Another day in Austria

Kitzbuhel, St. Anton & Innsbruck

December 30 - January 8, 2011

After a whirlwind tour of the US, I headed back to Switzerland to try out my new skis. After a few delays for Jen and Josh we were on our way late in the evening of December 30. Josh had flown to London spent the night, woke up early to fly to Geneva, jump a train and in 45 minutes turn around and pick up Jen and I for a 4 hour drive to Kitzbuhel. I would love to say that Jen and I were great friends, driving the entire way but that was not the case. Josh stayed behind the wheel while we played DJ and enjoyed various snacks that were found when cleaning out our pantries. My favorite snack of all was the healthy cookies that came in large clumps. We decided because they were crumbs they didn't count. Pie Face 1 & 2 had no problem gobbling those up.

Anyhow, we finally made it to Kitzbuhel around midnight and met our Kiwi host at the Ski Bunny lodge. He was an interesting egg for sure and little did we know what excitement he was going to bring to all of our festivities over the next couple of days. After a slight disagreement about our lodging situation we settled into a 6 bed dorm room with very little space to move. Josh completely unpacked and got himself organized while Jen and I dug out our PJ's and shoved our bags snuggly into a closet to keep them out of the way. We would deal with it later.

Friday, December 31 - New Years Eve!

What a day! Up early, ticket purchased and we were on the slopes. Kitzbuhel is an interesting resort, made up of 3 peaks that are accessible by a serious of gondolas and chair lifts. It really isn't possible to ski from one peak to the next without a private guide and avalanche gear. So as much as Josh was tempted we didn't try that out.

Kitzbuhel

Throughout the day we enjoyed the warm weather, decent skiing on piste and exploring the various peaks. We made it all the way to the farthest point for picnic lunch out on the patio. As we were sitting there being lazy we realized that we had under 2 hours to make our way back to where we started and we weren't really sure if it was possible. So we jumped up, and hustled off to our first run still taking things relatively easy. However, that didn't last too long, we quickly realized we had quite a few lifts to take before we would even reach our mountain. We started bombing the runs, leaping off the chair and taking off, meeting up at the bottom for the next ride and assessing our situation.

Around 3:45 we reached the S3, the gondola across the valley to our mountain. Perfect, we were in decent shape, we had 30 minutes to catch 3 chairs and make 4 runs. Possible...maybe!

Out of the gondola we followed the crowd down, to find out that our long traverse was actually a t-bar ride with a packed line. Time is ticking...at the top we bomb again down the run, catch a chair, ride up, and Josh takes off on a long traverse that leads to carrying skis. Jen and I are a little behind him and realize that it is possible to ski down, catch a chair to the top and not carry but Josh is too far away so we followed along skating as best we could. At the top of the skate a couple of guys we had been following happily got off the chair and gave us a wave. I wasn't too excited about that.

Then we were off again, Josh in the lead following the path we had mapped out. At one fork, we all stopped and discussed the fact that the majority of the people were heading in another direction. We tried to rationalize it and continued on our path. At the last minute I noticed another chair that was still running but it was too late. Josh had committed down another trail. So we followed, only to find ourselves at the bottom of 3 charis, 2 of which are not running and one that is slowly being put away. Josh skied up to the operator and asked if it was possible for us to get a ride. He looked at how pathetic we were and realized we would be carrying our skis for some time if he didn't let us on so taking pity he allowed us to wait 15 minutes. At this point it is 4:30 and the sun is going down. My anxiety levels are rising but I am trying my hardest to not let it show. I think I was relatively successful.

At the top of the run, we head off running into signs that say groomers on the trail and we turn back to the ski patrol for guidance. They just ski past without saying anything so we follow all the way to the gondola. Even though it was slightly scary and the chance of us having to walk quite a bit was aggravating, getting lost was a great thing. It resulted in us watching the sunset over the mountains from the gondola. Absolutely amazing!

We finally made it back to our hostel around 6:00 and all the others found our story quite amusing. After laying around for a bit we decided to get dressed and prepped for the BBQ our Kiwi was hosting along with the many Australians that were spending the week there.

The BBQ...another interesting experience. Our Kiwi had a grill glowing in the backyard with bottles of champagne and beer stuck in the snow around it. He had his wife bring out a bucket of meat containing lamb, fat steaks, burgers, and chicken. I didn't know all of those meats could be combined together like that. Oh well, he tossed some bear on the grill and started firing up the meats, literally. After a while Josh decided to take over because he couldn't handle what was happening. Jen and I just stood around drinking beer, talking up our hostel mates and getting to know everyone. They were all so friendly and wanting to party it made for a great evening.

BBQ

Happy New Year!

Around 10:30 our Kiwi decided he wanted to light off fireworks, not into the sky but under our feet. We spent the next half an hour running around dodging flames and sparks from his various purchases. At one point he shot a pretty significant one into the road hitting a man and his son walking by. Instead of owning up to his stupidity he ran away and hid inside leaving all of us looking dumbfounded. Luckily everyone made it through the BBQ portion alive with no casualties.

