and we scrambled for the ponchos thankfully stored in our truck. It was a like a South Georgia thunderstorm without the thunder.

Since we could hardly see through the pouring rain, we headed back to the lodge to do what we seem to do best: eat. I’m still trying to work this out, but what I believe is at work here is a cultural thing. South Africans are well acquainted with how ferocious and dangerous hungry animals can be. Since we North Americans are as curious and unknown as the local animals, they constantly feed us to keep us docile. Hey, don’t argue with something that works.

After breakfast, one of the rangers presented an interesting lecture on elephants. Not to be indelicate but I’ve been wondering why we seem to see elephant poop everywhere  -- and lots of it  -- and I found out. Elephants only digest about 40% of what they eat, so they have to eat a lot to maintain those stout figures. But that’s also why they poop a lot. My neighborhood association would not like having any pet elephants around.

We actually had a bit of a break between breakfast and lunch so the Lady and I headed back to our little cabin in the woods, she to tackle a tsunami of email and me to nap. I think I got about 10 minutes of napping done before it sounded like the attack of the vengeful gods on our roof. Turns out it was only a couple of monkeys running around. As you might have deduced,  sleep is not a big priority on safari.

The rain passed on through and we were able to head out for our evening game drive. While we did see the lions again, this time laying out in the middle of the road, the remaining game must have been attending meetings because they were nowhere to be seen. That’s the way these drives sometimes go.

However, during our Sundowner (the safari name for happy hour) we did see a Rhinoceros about a quarter mile away approaching the river. We continued to drive around for about an hour after sunset but now it seems all the animals had headed for the bar or their night meetings.

So, guess what we did? We went back to the lodge and ate. See, you are catching onto the safari thing. Well, tomorrow is another day, Scarlet, and that means early wake up. We have one more game drive in this location and then we head for a private game reserve later in the morning.

It's going to be interesting to see which one of us gets fed to the animals tomorrow. I didn't eat all of my desert tonight, hoping that will diminish my chances. Wish me luck.

On Safari with the Grants - Day 1

After a 2 &1/2 hour flight from Cape Town to the Kruger National Park, we are officially on safari.

We landed at a precious little airport with only one runway, no taxiways and a terminal building with no gates, only a door. Our camp, Narina, was about a 20-minute drive from the airport.

A full four-course lunch was awaiting us and we finished it just in time for afternoon tea, owing to the one-hour delay this morning leaving Cape Town. Every time we slow down a bit, someone puts a plate in our hands. I’ve come to the conclusion that we are being fattened, and will later be fed to the animals we’ve come to see.

About 4:30, we climbed (and I do mean climbed) into our open-air, specially constructed Range Rovers for our first game drive. Ishmael, our driver, and Chris, our tracker, then proceeded to drive us all over this part of Africa looking for animals. It’s a complicated game of hide and seek. The animals hide and we seek them. Our group is divided into two camps and a total of 4 Range Rovers. The drivers communicate back and forth when something is spotted and we take turns heading in that direction.

Betsy was the first to spot an animal, a Giraffe, which was about 50 yards off the road. Later we rounded a tight turn to fine another Giraffe standing right next to the road. Talk about up close and personal!

We next saw a pack of wild dogs, a somewhat rare sighting. We then came upon a small herd of impala.  In quick succession we saw a hippo, several cape buffalo and more impala. In most cases, the driver was able to pull up unnervingly close to these creatures.

At full-on dusk, our driver pulled into a small clearing and declared that we had a flat tire. It didn’t look flat to me, but what do I know? Things became much clearer when he and Chris laid a tablecloth on the radiator guard and pulled out an assortment of cocktail making materials. Nobody told me safari would be like this. After some safari appropriate hors d’oeuvres and a lovely glass of white wine, we were back on the hunt. Chris had a spotlight that he shined back and forth into the bush looking for glowing eyes. Tonight, at least, we did not see any. One group did spot a pride of lions and Ishmael made an attempt to find them to no avail.

After a world-class Braille dinner (under the stars and by kerosene lantern light ), we headed for our safari home. These are right nice digs. It is like a small apartment and quite comfortable.

Not to worry, we are not here long. Wake up is at 5:30 am with the morning game drive starting at 6. Seriously? Can’t we catch the late morning show?

The Lady, who wishes not to miss a thing, is telling me to wrap this up and get to bed. So, I shall.

