If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
Wildlife viewing, stunning geography and unique people make jaunt to Kenya Christopher Clark, Vancouver Sun Published: Saturday, July 28, 2007 To be honest, like most people, I would not have thought of a quick trip to Africa when planning for a vacation. By quick I mean eight days with my feet actually on African soil. Add three days to get there and back and you have 11 days away. My two other trips to Africa were both a month in duration. So, I will admit that I viewed this as a bit of an experiment to see if the long travel time between Vancouver and Africa would be outweighed by my experiences. Most of the people I mentioned this trip to determined that I was a bit crazy. No one is used to hearing the words quick and Africa in the same sentence. It was pointed out to me that a more proper use of the term would be to say "I am off for a quick trip to Kelowna." Well I just recently returned from my "quick trip" to Africa and I am glad to say that it was a resounding success. One of the keys to making this short long-distance holiday work was finding an itinerary that covered many places that were not too far apart. The other was selecting Kenya. Article continues at: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...9-38c4d3832b52 [Had to laugh at, "Kenya is an amazing little country ..." Guess the guy hasn't looked at a map. Besides, I don't agree with him. I've tried different safari durations and invariably liked the longer ones more. Nothing shorter than two weeks ... Hans-Georg] -- No mail, please. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
In message , Hans-Georg
Michna writes 'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success Wildlife viewing, stunning geography and unique people make jaunt to Kenya Christopher Clark, Vancouver Sun Published: Saturday, July 28, 2007 To be honest, like most people, I would not have thought of a quick trip to Africa when planning for a vacation. By quick I mean eight days with my feet actually on African soil. Add three days to get there and back and you have 11 days away. My two other trips to Africa were both a month in duration. So, I will admit that I viewed this as a bit of an experiment to see if the long travel time between Vancouver and Africa would be outweighed by my experiences. Most of the people I mentioned this trip to determined that I was a bit crazy. No one is used to hearing the words quick and Africa in the same sentence. It was pointed out to me that a more proper use of the term would be to say "I am off for a quick trip to Kelowna." Well I just recently returned from my "quick trip" to Africa and I am glad to say that it was a resounding success. One of the keys to making this short long-distance holiday work was finding an itinerary that covered many places that were not too far apart. The other was selecting Kenya. Article continues at: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...id=0c75df8b-0c 24-43af-b039-38c4d3832b52 [Had to laugh at, "Kenya is an amazing little country ..." Guess the guy hasn't looked at a map. Besides, I don't agree with him. I've tried different safari durations and invariably liked the longer ones more. Nothing shorter than two weeks ... Hans-Georg] Hans Georg, I couldn`t go to Kenya for less than two, or better still, three weeks to Kenya! Over the years I have met people on aeroplanes who were going out on business for a week, this is a different thing entirely. On a different note, I read today in the Daily Telegraph Travel section that crime in South Africa is so bad that people are going to Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia instead, the correspondent said that Kenya relies on safaris whereas South Africa has much more. In fact Kenya has so much diversity, such as lakes, mountain, coast, as well as safari destinations. Pat. -- Pat Anderson |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 14:39:27 +0200, Hans-Georg Michna
wrote: 'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success Wildlife viewing, stunning geography and unique people make jaunt to Kenya Christopher Clark, Vancouver Sun Published: Saturday, July 28, 2007 To be honest, like most people, I would not have thought of a quick trip to Africa when planning for a vacation. By quick I mean eight days with my feet actually on African soil. Add three days to get there and back and you have 11 days away. My two other trips to Africa were both a month in duration. So, I will admit that I viewed this as a bit of an experiment to see if the long travel time between Vancouver and Africa would be outweighed by my experiences. Most of the people I mentioned this trip to determined that I was a bit crazy. No one is used to hearing the words quick and Africa in the same sentence. It was pointed out to me that a more proper use of the term would be to say "I am off for a quick trip to Kelowna." Well I just recently returned from my "quick trip" to Africa and I am glad to say that it was a resounding success. One of the keys to making this short long-distance holiday work was finding an itinerary that covered many places that were not too far apart. The other was selecting Kenya. Article continues at: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...9-38c4d3832b52 [Had to laugh at, "Kenya is an amazing little country ..." Guess the guy hasn't looked at a map. Besides, I don't agree with him. I've tried different safari durations and invariably liked the longer ones more. Nothing shorter than two weeks ... Hans-Georg] Well, he is from Canada. Remeber Kenya is smaller than British Columbia, the writer's home province. In fact most of Canada's provinces and territories are larger than Kenya. GK |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
