Wednesday, May 9th...Levi and I made it back to California....arriving in Los Angeles earlier than anticipated because our original plane out of Dulles was cancelled due to mechanical problems....we just barely were able to catch the earlier flight out, almost missing it because we had to have our shoes dipped.... we arrived in Los Angles, but the luggage did not make the flight. We arrived at the family beach cottage in Sunset Beach around noon....completely exhausted, but so far gone, it was next to impossible to relax enough to take a nap!! (we had been up for about 50 hours at that point). Our luggage arrived at our door just before 10 p.m....can't tell you how excited we were to stay awake for the luggage!!! We are trying to get back on a regular routine for sleep etc.....will probably take a few days. We continue to take our malaria pills and will do so for a full week after our return. We are on the mend from thorny bush punctures and scratches, bruises, and only a few bug bites. We will get back track over Mother's Day weekend, then head north back to work. We will add some more photos of our trip. Hope those of you that have read this blog, might post a comment after we have added more photos on Friday. We enjoyed hearing from some of you as we composed this blog.

Photos of Levi's 6 Trophys: Zebra, Warthog,Waterbuck, Impala, Wildebeest and Nyala.

Monday, May 7th.....Up at 4:30 a.m. so we could meet the tour guide at 6am by our main gate that would take us (with Chris) to Kruger Park. The park I was told is the size of Denmark. We only traversed a small portion, but were blessed to see many unique animals at the right time. We came across lions,watching from 30 feet as they mated!!! We watched hippos for about ten minutes that were mostly submerged laying on a muddy bank, then all of a sudden, one came to his feet........WOW!!!!!! We saw two elephants, one eating grass, and the other stripping leaves off trees with it's trunk. We took photos of many other animals and fowl. We returned to camp by 5 pm. We had our final gathering by the campfire with Chris, our PH and Ernest Dyason the head honcho for Spear Safari. We had Nyala, that Levi had shot, and Cape Buffalo for dinnerYUMMY!!!!!! We spent the last night in the tent cabin with all the flaps up as usual so that we could one last time soak in the beauty of our last African night. We leave tomorrow to start our long journey back to California, arriving on Wednesday the 9th at 12:58pm in Los Angeles... Then on to the Beach House in Sunset for Mothers Day. I am pretty sure we will need a nap!!!!

Sunday, May 6th....Franklin bird did not wake us up at daybreak today.....maybe he takes Sunday's off. We are on the road again. Came across a fast moving black momba snake, (the mamba can raise itself up off the ground by 2/3rds leaning forward to strike chest or face level....usually gives the victim less than 30 minutes to live). We also saw leopard tracks that showed signs that he was dragging a small animal, another imprint on the ground that looked like where a cheetah laid down. Heading back to camp we spotted a Nyala and took it. The kudu still eludes us. We will go back out at 2 pm after the midday snooze for our last hunt. I told the PH I was looking forward to smooth roads. You would not believe the terrain we have been driving through!!! Back out again we came across a Secretary Bird.....funniest looking thing you ever saw.....you will enjoy the photos. We only saw kudu cows, so we will just have to return!!!! Found a large dung beetle attched to the barbed wire fencing "bug on the barbee" for a snack for the bird that put it there.

Saturday, May 5th......HAPPY BIRTHDAY DESIREE!!!!!!
We slept in until 5:45 this morning. After our quick bite,we loaded up and moved out. Almost immediately we came across some monster Kudu. I was able to get some photos then we were told we could go after the Kudu......a little complicated story...we had a very short window of opportunity and the animal doesn't wait around for executive decisions....that one got away. Levi just got his first warthog. We have just arrived back at camp for brunch. We have been so blessed with the weather. We are sitting in a shaded area in comfy camp cairs, blue sky...billowy white clouds and a pleasant breeze. I have seen many things I have not taken photos of, like the giraffe towering over a tree, eating from from the top like a salad bowl. I did photograph a whole lot of fire ants on a mission.....they had raided a termite nest and were taking home the "spoils" ie termites they killed crossing the road in frontof us....again survival of the fittest...we must have flattened a few as we passed by. We also tore into a termite mound.....you would not believe the size of the soldier ants. I also tweeked my back yesterday....made getting into the back of the vehicle more difficult. I also chose a bush for a comfort break yesterday, not realizing I was standing on an ant hill. I found out afterI got back in the car and one bit me on my arm....yes that littl"b" DIED!!!!!! Then we had to get the rest of the ants off of me. We went out again in the afternoon, but just could not come across Mr. Kudu. The excitement began again as we sat around the campfire. All of a sudden we heard the roar of lions, crashing and thrashing and what was either a cape buffalo or a wildebeest being taken down very close by. Then all was quiet. A few minutes later we heard the lions roaring again, calling the pride to feast on their kill. We heard the lions a few more times during the night.

