So here we are the day before Christmas Eve, and we still haven’t pulled together a Christmas email. Here’s a quick update on everyone in our family. We are still living in Tanzania, having been here for 16 months now. Tim works for the State Department, and has been posted to the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam working with the political/economic group. He’s in his element living overseas, and makes sure that we cram every last possible experience Tanzania (and surrounding countries) has to offer into our time here.
With Colin in preschool, Chelisa has been able to volunteer more in the kid’s schools. She loves helping out at a local orphanage, and working with the primary children at church.
Britton is now 10, and is in the 5th grade. He loves dinosaurs, dragons, marine biology, reading, learning about outer space, archery, computers, and photography. Britton really enjoyed traveling on a 4 day/ 3 night school field trip to a nearby safari park. His email address is brittontree@yahoo.com. He loves email and will respond if you write to him directly.
Taylor just turned 8 this month. She’s in 2nd grade. Her interests include painting, Ngoma (Tanzanian) dancing, acting, singing, tennis, gymnastics, and writing. She’s so overscheduled, it’s ridiculous, but loves to be busy. Her email address is taylormtree@yahoo.com and she also loves to receive email.
Colin, who is 4, attends preschool. His main interest lies in world domination, though for now he is settling with controlling our family. He also likes puzzles, computers, drawing, and all things super hero.
Please stay in touch with us. We will be moving to Seattle, Washingon next summer as Tim continues his work. We’re all thrilled with the upcoming move back to America (Tim less than the rest of us, but he’s still happy about it.) We don’t have a new address yet, but we’ll get one to you when we do. Until then, our address here is:
2140 Dar es Salaam Place
Dulles, VA 20189
Have a very Merry Christmas, and a wonderful new year!
Love,
Tim, Chelisa, Britton, Taylor and Colin
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Serengeti Trip- August 2007
On 09 August we flew from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, which is a town in northern Tanzania and is considered the tourist capital of Tanzania. It is the jumping off point for all the northern safaris and Mt. Kilimanjaro. We arrived there in the evening, so we went to our hotel and grabbed some food, then went to bed. The next morning we were up early and went to the airport where we caught small plane to the heart of the Serengeti National Park. We were met at the airstrip by our guide and got started right away on our safari. Right away we saw the usual suspects like zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, antelopes, impalas, warthogs, monkeys, giraffes, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, pretty birds, etc. Then we started to see some predators. We saw a bunch of female lions in the Serengeti, but no male lions (we saw those in Ngorongoro Crater). We also saw cheetahs. That night we stayed at a great hotel located in the middle of the Serengeti plains. The next day Taylor and I were feeling sick, so we rested in the morning and then went out on an afternoon/evening game drive. We were heading back to the hotel (this was our last drive in the park) and I really wanted to see a leopard. They are hard to see because they are solitary animals and like to hang out in trees. I had my eyes glued to every tree we drove past when luck smiled on us and I spotted one. Only bad thing was that my pictures turned out blurry since it was getting dark. We spent a total of 2 nights in the park and then left the next morning (12 August) for Ngorongoro Crater, via Olduvai Gorge.
We then headed over to Ngorongoro Crater. Here we were able to get our first glimpses of male lions and the elusive black rhino. We could never get close enough to a rhino for a great picture, but at least we could tell that they were rhinos. So here in the Crater we spent 2 days and 1 night enjoying the animals. The animals were in larger group concentrations that what we had seen in the Serengeti.
Olduvai Gorge is sometimes labeled as the "Cradle of Mankind" and while it sounds really cool, it was remarkably unspectacular. Just a big gorge with picnic tables on the top. There was a small museum there, but all the exhibits were just copies, with the real ones being in other museums, including the skull of a prehistoric ancestor currently residing in the National Museum in Dar (I've been there and there isn't much to look at.) They also found ancient footprints embedded in the dirt, but those have been covered in order to save them for future generations.
We then headed over to Ngorongoro Crater. Here we were able to get our first glimpses of male lions and the elusive black rhino. We could never get close enough to a rhino for a great picture, but at least we could tell that they were rhinos. So here in the Crater we spent 2 days and 1 night enjoying the animals. The animals were in larger group concentrations that what we had seen in the Serengeti.Monday, August 6, 2007
Trip to Egypt- August 2007
I’ve been meaning to write this for awhile, and the longer I wait, the shorter the email is going to be because I just don’t have the energy to go into big explanations of everything we saw. But as I sit up here late at night waiting to see if the tsunami is going to hit us after that earthquake near Indonesia (our house is right across the street from the ocean), I figure I would pass the time by writing about our trip to Egypt. So here goes…
July 31:
We arrive at the Cairo Airport around 2am and we are dead tired. We booked our entire trip through one company, so there are guides for the whole week, and our first guide is waiting for us when we disembark. We get taken to our hotel, the Zosar, which has a view of the Pyramids of Giza. We crash (sleep) for several hours and after a late breakfast we get to go to the pyramids. Very big and very awe inspiring. There are 3 pyramids in Giza, and these are the most famous ones that everyone is familiar with. We get to enter the middle pyramid and go down into the tomb. Pretty cool (actually it was very hot) and very stinky. We ride camels around too then go and see the Sphinx, which is next to the pyramids. Chelisa’s youngest sister Cheryl joins us in Egypt, so we meet up with her while we are there in Giza. After lunch we head over to the Egyptian Museum, which had a lot of cool things. The kids are getting cranky by now (very hot in Egypt and the jet lag). The highlight of the museum is to see all the exhibits from King Tut, including his very famous death mask made of gold. Following the museum, we are taken to a perfume factory (boring) and a papyrus factory (interesting) and then to the Giza train station where we board a sleeper train to head south to Aswan. The train cabins were small, but it was fun to be on the sleeper train.
