Travel Back to the US

Prior to our departure to the United States, we all got to take helicopter tours of the falls. This true birds eye view of this wondrous site was spectacular. The light aircraft was open so that everyone inside got a good view with the different turns taken around the falls. So much more can be seen from above and until this experience it is hard to really conceptualize the sheer size and magnitude of the falls. The views were excellent and the viewing method was fun. The group had a good time going 3 by 3 on the ride. After the helicopter ride the group was taken to the airport to begin the long journey back home.

The vacation was an amazing experience for everyone in the group. All events went smoothly and everything was coordinated for efficiency and all goals and sights were met, all thanks to our guide: Alan Petersen. Alan and Micato Safaris did an amazing job of orchestrating all events and making us feel comfortable in a foreign land. We got a good dose of South Africa all thanks to this mans knowledge and experience. Alan made the vacation more memorable and enjoyable and for that everyone is extremely grateful to have had him as our guide.

The Last Full African Day

Our last complete day on the African Continent will leave some lasting impressions on the members of the group. Our day began with another humbling visit to a local village to learn of how things are for the locals. The thatch huts with mud floors and the manual pump well will make just about every American feel privileged for what they have. After the visit to the village, the group departed for a walking tour of Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and has been hosted on prestigious television shows such as the Today show and the discovery channel. The group walked through the rainfall generated by the mist off of the falls bundled in rain suits in an attempt to stay dry. The view was spectacular and the falls were amazing to see. After the walking tour the group did some bartering with the local curios at the entrance to the hotel. Souvenirs were bought and life lessons of negotiating were learned first hand. The group then walked back to the hotel for lunch.

After lunch the group went to an afternoon elephant ride through the bush. These tame African elephants were amazing creatures to see up close and get a tour of their land from a birds eye view. The group was stopped at the river for a photo shoot and to let the elephants get a drink before returning to the base and then back to the hotel for dinner. The last day concluded with many memorable photos and experiences the group will never forget.

Another Travel Day

Today is another day dedicated for travel to Victoria Falls in Zambia. We got on our plane early in the morning, and after a short layover in Johannesburg, we made it to one of the 7 natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls. The view of the amazing waterfalls was obscured by the wing and engine on the plane, but the partial view is a spectacular site none the less. After landing we made our way to the Royal Livingstone hotel right on the Zambezi river less than 1 mile from the falls themselves. After quickly settling in and briefly exploring the property the group assembled for a sun downer cruise on the river. The group made its way to the boat for drinks and finger foods and went to view sunset all while seeing some wildlife on the way. The view was spectacular and many pictures were taken to capture the moment. The boat made its way back to the docks and the Rolf family went back to the hotel and freshened up for dinner. Dinner took a while to be served, but the food was good none-the-less.

Final Game Drives

Our final day of game drives was once again spectacular. Our morning game drive was dominated by a hunt for another leopard. On the way to finding this leopard the groups encountered 3 hyenas scavenging the leftover carcasses from the Leopards kills during the night. One of the cars found the leopard and took many photos of the animal that was just outside of arms reach. This big cat was very docile and calm until other safari cars arrived in search of this big five animal. After the other vehicles scared off the cat and left in pursuit, the groups met up for the mid morning coffee and snack. After the break, both groups found their way back to the Singita Lebombo camp for lunch and early afternoon activities.

When the groups met back up for high tea and the evening game drive everyone loaded up in their usual vehicle teams and headed out. The drivers took us to the South Africa border with Mozambique and served champagne and some fancy foods in celebration of Randy and Sandy's 50th anniversary and our last night in the camp. The clifftop extravaganza included a Sabrage with a quote from Napoleon:"This is deserved in times of victory, and needed in times of failure." On the way back we saw a group of 3 honey badgers and a lot of many other night animals. Upon our return to camp, everyone freshened up for dinner and then ate an elegant dinner and parted ways to pack and get ready for our departure the next morning.

The group cannot express how pleased everyone was with Singita Lebombo. The natural feel and wild appearance, coupled with the elegant accommodations included in the room was spectacular. The staff was absolutely amazing and knowledgeable on game drives and around the lodge. Sipho and Colin the drivers supplied everyone with amazing details about the wildlife and landscape. Given and Solly tracked and spotted animals as a bird might, picking out the smallest creatures in the most discrete places. Lastly, our assigned server and Concierge Goodness and Lucky were amazing and helpful around the lodge. All the other staff was incredibly friendly and helpful no matter what question was asked. This experience in the African bush truly spoiled us and our next locations have a lot to live up to.

