Live/Cloud: South Africa-Botswana+, Many Pix’s, Terry/Ohio

[MrsWaldo]

That piece of journalism is tosh. Read it a few days ago and had a good laugh.

 

Read the many comments by Aussies below. We have 2 people in a staff of 30 heading off to Africa in the next few weeks, followed by me in Dec.

 

The destinations are not cheap, esp as many camps charge in USD (there's a killer with exchange rate).

 

Getting there is expensive as well. As an example the cost of my economy flight to Joburg in December would have seen me flying PE with the same airline to Europe. Our flights for our up coming trip including domestics came in at over $5000pp and not one of these is a small charter. Just regular airlines...SAA, Air Kenya etc. One of the girls from above is a regular and she was stoked at grabbing flights for $2200 each in September! Europe is usually around $1600 and the US can be as low as $1000. As for accessible there is only one place with direct flights and that's Johburg with Qantas. If you want to use SAA it's go via Perth which adds several hours onto the trip and really isn't as appealing as a stopover the same way Hawaii or Asia would be.

 

I'm pretty sure he mentions Test Kitchen as a dining option and I'd have to say whilst it was cheaper than a top restaurant here, it was more expensive than my South American top 50s (and FWIW Gaggan in Asia) and I thought the food totally underwhelming and one of the poorest value for $ I had in SA.

 

It also doesn't work as a winter escape. Many people here chose to travel during June/July as we have a short holiday period then and SA is still in winter. I went in August I have a number of SA friends who said "waste of time in Cape Town You wont see Table Mountain and Wrong time of year for the vintage" Whilst I was lucky and I had 2 brilliant days weather wise, others I spoke to at the various camps had shocking weather. Cape Town to me felt like Sydney..... and he describes it in the same way.

 

There have been numerous articles in Travel Magazines here lately pushing SA. Almost all of them had at the bottom of the story "writer stayed as a guest of South African Tourism" I think the articles are more a reflection of South Africa attempting to grow our market. This time last year they were all pushing Myanmar

[chris_kelowna]

We went to Cape Town from Western Canada a few years ago, (2011) and found it wonderful! It was an extremely long flight for us with 9 hours to Heathrow, a six hour wait, and a 12 hour flight to CPT. We went in November which is their spring and certainly by then winter has set in for us! We were there for a month. We rented a holiday apartment in Fish Hoek for the month and did two lots of three days in Sea Point right in Cape Town. We did self cater with lots of meals out. We used public transportation including commuter trains and local buses. We did not use mini buses. We are fairly frugal travelers but I must say that some of the best meals out we've ever enjoyed were there and shockingly inexpensive. Including airfares, accommodations, and food this holiday was much less expensive than many others we've taken. I would give a lot to go back, I loved it there!

 

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[TLCOhio]

That piece of journalism is tosh. Read it a few days ago and had a good laugh. The destinations are not cheap, esp as many camps charge in USD (there's a killer with exchange rate). Getting there is expensive as well. It also doesn't work as a winter escape. Many people here chose to travel during June/July as we have a short holiday period then and SA is still in winter. I went in August I have a number of SA friends who said "waste of time in Cape Town You wont see Table Mountain and Wrong time of year for the vintage" Whilst I was lucky and I had 2 brilliant days weather wise, others I spoke to at the various camps had shocking weather. Cape Town to me felt like Sydney..... and he describes it in the same way.

 

chris_kelowna: We went to Cape Town from Western Canada a few years ago' date=' (2011) and [b']found it wonderful! [/b]It was an extremely long flight for us with 9 hours to Heathrow, a six hour wait, and a 12 hour flight to CPT. We went in November which is their spring and certainly by then winter has set in for us! We were there for a month. We rented a holiday apartment in Fish Hoek for the month and did two lots of three days in Sea Point right in Cape Town. We did self cater with lots of meals out. We used public transportation including commuter trains and local buses. We did not use mini buses. We are fairly frugal travelers but I must say that some of the best meals out we've ever enjoyed were there and shockingly inexpensive. Including airfares, accommodations, and food this holiday was much less expensive than many others we've taken. I would give a lot to go back, I loved it there!