Cape Town and Surroundings – Day 6 - Tauck Tour Day 2

Today was all about geography, and penguins.

If you casually look at a map of Africa and seek out Cape Town, it is easy to assume that city is at the Southern tip of the continent. When I looked at our schedule for the day and saw that we were going to visit the Cape of Good Hope, I immediately thought that we were going to be at that extreme Southern point of land.

Was I ever wrong. As it turns out, the Cape of Good Hope is the most South-Western point of the Continent of Africa. The actual Southern-most point of the Continent is several hundred miles to the east.

Have cleared that up, let me tell you, even the most South-Western point is in a spectacular location. About an hour away from Cape Town, the locale is barren of all but low growing vegetation and a lot of rocks. As you can see in the photos, the sun was shining but what you can’t immediately perceive are the ferocious winds.

Now, if you carefully check the coiffure of the Lady who normally has every hair in place, you will get some idea of the windy conditions. Some of the gusts we experienced along the shore would almost knock you down.

I remember learning in school about the dangers experienced by mariners sailing around the cape, and now I understood why. I would not want to be on a small vessel trying to navigate in those winds.

After visiting at sea level, we motored a thousand feet or so up on the mountain to Cape Point. This is where the lighthouse is located and the views, like the one pictured below, are magnificent.

Along the way we experienced what I found to be an unusual animal sighting. We saw several male and female ostriches. I never imagined seeing an ostrich on such barren land and that close to the sea. But there they were.

We lunched in Simon Town, the location of the South African Navy base. Only a few miles north of the Cape of Good Hope, Simon Town is just as windswept. A couple of hundred yards down from our restaurant was a South African penguin colony. Located in a somewhat isolated area of rocky beach, we strolled along a boardwalk and saw hundreds of these interesting birds. We discovered that this particular variety of penguin has a vocalization that sounds almost like a donkey braying. It is truly a strange sound.

So, today is our last day in Cape Town. You might be interested in my impressions. It is a lovely city that reminds me a bit of southern California. It is definitely not what comes to mind when I think Africa. It’s a modern, busy town with a lot to offer the locals and tourists. The people are all laid back and quite friendly. It has been a fun place to visit.  In fact, my greatest surprise about the Cape Town area has been the surrounding mountains. They frame the city and suburbs in a way that creates surprising vistas around every turn. Our guide, however, told us that it also creates a very difficult to navigate road system.

Tomorrow we head to the bush and that is what comes to mind when I think of Africa. We have a plane flight north east into Kruger National Park. I’m not sure what the internet situation will be there, so it’s possible you may not hear from me for several day. Fear not, I’ll keep good notes and will relate our adventures the moment I can get online.

Cape Town Day Five – Tauck Tour Day 1

Gentlemen start your engines . . . On your mark, get set, go . . . Step into the starting blocks . . .

Pick your metaphor for “get ready, things are about to start happening.”

The Tauck tour company provides genuine value for your money --  but I’m here to tell you, this is not your Grandma’s relaxing tour.

Wakeup call was at 6 am, and, because I did not immediately spring into action, I was the recipient of the Lady’s (who only makes a joyful noise) rendition of “Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory Glory.” That will get you moving, believe me.

We assembled in the hotel library at 7:40 am to begin our day. First on the agenda would be a visit to Robben Island, the South African prison made famous by Nelson Mandela. Before we boarded the boat to take us to the island, we were privileged to meet and hear a short lecture by a gentlemen named Lionel Davis, who spent time there as a political prisoner along with Mandela. Lionel described treatment of prisoners at Robben Island almost to cruel to imagine, but he also spoke of elements of hope that flowered ever so gradually and grew, finally resulting in the lifting of apartheid and the release of all the political prisoners.

Lionel told of relationships that developed between guards and prisoners that led to mutual understanding and the loosening of some restrictions. Some of this occurred after the prison management began to allow prisoners to participate in sports. The guards, great fans of rugby, gained a respect of their charges’ intelligence and abilities as they saw them learn and play this competitive game.

And though the process that brought apartheid to an end was complex and multifaceted, Lionel commented about the importance of the influence of the Red Cross and the international political community.

The boat ride to the island takes about 50 minutes from the docks in Cape Town. The island is very flat and desert like. The white washed buildings are bare and stark. We first took a bus ride around the entire island and learned that it was once a leper colony (leprosy graveyard pictured above) as well as a strategic defensive post held by the English during World War II, although the major gun placements were not completed until two years after the war ended.