Game Drives: Day 3

Today was yet another exciting day on the "hunt" for animals. Both groups started out this morning in search of the remainder of the lion pride the previous females belonged to from yesterday. After driving to the northernmost point of the Singita property the lions were found just south of our position. Both the Rolf family groups made it promptly to the scene in thick brush and in close proximity to 24 lions known as the Mountain Pride. The sight was a spectacular one with large, seemingly harmless, cats playing around in the shade and having a general good time. After some viewing the teams went to the midmorning snack site where the group got a tracking lesson from the professionals Given and Sulley over some morning beverages and scones. The groups moved on back to the camp for lunch shortly after that.

Everyone ate lunch and conversed and then separated ways for the middle part of the day. The Bartels Family along with Morgan went for a bike ride through the lands. The Rolf's reviewed photos and relaxed with naps and sitting around the camp. At 4:00PM everyone went back out on another game drive. The two groups met again for a sunset drink and snacks where the view was not anything less than breathtaking. After sunset the groups departed for camp again and both groups had some animal sightings on the way back. One group saw a Hyena and the other found 3 different Chameleons. Dinner was a special event for this Saturday night where barbequed meats and traditional meals were served. Dinner ended and everyone went back to their rooms for a night of needed sleep after such exhausting days.

Animals Sighted:

• African Lions
• Zebra
• Giraffes
• Impala
• Waterbuck
• Jackel
• Cape Buffalo
• Wildebeast
• Hippos
• Crocodiles

On Safari

So after missing a day there has been a lot that has happened. To begin, we have traveled to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. We left Capetown at 5:30 AM on Thursday and after two plane rides, a commercial flight to Johannesburg and then a small 12 seat commuter plane into the national park. Upon landing on the dirt landing strip we were greeted by the Singita Lodge staff with refreshments and some snacks we headed out to our "lodge." The place we are staying is extravagant to say the least. With 2 showers, one inside and one outside, the room has no doors, only curtains creating different partitions of the space. The glass walls look out over the mountain range and into Mozambique only 15 km away.

Only 5 minutes after our arrival the group saw more wildlife than many Americans will see in a whole day at a city zoo. The arid land does not have many trees, only a plethora of shrubs and Impala. After our arrival at the lodge we had a few minutes to freshen up and get ready for our first game drive. We got into our chopped top land rovers and set out on our first African bush adventure. Many of us are not accustomed to seeing such abundant wildlife, making the experience truly amazing. Impala, which are a small relative of antelope, are the most populous species that you will see out here. On our first drive, both vehicles saw some elephants, zebra, waterbuck and other wildlife. The scenery was spectacular. We finished our daylight part of the game drive with drinks and snacks while watching the sunset. National geographic cannot do any justice to what seeing the place in person is like. We made our way back to the lodge after dark, spotlighting some of the nocturnal animals roaming around. We got back to the hotel, freshened up and then ate an extravagantly prepared meal of wild game, and fresh vegetables.

Our second day in the bush, the group received a wake up call at 5:30 AM for our 6:00 AM game dive. The group departed after a brief morning snack and coffee or tea on a morning game drive. Just as in America, the best time to view animals is in the morning and evening and this is evident on game drives around this area. The vehicles witnesses Impala fighting over mating rights to females, a wide variety of aviary wildlife including white-backed vultures and the most impressive African Lion. While hunting for the rest of the lion pride one of the vehicles spotted a white rhinoceros that the other vehicle quickly made its way to. After a thorough viewing of the wildlife in the morning, both groups headed back to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation time during the midday low time for viewing game.

As the saying goes in True Grit "meals will come and go without notice on this trip." We returned to the lodge at 11:30 AM; lunch time. Everyone ate lunch together and then parted ways to go either nap or view the local village. The group met back up at 4:00 PM to go out on another evening game drive. During the intermission the guides caught wind of a nearby leopard that we were going to view. Both vehicles went and found the leopard and watched it till sundown when we left for drinks and snacks. We adjourned during that time and went back to the lodge with the spotlights to spot nighttime wildlife. We returned to the lodge for dinner and relaxing time.

Time for a word about our wonderful hosts. The South African people in general are the most friendly and modest people anyone has ever met. Never has anyone felt so at home in such a foreign land. Our guide Alan Peterson is extremely knowledgeable about anything and everything that you can think of; from the intellectual conversation to the most common and simple jokes. The game drive staff at Singita lodge are very knowledgeable about every animal spotted on the drives and the staff in the lodge is very accommodating. To sum up, everyone is in good health and good spirits. Morgan is learning many new languages and everyone else is learning about new animals. Tomorrow holds another game drive and hopefully many new sightings of new and interesting animals.