 

Appreciate the very good points/comments from the travel experienced Mrs. Waldo. Agree that some so-called "travel journalism" in certain newspapers can be questionable. Many times at the end, the story will indicate if the writer stayed at the expense of the location/place that they were reviewing. Most American publications have more strict policies against being influenced/funded by the source paying their bill/expenses.

 

Yes, on certain safari camps, especially in Botswana, the per day costs can be very, very high. No bargains there as their travel strategies are very different for that country and in some other locations in Africa. They do not want "high-volume" camps that are large and "mass" in their operations. That sends the costs up, UP, but makes the experiences much more personal and "exclusive". Trade-offs to consider!! What do you seek and like? What can you afford?

 

On our flights, we were fortunate to be able to use American Airline Frequent Flyer miles and connect through the Qatar luxury airline, doing business class, etc. Worked super well and the price was excellent!! But from most parts of the world, it is a long, LONG distance to reach South Africa.

 

Another big, BIG factor is that on currency/value and weather, much depends on where you are traveling from and going to. For us from the USA in the northern hemisphere, going to these southern parts of Africa in January and February was perfect for us in escaping our cold Midwestern weather.

 

On currency, in early 2015, one dollar would have gotten us about eleven rand. By early 2016 for us, we got about sixteen rand for every dollar. WOW, that worked great for us in the our dollar versus the SA rand. Now, that rate is 13.67 SA rand to our one dollar. Good, but not as great as we enjoyed.

 

THANKS for chris_kelowna dropping by and sharing your wonderful experiences. Keep up the great sharing! Welcome any and all good comments, questions, etc.

 

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 203,372 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[jpalbny]

I also enjoyed the two different perspectives offered here about SA. I am more aligned with the North American perspective. In fact, we'll be there for a week next month! This will be our opportunity to see things we missed the first time, like the wine lands, as well as Aghulas and Hermanus on the southern coast.

 

But our Aussie friends would tend to agree more with MrsWaldo, I think. They suffered through the Quantas flight SYD-JNB last year to join us in Rwanda and Tanzania. Sounded painful! I had no idea that it was so far for them.

 

You make very good points; living in Oz, the perspective is sure different! I completely agree that it would be unappealing to spend that much time and money to go there during your mutual winter. I am amazed by the differences in price for your flights to SA vs USA and Europe. Must have a lot to do with supply and demand?

[MrsWaldo]

Very much a case of supply and demand.

 

We have lots on offer to Europe and there is competition and the US is a popular work destination as well but only 2 carriers to JNB. Most of the year Qantas weren't even flying every day which meant you needed to schedule the rest around getting there.

 

Everywhere is far for us ;) if we live Sydney so we usually just suck it up.

 

Coincidentally there is a special to JNB just been released with off season flights at $1500 but to LA is still only $1200 as is South America.

 

There were 5 travel articles on SA in our Sunday travel magazine. All focussed on Cape Town and the wine lands which I think is a marketing mistake. They need to sell what we don't have. Wild beasts. Showing us images of whale watching, penguins, dolphins and surf won't encourage Aussies to shell out to see what many of us can see from our back yard or within an hours drive.

 

I loved my trip last year so much that is why we are in the Cloud this Xmas with tack on to Uganda and Tanzania.

[chris_kelowna]

MrsWaldo, we can get very good rates to CPT but from what I can tell, must book in January for travel in November of the same year. That's from Canada and only works right then. Your Christmas trip sounds wonderful! Healthy jealousy from this end!! Lol

 

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[TLCOhio]

I loved my trip last year so much that is why we are in the Cloud this Xmas with tack on to Uganda and Tanzania.

 

Look forward in the future to hearing much more from MrsWaldo for your upcoming Silver Cloud sailing in and around South Africa, plus lots of details/reports from your adventures in Uganda and Tanzania. Sounds exciting!! Have you done Botswana or Zambia?

 

From the London/UK Independent newspaper, they had this headline in mid July: "Ahead of the game: on safari in Botswana" with these highlights about their: "concentration on high-cost, low-volume tourism, and a 2013 ban on hunting, keeps the national parks pristine and removes at least some of the threat to declining game populations."