August 01:
After riding in the train all night (not too bad of a sleep), we arrive in Aswan. Aswan is located pretty far south of Cairo, along the Nile River. It is also the site where they built the Aswan High Dam. So after getting met at the train station by a new guide, we first headed off to the Dam (and I took a few Dam pictures…hahaha, Chevy Chase anyone?). Saw the Dam and then got on a boat and went out to Philae Island to the Temple of Isis. This was a really beautiful temple. It had actually been moved piece by piece from a nearby location because after the Egyptians built the dam, it flooded a number of areas. Unlike the States, we could actually touch things and climb all over the stuff. While still trying to be respectful of the temple, it was pretty darn cool to touch hieroglyphics that were carved several thousand years ago. After the temple we went and saw the Unfinished Obelisk, which was a huge 120 meter granite obelisk that was being carved 2,000+ years ago. Unfortunately, as they were carving it, it developed a huge crack in it and they left it there in the granite quarry, where it still lies today. We then got to go and check in to our cruise ship, the Beau Soleil. We were very pleasantly surprised, as we weren’t expecting much, but the ship turned out to be very nice. We had two huge rooms that overlooked the river, so we were very happy. After lunch we had a ride on a felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing boat. We toured around Kitchner’s Island, which is a big botanical island, as well as Elephantine Island. We also went to the Tomb of the Nobles, where they buried some nobles in cliffside tombs. Very cool to see. We finally got to go back to the ship and use the pool and rest.
August 02:
Very early morning for us as we woke up at 3:30am and departed at 4am for the 3 hour drive down to Abu Simbel. This place is located just 40km from the Sudan border and you have to travel in a police convey for security reasons. We had friends who lived in Egypt and they heavily recommended visiting Abu Simbel, so after researching it, it became a “must see” place for me as well. When we got there, it was literally jaw-dropping when we saw the temple. Ramses II (some people believe he was the pharaoh during the time of Moses) built a huge temple down there as a tribute to himself. The temples were literally carved right into the side of the mountain. This was also a temple that had to be moved due to the creation of the Dam and subsequent flooding of the area. You couldn’t even tell that it had been moved. The four statues outside the temple were enormous and beautiful to look at. He also built a smaller temple next to his for his favorite wife Queen Nefertiti. Both of these temples were great. We then drove all the way back to Aswan to our ship and ate lunch before taking a nap. The ship started sailing while we were sleeping, and then in the afternoon we got to swim in the pool and relax. In the evening we arrived at the Temple of Kom Ombo, which was a temple dedicated to the Crocodile God Sobek. The ship moored and we got a tour of the temple and then the girls bought a lot of traditional Egyptian clothing while I hung out with the boys on board.
August 03:
Sailed during the morning and then arrived in Edfu, where we took a horse-drawn carriage ride to the Temple of Horus, the falcon god. It was very hot, so I was more than happy to get back to the ship and continue sailing down the Nile, all the while swimming in the pool and relaxing. This turned out to be our most relaxing day of the trip, as we sailed for the rest of the day all the way to Luxor.
August 04:
This was our busiest day, as we spent the full day in Luxor. We had an early morning as we left for the Valley of the Kings, where they buried a lot of the ancient pharaohs, including King Tut. We got to go inside the tombs of 4 different pharaohs, including the tomb of King Tut. What we really enjoyed was that you could still see the color on the walls inside the tombs. We then went to see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which was outstanding. We then went to the Temple of Deir al-Medina and then to the Temple of Karnak. By then the kids were “templed out” so we rested on the ship for awhile (and the kids went swimming one last time), then we checked out of the ship and went and visited the Luxor Temple before heading to the train station. We saw a McDonalds (yeah), so ate dinner before boarding the sleeper train for our ride back to Cairo.