At 11:30 all of the hostel headed to a bar in town to grab drinks and enjoy the spectacle. We spent most of our time with a couple of Australians who had friends working at the bar and seemed to know everyone. It was a great time dancing, chatting and dodging fireworks in the street at midnight.

Shoes and Socks

Roommates and the Australians

Saturday, January 1 - Sunday, January 2

Even with all of the festivities Jen, Josh and I were able to wake up bright and early to hit the slopes. We wanted another good day of skiing before leaving town for St. Anton. However, our first wave of energy slowly wore off with the coffee and we stopped for an early lunch of bratworst and apple strudel. Well, Jen and I had bratworst and we ate Josh's apple strudel which he had no problem sharing with us.

The Crew

Pie Face

Fun hat club

Once we got cold sitting outside we ventured inside for a little longer to have another cup of coffee and determine a plan of attack for the rest of the day, the evening and our Sunday departure. Overall it was a rather lazy day of skiing but the snow conditions were not fantastic so we were not missing too much.

That evening we met up with Rob and Courtney for a pizza and some drinks at an outside bar. It was great seeing them outside of TASIS and having time to chat without any pressures pulling all of us in separate directions. It turned into a relatively early evening, turning in and hoping for a little bit of snow.

And snow we got on Sunday morning. So much that we decided not to ski and took off for St. Anton to get ourselves situated and ready for a good day on Monday.

In the evening we met up with Matt, Carol and Sarah B. at Haus Schmid in Schnann to continue on with our vacation.

Josh wanted to join the fun hat club

Monday, January 2 - Thursday, January 6

Haus Schmid in Schnann about 7 km outside of St. Anton may be my new favorite place to stay when skiing. It is an old house up on a hillside that has been converted into a bed and breakfast. It is run by a young Australian couple with 5 girls. Fiona was extremely nice telling us about the area as well as just being friendly. Each morning we woke up to have breakfast in the sitting room before catching the bus to the mountain. Every morning was peaceful and relaxing with our group slowly straggling in from the various rooms spread throughout the house. We would chat, laugh and plan our day.

The skiing was decent with a lot of mountain to explore. As the first day rolled on we got a little more adventurous finding our first off piste run that had decent snow. From there we tried a couple of other places throughout the week but the first was still the best. On occasion we found ourselves stuck with rocks and thin coverage leaving me with two rather large gouges out of the bottom of my skis. Josh was able to get a little footage during the trip but because the snow wasn't amazing it was slim pickings.

St. Anton

Josh demonstrating his skills.

Always a monkey

Apres Ski

In the evenings we ventured to apres ski indoors to keep Carol warm and then to a Mexican restaurant one evening and Tapas another. The final night in town we were all exhausted so we cleaned up, took some naps, hit the sauna and walked to the pizzeria in Schnann.

On Thusday evening we said goodbye to Matt, Josh and Jen who were heading back to campus for ski week. Then Sarah, Carol and I hit the bars for one last drink before saying goodbye to St. Anton in the morning and heading to Innsbruck for a little sightseeing.

It Counts if you have your own!

Snow Bunnies

Boughey after Apres Ski...helmets shouldn't be worn indoors.

Friday, January 7 - Saturday, January 8

Innsbruck here we come. We checked into our hotel only a few blocks away from the old town square before heading out to find some lunch. On our stroll we ran into stalls left up from the Christmas market and then to the pedestrian street for a little shopping. Of course I quickly found a pair of boots I must have but I heard Carol saying..."you need those like you need a hole in the head." So I didn't make the purchase and we moved on to sight seeing.

First stop, the Olympic village and the Bergisel Ski Jump. We wandered around for a while before taking a scary jumping picture and then the funicular up to the top and captured a few pictures from the skiers perspective. Then we boarded the red bus for a guided tour of Innsbruck. Since I am a very good rider, I had a difficult time keeping my eyes open and paying attention to all of the details the recording was telling me. But the highlights were the various locations of the Olympic village and museums. So I guess I didn't miss much because my museum attention span is about an hour so I wouldn't make it in there anyway.

Innsbruck

Olympic Ladies

Zoom in to see the fear in my eyes!

Not going down that

Old Town

Golden Roof at the end of the pedestrian street

New Town

That afternoon we found the train to take us to the top of the highest peak in Innsbruck, Hafeleker to get a panoramic view of the city. We enjoyed a hot chocolate at the top and watched the snow boarders tackle some daring jumps in the park. During our time at the top Carol and I were quite pleased with our decision to stay away from skiing because there was more mud then snow on the entire mountain. Maybe if we had ventured outside of the city limits deeper into the alps we would have been better off but I am not sure.

The View...can't complain

Love this sign

Boughey's first time at the top of the alps

Carol, Boughey and I at the top.

On Saturday morning we woke up early and loaded the car to make the drive back home. On our way we decided to stop in Rottenberg the smallest town in Austria. It is known for its glass blowing and the Kisslinger factory. We spent a little time walking around, making a few purchases for gifts and ourselves before making the rest of the drive.

Rottenberg

They take their glass very serious

It was a great trip with a lot of moving pieces but they all came together successfully.

