Since I last wrote I haven't been up to too much, except a whole lot of waiting. No, scratch that, I did wing my way out to sunny Southern California for a week and spent a weekend in museum and concert heaven in NYC. But other than that, it's waiting. And waiting.
As I've said before, the one thing about signing up for safari is that once you've chosen your tour operator, set the itinerary, paid the deposit and gotten your airfare, that's all there is to do until you go. At least last year with my first safari, I could busy myself with buying all the safari gear. Not now. I'm old hat now. I only need to buy toiletries and I can go.
That's not to say I'm not reading up or trying to stay abreast of things. I found all of the conservancies I'm staying at on Facebook and follow their wildlife updates. It is exciting to hear about recently born lion or cheetah cubs and know that they'll be toddlers by the time I get there. Or hear that a pack of the very rare African dogs have made their way just outside one camp I'm staying at. But still, that can't really keep me preoccupied like researching museums, restaurants and daytrips on a non-safari trip can.
So I remedied that. About 3 weeks ago I was messing around on the internet one Sunday and decided to see how possible it would be to cash in some of my 90,000 United miles for a flight somewhere. Anywhere. Not thinking that it'd be possible to anywhere remotely palatable, I plopped Rome in and some random dates in May 2014 and lo and behold, I could do it, with miles to spare. Hmmmm. Maybe there's something to this. So I played a bit more, slept on it and decided it's been 7 years since my last trip to Rome and 8 since my last trip to Florence, and I walked away with a round-trip ticket to Rome and Florence in May, for the grand sum of 60,000 miles and $85. WOO-HOOO! It's sort of nice to have that to look forward to a few months after safari.
And finally, the very initial plans of a lengthy fall trip through the UK and Ireland, with a quick stop in Amsterdam is being bandied about by my sister and me. Since it will be a Milestone Birthday for her next year, she wants to celebrate in style. Amsterdam and the Hague will have completed massive renovations on the three major museums there (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Mauritshuis) so we'd start there to hit those, and then hit London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin in the remainder of the trip. Still initial phases but feeling very possible.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Celebrating twenty years of travel
Twenty years ago tonight, I was winging my way on an Aer Lingus jet to Dublin for my first ever trip out of the country. With that trip came a new passion for exploring the world, learning more about myself and broadening my world view. And there doesn't seem to be an end in sight to this little obsession of mine.
I traveled with a girlfriend from college and two pen pals I'd met through a U2 fanzine. We met in Dublin for the last two shows of U2's European tour on their home turf. The shows were, of course, amazing. I survived general admission crowds in a European football stadium. That's nothing to sniff at. But I laugh now when I think of that first trip to Dublin. We were only gone for 7 days, but I packed enough clothes, indeed, a complete clean, new outfit, for every day, and then some. My suitcase was massive. I'd not even take it now on a 2 week trip. We were silly naïve ignorant tourists, who didn't know that just because your room wasn't ready at your hotel when you arrived off a red eye flight, that you didn't have to sit in the lobby and wait. You can, and should, go out and see the sights until your room is ready. But we didn't. We sat, with all the other newly arrived U2 fans, and waited. And wasted our first morning in Dublin. Nearly 10 more trips to Ireland would follow, with three of those being on successive U2 tours. And so it began...
Twenty-seven foreign trips, seventeen countries on four continents and three passports later, I'm still completely infected with the travel bug. I'd like to think I've become a more savvy traveler: someone who packs more efficiently and can squeeze every last usable minute out of a day. Someone who knows enough to try the local food and not be too afraid to admit that I like it (Haggis? LOVE IT!) I still get jumpy at in-flight turbulence and will always hold my breath until my luggage drops down on to the carousel at my destination. I'm still disappointed that I can't bring my three bottles of frozen spring water from home on the plane after 9/11, but I've adjusted. Somehow. But as my confidence as a world traveler has grown, so too have my experiences.
So what exactly has all this travel gotten me? Let me count the ways, as they say.....I learned quickly the overwhelming surge of joy at a long-overdue "hello" and the utter sadness and regret of an airport good-bye. I've seen wild horses running on a Dublin strand, poppies in bloom in the Tuscan countryside, and 21 lions staring back at me from under a shade tree in Africa. I've learned there is nothing more melodic than a Irish accent and nothing more heart-melting than Irish eyes. And there is nothing smoother than a fresh Bailey's over two ice cubes served up in Ireland.
I've been extremely fortunate to have seen the best art in the world: rooms full of Rembrandts in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam and New York, Michelangelos in Florence, Picasso's Guernica, American Gothic, Whistler's Mother, Mona Lisa, hundreds upon hundreds of Monets in one weekend in Paris, Caravaggios in situ in Rome, a Degas to die for in Moscow, glorious Vermeers in Holland, London, Berlin, and nature's own display of art and beauty: tulip season in Amsterdam.
