March 20, 2009
During the previous day, Toti and our group had expressed ideas to take a trip to the Serengeti National Park. We were staying a long time in the Sasaskwa Lodge and wanted to see more animals. We talked with the chef for our lunch box assortment. (Please understand, you are speaking a different food language here. If you can, try to let the chef fix your own lunch boxes. You might only eat the hard boiled eggs if they are available. They just eat food really different from Americans. A ham sandwich in the US is NOT A HAM SANDWICH IN AFRICA. Bring your own mayonnaise, (not close in Africa!), ketchup, and salsa,(they do not know what that is!) with you! Lots!!!
We did not see a lot in the Park. There was sort of a mini migration, but not to notice much. I read a whole book most of the bouncing way. They road is too rough to sleep. Mostly there is nothing to see. Beware! It was a very long trip we will never make again, unless we are in a moving safari in the middle of the migration.
Nicole slept the most part of the trip. When we returned to the lodge, she went directly to bed. Steve and I went to our room to freshened up. We were originally set to eat outside along the big dining room. It was way too cold for us, so we were moved into the grand dining room!
The surprise of our life came by being the only ones present in the huge formal dining room, with full dress Sterling Silver candlesticks, gracious Asian rugs, huge oil paintings, big white cloth table cloths, and great IPod music! We had a wonderful time. I can fox trot!
March 19, 2009
We were very tired when the 5:30 am wake-up call came. I could hardly move, but the call of the anticipation of new animal sightings and adventure drove me from my slumber. I have a routine I go through in these camp situations. I want a big cup of coffee or tea, wash my face, pull on fresh clothes and socks, put some makeup on to get my eyes open, pack the gear that wasn’t included the night before, and hike down to the main lodge for meet up. There is always some muffins, cakes, or cookies to put some sugar into the system for a jump start of the morning. The cold air and early sunrise really do the wake up for everyone. Toti had the information about the female elephant that we saw last night. The story goes that she had been attacking a local village’s gardens and villagers. The local anti-poaching team was called to take care of the situation. The unfortunate event happened when the untrained team approached the elephant. They did not have the weapons or experience to correctly take down an adult elephant in the head. Instead, they shot the poor animal in the stomach. How anyone can be that bad of shot to not shoot the head and hit the under side is really so sad. The female elephant was driven off to suffer in tremendous pain the last moments of her life. She stood as long as she could, then fell over and died. By the time we saw her the next day, the hyneas had arrive in droves. We checked the carcass throughout the day as every flesh eater in the area show up for their piece of the elephant. Little by little, piece by piece, mouthful by mouthful, the elephant started to disappear into a lonely pile of bones.
Toti sensed our heartbreak, driving us around miles away to see so many other beautiful animals. To cap off the day, he carefully took the Rover up the side of a huge hill overlooking the great Serengeti, avoiding the large boulders and roll over situations. We rolled to the top in a breathless expression of ‘King of the Hill.’ It was incredible. We were so high and could see the sunset to the end of the earth. Guide and guests were one in a victory of the climb. Eventually taking care of business in the bush, you get to select your own private bathroom. I chose one with a ‘view!’
After returning to the lodge, we had an outdoor dinner in the vine covered gazebo. It was so exotic! We fell into bed while the crackling fire warmed and flickered the bedroom. Can this be Africa? I was home.
March 18, 2009
Since this is a relatively new area from being a hunting block, many animals have not dared to come here. It will take several generations for the animals to feel safe. We tracked a small group of lionesses, but they were not doing anything either! We had our usual bloody mary’s for morning break. We drove around for a while looking for animals. We found a pair of cheetahs lounging around ever watchful, and there were giraffes nibbling the tree tops. We came in early. Breakfast is right after morning drive. We do not eat much since it is so close to lunch! Our former ranger at Singita Boulders was now head ranger for Sasaskwa Lodge. We were excited to learn Lee Fuller was meeting us for dinner that evening. continue reading
My husband I were finishing the last part of our 2009 African Safari by flying to the Singita Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands Private Reserve in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. To get there, we had to take a charter flight from a private company at the Johannesburg International Airport. Although we had spent a few days at a Sandton City hotel for a little rest and relaxation, we were still tired when we arrived at Federal Air. Traffic is always unpredictable in Johannesburg. We arrived very early, so early that we were the first passengers to arrive. That was fine for us, because we could claim our favorite ‘sleeping couch’ before anyone else had a chance! After all our bags were unloaded and checked in, we proceeded to their breakfast snacks and coffee. That in no way impaired my ability lay down full length on the soft couch for a nap before our flight. I soon fell asleep with the occasional muffled sounds of newly arriving safari guests. I had napped for a while, when I heard men speaking behind me. I wasn’t trying to ease drop, but their voices were louder and stronger than anyone else’s. As I slept there with my eyes closed, I thought I recognized one of the voices. continue reading
