Hot Promos for the Week of 7/31/2011

Here are this weeks hot promotions from Sand & C Travel!

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Europe

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*All rates are per person, cruise only, no air, based upon double occupancy, and subject to availability at time of booking. Offers are subject to immediate withdrawal at any time by the respective cruise line or tour operator. Significant restrictions apply. Rates include non-commissionable cruise fare. Government taxes, fuel surcharges, and fees are additional. When air booking is processed through Sand & C Travel, either through the tour operator, cruise line, or seperately, an agency service fee will apply. Gratuities, which are mandatory with certain cruise lines, are also additional. Optional insurance is strongly recommended for an additional charge. Offers are for new bookings only and are not combinable with any other promotion, including groups, shipboard credits, etc. See respective cruise line or tour operator's brochure for complete terms and conditions, as well as respective ship's registry, if applicable. All offers based upon faxes or e-mails received by Sand & C Travel, Inc. during the period July 22-29, 2011 from the respective cruise line or tour operator. Note that outside and/or balcony cabin pricing may include obstructed view cabins. Offers may apply to limited categories. Sand & C Travel is not responsible for mis-prints or typographical errors. All passengers are required to carry proper proof of citizenship. For cruises or tours with a total cabin commissionable cruise fare of under $500, a Sand & C Travel booking fee will apply in addition to the cruise line or tour operator charges.

Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari

Alan & Cathy have recently returned from a two week safari in Tanzania & Kenya with Tauck Tours. Here is a quick summary of their experience!

As I write this letter, I am flying on a Delta airplane over the Atlantic Ocean from Amsterdam to JFK in New York, returning from my family vacation. For the past 2 weeks, we have been in Eastern Africa with Tauck World Discovery. I ave to tell you that it has been the trip of a lifetime!

I put together a complete daily log of the trip, with each day linked at the bottom of this letter. I am writing this letter to try and give you a very brief overview of our experience. Keep in mind that we did and saw so much during this tour that it is impossible to discuss it all in relatively short letter. We are in the process of going through the thousands of pictures that we took and are posting them on line. The first group are available at this link. We will send out a message when more are vailable on line.

While this was a tour, going on safari to Africa is far different than most others tours that we book, whether with Tauck or any other operator. For one thing, our group consisted of 24 travelers plus a tour director, but we always rode in safari vehicles of only 6 passengers at a time, with a guide/driver. Also, being on safari, you have to go with the flow. There is never a guarantee that you will see what you are hoping for. When you go to a museum on a tour of Europe, the guide knows which piece of art will be where. When on safari, you are at the mercy of the animals. You may end up staying out later than expected, in the hope of making additional sightings. As the guides said, the more open minded you are, the better the chances of seeing great wild life.

As it turned out, our tour director told us that we saw more than almost any group that he knows of that has done this trip. In fact, we saw so many animals and types of birds, I could not begin to name them all! This trip was to Tanzania and Kenya, and here are some of the highlights of the wild life that we saw:
-Literally thousands of wildebeest, warthogs, zebras and gazelle.
-Impalas, Topi and "dick dicks", which are miniature deer.
-Around 20-30 lions, including mothers with cubs not more than 10 feet from our vehicle. We saw one lion stalking a wildebeest, but was too slow make the kill. However, we did see a couple of lions eating carcasses (zebra and wildebeest) after uccessful kills.
-Hundreds of elephants....large, small, old and young. Again, they walked right in front of our truck! We saw elephants fight with each other, play in the river, and ush out their babies when a crocodile appeared.
-Hundreds of giraffe.
-We were within 10 feet of cheetahs and leopards.
-We saw many rhinos, including the very rare white southern rhino (we saw 2 of only 8 in the world!) By the way, they are called white rhinos because of the color of their mouth.
-We saw hundreds of hippos. In fact, the last resort that we stayed at, the Fairmont at Masa Mari, consisted of tents that looked out on a river. We had about 50 hippos right outside our tent.
Have to tell you that they are loud at night!
-We saw hundreds of baboons, chimps and monkeys. The chimps were at two of the properties we stayed at, and are not afraid to go after your food. We had to chase one out of one of our rooms! And one day the four of us were enjoying drinks out by the pool when I chimp ran onto our table and took the pineapple out of my daughter's finished drink, knocking over my wine in the process! In fact, this hotel has 2 full time employees whose job is merely to use a slingshot to shoot at the monkeys who are disturbing the guests by going after their food! One even stole my daughter's sunglasses and ran off with them...we eventually go them back.

