Around the World in 40 Days for 40 Years
Oct 11, 2011, 7:41 pm
#31
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Part XIII - Second day in Hawaii - warning no airline/flight content is now live - hope you enjoy!
Oct 12, 2011, 8:28 pm
#32
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Part XIV - Continental Island Hopper from Honolulu to Guam with 4 Stops is now live! Enjoy, and any feedback welcome.
Oct 13, 2011, 6:34 pm
#34
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We arrived into Guam late afternoon, just in time to head to the Sheraton, check in, and have a semi-relaxing evening. .It was only around 4pm when we made it to the hotel, and after two weeks on the road our most important mission was laundry. .Fortunately the Sheraton surprised us...not only with a suite upgrade, but with three laundry machines in the building. .I don't remember the exact cost, but they were $1 to $1.25 per load - and nice and convenient.
Of course, we needed laundry supplies, so it was off to the most popular place on the island...K-Mart! .Those who live in the U.S. mainland probably assume that K-Mart has more or less faded into our past as one of those tragic relics of the 70s and 80s. .Not in Guam. .K-Mart is the social hub of the island, and packed to the rafters with people. .I've only ever been to one Wal Mart (don't blame me, it's the only option in the middle of Oahu!) and it reminded me of that. .But even bigger (both in size, and the size of the patrons.) .You could get literally everything here.
Stocked with Tide and Red Bull it was back to the Sheraton, where we joined a member of the U.S. Navy in completing laundry pretty quickly. .With that out of the way...what else does one do on Guam?! .Not much. .We decided after two weeks a little Americana was in order, and grabbed dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. .Guam is definitely one place you need a car, unless you don't plan to leave your resort...and I can't imagine a resort vacation on Guam!
Up early the next morning, our plan was to drive around the island before our early evening flight to Palau. .Up to the executive lounge for breakfast, which was packed with Japanese package tourists consuming Japanese breakfast. .It was nice to have a Japanese option for breakfast instead of the typical sugar and carb-laden US/continental options. .Oh, and lots of ice cold Diet Coke.
That done, we were off to drive around Guam. .Our first stop was not far from the hotel at the giant rotating statue of Pope John Paul II. .Unfortunately, it's been broken a few years, and no longer rotates. .However, the headline story in all the local papers we saw was how a donation had been received, and soon it would rotate again. .Yes, this qualifies for headline news in Guam.
Pope statue seen, it was time to head around the island. .First major stop was the War in the Pacific Museum, which was also a U.S. National Park. .However, unfortunately, the museum was under renovation. .This meant the temporary display was all there was to see, but this also made it free. .There were actually a few really good posters that told the story of World War II on Guam, and some really cheesy cutouts where you could take your picture. .There was also a sub out front where you could take your picture.
From the museum, we continued southwest around the island stopping at a couple of overlooks to get a view out into the ocean. .Was a very cool view, and definitely one of my highlights of Guam.
Our final stop before lunch was at a natural cove that had a swimming hole at it. .I wished we'd brought our swimming suits so we could have gone in!
Finally we were on the east side of the Island, and stopped for lunch at Jeff's Pirates Cove.This place is famous online as the only thing to "see' on the east coast of Guam, and I have to admit they made a pretty awesome burger. .Really hit the spot since we were starving, and the kitsch factor was high enough that it was highly amusing. .I can imagine this place gets going in the evening and is pretty awesome!
After lunch we cut back across the island to the hotel, in order to check out and get to the airport in time for our flight to Palau. .Now, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that it was on this drive that I heard the worst song ever on the radio. .Well, the worst song since I heard "Chain Hang Low" when driving to get coffee before a marathon a few years ago. .I also need to admit that "Gucci Gucci" is now the top of my gym playlist, because it's so bad that it's almost good. .There. .I said it. .Moving on....
Check-in was completely uneventful, as was security. .Soon we were in the Guam President's Club . .I have to admit, there were quite a few unusual characters in this place. .By characters I mean expat Americans who felt the need to share their life stories with you. .It was definitely one of those "Asia Moments" and definitely filled the time (well, along with some crackers, cheese, and Sapporro) while we waited for the flight. .Flight was delayed about 15-20 minutes while the Pilot argued with the gate staff if he could take a full load of passengers or not (seems there were storms en route) but eventually he agreed and off we went!
Continental 193
Guam to Koror, Palau
Depart 18:50, Arrive 19:50, 1 hour time change
Boeing 737-800, Registration N14249, Manufactured 1999
Seats 1E and 1F
Not too much to say here - flight was completely full, and the 737-800s that ply the Pacific for Continental seem to all be identical. After several flights on them at this point, I definitely recommend row 1 since there's nobody reclining into you, you get served first, and if you want to chat with the crew it's easy to do.
...and by chat with the crew, I mean get served first and get plenty of Continental Margaritas!
Yes, the margaritas were the highlight. I barely touched the sandwich, and finished all the fruit. Landing was on time, Palau immigration was efficient (although absolutely fascinated by my 144 page passport) and our hotel had a van waiting for us. From the first moment, I was very very glad we had chosen the Palau Pacific Resort. They picked us up on time, private car, cold water, friendly staff, and honestly...for such a small island...every detail was perfect.
Got to the hotel just after 8pm...in time for a drink at the beach bar before bed. It was to be a busy day the next day, so we wanted to get to bed early. I chose to have the "Shark Attack" drink at the bar...which I probably would have skipped had I known we would actually see sharks on our snorkeling trip the next day!
Of course, we needed laundry supplies, so it was off to the most popular place on the island...K-Mart! .Those who live in the U.S. mainland probably assume that K-Mart has more or less faded into our past as one of those tragic relics of the 70s and 80s. .Not in Guam. .K-Mart is the social hub of the island, and packed to the rafters with people. .I've only ever been to one Wal Mart (don't blame me, it's the only option in the middle of Oahu!) and it reminded me of that. .But even bigger (both in size, and the size of the patrons.) .You could get literally everything here.
Stocked with Tide and Red Bull it was back to the Sheraton, where we joined a member of the U.S. Navy in completing laundry pretty quickly. .With that out of the way...what else does one do on Guam?! .Not much. .We decided after two weeks a little Americana was in order, and grabbed dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. .Guam is definitely one place you need a car, unless you don't plan to leave your resort...and I can't imagine a resort vacation on Guam!
Up early the next morning, our plan was to drive around the island before our early evening flight to Palau. .Up to the executive lounge for breakfast, which was packed with Japanese package tourists consuming Japanese breakfast. .It was nice to have a Japanese option for breakfast instead of the typical sugar and carb-laden US/continental options. .Oh, and lots of ice cold Diet Coke.
That done, we were off to drive around Guam. .Our first stop was not far from the hotel at the giant rotating statue of Pope John Paul II. .Unfortunately, it's been broken a few years, and no longer rotates. .However, the headline story in all the local papers we saw was how a donation had been received, and soon it would rotate again. .Yes, this qualifies for headline news in Guam.
Pope statue seen, it was time to head around the island. .First major stop was the War in the Pacific Museum, which was also a U.S. National Park. .However, unfortunately, the museum was under renovation. .This meant the temporary display was all there was to see, but this also made it free. .There were actually a few really good posters that told the story of World War II on Guam, and some really cheesy cutouts where you could take your picture. .There was also a sub out front where you could take your picture.
From the museum, we continued southwest around the island stopping at a couple of overlooks to get a view out into the ocean. .Was a very cool view, and definitely one of my highlights of Guam.
Our final stop before lunch was at a natural cove that had a swimming hole at it. .I wished we'd brought our swimming suits so we could have gone in!
