Richards Bay is our first port during over a week in South Africa. It's a major coal exporting center. So I'm going to Hippo Haven. This is one of those "I need to get off the boat" tours. But hippos are cool, so off we go. The Isimangaliso Wetlands are a sometimes-estuary: a place where … Continue reading Richards Bay

While Seychelles and Mauritius are independent island nations, Reunion is a department of France. That's right, they use the Euro and the capital of Reunion - an island to the east of Madagascar - is Paris. I think of it like how Puerto Rico is to the USA. Reunion is a "hot spot" volcanic island … Continue reading Reunion

Our relaxing overnight stay in Nairobi before our return flight to the ship didn't work out. Yesterday our tour escort was told by Silversea central that our plane will be delayed by several hours. Thus, the ship would leave Mauritius before we arrive. That's a problem. The solution was to take the earlier flight, which … Continue reading Mauritius

There is a safari tradition of a "sundowner" - essentially happy hour in the bush around sunset. Get some snacks, start a bonfire and have some drinks. We've done that this trip, but this morning we invented a "sunupper". One thing about the Masai Mara, the clouds are amazing. Sun Rise Breakfast We only had … Continue reading Kenya Part 3

I woke up early so we can be at the gate of the actual Masai Mara Nature Reserve as the sun was rising. However, not as early as the folks doing the sunrise balloon ride - they had to leave at 4:45am. Yikes. April is the most early in the year that I've visited the … Continue reading Kenya – Part 2