In addition to all of the wildlife, we also had the opportunity to interact with the amazing African people. They could not have been more warm to us. What's more, this trip knocked down any pre-conceived notions that I had about their abilities. These are intelligent people who are building successful democracies. The knowledge of our guides was mind boggling. Just finding their way around the bush with no signs or GPS had us mesmerized! And their knowledge of the wildlife was incredible.

We had the opportunity to visit a local village of the Masai people, one of the many tribes in the area. These people live very simply...in small huts as shepherds. No
electricity or running water....the same way they have for years. But they have an amazing knowledge of the area, and many including most children are educated.

For all of the animals and wildlife, the moment my kids enjoyed the most was visiting a school. We went to a pre-school where the children literally welcomed us with open arms. We played and danced with them. They loved our gadgets....fiddling with our watches and cameras. And these kids were incredible....at 3-4 years old they were learning english in addition to Swahili. And I mean writing at this young age! They were also doing arithmetic at a level our kids don't learn until 2-3 years later. If you ask me, within a couple of generations these countries could become strong, modern industrial nations.

Although I could probably go on and on with all we experienced, I am going to conclude this letter. As mentioned above, you can check out my daily log for more details. I will tell you that this is a hectic trip. Just the travel is tough....it was about 25 hours going over and 30 hours coming home. The roads in Africa are mostly dirt, so you are constantly being bounced around in the vehicles. The facilities in many areas are primitive.....most of the many marked our territory at one point or another! (The women usually held it in, for obvious reasons...) But I will tell you, that there is no question it is the best trip that we ever took. In fact, unlike most tours I have been on, I would repeat it tomorrow if I had the opportunity. For our family, it was truly the experience of a lifetime.

If you are in our office, feel free to talk to Cathy or I about it. We would love to share our experiences. Also, I became very friendly with our Tour Director. If you have any particular questions, I could e-mail him for further information.

View our itinerary here: Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari

View Alan's Daily Log:

• Day 1



• Day 2
  


• Day 3
  


• Day 4



• Day 5
  


• Day 6



• Day 7
  


• Day 8



• Day 9



• Day 10
  


• Day 11



• Day 12



• Day 13

FAA Shutdown Impact on Travelers

Due to inaction by the U.S. Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill was not passed. As a result, the FAA began experiencing a partial shutdown at midnight on Friday, July 22, 2011.

However, it's important to note that only non-essential FAA employees are impacted. The FAA has indicated that this will not have any impact on flights or flight safety. Air traffic controllers will remain on the job (TSA employees, who are not part of the FAA, also remain on duty).

The biggest "impact" on consumers is that with no reauthorization, there is no authority to collect taxes on airfares except for airport fees. As of midnight Friday, airlines are no longer collecting taxes on airfares, and most believe that the FAA will not be able to retroactively collect those taxes. (Most airlines are using this as an opportunity to raise airfares without many consumers noticing the difference.)

Both ASTA and the Business Travel Coalition are raising the specter that some consumers may be due a refund if they are traveling during this non-tax period using tickets on which the taxes were already paid. The Air Transport Association estimates that the taxes on a $300 ticket would typically amount to $61.00.