Finally we were on the east side of the Island, and stopped for lunch at Jeff's Pirates Cove.This place is famous online as the only thing to "see' on the east coast of Guam, and I have to admit they made a pretty awesome burger. .Really hit the spot since we were starving, and the kitsch factor was high enough that it was highly amusing. .I can imagine this place gets going in the evening and is pretty awesome!
After lunch we cut back across the island to the hotel, in order to check out and get to the airport in time for our flight to Palau. .Now, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that it was on this drive that I heard the worst song ever on the radio. .Well, the worst song since I heard "Chain Hang Low" when driving to get coffee before a marathon a few years ago. .I also need to admit that "Gucci Gucci" is now the top of my gym playlist, because it's so bad that it's almost good. .There. .I said it. .Moving on....
Check-in was completely uneventful, as was security. .Soon we were in the Guam President's Club . .I have to admit, there were quite a few unusual characters in this place. .By characters I mean expat Americans who felt the need to share their life stories with you. .It was definitely one of those "Asia Moments" and definitely filled the time (well, along with some crackers, cheese, and Sapporro) while we waited for the flight. .Flight was delayed about 15-20 minutes while the Pilot argued with the gate staff if he could take a full load of passengers or not (seems there were storms en route) but eventually he agreed and off we went!
Continental 193
Guam to Koror, Palau
Depart 18:50, Arrive 19:50, 1 hour time change
Boeing 737-800, Registration N14249, Manufactured 1999
Seats 1E and 1F
Not too much to say here - flight was completely full, and the 737-800s that ply the Pacific for Continental seem to all be identical. After several flights on them at this point, I definitely recommend row 1 since there's nobody reclining into you, you get served first, and if you want to chat with the crew it's easy to do.
...and by chat with the crew, I mean get served first and get plenty of Continental Margaritas!
Yes, the margaritas were the highlight. I barely touched the sandwich, and finished all the fruit. Landing was on time, Palau immigration was efficient (although absolutely fascinated by my 144 page passport) and our hotel had a van waiting for us. From the first moment, I was very very glad we had chosen the Palau Pacific Resort. They picked us up on time, private car, cold water, friendly staff, and honestly...for such a small island...every detail was perfect.
Got to the hotel just after 8pm...in time for a drink at the beach bar before bed. It was to be a busy day the next day, so we wanted to get to bed early. I chose to have the "Shark Attack" drink at the bar...which I probably would have skipped had I known we would actually see sharks on our snorkeling trip the next day!
Last edited by ironmanjt; Oct 13, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Oct 14, 2011, 6:50 pm
#35
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So, first a caveat. .This is going to be mostly a picture post, but I think you'll understand why after looking at the pictures. .We had the entire day in Palau, and then a 1:30am (yes, in the morning) flight out of Palau. .Plan was to make the absolute most of the day.
I'd been bothering the tour company that everyone recommended for months, and they said they only ran the tour with four or more people. .One week out, still was just us...but they said they had two more, and we were set to go. .With our good luck, when we got there, they were a last-minute cancel, so we had a private boat snorkeling tour. .Excellent!
The plan was to head to Jellyfish Lake, which anyone who watched Survivor is probably very familiar with. .We were super excited to see it...and anything else along the way! .Fortunately, just being the two of us on the boat, the guides were awesome and took us to lots of great snorkeling sites!
Stop number one was at "the spa." .This is a place where the water is relatively shallow - maybe 4 to 5 feet in a bit of a cove, and the shells and animals have decomposed over years to form soft clay/mud on the bottom of the ocean. .Dive down, scoop some up, slather it on yourself, rinse, repeat. .It was pretty amusing, especially watching the giant boat full of Japanese tourists do it!
Next stop was at a place where the reef dropped off. .We thought the guide was exaggerating when he said the reef came to a sheer drop here, and dropped thousands of feet. .Nope, no kidding...you could see the bottom just 5-10 feet below you, then it suddenly plunged so far down you couldn't see anything but darkness. .We swam around here for 45 minutes or so, and right near the end saw a couple of sharks just a few feet from us!
After this it was time to head to a nearby island, and have lunch. They had packed some Japanese bento boxes (guess this tells you who their primary clients are!) and it was tasty and filling enough, and soon it was time to head out again.
Our next stop was Jellyfish lake, which was a good distance away. .After a way, we docked at the side of the island the lake was in the middle of, and then took a good 15-20 minute hike straight uphill into the island...then straight downhill into the lake in the middle of the island. .After jumping in, we started to slowly swimming out to the centre of the lake where the highest concentration of jellyfish were. .I was slightly nervous, since everything you hear about jellyfish is how bad they sting, but these were soft, kinda squishy, and almost cute! .Who am I kidding...they were incredibly cute and fun to play with. .We were warned not to kick too hard with the fins, however, because it could harm them.
After playing in Jellyfish Lake for an hour or so, we headed to one last stop to see "Clam Alley." This was a reef full of giant clams. I had no idea just how "giant" giant was going to be. These things were several feet across!
Next stop was to head back. I had an idea I was getting pretty badly sunburned at this point, and you can see it a bit in this pic, but it wasn't until a day or so later I realized just how bad it was. Oh well, as the pics above show, it was am amazing experience...though next time I'm wearing a shirt!
It was back to the docks and Sam's had thoughtfully (or profit-motivated?) set up a bar and restaurant afterwards. .We relaxed with a couple of beers and some fries before catching a car back to the hotel.
It was then back to the hotel, and shower up. . Our rate included 6pm late check-out, which was awesome with a 1:30am flight. .We grabbed a couple of pre-dinner drinks after checking out, and then had dinner at the hotel restaurant. .By this time it was only 9pm, and we still had over four hours before our flight. .Matt came up with the perfect idea: .a nap on the beach on the beach chairs. .After 90 minutes nap we were rested enough to head to the airport for the world's worst red-eye flight ever!
I'd been bothering the tour company that everyone recommended for months, and they said they only ran the tour with four or more people. .One week out, still was just us...but they said they had two more, and we were set to go. .With our good luck, when we got there, they were a last-minute cancel, so we had a private boat snorkeling tour. .Excellent!
The plan was to head to Jellyfish Lake, which anyone who watched Survivor is probably very familiar with. .We were super excited to see it...and anything else along the way! .Fortunately, just being the two of us on the boat, the guides were awesome and took us to lots of great snorkeling sites!
Stop number one was at "the spa." .This is a place where the water is relatively shallow - maybe 4 to 5 feet in a bit of a cove, and the shells and animals have decomposed over years to form soft clay/mud on the bottom of the ocean. .Dive down, scoop some up, slather it on yourself, rinse, repeat. .It was pretty amusing, especially watching the giant boat full of Japanese tourists do it!
Next stop was at a place where the reef dropped off. .We thought the guide was exaggerating when he said the reef came to a sheer drop here, and dropped thousands of feet. .Nope, no kidding...you could see the bottom just 5-10 feet below you, then it suddenly plunged so far down you couldn't see anything but darkness. .We swam around here for 45 minutes or so, and right near the end saw a couple of sharks just a few feet from us!
After this it was time to head to a nearby island, and have lunch. They had packed some Japanese bento boxes (guess this tells you who their primary clients are!) and it was tasty and filling enough, and soon it was time to head out again.
Our next stop was Jellyfish lake, which was a good distance away. .After a way, we docked at the side of the island the lake was in the middle of, and then took a good 15-20 minute hike straight uphill into the island...then straight downhill into the lake in the middle of the island. .After jumping in, we started to slowly swimming out to the centre of the lake where the highest concentration of jellyfish were. .I was slightly nervous, since everything you hear about jellyfish is how bad they sting, but these were soft, kinda squishy, and almost cute! .Who am I kidding...they were incredibly cute and fun to play with. .We were warned not to kick too hard with the fins, however, because it could harm them.