I've held a panda (twice!), fed a giraffe and petted a rhino. I watched Lipizaner stallions rehearse in Vienna and have seen the Changing of the Guard in London twice. Two elderly men generously made me their date for a rare stage performance by Liam Neeson, and we were front row! I've seen Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Nicole Kidman and Brian Dennehy in Broadway shows. I've seen U2 in 3 countries and five states.
I've tasted Haggis, Borscht, Jenever with gold dust, Serrano ham, Lechón, Cocido, Frikadel, Profertjes, Caviar, Pici, Sacher Torte, Croque Madame, Bangers and Mash, Berliners, Peking Duck and hot pot in their home countries and I loved them all. I've eaten on the porch of a local Tuscan family, imbibing in the fresh pasta, crushed tomato, house wine and homemade lemon gelato all sourced right on their property. There are days I'd kill for a good Irish fry or even just a Crunchie. I adopted Dutch coffee with sweetened, condensed milk as my caffeine of choice. It's been my duty, no, obligation, to sample as many gelato flavors as I can in Italy; I think the trip record is 30-something...
My feet have taken me up Paris' Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame towers, Florence's campanile, Rome's Vatican Dome, Edinburgh's Scott Monument and China's Great Wall and I've plunged down a road on a bike at 30 miles an hour in the hills of Pisa. I've walked in Red Square, Trafalgar Square, Times Square, Dam Square, Grafton Street, Plaza Mayor, Kufurstendam. I've run up Edinburgh's Royal Mile while chasing the sound of bagpipes.
I've seen nature's miracles...wildebeest births in the Serengeti, amazing sunrises, sunsets and thunderstorms coloring up Tanzania's sky, the awe-inspiring burial ground Newgrange, Pike's Peak, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Giant's Causeway. I've seen man-made miracles...the Rosetta Stone, Xi'an's Terracotta Warriors, the Endeavor Space Shuttle, the Great Wall. I have also seen how man can go terribly wrong at the Anne Frank House, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and the US National Holocaust Museum.
Lucky I was to share trips to England, France and Italy with my Mom. It was the sweetest pleasure to share with her Paris, the chateaux of the Loire, Mont St. Michel, London, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Florence and Rome. Her knack for attracting stray dogs (Pompeii) and partying young Spanish men(Florence) can't be underestimated. I then got to break my sister in in Europe with fabulous trips to the Netherlands and Cologne and Paris and Vienna before taking on our own United States of America in sisterly fashion.
I caught a vile intestinal parasite in Spain that took two weeks of antibiotics to cure and got scammed of $200 cash just to get on my plane home from Tanzania. I've had a head cold from hell in Spain, a fever of 102 in Ireland (first trip, it was a doozie) and fought my way through China with a herniated disc in my neck that I didn't know I had. I've had my credit card rejected in a leather shop in Florence, which, well, may not have been such a bad thing. So see, not all the trips were flawless but I've enjoyed the heck out of all of them.
What you read is more than just a laundry list, at least to me. These are slide shows of memories and smiles and tears and joy and fears that I can and do play back in my head all the time. I've been questioned more than a little about my travel habits and why I do what I do. I say it often, but I truly work to feed this travel monster of mine, but completely without regret. If this blog is even the slightest hint of what the next twenty years of travel holds for me, I'll consider myself incredibly blessed indeed. Looking back to that flight 20 years ago tonight and how much I've grown and changed with every trip, I'm reminded that "a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."
I traveled with a girlfriend from college and two pen pals I'd met through a U2 fanzine. We met in Dublin for the last two shows of U2's European tour on their home turf. The shows were, of course, amazing. I survived general admission crowds in a European football stadium. That's nothing to sniff at. But I laugh now when I think of that first trip to Dublin. We were only gone for 7 days, but I packed enough clothes, indeed, a complete clean, new outfit, for every day, and then some. My suitcase was massive. I'd not even take it now on a 2 week trip. We were silly naïve ignorant tourists, who didn't know that just because your room wasn't ready at your hotel when you arrived off a red eye flight, that you didn't have to sit in the lobby and wait. You can, and should, go out and see the sights until your room is ready. But we didn't. We sat, with all the other newly arrived U2 fans, and waited. And wasted our first morning in Dublin. Nearly 10 more trips to Ireland would follow, with three of those being on successive U2 tours. And so it began...
Twenty-seven foreign trips, seventeen countries on four continents and three passports later, I'm still completely infected with the travel bug. I'd like to think I've become a more savvy traveler: someone who packs more efficiently and can squeeze every last usable minute out of a day. Someone who knows enough to try the local food and not be too afraid to admit that I like it (Haggis? LOVE IT!) I still get jumpy at in-flight turbulence and will always hold my breath until my luggage drops down on to the carousel at my destination. I'm still disappointed that I can't bring my three bottles of frozen spring water from home on the plane after 9/11, but I've adjusted. Somehow. But as my confidence as a world traveler has grown, so too have my experiences.