After the bus tour, another former political prisoner acted as our guide and took us through several prison buildings including a stop by the individual cell where Nelson Mandela spent years of incarceration. His cell had no bed, just a mat and a blanket -- and a pail for a bathroom. It was quite sobering to look at what that man endured and to reflect on how he was able to come out of that experience with enough love and care for his fellow man to lead the country through the rough reconciliation process. He was an extraordinary person.

On our boat ride back to Cape Town there was time to consider what ordinary people of good will were able to do to turn back such a terrible system of oppression and it was obvious that there were many South Africans who exhibited that good will.

In the afternoon, we ventured once again to Table Mountain. If you read my earlier blog, you know about Table Mountain and I can tell you that nothing much changed between our visit on Wednesday and the visit today, except that the enormous weekend crowds made getting back down off the mountain an arduous task. The line for the return trip cable car had, conservatively, 400 to 500 people in it and we had to stand in the sun for over an hour waiting for our turn.

While in line, we did however get to meet a creature we did not see on Wednesday – the Rock Hyrax. These little creatures have obviously lost their fear of humans (probably because of people feeding them) to a degree that they would come within a foot or two and pose quite charmingly for our cameras. It was at least one fun way to kill some time waiting in line.

Finally down off the mountain, we headed for Catharina’s Restaurant at Steenberg. This was a four-course dinner with wine parings for each course from the Steenberg Winery.  In between courses, our host told stories about Catharina including her five husbands and their unusual and untimely ends. The more wine I had, the more interesting the stories sounded.

It has been a long and busy day. I am writing this, dear readers, at the expense of sleep because I know you are out there hanging on every word. Never fear, loyal fans, I’m hear to bring a bit of excitement to you and will work tirelessly (or is it tiresomely) to keep you informed.

Tomorrow is another 6 am wake up call and I shall try diligently to miss hearing a chorus of “Rise and shine . . . . . .”  Wish me luck.

Cape Town Day 4 – Tauck Tour Start Day Minus 1You

Today was the last of our tour days planned by the Lady who researches well. I think there is a second career in there somewhere if she so desires.

We explored some aspects of Cape Town not scheduled to be covered on our upcoming tour and it was a wonderful relaxing day.

After an all too filling breakfast at our hotel, The Cape Grace, we headed around to the backside of Table Mountain to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Located on nearly two square miles of hilly terrain, this lush sanctuary showcases all the beautiful varieties of indigenous South African plants.

The Garden was established in 1913 and all the plants were carefully cataloged. We passed one palm tree labeled number 17 with a planting date in 1913. I don’t know about you, but I’m in awe of a tree that has managed to survive for 102 years. Kirstenbosch is the largest of a county-wide network of nine botanical gardens. The staff is actively involved in research and environmental education. Here! Here!

From our perch high up on the mountain, we could see down into the suburbs of Cape Town.

We worked up an appetite hiking up the mountain and back, but, fear not, there was a plan to slake that hunger. Our next activity was Afternoon Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. And a delicious activity it was. We selected our individual blend of tea from a multi-page menu and were then served a tower of mini-sandwiches and other delights which was just a prelude to a visit to the enormous table of sweets in the main room.

Since napping at the table is frowned upon, we reluctantly tore ourselves away and headed back to our hotel to prepare ourselves for the opening night reception for our tour.

Ah, the opening reception. It’s that awkward time where you wonder if anyone will talk to you. Who will your tour mates be? Will they be interesting, punctual, a little odd? Where are they from? What do they do? How much have they traveled?

It turns out we have a group of 25 fairly seasoned travelers.  The only way to avoid the awkwardness is to stick out your hand, introduce yourself and start a conversation. Since we are traveling with Tauck, a good starter question: “Is this your first trip with Tauck?” It goes very easy after that.

During the dinner following the reception, there is time to dig deeper into the people you will be visiting with. We hit the jackpot tonight. One of our tour mates is a retired CIA analyst who is writing a book about the nuclear arms race and the cold war. I’m looking forward to talking to him.

So, tomorrow is Day 1 and we start this touring thing in earnest. Breakfast is at 6am. Ugh! With the pace that is starting tomorrow, I’m going to need your comments if I’m going to keep up with this blogging thing.