August 05:
Arrive back in Cairo in the morning and we are met and then driven to Alexandria, the famous ancient city lying on the coast by the Mediterranean Sea. This is where Cleopatra lived when she married Marc Anthony, so there was a lot of Roman influence. We toured around the city and saw some tombs, ruins, etc. We saw a Roman amphitheater and the famous Alexandria Library. Long drive back to Cairo in the evening where we got McDonalds again and checked into our hotel. (You can tell I’m tired of writing about the trip). The cool thing about Alexandria is that they’ve found the Palace of Cleopatra under the water and they’ve been excavating pieces and bringing them up to the surface. You can take scuba diving tours of the underwater palace, but we didn’t have time (and I’m the only one certified). That would have been neat to see though.
August 06:
Last day in Egypt and we are all pretty tired by now. We don’t even get going until noon in order to give us time to sleep in and the kids can relax a bit and go swimming in the hotel pool. We check out and get in the van and go to the outskirts of Cairo to Memphis (ancient capital of Egypt) and Sakkara, where they have other pyramids besides the well-known ones in Giza (see July 31 above for those). We first go to Zozar’s Step Pyramid, which is the first pyramid ever build in Egypt and the oldest stone monument in the world. According to the guide, Egyptians used to bury their dead and stack rocks on top of the body to form a small tomb, or mastaba (as it was called). Zozar took it a step forward and built a large mastaba by stacking levels on top of each other (hence the Step Pyramid). Subsequent pharaohs improved upon that and built the more traditional pyramids as we now know them. After the Step Pyramid, we went inside a nearby tomb and then took pictures of the Bent Pyramid (builders realized that the angle was too steep, so they had to change it halfway up). We then went to the Red Pyramid and got to go inside this one as well. We visited a museum in Memphis (everyone was “museumed” out, so I was the only one to go in). In the evening we went to the large marketplace (souks) and bought some souvenirs before going to the airport and taking a red eye flight back to Tanzania via Kenya.
July 31:We arrive at the Cairo Airport around 2am and we are dead tired. We booked our entire trip through one company, so there are guides for the whole week, and our first guide is waiting for us when we disembark. We get taken to our hotel, the Zosar, which has a view of the Pyramids of Giza. We crash (sleep) for several hours and after a late breakfast we get to go to the pyramids. Very big and very awe inspiring. There are 3 pyramids in Giza, and these are the most famous ones that everyone is familiar with. We get to enter the middle pyramid and go down into the tomb. Pretty cool (actually it was very hot) and very stinky. We ride camels around too then go and see the Sphinx, which is next to the pyramids. Chelisa’s youngest sister Cheryl joins us in Egypt, so we meet up with her while we are there in Giza. After lunch we head over to the Egyptian Museum, which had a lot of cool things. The kids are getting cranky by now (very hot in Egypt and the jet lag). The highlight of the museum is to see all the exhibits from King Tut, including his very famous death mask made of gold. Following the museum, we are taken to a perfume factory (boring) and a papyrus factory (interesting) and then to the Giza train station where we board a sleeper train to head south to Aswan. The train cabins were small, but it was fun to be on the sleeper train.
August 01:
After riding in the train all night (not too bad of a sleep), we arrive in Aswan. Aswan is located pretty far south of Cairo, along the Nile River. It is also the site where they built the Aswan High Dam. So after getting met at the train station by a new guide, we first headed off to the Dam (and I took a few Dam pictures…hahaha, Chevy Chase anyone?). Saw the Dam and then got on a boat and went out to Philae Island to the Temple of Isis. This was a really beautiful temple. It had actually been moved piece by piece from a nearby location because after the Egyptians built the dam, it flooded a number of areas. Unlike the States, we could actually touch things and climb all over the stuff. While still trying to be respectful of the temple, it was pretty darn cool to touch hieroglyphics that were carved several thousand years ago. After the temple we went and saw the Unfinished Obelisk, which was a huge 120 meter granite obelisk that was being carved 2,000+ years ago. Unfortunately, as they were carving it, it developed a huge crack in it and they left it there in the granite quarry, where it still lies today. We then got to go and check in to our cruise ship, the Beau Soleil. We were very pleasantly surprised, as we weren’t expecting much, but the ship turned out to be very nice. We had two huge rooms that overlooked the river, so we were very happy. After lunch we had a ride on a felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing boat. We toured around Kitchner’s Island, which is a big botanical island, as well as Elephantine Island. We also went to the Tomb of the Nobles, where they buried some nobles in cliffside tombs. Very cool to see. We finally got to go back to the ship and use the pool and rest.
August 02:Very early morning for us as we woke up at 3:30am and departed at 4am for the 3 hour drive down to Abu Simbel. This place is located just 40km from the Sudan border and you have to travel in a police convey for security reasons. We had friends who lived in Egypt and they heavily recommended visiting Abu Simbel, so after researching it, it became a “must see” place for me as well. When we got there, it was literally jaw-dropping when we saw the temple. Ramses II (some people believe he was the pharaoh during the time of Moses) built a huge temple down there as a tribute to himself. The temples were literally carved right into the side of the mountain. This was also a temple that had to be moved due to the creation of the Dam and subsequent flooding of the area. You couldn’t even tell that it had been moved. The four statues outside the temple were enormous and beautiful to look at. He also built a smaller temple next to his for his favorite wife Queen Nefertiti. Both of these temples were great. We then drove all the way back to Aswan to our ship and ate lunch before taking a nap. The ship started sailing while we were sleeping, and then in the afternoon we got to swim in the pool and relax. In the evening we arrived at the Temple of Kom Ombo, which was a temple dedicated to the Crocodile God Sobek. The ship moored and we got a tour of the temple and then the girls bought a lot of traditional Egyptian clothing while I hung out with the boys on board.
