highplanesdrifters

Afternoon Game Drive We finished a quick orientation by 3:15 and they asked if we could be ready be 3:30. Quick change and off we went. We saw so much. Just the highlights for now. Me thinks they are pointing the way. 20240324_161428.mp4 Lion Pride Food Coma, Giraffe kill. Look at that belly. This kill will last them a few days. The panting helps with the Coma. 20240324_163046.mp4 20240324_163644.mp4 Hyenas coming around to take over the kill. They're a little too early and outnumbered. Crock surfing for fish. 20240324_183117.mp4 Sundowners! Not a bad Day One.

We got situated in our Capetown hotel around 9pm. Silversea put us up at Capital on Orange, nice hotel. I started thinking, what was I thinking? We're tired, we've just had the most amazing trip. We should have gone home and digested. But nooooo, I had to book a Safari! So let's go. We flew into Skukuza, the airport for Krueger National Park. My kind of baggage claim. Our driver met us to take us to Londolozi in Sabi Sands. Five minutes into the trip to Londolozi we see a Leopard. Not the best snap....but a Leopard five minutes from the airport. I was hooked. Along the way we were treated to a plethora of wildlife. Zebra, Giraffe, Antelope, Warthog, Hippos, the list goes on. We weren't even on a game drive yet. This was just zippy drive bys. 20240324_140438.mp4 I love me some Zebra. 20240324_141815.mp4 Next up, afternoon game drive.

I went through the same angst, so happy to help. Knowing what I now know, I'd go back again next year in a heartbeat. I hope you'll take us along. It will be fabulous.

Oh goody, more travel blogs to read, thanks. C2C - I wish you everything that we had. And that's a lot. Safari, cmon along!

Departure Day AKA, hurry up and wait day. We got stuck with the last charter flight at 5 p.m. Ugh. They kicked us off the ship at 10 a.m. for a Township tour of Swakopmund and a "lite" lunch. Airport drop at 3pm. Oh boy, a bus ride and banquet buffet. Perhaps I was a tad quick to judge given previous experiences. It was an interesting and lovely day. We visited the previously segregated suburbs of Swakopmund. Cultural traditions are strong and the area blends many classes. We were treated to song, dance, food and an explanation of the many cultures that merge. 20240323_111508.mp4 20240323_112621.mp4 Town scenes. 20240323_104743.mp4 I sure hope this company has a good method to keep their products separated. How about a lite lunch. It started with a delicious salad full of fresh berries, our first in 6 weeks. A few of the entrees. Sprinkbok Schnitzel Local fish Vege rice dish. A great spot on the warf with tasty food. 20240323_135126.mp4 A Flock of Flamingos on the way to the airport. All in all a lovely day. Except for all the guests who now fell the need to push and jump the queue more than before it was a rather civilized flight to Capetown and Check in. Off to Londolozi tomorrow, 8am pick up.

Living Desert Tour Part 2 Remember this guy, the water beetle? He is about to meet his demise. Meet the Chameleon. The guides feed them on a regular basis and they can recognize individuals. Who knew. 20240322_122650.mp4 They are also fond of having their tails scratched. 20240322_123532.mp4 A few refreshments at the beach the back to the ship. The usual vendors outside the port. Finished packing and suitcases out the door.

Thanks for the kind words. No kids on either leg. Just adults acting like children. We had a particularly high ratio. But it was made up by all the fantastic people we met. There were kid's on our previous Antarctic trip. I'd say 8-14 years old, a total of maybe 5. There were also older teenagers lurking about. They were all great kids, spoiled by Expedition Staff and well loved by all crew. I wouldn't hesitate to give yours the gift of that amazing place. Paris Morocco sounds fab. Did you post anywhere?

Walvis Bay, Namibia And now for something completely different. Always a shocker to roll into an industrial port. And then.....immigration. We were bussed to a small government building for a 45 minute wait in a crowded airless hallway. Ugh! Don't worry, it gets better. We did not have to go into this room, whew. Our charming view. Now for the good fun. Dorob National Park. The dark part on the dunes is magnatite. First snake. Horned Viper - I think. Our guide photographing him, yikes. Action shot. 20240322_113127_1.mp4 Our guides did not wear shoes. Yikes. Check out this translucent Palmeto Gecko. He's a poser. His tail will grow back in a few months. Catch and release. 20240322_115759_1.mp4 Our guide regularly jumped out of the truck searching for all these little critters. 20240322_120517_1.mp4 This time she found a water Beetle. Stay tuned for Part 2. 20240322_120603.mp4

Small five? I'm still trying to process what I just saw. TBH, I'll be happy to just relax for a few days. If more creatures happen to grace me with their presence it would be lovely.