Notes from Africa: Day 13

Day 13
July 22, 2011

Well, we had a great last evening in Kenya! We got into our trucks for our last "fun drive" and they took us to a beautiful spot in the Masa Mara where there was an amazing cocktail party set up with open bar, hot appetizers, a fire and a gorgeous view. After we got our drinks, everyone in the group told what they got out of the trip, what was the most meaningful experience. It was just wonderful.
Abbe bought us all little gifts. He is so thoughtful! We came back to the hotel, showered and had our last dinner in the bust. It was a special night for the family.
This morning we did not leave the hotel until 10am. We went to the airstrip, waited about 45 minutes for our flight, and then flew on to Nairobi. Since the overseas flights depart late at night, Tauck took us to the Nairobi Serena hotel, and had arranged for day rooms for everyone. The hotel is absolutely magnificent, and the lunch was great. Cathy and I spent about an hour and a half talking to Abbe. It was really nice. We are now relaxing in our room. We got all of our luggage back (we just had duffles in Masa Mari), so we will be reorganizing ourselves for the trip home. We will be gathering at 6pm for dinner and then it is on to the airport. We have a long trip home. The flight leaves for Amsterdam about 10:30pm, then we have an eight hour flight, followed by a six hour layover. Then on to JFK for a three hour layover and finally back to Ft. Lauderdale. We expect to be exhausted when we get home. However, we have so many spectacular memories from this trip, we can deal with a little tired!

Notes from Africa: Day 12

Day 12
July 21, 2011

After I wrote yesterday afternoon, we went on a short safari ride and came back for dinner. They had pizza and all four of us ordered it as we missed pizza!
I did not sleep great, and we had our 4:30am "wake-up call" (which was a guy yelling into our tent to get up!). We had coffee and cookies and hit the road at 5:30am. It was a 40 minute drive to the air balloons. The only problem was that when we arrived, it was too windy. We waited a while but it did not die down, so we went for a drive instead. We were disappointed but decided to make the most of it. It turned out great- we came across a family of lions who had all just eaten. Dad was on the side and down about were two moms and about eight cubs. We pulled right up next to them; it was great to watch.
We then went to the breakfast site. The hotel had it all set up with hot foods, drinks, and even an omelet station- very nice!
We then did a long drive into a park. We saw endless wildebeest, some lions, zebras, gazelle, and more. The highlight was a stop at the river where there were all of these dead wildebeest that had been killed migrating across in a stampede. While a very ugly sight, it was amazing to see the vultures and crocs feast on them.
We came back to the hotel for lunch and our break. We are leaving in a little while for a "fun" drive- this should be interesting! Hard to believe it is all coming to an end tomorrow. The trip has been the best ever...

Notes from Africa: Day 11

Day 11
July 20, 2011

This morning we left the hotel at 8:30am for the air strip. We boarded our small plane and arrived at Mausi Maura. This is actually the Kenya side of the Serengeti. After leaving the airport, we did a short game drive. The drivers took us to a spot they saw this morning. We finally saw the one animal we have been waiting for- a male lion! Unlike other game parks, drivers are allowed to off-road here. So we went right up next to him! Right nearby was his girl, a female lioness with a zebra she had killed this morning and the two of them ate about half of. It was incredible!
It was then onto the Fairmont Maura Safari Club. Awesome! This is the tents! Our tent comes complete with running water, electricity, etc! It is incredible. All of the tents sit on top of the river. We look out on about 40-50 hippos, including babies! It is just incredible. Crocs also do go down this river. We don't think we will get too much sleep because of the noise they make, but it is worth it!
We will be leaving shortly for a late afternoon game drive, then it is back here for dinner, bed and getting up early at 4:30am for our balloon ride. We coming down the home stretch, and it is a great way to end the trip!

Notes from Africa: Day 10

Day 10
July 19, 2011

This morning was amazing. We started our day at the Spinners and Weavers, which is a place for women that are divorced, widowed, or in problem situations to learn a trade of spinning and weaving rugs and shawls. Part of that complex is also a school. We had the privilege of visiting the school. We interacted with pre-school kids, who were just amazing! At 3-4 years old, they were learning English (including writing skills) and arithmetic. The kids were full of life- we danced and played with them. We spoke with the teacher and toured their classroom. From there it was on to a mall (the African "Target"), where we got various little items including a new suitcase.
We then had the afternoon free. We went back over to the animal orphanage, which was great. We were able to interact with the animals again, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We also played some bad mitten and walked the dogs at the hotel.
Dinner did not go well. The service was terrible and they had some problem in the kitchen. For a Fairmont, it was not handled well. They did not even tell us what was going on. Abbe said this was pretty typical for Africa.