 

This story also noted: "The Republic of Botswana celebrates 50 years of independence from the British Empire on 30 September this year. It is one of the great success stories of post-colonial Africa. A film by Bafta award-winning director Amma Assante, A United Kingdom, out this autumn, documents the extraordinary tenacity and vision of Sir Seretse Khama, the tribal chief and activist who became Botswana’s first president." Yes, it was great in preparing to visit Botswana to have read about their national background and their long history of tribe self-rule and never being a colony under the British. Botswana was a "protectorate" and that made a big difference with their smooth transition to full independence and their current economic/government success.

 

This story had many other details and nice pictures from visiting in Botswana and nearby Zambia. They also listed this website for more information: botswanatourism.co.bw

 

Full story at:

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/africa/safari-botswana-zambia-africa-sanctuary-retreats-chobe-national-park-okovango-delta-victoria-falls-a7146046.html

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 43,122 views for these postings.

[Miss Merry]

Hello TLCOhio and MrsWaldo,

Firstly Terry thank you for the fascinating and very informative trip report.

MrsWaldo, you can blame Terry in part for us joining you of the Cloud's Christmas and New Year cruise. Like you we are a long way away from SA so will be "doing" Cape Town, the cruise, Rovos Rail and then a safari at Camp Jabulani before we return home.

Husband and I have often wanted to do a safari but it just never worked out, however we try to be on SS over the festive season, checked the itineraries, I was then reading Terry's blog and what did we have? A perfect storm, it all came together.

We look forward to maybe meeting you in December.

Thank again Terry in Ohio

[MrsWaldo]

Nice to hear someone also aboard.

 

Looking forward to meeting up!

 

Terry as mentioned prior to your trip I did Bots (3 weeks on the delta) SA (1 week) Mozambique (1 week) and 4 days in Zim/Zam of August last year. Hence the choices of Uganda and Tanzania this timer Miss W and myself. Waldo Jnr has to go back to work so he is doing a few days at Sabi Little Bush before Miss W and I arrive.

 

Apologies for not responding earlier. We've been having brilliant weather so I escaped to the Great Barrier Reef for a week:):D:D

[TLCOhio]

Hello TLCOhio and MrsWaldo, Firstly Terry thank you for the fascinating and very informative trip report. MrsWaldo, you can blame Terry in part for us joining you of the Cloud's Christmas and New Year cruise. Like you we are a long way away from SA so will be "doing" Cape Town, the cruise, Rovos Rail and then a safari at Camp Jabulani before we return home. Husband and I have often wanted to do a safari but it just never worked out, however we try to be on SS over the festive season, checked the itineraries, I was then reading Terry's blog and what did we have? A perfect storm, it all came together. We look forward to maybe meeting you in December. Thank again Terry in Ohio

 

MrsWaldo: Nice to hear someone also aboard. Looking forward to meeting up! Terry as mentioned prior to your trip I did Bots (3 weeks on the delta) SA (1 week) Mozambique (1 week) and 4 days in Zim/Zam of August last year. Hence the choices of Uganda and Tanzania this timer. Miss W and myself. Waldo Jnr has to go back to work so he is doing a few days at Sabi Little Bush before Miss W and I arrive. Apologies for not responding earlier. We've been having brilliant weather so I escaped to the Great Barrier Reef for a week

 

Appreciate these nice and detailed follow-ups from both Miss Merry and MrsWaldo. Glad to be the "guilty party" for encouraging the trip to South Africa by Miss Merry. Hopefully Silversea will be sending me my commission check. Hope' date=' hope?? I am sure it is "in the mail", but don't think it will arrive to soon.

 

Love to hear more from MrsWaldo about any updates/news from the Great Barrier Reef area that we loved so much from our early 2014 visit there.

 

From the Architectural Digest magazine earlier this week, they have this headline: [b']"Discover South Africa's Under-the-Radar Wine Destination—Franschhoek"[/b] with this sub-head: "The 17th-century town has been perfectly restored."

 

Here are some of the story highlights: "In a part of the world not exactly lacking for scenic road trip options, Franschhoek in South Africa’s Cape Winelands region is one of the most beloved destinations. The storybook village, originally settled in the late 17th century by French Huguenot refugees, has experienced a surge of new energy this year. Make sure you dedicate at least one languid afternoon to strolling down the town’s main road—a clutch of chic hotels, restaurants, and boutiques will make you want to linger."