Fat, Drunk & Happy

A Girls Wine Weekend in Alba

April 23 - 25, 2010

What a weekend. Eight girls piling into two vehicles on a Friday afternoon with vino on the mind. We got a late start leaving TASIS for various reasons, causing us to arrive at our agriturismo, Ada Nada very late in the evening. But we shouldn't have been concerned. The owner had arranged a late dinner for us down the road. The chef at the restaurant assured them there would be no problem serving a late meal for 8 women. How thoughtful of them.

On Saturday morning, after a typical European breakfast we set off for Alba to visit the markets and stroll through the town. There was some intense purchasing taking place of various spreads, cheeses, and baking goods.

Getting some serious shopping done!

Lizzie, Beth and I quickly got distracted by the booths providing free tastings of the local wines. It was already eleven in the morning so we felt it would be alright.

Alba

Next stop, Barolo. The towns in this region are very close together and the hill sides of each one is covered with vines to make the regions most famous blend. We were still in our sight seeing phase so we just took pictures, wandered, and of course stopped for a tasty meal at a small restaurant outside of town. Best dish of the afternoon was the risotto cooked in Barolo wine. It had a very unique flavor and was exceptional with the wine pairing our waiter provided.

Using the dominate nostril

I think we will take it!

Around mid afternoon we plugged in our next destination into the GPS. It wasn't too far away but the roads are not well marked and we might as well use the technology we had available to us. I was in the lead with Mara following close behind. The GPS continually was leading us down a road, onto a dirt path and up into vineyards. I hesitated, turning around twice before we agreed to go for it. I was about half way through the vineyard, bumping over rocks in my little car and laughing historically about the potential of getting stuck and what we would do if that happened. Then we reached a point, where I even had to stop because I didn't think my car would clear the ditch and I wasn't so sure I was far enough off the ground to pull the maneuver that was going to be necessary. Mara in a 4 wheel drive vehicle too the lead while we sat and waited. They cleared it, found the agriturismo, then called us to give directions as they waved down from above. Once we knew were we were going it wasn't too hard to find on actual roads but what would a weekend be without a little off roading in the vines.

The Rolling Hills of Tuscany

The Whole Crew in the Cellar

We spent the next couple of hours at Gagliasso Mario Vineyard outside of Alba. The owner gave us a tour of his grounds, the new cellars, and then we took our seats in a private room where we sampled all of his blends. Some of us were well behaved only taking a sip and then pouring the rest, while others thoroughly enjoyed the full pour the owner provided.

Guia, Lizzie, Hermione, Mara, Beth, Cecilia, and Sarah

Let the tasting begin

I was one of the good ones, pouring occasionally

The Loot

After purchasing many bottles each, counting carefully to make sure each vehicle did not exceed the limit, we were off to our accommodations for a 5 course meal with wine pairings. Not that we hadn't already had enough food and wine to last us the entire day.

Back at Ada Nada, we purchased a few bottles of wine and sat outside on the patio enjoying the sunset and each other's company. Dinner was phenomenal of course, and the house wines were amazing.

Late into the meal. We lost a few of the girls earlier in the evening

On Sunday morning we continued our sight seeing, first with a trip into the cellars of Ada Nada. The owner told us the story of how she took over the home and continued the growing that her family had been doing for many years. Each child in her family has a blend named after them, hers being Bisbetica because she is strong willed, full bodied, and on occasion hard headed. It was one of my favorites and I added a few more bottles to my collection already in the trunk of my car.

Jumping for Vino

Love It

Once we were had completed our tours we were off to Serra Lunga and the Castello di Grinzane Cavour. We toured the castle, danced in the ballroom and learned the history of the tartufo dog before walking the streets of the town and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Castello di Grinzane

At this point there were mixed feelings about heading home, seeing more, or possibly doing another tasting at Fontana Freda. We had called ahead but they were fully booked except for the potential walk ins. With this knowledge, a car load opted to head back to Lugano, to get situated for the upcoming week. My car of course, filled with Guia, Beth and Sarah B. decided that wine tasting on a Sunday afternoon was the perfect past time. So we were off.

We were met with success when we reached the vineyard. They had room on the Italian tour but it required Guia translating everything for the rest of us. She didn't seem to mind and we were able to pick up a lot of it just by looking around and following along.

The cellars we entered were some of the oldest in the region and they still were using barrels from the 1700's. It was quite a cool experience to see the new and old together and how the difference of the ages affected the outcome of the grapes. They were all fantastic though and the four of us had a great time tasting some of the premier bottles of the region. And of course purchasing just one or two more!

The strips of Fontana Freda

The dominate nostril never failed!

A South African Spring Break

Wait we Had Dessert?
Tuesday, March 30

It has been crazy! Boston for 6 days for my conference at Harvard. Then Medina for less than 24 hours to see my family and say goodbye to grandpa. 19 hours of travel from Rochester to Milan, with less then 18 hours turn around in Lugano to unpack and repack for South Africa. Then 26 hours later Allyson, Lizzie and I arrived at the Cape Town airport via Abu Dhabi and Jo'Burg.