After playing in Jellyfish Lake for an hour or so, we headed to one last stop to see "Clam Alley." This was a reef full of giant clams. I had no idea just how "giant" giant was going to be. These things were several feet across!
Next stop was to head back. I had an idea I was getting pretty badly sunburned at this point, and you can see it a bit in this pic, but it wasn't until a day or so later I realized just how bad it was. Oh well, as the pics above show, it was am amazing experience...though next time I'm wearing a shirt!
It was back to the docks and Sam's had thoughtfully (or profit-motivated?) set up a bar and restaurant afterwards. .We relaxed with a couple of beers and some fries before catching a car back to the hotel.
It was then back to the hotel, and shower up. . Our rate included 6pm late check-out, which was awesome with a 1:30am flight. .We grabbed a couple of pre-dinner drinks after checking out, and then had dinner at the hotel restaurant. .By this time it was only 9pm, and we still had over four hours before our flight. .Matt came up with the perfect idea: .a nap on the beach on the beach chairs. .After 90 minutes nap we were rested enough to head to the airport for the world's worst red-eye flight ever!
Oct 16, 2011, 5:40 pm
#36
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Part XIV - Continental Island Hopper from Honolulu to Guam with 4 Stops is now live! Enjoy, and any feedback welcome.
Oct 16, 2011, 7:28 pm
#37
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Oct 19, 2011, 8:42 pm
#38
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So, 1:45am rolled around, and it was finally time to for flight(s) to Tokyo, via Yap and Guam. Boarding was a bit late due to a late arrival from Yap, and we were getting quite concerned about our 45 minute connection in Guam. Of course, it was also 1:30am and we were completely ready to pass out, so I'm not sure if sleepy or concerned was winning out at this point.
Continental 186, Koror, Palau to Yap
Depart 1:45, Arrive 3:50, 1:05 flight time
Boeing 737-800, Registration N35236, Manufactured 1999
Seats 2E, 2F
Honestly, not much to say on this flight. We accepted a couple of glasses of wine upon boarding to ensure the inevitable, and passed out until landing in Yap an hour later. I remember hitting the tarmac, but honestly nothing after that...including the takeoff. Yap was one giant blur, which is exactly how I hoped it would be. This was the best case scenario for what I consider the absolute worst redeye flight in the world.
Continental 186, Yap to Guam
Depart 4:30, Arrive 6:00, 1:30 flight time
Boeing 737-800, Registration N35236, Manufactured 1999
Seats 2E, 2F
Again, we totally did not remember taking off at all, and were in Guam before we knew it. Total flight time was only 3:15 including the time on the ground in Yap, but we slept pretty much all of it, so no complaints whatsoever! Arrived Guam almost 30 minutes late, so it was a major scramble to our connection. Got to our friends at CBP, and realised...yes...I'd left my passport on board. ARGH! Fortunately, the Continental BusinessFirst Concierge had escorted everyone into Immigration, and RAN back to the plane to get my passport in under five minutes. This is the Continental I remember and love, and hope the service level remains a part of the combined airline/
Made the gate with almost 20 minutes to spare, and we were off!
Continental 161, Guam to Tokyo
Depart 7:10, Arrive 9:45, 3:35 flight time
Boeing 767-400, Registration N77066, Manufactured 2002
Seats 1K, 1L
Flight was pretty uneventful, and the crew was unfortunately quite cool. Meal was served, but no warmth or real "service" at all...but that was fine, because again...what we really wanted was to maximize SLEEP! We got another two hours each or so, and arrived in Tokyo rested enough to take on a pretty full day! Upon landing, we were right off to the ANA First lounge for a quick shower, and the best part is they were able to hold out bags until our flight that evening. Backpack in tow, we were off to the Narita Express to head into Shibuya Station.
Took us a couple tries to find the correct window, but soon we had return tickets into Shibuya station...with a bit of time to grab some Starbucks at the station's caffeine purveyor to spare! .Onto the train (reserved seating on a local train?! .Seriously?!) and we were off. .But not before the very helpful escalator sign that warned us to watch our step:
We were a bit hungry, and let's face it: Japan is fascinating. Unlike any other developed country. Still a very unique and in many ways "un-westernized" culture, so we had to satisfy our hunger on the train. Swiss cheese and octopus strips anyone? Can I interest you in some fermented seaweed and cheese? Yup, tasty! Soon enough we were alighting in Shibuya, and off to the park to see the Harijuku crowd. I'd been told that since it would be Sunday when we were here, we had to head to the park to see the Harijuku "Costume Play." Unfortunately, it seemed to be only a few odd westerners out acting strange, but was still fascinating to see!
After the park we wandered the area, and ended up grabbing Tako-Pachi Octopus snacks. If nothing else, Tokyo has some of the most fascinating food in the world!
Followed of course, but the most famous dish of Harijuku - crepes. Filled with whatever you want...including eel, octopus, etc. I went with the much tamer ice cream and cinnamon apples!
Last stop in Tokyo we had to see a "Cat Cafe." Since residents of Tokyo are often not allowed to have pets in their apartments, a bunch of "Cat Cafes" have sprung up where lonely city dwellers can go for some feline company. We had to see this for ourselves, and maybe we just hit it at a strange time, but it felt really creepy and artificial. Even the cats didn't seem overly interested in us being there. Perhaps it was because we didn't shell out extra to buy them treats!
After this last stop it was a rushed trip back to the airport, to catch our flight onwards to Bangkok!
Continental 186, Koror, Palau to Yap
Depart 1:45, Arrive 3:50, 1:05 flight time
Boeing 737-800, Registration N35236, Manufactured 1999
Seats 2E, 2F
Honestly, not much to say on this flight. We accepted a couple of glasses of wine upon boarding to ensure the inevitable, and passed out until landing in Yap an hour later. I remember hitting the tarmac, but honestly nothing after that...including the takeoff. Yap was one giant blur, which is exactly how I hoped it would be. This was the best case scenario for what I consider the absolute worst redeye flight in the world.
Continental 186, Yap to Guam
Depart 4:30, Arrive 6:00, 1:30 flight time
Boeing 737-800, Registration N35236, Manufactured 1999
Seats 2E, 2F
Again, we totally did not remember taking off at all, and were in Guam before we knew it. Total flight time was only 3:15 including the time on the ground in Yap, but we slept pretty much all of it, so no complaints whatsoever! Arrived Guam almost 30 minutes late, so it was a major scramble to our connection. Got to our friends at CBP, and realised...yes...I'd left my passport on board. ARGH! Fortunately, the Continental BusinessFirst Concierge had escorted everyone into Immigration, and RAN back to the plane to get my passport in under five minutes. This is the Continental I remember and love, and hope the service level remains a part of the combined airline/
Made the gate with almost 20 minutes to spare, and we were off!
Continental 161, Guam to Tokyo
Depart 7:10, Arrive 9:45, 3:35 flight time
Boeing 767-400, Registration N77066, Manufactured 2002
Seats 1K, 1L
Flight was pretty uneventful, and the crew was unfortunately quite cool. Meal was served, but no warmth or real "service" at all...but that was fine, because again...what we really wanted was to maximize SLEEP! We got another two hours each or so, and arrived in Tokyo rested enough to take on a pretty full day! Upon landing, we were right off to the ANA First lounge for a quick shower, and the best part is they were able to hold out bags until our flight that evening. Backpack in tow, we were off to the Narita Express to head into Shibuya Station.