"Pat Anderson" wrote in message ... In message , Hans-Georg Michna writes 'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success Wildlife viewing, stunning geography and unique people make jaunt to Kenya Christopher Clark, Vancouver Sun Published: Saturday, July 28, 2007 To be honest, like most people, I would not have thought of a quick trip to Africa when planning for a vacation. By quick I mean eight days with my feet actually on African soil. Add three days to get there and back and you have 11 days away. My two other trips to Africa were both a month in duration. So, I will admit that I viewed this as a bit of an experiment to see if the long travel time between Vancouver and Africa would be outweighed by my experiences. Most of the people I mentioned this trip to determined that I was a bit crazy. No one is used to hearing the words quick and Africa in the same sentence. It was pointed out to me that a more proper use of the term would be to say "I am off for a quick trip to Kelowna." Well I just recently returned from my "quick trip" to Africa and I am glad to say that it was a resounding success. One of the keys to making this short long-distance holiday work was finding an itinerary that covered many places that were not too far apart. The other was selecting Kenya. Article continues at: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...id=0c75df8b-0c 24-43af-b039-38c4d3832b52 [Had to laugh at, "Kenya is an amazing little country ..." Guess the guy hasn't looked at a map. Besides, I don't agree with him. I've tried different safari durations and invariably liked the longer ones more. Nothing shorter than two weeks ... Hans-Georg] Hans Georg, I couldn`t go to Kenya for less than two, or better still, three weeks to Kenya! Over the years I have met people on aeroplanes who were going out on business for a week, this is a different thing entirely. On a different note, I read today in the Daily Telegraph Travel section that crime in South Africa is so bad that people are going to Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia instead, the correspondent said that Kenya relies on safaris whereas South Africa has much more. In fact Kenya has so much diversity, such as lakes, mountain, coast, as well as safari destinations. Pat. -- Pat Anderson hi Pat...all my elderly relatives who were ex-pts in kenya in the 1960's but now living back in the Uk are very concerned for me to visit Kenya on account of how dangerous it is for tourists ( more specifically, Nairobi). Im pretty savvy about being street smart ( ie dont walk around with expensive gear,cameras,jewellery,watches, follow the crowds,use cabs etc), so im not overly afraid, but I have heard that Nairobi is almost absloutley a no-go area after dark. how true is this? Thanks :-) -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
In message
Hans-Georg Michna wrote: 'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success Well I just recently returned from my "quick trip" to Africa and I am glad to say that it was a resounding success. One of the keys to making this short long-distance holiday work was finding an itinerary that covered many places that were not too far apart. The other was selecting Kenya. Besides, I don't agree with him. I've tried different safari durations and invariably liked the longer ones more. Nothing shorter than two weeks ... Hans-Georg] While, obviously, the longer you can spend on safari the better, there are companies who do 'long weekends' in Kenya, i.e. going out after work on Thursday and returning late on Monday, though that's from the UK: nightmare to have the much longer flights from Vancouver. (Don't ask *which* companies: it wasn't info I felt useful to store in my tiny brain.) I haven't seen this year's Kuoni brochure, but their safaris start at four days, though you would normally be spending up to 9 days at the coast afterwards. This is for people who either don't know if they'd like safari, or can't afford a longer one (beach is cheaper). Just back myself from Uganda, where I heard that it's not unheard of for people to fly out, drive to Bwindi in a day (nightmare) do a gorilla trek, drive back to Entebbe the next day (or sometimes they stay one more day at Bwindi) then home again. "What will we do next weekend?" (Interesting the author came from Vancouver. As well as safaris, I do a city break each October with my sister, who isn't interested in wildlife. Vancouver was top favourite with me for this year, but the combination of the high likelihood of wet weather and the long flights (just from UK) were putting me off, so when she found an excellent 'deal' to Boston ...) Slainte Liz -- http://www.v-liz.com - Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Galapagos |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
In message , Liz Leyden
writes In message Hans-Georg Michna wrote: 'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success Well I just recently returned from my "quick trip" to Africa and I am glad to say that it was a resounding success. One of the keys to making this short long-distance holiday work was finding an itinerary that covered many places that were not too far apart. The other was selecting Kenya. Besides, I don't agree with him. I've tried different safari durations and invariably liked the longer ones more. Nothing shorter than two weeks ... Hans-Georg] While, obviously, the longer you can spend on safari the better, there are companies who do 'long weekends' in Kenya, i.e. going out after work on Thursday and returning late on Monday, though that's from the UK: nightmare to have the much longer flights from Vancouver. (Don't ask *which* companies: it wasn't info I felt useful to store in my tiny brain.) I haven't seen this year's Kuoni brochure, but their safaris start at four days, though you would normally be spending up to 9 days at the coast afterwards. This is for people who either don't know if they'd like safari, or can't afford a longer one (beach is cheaper). Just back myself from Uganda, where I heard that it's not unheard of for people to fly out, drive to Bwindi in a day (nightmare) do a gorilla trek, drive back to Entebbe the next day (or sometimes they stay one more day at Bwindi) then home again. "What will we do next weekend?" (Interesting the author came from Vancouver. As well as safaris, I do a city break each October with my sister, who isn't interested in wildlife. Vancouver was top favourite with me for this year, but the combination of the high likelihood of wet weather and the long flights (just from UK) were putting me off, so when she found an excellent 'deal' to Boston ...) Slainte Liz Hi Liz, you are just back from Uganda? Tell us where you went, what you did, have you been before? I`m interested to hear your safari story! Pat. -- Pat Anderson |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
