Botswana

“Thief, stop that thief!”  I was sitting in the garden of the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe, when I heard the woman’s voice. Turning around I just caught a glimpse of the thief. It was a monkey. The couple was having a leisurely lunch on the open terrace, when the culprit came and stole their food.  Fortunately everybody present could see the funny side  and the place erupted with laughter. I guarded my meal very closely after that.
The Hotel was very comfortable and provided accommodation for all kinds of living things.

It is also very close to the Falls and the spray could be seen from the terrace.
Because it had been raining for weeks, the Falls were gushing.

It was a beautiful sunny day when we went for a visit. All of us were issued a raincoat, but we still got soaked. There was so much spray that it obstructed  the view in certain places.

Elephants!  Have you ever been so close to one of those magnificent animals, that,  if you stretched out your hand you could touch him? I mean in the wild?

If you want to do that, you have to go to Botswana. This country has the highest number of elephants in Africa, they are a protected species here.
The Chobe Game Lodge is situated in the north of the Chobe National Park and I stayed there for 5 days.
In that time, I saw elephants, lions, hippos, giraffes, zebras, crocodiles, Impalas, buffalos,  antilopes  and lots and lots of monkeys.
Every morning before breakfast we would go and see the large herds of elephants by the river. After breakfast we would go on safari again, this time watching out for all the other animals listed above.

After lunch we set off on the Zambesi River and I saw two elephants swimming across to Zambia. The guide told us that we were very lucky to witness this as most elephants are quite happy to stay in Botswana.
We also observed some hippos from a distance. These animals might look very slow, but are the most dangerous of the ‘Big Five’. They have killed more people than all the others combined.
One animal that I just loved was the Impala. This graceful antilope must be one of the prettiest animals on the planet. We watched them leap and I could not stop admiring them.

If you love wildlife, Botswana is for you.

This will be my last post for approximately 3 months. I am off gathering new material.

USA, Charleston

Scarlett and Rhett spent a some of their time in Charleston and that is where we headed next.
On the way we stopped in Beaufort, the town best selling author Pat Conroy calls home. The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides are two of his well known works. Both of them have  been made into movies.
We took a leisurely stroll through the historic district

and enjoyed our walk along Bay Street, a cool breeze blowing along the shore.
Unfortunately, Pat Conroy was nowhere to be seen.
When we hired our car in Atlanta, we were wise to also include a GPS unit in our rental. We named her ‘Lola’ and she was a great help for most of the time.
Without  her we would have never found our way to the B & B in Charleston.
This vibrant city has changed a bit since the ‘Gone with the Wind’ days.
What has remained from those glorious days are the gracious mansions at Battery Park.

Could I imagine living in one of them? Well, here was my chance! It was a bargain - priced down from 3.5 Million to 2.0

A visit to Charleston has to include a trip to a real plantation. Our choice was “Magnolia”.  This magnificent estate has remained the property of the same family since it was built in 1676

A little train took us on a tour around the homestead and I could picture Scarlett and Melanie  in their long dresses,  sun umbrellas over their shoulders,  going for a stroll in the garden  enjoying  the fresh air.

The stark contrast to the main building were the slave quarters.
I could not envision  living in one of those.

Trying to return our rental car in Atlanta we experienced a bit of drama.
‘Lola’ did not want to go back to base. We programmed her ‘go home’ and  ended up in a really plush hotel right in the centre of town. We could understand that she liked to live here, but we needed to return the vehicle.
We figured if we put ‘return car’ into her system all would be well.
But ‘Lola’ was stubborn. She guided us to the “Dairy Queen”,  a fast food outlet on the outskirts of the airport and insisted this was where she lived. Three times she took us around the block until we finally gave in, entered the shop and asked for directions.
The puzzle was solved very quickly. Yes indeed ‘Lola’ did reside here until about 2 years ago when the company packed up and moved closer to the airport.
Oh the joys of travel!
Thank you my friend for suggesting a visit to this beautiful part of the US.

USA, Savannah

“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” An immortal quote from a legendary movie based on the classic “Gone with the Wind”  by Margaret Mitchell.
Oh how I adored Clark Gable, playing Rhett Butler in my favourite film.
I could imagine being Scarlett, having all the Beaus around me, begging for a date. What a life!
When my friend suggested to go for a visit to Scarlett and Rhett territory - Savannah, Charleston and surrounding area, I couldn’t  pack my bags fast enough.
Savannah is one of the prettiest places I have ever visited.

It is steeped in tradition and has its share of famous sons, real as well as much loved through movie history.
I sat on the park bench where  Forrest Gump uttered the words:  “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get” . We had a meal in Clary’s Cafe, made famous by the book and movie “Midnight in the garden of good and evil”.

This film is based on the true story of James Arthur (Jim) Williams who was alleged to have committed murder and got away with it. He is the only man in the State of Georgia who was tried 4 times for the same crime until he was finally acquitted in May 1989
Williams played an active role in the preservation of the historic district of Savannah,  restoring more than fifty homes.

Who remembers ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’?  Or how about the famous Sinatra hit, ‘One  For My Baby?’ Those and so many others were written by local son Johnny Mercer. 

Born in Savannah in 1909 this musical genius received 19 Academy Awards nomination – he won 4.
And then there is the food!  The place that comes to mind is Mrs Wilkes Dining Establishment. Want some real Southern Food? This is the place. We waited for over one hour in a queue about 50m long. We were very thankful for the shade provided for us by the lovely old trees in the street.

Mrs Wilkes is only open 3 hours for lunch.  It is listed in the book “a thousand places to see before you die” and it is popular! The food is out of this world and to finish it all off, we were required to take our plate, glass and silverware to the  kitchen for cleaning.
An equally fun place for a terrific meal is the Pirate’s Cove. This is a treat for all the family.
Returning to our B & B we became lost. Because of the way old Savannah is laid out, one square looks just like the one a little further on. So we asked for directions. The very nice and patient  police woman told us to keep left and of course we kept right. So 10 minutes later we ended up with her again. Lots of laughter -  she told us ‘where to go’ and we found our way home in no time.
What I loved best in Savannah was the Spanish moss growing on all the trees. It does look so soft, which it isn’t, but ‘doing’ the horse drawn carriage tour, it was a delight to see it so close up.

And what a blessing the fountains are! Every Square has one and it is such a nice break when you’re walking to just sit in the shade by the cool fountain and watch life pass you by.

Our next stop is Charleston, Rhett I am coming!