Took us a couple tries to find the correct window, but soon we had return tickets into Shibuya station...with a bit of time to grab some Starbucks at the station's caffeine purveyor to spare! .Onto the train (reserved seating on a local train?! .Seriously?!) and we were off. .But not before the very helpful escalator sign that warned us to watch our step:
We were a bit hungry, and let's face it: Japan is fascinating. Unlike any other developed country. Still a very unique and in many ways "un-westernized" culture, so we had to satisfy our hunger on the train. Swiss cheese and octopus strips anyone? Can I interest you in some fermented seaweed and cheese? Yup, tasty! Soon enough we were alighting in Shibuya, and off to the park to see the Harijuku crowd. I'd been told that since it would be Sunday when we were here, we had to head to the park to see the Harijuku "Costume Play." Unfortunately, it seemed to be only a few odd westerners out acting strange, but was still fascinating to see!
After the park we wandered the area, and ended up grabbing Tako-Pachi Octopus snacks. If nothing else, Tokyo has some of the most fascinating food in the world!
Followed of course, but the most famous dish of Harijuku - crepes. Filled with whatever you want...including eel, octopus, etc. I went with the much tamer ice cream and cinnamon apples!
Last stop in Tokyo we had to see a "Cat Cafe." Since residents of Tokyo are often not allowed to have pets in their apartments, a bunch of "Cat Cafes" have sprung up where lonely city dwellers can go for some feline company. We had to see this for ourselves, and maybe we just hit it at a strange time, but it felt really creepy and artificial. Even the cats didn't seem overly interested in us being there. Perhaps it was because we didn't shell out extra to buy them treats!
After this last stop it was a rushed trip back to the airport, to catch our flight onwards to Bangkok!
Oct 20, 2011, 7:47 pm
#39
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Join Date: Mar 2003
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So, rushed back to the airport and check-in was absolutely empty. We had on boarding pass, and just wanted to get them printed by United since they had been printed by Continental before that. Got the pass, through fast-track first class security, and soon we were chilling in the ANA lounge. A bit of sake, some sushi, catching up on e-mail, and soon it was time to board.
United 837, Tokyo Narita to Bangkok
Depart 18:35, Arrive 23:05, Flight Time 6:30
Boeing 747-400, Registration N117UA, Manufactured 1999
Seats 1A, 1K
Flight was pretty quick - made easier by the fact that I think we both slept the majority of it. Meal was just enough to fill things up for a good doze (plus the wine didn't help) and soon we were arriving into Bangkok. Honestly, lately, a first class flight on United that doesn't register is par for the course. Some are really really disappointing, some are memorably good, but the majority are just plain unmemorable...and that's what this one was.
We grabbed a meter taxi to the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, and were soon checking in. It was pouring rain in Bangkok (a prelude to the major floods late) and the Sheraton once again didn't disappoint. Upgrade to a suite, free massive buffet breakfast, free happy hour with snacks in the hotel bar...all in all, Bangkok (and especially this hotel) remains one of the best travel bargains in the world.
Next morning we were up a bit early, but honestly quite lazy. This was our 7th or 8th trip to Bangkok, and having seen most of the major sites we really just wanted to relax in the middle of the trip. We did a bit of online research after breakfast, and stumbled upon Wat Arun in the Thonburi district which we'd never been too. We'd also never taken a water taxi up the river, so it was a perfect chance to try some new things!
The temple was amazing, and I was really glad we'd found it. A perfect re-introduction to Bangkok, and felt great to be back in one of the most dynamic cities we've ever been to.
At the bottom, we stopped by the actual prayer part of the temple, which was filled with schookids half-listening to a monk doing teachings.
Then, it was time for the river taxi back:
We took a quick detour on the way back past the mega malls at Siam and stopped at the Paragon and such for a bit of shopping and relaxing. Nothing overly exciting, except for this really cute and strange statue out front!
It was then time to relax with happy hour at the hotel, grab a quick dinner, and get to bed early for our very early morning flight to Manila the next morning.
United 837, Tokyo Narita to Bangkok
Depart 18:35, Arrive 23:05, Flight Time 6:30
Boeing 747-400, Registration N117UA, Manufactured 1999
Seats 1A, 1K
Flight was pretty quick - made easier by the fact that I think we both slept the majority of it. Meal was just enough to fill things up for a good doze (plus the wine didn't help) and soon we were arriving into Bangkok. Honestly, lately, a first class flight on United that doesn't register is par for the course. Some are really really disappointing, some are memorably good, but the majority are just plain unmemorable...and that's what this one was.
We grabbed a meter taxi to the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, and were soon checking in. It was pouring rain in Bangkok (a prelude to the major floods late) and the Sheraton once again didn't disappoint. Upgrade to a suite, free massive buffet breakfast, free happy hour with snacks in the hotel bar...all in all, Bangkok (and especially this hotel) remains one of the best travel bargains in the world.
Next morning we were up a bit early, but honestly quite lazy. This was our 7th or 8th trip to Bangkok, and having seen most of the major sites we really just wanted to relax in the middle of the trip. We did a bit of online research after breakfast, and stumbled upon Wat Arun in the Thonburi district which we'd never been too. We'd also never taken a water taxi up the river, so it was a perfect chance to try some new things!
The temple was amazing, and I was really glad we'd found it. A perfect re-introduction to Bangkok, and felt great to be back in one of the most dynamic cities we've ever been to.
At the bottom, we stopped by the actual prayer part of the temple, which was filled with schookids half-listening to a monk doing teachings.
Then, it was time for the river taxi back:
We took a quick detour on the way back past the mega malls at Siam and stopped at the Paragon and such for a bit of shopping and relaxing. Nothing overly exciting, except for this really cute and strange statue out front!
It was then time to relax with happy hour at the hotel, grab a quick dinner, and get to bed early for our very early morning flight to Manila the next morning.
Oct 21, 2011, 7:12 pm
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
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Posts: 5,528
So, yeah...it was an early morning. A majorly early morning. That said, the staff at the Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit in Bangkok were great, checkout was super-fast, and we were off to the airport in one of the better meter taxis I've had in Bangkok in a long time. By better, I mean it was 0-dark-30, and he didn't act like he had drunk club patrons who he could either milk for an outrageous fare, sell call girls too, etc. Soon we were at BKK, and checking in.
Now, the whole reason we went to MNL was for the super-cheap fares to South Africa. If not for that there really was no point in a one day trip to Manila. There's lots of other parts of the country I want to see, but, Manila? Not so much. We tried to find a Lufthansa rep to upgrade our flights the next day, but no dice. They don't show up until much later in the day. Checked in, headed to the Thai lounge for a few munchies, and soon it was time to board.
Thai Airways flight 620, Bangkok to Manila
Depart 7:40, Arrive 11:55, Flight time 3:15
Airbus A330-300, Registration HS-TED, Manufactured 1994
Seats 11H and 11K
Flight was incredible uneventful. Small breakfast served, great crew as always on Thai, and soon we were descending into Bangkok. Immigration took over 30 minutes, but soon we were landslide, and trying to find the Cathay office. We were hoping to change our next flight to head to Hong Kong today, and have a better chance at sleeping in and upgrading the Lufthansa flight the next day. Unfortunately, the Cathay office at the airport was beyond useless and we were sent away. Oh well.
We stayed at the Intercontinental in Makati City, and it was well above average. Check-in was slow, and room wasn't available at 1pm, but we went away and grabbed lunch, and when we came back at 2:30 it was ready. All in all, no complaints here. Next stop was to be a bit cultural, and see what was supposedly one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.
The Church of Guadalupe was begun in 1601, making it well over 400 years old. There's been a good deal of restoration, but there was still a very historic feeling. More surprising...nobody knew where it was! Once we finally (thanks to the iPhone and maps) found a taxi who could get us there...he waited. We were not only the only tourists, we were the only people there at all. We finally found a maintenance guy to unlock the church for us so we could have a look inside, and it was awesome. So glad we went through the effort.