South Africa Winelands – Day 3 – Tauck Tour Start Day minus 2

Today we had a chance to see a bit of the South African countryside away from Cape Town.  We hired a car and driver-guide to show us some of the Cape Winelands.

We started with a visit to the Cheetah Outreach Center. We thought it would be a good idea to meet with the wild animals before we got into the wine. This center seeks to reverse the trend of the declining population of Cheetahs. Once numbering over 100,000 worldwide, the population is now below 7500 with only about 1000 in South Africa. For a small fee, we were able to enter an enclosure and pet a live (although very sleepy) Cheetah and learn more about the reasons for the animal’s decline.

Farmers, who blame them for killing livestock, kill many unnecessarily. Cheetahs, as it turns out, are very non-confrontational and only hunt animals smaller than themselves. If another predator challenges them for their kill, a Cheetah will run away rather than fight for the food.  One of the Center’s most effective programs involves raising and placing Turkish Anatolian shepherd dogs with farmers to protect livestock herds from predators, including Cheetahs. The dogs are so effective that farmers are dissuaded from hunting and killing the Cheetahs.

As we knelt and stroked this magnificent animal, you could tell she enjoyed it because she purred just like a house cat. It was a little scary being that close to such a powerful wild animal but it was truly an experience to remember.

We next headed to the Waterford Estate for an unusual wine tasting. In addition to tasting white wines in the traditional manner, we tasted three red wines each paired with a different type of chocolate. What made this so interesting was that the three pieces of chocolate had been formulated by a Belgian company to simulate food that you might eat with the wine. The effect on the palate was as though you were eating that meal. The tasting process involved taking a sip of the wine, then eating a bite of the chocolate letting the flavor fill your mouth, then taking another sip of wine. The difference in the two sips of wine was quite dramatic.

From Waterford we traveled a short distance into Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in South Africa. It reminded us of similar small towns in the wine country of Northern California. A bit of retail therapy was in order, but I was still allowed to stay outside of stores with breakables. Fine by me.

Outside Stellenbosch we stopped at the Delaire Graff Estate for lunch. Our patio seating over looked stunning mountain views that would make any food taste good -  which only added to the exceptional menu we sampled. This estate and its winery have been restored by British businessman, Lawrence Graff, and include displays of his collection of original South African art. It's an impressive place that should go on your South Africa visit list.

We ended our day of Wineland touring in the small town of Franschoek which originally was a farming community created by the Dutch in the 1600’s specifically to grow fresh food for the European ships coming round the Cape of Good Hope. It’s now a cute tourist town similar to ones you might see in Napa or Sonoma.

It was a nice relaxing day and Tony, our driver and guide, filled the time between venues with interesting conversation and facts about South African politics and culture. With eleven official languages and four major cultures, it's a country with a lot to discuss.

Cape Town – Day 2 – Tauck Tour Start Day minus 3

Oh blessed relief from jet lag. Add the snooze in the Air France lounge on Monday evening, to the six plus hours of sleep on the flight from Paris to Cape Town on Monday night, to the almost full night of sleep on Tuesday night at our hotel in Cape Town and today, we felt mostly human again.

We awoke to sunny skies, mild temperatures, a decent wake-up call of about 7:30 am and a relaxed pace for the morning.

This morning was very special because our friends Betsy and Bert from Los Angeles were arriving in Cape Town. I’ve mentioned before that the wonderful unexpected consequence of our travels has been the people we have met and the friends we have made. We had not seen Betsy and Bert since our tour together last year in Australia and New Zealand. But moments after we reunited at a lovely sidewalk café in the Victoria and Albert Waterfront area, it was like we had never been apart. They are amazing friends with which to share travel adventures.

We discussed options for the day and, just like that, we had a plan. Since Table Mountain, which yesterday had been shrouded in clouds, was, today, crystal clear from below, the decision was made to immediately go there, even though our Tauck Tour is scheduled to visit it on Saturday. Travel tip: never put off until Saturday the visit to a venue that is spectacular on Wednesday.

Table Mountain dominates the landscape of Cape Town. It overlooks the city in a way that is inescapable. It looks like, hum, how to describe it? It is very flat, kind of like a, what can I say, a table top. It has been designated one of the New Top Seven Wonders of the World. News Flash - did you know that there was some agency that decided to designate a new set of seven wonders? I did not.

The top of the mountain is accessed by a unique cable car. What is unique, you ask? It’s the fact that as you ascend to the top of the mountain, the floor of the car rotates. So, without moving from your initial spot, you are presented a 360-degree view of the landscape.

