SafaritoEurope

Yesterday we arrived in la Possesion, one of the bigger towns on Reunion Island off the east coast of Madagascar. It is under French rule and government with a very strong Indian as well as Creole population.   We hadn't booked any tours and rather explore by ourselves so caught the shuttle bus into town and had a look around.   There was a meet and greet organised by the local council at the town hall which we had a look at but they took forever so we left early. Visited the grand market which was mainly souvenirs; visited the Hindu temple; the local fruit and veg market, with prices that were fairly high in comparison. I continued down to the foreshore area for a look and then made my way back to the ship.  It was ok, but not a place I would visit again. At night we had dinner with all of us at the Asian restaurant on board to celebrate my *1 birthday.  As a surprise, and in my honour ( because I am awesome and admired) the whole group had organised the s...

So here we are, time to catch up on the last few days. Day 3 of our safari adventure started with an extra tour to a traditional Zulu village where we visited a family during their normal daily life. They showed us their huts, traditional clothing and explained the family hierarchy, where the zulu man marries one wife, but can then marry more as long as they can support them.  This man had 2 wives and multiple children of varrying ages.  We also visited a nearby creche with children. The first time they had seen a white person, which created surprises from both sides, Adorable little black african 2 to 4 year olds, curly hair and big smiles.  Had a sing a long with them and got to see how primitive the class room was. A concrete structure with some posters on the wall, no other teaching aids, tables or chairs. In the afternoon we had a visit to St.Lucia, to the estuary where we did see Hippopotamuses in the wild.  The bus ride was long, 3 hours each way f...

Wow, Mesmerising,  freedom, pure nature, unreal, overwhelming, so fortunate to have been a part of it. That is the only way we can sum up the list 2 days of our safari experience.  We went to Hluhluwe game reserve, the oldest park in Sth Africa. Too give you and idea of size (especially those at work) it is 40 times the size of Stonnington. About 1000 square km. This is truely an experience you can't compare with anything. You slowly drive along and all of a sudden you are eye to eye with an elephant.  A herd of zebra crossing the road, a rhinoceros the size of a 4WD that is sunbathing in his mud pool. Baboons swinging from tree to tree. Warthogs ( Pumba from the Lion King) with his little babies running through the bush, huge impalas with horns a meter long gracefully strolling along, giraffes stripping leaves of trees, huge herds of water buffalo.  It is unreal and will take days to mentally process. Especially once we go through the photos and videos of a herd of ...

Great pick up by x5limo that took all 6 of us to the airport.  Well in time and easy check in. All good until the last boarding pass check. I stumbled over my wife's suitcase and ended up on the floor taking the barrier and 3 posts with me on the way down.  I got up with a bruised knee and sore leg, but more serious the elderly lady sitting on a chair nearby got hit in the head with the post and split her head open, 82 yr old, thin skin, blood everywhere. Staff attended but the bad part, Melbourne airport does not have it's own first aid or medical facilities!!! An international airport!! Disgusting! Staff attended with tissues, no gloves, no band aid. External ambulance was called, and they were organising to take her off the flight, I felt very guilty even though it was a genuine accident. Later we heard that she was looked after and boarded the flight after all, but the flight was 30 minutes delayed, thanks to me 🙄. All well until 5 seats, including my wife'...

Welcome all you readers. Here we are on the day of departure,  all packed and ready for another big adventure around the world.  We hope you enjoy travelling with us and hopefully see some sight that you would like to visit in the future also.  This is more of a test opening to ensure all is working well. Over the next few weeks you'll see a lot more of us,  family and friends travelling together.  Until then,  stay safe and see you soon.