After picking up our bags we met up with Jamie our tour guide who was expecting a family. In an instant his plans for the afternoon changed and his entire itinerary for us because table mountain was completely under cloud cover. First we stopped at the Noon Gun look-out point to get a panoramic view of the bay and table mountain topped with clouds.

Next stop a little caffeine fix and breakfast for Lizzie and Allyson at Camps Bay, one beach in a series of four. Allyson was brave and rolled up her pants to touch the water. However at that time a wave crashed up over her soaking her, but she says it was worth it.

Caffeinated and full we checked into our hotel and got cleaned up before heading out to the wine farms for a little tasting of the best South African wines. First stop Groot Winery where we tasted the whole list, starting with a light white to a full bodied red. During the tasting we got a lesson on how to taste with all of our senses, starting with our eyes and checking out the color. Then to smell where I introduced Brian's knowledge of the dominant nostril. Settling finally with taste. However, after the 1st round, I agreed with our young pourer who said to really enjoy it is to just taste it! So that is what I did, many times!!!

Next stop Brusvenstag Winery, situated back in the woods in a small white washed home. The tasting room was beautiful with leather couches and walls of glasses. Once again we tasted the entire list starting with the whites. When we got to the 2nd to last red we all fell in love with Rough Diamond. So much so that we purchased a case to split among the three of us. The best part of this tasting was the conversation with Jamie and our pourer. We all definitely became chatty kathy's taking on any and all topics.

Finally, our last stop a farm called Constatine Usita where we got pushed over the edge tasting through the entire list right to the dessert wine. We were the only ones in the room so we took a table and helped Jamie par take in a very interesting SMS exchange with a neighbor about Mad Dog.

By the time we were dropped off at our hotel we were three very happy ladies who decided to stay awake and head to happy hour at the hotel lounge. Bianca the women working the bar was just happy to see people and she promptly emptied an entire bottle of wine into our three glasses. Then two gentlemen joined us to Lizzie's despair but as the beer and wine flowed the conversation got better and turned to opinions of Tiger Woods. Where we flat out shocked them wiht our views and statements.

Dinner Time at the Wild Fig, one of the best restaurants in Cape Town, which happened to be in the parking lot of our hotel. Which turned out to be a good location considering the shape we were in. The night started out tame with Lizzie intorducing us to our waiter, Christopher who quickly got tired of us. As time went on we drank more, got louder, talked hockey with another waiter and ordered dessert. We were in bed by 8:30 that night which was a good thing considering the next morning some details were a little foggy. Including dessert.

It's Two Damn Hot for a Penguin

Wednesday, March 31

Legend has it that a retired pirate, Jan Van Hunks, encountered the devil on the mountain, and in order to save his soul, challenged the devil to a smoking contest. They stoked their pipes and have been smoking ever since. Luckily this morning Table Mountain's famous tablecloth had lifted for a brief moment and we were able to grab the cable car to the top and experience the amazing views.

At the top we got a few glamor shots, jumping pictures, and headed down to meet up with Jamie to head to the Cape of Good Hope. On our way we encountered various wild animals along the side of the road. First was the Baboon that came right up to the car and showed Allyson his teeth. Then as we got a little closer we ran across two ostrich hanging out by the beach. Then our final destination the Cape of Good Hope the most South Western Point of South Africa. It received its name because sailors needed hope when navigating their way around the point. It also is the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

From there we went to Cape Point Lighthouse to get a panoramic view of the Cape and the false bay. It was absolutely breathtaking and I doubt the pictures I took truly capture the beauty of the ocean and the surrounding mountains. To prolong our visit we grabbed lunch at The Oceans Restaurant. Again another fantastic meal.

Now for Lizzie's dream, Boulders National Park the home to the African Penguins formerly known as the Jackass Penguin because of their donkey-like braying call. The beach was nestled in a sheltered cove between Simon's Town and Cape Point in a magnificent wind sheltered safe beach. It was an amazing experience walking along boardwalks with penguins on either side. Then reaching the beach there were hundreds of penguins hanging on the beach and the rocks. We saw a baby hiding from the wind behind his mother, a couple mating, and another turning down an advance. Then we went to the other side to try to capture a jumping shot. Here we were able to see a couple come in from fishing and a couple get tumbled by the waves.

Back to our hotel for cocktail hour and a little downtime before heading to the waterfront for dinner on the terrace of Baia. We started dinner with cocktails and a grilled calamari. Probably the best calamari I have ever tasted. Then the wine from Burvensteig their Sauvigon Blanc which we had tasted yesterday and really enjoyed. Now dinner...Allyson was feeling adventurous and sampled the Ostrich while Lizzie had kingklip and I had kingklip and Crayfish Thermodoire. The crayfish was what I had expected. The kingklip however was unbelievable. It was the texture of a good swordfish steak but the flavor was like a grouper. The main course was phenomenal. But why stop there when there is the opportunity for dessert. Allyson had the decadent chocolate pudding, which rivaled a molten chocolate cake. Lizzie had a creme caramel. While I had a Vanilla Bean infused cheesecake with a honey sauce. Delicious!

