From: Gene Hall
Date: 4/3/2013 10:26:53 AM
Rollin
Jackson is a retired pilot, and he is the editor of the Delta Golden Wings
Quarterly. He asked me to write an article on African safari’s for the 1st
quarter 2013 issue. The article is short, and it is below. I had
never seen a copy of the Quarterly (newsletter), and I was somewhat surprised
to find it well done and interesting. The Golden Wings website: http://www.deltagoldenwings.com/ will take you to the last six issues by clicking on
DGW-Newsletters on the homepage, and then clicking on DGW-Newsletters (6
issues). The website has several photos of the latest safari. There
are two other articles – better than mine - by retired pilots.
+++++
It has been almost 54 years
since I landed that dream job of flying airplanes for the best airline in the
world. I had a bad case of the wanderlust then, and it has never gone
away. One visit to most places in the world has been enough, but there
are a handful of spots that I long to visit over and over. Paris,
Ireland, and Italy quickly come to mind, and then there is Africa.
A safari had been at the top
of my bucket list for a long time. The year was 2000, and it had been
five years since I parked that last Munich–Atlanta Widget on concourse E.
Pilot pensions were still intact. I had finished the development of the
Winston, our condo building in North Atlanta, and some other investments were
doing well. Both daughters were happily married, and our first
granddaughter was six months old. Life was good, and I couldn’t envision
ever running short of money. It seemed like the perfect time for a deluxe
Abercrombie & Kent African safari. We chose South Africa, Botswana,
and Zimbabwe because South African Airways had a nonstop from Atlanta to Cape
Town. The parents of our younger son-in-law went with us.
It was business class to
Cape Town, a couple of nights in the Mount Nelson Hotel, a one-day tour of the
wine country, and then the overnight Blue Train to Johannesburg. I bribed the
conductor to get a suite, only to find the difference between the suite and a
regular room was about a foot of width. The train was opulent and the food was
terrific, but it stopped a lot. Other than waking up every time we
stopped, I was comfortable. But my wife, complaining of the six foot-five inch
man hogging the bed, was not. Cape Town is on my list of the top-10
most beautiful cities in the world, and Johannesburg reminded me of
Atlanta. The train trip had afforded little opportunity for sightseeing,
and it was not until we got off the DC-3 flight from Jo’burg to Maun, Botswana,
that I felt like I was in Africa.
In Maun, we changed to a
single-engine plane for the flight to our first of three camps. They call
the accommodations tents, and that might be technically accurate, but they have
hardwood floors, air conditioning, king size beds (now my wife had enough
room!), and baths that rival those in a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton hotel. And
they are only a few yards from the pool. There were two game drives every
day, first in dugout canoes called mokoros while we were in the Delta
and later in open Land Rovers when we moved to the woodlands. Because of
poaching, Botswana is no longer home to the rhino, but we saw the other four
members of the big five: elephants, lions, cape buffalos, and one leopard.
Other than the leopard, they were all in great abundance
The most surprising thing
was finding that we could drive very close to animals, and they didn’t seem
interested in us at all. The cape buffalo would stand and stare, but not
seem threatened or threatening. Seeing the lions up close was the most
fun for me. I will admit that I was a little nervous the first time we
parked the Land Rover within 40 feet of a resting pride with at least a half
dozen cubs. The guide explained that they had no interest in us as long
as we stayed in the vehicle— that is, unless one of the very playful cubs
jumped in the vehicle with us. If that should happen, momma would be in
after baby. My only anxious moment of the whole trip was when one cub
came over and put his front paws up on the top of one of the rear wheels to
investigate us.
The hippopotamus is the most
dangerous to people. More people lose their lives to the hippo than to
any other African animal. Hippos are not interested in hunting people,
but when you’re traveling in mokoros, there is always a slight
possibility that one might decide to surface as you happen to be passing
overhead. They don’t like surprises, but the guides know where they hang
out and give them a wide berth.
We had the good luck of
parking next to a solitary dominant male lion as he observed the rest of his
pride hunting a herd of antelopes. There was a small stream in front of
him, and a couple of lions were making themselves known to the herd.
Their purpose was to move the herd toward the rest of the pride that was
waiting in ambush. It was fascinating to see how organized they were, and
even more fascinating to see how unsuccessful they were. The herd caught
on in time to make a clean getaway. The guide explained that the mighty
hunters were only successful a small percentage of the time. We could
learn something from the lions. The lioness does all the work, including
most of the hunting. Enough about that. We flew in the light
airplane between camps and then to Victoria Falls. From there it was back
to Jo’burg for one night and then to Atlanta with a stop for fuel at Cape
Verde.
