...and, do not forget that extra camera battery! Mine was a last minute purchase, and I am so glad I had an extra! I think I used a lot of charge zooming in and out (was tough for me to focus in and then find my target) . On long days, I was so glad to have a backup battery all charged and ready to go. I cannot think of another trip where this would be necessary, but it was vital, for me, on this one!
I cannot think of another trip where this would be necessary, but it was vital, for me, on this one!
My first trip to Canada … a western Canadian trip Tauck no longer offers … taught me to have a back up battery. Luckily, my snappy little Sony and my larger Sony shared the same battery and the little camera saved my life ... just by being there and because I could swap batteries. Now I always travel with spare … fully charged … batteries for all my cameras.
Don't know why I am talking Galapagos here, but the small Tauck ship, really a boat I would say was perfect, we never saw another vessel anywhere we docked, it was charming. We did not even have keys to our rooms, no need, every time we got back to our room, any stray item of clothing was neatly folded on the bed.
As I was reading the "Safari Pants" thread I came up with another question. Batteries and the Galapagos aside, it is more appropriate for this thread.
Permethrin treatment- I fully understand the process and will likely do the same to our clothes, but my wife is sensitive to certain smells and aromas, so I am a little concerned. Wikipedia has a lot of good info about it but didn't discuss this facet.
Does Permethrin have any sort of initial odor or odor that lingers for hours or even days after the clothes have been treated that is noticeable by humans? If so, we will likely need to do a test on one piece of clothing before treating everything. Thanks again.
How long 'til everyone hits the road?
Unfortunately for us, we still have 345 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes and 9 seconds, until Kenya/Tanania, but who's counting? :-)
As I was reading the "Safari Pants" thread I came up with another question. Batteries and the Galapagos aside, it is more appropriate for this thread.
Permethrin treatment- I fully understand the process and will likely do the same to our clothes, but my wife is sensitive to certain smells and aromas, so I am a little concerned. Wikipedia has a lot of good info about it but didn't discuss this facet.
Does Permethrin have any sort of initial odor or odor that lingers for hours or even days after the clothes have been treated that is noticeable by humans? If so, we will likely need to do a test on one piece of clothing before treating everything. Thanks again.
How long 'til everyone hits the road?
Unfortunately for us, we still have 345 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes and 9 seconds, until Kenya/Tanania, but who's counting? :-)
Well, I did my best not to inhale the stuff ... wore a surgical mask, gloves, long sleeves, glasses, and hat. The warning labels make you believe you are handling anthrax. I could tell that it had an odor during the application process. That being said, my clothes have been dry for a couple days and I cannot detect any odor at all.
My husband did the spraying outside, he wore a mask, I was not around. You leave it outside for two hours. I noticed no odor at all when we were packing the next day. I am pretty sensitive to smells too. My skin is so sensitive I can't really do facials without risking looking like I've been burned, that's why like the spray, clothes that cover most of me because I hate the Deet stuff, I use it sparingly in lotion form. When people spray it willy nilly on trips it is terrible for me.
check out the Premethrin video about the product, on line
I didn't see the video but re-read all the (Sawyer) Permethrin data on Amazon - some pretty good stuff, but just wanted to be sure about the odor. I just need to ensure my cat doesn't lick the just-sprayed garments.
(this post should help push the spam off the Active Discussions page.
My dog. Just realized that in order to get him to his doggy resort in the morning, I would have to battle the morning SF rush hour to get back home for our final departure prep. I have to admit that our excitement is somewhat tempered by our foreboding of the twenty hour plane ride. I flew some long flights when I was working, but I had the best seat on the plane. So I guess Rocky will have to go to the 'Canyon Ranch' for dogs today. Hate that. Leaving him and the grand kids behind is the only real down side of traveling.
Hi fellow travelers on the Kenya and Tanzania Classic Safari starting July 5th, 2014.
FYI, just confirmed today that there are 16 people on our tour. Yeah!
We are going to have a blast.
See you Out & About at the Deluti Hotel on Saturday!
My dog. Just realized that in order to get him to his doggy resort in the morning, I would have to battle the morning SF rush hour to get back home for our final departure prep. I have to admit that our excitement is somewhat tempered by our foreboding of the twenty hour plane ride. I flew some long flights when I was working, but I had the best seat on the plane. So I guess Rocky will have to go to the 'Canyon Ranch' for dogs today. Hate that. Leaving him and the grand kids behind is the only real down side of traveling.
Another reason I love San Francisco. A stylish city with very stylish doggy resorts, apparently! I hope Rocky has a great time and forgives you for leaving him. I'm sure he will. He will just be glad to get his pack back. I hope his pack has a great trip, too.
Another reason I love San Francisco. A stylish city with very stylish doggy resorts, apparently! I hope Rocky has a great time and forgives you for leaving him. I'm sure he will. He will just be glad to get his pack back. I hope his pack has a great trip, too.