Still Alive and Kicking in Cape Town
Thursday, April 1

April fools! Probably Jamie's favorite day of all year. Before he picked us up he had told his mother that his car had gotten stolen and scared his kids by telling them there were shark sightings in the lake they swim every morning. He successfully fooled his mother but his kids were onto his games.

Anyhow, after a delightful breakfast with Fatima we met up with Jamie and headed to Long Beach for surfing lessons at the Roxy Surf School. A school designed by women surfers to promote women surfing. However, we had Bazzie, the Junior Champion Surfer as our instructor. After outfitting Lizzie and I in our wetsuits we grabbed our boards and got our first lessons on the sand. Very much like Yoga we had to lay on our board, push our upper body up and then hop up to a surfing position. I stuggled on the sand to get my right foot all the way around. I was slightly worried about what was going to happen on the water but Bazzie didn't seem to be worried as he led us through warm-ups and stretching.

With boards in hand Lizzie and I took the water and went a short ways into the water. Then we turned and Bazzie pushed us into the wave. The first couple I only got to my knees but on the third try I was able to stand. Maybe for only five seconds but I got up. After a few more tries I was consistently standing but wobbling a bunch and not lasting too long. Bezzie thought I was ready to learn how to paddle and choose my own waves. However, I wasn't too successful on catching any of them so I just rode them all the way in and walked along the beach to re-enter further down.

Lizzie had a cramp in her leg and she called it quits so Bezzie and I went into the water and paddled out. I rode a couple more waves and practiced my paddling into waves. As my arms got tired my board got a little crazy and a couple times toppled right up over me. I tried to swim along side it but kept getting yelled at to PADDLE!! I paddled so much there were times I couldn't push my body up off hte board and I was secretly hoping it was almost over, but glad it wasn't at the same time.

I caught a couple more with my last attempt probably being the most successful. Feeling totally satisfied, we started to head in. I was feeling brave, so I got on the board to ride the wave and successfully toppled right over the top, upside down with waves crashing over me. Sputtering salt water out of my eyes and mouth I came up to Bezzie laughing hysterically at me. I took it all in stride, something that comes with age...right?

After showering, we joined Jamie and Allyson who had gone to visit one of the townships and took off for the Robben Island Ferry. On the way we were told of another prank Jamie pulled on his wife. Telling her we were at the police station because our car had been hijacked in the township and we were all shooken up! Not a great prank to pull on his wife but they get each other and it worked.

Next stop, Robben Island. First we took a bus tour around the island were we were filled in on the history of the grounds, going from a place for leapers to a military base, to a political prison which it is most well known for. We walked through dog kennels that were larger then the political prisoners cells. We were told stories of the different people who were held on Robben Island before meeting up with an ex. political prisoner who took us through the maximum security portion of the island.

His story was extremely powerful. He had been arrested for treason in 1979 and was taken to the island after two ears of trial where he was found guilty. He spent six years on Robben Island, but was sentenced to 25 year. He was released in 1991, allowing him freedom well before his original sentence that would have ended in April 2009. He said the hardest part was going back to his family that he did not know or recognized because so many years had passed without any interactions.

What shocked me most about his story was that he was back, living on the island reliving those moments everyday. On top of that, he next door neighbor was the prison guard who had been cruel to him and controlled his every move for six years.

After hearing his story we walked through the prison and looked into Nelson Mandela's cell. As well as heard the tale of the work they had to do and how political works was done in the caves of the limestone mines. It is amazing to believe that through all of the cruelty and abuse the prisoners remained calm and respectful to their guards, regardless of the treatment. They continued to be activists and succeeded in many ways while still being imprisoned. It was a moving experience to stand in the middle of Robben Island and hear life experiences and first hand accounts of life as a political prisoner.

The rest of our day was rather low key. We grabbed a couple of beers at the Paulener Restaurant. Yeah, I know, we have German beers in Switzerland, but we were in search of the sun! Then we went to Belthezar from Jamie's recommendation. We had a Shiraz from Stellanbaush, Lizzie & Allyson opted fro the Ostrich one again and I decided on a game kebab. It consisted of Wilderbeast, Impala, Springbock, and Kuru. My favorites were the Impala and the Springbock but they were all fantastic. Another phenomenal meal to end our time in Cape Town!

Good Friday

Friday, April 2

3:30 wake-up call, 4:30 shuttle to the airport and a 6:15 flight to Livingston, Zambia. We met our tour guide at the airport after we ran around trying to scrounge together 150 US dollars. This was extremely frustrating to me, because just a couple days before I was in the US, had a wallet full of cash and took it out before coming to South Africa. The information you wish you knew before traveling, but that would require research and time. Anyhow, because it was Good Friday, the banks were closed so we had to beg the tour company owner to dig through her purse to put the amount together. It only took 15 minutes but we were successful and on our way to the David Livingston Lodge and Spa.

Driving down a pot hole ridden road I was slightly worried about what we were going to pull up to, but I should have been because once we entered the gates the most beautiful lodge was spread out in front of us. We were greeted at the entrance and went through a traditional hand washing ceremony with vanilla and lavender water. Then we were given a sweet drink to sip on as we checked in.