So what exactly has all this travel gotten me? Let me count the ways, as they say.....I learned quickly the overwhelming surge of joy at a long-overdue "hello" and the utter sadness and regret of an airport good-bye. I've seen wild horses running on a Dublin strand, poppies in bloom in the Tuscan countryside, and 21 lions staring back at me from under a shade tree in Africa. I've learned there is nothing more melodic than a Irish accent and nothing more heart-melting than Irish eyes. And there is nothing smoother than a fresh Bailey's over two ice cubes served up in Ireland.
I've been extremely fortunate to have seen the best art in the world: rooms full of Rembrandts in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam and New York, Michelangelos in Florence, Picasso's Guernica, American Gothic, Whistler's Mother, Mona Lisa, hundreds upon hundreds of Monets in one weekend in Paris, Caravaggios in situ in Rome, a Degas to die for in Moscow, glorious Vermeers in Holland, London, Berlin, and nature's own display of art and beauty: tulip season in Amsterdam.
I've held a panda (twice!), fed a giraffe and petted a rhino. I watched Lipizaner stallions rehearse in Vienna and have seen the Changing of the Guard in London twice. Two elderly men generously made me their date for a rare stage performance by Liam Neeson, and we were front row! I've seen Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Nicole Kidman and Brian Dennehy in Broadway shows. I've seen U2 in 3 countries and five states.
I've tasted Haggis, Borscht, Jenever with gold dust, Serrano ham, Lechón, Cocido, Frikadel, Profertjes, Caviar, Pici, Sacher Torte, Croque Madame, Bangers and Mash, Berliners, Peking Duck and hot pot in their home countries and I loved them all. I've eaten on the porch of a local Tuscan family, imbibing in the fresh pasta, crushed tomato, house wine and homemade lemon gelato all sourced right on their property. There are days I'd kill for a good Irish fry or even just a Crunchie. I adopted Dutch coffee with sweetened, condensed milk as my caffeine of choice. It's been my duty, no, obligation, to sample as many gelato flavors as I can in Italy; I think the trip record is 30-something...
My feet have taken me up Paris' Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame towers, Florence's campanile, Rome's Vatican Dome, Edinburgh's Scott Monument and China's Great Wall and I've plunged down a road on a bike at 30 miles an hour in the hills of Pisa. I've walked in Red Square, Trafalgar Square, Times Square, Dam Square, Grafton Street, Plaza Mayor, Kufurstendam. I've run up Edinburgh's Royal Mile while chasing the sound of bagpipes.
I've seen nature's miracles...wildebeest births in the Serengeti, amazing sunrises, sunsets and thunderstorms coloring up Tanzania's sky, the awe-inspiring burial ground Newgrange, Pike's Peak, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Giant's Causeway. I've seen man-made miracles...the Rosetta Stone, Xi'an's Terracotta Warriors, the Endeavor Space Shuttle, the Great Wall. I have also seen how man can go terribly wrong at the Anne Frank House, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and the US National Holocaust Museum.
Lucky I was to share trips to England, France and Italy with my Mom. It was the sweetest pleasure to share with her Paris, the chateaux of the Loire, Mont St. Michel, London, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Florence and Rome. Her knack for attracting stray dogs (Pompeii) and partying young Spanish men(Florence) can't be underestimated. I then got to break my sister in in Europe with fabulous trips to the Netherlands and Cologne and Paris and Vienna before taking on our own United States of America in sisterly fashion.
I caught a vile intestinal parasite in Spain that took two weeks of antibiotics to cure and got scammed of $200 cash just to get on my plane home from Tanzania. I've had a head cold from hell in Spain, a fever of 102 in Ireland (first trip, it was a doozie) and fought my way through China with a herniated disc in my neck that I didn't know I had. I've had my credit card rejected in a leather shop in Florence, which, well, may not have been such a bad thing. So see, not all the trips were flawless but I've enjoyed the heck out of all of them.
What you read is more than just a laundry list, at least to me. These are slide shows of memories and smiles and tears and joy and fears that I can and do play back in my head all the time. I've been questioned more than a little about my travel habits and why I do what I do. I say it often, but I truly work to feed this travel monster of mine, but completely without regret. If this blog is even the slightest hint of what the next twenty years of travel holds for me, I'll consider myself incredibly blessed indeed. Looking back to that flight 20 years ago tonight and how much I've grown and changed with every trip, I'm reminded that "a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Thinking of Kenya
It isn't often that I awake to see a future travel destination of mine as the lead top breaking news story on breakfast news tv. This morning that was exactly the case, as it seems that Kenya's main airport was a fireball of some unknown origin. The only news I can glean from it so far is that it is the international arrivals hall, which I will need, well, to arrive in Kenya. Sure, my arrival is now 6+ months out, but it is a somber reminder of how and when travel plans can go awry. I'm sure the officials there are scrambling to get some sort of temporary arrivals in place as this is peak safari season in parts of Kenya. I don't envy those folks that at all...