We are all armchair travelers when we're not traveling. Thanks for the encouragement. 😁

@PaulaJK Thanks for your report. Did Silversea do anything for you? Did they at least find you a hotel or offer guidance? FCC? Thanks.

Wow! The Wind has been dealing with lots of weather in the last month. This is another level. Did it happen in Puerto Deseado?

It's not over yet. Still on ship for one day in Walvis Bay. Who wants to go on a little safari with us?

One of these days!

Sea days, sea days, glorious sea days. I was worried there would be too many on the C2C. Please can I have a few more. Unheard of calm seas for the entire crossing. Rarely more than 2 meter swell. 20240318_093834.mp4 What's this? No chair hogs? May be more rare than the calm seas or the Inaccessible Rail. Let's throw a party to celebrate all the amazing, kind, witty, and wonderful people we have met. You know who you are. A quiet sunset dinner. An example of the plethora of activities should you need entertainment.

@taxatty @cruisintime Avaian Flu I've talked to a few of the bird experts on board to try and get a sense of what has happened and the future for South Georgia and Antarctica. It is a challenge to predict exactly what will happen. I'll try and summarize. Avaian Flu seems to have a 2-3 year cycle. We are at the beginning of the cycle in Antarctica and beginning/middle in South Georgia. South Georgia There is hope that the King Penguin population will show some resistance. Seal pups in some areas were particularly hard hit. Fears about the Albatros persist. Much of Grytviken was closed including Shackleton's grave. The Post Office, museum and church were open, and a hike was offered. We had a zodiac cruise at Salisbury Plain which IMHO may have been better than a landing. At other sites there were multiple landings where we were surrounded by King Penguins and Seals, including hundreds of pups. Some site were closed and then re-opened once it was determined that Avian flu was not the cause of deaths. We were scheduled for 5 days in SG but left after 3 to outrun a storm. I did not feel like we missed out. Antarctica Two popular spots were closed. The Chilean Base and the British Post Office. They have gift shops. It is impossible to social distance with the critters there. I don't think you'll miss much by not going to them. As for the future there, it is anyone's guess. How and who will monitor the landing sites? How much resistance will be in the colonies there? There are many more sites in Antarctica vs SG. But there are also many more ships. It is hard to say given the unknown, but you are just as or more likely to miss landings due to weather, swell or hostile fur seals. I was worried that our trip would be overweighted with zodiac cruises. I found just the opposite. Except for missing out on a leg stretch the zodiac cruises offered a different perspective, the ability to see more, and sometimes were preferable. That being said, nothing compares to being part of the multi species interaction on land. Land vs Zodiac The Expedition team picks a landing spot based on how few critters are there. As the day progresses more and more of them gather around the spot out of curiosity and it becomes a happening attracting even more. King Penguins on icebergs with hundreds swimming about the berg and your zodiac. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions.

Inaccessible Island, Tristan Archepelago We searched for the Inaccessible Island Rail. It is the smallest extant flightless bird in the world. The ultimate Holy Grail of the trip for the Birders. It is dark brown and only 5-6 inches. We bobbed far from shore as the swell was, well, swelly! It was not easy to spot. No one did. We got a few Rockhoppers and a pleasant ride before our upcoming 4 sea days. The Swell 20240317_101143.mp4 This is 'Where The Pig Fell Off'. Seriously, it's a real place name. Some brilliant government bureaucrat forced some Tristans to start a farm on the top of this volcano. They did not succeed. Nor did the pig. The Tristans returned to Tristan. The Rockhoppers and seals had BLTs.

Nightingale Island Part 2 No landing this afternoon due to some fur seals with hate in their hearts blocking our path. Based on @Fletcher description perhaps a nice zodiac cruise is just what the doctor ordered. Rocks, rocks, and more amazing volcanic rocks. For the Birders. We saw numerous Nightingale Thrush and the equally rare Nightingale Finch. Not just a fleeting glance mind you. Lots of chirping, flitting about and other birdsy things. Sights along the trip were common. We also saw a few Sooty Albatrosses. So elegant soaring about, dropping things off at their nest. Even easy to spot and enjoy for an amateur. Major Finch and Thrush spot. Seal pup nursery area. 20240316_164333.mp4 Aw, what the heck, here's another seal pup video. 20240316_164333.mp4 20240316_163739.mp4 Cave time. Yes, these are the vibrant colors we saw. The Zuber drivers were crazy about this cave. As were we. We did a double zip through . Some did 5 passes. What a delight. The video does a good job of the insane colors coming to life as your eyes and lens adjust to the darkness. The smile on Sam's face at the end tells the tale. tale. 20240316_172100.mp4 @drron29. We learned today that touching rocks from a zodiac is considered a landing. I can neither confirm or deny that we landed.😁 20240316_164603.mp4

Will check in with a few of the bird guides to get the latest bird flu info. Opinions vary. Stay turned.