August 03:
Sailed during the morning and then arrived in Edfu, where we took a horse-drawn carriage ride to the Temple of Horus, the falcon god. It was very hot, so I was more than happy to get back to the ship and continue sailing down the Nile, all the while swimming in the pool and relaxing. This turned out to be our most relaxing day of the trip, as we sailed for the rest of the day all the way to Luxor.
August 04:
This was our busiest day, as we spent the full day in Luxor. We had an early morning as we left for the Valley of the Kings, where they buried a lot of the ancient pharaohs, including King Tut. We got to go inside the tombs of 4 different pharaohs, including the tomb of King Tut. What we really enjoyed was that you could still see the color on the walls inside the tombs. We then went to see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, which was outstanding. We then went to the Temple of Deir al-Medina and then to the Temple of Karnak. By then the kids were “templed out” so we rested on the ship for awhile (and the kids went swimming one last time), then we checked out of the ship and went and visited the Luxor Temple before heading to the train station. We saw a McDonalds (yeah), so ate dinner before boarding the sleeper train for our ride back to Cairo.
August 05:
Arrive back in Cairo in the morning and we are met and then driven to Alexandria, the famous ancient city lying on the coast by the Mediterranean Sea. This is where Cleopatra lived when she married Marc Anthony, so there was a lot of Roman influence. We toured around the city and saw some tombs, ruins, etc. We saw a Roman amphitheater and the famous Alexandria Library. Long drive back to Cairo in the evening where we got McDonalds again and checked into our hotel. (You can tell I’m tired of writing about the trip). The cool thing about Alexandria is that they’ve found the Palace of Cleopatra under the water and they’ve been excavating pieces and bringing them up to the surface. You can take scuba diving tours of the underwater palace, but we didn’t have time (and I’m the only one certified). That would have been neat to see though.
August 06:Last day in Egypt and we are all pretty tired by now. We don’t even get going until noon in order to give us time to sleep in and the kids can relax a bit and go swimming in the hotel pool. We check out and get in the van and go to the outskirts of Cairo to Memphis (ancient capital of Egypt) and Sakkara, where they have other pyramids besides the well-known ones in Giza (see July 31 above for those). We first go to Zozar’s Step Pyramid, which is the first pyramid ever build in Egypt and the oldest stone monument in the world. According to the guide, Egyptians used to bury their dead and stack rocks on top of the body to form a small tomb, or mastaba (as it was called). Zozar took it a step forward and built a large mastaba by stacking levels on top of each other (hence the Step Pyramid). Subsequent pharaohs improved upon that and built the more traditional pyramids as we now know them. After the Step Pyramid, we went inside a nearby tomb and then took pictures of the Bent Pyramid (builders realized that the angle was too steep, so they had to change it halfway up). We then went to the Red Pyramid and got to go inside this one as well. We visited a museum in Memphis (everyone was “museumed” out, so I was the only one to go in). In the evening we went to the large marketplace (souks) and bought some souvenirs before going to the airport and taking a red eye flight back to Tanzania via Kenya.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
South Africa Vacation- Garden Route/Cape Town
28 March:
Flew from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Johannesburg, South Africa. Arrived late, so we were met at the airport and taken straight to a hotel where we spent the night. Nothing exciting happened except for the fact that we could drink the water, have normal electricity, normal driving, etc. It was nice to be in a first world country.
29 March:
Picked up a rental car at the airport and began our drive. We drove to Lesotho, which is a mountain country completely encircled by South Africa. Had a nice half day’s drive there. Stayed at a mountain lodge high up in the mountains. We all got to go on a horseback ride in the mountains, which was one of the top highlights of our trip. It was absolutely spectacular, with the scenery, the high mountain passes, the Lesotho culture all around us (mostly huts and stuff) and just knowing that we were riding horses as a family in some far off country was pretty cool.
30 March:
Britton and Taylor went on a quick horseback ride in the morning, and then we left Lesotho, as today was our long drive. We drove about 9 hours to get all the way down to the southeastern portion of South Africa. It was beautiful scenery and the kids did really well in the car. Plus we got to eat at KFC, which everyone was excited about. We arrived at Addo Elephant National Park where we spent the night at a nice chalet inside the park. We went on a game drive and saw elephants, zebras, kudu, warthogs, jackals, ostriches, hardebeests, birds, etc. The highlight of our evening game drive was seeing a spotted hyena walk right in front of our car. Ate a kudu steak that night, which was different.