Notes from Africa: Day 9

Day 9
July 18, 2011


This morning we went out to the Jane Goodall Chimp Sanctuary. It was enjoyable seeing the chimps up close! It was then off on another safari ride. It started off without much action but we ended up seeing a rare gravy zebra, white rhinos, black rhinos, elephants, and more.

We returned to the hotel for lunch and took a rest before horseback riding. This was definitely the highlight of the day! We went with Travis and Tammy from our group, through the woods. We were out for close to an hour and a half and saw water buck and zebras- including a rare albino zebra! Very cool!

We just returned and are getting ready for dinner. Rain is threatening- there was thunder and lightening during our ride,but no actual rain. We'll see if we get any now.

Notes from Africa: Day 8

Day 8
July 17, 2011

My birthday in Africa! It was a terrific birthday. Cathy and the kids gave me cards and gifts before we left. We got up early for our 7:30am departure for the air strip. One last drive through the park, and we arrive about fifteen minutes later. We waited on the air strip for about a half hour for our plane to arrive. Again, we were on a Dash-8 airplane, this time from Air Kenya. The flight to Nairobi was very nice. We then switched to a bush plane- this is much smaller than the Dash-8 as it only holds about twelve passengers. Cathy, Jon, and Sarah sat directly behind the pilot and co-pilot. Our pilot, Alan, explained everything, including putting the seat belt on. Although Cathy and Sarah were nervous, the flight was fine and it was fascinating watching them fly.
Once we landed, it was about a twenty minute drive to the Mt. Kenya Safari Resort. This is a gorgeous property, with an amazing view of Mt. Kenya. It consists of 120 acres, with a swimming pool, tennis court, golf course, bicycling, horse back riding and more. A great facility for our only three night stay during the trip.
After arriving we walked over to the William Holden Animal Orphanage, located on the property. This is an incredible place. It is not just for orphans, but also injured and endangered animals. When you arrive, the first thing you do is pick vegetation from the gardens. This will be for interaction with the animals. We were allowed to pet and feed all kinds of animals including an ostrich, gazelle, different types of monkeys, and tortoises. Other animals that we could not directly interact with include a cheetah, wild cat, mini hippos, and owls. The monkeys are a blast- they will climb right on your for corn. The pictures are amazing!
The rest of our day was free. Since we are here for three nights, we unpacked for the first time- so nice! We took a great nap, and then went for a bike ride. It was a bit rough terrain and up and down quite a bit, so quite a workout. Good for us! We then cleaned up for a nice dinner in the lodge. It was a sit down dinner, which was a nice break for all of the buffets we have been having. After dinner, they brought out a cake and sang happy birthday to me in Swahili! Quite a treat! We then went to the bar for a drink before retiring to our room, where they had the fireplace burning beautifully for us. It is a tough life!

Notes from Africa: Day 7

Day 7
July 15, 2011

This morning we got up early for our drive and visit to the Masai village. Everyone really enjoyed this. We took a nature walk to the village, where they explained the footprints of the different animals. That was followed by a dance, which Jon and Sarah took part in. They then took us into the village and showed us one of their houses. They were very dark, small, with a a few small rooms. One bedroom for the parents, one for the kids, and one central room for cooking. The Masai believe in polygamy, with each woman having her own house. The man plants his spear outside the home of the woman he will spend the night with.
We then got to meet the Medicine Man- pretty scary. He showed us the different pieces of wood that he uses to treat different ailments. If after weeks of this treatment, the patient does not show improvement, they will try to get him or her to a nearby clinic.
Finally, they took us to an area that they set up with their trinkets to sell- all handmade jewelry and carvings. Each family had their own area and we had to negotiate to get a decent price for our trinkets.
We then returned to the hotel for a rest, breakfast and lunch. After breakfast, Cathy and I took a nap outside near the pool, looking out onto the park. It was wonderful.
When we arrived at this property, we were warned by Abby to not leave our door open because of the chimpanzees. While we were fairly diligent, we have a connecting room with the kids. Jon just left the screen door closed to the patio in the back. We were talking among the four of us in our room, when Jon looked at the door to his room and found a chimp just sitting there, staring at us. We chased him out.
Before leaving for our afternoon tour, we decided to get a drink at the tables looking out at the park. It was delightful! We were able to talk with one of the Masai, whose job is nothing but to use a slingshot to keep the chimps away. They have two of these guys on the property around the clock! It is pretty funny. Well, he walked away, and we started talking. Next thing we know, a chimp ran to our table, knocked over my glass of wine, and grabbed a piece of pineapple from Sarah's drink to enjoy in the tree. They are amazing!
We then left for our afternoon drive. We saw some animals, then climbed a hill to a beautiful observation point, including seeing Mt. Kilimanjaro. This whole area is in the shadow of the mountain and it is incredible.
On the ride back to the hotel, we saw more great animal sites. This is the area for elephants and we saw a ton of them again (no pun intended). We saw one with just one tusk and a pair fighting. The males will fight for dominance. We also came across a mother gazelle with her baby that couldn't be more than a few hours old- so precious! Also, plenty of birds and more.
We returned to the hotel for a late evening dinner. It was very nice- they had the buffet set up outside which created a very enjoyable atmosphere.
We are now packing up for our early departure tomorrow to the Mt. Kenya Safari Resort. It is supposed to be magnificent and we are very excited. We will be taking two flights to get there.