In message
Pat Anderson wrote: In message , Liz Leyden writes Just back myself from Uganda, where I heard that it's not unheard of for people to fly out, drive to Bwindi in a day (nightmare) do a gorilla trek, drive back to Entebbe the next day (or sometimes they stay one more day at Bwindi) then home again. "What will we do next weekend?" Hi Liz, you are just back from Uganda? Tell us where you went, what you did, have you been before? I`m interested to hear your safari story! Pat. All in good time! First trip to Uganda. First impressions are just what people here have said befo Ugandans very friendly and not hassling, like often in Kenya. Not so many animals in the parks (QENP has an ongoing problem with displaced people (specifically, allegedly, Rwandan refugees) shooting lions and hyaenas etc, even in the past week). Much greener/lusher overall than Kenya/Tz in July: they say a walking stick stuck in the ground would sprout roots overnight. A country made poor by a dictator. :-( I went specifically for the gorillas, chimps and my No 1 wish bird, the Shoebill and saw all three. Gorilla trek nearly killed me, I'm so unfit! Discovered that tea grown in Bwindi sells for 125USh, about 5p, per kg, and the pickers have to be paid out of this. Renewed my commitment to being a Fair Trader. Not successful photographically, because apart from the first two and last two days it varied from bland heavy grey overcast to bland light grey overcast. In the forests, bright light would have led to heavy shadows anyway, and the enormous difference between dark and light caused me all sorts of problems with the gorillas. We saw and heard chimps, but in a really dark piece of forest. Flash not allowed with the gorillas or chimps. It was officially a group bird trip, a bit too birdy for me, really, in that it was often running up a list of species seen at the top of the forest through telescopes. The one time we saw elephants in nice light, drinking and bathing, *no one else was interested* (how weird is that?), so we didn't go closer, and I didn't get pics! That's the compromise when you have to go on group trips and are limited to July: just have to take what's going. :-( I'll put info on my website and will post here when it's done. Could take some time (weeks, not days), as I shot mostly in RAW (don't know why I bothered!) which will take ages to process. Am transferring images s-l-o-w-l-y - via CF cards as I can't find the cable - between my P-2000 and the pc as I type this! Slainte Liz -- http://www.v-liz.com - Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Galapagos |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
*snip*
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/n...9-38c4d3832b52 [Had to laugh at, "Kenya is an amazing little country ..." Guess the guy hasn't looked at a map. Besides, I don't agree with him. I've tried different safari durations and invariably liked the longer ones more. Nothing shorter than two weeks ... Hans-Georg] Well, if you come from the US, Canada, Australia or China, then Kenya is a little country And in the US they don't have that many days to spent, unfortunaly. Corné. www.amukela.com |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:14:50 GMT, grant kinsley wrote:
On Sat, 28 Jul 2007 14:39:27 +0200, Hans-Georg Michna wrote: [Had to laugh at, "Kenya is an amazing little country ..." Guess the guy hasn't looked at a map. [...] ... Hans-Georg] Well, he is from Canada. Remeber Kenya is smaller than British Columbia, the writer's home province. In fact most of Canada's provinces and territories are larger than Kenya. OK, that explains it. Canada has a lot of space. Living in Germany, "little country" struck me as off the mark, because then Germany would be a "tiny country". Kenya has some 580,000 km˛ against Germany's 357,000 km˛, even after reunification. I'm envious of Canada's almost-a-million km˛. (Data taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...tories_by_area ) Hans-Georg -- No mail, please. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
'Quick trip' to Africa proves to be a resounding success
Hans-Georg Michna schreef:
[Had to laugh at, "Kenya is an amazing little country ..." Guess the guy hasn't looked at a map. [...] ... Hans-Georg] Well, he is from Canada. Remeber Kenya is smaller than British Columbia, the writer's home province. In fact most of Canada's provinces and territories are larger than Kenya. Living in Germany, "little country" struck me as off the mark, because then Germany would be a "tiny country". Kenya has some 580,000 km˛ against Germany's 357,000 km˛, even after reunification. I'm envious of Canada's almost-a-million km˛. I just got back from BIG Africa to my own VERY TINY country (Holland) of just over 40.000km˛...... Regards, Hans |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Quick summary of my trip to USA | cat33 | USA & Canada | 2 | June 27th, 2006 03:29 AM |
Quick trip south of Rome | briegull | Europe | 1 | May 4th, 2006 02:02 PM |
Quick trip report | Dillon Pyron | Cruises | 0 | June 28th, 2005 04:10 AM |
Quick trip report YYZ/ATL/YYZ | H Lem | Air travel | 0 | November 22nd, 2004 05:41 AM |
Quick Trip Notes from Italy | PTRAVEL | Europe | 0 | December 1st, 2003 06:50 PM |