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I met a young woman named Mpho

Posted on July 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

Note: Our blog has been very quiet recently while other issues have kept us occupied. Now we’re about to embark on a series of travels that inspire us to write. With our annual journey to Africa coming up in May, we are reminded of a story about a charming young woman from Botswana, Mpho. 

We met her a few years ago during a visit to Mashatu Game Reserve, a good 

Mpho, Mashatu Game Reserve

Mpho and Mashatu Rangers in Botswana

game viewing camp located in Botswana just across the Limpopo River from South Africa. One of the special features of Mashatu is the ability to go out into the bush with university researchers who are studying local wildlife. (We went out with the elephant lady and the leopard guy – fascinating.) On one of these special trips we met Mpho (pronounced em-phoe) and learned her story. 

Just over a year before we met her, Mpho saw an advertisement in the Gabarone (Botswana’s capital) newspaper searching for a man or woman to represent Botswana at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando. Though she had never been out of Botswana before, nor flown on an airplane, Mpho applied for the position. After extensive interviews, she was selected from the thousands of applicants. 

Soon she found herself, all alone, on an airplane leaving her home in Africa to fly to Florida. When she arrived, the Disney organization accommodated her in an employee dormitory; her roommate was a young woman from Japan. I can only imagine the cultural challenge for all concerned. They soon found that they disliked each other. It was going to be a long year. 

Mpho enjoyed her position at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and, over time, became close friends with her Japanese roommate. She didn’t particularly care for the food served in her dormitory but grew to love American fast foods. 

Shortly after her year in Orlando was over, she returned to Botswana and found employment at Mashatu. She was a delight. She told great stories which were filled with passion for her country and Africa’s magnificent wildlife.
When we left Mashatu, Mpho was planning a second long journey, this time to Japan, to take part in the wedding of her Japanese girlfriend. We can only imagine the challenge. Our prediction is that she’ll soon make many new friends in Japan as well.

Paul Niskanen

To find out more information on our upcoming journeys to Africa, go to http://www.finevoyages.com/signaturejourneys/.

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Africa, beginning with the end

Posted on July 20, 2010 | 1 Comment

The shower is pouring hot water on my shoulders as I overlook the savannah. Like most good camps in southern Africa, our accommodations offer both indoor and outdoor showers. After a morning in the bush, it’s exhilarating to shower outdoors in complete privacy except for the birds and an occasional gecko or monkey.

Our accommodations’ verandah

After two weeks in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana, the joy of our experience mixes with a melancholy that we’re leaving this beautiful land, its fascinating wildlife and warm, hospitable people. Of course it will be good to come home but, for so many visitors, part of our spirit will always remain in Africa. Every newcomer now understood what one aficionado meant when he advised “If you can only visit two continents in your life, visit Africa twice.”

Early this morning we set off on our final game drive, hoping to see the five white rhinos we saw in the twilight a few days earlier. We discovered their fresh tracks and the little (or not so little) gifts they left behind to record their journey. Alas, they were not to be found. As we drove towards a new search area, we encountered a group of 5-6 wildebeest that looked at us in their quizzical way. Suddenly they turned away from us to focus intently on the bush. The leader sounded an intense warning snort. Scanning the bush carefully, we saw a female lion emerge silently (seemingly from nowhere) followed a moment or two later by two large males. Would we see a hunt? Were they stalking the wildebeest? Unfortunately the lions walked past the wildebeest with hardly a glance; apparently romance was in the air. The female led them down the road wiggling her backside at the two brothers who followed closely behind.

Well fed lion brothers

We tracked the trio down the road and into the bush until they disappeared into a thicket even our sturdy Land Cruiser could not penetrate. A magical experience.

Since our flight back to Johannesburg had been moved up an hour, we turned back towards camp to take a quick shower. As we neared camp, our guide turned off onto an unfamiliar, narrow track. Right around the corner, one of the camp staff had assembled a small bush kitchen to prepare crepes as a pre-breakfast snack. Whether smothered with maple syrup, rich strawberry jam or cinnamon sugar and lemon juice (my favorite), we loved the treat as well as the surprise.

Crepes in the bush 1

As we write our KLM Boeing 777 has flown through the night up the length of the continent, leaving Africa at Libya for the Mediterranean and Europe. Soon we’ll land in Amsterdam and connect with our flight home. I guess it’s over, at least for now. Of course we plan to return soon.

We’ll tell you more about our experiences in the coming days.

Paul and Christine

For information and details on our upcoming journeys to Africa, go to http://www.finevoyages.com/signaturejourneys/.

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Crossing Europe’s Continental Divide – E-postcard 2

Posted on June 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Leaving Vienna behind, we began a series of visits to Central Europe’s smaller towns and villages. We stopped first in the charming little Austrian wine village of Duernstein, perched on the edge of the Danube. As we walked through the vineyards surrounding the village, we could see the ruins of the fortress high above that once held Richard the Lionhearted prisoner. Under pleasantly sunny skies, ladies prowled the shops looking for treasures while their husbands paced outside. Some of us climbed up to the ruins of the fortress for superb views over Austria’s Wachau Valley.

Duernstein, Wachau Valley, Austria

Duernstein in Austria's Wachau Valley

Duernstein, Austria and the ornate, baroque chapel in the monastery at Melk

That afternoon we stopped at another pretty village in in the Wachau Valley, Melk. Though the little town center holds its charm, the primary purpose of our stop was to visit the extraordinary Benedictine Abbey dominating the hillside. With the strong support (including financial) of the Hapsburg Dynasty, this abbey once enjoyed fame as one of the most powerful in Europe. The interior is well worth a visit – especially the library with its thousands of old volumes – but the piece de resistance must be the magnificent baroque chapel. Breathtaking.