31 March:
I was up by 5:40am because I was so excited. Since we stayed inside the game park, we were allowed to do a sunrise game drive starting at 6am, so we got the kids up and started our game drive. Saw a bunch of the same animals that we saw the previous night, but the highlight this time was seeing a herd of about 50 elephants. Some of them were so close to our car that I could have spit out the window and hit them. Very exciting. We saw baby elephants and even a baby elephant nursing from its mommy, which was cool.
We then left the park and drove down to Port Elizabeth, then stopped at a private lion park, where we got to see lions up close. The highlight of that was that we all got to pet lion cubs. They took a particular liking to Taylor and followed her around for a while. Not sure if they thought Taylor was a toy or a snack, but it was fun nonetheless. We then drove along what is called the “Garden Route” of South Africa, as it has just incredible scenery of the Indian Ocean, forests, mountains, beaches, etc. We made several stops along the way, stopping at some big gorge, then the biggest Yellowwood tree in the world, and then a suspension bridge across the Storms River. We drove up to Outdshoorn, which is known as the ostrich capital of the world and spent the night at an ostrich farm.
01 April:
Took a tour of the ostrich farm in the morning where we all got to feed the ostriches and each kid took home an emptied ostrich egg as a souvenir. We then went to the Cango Caves, considered to be one of the best cave formations in the world. It was pretty amazing with tons of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. Leaving the caves Tim noticed that the car was driving funny, so he pulled over and saw that the back tire was flat. But it wasn’t just flat, it looked like it exploded, with more than 20 gashes all over the tire. The tire ended up being basically welded to the car, so we had to call a tow truck who arrived a long time later and used a crowbar to get the tire off. The good thing about this experience was that Tim had luckily pulled over right in front of an Amusement-type park. Tim had to wait at the car, but Chelisa and the kids got to ride camels, bumper boats, zip lines and feed animals. So that was lucky. But the flat tire put us off schedule and we drove the rest of the way to Cape Town in the dark, arriving after 10pm. We stayed at a condo down in Glencairn, right across the street from False Bay and the ocean. The house was great and the view was lovely. Plus we drove along the Winelands Route from Oudtshoorn to Cape Town, which was also really pretty (until it got dark anyway).
02 April:
Took it easy in the morning, as this was the first day we weren’t obligated to drive a ton in our car. Our good friends the Dolson family from Tanzania flew in and met us in Cape Town, taking the adjoining condo, so it was great having friends there to do things with. That afternoon we drove up into Cape Town and went to Table Mountain, where we rode a gondola up to the top and walked around, with some beautiful views of the city and ocean spread out below us. You could see the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. We then headed back to our condo, stopping at McDonalds for dinner and then doing some grocery shopping in a real supermarket. Everyone was really excited to eat McDonalds and to walk around the supermarket picking out foods that we just can’t get in Tanzania. Plus, the foods that were similar or the same as what is available in Tanzania is just so much cheaper in South Africa. As an example, a box of milk in South Africa is about $1, while the exact same box in Tanzania is $2.25. Grapes in South Africa were $1 for a kilo while in Tanzania they are $15 a kilo.
03 April:
Tim and Britton were up early, as they went off on a great white shark expedition with their friends Dave and Josh Dolson. Britton’s Aunt Cheri had given him a DVD movie “Air Jaws” a few years ago which details how in Cape Town, there is a huge gathering of great white sharks in False Bay at a place called Seal Island where there are tons of seals (go figure). Apparently this Seal Island is one of the best places in the world to see great white sharks. Since Britton just loves sharks and wants to be a marine biologist when he gets bigger, Tim really wanted to take him out to see sharks in real life. And an aquarium just won’t do, as it is much more exciting to see them in the wild. So not only did they go out on a small boat to Seal Island to see great white sharks, they went with the same boat and crew that did “Air Jaws” which Britton got a kick out of. Britton even had the guy sign his DVD of “Air Jaws”. The shark sightings weren’t that plentiful, but they did get to see a big great white shark come up to the boat and attack a fake seal that they had out. The same shark circled around the boat for around an hour, disappearing and then coming back to circle the boat again. While they were out there, they also got to see a pod of about 40 dolphins, a whale, and of course the thousands of seals on Seal Island. When they got back sunburned but happy, everyone went to Boulder Beach, where there is a colony of African penguins living there. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing.
04 April:
Another relaxing day. We headed up to Cape Town and explored the shops and restaurants along the V&A Waterfront. Looked a lot like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. We then caught a ferry and rode out for a tour on Robben Island, which is where Nelson Mandela and a lot of black political figures were imprisoned during the days of apartheid. Our guide was an inmate himself, having spent 20 years there locked up. It was a moving tour, and the kids also seemed to enjoy it (although more so for the bunnies and penguins on the island then for any of the history stuff). We ate yummy pizza for dinner along the waterfront before going home for the night.