Next stop was the Lufthansa office to try and confirm the upgrade a day in advance. No dice, they stuck to the "coupon says day of travel only" so try in Hong Kong line. Boo hiss. Off to the Cathay office next, and we managed to change our Manila to Hong Kong segment to a little earlier so we had more than 70 minutes in Hong Kong to try and not only ensure the upgrade, but to make sure we didn't misconnect!
After sorting that, we headed to the hotel and the included "free drink" in the hotel bar before heading out for dinner. The bar was clearly overworked, but free drink came as promised, and we headed out to get some dinner. You wouldn't know we'd just come from Thailand, because we ended up at a restaurant called the Peoples' Palace in Makati. Yes, it was a Thai restaurant, and delivered a meal much better than anything we'd had in Thailand. Highly recommend this place.
Back to the hotel, and off to bed, because our long day of travel the next morning was about to begin!
Now, the whole reason we went to MNL was for the super-cheap fares to South Africa. If not for that there really was no point in a one day trip to Manila. There's lots of other parts of the country I want to see, but, Manila? Not so much. We tried to find a Lufthansa rep to upgrade our flights the next day, but no dice. They don't show up until much later in the day. Checked in, headed to the Thai lounge for a few munchies, and soon it was time to board.
Thai Airways flight 620, Bangkok to Manila
Depart 7:40, Arrive 11:55, Flight time 3:15
Airbus A330-300, Registration HS-TED, Manufactured 1994
Seats 11H and 11K
Flight was incredible uneventful. Small breakfast served, great crew as always on Thai, and soon we were descending into Bangkok. Immigration took over 30 minutes, but soon we were landslide, and trying to find the Cathay office. We were hoping to change our next flight to head to Hong Kong today, and have a better chance at sleeping in and upgrading the Lufthansa flight the next day. Unfortunately, the Cathay office at the airport was beyond useless and we were sent away. Oh well.
We stayed at the Intercontinental in Makati City, and it was well above average. Check-in was slow, and room wasn't available at 1pm, but we went away and grabbed lunch, and when we came back at 2:30 it was ready. All in all, no complaints here. Next stop was to be a bit cultural, and see what was supposedly one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.
The Church of Guadalupe was begun in 1601, making it well over 400 years old. There's been a good deal of restoration, but there was still a very historic feeling. More surprising...nobody knew where it was! Once we finally (thanks to the iPhone and maps) found a taxi who could get us there...he waited. We were not only the only tourists, we were the only people there at all. We finally found a maintenance guy to unlock the church for us so we could have a look inside, and it was awesome. So glad we went through the effort.
Next stop was the Lufthansa office to try and confirm the upgrade a day in advance. No dice, they stuck to the "coupon says day of travel only" so try in Hong Kong line. Boo hiss. Off to the Cathay office next, and we managed to change our Manila to Hong Kong segment to a little earlier so we had more than 70 minutes in Hong Kong to try and not only ensure the upgrade, but to make sure we didn't misconnect!
After sorting that, we headed to the hotel and the included "free drink" in the hotel bar before heading out for dinner. The bar was clearly overworked, but free drink came as promised, and we headed out to get some dinner. You wouldn't know we'd just come from Thailand, because we ended up at a restaurant called the Peoples' Palace in Makati. Yes, it was a Thai restaurant, and delivered a meal much better than anything we'd had in Thailand. Highly recommend this place.
Back to the hotel, and off to bed, because our long day of travel the next morning was about to begin!
Oct 22, 2011, 9:55 am
#41
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Posts: 3,623
The church of Guadalupe looks nice. If you have never seen the American War Cemetery in Manila, it is also well worth seeing on your next visit.
Last edited by jphripjah; Oct 22, 2011 at 11:34 am
Oct 22, 2011, 6:58 pm
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
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Posts: 5,528
So, this is probably not the most commonly flown route in the world - Philippines to Zambia? It was odd enough there were several stops along the way where agents had to look up three digit airport codes to figure out where it was, lol.
Checked in in Manila at oh-dark-thirty minus an hour, and no trouble. Once again, the airport improvement tax is not included in the ticket, but you can pay in any combination of currencies you want at the ticket window. Got rid of my leftover pesos, spent a few US dollars, and we were through to the Cathay Pacific Lounge. Perhaps the most depressing lounge on the planet. But, it was quiet, and we didn't have to wait in a gate full of hundreds of people (ok, so we did have to sit with a dozen or more self-important types, but...) but there was Diet Coke, and all was right with the world.
Boarding was right on time, and the crew was pleasant. Not too much more you can ask for on a two hour regional flight!
Manila, Philippines to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific flight 904
Depart 6:20, Arrive 8:20, Flight Time: 2 hours
Airbus A330-300, Registration B-HLH, Manufactured 1995
Seats 15H, 15K
Not much to say on this flight. Breakfast was served with two hot options, the eggs were almost edible, and before we knew it we were landing in Hong Kong. I forgot to say this flight had perhaps the best character we've ever seen He was walking with a "pimp cane" with a giant fake diamond on the top of it, and complaining loudly to everyone in site that he was not sitting next to his wife. Two people in a row declined to switch with them, and he only got more obnoxious, waving his cane in the air. It was something out of Las Vegas meets Bollywood meets a Trailer Park...eventually they got to sit together, and he was quiet the rest of the flight.
Immigration in Hong Kong was a bit of a nightmare, and we ended up waiting well over 30 minutes to get through. We hadn't planned on clearing it, but there were no Lufthansa agents anywhere on the transfers side and we wanted to request the upgrade as soon as possible, so we went to the check-in desk. Quick stop for Starbucks, up to the check-in desks...and SCORE! They upgraded us on the spot. Life was good!
Back through immigration, and first stop was the Singapore lounge. It was adequate (despite there being no washroom in the lounge) but nothing great, so we headed to the Thai lounge, which had a dedicated first class side. Much better, drinks were provided by a waiter, and it was a much better (and lighter) place to wait. The Singapore lounge is in the basement of the terminal, while the Thai lounge is on the top level with a glass roof. Much better! Soon it was time to board...and pray.
See, Matt doesn't have the best luck with Lufthansa First Class. On two different occasions, he's had a disaster:
First, flying Dubai to Munich the aircraft went tits up with some sort of mechanical malfunction, and a 3+ hour delay...which would have meant missing connections back to the States. Now, this wasn't all bad, since due to a bit of quick thinking we begged to be rebooked on Emirates...and did. On the A380. In first. Nonstop to London. Arriving over 30 minutes earlier! That said, Lufthansa was jinxed.
Next, flying London City to Frankfurt to connect to Frankfurt-Baku the incoming flight struck a swan. Well, they said it was a swan, but it was probably just some other sort of large fowl. Regardless, flight canceled, no way to get to Frankfurt in time, and a resulting downgrade to "business' on Turkish via Istanbul and a nearly 18 hour delay. Fantastic. Something was SURE to go wrong again...right?
Hong Kong to Frankfurt, Germany
Lufthansa flight 739
Depart 12:45, Arrive 18:55, Flight Time: 12:10
Boeing 747-400, Registration D-ABVF, Manufactured 1990
Seats 83A, 83K
Well, everything went fine up until departure and after a couple of glasses of champagne we were airborne. Of course, this meant that we were sure to divert to Kraplakistan or something on the way. Hopefully to a country I hadn't ticked off the list yet!
Soon after we took off, the crew sprang into service, and soon it was time to set the table and deliver the amuse bouche.
Next up, it was time for appetizers. Lufthansa does a three-tier appetizer tray, plus a caviar service. You can have as much or as little as you want from the menu. Unfortunately I don't remember everything that was on offer, but I do remember I went for one of the appetizers plus a double helping of caviar when she came around again This was followed by a salad which was good, but unremarkable, and not really photo-worthy.