Friday, May 4th...We returned to the reserve where we found the Water Buck.....went back to the scenic lunch stop we enjoyed the day earlier, had our picnic lunch, threw mattresses down on the deck gazed at the clouds moving above and took our siesta. Up and back on the trail, Levi was able to take his BlueWildebeest. When we were almost back to our camp we came across a large herd of Cape Buffalo.....what luck to see such a spectacular sight!!! We had the usual cocktails, dinner and campfire before turning in.

Thursday, May 3rd we left this morning to hunt in another reserve. Levi got a mature zebra. We then had a picnic lunch at a lodge overlooking a huge vista. Spectacular view!!!!!!Late, late, too late, Levi shot a Water Buck. The PH is extremely impressed with Levi's skill with his rifle. We returned to camp and had impala filets....FANTASTIC!!!!!

Wednesday,May 2nd......we got up even earlier this morning to
start the hunt. Levi was two for two (two impala). We returned
to camp to eatmhad a short break then we left to hunt in a
different reserve. The vegetation was even thicker.....if the
animals were there, you could not see them with the exception of
the troups of warthogs that would dash across your line of sight
with their tails straight up!!!! We returned to camp and
immediately heard of a pride of lions not far that we could go
see. We took a well deserved hot shower and then got back in
our vehicle. When we arrived, the PH used his spotlight to
shine on them. The male with his large mane watched us as we
came within fifteen feet of him. I started to stand to take
pictures but was quickly told to sit.....if you sit, they think
you are part of the vehicle and less likely to have you for a
snack. He watched us along with two younger males and a female
(3 year old sibblings). Got lots of great photos but a bit of
adrenaline on the move as you can imagine. We didn't want to
"BE" dinner!!!!! The PH told us the other females were out
getting dinner for the family and that we would hear the lions
call to each other when "dinner" was ready. Returned to
camp....coctails ,dinner, campfire then to sleep listening to the
different sounds of an African night....including two times
hearing the lions...."starter and entree." We heard there
preferred animals are zebra and wildebeest. They will attack
and eat anything including giraffes and cape buffalo.

Tuesday, May 1st... Actually, it is Friday and I am filling inthe data for the blog as Levi, Chris, the PH, and two tracker sare out looking for a Water Buck. I am sitting in the back of our open air safari jeep, using my cell phone....no computer, so this is a bit tedious. Actually surprised our cell phones are working in this area. So, back to Tuesday. We were awakened at 6 a.m. Had coffee and toast. We were out on the hunt by 7 a.m. (the daily itinerary is to be out hunting usually by 6:30am,come back to camp around 11:00am, have brunch, take a nap until 2pm, hunt again until 6pm, return to camp for cocktails around the campfire, then have dinner). I will tell you we have missed our naps the last couple days. Still on Tuesday...we saw so many incredible animals.. giraffes of all sizes, including one that still had it's umbilical cord attached....a Rhino that we thought was standing up at about 50 feet, then he STOOD UP!!!....also sawjackels, lions, Kudu,Njala,Duikers, Hippos, Steenbock, several wart hogs (bottom of foodchain), Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, CapeBuffalo, Ververt Monkeys,and Impala, we also saw several species of birds....yellow billedhornbill, grey loerie, vultures, glossy starlings that are blue and bats. We returned to camp. We did see an outstanding waterbuck, but Levi decided to wait and take the animals we came for first.

April 30th, Monday....We barely made it out of Johannesburg on a prop plane because after all the scrutiny of the documentation for the rifle, there was an extra 5 on the barrel that had been missed up to that point!!!!! Hard to believe, but true. We were met at Palabora Airport by Chris, our (PH) Professional Hunter. Arriving at Camp Thornybush (and believe me they know what a thorny bush looks like)!!!!! We now have the holes to prove it!!!!! We met the owners, Ernest and Marita Dyason...we have visited in Reno with them the last two years. We sat around the campfire for a bit, had dinner then adjourned to our tent cabinto listen to all the different creatures, large and small...furry and feathered.