In other news I just made my appointment for early January to get whatever vaccinations I'll need, which I think is just Yellow Fever, as I've had just about everything else for my trips to Russia, China and Tanzania. This is also where I'll get my anti-malarial prescription too. So that task is done.
It's a might bit depressing not to have oodles of things to do this time to get ready. Sure, there are a few things to get for the camera that I didn't have before, and also a couple of different clothing items I want to take time to hunt for, but in terms of the getting ready to go part, I'm pretty much done already. Bah. Where's the fun in that?
In other news I just made my appointment for early January to get whatever vaccinations I'll need, which I think is just Yellow Fever, as I've had just about everything else for my trips to Russia, China and Tanzania. This is also where I'll get my anti-malarial prescription too. So that task is done.
It's a might bit depressing not to have oodles of things to do this time to get ready. Sure, there are a few things to get for the camera that I didn't have before, and also a couple of different clothing items I want to take time to hunt for, but in terms of the getting ready to go part, I'm pretty much done already. Bah. Where's the fun in that?
Saturday, June 8, 2013
The Deed Is Done
Well, ummmm...since I last wrote I got up to something. I started talking seriously with a couple of tour operators and camps in East Africa. I had a budget in mind and a little more than a dream in my head of going back to Africa. Soon. Really soon. As soon as I could.
And I made that happen.
I talked directly to camps in Kenya, which I decided to focus on for their big cats (namely, lions, leopards and cheetah). Maasai Mara, an area in southern Kenya on the border of Tanzania, is world renown for its lions, in particular. I narrowed down my search to two camps, and ultimately worked out a nice itinerary at a very good price with one. I ran the idea past Kim, with whom I shared a tent in Tanzania, and she may be interested as well. Whether she goes or not, I can't shake this itch, so I said I'd hold a tent for her, and book away I did.
This trip already differs from Tanzania in that I am booked directly into camps run by one company. These camps are in conservancies, which are protected areas bordering national parks owned by the Maasai tribes and set aside for wildlife preservation. As there are no fences or structural borders between the national parks and the conservancies, the wildlife roam oblivious to whether they are in a national park or a conservancy, but the visitors to the conservancy benefit from staying there because travelers not staying in the conservancy aren't allowed into the area and those staying in it can drive anywhere they want, including off-road (which is usually not permitted in national parks).
Flying into Nairobi, I'll spend one night there and the next morning fly out I chose three camps around the Mara area. The first stop is the Ol Pejeta Conservancy which is known as a home to many black rhinos left in the world. It's actually Africa's largest black rhino sanctuary. This conservancy is located at the base of Mt. Kenya and actually tends to be quite cool even during the hot summers months when I'll be there.
After three nights, I'll fly on one of those tiny planes again to the Mara. I'll spend two nights in one camp and three nights in another camp in conservancies bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Ol Kinyei and Naboisho Conservancies from one camp and Olare Motorogi Conservancy from another. While I will take game rides into the national reserve itself twice, I'll take advantage of the secluded conservancies for off-road game drives most of the time.
The other difference between this experience and that I had in Tanzania is that these camps have their own drivers and spotters (wildlife spotters that is) so I won't be with the same guide the entire time like we were with Said. Nevertheless. these drivers and spotters are Maasai tribesman who have lived and worked in this area, so all reviews I've read said they are quite talented at finding the game.
Prices for this are all inclusive, even the alcoholic drinks this time, so in theory other than tips, I shouldn't have to bring any more money. I also eliminated any shopping and cultural stops, just get me to the bush with the animals.
I grappled with the airfare dilemma, as I wasn't thrilled with KLM and Precision Air's unceremoniously changing my flight coming home from TZ, but in the end, while I at least had other options (through London or Paris) I decided transiting through Amsterdam again was my best choice at that time of year. I hope I'm right. Airfare to Kenya is about $800 less than it was to TZ. The visa fee is half what it was in TZ. So see, already I'm saving money!
So 8 months to wait now. I'll be sleeping in tents listening to the lions again. And oh, the Kenyan coffee!!!
And I made that happen.
I talked directly to camps in Kenya, which I decided to focus on for their big cats (namely, lions, leopards and cheetah). Maasai Mara, an area in southern Kenya on the border of Tanzania, is world renown for its lions, in particular. I narrowed down my search to two camps, and ultimately worked out a nice itinerary at a very good price with one. I ran the idea past Kim, with whom I shared a tent in Tanzania, and she may be interested as well. Whether she goes or not, I can't shake this itch, so I said I'd hold a tent for her, and book away I did.
This trip already differs from Tanzania in that I am booked directly into camps run by one company. These camps are in conservancies, which are protected areas bordering national parks owned by the Maasai tribes and set aside for wildlife preservation. As there are no fences or structural borders between the national parks and the conservancies, the wildlife roam oblivious to whether they are in a national park or a conservancy, but the visitors to the conservancy benefit from staying there because travelers not staying in the conservancy aren't allowed into the area and those staying in it can drive anywhere they want, including off-road (which is usually not permitted in national parks).
