November 2023 - In To Africa: Journey to Tarangire

On the morning of November 18, 2023, it was time to say goodbye to the Fairmont Norfolk. Our adventurers had to exit Kenya to start the formal part of their safari in the African wilderness. They needed to fly to Tarangire National Park where  they would begin exploring all the most famous national parks in Tanzania. The journey involved a flight by a regional airline to Kilimanjaro International Airport, passing through customs and immigration in Tanzania and then boarding a chartered bush plane for a second flight to a dirt airstrip in Tarangire National Park. Later in the day, from the Kuro airstrip, they would have their first game drive, as they made their way to the Sopa Lodge, located inside the park. They would then spend the night there.

Kintai, their Masai safari guide and  Daniel their driver in Kenya, were at the hotel early to pickup our hero, his trusty sidekick and Bree. Safari-goers and their luggage were then transported to the Wilson Regional Airport. At the airport, all passengers cleared immigration control and security and then boarded a 12-passenger Cessna Caravan for the one hour- flight south to Kilimanjaro. The plane was operated by Safarilink, a regional East African  air carrier that has a dozen Caravans in its fleet. The flight was one hour in length. Kilimanjaro Airport is just across the border from Kenya. The group landed there and cleared Tanzanian customs and immigration and then went through security again to get back into the departure lounge for the next flight. From there, it was a 35 minute flight to Kuro in Tarangire National Park. Emmanuel, the Micato driver in Tanzania, was waiting for us at Kuro. He had chilled  champagne on a table next to the runway.

As it was already late in the afternoon and they only had a few hours of sunlight left. But, on the drive from Kuro to the Sopa Lodge they made the most of of it. With Emmanuel at the wheel and Kentai in the copilot’s seat, we started our first game drive on the way to Sopa Lodge. In the 3 hours before dusk, we saw three of the “big five” African mammals. including the buffalo, lion and elephant. We also spotted scores of other animals in that pristine savanna. 

We spent the night in the Sopa Lodge where the service was wonderful. The staff all sang and danced for us, as we were finishing our dinner.

Safari link to Tanzania

Farms from the Cessna Caravan

Second flight to Kuro dirt strip

Caravan

Emmanuel on the left with the champagne and Kintai on the right

Our Land Cruiser

Maribou stork

Guinea Fowl

Impalas and elephants

Vervet Monkey

Sopa main lodge

Sopa pool which we had no time to experience

November 2023 - In To Africa: Touring Around Nairobi

 On November 17, 2023, our hero and his treasured companion, began a day of touring around Nairobi. It had been two full days since they arrived in Kenya and it seemed that they were adjusting to the time change. Forty eight hours seems to be the right amount of time for Gym and Mrs Gym to fully shake the jet lag on a trip to the other side of the world.  

After breakfast, there was a meet and greet with Micato staff and Jane Pinto in the Norfolk Hotel. Jane is the 88 year old co-founder of Micato. She looks younger than her age but has knee problems and has lost some mobility. Her husband Felix could not make it, he is 95 and has retired from the day-to-day business of the company. Felix and Jane live about 30 minutes away from the hotel. Also present at the meeting was Bree, a young, IT professional from New England. Gym and Mrs. Gym would be touring Kenya and Tanzania for the next 11 days with Bree, Kintai, their Safari Director various drivers, bush-pilots, guides and trackers employed by the company. Exciting times surely lay ahead,

November 17th was a day to see some of the sights around Nairobi and Kintai and Daniel the local driver, were there in the Micato van shortly after the meet and greet ended. The first stop was the Nairobi National Museum. 

Micato had arranged  for our hero,  his dear wife and their new friend Bree to have a private tour of two of the main halls of the museum. Sharon a young and enthusiastic curator from the museum led the small group. Their brief time at the museum was spent looking at exhibits related to the history of Kenya and demographics of the country. They also looked at how the country has progressed since since pre-colonial times, through to the times when Britain ruled the country and how things have gone since independence in 1962. It was a good place to start the formal part of the trip. 