Notes from Africa: Day 6

Day 6
July 14, 2011

We left the hotel at 5am for the trip to Kenya. We drove to the Serengeti Airstrip (not an airport, just an air strip). We had to wait for the plane to arrive; it was a Dash-8 from some local airline. It was actually bigger than expected as the whole group fit on board, with overhead compartments and a flight attendant. The flight was only about thirty-five minutes. We went back to the crater, but it was too cloudy to see from the air.
We were met at the airport by two buses that took us from Arusha to the Kenya border. It was not an exciting ride, but a good chance to sleep. Since it was a long trip- two and a half hours-, they did have snack boxes for us. Upon arriving at the border, which is a complete zoo, we all had to go into the immigration building in Tanzania for the exit. We had to do the same after we crossed the border into Kenya for entrance. The Kenya guides met us with their vehicles, and drove us over the border. While at the Kenya immigration stop, we were inundated by Masai trying to sell their trinkets.
We got back on the road for the hour drive to our next hotel. The first impression of Kenya was of a small, very impoverished city with small shanties everywhere. We arrived at the Serena Amoseli, and were reunited with our luggage. We had a couple hours for lunch and to relax.
We then did a great evening drive. As it was very cloudy, we couldn't see Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Notes from Africa: Day 5

Day 5
July 14, 2011

Another fantastic day in the Serengeti! I got up early and worked out in the gym. We then left at 7:30am for our game drive. We saw a multitude of animals again. Today's highlight included a few lions and elephants playing and gathered in long groups. We saw mother elephants nursing their young. At the end of the drive, we came across a small river where the elephants were bathing and playing together which was so much fun to watch. That was until the crocodile came along. We saw the elephants quickly exit the river, pushing the young out as quick as possible.
We then returned to the hotel for the afternoon off. We had lunch and then I played pool with the kids while Cathy relaxed in the room. I said that this was a magnificent hotel, well I am not alone in thinking that. It turns out the President of Tanzania is vacationing here! He arrived yesterday, and his wife came in this morning. We could not have lunch in our normal room, because he took it over! We saw him come into lunch with his small entourage. Cathy and I went back to the room, but the kids actually got to meet him after lunch! Sarah got a picture with him, very cool!