Flying into Nairobi, I'll spend one night there and the next morning fly out I chose three camps around the Mara area. The first stop is the Ol Pejeta Conservancy which is known as a home to many black rhinos left in the world. It's actually Africa's largest black rhino sanctuary. This conservancy is located at the base of Mt. Kenya and actually tends to be quite cool even during the hot summers months when I'll be there.
After three nights, I'll fly on one of those tiny planes again to the Mara. I'll spend two nights in one camp and three nights in another camp in conservancies bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Ol Kinyei and Naboisho Conservancies from one camp and Olare Motorogi Conservancy from another. While I will take game rides into the national reserve itself twice, I'll take advantage of the secluded conservancies for off-road game drives most of the time.
The other difference between this experience and that I had in Tanzania is that these camps have their own drivers and spotters (wildlife spotters that is) so I won't be with the same guide the entire time like we were with Said. Nevertheless. these drivers and spotters are Maasai tribesman who have lived and worked in this area, so all reviews I've read said they are quite talented at finding the game.
Prices for this are all inclusive, even the alcoholic drinks this time, so in theory other than tips, I shouldn't have to bring any more money. I also eliminated any shopping and cultural stops, just get me to the bush with the animals.
I grappled with the airfare dilemma, as I wasn't thrilled with KLM and Precision Air's unceremoniously changing my flight coming home from TZ, but in the end, while I at least had other options (through London or Paris) I decided transiting through Amsterdam again was my best choice at that time of year. I hope I'm right. Airfare to Kenya is about $800 less than it was to TZ. The visa fee is half what it was in TZ. So see, already I'm saving money!
So 8 months to wait now. I'll be sleeping in tents listening to the lions again. And oh, the Kenyan coffee!!!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Travel Void
For the first time in 10 months, I find myself in the Travel Void; that is, I have absolutely nothing on the agenda or even anything in the pipeline for a trip in coming days, weeks, months. It's an odd feeling. There's nothing to research, nothing to look forward to, nothing to dream of packing up and taking off for. Yet after the last few months, there is something grounding about being home again and not leaving the suitcase open and at the ready on the floor of my bedroom.
The insanity of my most recent travel schedule started with trips to follow Morrissey to Brooklyn, Atlantic City, Reading, PA and Port Chester, NY. Some of those places weren't necessarily tourist destinations, indeed we managed to only play tourist in Brooklyn, but still they were parts of the country we'd not seen before.
About 3 weeks after Port Chester, I was off on safari to Tanzania for two weeks. A mere 5 days after returning from Africa, I was off to Los Angeles for one weekend, followed by San Francisco for the next long weekend, ostensibly to follow Morrissey again, but his health allowed him to only show up for the first of those weekends. With concert tickets fully refunded for other shows we'd booked, we still had airfare to Chicago and San Francisco for Morrissey's shows in March and late April, so we decided to carry on in Chicago for another long weekend, and change the San Francisco trip to Los Angeles for 5 days. Somewhere in there we did a road trip to NYC for some serious museum going.
Now just recovering from jetlag from LA last weekend, I'm settling back into life without anticipation. For the moment it feels good. I'm recovering from a cold that I was stupid enough to fly with. All my "travel stuff" is safely stowed back in the closet and I'm done going through photos and tallying the damage in my checkbook. For now, I'm reveling in sleeping in my own bed tonight. And tomorrow night. And all of this week. It's good to be home. I logged about 34,000 air miles in the first 5 months of this year. Good glory, that's a record for me.
That's not to say I'm not getting itchy. I'm ready to go back to Africa and kicking ideas for that around in my head. Any trip to get me there is tempting, so seeing good deals on Facebook is really starting to wear me down. As in, going in the fall. I'd prefer to "do it right" and go back for two weeks next year but the lure is becoming hard to deny. I also am feeling the urge to go back to Amsterdam, which might make the most sense for a quickish (non-budget busting) trip this fall and save up for safari in 2014. I have enough miles on United for a free ticket anywhere in Europe, and going back to someplace I know well would make a longish weekend very doable. But I also am somewhat curious about Oslo after the Munch exhibition we saw in NYC. And then there's the possibility that Morrissey may tour again this fall. If he does, I'd at the very least like to see the Northeast and mid Atlantic shows. Not sure if I'd commit to airfare for him again. Spoiled for choice, I suppose. I'm going to sit tight until June and see how things progress.
For now, I'll relish the homebody life. For now.
The insanity of my most recent travel schedule started with trips to follow Morrissey to Brooklyn, Atlantic City, Reading, PA and Port Chester, NY. Some of those places weren't necessarily tourist destinations, indeed we managed to only play tourist in Brooklyn, but still they were parts of the country we'd not seen before.