The next stop was the Karen Blixen Museum. Karen Blixen was the Danish author of book Out of Africa. The house was the home she lived in from 1917 to 1931 when she returned to Denmark. They unfortunately do not allow photography in the museum but our hero assures you that touring the home is worth it. The rooms are furnished with either props from the 1985 film or else items that were there when Karen Blixen lived there.  Gym etal got a good feel for how the author lived and it became very apparent how much respect Kenyans still have for her. While the author ran her vast agricultural holdingse she treated all the African people and especially the children with sincere respect and compassion. Today, a nearby subdivision is named ‘Karen’ in her honour.

Front of house

Photo of Karen on the veranda 

Reproduction of a painting by Karen

The beautiful backyard

Next the van made a stop at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to visit some orphans. The tour-goers were able to get close and personal with a baby black rhino and about 25 baby elephants. All of these poor animals had lost their mothers due to poachers, accidents or natural causes such as drought. They are rescued by the Trust and brought here to raise until they are old enough to return to the wild. The baby rhino has imprinted on his trainer who leads him by the visitors for a photoshoot. The baby elephants are drawn in by huge bottles of milk and when those are polished off, they drift over near the public where their favourite foods have been left on the ground. You can actually reach out and touch these playful pachyderms. 

The final stop was at the Nairobi Giraffe Center where one can get up close and personal with a few of these amazing mammals. The pictures speak for themselves.

Real beautiful lashes

The day included a wonderful three course lunch with some nice local merlot.

This would be the last day in Nairobi because early the next day Gym, Mrs. Gym, Bree and Kintai would be jumping on a bush plane and flying to the Tanzania bush, where the real safari would begin.

November 2023 - In To Africa: Nairobi

Our hero and his lovely sidekick woke up in Nairobi on November 15, 2023. 

And yes, that's in Kenya! 

Since when has this trip been in the works, one might ask?

Well, our adventurers will tell you that they had booked this trip in 2020 but the pandemic came along and they needed to cancel it. Then, one thing lead to another and they just didn't get around to rebooking it until earlier this year. 

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On November 13th, Gym and his dear wife, left Canada on an Emirates A380. On the first leg of the journey, Emirates flew direct to Dubai from Toronto. It would be a 12-hour flight. They were on autopilot until they got to Eastern Europe. Then, they crossed the southern Black Sea into Turkey, keeping an eye out for Russian fighter jets. After passing through Turkey, they crossed Iraq and went down the middle of the Persian Gulf, taking care not to get too close to Iran or bump into any American fighter jets. Following a safe conclusion of this first leg, there was a 3-hour layover in Dubai. Then, they boarded an Emirates 777, for the second leg of the journey. The route was almost straight south, down the east coast of Africa, to Nairobi. Emirates also took a wide berth of Yemen on this leg. Yemen had recently launched missiles at Israel. Having successfully avoided a couple of wars and some recent international incidents, it was late on November 14th when they finally touched down in Nairobi.

After arriving in Kenya, two very exhausted voyagers thanked the amazing Emirates flight attendants and stumbled up the airbridge. They knew that they would be looked after from this point onwards and sure enough, a Micato Safari representative was the first Kenyan they saw. Micato guided them though the airport and took all the stress out of customs and immigration. They had already found the luggage and before too long, all luggage and the weary globetrotters were loaded into a Micato van. Subsequently, the van smoothly negotiated the light, late-night traffic and in no time at all, it pulled up in front of the lobby of the Fairmont Norfolk Hotel. At the hotel, Micato had arranged everything and they even escorted the travelers to their room, where a bowl of fruit and some great Micato swag awaited them. At this point the four Micato staff that had looked after the dynamic duo since they had arrived in Nairobi, retired for the night and Gym and his lovely sidekick only had to brush their teeth and go to bed.

