Let the fun begin in B, Z & SA!
I made it out to Livingstone a couple of days ahead of the tour; I've had one afternoon in Zambia and.... amazing! Joseph picked me up from the airport and drove me to the.... surprise.... to the Royal Livingstone Hotel. :-) After checking in, I changed into shorts, used the bug repellent lotion provided in the room and walked to the falls, but the highlight was the animals I saw on the way--zebras, giraffes, impalas, (vervet?) monkeys; lots of birds around too. Saw a hippo on the way to the hotel from the airport. The falls are lower than normal for this time of year, but we will see them from the Zimbabwe side once the tour starts. After that was high tea on the patio of the hotel. Glorious as the sun set over the Zambezi. (Not that I needed any more food after that, but FYI the riverside restaurant (Kubu) had no openings for dinner that evening, but the Old Drift Restaurant and the lounge/bar had availability, so no one is going to starve.) Now I'm back on the patio with my first Amarula, writing this note to you. (Mosquitos weren't noticeable until tonight--and I think they are more attracted to my laptop screen than me.)
Logistics for future travelers: I flew on United from (DCA to) Newark, then direct to Johannesburg. Spent the night at the Intercontinental at the airport--super easy, I followed the signs after emerging from international arrivals and crossed to the other side of the sidewalk. Beautiful hotel, and dinner there was delicious. My Tauck duffel was checked all the way through (and made it to Livingstone with me).
I left the hotel around 8:30am for the 11:00 flight (10:15 boarding) and felt that it was a comfortable amount of time. Security and immigration went smoothly, didn't take too long. I even had time to pick up a couple of things I forgot from the shops before heading to the gate. That's a bit of a haul, so don't wait too long to go head there. Then, it's more like a wide-open train station waiting area. Find your gate and have a seat; no announcements are made over speakers. The gate attendant will call you to the bus when it's time to ride to the plane. If you're worried about getting your carry-on onto the little plane, hustle off the bus when arriving at the plane. It's a free-for-all at that point. Note: no one weighed my carry on bags, but this might be different if you are having to check in at JNB. I already had a boarding pass from my original departure airport.
I booked today's afternoon tea & tomorrow's spa appointment by emailing the hotel ahead of time. I also started with the hotel, but was redirected to Livingstone's Adventure to book the microlight flight for tomorrow morning and the Elephant Cafe the following day.
The Tauck duffel was plenty big enough for me to pack my stuff--the total weight limit was a bit of a challenge--more because of technology than clothes. I'm doing this one solo, so I've got ALL the camera stuff, the binocs, the Chromebook, the cords, the chargers.... Ladies, travel-sized cosmetics are your friend to minimize weight. Plus, I was trying to get a lot in my carry-on since I have heard about a few too many luggage delays, so I had two carry-ons to allow for all the technology, extra clothes, and almost all the toiletries.
I can clearly see why so many of you have raved about this trip. More later!
Comments
That’s ok, I’ll wait.
Low flow
Hotel logistics:
Tea out of Royal Albert China!
HooHeel: this is the last day of the same trip that you’re starting. All I can say is: get ready for a wonderful and awesome time.
While in Capetown, I took an Uber to Tribal Trends and Tribal Collection (nextdoor to each other) and purchased wonderful African merchandise from affordable to pricey. The Watershed, walkable from The One and Only Hotel is also a great shopping area for a variety of souvenirs.
On another note and off topic is a fun book series I’ve read (probably for women) is the Botswana fiction series of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency. I’ve read every single book centered in Botswana.
OurTravels34, I have very much appreciated your recent posts! They’ve added to my anticipation for this trip.
Thanks for the shopping info too. And I’ve heard of the book series; intended to start reading them before the trip, but as always for me, I didn’t get to everything I wanted to do before departure.
Have the time of your life, HooHeel! I went solo too, and I loved every minute of that tour. I second Tribal Trends when you hit Capetown. If Reagan is still a waiter at Kabu please give him my best.
There was a No1 Detective TV series starring Jill Scott some years ago which if you can find it, is good to watch
@SandyFeet, Reagan was my waiter for tea! I very much enjoyed talking to him.
@British , looks like HBO/Max has the show. I’ll add that to my watch list.
Reagan is a great guy!