Early Wednesday morning about half of our vessel departed for an excursion to Salzburg and Austria’s Sound of Music countryside. Others stayed behind to enjoy a beautiful cruise through the Danube Valley towards our first city in Germany, Passau. Here the powerful Inn River joins the Danube along with the smaller Ilz River. Though a quiet and handsome little city today, at one time the Prince-Bishop of Passau ruled over lands as far away as Budapest and Vienna. (That might explain how this small city could build more than 60 churches.) The pride of the city is its magnificent baroque cathedral with a mighty pipe organ said to be the largest of any other cathedral in the world. Delightfully, one of the organists was practicing during our visit so we could enjoy the music and feel the immense power of the organ.

The Pulpit in the baroque cathedral of Passau

 

Yesterday we stopped in Regensburg, Germany, a charming small city that, due to its lack of industry, suffered almost no damage during World War II. It was fun to see the old buildings built a millennia ago including the Wurst Kuchl (sausage kitchen) that has been in continuous existence since the 1100s as well as the mighty Stone Bridge built over the Danube by the Romans beginning in 1125. Among the first to use this vital crossing of the Danube were those heading to the Holy lands on one of the Great Crusades.

Regensburg’s old Stone Bridge

The Rastles and the Evans take a break

 

This morning we’re cruising through a series of 16 locks that take us from the Danube up and over Europe’s Continental Divide (we’ll reach a maximum altitude of 1336 feet) and then lower us into the Main River Valley.

Though some of us have developed sniffles, we’re all doing well and enjoying our journey. Today we’ll visit historic Nuremburg but we’ll save that for later.

Wish you were here!

Paul and Christine

To find out more about our Signature Journeys, go to http://www.finevoyages.com/signaturejourneys/.

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Notes from the Danube – E-postcard #1

Posted on June 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

Note: When we host our Signature Journeys, we periodically send home ‘e-postcards’ describing our journey and some of the events along the way. This is the first e-postcard of our journey that takes us across the breadth of Europe on board a delightful riverboat, the Amalegro. During the course of our journey we’ll travel on three rivers (the Danube, Main and Rhine), transit through nearly 70 locks and cruise through five countries. We invite you to travel with us.

Tuesday, Duernstein, Austria

We began our river cruise across the breadth of Europe in Hungary’s capital, Budapest. As our aircraft flew low over the city, we could see that the Danube was in full flood. When we reached the shores of the river that divides this city, we found many of the roads, docks and tram lines underwater. Thanks to a jury-rigged gangway, our handsome ship, the Amalegro, was able, fortunately , to connect with its pier so we could board as scheduled.

The locals told us that Eastern Europe had just experienced two weeks of unusually heavy rains that caused widespread flooding; now a heat wave was warming the region with temperatures reaching into the nineties. In any case, after our trans-Atlantic flights, it felt great to settle into our comfortable, well-appointed rooms.

Before our ship began its cruise up the Danube, we spent a full day exploring Budapest. Though the city suffered from considerable neglect during the 50+ years of Soviet control, the heart of the city has been polished and rebuilt to reflect the imperial grandeur from its days as co-capital of the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire. When our ship began its journey upriver in the evening, the sight of the city’s lights from the center of the Danube was stunning.

Hungary’s neo-gothic Parliament 1

One of several bridges across the Danube

Bratislava

After sailing past the great bend of the Danube (the point where the river changes its easterly course to flow south to the Black Sea), we entered the Slovak Republic and landed in its capital, Bratislava. Most of us were not very familiar with Slovakia and were surprised by the low-key charm of its tidy capital. We enjoyed the tour of the historical center and the whimsical street art around a number of corners.

Before we sailed away in the evening, a charming group of exceptionally talented young women calling themselves “Aphrodite” came on board to perform in the ship’s main lounge. They received a well-deserved standing ovation.

Bratislava’s amusing street art — Sharon Dunlevy and Wendy Wantoch

Vienna

Yesterday morning we reached Vienna. Though we all enjoyed the ship’s excursion into Austria’s magnificent capital, our experience just scratched the surface – we all hope to spend more time here in the future.

Before we left the city at midnight, we embarked on one of our Signature Journey excursions. We began with a carriage ride through the historical heart of the city. From this perspective one could imagine how local residents arrived a century ago at the fabled music al theaters and the various palaces.

Ralph Hill, George and Myra Wilson (left) and Peter and Wendy Wantoch (right)

Afterwards our bus brought us to the suburb of Grinzing, known for its Heurige, Austria’s unique restaurants serving the region’s new wines and hearty Austrian fare. What an evening! The food was tasty and plentiful – there was no way we could eat everything that was offered. Thanks perhaps to a generous flow of wine and a great entertainer with an accordion, the evening concluded with impromptu dancing and hearty singing. That’s the way it should be on vacation in this beautiful country.

Nell Epler harmonizes with Susan Preston

At midnight we left Vienna and large cities behind as we continued our journey up the Danube to the charming little wine villages of Austria’s Wachau Valley. We’ll tell you more about that part of our journey in a few days.

We’re all happy and well (Roger Meier and Jackie Jeppe finally received the second of their three lost suitcases) and enjoying our journey immensely.

Wish you were here!

Paul and Christine

To find out more about our upcoming Signature Journeys, go to http://www.finevoyages.com/signaturejourneys/.

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