As usual, the entrees all looked pretty uninteresting. I did something I never do on planes, and went with the salmon. I never trust fish on planes, but hey - this came with gnocchi, so it HAD to be good...and it was!
Next up in the feast of gluttony was the cheese course. I really was gonna skip it because I was quite full already, but they had a red wine I really wanted to try, and there had to be some cheese to wash it down!
Last but not least was a mango panna cotta which was delicious and a couple of chocolates to go with it...and the grande finale. You'll notice the glass in the upper right that looks like milk. I had tried this wine on the Frankfurt-Baku flight the prior month and was pretty excited to see it on the menu again. Unfortunately I don't remember what it was called (or I would try and find it at home) but it was a Milk Wine from Dresden that was absolutely amazing. Yes, it was unusual and most people probably won't like it...but it was something like milk meets vodka, definitely "harder" than Baileys, and still tasted really like milk. Yeah, it was awesome.
After gorging, we watched movies/etc for the rest of the flight, had a quick snack before landing, and it was uneventful. No clue why we finally had a drama-free Lufthansa first segment, but was very glad we did. Landed, through security, and straight to the Lufthansa first lounge. Somehow, we were already "more than several" down the upgrade list, and it looked like we were in business for the next segment, no biggie. With a three hour layover it was great to have the first lounge to shower, have a few glasses of good champagne, and just generally relax. Car to the plane, and soon we were settled on the upper deck of the A380.
Frankfurt, Germany to Johannesburg, South Africa
Lufthansa flight 572
Depart 22:45, Arrive 9:10+1, Flight Time: 10:25
Airbus A380-800, Registration D-AIMC, Manufactured 2010
Seats 26D, 26G
The upper deck was an all-male crew, and extremely attentive. I think we were asleep before the plane even took off, waking just in time to have a quick dinner before passing out again. I think I slept a solid 7 or more hours, waking an hour out in time for a small breakfast before landing. The best redeye flight (in my opinion) is one you sleep through and don't remember, and this one fit the bill perfectly. Even though Lufthansa has awful seats in business class that are at least ten years out of date, my ability to sleep almost anywhere paid off.
I hadn't been through Johannesburg in nearly two years, and once again it was a totally different airport. The constant construction seems to be nearly over finally, and it was actually quite efficient. Through transit security, then transit passport control, and off to the gate with plenty of time. I wasn't sure it had been a wise idea to book a 90 minute connection in Johannesburg (given its notorious problems) on two different tickets, but what the hell...why not! In the end, everything worked out absolutely perfectly.
Johannesburg, South Africa to Livingstone, Zambia
South African flight 48
Depart 10:40, Arrive 12:30, Flight Time 1:50
Airbus A319-100, Registration ZS-SFL, Manufactured 2005
Seats 1D, 1F
Flight was maybe 80% full, and best news of all - not only were we in the bulkhead row, but the middle seat was empty! Even better, this was an "international configuration" A319, meaning it was a 2-3 config with leather seats in the first few rows, so the seats were slightly wider to begin with. Triple score!
It was a quick flight, crew was great, and quite friendly. Plenty of diet cokes to stay awake, a choice of two cold sandwiches for a snack, and soon we were descending into Zambia. Visa was easy enough, and soon we were in the carpark waiting on our driver.
Checked in in Manila at oh-dark-thirty minus an hour, and no trouble. Once again, the airport improvement tax is not included in the ticket, but you can pay in any combination of currencies you want at the ticket window. Got rid of my leftover pesos, spent a few US dollars, and we were through to the Cathay Pacific Lounge. Perhaps the most depressing lounge on the planet. But, it was quiet, and we didn't have to wait in a gate full of hundreds of people (ok, so we did have to sit with a dozen or more self-important types, but...) but there was Diet Coke, and all was right with the world.
Boarding was right on time, and the crew was pleasant. Not too much more you can ask for on a two hour regional flight!
Manila, Philippines to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific flight 904
Depart 6:20, Arrive 8:20, Flight Time: 2 hours
Airbus A330-300, Registration B-HLH, Manufactured 1995
Seats 15H, 15K
Not much to say on this flight. Breakfast was served with two hot options, the eggs were almost edible, and before we knew it we were landing in Hong Kong. I forgot to say this flight had perhaps the best character we've ever seen He was walking with a "pimp cane" with a giant fake diamond on the top of it, and complaining loudly to everyone in site that he was not sitting next to his wife. Two people in a row declined to switch with them, and he only got more obnoxious, waving his cane in the air. It was something out of Las Vegas meets Bollywood meets a Trailer Park...eventually they got to sit together, and he was quiet the rest of the flight.
Immigration in Hong Kong was a bit of a nightmare, and we ended up waiting well over 30 minutes to get through. We hadn't planned on clearing it, but there were no Lufthansa agents anywhere on the transfers side and we wanted to request the upgrade as soon as possible, so we went to the check-in desk. Quick stop for Starbucks, up to the check-in desks...and SCORE! They upgraded us on the spot. Life was good!
Back through immigration, and first stop was the Singapore lounge. It was adequate (despite there being no washroom in the lounge) but nothing great, so we headed to the Thai lounge, which had a dedicated first class side. Much better, drinks were provided by a waiter, and it was a much better (and lighter) place to wait. The Singapore lounge is in the basement of the terminal, while the Thai lounge is on the top level with a glass roof. Much better! Soon it was time to board...and pray.
See, Matt doesn't have the best luck with Lufthansa First Class. On two different occasions, he's had a disaster:
First, flying Dubai to Munich the aircraft went tits up with some sort of mechanical malfunction, and a 3+ hour delay...which would have meant missing connections back to the States. Now, this wasn't all bad, since due to a bit of quick thinking we begged to be rebooked on Emirates...and did. On the A380. In first. Nonstop to London. Arriving over 30 minutes earlier! That said, Lufthansa was jinxed.
Next, flying London City to Frankfurt to connect to Frankfurt-Baku the incoming flight struck a swan. Well, they said it was a swan, but it was probably just some other sort of large fowl. Regardless, flight canceled, no way to get to Frankfurt in time, and a resulting downgrade to "business' on Turkish via Istanbul and a nearly 18 hour delay. Fantastic. Something was SURE to go wrong again...right?
Hong Kong to Frankfurt, Germany
Lufthansa flight 739
Depart 12:45, Arrive 18:55, Flight Time: 12:10
Boeing 747-400, Registration D-ABVF, Manufactured 1990
Seats 83A, 83K
Well, everything went fine up until departure and after a couple of glasses of champagne we were airborne. Of course, this meant that we were sure to divert to Kraplakistan or something on the way. Hopefully to a country I hadn't ticked off the list yet!
Soon after we took off, the crew sprang into service, and soon it was time to set the table and deliver the amuse bouche.
Next up, it was time for appetizers. Lufthansa does a three-tier appetizer tray, plus a caviar service. You can have as much or as little as you want from the menu. Unfortunately I don't remember everything that was on offer, but I do remember I went for one of the appetizers plus a double helping of caviar when she came around again
This was followed by a salad which was good, but unremarkable, and not really photo-worthy.As usual, the entrees all looked pretty uninteresting. I did something I never do on planes, and went with the salmon. I never trust fish on planes, but hey - this came with gnocchi, so it HAD to be good...and it was!
Next up in the feast of gluttony was the cheese course. I really was gonna skip it because I was quite full already, but they had a red wine I really wanted to try, and there had to be some cheese to wash it down!
Last but not least was a mango panna cotta which was delicious and a couple of chocolates to go with it...and the grande finale. You'll notice the glass in the upper right that looks like milk. I had tried this wine on the Frankfurt-Baku flight the prior month and was pretty excited to see it on the menu again. Unfortunately I don't remember what it was called (or I would try and find it at home) but it was a Milk Wine from Dresden that was absolutely amazing. Yes, it was unusual and most people probably won't like it...but it was something like milk meets vodka, definitely "harder" than Baileys, and still tasted really like milk. Yeah, it was awesome.