I would have never thought it would get better but it did! My room was unbelievable. In the middle of the room sat a huge bed, with the mosquito net strung over it. At the far end of the bed were double glass doors that opened to a balcony overlooking the Zambezi River. Finally the bathroom was unbelievable and words cannot even describe it. I spent a good 1/2 hour just taking pictures of it all.

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering and taking pictures of the entrance, the pool, or at least the location of the pool, and the various dining rooms. The whole time I was thinking how much my Dad would love it here.

At 4:15 we boarded the Lady Livingston for our sunset cruise down the river. Allyson, Lizzie and I managed to claim a high top table at the front of the boat where we sipped tasty beverages and watched the sun set in hopes of seeing some animals. Which we did after much waiting and coming to grips that it most likely wasn't going to happen. Then Allyson heard it and Webster spotted the Hippos off to the left of the boat in the bushes. The boat backed up so we got the ultimate view of four hippos enjoying their dinner. I took about 30 pictures of them so basically if I continue at this rate I will be well over 1,000 shots when we leave Kruger.

Back on dry land we grabbed a quick bite before calling it a night. We have many adventures tomorrow that we needed to be rested for.

An African Shower

Saturday, April 3

A jam packed day for sure. We met Joseph our Wild Side Tour guide early in the morning for our tour of Victoria Falls from multiple vantage points. First stop was along side the road for a view of the falls and the spray coming up over the edge. At this point we had no idea what was in store for us.

When we got to the entrance of the falls we first took the path to the right to view the falls and an amazing rainbow from a clearing not to far from the lip of the falls. From this point we could see the mist off to the right but the left ridge looked relatively clear. We could also see the banks of Zimbabwe across the river.

Then we continued down the path, with each clearing the view became a little bit more spectacular and providing more of a panoramic view. As we were walking deeper in we started to see people soaked to the bone walking the other way past us. At one point we passed the rain coats for hire. Joseph shook his head and we posed for a picture which we later found out was our before shot. Then we reached the mist. We went out in the opening and took our first picture experiencing the African shower. Then we turned the corner and got sit of the bridge constructed between Zimbabwe and Zambia over the Zambizie. Allyson was drooling over the chance at possibly bung jumping off of it. A few more steps and we came to another foot bridge over the falls. Since the water was at its highest the mist was out of control. The bridge was completely invisible with water gushing across the walkway. We braved our way across to the island were we continued to walk through the Victoria falls rainforest in a complete down pour. But totally worth it. Back on dry land we took a couple after pictures to capture the amount of mist that soaked us through.

Allyson unfortunately had a couple disasters during this wet adventure. Her iPod drowned, her camera was soaked and her beautiful pale yellow sun dress was soaked through. But she took it all in stride and successfully wandered through the markets bargaining for little trinkets to take home. I had fun as well negotiating for two traditional statues and a zebra for Lizzie.

Back at the hotel we dryad ourselves off in the sun and baked for a little while. Then we took off on our next adventure, A lion encounter in the Mosi O Tunya National Park. Words cannot even explain the experience. The Lion Encounter took place at a conservation whose goal is to save lions from extinction by helping them survive their 1st years and then being adapted back into the wild.

There were 5 of us in my group with 2 lions and 2 guides. 2 scouts and a man with a machine gun wandered on the outskirts in case any other wild animals approached. First we met the lions and took a couple pictures petting them before heading off on our walk. During the walk the lions took many breaks and there were times we could walk and hold their tail. While I was doing that my lion decided to take a detour into the brush and I lost my grip.

Then there was another perfect photo opportunity and as I was petting the lion he pulled back his head to yawn and rolled over right into my legs. I got up rather quick and backed away. It is definitely a story I will be telling a few times.

Starting with Victoria Falls and ending with a lion walk is amazing. Two experiences I never dreamed I would have.

Soaring Over Victoria Falls

Easter Sunday, April 4

Happy Easter from Zambia! Lately, I have been having these crazy ideas about paragliding and jumping out of planes before I turn 30. I always thought those things would happen in and around Switzerland. I never thought my 1st open air cockpit experience would be high over the Zambezi River.

Allyson and I signed up for a 15 minute Microlight Experience to get aerial views of the falls. First we needed to read the safety instructions that informed us that the propellors can bit causing major damage to your skull. No concern there. Then it was time to board the go-cart with wings. My pilot was Bill from Phoenix, Arizona by way of Scotland and Zambia. He got tired of the corporate life and retired to be an aviation teacher in Scotland for 8 months before flying his personal microlight from Scotland to Zambia to spend the other 4 months touring over Victoria falls. Quite a good life, I would say.

Up in their we circled the landing strip before heading to htefalls and the Zimbabwe side. From the air I was able to see the effects of the various falls of the past as well as were slowly the earth is going to erode away to create the next gorge and a new falls in the next 3,000 years. The scariest part of the whole flight was flying through the mist. Just imagine being in an airplane when flying through the clouds. Now take away the walls of the plane. It was insane!!!

After our amazing flight we got ready to head out towards Jo-burg and on Monday Kruger!