It was a wonderful trip in
every respect. Victoria Falls was a highlight, ranking right behind the Grand
Canyon for me as a natural wonder of the world. The four of us
agreed that we would like to do it again sometime. But it cost a zillion
dollars. I looked at Abercrombie’s website recently, and it looks like those
trips start at about $15,000 per couple —plus airfare. I doubted that we
could ever justify another trip like that one. Little did I know that a
few years later my older daughter and family would be living in Jo’burg, and
the Triangle airline would have ATL–JNB nonstops with beds.
Since they moved there, we
have visited about twice a year. We discovered that many people visit the
bush the way we go to beach or golf resorts for weekends. On one of our
trips, our daughter’s closest friends invited us to be their guests at a
private lodge on Nelspruit, a reserve contiguous to Kruger National Park, the
next time we visited. We accepted their invitation that day and agreed on
tentative dates. I had heard about the lodge that they generally visit
every year, and I “struck while the iron was hot.” It was the summer of
2010, and the earliest date that worked for everyone was in early December.
Our host was very serious
about our being his guests. We arrived in Jo'burg several days in advance and
found that he had already purchased our airline tickets to Nelspruit.
When we attempted to reimburse him, he insisted that he had so many
frequent flyer miles going to waste that he used some to buy tickets for his
family of four and his six guests. He is an international businessman who
flies all over the world, and I doubt that his miles would have been
wasted. At any rate, it is becoming easier in my old age to be a gracious
guest. We were met at the Nelspruit airport by our ranger/guide for
the one hour drive to the lodge. We were there for three nights and saw
the big five as well as lots of other animals. Because the rainy season
had started and water was plentiful everywhere, they were no longer in big
herds around the watering holes. We found them in small groups or in the
case of the elusive leopard, singly.
If you happen to have
friends with access to a private lodge and you get an invitation, it’s the best
of safari worlds. But in November of 2012 my son-in-law and nine-year-old
grandson visited Jo’burg with me, and we didn’t have an invitation. I was
looking for something close to Jo’burg, with lots of animals and inexpensive
enough for a retired Delta pilot. Through our friend who had hosted us at
Kruger, we found the right place.
Welgevonden Reserve is
slightly under 100,000 acres and only three hours north of Jo’burg, but still
below the malaria line. The roads were excellent. There are several
lodges in the reserve, both full service and self-catered. On our
friend’s recommendation, we chose Ibhubesi Lodge, named for the Zulu word for
lion. It is self-catered, meaning we took our own food and drink. At
first, that was intimidating, sounding like a camping trip. In reality,
it was easy, and when we arrived at the very comfortable lodge with five surrounding
cabins, it was apparent that this was no camping trip. Simon, the
ranger/guide, met us at the main gate in a 10-passenger Land Rover for the
45-minute trip to the lodge. A cobra crossed the road in front of us
shortly after we left the gate, and we saw lots of other animals on the
way. We arrived late in the afternoon, and were met by staff members
Conley and Hilda. They had dinner on the table for us two hours
later. We had six in our party, and even though the lodge can accommodate
10, they don’t mix groups. We had the whole place, including the Land
Rover, to ourselves. Hilda prepared three meals each day —on our schedule
—as well as snacks for the game drives. They did all the cooking and
cleaning, and we had an open bar in the lodge with the beverages we had brought
with us.
Three nights in the bush is
just about right for me. Simon is knowledgeable about all the animals,
and he will tailor the game drives to suit your schedule. Hilda will not
disappoint you with the quality of her meals, and our cabins were perfectly
cleaned every day. I am using 8.8 Rand to the US
dollar to quote the rates in dollars. The minimum weekday rate for the
lodge is $512 for up to four people. So, if four people go, it’s $128 per
person. Each additional guest up to a max of 10 guests is $57 per
person. Weekend rates go up to $625 for the lodge, and $74 for each guest
above four.
For retirees in good health,
this can be a superb, affordable trip for your bridge group or golf
foursome. Assuming four couples for three weekdays at the lodge, the
rates would work out to $185 per couple per night or $555 per couple for the
three nights.
Craig Gettliffe, who books Ibhubesi, can
be reached by email at: info@ibhubesilodge.co.za .His telephone contacts: Office; +27 11 463 8504, Cell; +27 83 459 8409, Fax; +27 86 552
1323. In addition, Craig’s tour company has a website with pictures and
more information. http://www.iholidays.co.za/index.php/african-safari-welgevonden-game-reserve
I have rented
cars from several local South African companies, and found Pace Car Rental to
be very reliable as well as affordable. They bring the car to you and
pick it up when you are finished with it. Their website is www.pacecarrental.co.za Tel; 27
87 808 2542. Their website lists 10- passenger vans for 900 Rand per day
for a one-week rental in September. That would be $715 for the week.