Cheers,
Jan
On the road again! Sitting in front of a big KLM jet at SFO. Boarding in thirty minutes. Here we come!
I am on the Kenya Tanzania trip departing July 19/20 th. The duffel really does take up a lot of room in a suitcase.
Is it really cold at the crater? Wondering if I should bring a heavier jacket!
I live in Atlanta so 50 is cold for me... Any suggestions out there?
It's the early morning thing … sun not yet risen … brrrrrrrr! I'd work on layers. Some days you might start out with every layer on at once, then as the day progresses you tend to strip off a layer or two. I really don't think you need a heavy jacket even if you are from Atlanta! The layers trap air and that will help make 2 or 3 thin layers feel much warmer than you'd think. Have an outer layer that will cut the wind … even a nylon type, zip up jacket would work. Have a wander round some outdoors shops or catalogues if you have time. And everyone swears by the usefulness of a Buff … warm ears, neck or dust-free nose!
As for the duffle bag … sounds like a necessary evil since you need to use that for your intra-trip flights. If you search back through the African posts … not just for this trip … you'll find some creative suggestions!
I felt the duffel bag took up a lot of luggage space too. Consequently, I just put my back pack in it and carried it on the plane. Problem solved. When I didn't need it, it just sat in the hotel room. When I had to use it, I put clothes for the two day trips in it and Tauck took care of it. I then put my backpack in the Jeep (oops, Toyota) with me.
Cold/hot clothes:
I had a sweatshirt with me and used it on the cool mornings. Usually, it didn't stay on long as when the sun came up so did the thermometer. It went back on at some evening functions. I never found the temps to be very radical...usually pretty comfortable.
Bug spray for you and your clothes:
I used bug spray the first day because I thought we'd get hammered by mosquitoes. Didn't happen. I never used it again. We did make an extra "game drive" in the Serengeti and went into the interior of the park following some rarely used roads. There were tsetse flies there but we never had a problem with them. The bug spay doesn't work on them anyway. We saw them and they flew by us, but there were only a couple and didn't bite us. I wouldn't use the spray for my clothes. It is expensive, a pain in the arse to apply, and you won't need it. Unless we just had an unusual experience, bugs weren't an issue. You are at such an altitude that is usually isn't a problem. Having lived in Colorado for 10 years I knew that but thought maybe it was different in Africa. At least two of the hotels put a bottle of spray in your room so you'll have some if you think you need it. Just stick it in your bag and all is good.
Immunization record:
Never had to show it....doesn't mean I don't think you need it (and the immunizations), just never had to use it. In fact, we were told to pull it out of our passports and not show it when we crossed into Kenya so that we didn't "confuse" the immigration officials there with extra paperwork. They don't read anything other than your passport. Sometimes, like for me, they didn't even read my passport. Some folks had to give finger prints and other stuff, I just got asked why I was coming into Kenya and they didn't even wait for my answer before stamping my passport.
We arrived Arusha for the. July 5th tour and before we we're let into the building for immigration they wanted our yellow fever shot proof. If could not prove you had a shot you were required to get a shot for 50 dollars. Would you like a shot there? Requirements change by the minute so why not get the shot and have piece of mind !!!!!!
No one said NOT to get the Yellow Fever immunization. I said I was never asked for the yellow immunization sheet and that including it with your passport, if not asked for it specifically, might confuse the immigration official. Often they just take everything you hand them except your passport and keep them. If they take it, you could be in trouble later. Just put it in your pocket unless they ask for it.
I got my immunization from my travel doctor and suggest everyone do that. As to taking the shot there? Absolutely not. With all of the blood born pathogens there I would never want a needle put in my arm in Arusha.
Get the shot but keep the record separate unless asked for it.
We are very excited about this trip. It was on our bucket list to do. We live in Orange County Calif. and love to travel the world. This trip will probably be one of our best. Look forward to meeting you in July. Lee and Robert.
We would love to hear about your trip. We go between Oakdale and Orange County. This will be our 2nd Tauck Tour. We went to Southeast Asia and loved every minute. If you have any type of web page or pictures posted, I would love to see them. We are just in the process of arranging for our shots. Which ones did you have?
Where were you travelling from? Seems like no one else has had this problem?
If you were responding to Robert Wolf about shots, we were also asked for our shot record. We came from the U.S. via Amsterdam. I have read that their checks are spotty and change depending who is on duty. It is Africa.
Comments
My first trip to Canada … a western Canadian trip Tauck no longer offers … taught me to have a back up battery. Luckily, my snappy little Sony and my larger Sony shared the same battery and the little camera saved my life ... just by being there and because I could swap batteries. Now I always travel with spare … fully charged … batteries for all my cameras.
Cheers,
Jan
Permethrin treatment- I fully understand the process and will likely do the same to our clothes, but my wife is sensitive to certain smells and aromas, so I am a little concerned. Wikipedia has a lot of good info about it but didn't discuss this facet.