 

Lots of food, shopping, lodging, etc., tips, plus a number of pictures that brought back nice memories from our visiting wine locations in this scenic and charming area. Loved learning the unique history as the positive difference that the French Huguenot made for the development of this now famous wine area near Cape Town.

 

Full story at:

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/franschhoek-south-africa-travel-guide

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 157,482 views for this posting.

[Miss Merry]

Thanks Terry, that looks very interesting, a combination of history and vin rouge has my vote every time.

SA is certainly looking more and more interesting by the glass full.

Cheers,

MM

[MrsWaldo]

Terry I head up that way with relative frequency

 

It's my go to for getting my head in the right space.....

 

The reef seemed to be in OK condition but this location it wasn't somewhere I had been before (as you know the reef is huge)

 

It was interesting to hear the the port of Gladstone is doing a lot of work so it becomes the alternative to Brisbane

[Stevanb]

Terry

 

We are going to go on the Cape Town to Cape Town 10 day you where on . Wanted to ask what is the name of the company you used to do the Richards Bay over night excursion

 

 

THXS Steve

[MrsWaldo]

Stevan.

 

It was Outdoor Africa

 

When I spoke to them they said they weren't doing cruise ships anymore.

 

Hopefully they may change their mind!

[CruisinPashmina]

Miss Merry, Hope you will consider registering for The Mix and Mingle. The more the "Merrier"! Sorry about that...I couldn't resist.

[TLCOhio]

Stevan. It was Outdoor Africa. When I spoke to them they said they weren't doing cruise ships anymore. Hopefully they may change their mind!

 

Appreciate this follow-up from our Australia friend. I just wrote tonight to Toby Brown, who handles bookings, plus Hayden Elliott, our guide, to check on what they are doing now, etc. Will post more when I hear back from them.

 

For background, it is Outdoor Africa. Their website: http://www.outdoor-africa.com

 

From the web, they still show that they offer one-day safari options. What we did was a two-day trip involving those two key, nearby parks.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 204,583 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Edited October 28, 2016 by TLCOhio

[jpalbny]

Terry, just to let you know, we had a fantastic time with Glen Christie. What a knowledgeable and personable guide she is! Highly recommended!

 

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[TLCOhio]

Terry, just to let you know, we had a fantastic time with Glen Christie. What a knowledgeable and personable guide she is! Highly recommended!

 

Appreciate so much this follow-up and success story from J.P. from their touring in Wine Country with Glen. Look forward to seeing the photos, plus learning more details. Below is a picture with Glen and my wife that I had not posted previously on this live/blog.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 33,227 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

 

 

Here is my wife on the left side with Glenn as we visited the La Motte winery. So many nice locations in this scenic area of South Africa. And, this historic region is also so close and handy to Cape Town.:

 

[TLCOhio]

Stevan. It was Outdoor Africa. When I spoke to them they said they weren't doing cruise ships anymore. Hopefully they may change their mind!

 

Just received this morning a very nice and detailed response from Toby Brown who represents Hayden Elliott and Outdoor-Africa. He noted: "We are still doing all kinds of tours, including cruise-related tours. In the upcoming year, we have had to back off many of the cruise-related and/or day-safaris due to a wonderfully high demand for longer multi-day trips around the country. As we expand our employees, we hope to be more available to offer services more regularly. We really enjoy the longer customized safari tours, as it allows us to really show off what South Africa has to offer. I would encourage anyone interested in day-safaris out of Richards Bay to reach out to us. We will always be very honest about our availability, and will give other recommendations when needed. I have had to let some people know we were unavailable and perhaps I communicated that poorly, giving the impression we were not doing them at all, which is not the case."

 

Toby was also encouraging us to coming back to Africa, noting: "We still hope one day you will come back to visit us in South Africa for a longer safari experience! We would love to show you more of this beautiful country! Hayden and I would like to give you a huge thank you for the recommendations to other travelers. We rely on excellent word-of-mouth referrals and appreciate it immensely when our clients (friends) give us praise and help spread awareness of what we do."

 

We would like to return to Africa, soon, but we have some other priorities, too! This includes our grandsons in Virginia, plus upcoming planned trips for the Panama Canal, Columbia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico in early 2017. And, for early 2018, to be doing Hong Kong, Vietnam, Mekong River cruise, Cambodia, Angkor Wat, Laos and Bangkok. These early 2017 and 2018 "adventures" would be our first visits to these areas. Lots to see in this amazing and interesting world!!