This question occupied my thoughts for a week trying to figure it all out. Understanding the thinking of Sherlock Holmes, I went to deductive reasoning to eliminate the scenarios that were not logically possible. First, who would really know what bag Steve left his camera equipment in? Since all bags look alike, we did have three exactly the same roll along bags with the bright pink zip ties. So, how could any of the baggage people from Entebbe to Kilimanjaro know we had a bag with camera equipment in it? You guessed it, it was the Kenya Airline counter people in Entebbe, Uganda that actually saw the whole scenario. They took Steve’s bag immediately to a private area to steal everything they could. Could there have been a possibility of the bag being gone through in Nairobi or Kilimanjaro? Not likely, because, as I interviewed the security agents, there was zero to no possibility of ‘ID’ing Steve’s bag and stealing his equipment. All bags are under extreme security and locked up over night. The Entebbe group steals stuff all the time, and they are good at it. Where ever they take the bag to go through is safe for them. Steve’s bag was carefully and methodically gone through with other items in their place. I suggest a woman did it, because the bag was so neat. Steve’s Bose headphones was there, but the iPod and cords were gone. I contacted Kenya Airlines and Precision Airways for weeks. If Abercrombie and Kent had carried through with our baggage pickup, then we might have been able to recover our equipment. If I can impress on anyone going to Africa, do not let anyone take you camera equipment from you for any reason. Carry an extra folded up tote to put the equipment in. Keep anything of value on yourself. Don’t become complacent and think you will not become a target. Those eyes are watching your every movement to steal from you. You cannot get reasonable homeowners insurance without a previous rider. You will never get your stuff back for your own lack of awareness. We paid big time. It is just not Africa, but everywhere. Africa is just better at theft! Is there a remote possibility that Steve’s bag was randomly gone through. Not really, as Nicole’s and my roll along bags were retrieved in Kilimanjaro. Steve’s bag did not arrive, but when we did get it, the original pink tie was removed, equipment stolen, and another similar pink tie applied. The real blessing here is, I had left my new Canon Ds Mark III body wrapped in my roll along. No one suspected I would have another body in there. I am thankful for that.
Lense On! is a photography platform bag to stabilize a camera and lense in a safari truck situation and sports photography where there is extremely limited working space requiring a fast set up and take down.
This invention would have never been created without a need. When my husband and I started going to Africa, we were ill prepared to take sharp, interesting photos. This was the time BD, Before Digital. It was difficult to deal with film, but we soon found it very difficult to balance the camera and lense without a tripod or monopod. There is not room in most safari trucks for a tripod, so we did invest in monopods. This in itself was a move in the right direction, but proved not to solve the real problem. With a camera and big lense screwed onto the monopod when the truck is in motion, the whole set up became unwieldy. Where do we put it? There was no choice but to hold onto everything on our laps. With the monopod extended sticking out of the truck, the situation was not ideal. Bigger cameras and lenses became more of a problem. continue reading
March 17, 2009, Tuesday
Today is St. Patrick’s Day, but you wouldn’t know it in the bush. It’s just another day. The early wake-up call came so early after such a long day before. The good news, you can always go out later than intended or not at all. That is pointless for us, since every moment is an opportunity! We eventually climbed into the truck around 7:00 am. There wasn’t much going on this morning. Some lionesses were rolling around with their cubs in the grasses. Others were playing a little game of ‘keep away’ with a bit of skin from the previous night kill with a group of hungry black-backed jackals. We watched the game for a while and laughed at all the jackals’ strategy. The lionesses won, naturally. continue reading
How to be smart before and after you go on safari.
There is always a beginning to a story. The Blonde sent in the name and address of the Husband to the cruise lines to get him interested in something other than sports!! She filled in every information card with his name and address she could get her hands on. Soon, the new mail started arriving in numbers. He just couldn’t imagine why he was getting all this attention from cruise lines. (The travel agent must have done this.) He would read anything that had his name on it.
March 16, 2009, Monday
The day from hell arrived in the chilled darkness. We got up in a foul mood, headache included. I was so mad that I did not even wear clean clothes or take a shower. I put on what I had worn the previous day. Since Steve had none of his bags, he had no shaving bag or even a toothbrush. (I guess an extra toothbrush should be in the bottom of my purse!) We all put back on yesterday’s clothes. Steve was also in a rotten mood. Thankfully, he had put all our travel documents in his shoulder bag, but he left his medications in his roll along. We should have all sat down and cried. Little did we know that this was just the beginning.
March 15, 2009, Sunday
The birds were up before we were. It was time to leave this camp. We finished our last minute packing, checked under the beds, bathroom, and all shelves and bins for overlooked items. Satisfied that we had not forgotten anything, we left for breakfast. I knew that this day would be extremely long, so I tanked up. We were taking our private charter from that grassy airstrip back to Entebbe. We would fly from Entebbe, Uganda to Nairobi, Kenya to Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania. We would be picked up by our same transfer men from Far Horizons and taken back to the Entebbe International Airport. Always remember, TIA. Something will happen in Africa, you just never know when or what will happen. This is the beginning of the disaster that I want everyone to avoid.
continue reading
© Outrageous Red All Rights Reserved
Site By Entropic Studio
this blog powered by the WordPress architecture