Sounds exciting. On one of those risking life and limb hikes there were a few sprained ankles and a broken leg. We began passing on the slippery slope hikes. Glad you came out unscathed. Did you do a trip report? Were the Albatros nesting in the Tussock? There were a number of concerns about disturbing them.

Nightingale Island Calmer seas, no wind and bluebird skies made for another spectacular day. Nightingale here we come for a zodiac cruise. Overnight we had a long commute.😅 First up, some caves. Petral cruising for chow. 20240316_104318.mp4 Jackson Pollock was here. 20240316_112040.mp4 Some of the subantarctic fur seals have a mullet. This genetic mutation started in the 80's. Not happy about the Skua. 20240316_105934.mp4 And now the star of the show, Northern Rockhoppers. 20240316_103949.mp4 Look, @jpalbny you brought me luck. Seastack with Tristan in the background. 20240316_110418.mp4 More Rockhoppers, specially back-lit. 20240316_105015.mp4 WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO A few Petrals having a Rockhopper lunch. 20240316_113910.mp4 Remember all those supplies the ship unloaded on Tristan? Well guess who got treated to Lobster lunch. Quite possibly the best Lobster I have ever eaten. Simply steamed with a touch of butter. The way it should be! After we finished Mahomed came by and offered another round. Oh yes please! A glass of bubbly put us in heaven. And the promise of a landing this afternoon. Is all this really happening?

I agree. There is always a place out there that I didn't known needed to see. The Tristan Archepelago and Gough were much more interesting than imagined. They are more than just a remote place. Yes to C2C! Let us know what you find.

@Fletcher I am humbled. It's amazing what an amateur can do with a cell phone. Now about that spelling and punctuation.......🤣

Tristan da Cunah Tristan is an active volcanic island with rare wildlife and home to 238 British Citizens living in the world's most isolated settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, far from the madding crowd in the South Atlantic Ocean. About 10 cruise ships visit the island every year. On average only 40% land passengers. There are 10 supply ships that visit every year. Weather was looking perfect. No wind, sunny, high 60's. That nasty swell reared it's ugly head. Touch and go for a bit. For some, it was a challenge to get into the zodiacs if the swell was swelling. ABs and the most excellent zodiac drivers got us to shore. YAY! We have all day here. Zodiac swell meeting. All systems go. 20240315_092328.mp4 Multiple tours were offered. Guided settlement, volcano hike, hike up the lava fields, steep hike up the lava fields, potato patch, and golf. Yes you read that right Golf! 20240315_101442.mp4 The Potato Patch was tempting. About 2 mi outside of town where folks have their weekend house and a potato patch. I am not kidding. We chose the free roam and headed to the lava fields. It was nice to explore quietly and get a sense of the beauty and isolation. Who can pass up the Most Remote Gift Shop? First things first, found the Albatros Bar. We'll hit that on the return. The volcano erupted in 1961. The Settlement was evacuated and eventually returned 2 years later to find the town intact. We chose the easier climb on the two track. Anniversary Park. I'm liking the lichen. Giant chunks of lava everywhere along with erratics from the explosion. We met Nick who has been living here for 10 months. He is making a documentary about Tristan. He advised to keep going all the way to the town dump. Nicest town dump you will ever visit. Street scenes My favorite, the grocery store. Things we're very reasonably priced. And now with some sweaty miles under our belt, time for a cold beer, Lobster tart, and cucumber sandwich. It was our first proper leg stretch on land since Port Stanley Falklands. There has been some debate about the remote island claim. We're happy to give it to them. We can say for certain the it is the most remote inhabited island that doesn't take credit cards. 😁 Silver Cloud sent some supplies ashore. Rumor is there might be a Tristan Lobster lunch onboard in our near future. 20240315_131331.mp4 Thanks Tristan for a truly lovely and special visit.

Great shot! Headed back to his room after a trip to the LT buffet?😃