The torture of pre-trip planning
Two nights before began the packing. I threw a bunch of stuff together that I thought would be good for a 16-day trip. A bunch of shorts, a bunch of T-shirts and a bunch of collared shirts. I figured we’d sift through them when it got to “go time”. We …
To get to Hell you have to go through Atlanta first
The sherbet-green Delseys It was time for the actual packing! A couple of years back, we had bought a sherbet-green hard shell suitcase at TJ Maxx while on a California trip. Sharon and Randy had bought the other one. They are the easiest things to pic …
The leg to New York and dinner with Meg in Brooklyn
The flight to NYC was uneventful. Jean had checked me in early enough to be in boarding group A so I was able to save her a seat. We mainly wanted to get me aboard early enough to stuff all our carry on luggage in the overhead bins before the hordes bo …
To France and beyond!
DAYS ONE and TWO 9/3/18 – 9/4/18 – Travel to Cape Town Louisa and Whanger were connecting in Amsterdam and were taking a different flight from us (duh). We reluctantly separated from them after our shuttle to JFK, and were dumped into the terminal that …
Cape Town! Just like I pictured it!
DAY 2 – 9/4/18 – Arrival in Cape Town Got off the plane in a daze and emptied out into a nice, modern airport that wasn’t too big. There was a guy waiting for us with a Gate One sign. He was there for US! Nobody else. He helped get the stuff off the ca …
Cruising the Cape, part one
DAY 3 – Wednesday – 9/5/18 – Cape Peninsula Tour Slept okay, though kind of fitfully — not quite sure what the trip was gonna be like or what it was gonna require of us. The room was very comfortable, though it was chock full of our luggage spread out …
The Cape was booming with good times, part two
Back on the bus! Next stop: The Cape of Good Hope. A short drive through more beautiful South African terrain brought us to the entrance to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Laurence told us that the park was part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, the …
From Table Mountain to the dinner table of an African family
This slideshow requires JavaScript. DAY 4 – Thursday – 9/6/18 – Table Mountain, Cape Town City Tour and Local Family-Hosted Dinner Lion’s Head “Smoke on the Water” blasted us out of bed at 6:00 to ready ourselves for breakfast at 6:30 and be on the bus …
A whale of a time jumping the shark
DAY 5 – Friday – 9/7/16 – Free day in Cape Town – Shark Diving and Whale Watching Langa Township Jean and Whanger’s driver came for them before ours, so Louisa and I hung around the hotel anticipating our excursion. Our driver was right on time in a sm …