Atop Table Mountain, 3500 ft above sea level, you can see the entire city of Cape Town spread out below as well as both the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Because the weather today was clear, we could nearly see forever.

Back at sea level, we had lunch in the food court of the Waterfront Mall. We found a Fish & Chips place that served Kingclip, a fish that we have been told by several people, who had visited Cape Town, that we should not miss. We agree.

After lunch, we guided Betsy and Bert to several stores we had discovered the day before, and the shopping began. Betsy and Denise shopped and Bert and I appeared to be interested while spending most of our time at the doorways of the shops discussing and solving all the problems of the word. An occasional wave, thumbs up and “Yes, dear, that’s lovely” kept us in good stead and an arms length away from actually having to go inside the shops.

Mid-afternoon we were fortified with a scoop of gelato and pressed on. By late afternoon, the jet lag monster had grabbed Bert and Betsy so we parted ways - them to the hotel and us in search of a dinner venue.

Before I tell you about dinner, I must confess my shopping faux pas from yesterday. It kind of explains why the Lady who depends on me to confirm purchase decisions was willing to give me a bit of slack today.

We were in a store that displayed and sold African themed products, of which there are many. One fascinating product we discovered is ostrich eggs.  These eggs, which are about the size of an NFL football, are sold plain or decorated in many elaborate ways. Eager to learn more about them in a tactile way, I lifted a plain one from its display perch to examine it more closely. Somewhere between grasping it and moving it into the range of my elderly vision, it decided to elude my grasp and gravity came into play. As I watched in clumsy horror, it plunged downward and eventually came in contact with the floor and shattered into 387 small eggshell pieces with a resounding WHACK that could not be denied.

Points to me - I did not try to skulk away, but rather stayed on the scene and admitted to the sales person that, yes, I did drop the egg and would pay for it. The price: 90 Rand, which at first sounds expensive but since South Africa money is kind of like Monopoly money, it was really only about $9.00 American dollars.  Trying to recover from my extreme embarrassment, as we approached the cashier with all the pieces scooped from the floor, I joked that what I really wanted was an ostrich egg puzzle. The cashier was not amused.

Then the store manager showed up to assist in the transaction and said, “I’m only going to charge you 45 Rand.” That made me feel a tiny bit better. I knew that the Lady who watches the check book closely would not torture me as much for a $4.50 error as she would a $9.00 error. And since today, I was not immediately required to enter stores with her, I considered the $4.50 spent as a Win-Win.

So, back to tonight’s dinner. Yesterday in our reviews of eating establishments around the Waterfront, we noted a lovely Italian restaurant that had an great view of Table Mountain and the harbor. The Lady, who rarely expresses a restaurant preference, admitted that a bowl of Minestrone sounded like just the ticket, so for this evening, Italian it would be.

I found a calamari dish that sounded good and the Lady, who knows her white wines, suggested a Sauvignon Blanc from vineyard in nearby Franschhoek. What an delightful dinner it turned out to be. I’ve had calamari in a number of restaurants around the world, but this preparation was absolutely the best I’ve ever tasted. It was the cherry on top of a whipped crème day.

Tomorrow, we tour Cape Town wine country and included is a chocolate tasting. You will want to read about that. 

On the Road Again

So we climbed into the sky on Sunday afternoon and, after 8 hours, arrived in Paris, as in France, at 5:30 am Monday morning. Since our flight on to Cape Town was to depart at 11:30 pm, we decided to see a little of Paris rather than just the inside of Charles DeGaulle Spaceport and Winery.

The Lady who carries all my bus tickets had arranged for a car and driver for the day, or so I thought. Excellent. We had done something similar to this several years ago in Istanbul. We saw a lot of that city in one day due the efficiency of that arrangement. The driver would pull up close to a venue. The guide would quickly secure entrance tickets and take us to the head of the line. It was a great day.

Imagine my surprise when we met our guide outside the Café de Flore and he proceeded to lead us, walking at a rapid clip, a mile or so to the Louvre. Every time we turned a corner I expected to see the car and driver. It was not to be. The guide was excellent and has a very good chance at making the next Olympic team in power walking. We managed to win the Louvre trifecta, seeing the Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa in pretty much a dead run. Art at the speed of lightning.