Does Permethrin have any sort of initial odor or odor that lingers for hours or even days after the clothes have been treated that is noticeable by humans? If so, we will likely need to do a test on one piece of clothing before treating everything. Thanks again.
How long 'til everyone hits the road?
Unfortunately for us, we still have 345 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes and 9 seconds, until Kenya/Tanania, but who's counting? :-)
Well, I did my best not to inhale the stuff ... wore a surgical mask, gloves, long sleeves, glasses, and hat. The warning labels make you believe you are handling anthrax. I could tell that it had an odor during the application process. That being said, my clothes have been dry for a couple days and I cannot detect any odor at all.
Seventy-four hours and twenty minutes. (;-)
check out the Premethrin video about the product, on line
I didn't see the video but re-read all the (Sawyer) Permethrin data on Amazon - some pretty good stuff, but just wanted to be sure about the odor. I just need to ensure my cat doesn't lick the just-sprayed garments.
(this post should help push the spam off the Active Discussions page.
Cheers,
Jan
PS What eles can we find to talk about?
My dog. Just realized that in order to get him to his doggy resort in the morning, I would have to battle the morning SF rush hour to get back home for our final departure prep. I have to admit that our excitement is somewhat tempered by our foreboding of the twenty hour plane ride. I flew some long flights when I was working, but I had the best seat on the plane. So I guess Rocky will have to go to the 'Canyon Ranch' for dogs today. Hate that. Leaving him and the grand kids behind is the only real down side of traveling.
FYI, just confirmed today that there are 16 people on our tour. Yeah!
We are going to have a blast.
See you Out & About at the Deluti Hotel on Saturday!
Robert & Lee
Another reason I love San Francisco. A stylish city with very stylish doggy resorts, apparently! I hope Rocky has a great time and forgives you for leaving him. I'm sure he will. He will just be glad to get his pack back. I hope his pack has a great trip, too.
Cheers,
Jan
On the road again! Sitting in front of a big KLM jet at SFO. Boarding in thirty minutes. Here we come!
Cheers,
Jan
Is it really cold at the crater? Wondering if I should bring a heavier jacket!
I live in Atlanta so 50 is cold for me... Any suggestions out there?
As for the duffle bag … sounds like a necessary evil since you need to use that for your intra-trip flights. If you search back through the African posts … not just for this trip … you'll find some creative suggestions!
Cheers,
Jan
Thanks. We leave Amboseli in the morning going to William Holden's place. "Great trip." Sleep is at a premium so "Bye". (;-)
I felt the duffel bag took up a lot of luggage space too. Consequently, I just put my back pack in it and carried it on the plane. Problem solved. When I didn't need it, it just sat in the hotel room. When I had to use it, I put clothes for the two day trips in it and Tauck took care of it. I then put my backpack in the Jeep (oops, Toyota) with me.
Cold/hot clothes:
I had a sweatshirt with me and used it on the cool mornings. Usually, it didn't stay on long as when the sun came up so did the thermometer. It went back on at some evening functions. I never found the temps to be very radical...usually pretty comfortable.
Bug spray for you and your clothes:
I used bug spray the first day because I thought we'd get hammered by mosquitoes. Didn't happen. I never used it again. We did make an extra "game drive" in the Serengeti and went into the interior of the park following some rarely used roads. There were tsetse flies there but we never had a problem with them. The bug spay doesn't work on them anyway. We saw them and they flew by us, but there were only a couple and didn't bite us. I wouldn't use the spray for my clothes. It is expensive, a pain in the arse to apply, and you won't need it. Unless we just had an unusual experience, bugs weren't an issue. You are at such an altitude that is usually isn't a problem. Having lived in Colorado for 10 years I knew that but thought maybe it was different in Africa. At least two of the hotels put a bottle of spray in your room so you'll have some if you think you need it. Just stick it in your bag and all is good.
Immunization record:
Never had to show it....doesn't mean I don't think you need it (and the immunizations), just never had to use it. In fact, we were told to pull it out of our passports and not show it when we crossed into Kenya so that we didn't "confuse" the immigration officials there with extra paperwork. They don't read anything other than your passport. Sometimes, like for me, they didn't even read my passport. Some folks had to give finger prints and other stuff, I just got asked why I was coming into Kenya and they didn't even wait for my answer before stamping my passport.
Hope this helps.
I got my immunization from my travel doctor and suggest everyone do that. As to taking the shot there? Absolutely not. With all of the blood born pathogens there I would never want a needle put in my arm in Arusha.
Get the shot but keep the record separate unless asked for it.
We would love to hear about your trip. We go between Oakdale and Orange County. This will be our 2nd Tauck Tour. We went to Southeast Asia and loved every minute. If you have any type of web page or pictures posted, I would love to see them. We are just in the process of arranging for our shots. Which ones did you have?
If you were responding to Robert Wolf about shots, we were also asked for our shot record. We came from the U.S. via Amsterdam. I have read that their checks are spotty and change depending who is on duty. It is Africa.