 

Hope this helps to clarify. Yes, some of the better tour folks do get booked up ahead of time. That is why I usually research to find the top three or four options/potentials, write to each of them, etc. See what they offer, can do. How they understand our interests, desires, etc. That's how we found Hayden, Glen, Clive, etc. For follow-up, Hayden and Toby are Outdoor Africa at their website: http://www.outdoor-africa.com

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 32,514 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

[MrsWaldo]

"We are still doing all kinds of tours, including cruise-related tours. In the upcoming year, we have had to back off many of the cruise-related and/or day-safaris due to a wonderfully high demand for longer multi-day trips around the country. As we expand our employees, we hope to be more available to offer services more regularly.

 

 

That fits with what he told me. They did not have sufficient staff and were not doing cruise related tours as a result. There was also a comment about the difficulty of the demands of fitting into cruise schedules for depart times etc. He also did'nt of suggest any alternatives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really enjoy the longer customized safari tours, as it allows us to really show off what South Africa has to offer. I would encourage anyone interested in day-safaris out of Richards Bay to reach out to us. We will always be very honest about our availability, and will give other recommendations when needed. I have had to let some people know we were unavailable and perhaps I communicated that poorly, giving the impression we were not doing them at all, which is not the case."

 

 

. Yes, some of the better tour folks do get booked up ahead of time. That is why I usually research to find the top three or four options/potentials, write to each of them, etc. See what they offer, can do. How they understand our interests, desires, etc.

 

As soon as we booked this trip I started contacting a variety of land based companies. It was amazing how many actually were not keen to take on cruise stop tours.

 

In planning one of my stops I have been in close consultation with a friend who lives in the Port. Interestingly after a discussion last week she said one of my booking issues may have been that I was so far ahead date wise and that the operators wouldn't have been keen to do a single day or overnight as it locked them out of the possibility of a much longer and hence more profitable booking.

She also said they would be more keen to take on Americans as they have a greater propensity to tip well :rolleyes:

[TLCOhio]

That fits with what he told me. They did not have sufficient staff and were not doing cruise related tours as a result. There was also a comment about the difficulty of the demands of fitting into cruise schedules for depart times etc. He also did'nt of suggest any alternatives.

As soon as we booked this trip I started contacting a variety of land based companies. It was amazing how many actually were not keen to take on cruise stop tours. In planning one of my stops I have been in close consultation with a friend who lives in the Port. Interestingly after a discussion last week she said one of my booking issues may have been that I was so far ahead date wise and that the operators wouldn't have been keen to do a single day or overnight as it locked them out of the possibility of a much longer and hence more profitable booking. She also said they would be more keen to take on Americans as they have a greater propensity to tip well :rolleyes:

 

Appreciate this smart follow-up and the added details from MrsWaldo. Yes, you make a good point about the trade-offs for doing advance bookings too far ahead. The better safari people would like to do longer bookings and if they lock-in too earlier it limits their "flexibility". It's not a perfect "science", but both of our experiences speak to doing that advance research, checking options, seeking tour guides to match our interests, etc.

 

For us, we had six different days of private tour/safari experiences with four different people. All worked very well and added so much to our great learning and enjoyment. It made things so much better than just being on a bus with a large group and too much wasted time.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 63,448 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[TLCOhio]

From News24 in South Africa last week, they have this headline: "Cape Town ranks as Lonely Planet's 2nd best city worldwide" with these highlights: "Cape Town racked up yet another award in second place under the world-renowned travel guide’s category, Top 10 Cities, with Bordeaux, France in first place. Lonely planet praised the Mother City and said, “Cape Town’s deceptively laid-back folk have been working hard to add cultural and culinary cred to the Mother City’s famous natural charms, cementing its reputation an as African city with a global outlook”."