About 3 weeks after Port Chester, I was off on safari to Tanzania for two weeks. A mere 5 days after returning from Africa, I was off to Los Angeles for one weekend, followed by San Francisco for the next long weekend, ostensibly to follow Morrissey again, but his health allowed him to only show up for the first of those weekends. With concert tickets fully refunded for other shows we'd booked, we still had airfare to Chicago and San Francisco for Morrissey's shows in March and late April, so we decided to carry on in Chicago for another long weekend, and change the San Francisco trip to Los Angeles for 5 days. Somewhere in there we did a road trip to NYC for some serious museum going.
Now just recovering from jetlag from LA last weekend, I'm settling back into life without anticipation. For the moment it feels good. I'm recovering from a cold that I was stupid enough to fly with. All my "travel stuff" is safely stowed back in the closet and I'm done going through photos and tallying the damage in my checkbook. For now, I'm reveling in sleeping in my own bed tonight. And tomorrow night. And all of this week. It's good to be home. I logged about 34,000 air miles in the first 5 months of this year. Good glory, that's a record for me.
That's not to say I'm not getting itchy. I'm ready to go back to Africa and kicking ideas for that around in my head. Any trip to get me there is tempting, so seeing good deals on Facebook is really starting to wear me down. As in, going in the fall. I'd prefer to "do it right" and go back for two weeks next year but the lure is becoming hard to deny. I also am feeling the urge to go back to Amsterdam, which might make the most sense for a quickish (non-budget busting) trip this fall and save up for safari in 2014. I have enough miles on United for a free ticket anywhere in Europe, and going back to someplace I know well would make a longish weekend very doable. But I also am somewhat curious about Oslo after the Munch exhibition we saw in NYC. And then there's the possibility that Morrissey may tour again this fall. If he does, I'd at the very least like to see the Northeast and mid Atlantic shows. Not sure if I'd commit to airfare for him again. Spoiled for choice, I suppose. I'm going to sit tight until June and see how things progress.
For now, I'll relish the homebody life. For now.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Now I know -- Safari Tips and Tricks that worked for me
Now that I've been on safari and survived, I figured I would compile the things that worked (and warn against what didn't) and share them with the world. Not that I know everything, by a long-shot, but when I do go on safari again, there are a lot of lessons learned that I'd take advantage of.
Pack lighter. I thought I'd gone pretty light, but I realize now that I didn't really need the fleece, or the spare pair of yoga pants. Or snacks for an army. Or 12 rolls of travel-sized toilet paper.
Bring a few different camera batteries, a charger and a memory cards. You know, just in case. I always wanted two back-up batteries for each camera. I took a slew of photos a day (3700 shots over 12 days) and never wanted to miss one because I was low on power. Same with the memory cards. I also split photos up into logical segments by card. Tarangire on one, Manyara and Ngorongoro on another, Serengeti on another. I also found a battery charger would charge my camera battery faster than leaving it in the camera (and freed me up to use my camera while the battery was charging).
Take the best camera you can afford. The best thing I did was buy a new camera about 8 months before the trip, and learned how to use it well. You won't regret it, I promise.
Don't bother with "insect repellant" clothing. Seriously, the one day that I wore the insect repellant pants, my legs got eaten alive in Manyara. You STILL need insect repellant spray or lotion. Believe me. Paying extra for these pants was not worth it.
Go with sports bras. No matter how well-endowed you are, or not, sports bras provided better....coverage, shall we say, on the very bumpy roads of Tanzania. The one day I wore a regular bra, I was pulling the straps up all day, as they kept coming loose and falling down. I wore sports bras the rest of the time.
Shower before dinner. We learned quickly that we'd be sweaty and dirty from just about the moment we set out in the morning. By riding in an open topped, open windowed vehicle on dirt roads all day in the beating sun, you just don't have any other options but to be dirty. If we showered right before dinner (when the game drives of the day were done), we would be cleanest longest, clean for sleep, and ready to spring into action first thing in the very early mornings with minimal prep time.
Reconcile yourself to not looking gorgeous. You're on safari in the bush. With the top up and windows down, the wind's going to be blowing as long as you're moving. To think your hair can keep up is silly. To think that make-up is not going to get covered up with sweat and dust is sillier. Just don't bother. The animals don't notice anyway, and they don't know how dolled up you usually are at home!
Take binoculars enough for everyone. Sure the vehicle will have a pair or two, but I found that on the important sightings where we'd wait for a while for some action, it was difficult to want to (or have to) share. Everyone should really have their own pair, I think.
Don't bother with guidebooks. I would say that if you're only going on safari and not doing any independent city travel, you don't need a guidebook at all. Your guide will more than cover whatever you're seeing in the parks and conservation areas....however.....
Take a wildlife guide. I took Wildlife of East Africa and loved it. It is just big enough to contain great color photos and succinct descriptions. It is well-organized and thorough (there was nothing we saw that wasn't in the book). Our guide had a book too, but this was a nice supplement.
Keep a wildlife log. I took a very small notebook and a pen out with me on each game ride. I started a new page for each day and wrote where we were, the date and then listed every wildlife sighting in order. This made it easy to figure out "what that is" when I was looking at my photos when I got home.