05 April:
Last full day in Cape Town. In the morning we all went to Mineral World, where they have tons of semi-precious gems just covering the ground and the kids each got to fill up a bag with the rocks and minerals to take home. We then went with the Dolson family down to the Cape of Good Hope. Unfortunately, once we got there, their daughter jumped off a small wall and tripped, hitting her knee on a rock. It didn’t seem like much, but the rock caused her knee to split open, with a gash about 3 inches long and at least an inch deep. The fat and stuff was spilling out of the wound. So they of course rushed off to the hospital where she got two layers of 14 stitches, and we stayed to enjoy the Cape with their son, Josh. We visited the lighthouse on Cape Point and then the actual Cape of Good Hope. We finished the day by eating McDonalds one last time and then packing our bags.
06 April:
Up super early for our flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then back to Dar es Salaam. It was an incredible vacation and being in a first world country but still being in Africa and being able to do safari and so many other cool things made it a bit difficult to come back to Tanzania.
Flew from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Johannesburg, South Africa. Arrived late, so we were met at the airport and taken straight to a hotel where we spent the night. Nothing exciting happened except for the fact that we could drink the water, have normal electricity, normal driving, etc. It was nice to be in a first world country.
29 March:Picked up a rental car at the airport and began our drive. We drove to Lesotho, which is a mountain country completely encircled by South Africa. Had a nice half day’s drive there. Stayed at a mountain lodge high up in the mountains. We all got to go on a horseback ride in the mountains, which was one of the top highlights of our trip. It was absolutely spectacular, with the scenery, the high mountain passes, the Lesotho culture all around us (mostly huts and stuff) and just knowing that we were riding horses as a family in some far off country was pretty cool.
30 March:
Britton and Taylor went on a quick horseback ride in the morning, and then we left Lesotho, as today was our long drive. We drove about 9 hours to get all the way down to the southeastern portion of South Africa. It was beautiful scenery and the kids did really well in the car. Plus we got to eat at KFC, which everyone was excited about. We arrived at Addo Elephant National Park where we spent the night at a nice chalet inside the park. We went on a game drive and saw elephants, zebras, kudu, warthogs, jackals, ostriches, hardebeests, birds, etc. The highlight of our evening game drive was seeing a spotted hyena walk right in front of our car. Ate a kudu steak that night, which was different.
31 March:
I was up by 5:40am because I was so excited. Since we stayed inside the game park, we were allowed to do a sunrise game drive starting at 6am, so we got the kids up and started our game drive. Saw a bunch of the same animals that we saw the previous night, but the highlight this time was seeing a herd of about 50 elephants. Some of them were so close to our car that I could have spit out the window and hit them. Very exciting. We saw baby elephants and even a baby elephant nursing from its mommy, which was cool.
We then left the park and drove down to Port Elizabeth, then stopped at a private lion park, where we got to see lions up close. The highlight of that was that we all got to pet lion cubs. They took a particular liking to Taylor and followed her around for a while. Not sure if they thought Taylor was a toy or a snack, but it was fun nonetheless. We then drove along what is called the “Garden Route” of South Africa, as it has just incredible scenery of the Indian Ocean, forests, mountains, beaches, etc. We made several stops along the way, stopping at some big gorge, then the biggest Yellowwood tree in the world, and then a suspension bridge across the Storms River. We drove up to Outdshoorn, which is known as the ostrich capital of the world and spent the night at an ostrich farm.
01 April:
Took a tour of the ostrich farm in the morning where we all got to feed the ostriches and each kid took home an emptied ostrich egg as a souvenir. We then went to the Cango Caves, considered to be one of the best cave formations in the world. It was pretty amazing with tons of beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. Leaving the caves Tim noticed that the car was driving funny, so he pulled over and saw that the back tire was flat. But it wasn’t just flat, it looked like it exploded, with more than 20 gashes all over the tire. The tire ended up being basically welded to the car, so we had to call a tow truck who arrived a long time later and used a crowbar to get the tire off. The good thing about this experience was that Tim had luckily pulled over right in front of an Amusement-type park. Tim had to wait at the car, but Chelisa and the kids got to ride camels, bumper boats, zip lines and feed animals. So that was lucky. But the flat tire put us off schedule and we drove the rest of the way to Cape Town in the dark, arriving after 10pm. We stayed at a condo down in Glencairn, right across the street from False Bay and the ocean. The house was great and the view was lovely. Plus we drove along the Winelands Route from Oudtshoorn to Cape Town, which was also really pretty (until it got dark anyway).