 

Congratulations to Cape Town for being high on this top list. Lonely Planet's full top ten cities for 2017: 1. Bordeaux, France; 2. Cape Town, South Africa; 3. Los Angeles, USA; 4. Merida, Mexico; 5. Ohrid, Macedonia; 6. Pistoia, Italy; 7. Seoul, South Korea; 8. Lisbon, Portugal; 9. Moscow, Russia and 10. Portland, Oregon. For countries, Canada was ranked number one this year with Colombia, Finland, Dominica, Nepal,. Bermuda, Mongolia, Oman, Myanmar and Ethiopia following on the list of top countries. Lonely Planet's Top 10 Regions 2017: 1. Choquequirao, Peru; 2. Taranaki, New Zealand; 3. The Azores, Portugal; 4. North Wales, UK; 5. South Australia; 6. Aysén, Chile; 7. The Tuamotus, French Polynesia; 8. Coastal Georgia, USA; 9. Perak, Malaysia and 10. The Skellig Ring, Ireland.

 

Here are some other key points and highlights from Lonely Planet for that famed city: "Culinary tourism is becoming more and more a growing trend and it goes to show with the mention of Cape Town’s historic wine estates, hip markets and inventive restaurants in Best in Travel 2017. The Mother City, home to soaring Table Mountain, golden beaches and bountiful vineyards, is an old pro at capturing people’s hearts. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and traditional African beliefs coexist peacefully in this proudly multicultural city. Table Mountain National Park defines the city. The flat-topped mountain is the headline act, but there are many other equally gorgeous natural landscapes within the park’s extensive boundaries.”

 

More details from Lonely Planet about Cape Town at:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa/cape-town/introduction

 

Full stories at:

http://traveller24.news24.com/Explore/cape-town-ranks-as-lonely-planets-2nd-best-city-worldwide-20161027

http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/themes/adventure/85787457/best-in-travel-lonely-planet-names-south-australia-los-angeles-among-is-best-destinations-for-2017

http://www.iol.co.za/travel/south-africa/western-cape/mother-city-voted-no2-in-top-cities-to-visit-in-2017-2083669

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 44,967 views for these postings.

[TLCOhio]

From The Australian newspaper last month, they have this headline: "St Lucia Estuary hippos and crocodiles: creatures of the big lagoon" with these highlights about: "Africa’s largest coastal lagoon and the jewel of the World Heritage-listed iSimangaliso Wetland Park, being home to about 800 hippos and 1200 Nile crocodiles."

 

Our guide explained how these hippo's are know as "the Townies” as they tend to go "ambling through St Lucia’s streets after dark." St. Lucia is "wedged between estuary and ocean, has 1100 residents". The people and hippo's have learned to get along, but there are road signs to warn driver to watch for hippos on the roads at night. This story also notes the severe drought that has affected the wetlands over the past few years. These conditions have dried up water sources leading into the estuary and caused the shrinking of the animal populations.

 

This story brought back nice memories from our visit to St. Lucia, seeing the hippo's, exploring nearby areas, including our being a guest at the Zulu grade school, etc. Below are a few of my pictures from this great hippo, bird, etc., wildlife area. These pictures were posted earlier on this live/blog, but this puts "the best" of the pictures together in one location here.

 

Have others been here and had experiences, visuals, etc., to share? Join in!! Love to hear from others about their adventures here in this coast location.

 

Full story at:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/travel/st-lucia-estuary-hippos-and-crocodiles-creatures-of-the-big-lagoon/news-story/34f1edcb77d25f8ecfdc783657c6b828

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 22,714 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

 

 

Here are two pictures from the iSimangaliso Wetland Park near Richards Bay at the end of our two-day, overnight adventure in the Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Game Reserve. That park is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa. St. Lucia included the large hippo’s, plus a large bird getting ready to swallow a fish, after it flipped the catch to go down head-first and make it safe for consuming it whole in this manner.:

 

 

 

 

 

From Mission Bay near St. Lucia, here are more examples of the birds, wildlife, hippos, "crocs", etc., during our two-hour cruise on a small boat in this waterway as the sun was getting ready to set. This late afternoon sun was perfect for a great, up-close picture of this one hippo. Like?:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then as the sun was setting, here is the view from a our boat of this late afternoon Africa drama. As we sailed back, a large male hippo was following along with our boat as we were heading back to the dock. These hippo’s can move fairly fast!!:

 

[Miss Merry]

MrsWaldo

We're on the cruise with you and have come across an oddity that I would rather not post about on the board. If you could I'd appreciate it if you could email me, the address is julie at surfbvi dot com

Many thanks

[MrsWaldo]

done :)