Sunday, April 29th...........Well, my bright ideas did get me into a bit of a pickle this afternoon. I will, however, start with breakfast, another gourmet affair. From there we took a short walk about the grounds, photographing the Weaver Bird....I have photos of their nests. Very unusual. Upon getting excellent recommendations, it was decided we would go the see the bushman rock art at Kamberg, instead of going to Giant's Castle first that also had rock art. We were told Kamberg was better by another local that was staying here at the Cleopatra with us. So, off we went. Levi made a quick executive decision once we reached the location that he was not going to go on the walk but wait for my return. So, up I went with the guide. Up Up Up Up, some down too, but the altitude and the fact that this chick is definitely out of shape did add up to some minus points. I was also stupid enough to forget taking any water. YES, STUPID!!!!!!!!!!! I finally got to a point about an hour plus into the walk and gave my camera to the guide and showed him how to use it. I told him there were 40 shots......go take them!!!!!!!!! Shortly after, a party came down the mountain and told me I just had to go. As much as I wanted to continue, I had no water, and I am not the "old" goat Levi is. They tried to bribe me with giving me a bottle of water. When they left, I thought, okay self........do you really want to see that art. My guide of course, was way up there somewhere. I started to try and eek it out. I did not fall off the mountain.....When I got to the locked gate that was open, I called his name several times....I got no answer....This did not particularly make me feel secure as I did not like the thought trying to get back down on my own. A few calls later, his head popped up. I mean, heck, my voice echoed off the walls.....he must have been in rapture taking the photos, or something. Well, I did make it.....I have the photo to prove I was there. It was spectacular to see. This is Bushman art from ions. I have lots of photos. My guide was my walking stick coming back down part of the mountain. I will probably be crippled in the morning. We will go back to our room and have a nice fire in the fireplace then come for dinner. We leave for Johannesberg in the morning, then fly to Palabora where we meet our guide for Levi's hunt and my photos of the hunt. Not sure how the internet will work in the bush!!!!!!!!!
Gail
p.s. ask me about Robots!!

Friday 27th & Saturday 28th....Friday night unusual......After a delicious dinner in Durban, we took the testosterone express taxi back to the Quarters Hotel. For some reason, had I had some difficulty going off to sleep. Lots of road noise and voices near our room. I finally took a peek and found what turned out to be a road block in place with police checking drivers licenses and drunk drivers etc. and then, the locals hanging on the corner at 1:30 a.m.....I wanted to tell them to go ohome and get a life, but thought better of that!! Then, after I did manage to crash and burn, Levi woke me in almost a panic. He thought he had thrown an African bug out of our bed a bit earlier as I snoozed, but then something else (in the dark?somehow got his attention). He whipped on the light and woke me and we both jumped out of bed......long story short, it was an ugly site, but it turned out to be chocolate that had been left on my pillow that I never saw since I was blogging and he was snoozing. Won't go beyond that, but I am sure you get the picture. We did tell the staff the next morning not to FREAK OUT like we had!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lesson learned everyone???Take the chocolate off the pillow. Okay, enough about the chocolate.
We had a lovely breakfast after we got the chocolate washed off. Headed down to visit the Point Yacht Club and was given a great tour of the 150 year old insitution. Terry Flynn, the general manager was very gracious. We have pictures of Levi and I receiving their Club burgee. We then left Durban to head for Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse, our three day home for our time in the Drakenburg Mountains. When we arrived, we could not believe the enchanting grounds and accomodations, not to mention the dinner we had that evening. This is the French Laundry of South Africa. We had heard about it recently from a fellow in Greenbrae. OUSTANDING!!!
Well, the next part of this story is the part where I say, "what was I thinking". I saw a brochure about ZIPPING over the South African Canopy........we went zipping today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, my boots were shaking!! We did have a great time, but it did rain on us for the majority of the time which made the lines slick and very touch to brake. A story here...We launched off eight platforms through trees, over rocks, dodging all sorts of obstacles. It was a kick, but I don't think I will do that again!!! Wanted to tell the children and the grandchildren that we are not dead yet........again, what was I thinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We came back to our little farmhouse covered head to toe in mud.....gave the laundry to the staff and showered and had another fantastic dinner. Levi has already headed back to start the fire in our little cottage, so I will sign off and say adieu etc. We have a great day planned for tomorrow, a little tamer. Love to all.