02 April:
Took it easy in the morning, as this was the first day we weren’t obligated to drive a ton in our car. Our good friends the Dolson family from Tanzania flew in and met us in Cape Town, taking the adjoining condo, so it was great having friends there to do things with. That afternoon we drove up into Cape Town and went to Table Mountain, where we rode a gondola up to the top and walked around, with some beautiful views of the city and ocean spread out below us. You could see the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. We then headed back to our condo, stopping at McDonalds for dinner and then doing some grocery shopping in a real supermarket. Everyone was really excited to eat McDonalds and to walk around the supermarket picking out foods that we just can’t get in Tanzania. Plus, the foods that were similar or the same as what is available in Tanzania is just so much cheaper in South Africa. As an example, a box of milk in South Africa is about $1, while the exact same box in Tanzania is $2.25. Grapes in South Africa were $1 for a kilo while in Tanzania they are $15 a kilo.
03 April:Tim and Britton were up early, as they went off on a great white shark expedition with their friends Dave and Josh Dolson. Britton’s Aunt Cheri had given him a DVD movie “Air Jaws” a few years ago which details how in Cape Town, there is a huge gathering of great white sharks in False Bay at a place called Seal Island where there are tons of seals (go figure). Apparently this Seal Island is one of the best places in the world to see great white sharks. Since Britton just loves sharks and wants to be a marine biologist when he gets bigger, Tim really wanted to take him out to see sharks in real life. And an aquarium just won’t do, as it is much more exciting to see them in the wild. So not only did they go out on a small boat to Seal Island to see great white sharks, they went with the same boat and crew that did “Air Jaws” which Britton got a kick out of. Britton even had the guy sign his DVD of “Air Jaws”. The shark sightings weren’t that plentiful, but they did get to see a big great white shark come up to the boat and attack a fake seal that they had out. The same shark circled around the boat for around an hour, disappearing and then coming back to circle the boat again. While they were out there, they also got to see a pod of about 40 dolphins, a whale, and of course the thousands of seals on Seal Island. When they got back sunburned but happy, everyone went to Boulder Beach, where there is a colony of African penguins living there. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing.
04 April:
Another relaxing day. We headed up to Cape Town and explored the shops and restaurants along the V&A Waterfront. Looked a lot like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. We then caught a ferry and rode out for a tour on Robben Island, which is where Nelson Mandela and a lot of black political figures were imprisoned during the days of apartheid. Our guide was an inmate himself, having spent 20 years there locked up. It was a moving tour, and the kids also seemed to enjoy it (although more so for the bunnies and penguins on the island then for any of the history stuff). We ate yummy pizza for dinner along the waterfront before going home for the night.
05 April:Last full day in Cape Town. In the morning we all went to Mineral World, where they have tons of semi-precious gems just covering the ground and the kids each got to fill up a bag with the rocks and minerals to take home. We then went with the Dolson family down to the Cape of Good Hope. Unfortunately, once we got there, their daughter jumped off a small wall and tripped, hitting her knee on a rock. It didn’t seem like much, but the rock caused her knee to split open, with a gash about 3 inches long and at least an inch deep. The fat and stuff was spilling out of the wound. So they of course rushed off to the hospital where she got two layers of 14 stitches, and we stayed to enjoy the Cape with their son, Josh. We visited the lighthouse on Cape Point and then the actual Cape of Good Hope. We finished the day by eating McDonalds one last time and then packing our bags.
06 April:
Up super early for our flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then back to Dar es Salaam. It was an incredible vacation and being in a first world country but still being in Africa and being able to do safari and so many other cool things made it a bit difficult to come back to Tanzania.
Tim's Trip to Victoria Falls- June 2007
June 21:
Left Dar in the afternoon and flew to Lusaka. Because of the flight schedules, I had to overnight in Lusaka. So I went to a safari lodge outside of the city, located on its own private game reserve. Nobody told me that Zambia was actually cold, as it is winter time over here. However, since Zambia borders Tanzania, I figured it would be just as hot there as it is here, so I only brought short-sleeve shirts with me. I forgot to take elevation into consideration. So it was quite chilly and I spent most of the night in the fetal position.
June 22:
Did an early morning game drive and saw a number of antelope species like waterbuck, tsessebe, impala, duiker, etc. They also had one tame elephant that I got to ride, as well as some lions in an enclosure. I then flew down to Livingstone, Zambia which is the site of the Victoria Falls. My hotel was literally a 5 minute walk from my room to the edge of the Falls, so that was cool. I went and looked at the Falls and was just amazed at how awe-inspiring it was. When Dr. Livingstone first saw the Falls in 1855, he said something like “even angels in their flight must have paused to gaze at something as beautiful as this.” Hooked up with a friend there and he wanted to go on a helicopter ride, so that is exactly what we did. Yep, first time to ever fly in a helicopter and we did it above the Falls. It made for some great views. Also, the hotel is located inside a National Park, so there were tons of monkeys and zebras just roaming around the hotel grounds.
June 23:
In the morning my friend and I went riding ATVs for an hour. That was a lot of fun. That afternoon we went on a river safari on the Zambezi River and saw elephants, hippos and crocodiles. We got to eat lunch on an island in the middle of the Falls, which was pretty cool. On the boat ride we got so close to a crocodile sunning on the bank that he hissed at us, and then our boat bumped him and he slid into the water and left. I was like…um, that’s close enough.
