(a.k.a. Yes, I Actually Did That) Before we dive into South Africa, a small (but actually not small) preface. During COVID — when the rest of the planet was perfecting sourdough — I enrolled in the Certified Introductory level with the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS). They shipped me little bottles. Dozens of them. Tiny, […]
Author: Sandy
Day 12: Kruger, 600 Photos, and the Biological Marvels of Everything
Kruger is why I’m behind. Yesterday (Day 1 here), I was up until nearly 10 p.m. editing photos — and we had to be “at the gate to Kruger” at 5:00 this morning. Guides get priority entry into the park for the first half hour. Yesterday we did not. Today we did. Worth the 45 […]
Day 11: Elephants in the Street, Empire Lessons, and Arrival at Buckler’s
We didn’t have to get up too early — bags outside the door, breakfast, and off we went. The drive to the airport wasn’t long, though it was punctuated by an elephant calmly blocking the street. As one does. Lynn had taken my shaving kit into her checked bag (which is now about ten pounds […]
Day 10: Rhino Sleuthing, The Big (and Ugly) 5, and the Lovely Livingstone Lodge
Today was our Zambia day — passports in hand, dual-entry visas at the ready. No issues heading into Zambia (aside from the ever-present copper bracelet hustlers). Coming back into Zimbabwe was more dramatic: about half our crew had visa issues, while the rest of us — the dual-entry visa crowd — slipped back in without […]
Day 9: Chidobe — Learners, Lost Notes, and Seeing Through Their Eyes
Today we visited a homestead near Chidobe and met the headman and his family, had a snack there, and then went on to the Chidobe School, which Overseas Adventure Travel’s charitable arm supports. OAT builds a few core elements into every trip — not just seeing beautiful places, but having a true “Day in the […]
Day 8: Victoria Falls — Walking, (Soaking), Helicopters, Elephants, and Simunye
Slideshow of Victoria Falls/Zambia portion HERE. Today started with a walk down to Victoria Falls, and wow was it wet! I chose not to wear the provided rain poncho but instead slung it over the camera bag to save the most expensive part (ha ha). So by the end, every stitch of anything I was […]
Day 7: The bag as an illegal paszenjah, plus the Zambezi
This morning began, as so many of our mornings do, with the ANEW buffet. I continue to believe this buffet is… trying its best. Breakfast was serviceable, but not exactly the breakfasting at the buffet-a of our dreams. Lynn, poor thing, had slept terribly, so we were running on a combination of caffeine, competence, and […]
Day 6: A Misty Bush Walk, a Regret, and the Return to Pretoria
Slideshow of entire Entabeni portion HERE. Day 6 was fairly short — and we got to sleep in (yay!). We headed out in misty-to-rainy weather for a bush walk. We drove out to the main grassland at the foot of the big butte and spent the morning learning the kind of safari facts that make […]
Day 5 p.m.: Sad Truths, A Crash of Rhino (Almost), and a Happy Braai
This afternoon we drove to the Rhino Orphanage, where we learned a great deal about South Africa’s long and heartbreaking history with poaching. Through the 1960s, the numbers were going down, down, down — to roughly 370 rhinos killed in a year. But then, decades later, the crisis surged again after a very specific spark: […]
Day 5 a.m.: Downward Cheetah, Dirt Baths, and a Wee One Testing Mom’s Forbearance
Up again at 5:00 a.m. For some reason my alarm didn’t go off — but thank goodness this lodge operates on the very practical system of knocking firmly on your door until you rejoin the living. I was especially tired today. I haven’t been sleeping particularly well, and I’ve been battling a growing frustration with […]