Airline crews have discovered
Ibhubesi. Lufthansa has a two-night JNB layover, and the lodge is
experimenting with furnishing the food as well as preparing it. I prefer
the self-catering, because it is easy to get a couple of big Styrofoam ice
chests and stop at a supermarket on the way out of town. The supermarkets
have outstanding South African wines, and you save a lot of money. Speaking of
wines, a visit to Cape Town and the wine country around Stellenbosch would be
great before the safari and would give you scheduling flexibility for airline
availability.
There are lots of
misconceptions about South Africa. Many have asked me if it's safe to
travel there. My views were shaped by US media, and I was not completely happy
when my granddaughters were moving there. They live in Sandton, which I would
describe as being to Johannesburg what Buckhead is to Atlanta. During our
first visit after the move, I asked my son-in-law if he felt safe there. He
laughed and said, "We are safer here than we would be in Atlanta. Here we
are protected. In Buckhead we are not." His point was well-taken.
They live in a community of around 200 homes, surrounded by an eight-foot wall
with four feet of electric fencing on top. In addition, all the individual
homes are behind the same kind of protection. Every strip shopping center has
security guards. He said there were places he wouldn't visit at night, just as
there were places in Atlanta that he wouldn't visit at night. I think
they are at least as safe there as they would be in Atlanta.
Business Elite in the non
stop ATL–JNB Boeing 777 is as comfortable as I have ever been on a long trip,
and I have had the privilege of 12 hours in Singapore first class. I have
been able to get in business every time from Atlanta, but we have delayed our
return a few times because my body doesn’t bend enough to spend 16 hours in
coach. JNB is 5500 feet above sea level, and depending on temperature and
winds, they can sometimes not make Atlanta nonstop with a full load.
There is a warning on the Delta Net when checking loads for listing that
JNB-ATL is on “Delta’s Payload Optimization initiative.” What that means
is that non-revenue passengers may not be boarded, even if seats are
available. There was a fuel contamination problem at JNB while we were there
in November, and a bulletin was posted on the Delta Net that non-revs would not
be boarded in JNB for a period of several weeks. My son-in-law and
grandson had confirmed seats, but I was an S-3B. Business frequent flyer
seats were available on Thanksgiving Day for 140,000 miles. American
Express loaned me 20,000 miles to give me enough to buy the ticket. Lo
and behold, they didn’t stop boarding non-revs, and there were at least some on
every flight for several days leading up to Thanksgiving, including the flight
I was on. I was told by the flight attendant that an active Delta pilot
and wife believed the bulletin and were in back with reduced rate tickets.
The flight was delayed for several hours, and I later received a letter
of apology from marketing, along with 10,000 frequent flyer miles.
140,000 lost, 10,000 back: that seems about the same ratio that some of our
pilots’ pensions have suffered.
My point is that you
probably will get in business from ATL, but you need to be flexible from
JNB. If you can stand coach, ZED fares, or a delay getting back, the trip
is well worth it. September/October is the best time of year to go.
It is early spring in South Africa, the rainy season has not started, and
animals will be near the watering holes.
Directions to
Welgevonden
•From OR Tambo follow
the signs towards Pretoria – you need to get onto the R21
•The R21 intersects
with the N1 before Pretoria – get onto the N1
•Take the N1 north
towards Pretoria/Polokwane.
•Stay on the N1 to
Polokwane, through the Pumulani Toll Plaza and through the Carousel Toll Plaza,
past the offramp to Bela-Bela
•At the Kranskop toll
booth, take the left lane signposted Marble Hall / Modimolle R33 exit 258.
•Turn left at the top
of the off ramp and pass straight through Nylstroom.
•Stay on the same road
through the town Vaalwater.
•+/- 26km beyond
Vaalwater you will see a sign on your left saying “Welgevonden Main Gate”.
Condition update:
I underwent my 11th surgery (over a four year
period) on January 25. The good news is it was on my spine, and it was
not for cancer. My left leg started going lame a few months ago, and
increasingly worsened. The MRI showed severe spinal stenosis, and a slipped
disc. All my previous surgeries had been at Emory, but there is a world class
orthopedic spine surgeon on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He is an Emory
Med grad, did his residency at Washington University in St. Louis, and his
fellowship at UPMC. He has done more than 3000 spine surgeries during the
12 years of private practice, and has had superb outcomes. We decided to
have him do this surgery at Biloxi Regional Hospital. It was minimally
invasive, but he fused two discs, and some bone grafting was required.
He told me I couldn’t swing a golf club for three months,
but I have made a rapid recovery. I started exercising in the gym –no
back pressure – four weeks after the surgery, and started hitting golf balls
last week. I feel 100%, and the cancer has not bothered me since the
chemo a year ago.
Incidentally, the spine surgeon sleeps with my younger
daughter, and he is the father of five of my grandchildren.
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