Our Easter dinner consisted of delivered pizza, two bottles of South African wine we purchased while in Cape Town and conversation with a couple of other people who were stuck within the gated community that we were dropped off at. Not the best Easter dinner but definitely memorable.

A Frog in Room 220

Monday, April 5

Andrew met us at the Safari Lodge next to the airport early in the morning to start our drive to Kruger for our 1st game drive. At about 1 in the afternoon we reached the Malema Entrance and we were faced with a gate showing a sign, Quota Full. Disappointment filled the car.

We stopped shortly after to eat our grocery store lunch in the parking lot of Crocafellas. Andrew told us not to get our hopes up because the gates were most likely all going to be closed meaning we would drive around the park to our hotel instead of through it. So I opted for a little nap to pass the time, yep I am a good traveler even in South Africa. When I woke up, Andrew informed us that we were going to try every gate and our next stop was Nambi Gate about 30 minutes away.

At Nambi Gate we were all positive as we approached and it paid off. We got into the park and armed ourselves with cameras and glued our eyes on the grass flying by. Andrew told us to not get our hopes up again but we were all really giddy. Allyson spotted the first animals of the day. A warthog with little tusks poking through the brush. We drove past before she was able to get the words out. But as we turned in our seats the mother warthog crossed the street with three little babies chasing behind.

This one sighting got us really excited. I made the next one, an impala a little ways off the road. Andrew laughed at us because again we got really excited. He told us to not take to many photos because we would see many more and much closer up. Which we did! Many times!

Next big sighting were two huge giraffes crossing the road. It was a male and a female with the male courting the female from behind. We continued down the road a little farther and as we were watching impala on the left, Allyson spotted Zebra on the right. While taking pictures Andrew was giving me pointers on my camera and animals photography. He told me to start focusing on the eyes to capture the best shots.

Big 5 is the goal for this trip and for everyone's safari experience. Leopard is the big accomplishment and one of pure luck. I guess we had luck on our side because we came across leopards twice. The first time was a mother and its cub playing in the trees. The second was three walking through the brush. Who would have thought we would have had such success on the first day, Only 4 more to go!

From there we were satisfied but still got more. We watched a buck up a group of female impala. We also came across an old giraffe who was within touching distance of the car. Phenomenal!!!

A great first day.

The Circle of Life!

Tuesday, April 6

12 hours in a car could sound painful to most but it was absolutely fantastic today. Starting at 5:45 AM we met up with Andrew and entered the park at 6:00. First sighting was a huge elephant with massive tusks on the side of the road. It seemed peaceful at first but then the woman two cars in front of us aggravated him so that he opened his ears, raised his head and began stomping his feet. Definitely no longer a happy camper. All the cars began backing up and the elephant disappeared into the brush. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo but Allyson did!

Next major sighting was shortly after on a dirt road. Driving along we noticed a bunch of cars pulled to the side, so we followed suit. As we slowed to a stop out of the right back window we saw a cheetah sitting in the brush. Farther up there wer two more sunning themselves after the rain on a large rock. We all got amazing shots.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was filled with impala, giraffe, zebra, crocodiles, and hippo sightings. They were so close to the road our picture opportunities were phenomenal. Up ahead of the car we noticed a bunch of birds circling. As we got closer there were cars parked to the side which was a clear clue that something big was going on. When we came to a stop there were tons of vultures flying in and out as they devoured a carcass. The largest being the Leppit Faced vulture with the largest wing span in South Africa. These birds were huge and just tearing into something when they weren't pushing each other. We spent a good amount of time there because Andrew was obsessed. The noises were slightly disturbing, with bones crushing and flesh tearing but it was incredible.

After that sighting the rest of the afternoon was very tame. We drove to the boaba tree, the largest tree in South Africa, for a few pictures before starting our drive south.

Laughing Hyena's and a ton of rocks...aka Rhinos by everyone but me.

Wednesday, April 7

Up early once again but this morning we were not nearly as lucky. We drove and drove all morning long with high hopes because yesterday was so successful. But still nothing. Boredom definitely set in along with a little frustration. I tried to keep my eyes open but since I am such a wonderful traveler my eyes closed slightly for about 15 minutes. I was hoping I hadn't been caught because Allyson had already warned me that I had to keep my eyes on the trees. Oops! They didn't tell me till the evening that they had noticed, I guess it was nice of them to not throw me under the bus in front of Andrew.

The afternoon was just as brutal. To the point that Andrew willingly stopped to watch any and all anials no matter the distance. Our biggest sighting was a heard of elephants in the trees. We watched them for an insane amount of time.

From then on...nothing! Until 5:30 about 5 km away from the amin entrance, we were crossing a bridge and directly ahead of us was a hyena heading our direction. then off to the right were 3 hippos making noise in the water. Probably our closest hippo sighting so far. The 3 of us were kept going back and forth trying to capture all the pictures. Until the hyena was right in front of our car and we could stare him in the eyes.