June 24:
Today we went out to Livingstone Island, which is an island at the very edge of the Falls and the island where Dr. Livingstone landed his boat. We parked the boat on the far side of the small island and then followed a path to the Falls. They had us take off our socks and shoes and roll up our pants and put on ponchos because of all the spray, and then they took us out to the very edge of the Falls. Being Africa and all, there were no guardrails, no safety railings, no paved areas to step on. We just walked out on slippery rocks and peered over the edge. I almost crapped my pants. We then backed up a bit and ate breakfast there near the edge. Good view that’s for sure. We then went and did a Flying Fox, which is where they put you in a harness and attach it to a cable that spans a canyon and you can slide from one side to the other. Afterwards we took a tour to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls, as the Falls is the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
June 25:
Took a tour of the town of Livingstone in the morning and then flew back to Lusaka, being very excited that I got to see one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. I had to overnight again in Lusaka, so I stayed again at a safari lodge (a different one this time) and did another game drive and saw a bunch more animals. It was fun but cold again.
Left Dar in the afternoon and flew to Lusaka. Because of the flight schedules, I had to overnight in Lusaka. So I went to a safari lodge outside of the city, located on its own private game reserve. Nobody told me that Zambia was actually cold, as it is winter time over here. However, since Zambia borders Tanzania, I figured it would be just as hot there as it is here, so I only brought short-sleeve shirts with me. I forgot to take elevation into consideration. So it was quite chilly and I spent most of the night in the fetal position.
June 22:Did an early morning game drive and saw a number of antelope species like waterbuck, tsessebe, impala, duiker, etc. They also had one tame elephant that I got to ride, as well as some lions in an enclosure. I then flew down to Livingstone, Zambia which is the site of the Victoria Falls. My hotel was literally a 5 minute walk from my room to the edge of the Falls, so that was cool. I went and looked at the Falls and was just amazed at how awe-inspiring it was. When Dr. Livingstone first saw the Falls in 1855, he said something like “even angels in their flight must have paused to gaze at something as beautiful as this.” Hooked up with a friend there and he wanted to go on a helicopter ride, so that is exactly what we did. Yep, first time to ever fly in a helicopter and we did it above the Falls. It made for some great views. Also, the hotel is located inside a National Park, so there were tons of monkeys and zebras just roaming around the hotel grounds.
June 23:
In the morning my friend and I went riding ATVs for an hour. That was a lot of fun. That afternoon we went on a river safari on the Zambezi River and saw elephants, hippos and crocodiles. We got to eat lunch on an island in the middle of the Falls, which was pretty cool. On the boat ride we got so close to a crocodile sunning on the bank that he hissed at us, and then our boat bumped him and he slid into the water and left. I was like…um, that’s close enough.
June 24:Today we went out to Livingstone Island, which is an island at the very edge of the Falls and the island where Dr. Livingstone landed his boat. We parked the boat on the far side of the small island and then followed a path to the Falls. They had us take off our socks and shoes and roll up our pants and put on ponchos because of all the spray, and then they took us out to the very edge of the Falls. Being Africa and all, there were no guardrails, no safety railings, no paved areas to step on. We just walked out on slippery rocks and peered over the edge. I almost crapped my pants. We then backed up a bit and ate breakfast there near the edge. Good view that’s for sure. We then went and did a Flying Fox, which is where they put you in a harness and attach it to a cable that spans a canyon and you can slide from one side to the other. Afterwards we took a tour to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls, as the Falls is the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
June 25:
Took a tour of the town of Livingstone in the morning and then flew back to Lusaka, being very excited that I got to see one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. I had to overnight again in Lusaka, so I stayed again at a safari lodge (a different one this time) and did another game drive and saw a bunch more animals. It was fun but cold again.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Cute School Journal Entry by Britton
Reading the last entry of Britton’s journal for school, made me smile so I thought I’d pass it along.
He was asked to reflect upon grade four.
“My biggest accomplishment would most lively be division. I didn’t know anything at the beginning of the year, and now with some review, I could do both short and long division. So far division has been no use to me, but I bet it will sometime.
“I think I have been a good thinker. I always think of what would happen if I make that decision. I use this to my advantage, but I never ever lie.
I also think that I’m principled. I always try to make friends and stand up for people. However, I do not do this to people who are mean to me.”
He was asked to reflect upon grade four.
“My biggest accomplishment would most lively be division. I didn’t know anything at the beginning of the year, and now with some review, I could do both short and long division. So far division has been no use to me, but I bet it will sometime.
“I think I have been a good thinker. I always think of what would happen if I make that decision. I use this to my advantage, but I never ever lie.
I also think that I’m principled. I always try to make friends and stand up for people. However, I do not do this to people who are mean to me.”
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