Take TP, hand santizer, baby wipes. I'm normally a hypochondriac traveler, always afraid of catching something, but more so in Tanzania, all of this stuff came in really handy. Travel-sized rolls of toilet paper (which come in handy plastic cases) were helpful not only when we'd stop to go in the bush, but also in the few permanent facilities we came across that weren't stocked up. The hand santizer is a no-brainer, before and after bush toilet breaks, before eating, etc. The baby wipes were surprisingly useful, especially to freshen up a bit during mid-day siestas when it was too early to shower but we were already feeling grimey.
Bring a travel mug. If you love coffee, you will absolutely adore Tanzanian coffee. Every morning we left early for a game ride, I wished I'd had a travel mug to take it out on the road with me. This is one thing I MUST do next time!
Take a day bag. This may or may not be your carry-on on the plane, but this was the bag that went out with me every day. Its contents: cameras, batteries, memory cards, wallet, hand sanitizer, TP, wildlife guide and notebook log, binoculars, bug spray, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, light rain jacket, anti-diarrheal, allergy and other medications, snacks, lip balm (SPF 30), kleenex, iPod.
Music. On some of the longer drives, I'd put my iPod on and listen to a soundtrack I'd prepared at home. Now when I listen to that same playlist, I get carried back to that drive and that scenery in my mind.
I hope this helps others getting ready to go.
Pack lighter. I thought I'd gone pretty light, but I realize now that I didn't really need the fleece, or the spare pair of yoga pants. Or snacks for an army. Or 12 rolls of travel-sized toilet paper.
Bring a few different camera batteries, a charger and a memory cards. You know, just in case. I always wanted two back-up batteries for each camera. I took a slew of photos a day (3700 shots over 12 days) and never wanted to miss one because I was low on power. Same with the memory cards. I also split photos up into logical segments by card. Tarangire on one, Manyara and Ngorongoro on another, Serengeti on another. I also found a battery charger would charge my camera battery faster than leaving it in the camera (and freed me up to use my camera while the battery was charging).
Take the best camera you can afford. The best thing I did was buy a new camera about 8 months before the trip, and learned how to use it well. You won't regret it, I promise.
Don't bother with "insect repellant" clothing. Seriously, the one day that I wore the insect repellant pants, my legs got eaten alive in Manyara. You STILL need insect repellant spray or lotion. Believe me. Paying extra for these pants was not worth it.
Go with sports bras. No matter how well-endowed you are, or not, sports bras provided better....coverage, shall we say, on the very bumpy roads of Tanzania. The one day I wore a regular bra, I was pulling the straps up all day, as they kept coming loose and falling down. I wore sports bras the rest of the time.
Shower before dinner. We learned quickly that we'd be sweaty and dirty from just about the moment we set out in the morning. By riding in an open topped, open windowed vehicle on dirt roads all day in the beating sun, you just don't have any other options but to be dirty. If we showered right before dinner (when the game drives of the day were done), we would be cleanest longest, clean for sleep, and ready to spring into action first thing in the very early mornings with minimal prep time.
Reconcile yourself to not looking gorgeous. You're on safari in the bush. With the top up and windows down, the wind's going to be blowing as long as you're moving. To think your hair can keep up is silly. To think that make-up is not going to get covered up with sweat and dust is sillier. Just don't bother. The animals don't notice anyway, and they don't know how dolled up you usually are at home!
Take binoculars enough for everyone. Sure the vehicle will have a pair or two, but I found that on the important sightings where we'd wait for a while for some action, it was difficult to want to (or have to) share. Everyone should really have their own pair, I think.
Don't bother with guidebooks. I would say that if you're only going on safari and not doing any independent city travel, you don't need a guidebook at all. Your guide will more than cover whatever you're seeing in the parks and conservation areas....however.....
Take a wildlife guide. I took Wildlife of East Africa and loved it. It is just big enough to contain great color photos and succinct descriptions. It is well-organized and thorough (there was nothing we saw that wasn't in the book). Our guide had a book too, but this was a nice supplement.
Keep a wildlife log. I took a very small notebook and a pen out with me on each game ride. I started a new page for each day and wrote where we were, the date and then listed every wildlife sighting in order. This made it easy to figure out "what that is" when I was looking at my photos when I got home.
Take TP, hand santizer, baby wipes. I'm normally a hypochondriac traveler, always afraid of catching something, but more so in Tanzania, all of this stuff came in really handy. Travel-sized rolls of toilet paper (which come in handy plastic cases) were helpful not only when we'd stop to go in the bush, but also in the few permanent facilities we came across that weren't stocked up. The hand santizer is a no-brainer, before and after bush toilet breaks, before eating, etc. The baby wipes were surprisingly useful, especially to freshen up a bit during mid-day siestas when it was too early to shower but we were already feeling grimey.
