Saturday, October 8, 2016

Returning Home - 31 July 2016



31 July 2016

Today is the day I head home.  At 11:30 I was driven to Kasane Airport, which is really small. When I checked in, the agent asked where I wanted my luggage ticketed to.  I asked if she could send it thru to New York.  I was surprised when she said yes.  I landed in JoBerg and a wheel chair was waiting for me.  I was taken to the central location where wheel chairs are taken.  Despite being right near the “out of Africa” store, I didn’t do any shopping.

My layover was about 3 hours. About an hour before boarding, they came and took me to the proper gate.  The flight to Paris was not bad.  The kosher meal came via the Bet Din of Johannesberg.  In Paris, they took me to the gate where my plane was supposed to leave in about 11 hours.  I sat and waited.  When I got hungry, I couldn’t buy anything because I didn’t have any Euros, but fortunately I had my granola bars.  I became quite upset when I realized that the gate I was left at was NOT where my plane was leaving from.  I found an Air France employee at a nearby gate and asked about getting moved to the correct gate.  Initially I was told that they couldn’t get a wheel chair for me, but I insisted that a chair had brought me to that location; consequently they had to get me a chair.  The young man spoke to someone and said that a chair would come for me at that location.  As the time approached, I saw two men with chairs.  When asked, they said they had not come for me.  I saw a man in appropriate uniform and asked him.  All of a sudden, one of the two men asked if my name was Finkelstein and yes he was supposed to take me to my plane.  He did and got me aboard my flight to New York.  A wheel chair was waiting for me upon landing me in New York.  He got me from the plane into a taxi in 20 minutes!

Last Day in Botswana - 30 July 2016




30 July 2016

I responded to my 5 am wake-up call and joined the safari ride.  The big excitement of the drive was seeing lion’s with their kill.  Unfortunately again it was quite cold and I didn’t bring any warm clothes.  The blanket provided did help. 

 Early morning ride

Bird

 Baby Elephant


Elephant affirming the road is his

White Back Vulture

Bird

Hooded Vulture

Giraffe Eating

 Giraffe

Elephants




Lioness after a kill

Male Lion resting after eating

Lion

Lioness

Lioness sleeping after the hunt

Lioness looking up

Lion

I got back and joined Eric for breakfast and then came back to my room for my morning nap and did some updating.  I will have to decide what I want to do this afternoon.  Of course, in part it depends on what is available.

My room at lodge
View from my sitting room

I wound up sleeping for a while and then after lunch I went on the afternoon ride.  There was only one woman on the ride with me.  I wound up having dinner with her and two sisters from England.  I really enjoyed the meal.

 Afternoon run - Lioness still eating buffalo

Lioness still eating

Lioness with earlier kill

Lioness with earlier kill

Impala aware of a Lioness hunting

Impala taking off away from Lioness

Lioness on the hunt

Lioness on the hunt

Lioness walking away

Lioness heading away

 Elephant Posing

Giraffe

Chobe River view

Sable Antelope - Note Horns curve back

Antelopes taking off

Lioness resting

Lioness on the move

Zebras

 Impalas

Female Kudu

Female Kudu with birds eating parasites