He was missing his left ear and had a serious injury to his hind leg. As we got closer there started to be a serious back up of vehicles behind us. Andrew knew the hyena wanted to cross the bridge so he pulled off to the side and turned off the car. The hyena was right outside Allyson's window and at points looked right at her, almost staring her down. Then he was suddenly afraid and turned hobbling back to the beginning of the bridge away from the cars. That is when we realized that there were two kids hanging out of the windows and that simple change scared him away.

Knowing the bridge way the only way across because the water was so high we sat and watched the hyena build up his courage, take a deep breath and step back into the middle of the road from the grass. There he stood staring down the line of cars parked the entire length of the bridge. Another deep breath and he was off, hobbling as fast as he could right down the center of all the vehicles. Allyson, Lizzie, Andrew, and I all sighed in relief that he made it. It was like watching a huge leap of faith and success in the wild.

Now we could say our day was not a complete failure. We had one unique sighting. Little did we know not a couple of kilometers up the road we were going to come across an elepant grazing on the edge and then the long awaited rhino. It was a long way in the distance and we couldn't see its horns but at least we saw one!

That night we fell into our usual routine at Krugar Gate. Change into jeans, grab a game, tonight was rummy cube and a couple of beers before dinner. As we wer esitting in the bar area it started to rain. The rain turned into a down pour and the lights blinked off for a short period, but came back on quickly. We finished our first game, grabbed more beers and started our second. A couple of rounds in with the rain pouring down all around us, the lights went out again. This time they didn't come back on. The generator kicked in and illuminated the major areas with a little yellow glow. We finished our game by candle light before heading to dinner in the dark.

For nothing really happening all day long it turned out to be quite exciting.

Road Rage in More ways than one!

Thursday, April 8

Changing our itinerary was the best decision we could have made. We were suppose to go to a close by village to experience the culture as well as head to the top of a mountain to experience the panoramic views. Because our sightings were so bad the day before we really wanted to head back into the park. With the rain the night before and in the morning we would have just been getting soaked and not seeing anything anyway, we decided to spend more time in the car with Andrew.

Before breakfast, we were in awe. It started with the typical sightings of zebra, giraffes, and tons of impala. then we came across a rather large elephant on the side of the road. Once we got our shots and other cars started to pile in we drove along a little farther. Then up ahead we saw something walking slowly along the road. We made our guesses and our sarcastic comments before we got close enough and our jaws dropped. Right there sonly 50 feet away was a cheetah taking a stroll. We hung back so we wouldn't scare him away but we were able to get good shots when he turned to check us out. Then as soon as he turned into the grass we came up right alongside of him and got amazing shots of him strolling through the high grasses and resting under a tree. As quickly as he appeared he was gone lowering into the grass to lie down. Making us realize how many animals we could have potentially passed everyday. As we pulled away cars stayed packed together along the roads edge in hopes that he would pick up his head for a brief second providing another sighting. This all before breakfast.

Our next huge sighting came a little later in the day when we came across two rhino also along the edge of the road. The car next to us motioned that they wanted to cross so Andrew pulled to the middle to block the flow of traffic. One of the safari jocks didn't like this and pulled in the grass along side of us to let Andrew know. Andrew didn't take it all that well and put the guy in his place as well. I don't think Andrews blood pressure came down for the rest of the day. But we did finally get our great rhino shots including the horns

As we were driving along one of the side dirt roads there were a couple of cars parked once again. We pulled up along side of them wondering what they had spotted, expecting elephant or zebra or something along those lines. Instead we pulled right up to a lion's den with about 12 lions of various ages taking a mid afternoon nap. We captured our big five finally. Granted they were sleeping but we saw them!

Through the afternoon Andrew successfully calmed himself form the incident wit the rhino's and we were able to stop at various look-out points to experience the vastness of the Kruger National Park. It was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking! One place over looked a watering spot along the banks of the river. On one side were hippos making their presence known while on the other was a whole heard of impala taking a rest on the river bank and a break from the afternoon heat. At one point the waterbuck went down to the river to take a drink. Slowly a hippo moved toward it just to let him know he was encroaching on his territory.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty typical until we were again only a few km away from the Nambi gate. up ahead we saw a bunch of tail lights which could only mean one thing. We only had a few minutes before the gates were to close and the risk of a fine looming, but we could potentially have a major sighting. A major sighting it was...A MALE LION strolling down the road next to all the cars. For a period of time there was a jockeying for position thing going on with the cars swerving from side to side as the lion moved on the road. Then people started to be considerate or recognized the time and began slowly driving past. Soon we were right next to him to the point that he we could roll down the window to reach out and pet him if we wanted. It was insane. My heart was absolutely pounding.At this point, we had already seen the big 5 but this made the entire trip unbelievable.

That night we stated at the Ressington Inn and we were eagle to have dinner with Andrew. The first conversations were centered around our potential trip to Botswana next summer. I hope we really do make this happen. Our next topic had the four of us laughing so hard it brought us to tears. Andrew told us a tale about why African women raise their beds off the ground with bricks. Before he even was able to get the story out the comments made and images created brought had us roaring. It was really great to have created such a bond that the conversation was so fantastic and enjoyable. The guides throughout the whole trip made this quite the experience.

I don't want to go home!