After gorging, we watched movies/etc for the rest of the flight, had a quick snack before landing, and it was uneventful. No clue why we finally had a drama-free Lufthansa first segment, but was very glad we did. Landed, through security, and straight to the Lufthansa first lounge. Somehow, we were already "more than several" down the upgrade list, and it looked like we were in business for the next segment, no biggie. With a three hour layover it was great to have the first lounge to shower, have a few glasses of good champagne, and just generally relax. Car to the plane, and soon we were settled on the upper deck of the A380.
Frankfurt, Germany to Johannesburg, South Africa
Lufthansa flight 572
Depart 22:45, Arrive 9:10+1, Flight Time: 10:25
Airbus A380-800, Registration D-AIMC, Manufactured 2010
Seats 26D, 26G
The upper deck was an all-male crew, and extremely attentive. I think we were asleep before the plane even took off, waking just in time to have a quick dinner before passing out again. I think I slept a solid 7 or more hours, waking an hour out in time for a small breakfast before landing. The best redeye flight (in my opinion) is one you sleep through and don't remember, and this one fit the bill perfectly. Even though Lufthansa has awful seats in business class that are at least ten years out of date, my ability to sleep almost anywhere paid off.
I hadn't been through Johannesburg in nearly two years, and once again it was a totally different airport. The constant construction seems to be nearly over finally, and it was actually quite efficient. Through transit security, then transit passport control, and off to the gate with plenty of time. I wasn't sure it had been a wise idea to book a 90 minute connection in Johannesburg (given its notorious problems) on two different tickets, but what the hell...why not! In the end, everything worked out absolutely perfectly.
Johannesburg, South Africa to Livingstone, Zambia
South African flight 48
Depart 10:40, Arrive 12:30, Flight Time 1:50
Airbus A319-100, Registration ZS-SFL, Manufactured 2005
Seats 1D, 1F
Flight was maybe 80% full, and best news of all - not only were we in the bulkhead row, but the middle seat was empty! Even better, this was an "international configuration" A319, meaning it was a 2-3 config with leather seats in the first few rows, so the seats were slightly wider to begin with. Triple score!
It was a quick flight, crew was great, and quite friendly. Plenty of diet cokes to stay awake, a choice of two cold sandwiches for a snack, and soon we were descending into Zambia. Visa was easy enough, and soon we were in the carpark waiting on our driver.
Oct 23, 2011, 5:39 pm
#43
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
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We waited around for ten minutes, and eventually managed to find our driver. It was a large van with a dozen or so others, but we were to drive to the border and then split into two vehicles. Now, it wasn't clear when we booked if you could go straight from Zambia to Botswana without crossing into Zimbabwe, but apparently the answer is no. This was a mild concern since while it was easy to get a multi-entry visa to Zambia, Zimbabwe only issued dual-entry...so we had to be careful how many times we went in and out, since a new visa would cost.
Pulled up to the border, exited Zambia no problems, and into Zimbabwe just as easy. While the Zambian immigration was pleasant, the folks on the Zimbabwe side were downright rude. Oh well, at least the Zimbabwe visa was a cool sticker, while Zambia was just a stamp with "multi" written below it, lol. I could have done that myself! Through the border, we had about one hour to drive to the lodge.
We stayed at the Chobe Marina Lodge in Kasane, Botswana. First impressions were pretty good. Check-in was efficient, they walked us to our room without asking for a tip, and overall the property was pretty nice. Certainly not luxury, but clean, comfortable, etc. Can't ask for too much more. We had to rush, however, because the evening safari cruise was about to leave, and if we wanted to go we had about five minutes to dump things in the room and be out there! We were only there two days, so wanted to be sure that we got in as much as possible!
Last ones on the boat, and away we went. The cruise was a bit over two hours, and a great relaxing intro to things. First off, the obligatory impala shot. It's the first thing you see on safari, and probably the last. They're everywhere, and you can tell the people on their first time out because they excitedly snap pictures of them!
<!--more-->Further along the river, we saw some of our first elephants:
Saw several crocodiles at this point as well, but none were quite close enough for a really good picture. However, we were really lucky to get near a group of hippos...little did we know a couple days later we would get even closer!
As the cruise wound down, we were treated to the first of many amazing African sunsets:
After the cruise, we headed back to the lodge's bar for a couple of drinks before dinner. This was our first encounter with the fierce African mosquitos, and not lots of fun. Thank God for the malaria meds, no matter how much repellent we put on, they were out of control! After drinks, we headed to dinner. The package at the lodge included room, three meals, and two game activities a day, so we were curious to see what kind of meal was included. Unsurprisingly, I guess, it was a buffet.
Fortunately, the first night was "BBQ night" and there was tons of great grilled meat to choose from. Kudu, lots of sausages, chicken, it was actually really good. Add in the fact that the wine was quite reasonably priced, and overall the first impression of the lodge was quite good. It was off to bed pretty much right after dinner, since the morning game drive left at 6am!
Pulled up to the border, exited Zambia no problems, and into Zimbabwe just as easy. While the Zambian immigration was pleasant, the folks on the Zimbabwe side were downright rude. Oh well, at least the Zimbabwe visa was a cool sticker, while Zambia was just a stamp with "multi" written below it, lol. I could have done that myself! Through the border, we had about one hour to drive to the lodge.
We stayed at the Chobe Marina Lodge in Kasane, Botswana. First impressions were pretty good. Check-in was efficient, they walked us to our room without asking for a tip, and overall the property was pretty nice. Certainly not luxury, but clean, comfortable, etc. Can't ask for too much more. We had to rush, however, because the evening safari cruise was about to leave, and if we wanted to go we had about five minutes to dump things in the room and be out there! We were only there two days, so wanted to be sure that we got in as much as possible!
Last ones on the boat, and away we went. The cruise was a bit over two hours, and a great relaxing intro to things. First off, the obligatory impala shot. It's the first thing you see on safari, and probably the last. They're everywhere, and you can tell the people on their first time out because they excitedly snap pictures of them!
<!--more-->Further along the river, we saw some of our first elephants:
Saw several crocodiles at this point as well, but none were quite close enough for a really good picture. However, we were really lucky to get near a group of hippos...little did we know a couple days later we would get even closer!
As the cruise wound down, we were treated to the first of many amazing African sunsets:
After the cruise, we headed back to the lodge's bar for a couple of drinks before dinner. This was our first encounter with the fierce African mosquitos, and not lots of fun. Thank God for the malaria meds, no matter how much repellent we put on, they were out of control! After drinks, we headed to dinner. The package at the lodge included room, three meals, and two game activities a day, so we were curious to see what kind of meal was included. Unsurprisingly, I guess, it was a buffet.
Fortunately, the first night was "BBQ night" and there was tons of great grilled meat to choose from. Kudu, lots of sausages, chicken, it was actually really good. Add in the fact that the wine was quite reasonably priced, and overall the first impression of the lodge was quite good. It was off to bed pretty much right after dinner, since the morning game drive left at 6am!
Oct 24, 2011, 6:40 pm
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,528
This will be mostly a photo update. .We were up quite early, where the lodge provided (instant) coffee and muffins before a 6am safari drive. .The idea is that the animals are most active at this hour, and foraging for food. .What I'd failed to plan for is the weather. .It was COLD...and especially cold when the open-air jeep got moving. .Everywhere we'd been on this trip was in the 80s-90 fahrenheit, so I wasn't prepared for moving in the wind when it was barely 50! .Oh well, the sun came up within the hour, and at least made things tolerable. .So, on that note...