Winelands of Cape Town

Summing up today in one word is an impossible task. Lets begin with some statistics; 17 wines were samples, 8 different cheeses and many kilometers were traveled. Everyone started out with breakfast in the hotel and from here we went straight out.
Our first stop was to a type of soup kitchen ran in the shacks of Cape Town. I do not know how many of you reading this have ever seen the film District 9, but the fictitious nature of the movie actually depicts the local slums quite well. Shacks made from corrugated steel and insulated with newspaper is the setting of where we stopped. We met a kindhearted woman named Rosie who makes food for the community, and due to the lack of means, many of the kids would - in all probability - die without the meals she provides. By taking this safari through Micato Safaris, the Rolf's money was donated to the purchase of food to aid in making the meals. The experience was truly humbling and gave us a good idea of the state of the economy in this part of the world. Pictured below is Randy and Sandy Rolf with Rosie in her kitchen, based in a shack within the community.

After our dose of reality, we headed onto the nearby winelands. We started off at a winery Delaire Graff Estate. We had a sample of 7 wines from a delicious Sauvignon Blanc which retained a taste of fresh fruits to a red Botmaskop. After sampling all of the wines and a slight mishap involving 3 spilled glasses of red wine onto Bill Bartels we ate lunch at the same place. With food that we were more accustomed to everyone had a large portion before heading to the next winery.
At the second winery we arrived and found a 3 story goat house in the front of the building, complete with 2 (or more) billy goats. We proceeded inside and with a backdrop of the bottling process and oak barrels we sampled 9 more wines individually paired with a specific cheese to bring out more flavors in the wine. The winery, Fairview Estates, was a beautiful farm of animals of cows and goats for cheeses and vineyards for the grapes in their wines. The stunning views were picturesque as we walked back to the van to drive back to the hotel.

Touring South-Western Point of Africa

The primary day spent abroad has been taking a vehicular tour of the South-Westernmost point of the African continent. There was an abundance of wildlife and breathtaking views along the way. Starting off by leaving our cozy hotel, we headed south along the coastal highway taking in the spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. We witnessed a landlocked fishing boat on a beach that is frequented by Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage. As we headed south we passed through the small towns of Hout Bay and Noordhoek, small rural towns on the ocean.
On the way down to the tip of the cape we stopped in a small no-name village to play with some African penguins. The penguins live in this area all year round and make a sound similar to that of a donkey. These tuxedo outfitted critters are an endangered species and are a nuisance for year round residents.

We traveled all the way down through a national park to witness a stunning view of a lighthouse atop cliff sides to guide boats safely around the cape. After taking a short hike to the lighthouse to take in the amazing 360 degree panoramic view, we went to the most south-western point in all of Africa (the continent).

On the speedy return trip we stopped for lunch in Noordhoek at a restaurant called the Foodbarn. Everyone had an enjoyable meal of either beef rump roast or linefish fillets prepared by a top chef of South Africa. On the ride back to Cape Town just about everyone fell asleep in the van; jet-lag got the best of us. The tour guide awakened everyone for a tour of Table Mountain; a recently voted wonder of the world. This 1,000+ meter mountain edges out of the Atlantic on this thin peninsula in South Africa. The sheer rock faces and flat top make the mountain a truly wondrous site to behold. After the gondola ride to the top we walked around and looked out to learn of the places we had traveled over the course of the day. We then concluded the day's activities by returning to the hotel where champagne and brand new binoculars surprised us in our rooms.

We will soon be going out to dinner to conclude our first day.

P.S. Contrary to popular belief (Eric Schlotz) there ARE camels in this area of the world...despite the fact that they are part of a local circus...Challenge Completed!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Everyone is getting ready to leave on this incredible adventure eagerly placing bags outside the front of the Kansas City home base. The nervousness and excitement are tangible as everyone scurries around putting last minute items into place.
As you read this you can feel free to subscribe as a follower of this blog and comment on the posts as often as you would like. As Mr. Schlotz tested the commenting capabilities of the blog, I have made it easier for you to follow our adventures. Next post will be in AFRICA!

Abridged Itinerary

May 14 - Arrive in Cape Town South Africa
May 15 - Tour of Cape Peninsula in Cape Town
May 16 - Winelands tour in Cape Town
May 17 - Travel to Kruger National Park, South Africa
May 18-20 - Game drives in Kruger National Park
May 21 - Travel to Livingstone, Zambia
May 22 - Touring around Victoria falls by foot & helicopter, then tour local village on elephants in Livingstone
May 23 - Travel to Johannesburg, then back to 'Merica!