Posts for Tue, 24th; Wed, 25 & Thur 26!! Can't tell you how frustrated I was in not being able to access my blog. It just took ten minutes worth of frustration and I have finally made it into the system.
I will start withTuesday morning, waking up at the Cape Agulhas Country Lodge to a beautiful lightning and thunderstorm over the Indian Ocean that we watched from our comfy bed. The electricity went out so we felt the whole world must have stopped! Afer at least an hour, we thought we had beter get the act together and move along with our plans for the day. We had a scrumptious breakfast in the lodge and then went down the road past the lighthouse to the end of the African continent. This coastline has claimed many ships and mariners over the centuries If you get to close to the coast, you must contend with the shoals, reefs, rocks, currents and wind. Apparently, sailing further out the seas are rougher. We spotted a shipwreck that looked like a Japanese vessel. Only part of the boat was still there. We took several photos and also took walked the rocky shorline, picking up a few shells to take back home.
Our next stop as we traveled toward Knysna, our stop for the day was the beachside town of Arniston. Again, a treasure of a view. Arniston also has sea caves, but because of the late start, we were not able to access them without being swept out into the Indian Ocean....not on the agenda for the day. We then took our map out and planned our route to Mulgas. This was the destination the couple told us about the night before. We took several dirt roads, passing Ostrich farms, incredible looking birds, another roup of baboons, a couple of furry critters (don't know what they were), and we drove over, straddling, an african trutle....we didn't hit it, that's what counts!! We finally reached "the ferry". It was quite an interesting detour to our itinerary. The two men operating the ferry had a system of wraping chain on chain and then walking the boat across the river. They would walk the length of the boat and then start at the end again until the ferry reached the other shore. Our chance meeting with the couple the night before told us there were only a few in existence in the world. The two fellows that pulled our car along with another were quite friendly. Again a great photo op. We also met the other couple on the ferry and they were quite helpful with places to visit.
We did manage to reach our hotel in Knysna before dark, just barely. After checking in, we went out for dinner. I had crocodile (HMMMMMMMMMMMMm good), and Levi had a hamburger!!
We then retired back to our room since he had been behind the wheel 8 hours with our meandering all over the country side.
Wednesday, 25th, Had an elegant breakfast in the Knysna Quay Protea Hotel(you wouldn't believe all the unusual things they can come up with) then we headed for the cruise boat that would take us out to the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the western head of the Knysna harbor. As we were trekking along, a fellow on a gorgeous boat in the marina came out to say hello. It was Craig Middleton, the Commodore of the Royal Capetown Yacht Club that we met previously. Small world. We boarded our cruise boat and ended up spending 4.5 hours enjoying the beauty the reserve had to offer, including a hike down from the top that took over an hour, peeking into huge caves the ocean had developed over time. We came back and took a siesta, getting up for dinner Gail, Ostrich, Levi fish. We then called it a night. I think this was our slow day, it was due.
Thursday, 26th, We got up early so that we could the road by 8 a.m. Again a delicious breakfast and then luggage in the car and we were off. I had lots of places circled to see enroute the Port Elizabeth. We needed to get there for a plane ride to Durban. Well, needless to say, I am always packing in things and being late, right!!!??!! We did make the flight, barely. They were just starting to call standbys when we walked up to the counter!! WHEW!!! However, we were able to stop in Plettenberg Bay, Natures Valley (a gorgeous place...lots of pics), Grootrivier Pass Gourge and Bloukrans Pass Gorge. The Bloukrans Bridge is an arch bridge 216 meters above the Bloukrans River, making it the highest single span arch bridge in the world. We got a photo of it because we (I) had screwed up and had us go the scenic route so we got a distance shot through the tall grass. When we finally reached the N2, which by going north would take us to Port Elizabeth, I (asked) Levi to go south instead so that we could go over the bridge, also hoping to get better photos. To my shagrin, there was no way to get a better photo. Then we found ourselves at the toll gate, not wanting to go any futher south. We told the lady at the toll gate....this cause abit of angst for everyone. She had all the drivers behind us go through the next toll gate over from ours, then she instructed us to "back up" and make a uturn. Now can you imagine doing that at the Bay Bridge or the Golden Gate!!!!!??????!!!! Luckily, it was not as crazy as California, but it was exceptionally peculiar following her direction!!
So, yes we made the flight to Durban, got lost after getting the rental car at the airport (in the dark of course) but finally with our cell phone and directions coming from the other end, we made it here. We took a taxi into the city and had dinner next to the Point Yacht Club (PYC) and Royal Natal Yacht Club. We hope to visit there tomorrow.