Notes from Africa: Day 4

Day 4
July 13, 2011

What started out not so well, turned out to possibly be our best day yet!
The day started at 4:30am when Sarah turned the lights on in our room and ran to the bathroom. She was really sick and spent the next two hours in and out of there. We were quite concerned, as we knew it was scheduled to be a full day of driving with a very bumpy ride. We left the hotel at 8:00am, with Allen as our driver. I think Allen is probably the best of the local guides we have in Tanzania. He is from the Masai tribe, and told us all about his early life growing up as a Masai. The day started with a two hour drive over rough terrain to the Serengeti. We did pass wildlife along the way. At the beginning of our trip, Allen made a comment that wild dogs are now very rare in the area, and he has only seen them twice in his eleven years of guiding. Sure enough, about a half hour later, we came across a pack of four wild dogs! It was incredible!
We continued our ride, and Sarah was still not feeling well, but hanging in. We had our "African Massage", which is going up and down on the very bumpy ride. The "highway" to and through the Serengeti is actually a dirt road.
We did make one stop along the way at a gorge where fossils of early man were found. It is believed that this was the birthplace of the human beings, with fossils of upright beings from 1.5 million years ago!
We stopped for lunch at the entrance to the Serengeti. We had a true boxed lunch today, from last night's hotel. It was very good! A full piece of chicken, ham sandwich, fruit, yogurt, and more. Then it was into the Serengeti!
For the first half hour or so, we really did not see any major wildlife. But then it all began! We came across tons of zebras again (there are so many!), a rare black rhino, giraffes, elephants, lions, and more. Then we had our second rare sighting of the day: a cheetah! We were able to get about ten feet from it, and amazing pictures. It was unreal!
We continued our ride, and about a half hour later Allen heard over the radio that there was a leopard in a tree. Sure enough we could see it laying on the branch. He said it was a recent mother. After looking for awhile, Cathy saw the baby's leg hanging out of the tree- incredible!
After a few minutes, we made another sighting- another leopard in the grass. This one got really close to us, again maybe ten to fifteen feet! It was extraordinary.
We drove for another hour or so to head to our hotel passing all kinds of terrain and animals. The views were amazing.
We finally arrived at the Kempinski Lodge in the Serengeti. All I can say is oh my goodness! This has to be the most incredible property we have ever stayed at. The whole place sits right in the middle of the game area. There are great views from throughout the hotel, including the infinity pool outside with a watering hold right next to it for the animals!
Then we came to our room. Besides a sitting area looking out at the Serengeti, along with our bed, is an amazing bathroom with views. I took a bath followed by a shower watching the animals. Since we came here this afternoon, we have been visited right out our window by wildebeest, gazelle, and zebras! It is beyond belief.
Tomorrow we are going out for a morning game ride followed by a free afternoon to enjoy this incredible property. Pinch me, because I do not thing it is real!

Notes from Africa: Day 3

Day 3
July 12, 2011

Another spectacular day in Tanzania! Today we spent at the Ngorongoro Crater. Our hotel sits on the top of the rim. This crater, at about 12 miles wide, is the largest unfolded intact crater in the world!
We woke up around 6am and stepped out onto our patio looking over the crater. The very first sound we heard this morning was the roar of a lion!! About thirty minutes later we witnessed a magnificent sunrise over the other side of the crater.
The crater has created an amazing habitat for wildlife, so they have flocked here. We got into our vehicle at about 8am and proceeded down to the crater floor. Shortly after, we came across a cave where a family of warthogs came out for the day. As we watched them, we noticed a whole bunch of mice on the floor. We then began our game drive, and certainly saw game! Within a short period of time, we came across gazelle, wildebeest (I think there were more of these than anything), zebra, hyenas, buffalo, all kinds of birds, and then the moment we were waiting for, four lions. Three of the lions were laying together near a tree, and the forth, that appeared injured, came walking back to the others after a short period. It was amazing! We then continued our ride, and saw herds of wildebeest and zebras on the move. Shortly thereafter we came upon a group of safari vehicles parked on the side of the road. We assumed correctly this meant there was something to see. We were able to watch a lion staking our it's territory and watching for prey. There were hundreds of animals in the area. As soon as a wildebeest wandered off by itself, we watched as the lion tried to sneak up on it. However, the wildebeest was able to escape to the safety of the herd. A warthog soon made the same mistake. The lion was getting ready to pounce, but again was too late as the warthog made a speedy exit. So much for witnessing a kill this time.
After driving around a bit more, we made a pit stop. (These were not the cleanest restrooms in the world, but at this point not a big deal!) Right next to the washrooms was a pond full of hippos. During the day, they tend to spend most of the time submerged so we only saw the top of their heads. But as we came around the corner, we did find some on the side of the lake.
We were now getting hungry and were ready for the box lunches that Abby, our tour director, told us we would be having. Well, we were in for a surprise! As we turned into a small clearing, we found that in the middle of the bush, they had set up an incredible spread for us. The tables were made up with china, barbecue lunch with salads and a bar set up with complimentary soft drinks with wine and beer available for a fee. It was amazing! We could not believe that the animals would not try to come over to partake.
After lunch, it was back on the road for more animal viewing. This afternoon we got to see a couple of rhinos in addition to the other animals. We also came across more lions. Finally, in the distance we saw a huge elephant with giant tusks. Our guide told us that the older male elephants come to the crater to live out the rest of their lives. He said this one was around 65 years old!
During our drive out of the crater, we came across a family of elephants with a baby. The younger elephants just walk through the crater area but do not settle here.
All in all, a truly amazing day. It is now around 4:30pm, we will have some time to relax before a Masai Tribe acrobatics show prior to dinner. Tomorrow we'll be up early to travel on to the Serengeti!