Bring a travel mug. If you love coffee, you will absolutely adore Tanzanian coffee. Every morning we left early for a game ride, I wished I'd had a travel mug to take it out on the road with me. This is one thing I MUST do next time!
Take a day bag. This may or may not be your carry-on on the plane, but this was the bag that went out with me every day. Its contents: cameras, batteries, memory cards, wallet, hand sanitizer, TP, wildlife guide and notebook log, binoculars, bug spray, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, light rain jacket, anti-diarrheal, allergy and other medications, snacks, lip balm (SPF 30), kleenex, iPod.
Music. On some of the longer drives, I'd put my iPod on and listen to a soundtrack I'd prepared at home. Now when I listen to that same playlist, I get carried back to that drive and that scenery in my mind.
I hope this helps others getting ready to go.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Life Post-Safari
My day bag still lies on the floor of the second bedroom, binoculars, camera and the unused pack of baby wipes still in it. I notice it every time I pass through, it's just there open, ready to be topped off again and taken back out on a game drive. I doubt I'll use that bag again for anything but a safari. First, it's filthy dirty, and second, it's really not appropriate to lug anywhere but into a Land Rover for a day's worth of sitting, waiting and watching for wildlife.
And so life is post-safari. I've been home nearly 8 weeks now and not a day, not an hour, goes by when I don't think back on it. I've finished my photo album, gotten prints made and hung, and even put away most of my travel gear. Except the day bag. That sits there on that bedroom floor as a reminder of what was, and what will be again.
You see, safari has gotten under my skin like nothing else. Never, ever, in a million years would I have thought that I could stop my Type A personality and get it to slow down to the point where sitting for over 2 hours to watch hundreds of elephants frolic and drink around a watering hole was so utterly enjoyable. Or quite eagerly sit for over an hour waiting to see if a leopard would awaken, a family of cheetahs would hunt or if two sweet little lion cubs would come out of hiding after a pod of elephants passed by. And what I wouldn't give to wake up in the middle of the night to hear a stampede of zebras run through the camp or a pride of lions roar across our camp to each other, just to remind themselves, and us, that they are there.
Couple the incredible animal experiences with the gorgeous landscape and the warm, sunny days and it really is nirvana. I quickly learned to overlook the "being dirty" dusty and and sweaty feeling, the endless mosquito and tse tse fly bites and the less-than-ideal showering conditions as a trade off for what was otherwise nirvana. I missed it all before I left it, and I miss it more as it starts to feel like a dream rather than an actual trip of a lifetime.
All this said, I've already started to lay groundwork for the "next" safari, most likely in 2014. While I would love to revisit Tanzania and ride along with the same guide again, I remember what my guide in Russia told me: "Never try to repeat perfection, you will only be disappointed." So I've started to investigate other countries in Africa, like Botswana, South Africa and Kenya. I'd really like to try a volunteer vacation of some sort, and have found a lion research group that looks for volunteers like me. It's something to fuel my passion and keep me motivated while I'm busy doing other things.
So the day bag will sit there, as is, waiting for me to go again. Tanzania was indeed my first safari, but it most definitely won't be my last.
And so life is post-safari. I've been home nearly 8 weeks now and not a day, not an hour, goes by when I don't think back on it. I've finished my photo album, gotten prints made and hung, and even put away most of my travel gear. Except the day bag. That sits there on that bedroom floor as a reminder of what was, and what will be again.
You see, safari has gotten under my skin like nothing else. Never, ever, in a million years would I have thought that I could stop my Type A personality and get it to slow down to the point where sitting for over 2 hours to watch hundreds of elephants frolic and drink around a watering hole was so utterly enjoyable. Or quite eagerly sit for over an hour waiting to see if a leopard would awaken, a family of cheetahs would hunt or if two sweet little lion cubs would come out of hiding after a pod of elephants passed by. And what I wouldn't give to wake up in the middle of the night to hear a stampede of zebras run through the camp or a pride of lions roar across our camp to each other, just to remind themselves, and us, that they are there.
Couple the incredible animal experiences with the gorgeous landscape and the warm, sunny days and it really is nirvana. I quickly learned to overlook the "being dirty" dusty and and sweaty feeling, the endless mosquito and tse tse fly bites and the less-than-ideal showering conditions as a trade off for what was otherwise nirvana. I missed it all before I left it, and I miss it more as it starts to feel like a dream rather than an actual trip of a lifetime.
All this said, I've already started to lay groundwork for the "next" safari, most likely in 2014. While I would love to revisit Tanzania and ride along with the same guide again, I remember what my guide in Russia told me: "Never try to repeat perfection, you will only be disappointed." So I've started to investigate other countries in Africa, like Botswana, South Africa and Kenya. I'd really like to try a volunteer vacation of some sort, and have found a lion research group that looks for volunteers like me. It's something to fuel my passion and keep me motivated while I'm busy doing other things.
So the day bag will sit there, as is, waiting for me to go again. Tanzania was indeed my first safari, but it most definitely won't be my last.
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