Of all things, it's us again!!.......... We slept in until 8 a.m. (unheard of) and picked up the rental car in Capetown to begin our own driving adventure. We made it out of Capetown, not a nick on the car or the hubcaps...remember now, driver is on the right side of the car. We took the leisurely pace along the east side of False Bay, onto Gordon Bay enjoying the coastal scenery. We had lunch in Hermanus. At the right time of year you can see whales swimming by 100 feet off the coast!! Alas, we knew it was not the right time of year but we wanted to go there anyway. Hermanus was a very nice town. We then needed to make some time and get to our final destination for the day which was Cape Agulhas (where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean). We were only slowed on the road a couple of times by the baboons that were crossing with their families in tow. That was exciting. We heard that you lock your doors if you have food because they can open car doors and what a ruckuss they can make.....we took no chances!!! We crossed several miles of farmland, passed several wineries, but we were on a mission and did not stop. We made it to our destination, the Cape Agulhas Country Lodge. We look forward to the feather bed with the windows wide open, sea breeze and sound of the waves close by. The lighthouse from the 1800 is up the road so the light should not be a problem. Believe me for some it must be a problem (like no dinner parties in evening facing the ocean, unless you want to go blind). We met a delightful couple celebrating there 36th wedding anniversary during dinner. They gave us some really wonderful ideas of additions to our itinerary tomorrow...looking forward to the extra outings.
A bit of a side note, when we were in Capetown visiting the Royal Cape Yacht Club, Craig, the Commodore was talking about the Shosholoza competing with the Oracle. We just picked up a newspaper this a.m. with a big photo splashed across the front....The trials for the America's Cup in Spain......Oracle just barely beat the Shosholoza (Shosholoza dominated the race for over 50% of the time) but lost their spinnaker sail in the water and the Oracle took advantage and beat them by 47 seconds. Looks like it was really an exciting race . Levi was very confused driving etc because he was turned around due to the sun...As you all know the sun is in the south. The west is to the left when facing north and east is to the right when facing north. When Levi tried to do this to get his bearings, it did not dawn on him that the sun was to the north being in the southern hemisphere!! (He got it together)!!
Well, feather bed, here we come! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sunday Evening, 4/22/07 9:30 P.M. Well, first off, let me apologize to my youngest daughter, Cynthia, for our pet's bad behavior.....seems like Crystal strategically overcame the obstacle of the kitchen coffee pot on the counter (hope it will still work) and nabbed Cynthia's celebratory (sp?) steak, and Zorro, the canary, is not on his best behavior either!!! She is pet sitting for what I am sure she is hoping is a short time span!!

We started off this a.m. with a lovely breakfast at our hotel, then ventured to Table Mountain taking the cable car to the top. What a ride!! What looks like a flat surface from below, has many facinating rock formations. We enjoyed a walk that could have been longer, but I was suffering from my walk down from the Cape Point Lighthouse from the day before. I pet one of the numerous lizards that inhabit the top of Table Mountain. After our ride down, we headed for Bloubergstrand (sp I am sure)...this was done to get a far away view of the entire Mountain.

We then went to the Royal Cape Yacht Club. We got a real kick out of the members there, as they offered us a paint brush. They were having their spruce the club day. We told them how we just had our opportunity at our club!! We met and took some photos with their Commodore, Craig Middleton. A very nice fellow. We had a very nice lunch, having one of their local fish, Kingklip. Craig talked about the America's Cup. They had a photo of the Oracle on the club wall. They are planning to host in 2007 I believe in Spain....I could have that wrong, but Levi can straighen that out later.

We then caught a taxi to get ourselves on the Red Bus that takes you around the city to hit the highlights. We got off at Victoria Waterfront, found the restaurant we planned to go to for dinner. We had our cocktails overlooking the view of Table Mountain at Sunset, listening to the live band entertainment about a block into the shopping area. We have just returned from dinner, again Kudo and now Springbok (they call venison), ostrich and prawns. A little bubbly too to celebrate picking up the rental car tomorrow a.m. and heading out on the Garden Route.
Don't know if our access with the internet will be as handy. We will do our best.

Sunday Evening, 4/22/07 9:30 P.M. Well, first off, let me apologize to my youngest daughter, Cynthia, for our pet's bad behavior.....seems like Crystal strategically overcame the obstacle of the kitchen coffee pot on the counter (hope it will still work) and nabbed Cynthia's celebratory (sp?) steak, and Zorro, the canary, is not on his best behavior either!!! She is pet sitting for what I am sure she is hoping is a short time span!!