We were also witnesses to a brown letter day in Paris. The air pollution was so bad that a certain number of cars were banned from the city center and the subway system was free. I thank my lucky stars for that since our next stop after the Louvre was Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur, which you might remember is at the top of a very substantial hill. The subway at least took us to the foot of Montmartre but it was ours to navigate to the top. Once there, I envisioned a scenic lunch overlooking the hazy city. Imagine my shock when lightning-feet handed the misses and me our sandwiches and proceeded to start walking back down the hill while munching on his. It seems that the schedule called for us to be at the Tower of Eiffel post haste, therefore we had a walking lunch, not to be confused with a working lunch.

Here is where my whining ends because, when we reached Eiffel’s masterpiece, we were treated to one of the most amazing tours I’ve ever had the privilege to witness. Called “A Behind the Scenes Tour of the Eiffel Tower,” it included visiting a little known underground bunker on the tower property as well as descending into the machine room beneath one of the tower bases to see the equipment that runs one of the elevators. Geek nirvana! The elevator system is powered by hydraulics using water from the Seine. To think that this system was designed and installed in the 1800’s is nothing short of amazing. After seeing the equipment, we boarded the elevator for the ride to the second level. The city looks spectacular from up there.

And among the factoids I learned was that the tower, this international symbol of Paris, was not intended to be permanent and was only saved from the wreaking ball because of its usefulness to hold radio antenna high above the landscape. Go, go, radio.

This tour was well worth the force-march across Paris. The tour guide really was good. His name is Paul. Watch for him in the next Olympics. I just need, in these instances, to adjust my expectations and maybe ask for a few more details before I buy into the Lady’s tour arrangements. Silly me.

Back at the CDG International Spaceport and Wine Bar, we boarded our 11-hour flight to Cape Town. It wasn’t as bad as it might seem. Unlike those 6 and 7-hour transatlantic flights, this trip actually left enough time for some real sleep after subtracting time for dinner and breakfast. It didn’t hurt that I napped a bit in CDG as we waited. I would have napped longer except the Lady with the sharp elbow kept punching me because my snoring was disturbing the entire lounge. She’s so helpful.

As helpful as she was, she was monumentally worried about our suitcases, abandoned for the day at CDG with a promise from Delta and Air France that they would indeed accompany us on to Cape Town. I kept telling her that they were having a wonderful time -  sharing stories with the other luggage, bragging about how they had been to Beijing, Sydney and other exotic places. But ever the Mom, even to luggage, she did not relax until she had those little green-handled beauties back under her control.

We arrived in Cape Town before lunch on Tuesday and, once we dropped our stuff at the hotel, we set about to take the measure of the city. We spent the afternoon and evening at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront area enjoying the sunny sky, 75-degree temps and the light breezes off the water.

Our actual tour does not start until Friday evening so we will be exploring parts of the area not included in that adventure.

Stay tuned.

Almost Time to Go

Day Minus One –

Ah, the dreaded packing day. Just how do they expect one to travel a quarter of the way around the world with just 44 pounds of possessions?

Last year we went to what seemed like the ends of the earth -- Australia & New Zealand. This year we are going only half way to the ends of the earth.

Still, only 44 pounds. This is where a guy is at a great disadvantage. My shoes weigh 20 pounds. That’s what I get for having enormous feet.

The lady who has all the travel paperwork neatly filed in folders has been strategizing her clothing choices for a couple of months now. She even created a chart with the weather listed for each day of the trip. Me, I’ll start this afternoon and throw a few things together and be done. Hey, its only 18 days. That’s like 9 NFL weekends. What’s the problem?

One of our travel friends may have the right idea. She takes clothing nearing the end of its useful life and just donates it as the tour progresses. Not only does she help someone out, she makes room in her luggage for those inevitable souvenirs.

One wrinkle in these logistics is that we have a full-day layover in Paris on our way to Cape Town. Tough duty, you say. Well, the weather in South Africa this time of year (approaching Fall) is mild with temps in the 70’s and 80’s. Paris, however is still in the mid 50’s so we will need to take warmer clothes for our layover and then lug them around for the remaining 16 days.

Now is also the time when I wonder what I’m going to forget, and how debilitating that forgetfulness will be.  I try and remind myself that we are not headed for the wilderness so that forgotten items can be purchased on arrival. Still, it’s one of the experienced traveler badges of honor: I didn’t forget a thing. Right. We’ll see.