Great topic!
- Meeting our fellow ROARers!
- Driving half of the Garden Route for 2 days
- Meeting group at Cape Grace Hotel. So exciting!
- Day one on the Train: 24 hr. Chardonnay experience...so many laughs.
- Day one night - Waking up in the middle of the night to see the clusters of brilliant stars as the train sped over the South African veld.
- Night two on the train - Suzanne, Suzie, & Marilyn arriving at dinner wearing glasses, mustaches, & nose masks in their formal wear.
- The "Big Hole" at Wimberley antics...
- Arrival at Singita - big WOW. Rangers picked us up in their landrovers, to be called "Landies" hereafter.
- 1st night drive: "Flipping Landrover" experience....Ranger Kevin almost flipped it over while driving in very thick bush. We all had to vacate the vehicle & stand in the DARK in the bush with all sorts of creatures nearby...hearts pounding. Mary Ellen, Linda & I held on to each other to keep from freaking out....
- Trying to respond to Ngaire when she asked me about how I felt about the "African" experience at Singita...major meltdown of emotion.
- 3rd night drive: "Angry Bull Elephant" - While having sundowners out of the landy in the bush, Ranger Kevin suddenly instructed us to "get back into the landy carefully"....he heard an approaching elephant & it was a big bull elephant in musk (hope that term is spelled correctly.)
- "Angry Bull Elephant" experience, continued: All of us leaped into the landy without spilling a drop of wine while holding onto our glasses & being frightened to death. Ron Littiken wins the prize for not spilling wine while he also was holding his camera & big lense. He took 1 giant leap to the top of the vehicle. Well done, Ron! Needless to say, we were FREAKED out. Ranger Kevin successfully spoke to the elephant in his commanding voice & got the elephant to back off only after the animal had gotten within 2 feet of us! The audio of our voices during the frightful time was taping on Linda's video camera...can't wait to hear that!! Later at dinner, Ranger Kevin told Don that he was 1 second from firing a warning shot.
- Last night drive: Ranger Kevin shined the spotlight into the night sky to teach us how to find the Southern Cross. He also pointed out other interesting constellations...I left my heart beating there...very special moment.
- Sharing a landy, tracker, ranger & all the above game drive experiences with GREAT folks: Linda, Ron, Mary Ellen & Jim.
- Going to the African village near Singita. Watching the village's young children perform their songs & little dances for us. Meeting other villagers, i.e., the singers, JBB's, Miner's Dance, village women prepare their food for us. Such grace & beauty these people have.
- Receiving a neatly typed recipe for the main course I had for dinner 1 night at Singita within 15 minutes of saying to Anne, "I wish I had the recipe for this." The Chef gave me a neatly typed recipe for it, addressed to me. Talk about great service!!
- Rose petals leading ot the bubble bath & champagne chilled waiting for us in our cabins when we arrived from our last game drive...we all have put this on our lists....truly "magic"!!
- Taking off in the airplane leaving Singita watching the rangers waving "goodbye" with their hats. Big emotional moment. So hard to leave "heaven".
- Watching Marilyn & Suzie frolicking with the grey/blue monkeys next door to us at the Royal Livingstone...I was trying to take pictures & one almost got into our room. Marilyn had just warned me!
- The "Four Corners" longest day trip! Otherwise known as, "The Amazing Race" through 4 countries in one day, plus 10 passport stamps! Great people & many laughs were had by all.
- Flying in the 6 seater over Victoria Falls to Botswana, with Ngaire saying, "Now darlin, you've got nothing to worry about!!" She was right...No nerves, just absolute beauty.
- Wearing the "mosquito net hat" that Ngaire gave me in Botswana. I felt like Katheryn Hepburn.
- Hippo near tent in Botswana snorting & honking in the dark...Wild thunderstorm beating the tent to add more drama.
- Flying low over Botswana from Linyanti to Maun in 6 seater plane over Okavango Delta with lookalike, Glenn Close, as pilot. Truly an "Out of Africa" experience.
- Having to say, "goodbye" to fellow brothers & sisters (ROARers)...."'till we meet again!"
Thanks, Michele & Don
Editing to add: P.S. Thanks to Suzie for those terrific ROAR necklaces...I'm still wearing mine.