We started off this a.m. with a lovely breakfast at our hotel, then ventured to Table Mountain taking the cable car to the top. What a ride!! What looks like a flat surface from below, has many facinating rock formations. We enjoyed a walk that could have been longer, but I was suffering from my walk down from the Cape Point Lighthouse from the day before. I pet one of the numerous lizards that inhabit the top of Table Mountain. After our ride down, we headed for Bloubergstrand (sp I am sure)...this was done to get a far away view of the entire Mountain.

We then went to the Royal Cape Yacht Club. We got a real kick out of the members there, as they offered us a paint brush. They were having their spruce the club day. We told them how we just had our opportunity at our club!! We met and took some photos with their Commodore, Craig Middleton. A very nice fellow. We had a very nice lunch, having one of their local fish, Kingklip. Craig talked about the America's Cup. They had a photo of the Oracle on the club wall. They are planning to host in 2007 I believe in Spain....I could have that wrong, but Levi can straighen that out later.

We then caught a taxi to get ourselves on the Red Bus that takes you around the city to hit the highlights. We got off at Victoria Waterfront, found the restaurant we planned to go to for dinner. We had our cocktails overlooking the view of Table Mountain at Sunset, listening to the live band entertainment about a block into the shopping area. We have just returned from dinner, again Kudo and now Springbok (they call venison), ostrich and prawns. A little bubbly too to celebrate picking up the rental car tomorrow a.m. and heading out on the Garden Route.
Don't know if our access with the internet will be as handy. We will do our best.

Started our day with a scrumptious breakfast at our hotel, Cape Heritage Hotel. We then met our private guide to take us down the penninsula to Cape Hope and Cape Point, stopping for a short boat ride to Duiker's Island where the seals/sea lions have a large colony, this all being on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Penninsula. After our lunch at Cape Point (looking forward to interacting with the baboons, but we only saw a few enroute), we began our return to Cape Town on the False Bay side of the penninsula. We stopped at Boulder Beach to see the South African Penguins that have basically taken over a beach that used to be a swimming beach for the locals. The penguins had been called "Jackass Penguins"....and they do sound like a jackass braying, they are quite a prolific bunch. Two mating pairs in 1982 have now turned into 3000 penguins!! We saw many young while we were there. Levi was not feeling hot this evening, but we did go to a Thai restaurant close by and then I was able to get him to Mount Nelson Hotel.....a great old establishment where we had coffee, wine and dessert. We plan to go Royal Cape Yacht Club tomorrow as well as Table Mountain. Signing off for the p.m.....p.s. Cynthia, our email on the phone is screwed up....we will try and fix. Congrats Congrats Congrats!!

Here we are in Capetown, South Africa....but let me regress. I could start with "sprechen sie deutsch:, but I will begin at the beginning. We drove to Los Angeles on Monday to board an early flight to Dulles Tuesday a.m. with the intention of getting emergency row seating on our Wednesday late afternoon direct flight to Johannesburg. All went well until the plane out of Dulles to Joberg was cancelled due to maintenance issues (they called Joberg for a conflab)....we then learned a new phrase for our vocabulary thanks to our travel agent that we got on the phone as asap...the new phrase being "day room. " We were able to squeeze ourselves onto a flight at 9:45 p.m. to Frankfurt only due to the travel agent jumping through rings of fire....of course we knew we were going to be obliterated upon the arrival, but he prepped us to show up at the Sheraton Hotel at the airport that was sold out and ask for a day room.....this means they may let you crash and burn for several hours so that you can regroup and they can still prepare the room for the next party coming in. So, we did arrive in Joberg this a.m. and with the help of the staff awaiting our arrival, we maneuvered the hordes in short time. We boarded our original flight to Capetown, where we were met by the hotel staff at the airport. Upon our arrival around noon or so, we had to again sleep....(which I am again anxious to get back to!!!!! ) However, once we were up and running, we ventured to a resturant close by and each of us had Kudu for dinner....but with different preparation. The people have been very friendly and we look forward to our ventures tomorrow to Cape Point, Simontown with the Penguins, Fish Hoek, Table Mountain etc. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ time now

Hi Everyone....it is Sunday afternoon. Levi is packed.....I am getting there. I wanted to take a moment to set up this blog. Hopefully we will be able to access the internet while we are in South Africa and let you know how our adventure is going. We leave by car tomorrow for Los Angeles. We will take a flight Tuesday morning to Dulles, then try to secure seating for our Wednesday flight to South Africa....looking for emergency row or bulk head. Well, it is time for me to head back to the suitcase. Testing Testing Testing to see how this really works. Thanks Alona for your help.