Notes from Africa: Day 2

Day 2
July 11, 2011

We me our group at 7:30am today to begin our adventure. After a one hour orientation from our Tauck Tour Director, Abby, we hit the road. We were split into groups of six with our own guide/driver. Our family was with a very nice couple from El Paso, Texas. Our guide, Omare, was both knowledgeable and a very nice guy. First, he drove us through the city of Arusha. It was very busy with people all over, walking the streets, many women with bundles on their heads. We saw two automobile accidents, which was not surprising considering there were no traffic lights.
Once we left the city, we drove past Masai villages as members tended their flocks of goats and cows. (Masai are one of the tribes of Tanzania.) Finally, we arrived at the outside of the park and saw our first real animals: baboons. It was then into the park by the rim, where we saw a cornucopia of animals inside the park, including blue monkeys, zebra, wildebeests, giraffe, and impala. It was incredible! We captured some amazing photos. We then had lunch at a lodge that overlooked the park. From there, we drove to our hotel for the evening which is built into the Ngorongoro crater! It was incredible! In this area of roughly 120 sq miles live thousands of animals and our room likes directly into it! Incredible! This evening we had a cocktail party, followed by a lovely dinner. We ate with an Australian couple and enjoyed good food and a fun evening. Tomorrow we go down into the crater!

Notes from Africa: Day 1

Day 1
July 10, 2011

We arrived last night after our long trip. We flew from Miami to Detroit to Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro Airport. After we cleared immigration, the Tauck Tour Director was right there to meet us. We had an hour bus ride in the dark to our first property, the Serena Mountain Village in Arusha Tanzania. This property is beautiful. Each unit is like a villa on the top of the mountain looking down on the lake.
This morning, Cathy & I took the nature walk. Advertised as an easy one hour walk through the lodge, this was much more intense. It was about two hours as we circled the five mile lake. We were the only two on the tour, and our guide, Lucas, was extremely knowledgeable. We saw all kinds of birds, giant lizards, monkeys and even a massive ant colony on the move. The walk was more like an intensive hike, going up and down the paths.
After lunch, the four of us and another older couple did a canoe trip. Since the lake was calm, it was an easy row around. We really enjoyed the views, and were able to get much better pictures from the lake than the walk. My one complaint was that it was too short. We would have loved to have more time to get pictures and just take everything in.
We expect that today was one of the most physically demanding days of our trip. It was great walking and rowing, but with the actual tour starting tomorrow, it will probably be more time in the vehicles and short walks and listening to the guides.
By the way, the food and service has been excellent. Also, we noted that a Globus group was also staying at this property.

Holland America's New Smoking Policy

We recently received an update from Holland America regarding the onboard smoking policy. Please read further for the full policy.

In keeping with the majority of our guest preferences, we are changing our smoking policy as of January 15, 2012. For cruises starting on or after this date, all stateroom interiors will be non-smoking. Guests who smoke in their staterooms once this change has taken place will be charged a $250.00 cleaning fee.

Our policies on smoking in public areas are not changing. Consequently, while most public areas are non-smoking, there are areas within each ship in which smoking is still permitted. In addition, smoking is permitted on most outside decks and on stateroom verandahs.

Cigar and pipe smoking is only permitted on the outside decks.

For more information, please visit us at www.hollandamerica.com.

We are eager to welcome you onboard, and look forward to making your voyage an unforgettable cruise experience.