Well, good morning Mr Giraffe!
<!--more-->Or how about a warthog?
Or maybe an impala? .They were EVERYWHERE!
Or a water buffalo?
Or finally...a lion! .They were quite obviously on the prowl, but we didn't really get to see any hunting.
After a roughly two hour drive, we were back to the lodge for breakfast. .The buffet was nothing special, but it was adequate. . After breakfast we had to rush a bit, because we had planned a day trip to Namibia in between the day's two safari activities. .I will confess the primary motivation for this trip was that I couldn't stand to be across the river for Namibia and not cross of a new country! .However, in the end, it turned out to be a really cool experience.
The trip was billed as a "Namibian Village Tour" and we expected something really cheesy and fake. .However, it was just the two of us, and the villages on Impalila Island where we went were completely authentic, fully functioning villages. .Yes, the village ladies had set out some crafts to sell (which for all we know came from China or Ghana) but other than that, these were definitely real villages.
First, the oldest Baobab tree on the island:
Anyone who's been to Africa knows that stores often have very creative Christian-inspired names. .In this case, welcome to the GOD KNOWS shop!
The island school, with a plaque proudly proclaiming it was financed by my employer:
For a long time during the apartheid period, Namibia was occupied by South Africa. .Our guide stressed to us repeatedly that this period was not all bad for Namibia, because the South Africans had done a good deal of infrastructure building. .Selfishly-motivated or not, it was clear it had made an impact. .Maybe a lesson for international development? .That said, a bridge the guide said was an especially useful addition to the island:
After a couple of hours of walking in the intense sun we were good and crispy, and after checking out via the most informal immigration post I've ever experienced (don't worry - still got the stamp!) we were back on the boat to Botswana. .We had maybe an hour to relax, before the evening's safari drive. .I'd end with a few pictures, and just say that the evening drive was awesome. .We saw lions stalking a group of buffalo for the kill, but unfortunately the park closed at 6pm and we had to be out before they went for it. .It was unclear the next morning if they succeeded or not, but pics will tell that story tomorrow.
Matt and his best friends:
Of course, who can resist another awesome African sunset:
Back to the lodge just in time to enjoy a Savanna Dry before hitting the buffet. .Unfortunately, not nearly as good as BBQ night the night before, but hey...it's a hotel buffet, so it was perfectly adequate. .Off to bed early again, because we were going to get in one more early morning game drive before leaving and see what the lions had gotten up to!
Well, good morning Mr Giraffe!
<!--more-->Or how about a warthog?
Or maybe an impala? .They were EVERYWHERE!
Or a water buffalo?
Or finally...a lion! .They were quite obviously on the prowl, but we didn't really get to see any hunting.
After a roughly two hour drive, we were back to the lodge for breakfast. .The buffet was nothing special, but it was adequate. . After breakfast we had to rush a bit, because we had planned a day trip to Namibia in between the day's two safari activities. .I will confess the primary motivation for this trip was that I couldn't stand to be across the river for Namibia and not cross of a new country! .However, in the end, it turned out to be a really cool experience.
The trip was billed as a "Namibian Village Tour" and we expected something really cheesy and fake. .However, it was just the two of us, and the villages on Impalila Island where we went were completely authentic, fully functioning villages. .Yes, the village ladies had set out some crafts to sell (which for all we know came from China or Ghana) but other than that, these were definitely real villages.
First, the oldest Baobab tree on the island:
Anyone who's been to Africa knows that stores often have very creative Christian-inspired names. .In this case, welcome to the GOD KNOWS shop!
The island school, with a plaque proudly proclaiming it was financed by my employer:
For a long time during the apartheid period, Namibia was occupied by South Africa. .Our guide stressed to us repeatedly that this period was not all bad for Namibia, because the South Africans had done a good deal of infrastructure building. .Selfishly-motivated or not, it was clear it had made an impact. .Maybe a lesson for international development? .That said, a bridge the guide said was an especially useful addition to the island:
After a couple of hours of walking in the intense sun we were good and crispy, and after checking out via the most informal immigration post I've ever experienced (don't worry - still got the stamp!) we were back on the boat to Botswana. .We had maybe an hour to relax, before the evening's safari drive. .I'd end with a few pictures, and just say that the evening drive was awesome. .We saw lions stalking a group of buffalo for the kill, but unfortunately the park closed at 6pm and we had to be out before they went for it. .It was unclear the next morning if they succeeded or not, but pics will tell that story tomorrow.
Matt and his best friends:
Of course, who can resist another awesome African sunset:
Back to the lodge just in time to enjoy a Savanna Dry before hitting the buffet. .Unfortunately, not nearly as good as BBQ night the night before, but hey...it's a hotel buffet, so it was perfectly adequate. .Off to bed early again, because we were going to get in one more early morning game drive before leaving and see what the lions had gotten up to!
Oct 25, 2011, 7:05 pm
#45
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,528
Safari in Botswana, and afternoon in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
It was up at 5am again, for one last 6am safari in Botswana. We were really lucky this morning because it was just slightly warmer, and very early in the drive the guides got quite excited - one of the jeeps had spotted a fresh lion kill and we were all racing there for a look.
Breakfast anyone?
Now that's the face of someone who just had a good meal...notice the red around the mouth.
After the drive it was back to the lodge for a quick breakfast before checking out. Our driver picked us up, and it was off to Zimbabwe for the next part of the adventure. Immigration was quite quick, and we were soon out of Botswana and back into Zimbabwe and off to Victoria Falls. Upon arriving in town he took us straight to our hotel, the Kingdom Hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Everyone had said to stay on the Zambia side, but from everything I could see the Zimbabwe side was closer to the falls and to most of the things we wanted to do. In the end, it was definitely the right call because we were able to walk to everything we wanted, and the hotel was clean, safe, and the staff was friendly. No reservations recommending it...well, except maybe for this small sign next to the pool:
We wandered the town a little to find some water and check things out, and stopped at the overlook to see the bridge we had paid to jump off later that afternoon:
After the overlook, we headed to the bridge to talk to the immigration folks. We wanted to make sure we didn't have to leave Zimbabwe (and thus get another visa and pay another $50) in order to go to the middle of the bridge to jump off. No problem - they were friendly, and gave you a "bridge voucher" so you could come back without using up your visa. Very helpful!
After the walk we had just enough time to head back to the hotel, grab a quick sandwich at the pool bar and get ready to head to the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia to...jump off it!
Breakfast anyone?
Now that's the face of someone who just had a good meal...notice the red around the mouth.
After the drive it was back to the lodge for a quick breakfast before checking out. Our driver picked us up, and it was off to Zimbabwe for the next part of the adventure. Immigration was quite quick, and we were soon out of Botswana and back into Zimbabwe and off to Victoria Falls. Upon arriving in town he took us straight to our hotel, the Kingdom Hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Everyone had said to stay on the Zambia side, but from everything I could see the Zimbabwe side was closer to the falls and to most of the things we wanted to do. In the end, it was definitely the right call because we were able to walk to everything we wanted, and the hotel was clean, safe, and the staff was friendly. No reservations recommending it...well, except maybe for this small sign next to the pool:
We wandered the town a little to find some water and check things out, and stopped at the overlook to see the bridge we had paid to jump off later that afternoon:
After the overlook, we headed to the bridge to talk to the immigration folks. We wanted to make sure we didn't have to leave Zimbabwe (and thus get another visa and pay another $50) in order to go to the middle of the bridge to jump off. No problem - they were friendly, and gave you a "bridge voucher" so you could come back without using up your visa. Very helpful!
After the walk we had just enough time to head back to the hotel, grab a quick sandwich at the pool bar and get ready to head to the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia to...jump off it!