The Fairmont Norfolk is an historic property. It has been the starting point for safari-goers since it opened in 1904. In the early years, safari goers were hunters. In 1909 Teddy Roosevelt was a guest. The famous hunter Bror von Blixon-Fenicke also used the hotel as a basecamp for his hunts. Blixen was played by Robert Redford in the movie "Out of Africa". The hotel was featured in that 1985 academy award winner. Other famous people that have stayed here include David Niven, Jimmy Stewart,  Jackie Stewart, Pele, James Earl Jones, Sally Field, Michael Caine, Mick Jager and of course Meryl Streep, amoungst others. 

Gym had booked two full days to relax and acclimatize at the hotel before the busy Micato itinerary began.

Our adventurers were safely installed at the Norfolk on November 14, 2023

Front lobby of Norfolk

Cin Cin Bar a famous watering hole for safari goers

Gardens at Fairmont Norfolk

The traveler’s room is the one on the second floor right above Cin Cin Bar

Fall 2023 - October Meanderings: Zion National Park

Gym confirmed that his dear wife was indeed a good luck charm for the Raiders when they beat the New England Patriots on October 15th. It was another messy game but with Mrs. Gym in attendance, the team was able to post a "W". They had driven up from California and were settled at the Marriott Grand Chateau (nothing about it was grand). They should have left the morning after the game but they stayed an extra night in Las Vegas so they could dine one more time, at the iconic Battista's Hole In The Wall. 

Then on October 17th, they headed north again. Just past St. George, they turned off the I-15 at Exit 16 and drove east 25 miles. They had arrived in Springdale, Utah. Springdale is one of the most beautiful towns in America. It is situated on the Virgin River where it tumbles out of Zion National Park. It doesn't matter which way you face in Springdale, you will always have an awe-inspiring view of the multi-coloured walls of Zion Canyon. At the eastern end of the town are the gates to Zion National Park. Gym had booked two nights at a very lovely, SpringHill Suites in Springdale. This gave the dynamic duo two days to explore the park.

You are not allowed to drive your car and park it inside Zion National Park. The park service provides a continuous stream of shuttle buses from the park entrance to a total of nine stops from which hikers can get off and find a trailhead. There are dozens of trails of various lengths and difficulty levels, all of them seem to highlight a different unique feature or view in Zion Canyon. Our travelers hiked five different trails during their time in the park. They saw some amazingly beautiful perspectives of the canyon and quite a bit of wildlife. There were many wild turkeys and mule deer there, seemingly comfortable with the human visitors but Gym was most fascinated with the giant tarantula just off the trail that he was able to get quite close to on one hike. Gym and his lovely companion, highly recommend Zion National Park.

On October 19th, after having accomplished everything they wanted to on this trip the meanderers headed for home. They would make it all the way to Butte, Montana on the first day and that left a 7-hour drive the next day back to Calgary. Gym's wanderlust was satisfied, at least temporarily.

Even in late October the Zion Canyon 
is green which is nice against the
backdrop of the red sandstone cliffs.

A contrast of red and white sandstones of different ages

A typical shuttle stop in Zion National Park.

Weeping Rock, a short hike upper under the hanging arch is sure 
to get you a little wet.

Under the arch of Weeping Rock

Another view from Weeping Rock

A little bit steep

Some turkey on the road near Weeping Rock 

Riverside Trail at Stop 9

Do not pet Mr. Tarantula

The River Walk trail winds along the edge of the
Virgin River at the narrowest part of Zion Canyon
 

The River Walks takes you to the point where there are
.no banks on the river as canyon walls narrow so much
that the trail ends. You can go further and do the
Narrows Hike but you need waterproof shoes and pants.

The canyon narrows but before it gets to the Narrows Hike 
you see some beautiifully lush meados along the river.
There are several species of plants that hang on the cliff walls.

There is also a bunch of mule deer that graze along the 
side of the trail paying no attention to the nearby hikers.

So many pictureque views

Pa'Rus Trail is a hike from the park entrance to
Shuttle stop 3. It is paved and pretty easy but you should 
walk it for the many spectacular views. We did it
at the end of the last day. All of the following pictures
were taken from Per Rus Trail: