OMG, crosscheck--you are too funny! I cannot wait to hear about the rest of this adventure...

Although I am sure you have a wonderful relationship, I can't help thinking about how much I love my dogs!

Great to know Amboseli was a highlight...I will be there in about a week (10 days to be exact). Read about the drought and associated conditions last year before booking it, but decided to go with my gut instinct and glad I did.

Can't wait hearing about the "packing stress", since this is what I'll be doing this weekend.

BTW, how COLD was it? Should I accept my friends offer on gloves and warm socks? (I'm in Hawaii and get cold when the temp dips below 70)!

Very funny and I can't wait to read more!

Hilarous~ Love it... I leave in a month for South Africa and am looking forward to the packing stress story. I can't say I'm as bad as your mister but I'm traveling with a friend (safari newbie) who wants to take EVERYTHING!!!

BTW, elizabethj...I always take gloves and warm socks. I don't care if it is 100 degrees at noon, at 5:30AM I freeze!

I forgot to thank all of you for your expert help. When Mr. C. approved the trip, I had a very short window in which to book everything, for fear that he would suddenly change his mind. My queries here quickly confirmed that the Porini Camps were the right choice for us, and I really am grateful for everyone's assistance.

elizabeth, It was not what I would call "cold," just a little chilly before 8am and after 8pm. We live in LA and I, too, am a wuss (sp?) about temperatures below 70 (although I grew up in NY). I would say the climate was exactly like LA in the winter - a range between 50-75F, although here we are not accustomed to taking drives through the savanna in open vehicles before dawn.

Because the Porini camps provided fabulous ponchos lined with blankets in their vehicles, the gloves and gortex rain jacket I brought were not necessary, but warm socks were a must. My routine layered outfit was a tee, thin cashmere and fleece...and I usually wore the poncho for the first 30-90 minutes of the morning game drives. By mid-morning I had removed one of the outer layers, and by afternoon, just needed the tee. Then in the evenings I wore a long-sleeved top and the fleece.

one2travel2 - Tell your friend that it very liberating having virtually no choices about to wear, although I'm not sure I would have felt that way if I were dining out in Capetown. I will post info about the packing stress drama soon.

Looking forward to hearing about more of your trip!

LUGGAGE ISSUES:
We are not normally neurotic about packing. We usually throw things into a suitcase the evening before we leave. And, thanks to another one of Mr. C’s rules, we always carry on – even for three-climate holidays. We have used our not-so-compact 22” rolling Travelpros all over the world, and so far nobody has made us gate check.

On this trip, our three separate tickets practically guaranteed lost luggage, so even I, who once packed two raincoats just to annoy Mr. C, agreed that carry-on was mandatory. This meant new bags for us because a)the safari plane guys, who don’t care about seat belts or cell phones, supposedly strictly enforce their 33 lb. max, soft-sided luggage rule, and b) we heard that BA routinely sends all LHR in-transit passengers whose dimensions are 1” too large to a three-hour line on the other side of security.

So we spent about several weeks ordering – and rejecting – every 21.5” wheeled duffel on the market.

During this period, Mr. C went off the deep end. He bought a handheld luggage scale, and then some worthless locks that a ten-year old could rip off of our bags effortlessly. Then he actually drove to LAX to test the bags we were considering in the BA sizer…not once, but THREE times. (Okay, I admit that I accompanied him twice.) The first time the BA desk was closed. The second, our new wheeled duffel was at least 4” too wide (I have kept this bag and have traveled with it to NY without incident). Then the third prospect got stuck in the sizer, and it took three security guys and one beefy passenger to get it out.

We ended traveling with four different non-wheeled duffels, each no larger than a gym bag (an Eagle Creek, an Eddie Bauer, a discontinued Travelpro, and a retro canvas and leather tote that Karen Blixen would have used for makeup). As soon as I figure out how to work flickr, I will post photos.

I wish I could report that all of our meticulous carry-on preparations paid off. But nowhere did the authorities weigh, measure, or even glance at any of our luggage. And...on all of our flights (including the safari planes) we noticed multiple passengers with hard-sided, heavy-wheeled Travelpros.


NEXT: WARDROBE ISSUES

Really enjoying this, very funny! I wish I could say the same about my flights as regards weighing and checking luggage. Mine has been weighed and checked at every transit point, so now I'm just really, really careful.

Great start crosscheck-can't wait to read more! Your baggage concerns beat all others I have read about or experienced myself but it does seems if one is overly concerned, it does pay off.

Thanks, twaffle and moremiles,

Maybe the airline personnel felt sorry for us...Poor guys going on a vacation halfway around the world with just gym bags - We will just have to repeat our trip with normal luggage and see what happens.

PACKING ISSUES:
This forum is very helpful for itinerary advice, but it was slightly intimidating when it came to packing for a safari. Although we were going to be near the equator in Africa, we were told to expect arctic temperatures in the mornings and evenings.

And, except for our Costa Rican Buzz-off wardrobe, none of us had anything in our closets in the appropriate colors, except Mr. C, who always looks as if he’s on safari. I own all sorts of fleeces, but all of them are black, just like the rest of my wardrobe. And my boys tend to favor white or bright tee shirts with the names of colleges and rock bands.

Here are the colors you are not supposed to bring on safari:
NAVY – attracts tses tses
BLACK – ditto about the tse tses, and also gets dusty (although we have been to other dusty places in black without consequence)
WHITE – attract deadly spiders
BRIGHT COLORS – attract male predators
PASTELS – attract female predators
PRINTS – attract reticulated pythons
CAMOFLAGE – illegal, punishable by seven years in prison (not an exaggeration)

The color grey seems to fall into a grey area. I do own one grey top, but it’s the exact shade of an elephant. And my favorite pajamas are a leopard print – those obviously wouldn’t work, even with warriors guarding my tent. So, I had to order new clothes for me and the boys in various shades of khaki, olive, taupe, sage and shitaki – and soon, we were the Earth Tone Family. I also bought very pricy quick-dry underwear, but then I read about a certain kind of East African fly that lays eggs in your clothes as they’re drying. Then when the eggs hatch, it burrows its way into your skin. Better to just pack enough underwear.

There was also a bizarre collection of incidentals to gather together. Several lists on this board suggested that we would need items like thank you notes and duct tape. When I asked Mr. C if our kids’ sunglasses were polarized, that was the final straw. He pointed out that I hadn’t been concerned about polarization in Spain or the Australian outback…or, for that matter, here in sunny Southern California. Besides, the boys never even wear their sunglasses.

FORBIDDEN ITEMS:
Living dangerously, I had dared to pack two black tops to use Nairobi and London. When I got to Kenya, I discovered, in horror, that one of those shirts was actually navy…I would have to hide it at the bottom of my duffel in case the tses tses noticed it through the screen in my tent.

I also risked bringing a pair of earrings, even though the guidebooks said not to travel with even costume jewelry because it could be mistaken for precious gems. I went the opposite route, and packed something expensive that looked cheap – some 18k white gold hoops that potential thieves would mistake for junky silverplate.

Eventually we moved on to other obsessions, like whether the immodiun we had left over was fast or slow-acting. In fact, by the time it came to the truly important decisions about which binoculars and cameras to pack, we were burnt out. We ordered a camera without research, threw in all sorts of converters and some Silly Bandz for the school kids, and we were good to go.

THE OUTCOME:
Like our luggage concerns, our packing nightmares were all for naught. On our first day at Amboseli Porini, we met – and, in spite of our wardrobe differences, bonded with -- a fascinating crowd of international fellow guests, including a family from Nairobi. They showed up for a game drive in (I kid you not) black, navy, tangerine and a sequined ethnic top. They even wore (gasp) open-toed sandals on our all-day hike. And we discovered that the Masai tribespeople, who live right next door to packs of hungry predators, routinely dress in bright red, purple and elaborate prints. Could this whole khaki custom be a conspiracy started by LL Bean?

When we got to the Mara, travelers were more on board, in Ex-Officio convertible pants and Tilly hats, and we even spotted a gentleman in a pith helmet. But we were especially shocked to meet two Czech guys in head-to-toe camouflage. Luckily, as far as I know, they managed to escape arrest or extradition.

NEXT: NAIROBI

Keep it coming. I haven't laughed so much in a long time.

Love your report, and how you overcame so many worries

As we waited at the airport to board our plane to south africa (we were headed to Kruger)I saw a couple who must have also had these same dilemmas, they both had matching khaki costumes and looked like they were headed for a safari drive right there..... or perhaps had packed light and these were their main outfits. I worried we might be wrongly dressed, but our ordinary clothes seemed quite the norm in Kruger!

Look forward to your next report!

So far, this is living up to your Asia report!

Living dangerously, I had dared to pack two black tops to use Nairobi and London. When I got to Kenya, I discovered, in horror, that one of those shirts was actually navy…I would have to hide it at the bottom of my duffel in case the tses tses noticed it through the screen in my tent.

Oh my god, don't you know they can see through luggage too?

I used my duct tape this last trip to tape the cover of my book back together. Handy.

The Earthtone family on safari--this is hilarious.

too funny! we're just getting in to the whole packing thing and I refuse to go buy more stuff that I'll never wear again. I hate shopping anyway! Can't wait to hear if the Tsetses raided your tent in search of the forbidden blue.

Crosscheck, you have highlighted the shear stupidity of the packing … colour … style debate. Go with what is comfortable that you already own. The tsetse flies will find you if they want, bright colours in vehicles is neither here nor there, in fact the myths perpetuated by safari travellers are amazing in their variety and silliness. The one reason I would (and do) wear khaki and neutral colours is because they don't show the dirt. I don't wear black because it is too hot in the sun. Other than that, good hat, good sunblock, good guide.

Most locals out on safari don't fuss themselves with the things we tourists do.

Loving your writing, so funny I'm chuckling out loud (much to the consternation of everyone else!).

Great post, great trip -- thanks for posting! Maybe I'll get to safari some day, but this year our Big Deal is 8 weeks to Australia and New Zealand. There's still plenty of packing angst, however. And I realise I have no idea what colors all those nasty biters in Oz might like... maybe I'm trying to avoid the information? At least it's one less thing to obsess about!

This made me LOL:
PRINTS – attract reticulated pythons

SB-Travlr -

One thing you might want to consider packing for OZ, especially if you'll be in the red center of Alice and Uluru... lots and lots of flies... one of those hats with hanging corks would be de riguer!

You do know that swatting flies from around and on you is the official wave of Australia (even in Sydney). I didn't have the corks but did use one of those "no-seeum" nets that fit over my hat! Yeh, I looked like a bee-keeper, but kept the critters away!

Hi sandi
Too right -- I've read about the flies, and also expect to encounter sandflies in NZ fjords. I went and bought a safari type hat with a wide brim, and found fly nets at LLBean. I guess they are just as useful here in blackfly season as they are in the Outback!

Like serpents in Eden, flies and their biting brethren seem to haunt lots of lovely places. Take those midges in the Scottish Highlands (please). I remember visiting Inverewe Gardens and seeing the gardeners dressed head to toe in mesh.

I have fond memories of a Monty Python sketch where everyone was named Bruce, and they wore those hats with corks dangling. At the time, I had no idea what those were for...

(With apologies to Ms CarryOn for thread hijacking!)

Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments.

SB,
No worries about hijacking - Gives me more time to prepare my next post....Australia and NZ for 8 weeks, I'm envious. You don't really need to pack very much because you can find everything you need there, especially if you like Uggs.

sandi,
We were lucky to visit Uluru in the winter, so no flies. But, sadly, we spent our whole time there in the emergency room at the clinic (not insect related)…but that’s another story. So no cork hats for us. Hoping you'll share your photos.

moremiles,
Fortunately, unlike on our Asian trip, my husband did not decide to bring home an African toilet as a souvenir.

janev,
We, too, saw tourists in safari outfits on our BA flight from Heathrow. It was if everyone was going to a giant costume party.

Leely2,
Silly me, I should have realized tsetses had x-ray vision. Can they also see through duct tape?

atravelynn,
Thanks - I feel honored to get feedback from you and the other celebs on this board.

twaffle,
ditto - Your photos and trip reports contributed to my dream of visiting Africa. As a veteran, the silliness must drive you nuts. I'm still not certain why our pre-trip anxiety level was higher than normal for this journey. Maybe everyone who visits Africa is secretly worried about being trampled by elephants or bitten by spiders (or ending up with a lousy guide). So agonizing about what to pack helps diffuse those concerns.

stamiya,
Seriously, my best packing advice is to prepare as you would for a normal trip, but include 1-2 understated khaki outfits. I also suggest you borrow binoculars. Then, with the money you save, you can purchase a Kindle, which was my real secret to packing light.

---

It is now time to describe the non-packing-related events of the trip. I will soon post my next installment, which will examine the pros and cons of exchanging saliva with a giraffe.

You had a medical emergency in Australia too? Getting sick or injured in Africa would've been quite a different story than the one you experienced in Bangkok-I know, my H had a serious illness in Botswana in a remote tented camp.

Looking forward to the saliva segment!

OMG - what happened?

The Australian event was a lot worse than the flesh-eating ear infection in Bangkok. After a very unpleasant drive from Alice Springs to Uluru, we went directly to the ER/clinic. The docs there thought my younger son had appendicitis. They were all ready to summon the Flying Doctors to airlift him back to Alice Springs, but finally determined that he had a bacterial infection from water he swallowed at a waterfall at Litchfield NP. The medical care was excellent, and I'm really glad we weren't in Botswana.

Sorry, everyone...I promise to get back to the trip report.

We're all celebs here. At least in our own minds.

Looking forward to more report and more chuckles!

Mrs. C,

So glad you've posted your entertaining trip report! Though DP often refers to me as the "packing nazi", I prefer the term "carry-on enthusiast". I was delighted to direct her to your posts about Mr. C's bag sizer adventures.

I seem to recall a news headline "Reticulated Pythons: The Scourge of Florida's Golf Courses". I'd dismissed it at the time.

Waiting for the saliva exchange installment.

"I would have to hide it at the bottom of my duffel in case the tses tses noticed it through the screen in my tent"

Ok, I'm hooked. I want more. I'm especially interested to hear how your boys liked the trip, as next year I'll be taking my nephews (who will be nearly 15/16)to Botswana.

Sb_Travlr/Sandi - I was watching the news one evening in OZ, and saw the guy being interviewed swallow a fly. That was funny too.

ccipups, Mr C will enjoy your euphemism. My spies tell me he's reading this report.

cyn, How lucky your nephews are! They're at the perfect ages to have a blast...and have a life-changing vacation. My kids have been sharing their photos with their somewhat-jaded friends and everyone is blown away.

THE FLIGHTS:
Everything went smoothly, luggage-wise and otherwise: An upgrade to first on the LA - Boston leg for Mr. C and me. Our one economy segment was a shortish transatlantic segment (miraculously acquired with 30k miles RT each at the last minute) Then, after a successful terminal transfer at Heathrow, we ran into close friends in the BA lounge – they were returning from the World Cup. We had a loud hugfest because we hadn't shared itineraries and didn’t expect to see each other. Mr. C bragged about our carry-on situation and they were duly impressed. Great company, great noodles at Wagamama - The vacation had begun.

We loved our experience in BA Club World so much that the boys were afraid they wouldn’t enjoy the rest of the holiday as much as the flight. The rear-facing/front-facing seat configuration is perfect for a family of four, but I don’t think I’d like it as much if we had been traveling as a couple – The set up obliges you to converse with tipsy, overly chatty people across the aisle, but you need to talk to your partner through a partition.

NAIROBI:
After a journey of a mere 28 hours, we landed in Nairobi, not nearly as exhausted as expected. Mr. C and the boys couldn’t believe that I knew a shortcut down a secret hallway to a hidden, uncrowded immigration area. (Thanks, Fodorites, for the recognizance report!) It took about seven minutes to clear customs and immigration because we already had our visas, and, of course, our carry-on luggage. Two Gamewatchers representatives were there to meet us, and soon we were on the road.

MACUSHLA HOUSE:
We arrived after 10 pm, but the staff was graciously waiting up for us, ready to serve us dinner. This is the ideal place to stay – not too pricey, excellent location near the giraffe center in Karen, cozy patios and rooms with chess sets, lush gardens and inviting local décor. You immediately feel like you’re in Africa. In fact I’d like to go back and stay for a while, maybe to write a more upbeat book than Paul Theroux’s disturbing and provocative “Dark Star Safari”, which I had read on the plane.

We had some curry and some delicious spicy soup (the first of many great soups on the trip) and were in heaven when we saw our cottage, The Fadhili house. It’s a separate structure with a basic-looking exterior, but it's full of masks, statues, sculptures, day beds with fabulous throw pillows, beaded mirrors and other artifacts, ranging from colorful kitsch to serious art. It has two full bathrooms and bedrooms with romantic mosquito nets, a large great room with a full kitchen, plus a private yard and a relaxing porch swing. Can’t recommend it highly enough for families…has to be one of the coolest set-ups in Nairobi.

ORPHANS AND OX-BALLS:
We basically did everything on the standard Nairobi 101 list. But the list of must-sees sounds pretty wacky compared to standard vacation activities like snorkeling or visiting museums. The boys thought I was high on Malarone when I laid out the day’s schedule - feeding giraffes, watching people paint beads, meeting their new four-legged foster siblings and finally, dining on grilled crocodile.

THE AMOROUS GIRAFFE:
Our first stop was the Giraffe Center, a short walk from the Macushla House…unless you get lost like we did, then it’s a longish walk. We were introduced to Daisy, the most charismatic and attractive of all the giraffes, and were each given a handful of pellets to feed her. After several nibbles, our guide demonstrated an advanced feeding technique: he put a pellet between his lips, and Daisy grabbed it with her tongue.

Maybe it was jet lag – or just Daisy’s extraordinary charm -- but before I knew it, her 21” blue-black tongue was in my mouth and we were sharing saliva.

Yes, I had succumbed to Daisy’s advances without thinking about the thousands of others she must have French kissed before me. As soon as I recovered from the unexpected caress, I considered rinsing my mouth out with Purell. But I decided to first get the guide’s expert opinion. I told him that Daisy had been a bit fast with me, and that I was afraid she might have deposited some contaminated drool in my mouth.

He assured me that giraffe saliva actually has antibacterial qualities – and it can even be used as a sunscreen. But for those of you who are inclined to worry about viruses, I would recommend that you stick to hand feeding Daisy.

BOYS AND BEADS:
What was I thinking? If you’re traveling with guys, I would recommend giving Kazuri Beads and the Utamaduni Craft Center a pass. But the Elephant Orphanage is worth the trip, even though the ellie and rhino orphans we adopted were ingrates and paid little attention to us. (After all we had done for them, they could care less about our visit and were only interested in drinking formula from a bottle.) We were also a little concerned about their trainers, who live in the hay-filled enclosures 24/7 with the orphans. Should we consider fostering them as well?

CARNIVORE:
This place is truly disgusting, but the guys loved it. They devoured ox balls, ox hearts, camel hump, ostrich patties, and their fave, crocodile kabob, which they said tasted just like chicken. I was so grossed out that I couldn’t even eat the beef or the lamb (but I did enjoy the chicken, which tasted just like crocodile). If I am forced to return, I will choose the vegetarian option.


NEXT: AN INJURY

embarrassing spelling corrections: reconnaissance, ele, Imodium

Such a great report that no one notices the spelling I'm sure.

I love your writing and have read your asia trip report with siem reap - we are off there in October. Just to mention, we also brought back a toilet seat, ours was from Seoul, and I even claimed back the VAT on it at the airport! In case your DH is surreptitiously reading this report it is good for him to know that we were similarly taken by these all singing (literally with music for modesty) seats, and now have two in our house (only one is musical)!

Just looking at the other postings & thinking the asia section should also have "Favourite souvernirs from Asia" -

Swapping spit with a giraffe! LOL. Totally enjoying your trip report. We'll be in Nairobi in a couple of weeks, visiting our foster eles (btw, I sign in on safarilink as "ellie"). Looking forward to the next installment.

Love the part about Mr. C bragging about his carry-on and that really was an incredible feat!

I'm ready to try BA Club World and stay at Macushla House but agree about Kazuri Beads and guys.

Great fun reading.

Maybe it was jet lag – or just Daisy’s extraordinary charm -- but before I knew it, her 21” blue-black tongue was in my mouth and we were sharing saliva.

But, but, but--you're married! This is turning out to be quite the adventure. Such fun to read. Thanks to you and the rest of the Earth Tone Family.

Crosscheck-saw your mention of this on the Asia board and had to come read even though I'm not even planning a trip to Africa (yet). Loving it.
We regularly do carry on only, or check our carry-on sized bags, if they are too heavy. It's not hard if there's laundry available.

Fantastically enjoyable. I'm sure the keepers would love to be adopted!
Agree with Macushla being THE place to stay if price and comfort are what you are looking for.

Kristina- Porini camps are fabulous, but the closest we came to laundry was the small canister of free detergent in the bathroom. I can't imagine how you did it with 4 people,Crosscheck. Love your report.

janev - Wow, you really went all out. Mr C declined the musical toilet, and just went for dual drying, spraying, heating version. Do you actually play the music? I bet Toto now has have models that you can hook up to your I-Pod.

stamiya - Lucky you. Wish I were going back in a few weeks. If you're going to see the eles at 5pm on your first day in Nairobi, I would recommend having coffee first because that's prime time for jet lag - maybe our foster children could tell we were fatigued and that's why they ignored us.

Leely - Mr C and I have an open marriage when it comes to non-humans. He exhibits absolutely no jealousy when I make out with our dog.

Kristina - Thanks for coming over from Asia. I always find there is an adjustment period when I switch boards on Fodors, but the people here are very cool (as you would expect from a group that goes on frequent safaris). I think Asia was the one trip when Mr. C amended his carry-on rule - he allowed us to check bags on the way home because of all our purchases.

twaffle - I just went to the safaritalk and read your whole trip report - wow! I am in awe of your talent (and envious of your upbringing).

sillysue - The "normal" Porini itinerary includes a stop at Rhino Porini in Lakipia, where there are not as many water issues, and you can do laundry. But we managed to find a fluff and fold in the Mara - more about that later.

I'm hooting and hollaring! You're too funny! I sure couldn't do carryon only, especially if staying somewhere (most Porini properties) where laundry isn't done. Why I always have sufficient attire to carry me thru, but still under the 33/lb weight limit.

Keep it coming, as I try to remember that I'm late, very late with my 2008 report and haven't given a thought to that for recent 2010 safari. Me bad!

CC-only one drawback on the Africa board which is no Dogster!

I was so absorbed in your tale I never noticed any spelling errors. Your account of the benefits of giraffe saliva have me thinking they should export the stuff.

You have me worried about the upcoming injury. It certainly did not impair your sense of humor, whatever it was.

THE INJURY:
Africa is a dangerous place. There is malaria. There are deadly snakes. And, there are dark pathways where you can trip and sprain your ankle.

The fateful fall happened on the way back to my room at the Macushla House after our dinner at Carnivore. I wish I could say it was just an accident, but sadly, I must assume full responsibility because I not using a flashlight and was wearing clogs. (Yes, I am aware that clogs -- even mud-colored ones like mine -- are not on the safari packing list, but I they're easy to get on and off in airports).

Mr. C helped me up and we discovered that I could barely walk. We planned to leave early the next morning on a road trip to Amboseli, and we could only hope that with the ice and Ace bandage supplied by the Macushla staff, my ankle would feel better in time for the journey.

No such luck. When day broke, my whole foot appeared bruised and swollen, and I still could not walk. Not a great turn of events right before the all-day hike we had planned at Amboseli Porini, an event I was looking forward to almost as much as the migration. I had only 48 hours to recover, and it was unlikely that I would find an orthopedist in the Selenkay Conservancy.

Fortunately, my 19-year old son had played soccer for 18.5 years of his life, and had sustained every possible kind of ankle injury. He took a look at my foot, determined that there were no broken bones, and assured me that if I followed the RICE regimen - rest, ice, compression and elevation - I would recover in time for the hike.

ROAD TRIP:
In Kenya, they believe in Heat instead of Ice. So after taking us on brief detour so we could see downtown Nairobi, our Gamewatchers guide and driver drove straight to the drugstore in the roadside settlement of Sultan Hamud. The pharmacy was not exactly a CVS, in fact it looked as it had been constructed by the Three Little Pigs, but there our guides located the miracle drug they were looking for: Deep Heat Spray.

The entire trip to Amboseli Porini took less than four hours. Not the most stunning landscape of the vacation, but scenic in parts, and a priceless glimpse of rural Kenya. The road was good, only bumpy for the last half hour or so. (The people on TA who say it's bumpy have never been to Central America.) And as we passed herds of camels, acacia trees and villagers with baskets on their heads, I stopped worrying about my ankle – we were really in Africa!

MIRACULOUS RECOVERY:
For the rest of that day and the next, I had minimal mobility and a fair amount of pain. I began to imagine myself on crutches for the rest of the trip.

Then, on the morning of the hike, I woke up 98% healed, all ready for our 14K walk. I will never know what prompted this speedy recuperation – the Deep Heat...the Alleve...the multiple Tuskers? Or could it possibly have been Daisy’s saliva?

NEXT: THE MOUNTAIN

Awesome report! I'll be wondering around with a smile all day thinking about it.
Hope you dont mind, but I'm copying it and printing it.

A remarkably swift recovery--probably a combination of the above. Perhaps we should treat ourselves with all of those prophylactically, just in case, especially if we've packed our clogs.

14K is a long way, hope the ankle held up.

I can only imagine what funny stuff awaits on the mountain!

Very funny, crosscheck, and slyly informative. You have an audience.

Crosscheck, thank you for reading my old report … I'm flattered.

I'm amazed by your quick recovery but not really surprised. It is the magic safari dust which could have come from Daisy or just from the African breeze whirling it all around you. Which ever way it happened, I'm glad you got to walk and I'm really looking forward to the next installment.

Hope you brought some Deep Heat Spray home with you.

You are all so kind. But Mr. C said to tell you to be careful with the positive feedback: It was only a nine-day vacation and he's concerned I will spend months writing this trip report, resorting to details about every spectacular sundowner, every dik dik we saw and how he hogged the water during our bucket showers.

sandi, YOU are two years late with a trip report? That's shocking news considering your star status on this board. Is that why you're so helpful...afraid of a penalty for tardiness?

moremiles, The Africa board needs a wilddogster

atravelynn, Phenomenal idea about the exportation of giraffe saliva - Could fundamentally change the Africa's economic climate. But it would take a formidable P.R. campaign to get people to want to use sunscreen with the consistency of mucus.

sallysaab, My agent will be contacting you about copyright issues.

kimburu, Back at cha! I'm a secret fan of your writing.

twaffle, Magic safari dust: Another great Kenyan export - let's look into included a bonus packet with each tube of giraffe saliva.

leely2, Sadly, because of carry-on restrictions, I had to leave the Deep Heat Spray in the Mara. But apparently, it's a big deal in the UK...The ice industry must have banned it here.

Yeh, a tardiness penalty! Bad as bad can be, shame, shame!

THE MOUNTAIN:
This segment is not about climbing a mountain, because our all-day hike was on flat terrain. It is instead about living for three memorable days in the shadow of the iconic Kilimanjaro, or as the Masai call it, “the mountain.” We saw it on and off all day, every day of our visit. And, every night, we saw a million stars.

AMBOSELI PORINI:
Amboseli National Park, once one of the most fashionable tourist destinations in Kenya, has become less hip in recent years. Some attribute its decline in popularity to mini-buses or drought. But I have uncovered the real reason: The name “Amboseli,” doesn’t sound exotic enough. Unlike Samburu or Lakipia, it could almost be a kind of pasta. (“My husband will have the tortellini, and I’ll have the amboseli porini.”) So stylish safari-goers have taken Amboseli off their itineraries and headed to points north.

Now, as my new position as the Ambassador of Amboseli, it is my mission to spread the truth: Amboseli rocks.

We chose Amboseli Porini as our “other” safari destination besides the Mara, for the following reasons:
- Iconic Kili views
- Reasonably priced eco-friendly and community-minded camp in the remote Selenkay reserve (10K from the park)
- Opportunities for cultural interaction with the Masai: a non-touristy village visit and an all-day walking safari
- Road trip from Nairobi saved money, gave us a chance to see the countryside

We couldn't have made a better choice. Maybe everyone falls in love with their first safari camp, but we were blown away by Amboseli Porini. We felt as if we were on a classic, "real deal" safari from the moment we checked into our huge, comfortable tents in the monkey-filled woods – not fancy or trendy, but what you'd imagine Teddy Roosevelt staying in...timeless. We had an excellent lunch under an acacia tree with a fascinating, international crowd (who became our BFFs as we sat around the fire every night). After the meal, there was complete flexibility in activity choice: One group visited a clinic. One couple went into the park with the goal of seeing 100 elephants – and they ended up seeing 200. And our family headed into the village to meet the tribe that leases its land to the Porini camps.

THE VILLAGE:
The guys walked alongside a dry red-rock riverbed with a dozen chanting, dancing, spear-throwing Masai escorts. Still unable to move my ankle, I drove with the chief of the village. In our jet-lagged state, this place was almost too much for the senses. We had been on “village visits” before as a family in Fiji and Burma. (And I won’t go into my premarital Oaxacan and Peruvian experiences.) But somehow this place was more Nat Geo-esque. There was nothing for sale. (If you want cool beadwork, you can buy it in a hut back at camp.) So there was no hustling…just a lot of hand-shaking, jumping, singing and general merriment. The most surreal part of our visit was the house tour. We entered a dung-roofed adobe hut with three round 2” peepholes, then listened as the chief pointed out the man’s bed, the woman’s bed, the indoor firepit and the eating area. But for all we knew, he could have been pointing to a Wolf Range or a Tempurpedic bed, because we were standing in the pitch dark.

WE SING FOR THE MASAI:
A friend who works with a Kenyan NGO told us to prepare a “family song” with hand motions, so that when people perform for us, we could sing something in return. (NB: We do work in the arts, but we are NOT singers…or photographers, as you will find out when I figure out how to post our photos.) So, after the jumping contest, to our boys’ mortal embarrassment, Mr. C and I sang “If You’re Happy and You Know it, Clap Your Hands.” As we finished the first verse, something cool happened: the entire village joined in, and soon we were all clapping and stomping together.

SUNDOWNERS/NIGHT DRIVE/DINNER/STAR GAZING:
As night fell, we drank our G&Ts (beware of the addictive potato chips) and saw not only a killer sunset, but two cheetah in the distance. I was starting to “get” why people love Africa. The world as it was: Epic.

OUR FIRST GAME DRIVE:
I now must admit that although I adore animals, I am not the wildlife fanatic that all of you are. If I were, I surely would have gone on safari earlier in life. I was actually concerned that I would not enjoy long game drives because I like to be active on vacations.

But our first game drive was magical: the weather was perfect, with highs in the mid ‘70’s and lows in the mid '60s. Our vehicle was private, open and super-comfortable. Wilson, our guide, was not only a genius spotter, but could also analyze every play in the World Cup and the NBA finals with our boys. We saw hundreds of enormous elephants, thousands of beautiful birds, plus lionesses, baby baboons, hyena families, gossiping ostriches, all sorts of bucks(s)...sorry, I don’t quite have the plural/no plural thing down yet.

It may be dry, but the Amboseli savanna is the Africa of everyone's dreams: At one point we had views of the cloud-shrouded Mountain to the left and a mirage-like swamp view full of pelicans and flamingos to the right, backed up by a panorama that looked like the finale of lion king (minus the lions) – warthogs, zebra(s), gazelle(s), birds on elephants' backs - all the animals hanging out together, celebrating a fine day in Amboseli.

NEXT: THE HIKE

You really are Amboseli Ambassador as I am ready to hop on a plane to Amboseli Porini right now! The pasta sounds good too.

What a wonderful start to your safari.

Oh you have captured the essence of safari for me. "As night fell, we drank our G&Ts (beware of the addictive potato chips) and saw not only a killer sunset, but two cheetah in the distance. I was starting to “get” why people love Africa. The world as it was: Epic." I loved Amboseli as well. We were there on my first safari in 1996. Leaving tomorrow for Botswana and I can't wait!!! I look forward to reading the rest of your report when I return.

Thank you crosscheck for your wonderful review. We are headed to Amboseli Sept. 17th along with Ol Pejeta and the Mara. Our journey is booked with Gamewatchers also. So glad to hear all of the wonderful info about Amboseli. We also read some negative things about the area and are glad you dispelled the the hype.
My husband also believes in carry-on only, "what if they lose our luggage..."
Once again thank you for your wonderful and entertaining info.

I've only seen Amboseli by air (this last trip) and it looked marvelous, I have to say. Your latest chapter makes me want to visit.

However, I'm with the boys on this one:

So, after the jumping contest, to our boys’ mortal embarrassment, Mr. C and I sang “If You’re Happy and You Know it, Clap Your Hands.”

Crosscheck,
Can't wait for "The Hike" installment of your story.

I, too, cannot wait to relive that day, but I must take a brief hiatus from this trip report so I can take my son back to college (not with carry-on only). As soon as we get there, he will surely ignore me and I promise to write a detailed account of all the dung we learned to identify.

Great trip report Crosscheck! I'll get to mine one of these days. After hearing Sandi's timetable I feel a little less pressured.

"Sunscreen with the consistency of mucus"--that's the slogan alright!

If the boys were embarrassed with your song on the village visit, imagine their shame if you break into song and clapping at, say, the local Applebees.

Amboseli Porini should take a hint and develop a signature pasta dish by that name.

Funny stuff!

Long2Travel, Twaffle's timeline was even longer. She reached back to her childhood for a delightful safari down memory lane.

I wish I had thought of "If You're Happy and You Know It.." and the excuse for it. Did you consult with the Porini manager before or just go for it? Anyway, that's the spirit! You'll be part of Porini legend.

atravelynn- I remeber Twaffle's childhood trip report. What a wonderful read that was. Better than a novel.

Thank you L2T.

Thanks, everyone, particularly to Sandi for making tardiness acceptable on this board. The new installment should be ready for publication shortly.

L2T, Hope you're not thinking of blowing off your trip report entirely. I will not be able to sleep until I find out how your shoe selection worked in Egypt.

patiricia - Can't wait to hear about Botswana. For the safari addicts around here, it's the new Tanzania. (and Zambia is the new Bostwana.)

anna - Lucky you, going with Gamewatchers. I hope you're practicing your song.

Leely - You didn't sing for the gorillas??

atravelynn, Proud to say we have never been to an Applebee's. But if we ever do go, we'll be sure to clap and sing.

moremiles & kimburu, Haven't consulted the Porini honchos about pasta or singing, but they do have "singing waiters" (not quite the three tenors, but with tribal dancing) at Lion Porini. BTW, Porini may sound Italian, but it means "In the Wild" in Swahili.

twaffle - That trip report has made you famous. In fact, my sources tell me that they are thinking of changing the name of the Nairobi suburb of Karen and calling it "Twaffle." Let's face it, you have a much more interesting nom de plume than Ms. Blixen.

Crosscheck … you are too, too funny!

THE HIKE:
As you know, I am now a huge Porini Camp fan. But I must disclose that I was a neurotic and indecisive client when planning our safari with Gamewatchers.

We originally booked three days in Amboseli and four in the Mara, skipping Rhino Porini so we could go on an all-day walk in Amboseli (and because we like to settle in and not move around too much). But at one point I began to worry that the extra day in Amboseli would cause us to miss a once-in-a-lifetime crossing opportunity in the Mara - Yikes! I wrote a desperate email to Gamewatchers. Within hours I had received a comprehensive reply from the owner of the Porini Camps, which included a link to a detailed description of our 14K hike (slightly edited here):


----------
Woken at dawn by the camp staff with tea or coffee. Set off from camp on foot at 0700 escorted by Maasai guides and warriors. Walk across the plains with views of Kilimanjaro in the early light towards the Endoinyo Ndare waterhole, where you will have breakfast and relax for half an hour. Then continue walking across the conservancy, reaching another waterhole and treehouse/viewing platform at Iltangoringori by midday, where you will have lunch. You have the option of being driven back to camp from there and doing a game drive in the conservancy or staying there and resting in the heat of the day before continuing to walk up to the top of Olosinkiran Hill, where you will have a sundowner with a 365 degree view of the surrounding area, including the Chylulu Hills at Tsavo and Kilimanjaro. Then drive back to camp for a shower and dinner.
----------


Obviously, we had to do this. And so do you. Here’s why:
1) Invigorating exercise, which you will need because most safaris include morning biscuits, three meals, two snacks, afternoon tea, plus sundowners.
2) Easy, flat terrain – fine for the old, the young and the Merrell-less
3) The mother of all bush breakfasts – delicious omelettes made to order in the middle of nowhere
4) How often while hiking can you spot ostrich, zebra and giraffe?
5) Swahili 101
6) Advanced dung identification lessons
7) Spear-throwing competition – Guides vs. Gringos
8) An opportunity to hear tales about the warriors’ multiple weddings, and how their first wives helped choose their second wives
9) Not the most challenging walk ever, but truly one of the most exotic. Peaceful, scenic, off the beaten track.
10) A chance to find out if there is really such a thing as a 365 degree view.

Next: Gnus-worthy Tales of the Migration

You're so right! Walking in Africa is a totally different experience from just being in the vehicle even if all you see are dung and dung beetles but you were lucky to spot some bigger game.

The marital tales are quite enlightening too.

Looking forward to the next installment!

The walk sounds excellent. I'll leave tomorrow.

"Gnus-worthy." Ouch. But I love it.

crosscheck:
are you there?

I'm more than satisfied to take travel advice from someone who has eaten at El Bulli.

I am seriously considering doing a Porini package in lieu of this and that (cannot justify cost of this and that). This will be my third trip to Africa and as much as I enjoyed having a butler at Londolozi, I'm quite over it.

I know you enjoyed the Porini experience but how would you rate it on the exclusive-luxe-location-game-viewing scale?

Convince me please!

crosscheck: can you also recommend a travel agent?. I have a great girl in Cape Town but I'd like to gather a few quotes. Are you allowed to give me this info on Fodors? (I never read the legalese!)

What a great trip report....and now I know what to pack besides!!

I am going to print this off so I can enjoy the read again!

pepnjak, A word of warning: I just read that automatic faucets don't work if you're wearing black. Luckily, though, there aren't many of those in Africa.

Lionlove, Yes, I'm here...although I must admit that I got sidetracked by the posts about illegal Egyptian viagra and the artificial cow breakthrough.

The Porini camps are exclusive, but NOT luxe. They are, however, immaculate, bright, super comfortable and huge - about the size of most pied-a-terres in NY. But what they lack in cutting edge design, they make up in authenticity. They are the real deal.

We have friends who are safari addicts and use "famous" guides in Tanzania who offer private tours with mobile tents/pucci fabrics/chartered planes. These guys were totally out of our price range. But our friends said the most important part of a great safari were the guides, the vehicles and remote locations. We got all of that in spades at the Porini camps. Plus we felt good about giving our money to the community. And we loved our eco-minded fellow guests.

If you're on the fence, you might combine the Porini camps with an afro-chic place on an idyllic island. Then you can have it all. I would have loved to include Manda Bay in Lamu if we had had more time.

Sadly, I do not have a travel agent to recommend. Even though I am not a control freak in other areas of my life, I simply cannot bring myself to give up the hours and hours of ridiculous trip-planning minutia. I even procured the El Bulli res on my own.

Sold!

I think Porini is the big winner. The Porini Wilderness package price is unbeatable and it includes flights to get you from one to the next. Although I won't miss having a butler, I am a bit of a sucker for velvet throw cushions and exotic tchokas...but I think I'll survive!

I will look at the beach destination you mentioned after I check out the post about Viagara in Egypt!

Thank you CC

Manda Bay is lovely, but comes with a price!

Lionlove, Great choice! Mr. C told me to make sure that you knew about the bucket showers - A giant 20-liter exotic tchocka.
sandi, Just checked the Manda Bay price. It does seem high for the beach, but not that much more than all the safari camps. But I defer to your expert opinion...It was a recommendation from a friend and we've yet to experience it firsthand.

OUR FIRST DAY IN THE MARA:

A QUIET VICTORY FOR MR. CARRY-ON:
Short flight on Safarilink from Amboseli to Wilson, then another short flight from Wilson to the Mara. As mentioned before, no luggage weighing or measuring. All our careful carry-on efforts were unnecessary – we could have brought our one-inch-too-big wheeled rollaboards, the ones we use for normal vacations! But maybe we weren’t hassled because the baggage guys felt sorry for us. Here is a conversation I overheard:

HANDLER #1: Check out that family over there, the ones in khaki.
HANDLER #2: Where? Everybody is in khaki.
HANDLER #1: The ones with the tiny gym bags as luggage - they probably only have two outfits each for twelve days. But we could bust them for heavy binoculars.
HANDLER #2: Those guys must be pretty smelly by now, so we’d better stay far away and leave them alone.
----
WHERE AM I?
Our fellow passengers did not know the name of the camp where they were going. They had to look at their itineraries to find out. This was a theme that repeated itself over and over again throughout our trip: We met at least a dozen tourists who had completely trusted their travel agents to book their vacations. They dutifully traipsed from camp to camp, without having researched a thing. Not quite the Fodorite mentality, but these clueless safari-goers actually seemed very relaxed and content. I think the bottom line is that Kenya is so awesome that as long as you’re not in one of those claustrophobic pop-up vans, it’s all good.

KIBERA:
As we took off, my younger son and I got a mind-blowing five-minute aerial tour of Kibera, the largest slum in the world. By far, the most sobering moment of our trip.

BETTER THAN SIXTY MINUTES:
As we were landing, I saw 75,000 wildebeest galloping across the savanna. Perhaps it was only 74,000, but the image will stay with me forever.

THE MARA:
Not overrated. One of the best spots on the planet. Even if you don’t like animals, it’s worth going just to feel the vastness and see the endless blue sky.

LION PORINI:
Our guides were at the airstrip to meet us in our migration-friendly vehicle (similar to the one we had in Amboseli, but opened on top as well). This time we had a team of two brilliant Maasai warriors, Big John and Jared, assigned to us for our entire stay. One was a spotter, the other a driver/guide. (In Amboseli we had Wilson, a silver-rated spotter/guide, plus an incredible driver.)

The short journey to the Olare Orok conservancy was a gorgeous off-road game drive. We followed a lush river where the buffalo don’t roam, but do stand still and pose for photos. We did not see another vehicle. As you turn into Lion Porini, there’s a herd of friendly giraffe(s) to greet you, plus the entire staff. The set-up is very similar to Amboseli Porini, but with even larger tents right on a river, home to some very noisy hippos. Nice salads for lunch, then we treated ourselves to a siesta before heading off at 4:45pm for our first game drive in Olare Orok.

THE MOTHER OF ALL GAME DRIVES:
By 4:55pm we had seen lions mating from about two inches away. And by 5:10pm we had (clearly) seen a cheetah mom chase a Thompson gazelle at 75 mph, finally taking down the gazelle after chasing it for a mile. We stayed at the site of the kill and had sundowners in our vehicle (from about three inches away) while the cheetah shared her feast with her two cubs.

Joining us for cocktails were three other vehicles – two from the Kicheche camps and one from Mara Plains, the two other camps in the conservancy. It turned out that we knew the Kicheche guests from Amboseli, so we whispered back and forth as we drank our Tuskers. Our friends, a couple from London who were celebrating their first anniversary, told us that they had seen a crossing of 20,000 that day. The event had been fabulous until the last 200 wildebeest slipped off a precarious cliff back into the river, where they all had drowned. The young woman said she had been in tears, and hours later was still upset about the animals that didn’t make it, particularly the babies.

DINNER/EXISTENTIAL MOMENT:
Back at Lion Porini, we had a campfire before dinner, with a second round of sundowners. At dinner, it was the birthday of another guest. The staff who worked at the camp performed a powerful a cappella Maasai song poem/dance, the quality of a performance you would pay to see live at a UCLA ethnographic concert series.

As I listened to their haunting harmonies, I pondered the cheetah dinner we had witnessed. I was thrilled that my boys got to see a chase and kill in the first half hour of our first game drive, but I must admit that watching animals obliterate each other is just not my thing, circle of life notwithstanding. I announced to the boys that I prefer run-of-the-mill cool-patterned vegan beasts like zebra(s) and giraffe(s). (My boys said that my taste in animals was “girly.”). And at this point, I was not even sure I was still looking forward to seeing a crossing. Why would I want to see hundreds of animals drown in a river? This was the “experience of a lifetime” I had longingly anticipated?

NEXT: CROSSING DRAMA

Way to go! This is fabulous! What are Tuskers?

Glad to see you back here and off that Egypt thread(I know, it's too easy) and I can't wait to hear about your experience with a crossing!

"checked the Manda Bay price. It does seem high for the beach, but not that much more than all the safari camps."

... the magic word in there is "more"
At 2010 rack rates of $635/ppnt in peak season; $570/ppnt in mid season that do not include drinks and many of the activities. But it's beautiful and remote.

CC, I'm sure many of us have been unwittingly the recipients of similar conversations at Wilson's Airport! Very funny

I understand absolutely your feelings about hunts and drowning animals in the Mara.

Funny and tragic now, crosscheck... your range is expanding! Porini sounds really good - and like you friends said the real luxury isn't in the pucci fabrics (not that I know what they are and I don't feel the urge to hit Wikipedia for that one ....girly thing no doubt!). You were incredibly lucky too see these things and don't need to worry too much that they will blight every safari.

shouldbewriting - love your user name. Tusker is the national beer of Kenya

moremiles, I sort of went crazy with those bad puns on the viagra thread. I hope the editors don't censor me...then you'll never get to hear about our experience with the crossings.

sandi, It seemed as if all the Brits we met were going to the beach (Seychelles, etc.) for R&R after their safaris. They thought the Americans were overdoing it by spending three weeks gawking at leopards.

kimburu, One would think that Pucci = girly, but a friend said that the macho private plane she used in Kenya was completely upholstered with Pucci fabric.

twaffle, I am grateful that we saw a hunt, etc., but next time I hope for a safari with 100% cuddly baby animals.

Wow crosscheck, I spent a good half hour reading your entire trip report and really enjoyed it

I will be at the lion porini on the 16th 17th and 18th of september

After reading your report,I am really looking forward to the trip, have been to the mara before, but never been to the olare orok.

How were the night game drives ? and did u see the lions or a leopard in the night ?

Looking forward to your posts,

Sonali

I'll have to catch up when I return from my upcoming trip(sadly, not to Africa) unless you plan to finish it today or tomorrow a.m. but no rush, it's fun reading!

CROSSING DIARY:
7:00am – On our first morning in the Mara, we sleep in. We originally thought we had about a 50-50 chance of catching a wildebeest crossing in late July, but miraculously the Great Migration has arrived a month early. We hear that another family at Lion Porini has witnessed TWO crossings the previous day, one with 20,000 wildebeest, so some of the pressure is off.

SEA OF ZEBRAS:
8:00am - Phenomenal ride through the Mara. We stop to photograph baby giraffes, baby elephants, and, of course, lions and more lions. At one point, as a cheetah poses for us on a rock, our guides receive a tip on their radio: A herd of 1500 is getting ready to cross. They usually take hours to get it together, our guide tells us, but maybe we should head over to “Crossing Point 1.” So we leave the cheetah and zip over to a spot across the river from the Serena. As we arrive, it becomes clear that the wildebeest have not waited for us! But we do get to see about 500 zebra cross. Stunning. And they all make it.

9:00am - No worries – we still have all day - Catching the magnificent zebra crossing had seemed so effortless. We don’t realize that we might be in for a nail biter.

GOOD GNUS AND BAD GNUS:
10:00am - We spot a herd of at least 30,000 wildebeest. They surround our vehicle. Within moments we find ourselves in the middle of a veritable Nat-Geo stampede. It is so dusty that we all cough asthmatically, wishing we had packed khaki bandanas. The gnus are clearly trying to decide whether to cross, and if so, where. But these beasts are not rocket scientists. And they have no real leader. So they head this way, then that way, then toward Crossing Point 1, then toward Crossing Point 2. Then, suddenly, they all turn around and gallop back out of our vantage point, into the forest towards Tanzania.

1:00pm - Fifteen minutes later they reappear. Meanwhile, at least a dozen vehicles have amassed, all waiting for the wildebeest to make up their minds. It’s the ultimate TAIL GATE party (sorry, Leely)! This goes on for THREE hours, which we spend reading and chatting through with through roofs with other travelers. At one point we take a break to have a peaceful picnic lunch near the river.

2:00pm – The herd crosses! But unfortunately they choose an off-the-grid crossing spot on the other side of an impassable forest, where they can only be seen by observers on the OTHER side of the river.

2:30pm – Our guides locate two more herds that are possible candidates for crossing. But both groups are quite far from the designated points. It will take them hours to get up the nerve to get to the river, and when they finally they might not want to cross because the river is filled with hundreds of carcasses from the day before, plus lots of hippos and crocs. We are becoming as anxious as they are. It is one thing have spent one whole day waiting for a crossing? Would we return the next? And the next?

3:00pm – Most of the other vehicles follow a group of 1500 to Crossing Point #2, but our brilliant guides assess the situation (lots of radioing back and forth) and make the decision to remain at Crossing Point #1 with a herd of 5000. This turns out to be the right call.

3:10pm – Our gnus are now bunched together on the banks of the river. But they are just a few feet away from hundreds of floating carcasses, and we don't blame them for being reluctant. We meet a Princeton PhD student whom we later nickname Vulture Girl. If someone had told me a week before that I would find vulture research fascinating I would not have believed it. But hearing Vulture Girl describe her work helps time move quickly.

“THAT ZEBRA IS LEGIT”
4:15pm – To our delight, one brave zebra finally leads the way across the river, choosing an upstream detour that avoids the carcasses. The crocs ignore her. Other zebras follow. The “legit” zebra becomes a hero figure to our boys - After crossing successfully, she heads BACK across the river and crosses again, leading a larger group. Then, finally, a wildebeest cautiously put one hoof in, then another, and another. And soon the whole group has made it across safely.

5:00pm – Satisfied but exhausted, we head back to camp through the aptly-named Paradise Plain. We have now seen a cheetah kill, lions mating, a zebra crossing, a wildebeest crossings and a stampede. And we have only been in the Mara for 28 hours.

NEXT: WALKING WITH THE HERDS

I am thrilled for your crossing success- and happy I had time to read it before my own Mara dramas begin!

Thanks for such an entertaining, informative read...

MoneyB

crosscheck.....great, looking forward to my trip to the mara, you were really lucky to see a cheetah chase and kill, never seen a chase and success in my loads of safari trips, Sonali

Our cheetah mom was a pro - We actually got to SECOND cheetah chase and kill - embarrassment of riches, especially for such a short safari.

Well this is what I call begineers luck, wow, not one but two kills ? that is special, really special, looking forward to your posts,

Sonali

How exciting! But I agree that the crossings are so chaotic (and fraught with danger-- broken limbs, crocs, etc.) that they can be unpleasant to witness at times.

Looking forward to more puns.

More puns will be easier than organizing my photos.

YET ANOTHER CHEETAH KILL/BEGINNERS' LUCK:
The day after all the crossing action we decided to go on a walking safari in the Olare Orok Conservancy. On the way we stopped to photograph a bunch of impalas. Just as we were snapping their pictures, as if on cue, the cheetah mom from two days before zeroed in on one of the impalas. From just yards away we saw another stalk, chase, kill and feast with the two cubs. And again, there were only two other vehicles present. Until we returned and spoke to friends, we had no idea how unusual it was to witness two cheetah kills within three days on our first very short safari.

WALK WITH THE WILDEBEEST:
Our guides drove us to a spectacular plain where we took a brisk walk for about ninety minutes, with the very noisy honking herds and small Masai villages in the background. After two days without exercise, this was just what we needed.

DOWNTIME:
Returned to Lion Porini for lunch after a bathroom stop at Kicheche Camp (We also got a glimpse of Mara Plains - lovely). The day before our boys had inquired about chess and/or Scrabble. The camp manager Philip had managed to procure both games, as well as backgammon. Could there be a Toys 'R Us in the Mara? Mr. Crosscheck, an avid griller, also got an extended backstage tour of the cooking facilities (basically two tiny burners and an even-smaller grill) and the pantry. He became BFFs with the chef, but we never found out the secret of how he managed to prepare such tasty four-course dinners on his little hot plate.

OUR LAST SUNDOWNERS:
After a restful nap during which I dreamt that a dozen hippos were snorting and fighting ten feet away from my tent (on second thought, it wasn't a dream), we drove to a spectacular spot near a gorge for an unforgettable technicolor African dusk. We had planned to do a night drive later after dinner, but this sunset was so emotional that we felt totally satisfied. Lion Porini had delivered on every level.

NEXT: SCHOOL VISIT/MARA INTREPIDS/ONGOING BALLOON ARGUMENT

Wow! Another cheetah kill, how lucky (not for the impala, of course). I sometimes think there's an African-safari conspiracy that pulls out all the stops for that first trip to get you hooked.

Leely, I think you're onto something.

Trouble is, every safari seems to offer something special.

Very true, if it's not one thing it's another.

Come on... be honest! Full disclosre please. You have been there in America watching too much "Big Cat Diary" on DVD and are just making this up as you go along, right? None of it happened, did it?

The two cheetah kills in three days was a give away.

The only BBC shows we have access to here are "How Clean Is Your House?" and "Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmare," so I couldn't possibly feign seeing a cheetah kill, let alone two.

But I love all the smileys, the notion of the African first-timers' conspiracy, most of all, the genius suggestion about just making everything up. I could go on boring cruises, save a lot of money, but still get tons of attention for my fabulous trip reports.

"Come on... be honest! Full disclosre please. You have been there in America watching too much "Big Cat Diary" on DVD and are just making this up as you go along, right? None of it happened, did it?"

(I know you were joking but) that isn't available to Americans on DVD =~( It's only compatible with British DVD players.

Come on BBC, get with the program...you've got an open market over here you're not tapping into!!

We have enough footage from out trip to start our own series.

Crosscheck~ Your talent with story telling would make a great series! One the BBC would envy!

We leave for our Gamewatcher's safari in one day, 21 hours and some odd minutes and I am almost in panic mode! Do we have enough cash, the right kind of bills, enough clothes (I'm using your packing list crosscheck)etc... Any last minute suggestions??

Xanax?

Seriously, you will have the time of your life. I will work on my pitch to the BBC while you are gone, although I suspect my humor is not subtle enough for the Brits and I am not blase enough about our sightings. I could, however, do something with Real Housewives of Amboseli - sort of Big Love meets Anthony Bordain.

Extra cash is a good idea because we could never get the ATM's to work. I would include a bandanna in case you are in the middle of a stampede. We loved having a tiny laptop to upload photos, but it was a crummy one that we didn't care about - I would not go out and buy a new one. Finally, there is an abundance of repellent and shampoo in Kenya, but no conditioner.

Safe travels!

Real Housewives of Amboseli. Spewed out my mouthful of coffee on that one!! You crack me up crosscheck!

Where do you get all those cute emoticons? I have only found the

In Canada we have a new, well new to me, channel called Oasis which carries the Big Cat Diaries, Shamwara, Africa Opera and several others. It's in HD and awesome!

The housewives could all be married to the same warrior. Lots of drama as he goes from hut to hut, drinking goat blood for energy.

A DAY WITHOUT A CHEETAH KILL:
After breakfast we left Lion Porini to relocate to the Mara Intrepids Club for one night. (More about that decision later). We sadly bid farewell to Olare Orok, looking forward to our last two days of adventures. We especially anticipated a reunion with our laundry, which we had sent ahead to Intrepids.

TALEK SCHOOL:
The other LP guests had raved about their school visit, and we asked our guides if we could make a stop. The Talek school is a boarding/day, primary/secondary school with about 150 enthusiastic, well-behaved students in the outskirts of a dusty town, where you could shoot the Kenyan version of a old cowboy movie.

The facilities are basic and the classes are huge. Each teacher goes back and forth between two classes of 65 students each - she gives one class a worksheet to complete while she teaches the other class. Not the best learning environment, but the teachers are clearly in love with the children, and the kids seemed eager to learn. I thought about volunteering there for a year once my boys are both in college (especially if I could live at Lion Porini). One of our guides had gone to school there, and he had moved on to guide school and achieved silver level status. He was very proud of his alma mater....and hopeful about what the school could become. We left a donation (how could you not?), but did not feel at all obligated.

SILLY BANDZ:
I know many of you will not approve, but we introduced the top plastic American fad of the century to both the villagers in Amboseli and the the school children at Talek. We gave the primary teacher many packets and told her she could use them for learning activities or rewards. She "got" them immediately and LOVED them, particularly the rock instruments, the alphabet and the sparkly princessy ones...I didn't mention the celeb appeal because I thought that would be crossing over into the Gods Must Be Crazy territory, and Silly Bandz are much more benign, in my opinion, than Coca Cola. The irony: they are SO popular with kids here that they have been banned in schools.

NEXT: MARA INTREPIDS/BALLOON DISCORD HEATS UP

I must be living under a rock, but what are Silly Bandz?

i too was living under a rock, so i used wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silly_Bandz

sandi and ross, Now that you have heard about them, you will see them everywhere.

Here is a photo of the villagers near Amboseli Porini discovering Silly Bandz for the first time.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/crosscheck/4895154539/in/set-72157625000317812/

i'll be in amboseli on 10 Oct, i'll look out for them

I "don't have permission to see this photo". Is it just me?

Help! I need a flickr tutorial. Do I have to call tech support in Bangalore?

I spent all morning neglecting my real jog and I think I got it to work. Try this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crosscheck/4895154539/in/set-72157625000317812/lightbox/

That would be "neglecting my real job," though I neglected my jog as well.

What a coincidence. Last night's Nightline was doing a segment on these bands. Unfortunately, I met the sandman before I could watch. Got the idea, but have never seen them on anyone anywhere, regardless their ages!

Got in. Thanks crosscheck.

Sandi, told you you'd see them all over.
cyn, I am now gathering up the nerve to post more photos.

MARA INTREPIDS:
When we booked the trip I thought we would need four nights in the Mara to maximize our chances of seeing a crossing. And only three nights at Lion Porini were available. We entertained all sorts of possibilities for our fourth night, including flycamping at Kicheche, a detour to Sala's camp, and even a day at Giraffe Manor back in Nairobi.

But Gamewatchers had felt that Intrepids was the best bet for us financially and logistically, because:
- its location on the Talek river puts it in the center of the migration activity
- it's right next to the airstrip we'd be using for Lion Porini
- assuming there was availability, we would be provided with a day room for our final day at no extra cost

Everything I read about Intrepids made me think it would be too commercial for us – there’s am electric fence, buffet, gift shop, massages, pool, front desk and, according to one guidebook, even "replica furniture."

But in fact, Intrepids felt less resort-y than we expected - It had a jungle lodge vibe with a thatched hut bar, an observation tower, cool swing bridge and stylish renovated tents (more upscale than common areas) with gorgeous mahogany floors and romantic lighting. The owner is, in fact, very African - the son of Jomo Kenyatta. Food was good, with spicy options – our preference.

At the end of the day, Gamewatchers was right: I wouldn't have traded our authentic remote Porini experience, but Intrepids worked as an economical spot for re-entry and relaxation. And although we were no longer in eco-friendly territory, we did appreciate the un-rationed hot water, the walking paths, and most of all, the stellar laundry service.

I would also recommend Intrepids in a heartbeat to a family with "single" teens or younger children who'd like the kids' camp (But don’t go in the cooler weather expecting a pool scene…the pool was neither heated nor cleaned.)

EVENING GAME DRIVE:
Our vehicle was fabulous – brand new and open. Our lone guide Andrew had to be everything at once: spotter, driver, plus silver-level guide, but he pulled it off brilliantly. Thanks to Intrepids' gold-level laundry skills, he was dressed in a crisp khaki uniform rather than the Masai outfits we were used to. He wasn’t as warm and fuzzy as the Porini guides, but he provided all sorts of cool facts about the animals for us. And as a veteran guide, he found us a pride of sleeping lions, an huge giraffe family, many elephants, more lions, a group of out-of-control fighting hippos, even more lions, and of course, herds and herds of those wacky wildebeest. All that were missing was a leopard.

UP, UP OR STAY DOWN?
Sadly, I was somewhat distracted and anxiety-ridden during our game drive. Even as I photographed hundreds of my beloved zebras lined up surreally in the high grasses, my mind kept pondering the pros and cons of a fast-approaching critical life decision - whether or not to go up in a hot air balloon. This potential ascension had been the elephant in the room (as it were) for the entire trip. Mr. C thought it was insanely priced for a tourist activity, especially because he hates both heights and spending money (The cost was a ridiculous $450pp). But it seemed like the kind of thing you should do with your teenage sons in Africa. And, just maybe, I could get one last aerial view of the greatest show on earth - priceless.

So now, as we took in the last rays of the glorious Mara sunset, time had run out and we needed to choose: Should we use our last morning for a very pricey balloon ride that could turn out to be a complete rip-off and create discord and disharmony in our family for weeks to come? Should I risk the possibility of Mr. C outlawing exotic trips entirely and forcing us to rent timeshares in Orlando for our vacations? Or should we save $1850 and devote the time to finding a leopard on our last day in the Mara? What would YOU do?

NEXT: LEOPARD VS. BALLOON

Have been meaning to add my kudos to the long list above for many days now. This is easily among the most entertaining and captivating trip reports I've ever read! Can't wait to hear which one you chose - leopard or balloon.

What will they decide? Stay tuned.
See, Mrs. C, this is why you're not permitted to go traipsing off on another safari in mid trip report.
This has been a thoroughly enjoyable tale!

Wonderful reading. I wouldn't even consider a noisy balloon over a possible leopard but will wait with baited breath to your decision. Pity you didn't consider a longer safari, so that we could have a longer report.

Time share in Orlando!

sangeeta, ccipups & twaffle

Thanks for the incredibly kind words. And I hope you won't stop reading my trip report in protest if you don't approve of what we decided.

PROS AND CONS:
Sorry to drag on the suspense, but now must reveal two significant occurrences that influenced the final outcome:

1) For Mr. C, who is prone to acrophobia, the choice was a no-brainer. He announced that no matter what the rest of us did, he would not be lifted off the ground in a flimsy basket propelled by fire. He would go looking for a leopard.

2) The Mara Intrepids staff, who knew we were considering the balloons, said that because there were three of us and it was last minute, we would "only" be charged $425pp.

So now the suddenly-cheaper excursion would be a mother/son bonding opportunity. But our boys were also on the fence because they are both almost as frugal (cheap) as their dad. But one of our younger son's friends had told him that the balloon ride in Kenya was "SICK." (translation: crazy cool, awesome)

And I had received the following emails from friends:

EMAIL #1 (from a college friend who was headed on an A&K safari a few days after us): Are you booking the balloon adventure? I heard it was phenomenal.

EMAIL #2 (from a British friend who runs an orphanage in Aberdare): The balloon ride is fantastic if you can swing it. You have to get up really early but it is worth it.

EMAIL #3 (from a well-traveled mom at my kids' school): "The hot air balloon was interesting because it’s a hot air balloon. But, it’s really not that great. It’s really slow and once you get over the 'Woah, I’m in a hot air balloon' it can actually be boring."

The destination expect on TA said it was an unecological rip-off, but a Gamewatchers rep called seeing the migration from a balloon "the experience of a lifetime." And here on Fodors, when I posted the question about our dilemma, four people said it was a must-do, and four said it was overrated. And one (spassvogel) said it was BOTH a must-do AND overrated.

So, at the end of the day, my decision process boiled down to this:

Would I be MORE sorry if I didn't see a leopard....or if I didn't take my boys on a balloon ride in the Mara during the migration?

(Sorry about all the double negatives.)

Of course I realized there was no guarantee that we would see the leopard OR the migration from the balloon, but once I figured out which experience I would regret more, I was able to make up my mind....

So not fair to leave us hanging.....I've definitely enjoyed reading your report, I only wish mine was half as entertaining! You better post the decision as we are all holding our breath!

Okay, I will take you all out of your misery. But I must be brief because today is my birthday and I am spending the day reading my Facebook messages.

THE DECISION:
Mr. Crosscheck chose Door #1 and saw two leopards.

The boys and I chose Door #2 and took a hot air balloon ride over the Mara.

The BAD NEWS was:
- because we were standing behind the Tall Family from Denmark, our only unobstructed view was of a few dik diks... although in the distance there were a half a million little dots that were *probably* wildebeest
- the "banquet" tables and chafing dishes were so cheesy and incongruous in the pristine Mara that I might never do a tourist activity again.
- after spending $1275 for a 45-minute ride, they charged us another $30 to buy a CD with stock footage of animals and a few snapshots of us, which they burned right at the breakfast site, using a generator. So if we hadn't felt ripped off before, we now truly felt like suckers.

The GOOD NEWS was:
- although it was not a life-changing experience, it was a lot of fun.
- I gained enough dinner party material to use until we go on our next trip. We met the most bizarre collection of people, including: 1)Czech guys in head-to-toe camouflage; 2)a group of boys and girls-gone-wild from Macao who won the world record for the most vacation photos taken in the shortest amount of time; 3)an American social worker who had had an emergency root canal in the Mara the previous day and spent the whole breakfast showing off her (surprisingly professional) temporary cap.
- Mr. C loved being "right" and has been much nicer to me ever since.

NEXT: WRAP UP/A FEW BLURRY PHOTOS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!


Looking forward to seeing the photos! In your wrapup, can you get some feedback from your boys - what they liked best, least, when were they bored (if ever!) that type of thing?

Thanks for the really fun report!

Cyn

Thanks Crosscheck and Happy Birthday (Facebook does make us feel very loved on our birthday)!

Well that does make me feel much better about our decision to skip the ballons. Besides, I have enough dinner party material with the riots in Nakuru and having to be towed out of a creek

I've truly enjoyed reading every installment of your wonderful report. It's been especially fun to read for those of us that have recently returned from Kenya as we can relive some of our experiences but with your great sense of humor and adventure.

Sorry that the Balloon ride wasn't what you'd hoped. I stayed at both Kichwa Tembo and Porini Lion, and I took the balloon from Governors Camp on August 15th (my last morning at Kichwa Tembo and before heading to Lion Porini) and I have to admit that it was truly amazing. I was on the fence about it as I'd taken two balloon rides in Napa Valley and found it to be okay but nothing special. My decision to take the Balloon flight was solely due to fact that the Migration was to be in full swing mid August. I was fortunate as we saw many Wildebeest, Zebras, Gazelle, seven Lions, a few Elephants, Hippos and Buffalo as well as a very quick sighting of a Leopard heading into the bushes, it was everything I'd hoped it to be and more, and after all of your back and forth I wish you'd experienced the same during your flight with your sons. For breakfast, we didn't have Chafing dishes on a buffet, instead they had everything set on the tables family style, except Champagne was from special table. The Breakfast was okay, but nothing special, although I sat next to a few of the Pilots and they were very witty and a lot of fun. Everyone on our flight received a CD with our photo for free, however I think the Governors Camp is a little more expensive, especially since they've recently instituted a "landing" fee. Which is interesting, as what else can you do but land, maybe crash, so if you crash I guess you get your "landing" fee back? All in all it comes down to luck and possibly location, as I believe if you take the balloon from Lion camp you depart from Fig Tree Camp and from what I've read the Governors Balloon Safari supposedly (I have no comparison) flies over the most beautiful part of the river and Mara Triangle.

Thank you for sharing your adventures, I look forward to hearing more about your incredible trip and then planning my return to somewhere in Africa in the next year or two.

Happy Birthday!!

Well the balloon ride actually turned out to be a good value, I think. You can't underestimate the value of good dinner party material.

Happy birthday--and I agree with ccipups about the return on investment of the balloon ride.

Can't wait to see some blurry photos!

Happy Birthday, great reading and lots of fun.

Nothing worse than a husband who got it right!!

Have finally caught up with your adventures and am glad the balloon ride wasn't a total wash-out! I also have gone back and forth about whether to splurge on one while there.

Mara Intrepids will now stand out for me in the future as I will recall their impressive laundry service and their lovely tents.

Hi crosscheck, happy birthday,

I must write that porini camps have one of the best guides,used the porini guides for 6 days and they were fantastic..... maybe exxpensive, but worth it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, have lot of news about the mara, the gamedrive routes, private areas, off roading, night gamedrives, location etc, will write about what I saw experienced and realised, and I saw everything, just everything.........just spending my last day of safari at saruni.There was a change in my trip plan. Sara blackburn, who is doing the predator research project dealing with lions of the mara north conservancy, went out with me for game drives, she has fantastic knowledge about the lions and it's fun to meet someone as lion crazy as me ..........am having a great time

Cheers, Sonali

Happy Birthday, Crosscheck!

I have thoroughly enjoyed your humorous trip report so tell us more.

Happy birthday from me too, Crosscheck.

For our balloon ride, the pilot wouldn't stop talking so we had noise from both him & the balloon!

Loved reading your report & looking forward to seeing your blurry pics and reading the new reports from Sonali, Lynn & everyone else who's just gotten back.

Love the report, crosscheck, thanks so much for the detail and the laughs. It's making me think we should consider a safari for our next Big Trip (after the impending Oz and NZ.) When we've saved up some $$, of course.

And happy birthday! My turn tomorrow, on the 30th. And the day after that, I retire -- woohoo!

Happy Birthday wishes from MoneyBurns; your trip report lifted my spirits before we left on our own Magic Carpet Ride to Kenya as I was sick and afraid I'd not make it; so party on - and begin plans for another family expedition full of fun and adventure!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone.

Cyn, Good question about the boys. The short answer is that they loved just about everything, especially the opportunities for underage drinking. But, seriously, this was one of our best family trips ever. I will go into more detail in my wrap up.

sundowner, Love your screen name. And so would my sons.

renoduck - Whoa - riots and cars in creeks...that beats my sprained ankle. I'm heading right over to your report.

nycjv - Wish we had your balloon karma. Hilarious about a landing fee. Maybe airlines should adopt that. We did leave from Fig Tree (booked at Mara Intrepids). Could have used Governors, but it would have been $75 more and a 4:30 wake up, instead of 5:45. There was a balloon off in the distance, floating over the migration the entire time...If we had only coughed up the extra $25pp we could have had the experience of a lifetime AND a free CD. But at least we had the chance to hear every detail about an African root canal.

twaffle, leely, cyn, Your photographic talent is so intimidating that I have dragged this on for months so I could delay posting my pictures.

sangeeta, moneyburns, sonali, can't wait for your trip reports.

SB - Happy Birthday and MAJOR congrats on your retirement!

Stay tuned for the next installment. Still trying to figure out the difference between a "set" and a "collection" on flickr.

Hi crosscheck,

I've been away from Fodors for awhile and just logged onto your wonderful report - really enjoying it!

Not to worry about the giraffe spittle. I just played a little game in Botswana that had me sweating bullets for a few days. During a walking safari with Dicks, from the Mapula Lodge, he asked for volunteers to play a game. I, of course, blindly offered. He then handed all us morons an impala pellet. oookay, I thought, we get to see who can throw it the farthest. nope. We got to play the native game of who can spit it the farthest out of the circle drawn in the sand. I kid you not. I put this dried impala poo, (tastes like chicken), between my lips and gave it my best shot. I came in 7th out of 8 who played. When I got home and told my kids, my daughter said she'd never again kiss me and my boys said I was their new hero. I was just glad that I hadn't died from some rare and exotic intestinal disease...
regards,
anita

Wow, You are my hero as well. Are you sure you were on vacation and not on the Amazing Race?

hahaha, really! considering that I actually did it, I think the Mapula Lodge should have at least paid for one free night...

Hi crosscheck i am thinking of booking my trip to the Mara next June with Gamewatchers Safari. What did u think of them. any tips Thanks

Hi Crosscheck - Re: Flickr - I put each park in a set thinking I would then put all these sets in a collection. However, I haven't been successful at that step as I couldn't get the sets in the right order. So I have abandoned that idea as I really need to start trying to refocus on my day job

aknards, I think the impala poop spitting competitions could catch on here for kids' birthday parties. But we would have to use squirrel poop.

jessy, Gamewatchers gets an A+

renoduck, flickr gets an F- I am usually very tech savvy, but it truly is driving me insane - and delaying the final chapter of my trip report. The worst part is that Mr. Crosscheck was brilliant at downloading the photos, but he won't help prepare my "set"....or is it a collection?

(I know he is reading this...hint, hint)

It's definitely sets

I uploaded my pictures from my hard drive by groups so I wasn't working with the full 2400, then created a set for each park. Then I dragged (or is it drug) and dropped the pictures into the appropriate set and added comments.

Once in the set you can organize / move them into the order you want. You can also organize the sets into the order you want - here's where I unsuccessfully attempted to put them into one collection.

Organize and create is the primary tool. I agree that it's not user friendly in all aspects, some tasks are easier than others and you need to stumble on how best to do it.

Your first 28 hours in the Mara were certainly exciting! I'm sure your lack of excess baggage was the talk of the airport so that Mr. Carryon can feel very smug. I'm up to the Toys R Us in the Mara. Through the laughs, Lion Porini comes out as a real gem!

My wife and I stayed at Porini Amboseli, Rhino, and Lion over Sept. 19-26. Cannot rave enough about the experience or the service. Had sundowners with a lion pride while the sun set and the full moon rose. Less than 15 feet from some lions. Got charged by a black rhino (not close enough to be a real threat). Hand fed a blind black rhino. Had an astronomy lesson on the southern sky (Harry at Amboseli). Heard hippos and zebra grazing within yards of our tent. Our guides and trackers worked hard to get us into positions for the most amazing photos we have ever taken.

My birthday fell during out stay at Porini Lion. My wife asked Phillip (the manager) if they could do something for it. After the dinner entree that night, we campers were all talking among ourselves when we heard the Masai singing outside. This continued for a minute or two, then the door of the mess tent opened and in came the Masai staff and guides singing and dancing -- with the chef carrying a small cake. They circled the tables a few times then stopped by me with the cake. After the chef presented the cake and lit the candles, the staff sang Happy Birthday. They ended the event with an adumu, a jumping contest. The entire camp loved it, and I was touched. After they were finished, my wife leaned over and said, "You know, you have to top this for my birthday."

Still reading and enjoying.... Finger out, Mr Crosscheck!

I'm not quite sure what "finger out" means. Is this a compliment or a slur? I think it is a slur. My only desire is that my family doesn't waste our hard earned money and to make sure that we get through airport crowds quickly with baggage intact.

I have stayed out of my wife's travel musings on this forum and have been secretly following her every entry and response from her fellow posters. Like many of you I have laughed out loud at her writing. She really is entertaining, but not nearly as entertaining as living and traveling with her.

I'm sure! Hope to meet you both at a future LA GTG.

MrCrosscheck: PLEASE help Mrs. Carry-on with her photos so we can read the Final Installment -- we are anxiously waiting for it!

Yes, please do help her with the photos, Mr. Crosscheck. And I still think you should take a good hard look at the "design-challenged" eBags. Just in case...

I am pleased to report that I have figured out the intricacies of flickr without Mr. C (but I do appreciate his support in general, now that he's gone public). Now I am agonizing about which photos to include. But as soon as we find out the meaning of "finger out," I will start working on the final installment.

Neither a compliment nor a slur, Mr Crosscheck. Merely a slightly unrefined way of saying "Come along dear Mr Crosscheck.... please don't dither, old boy*" ... referring to the help with the photos and suspension of the final installment. The expression obvioulsy doesn't travel well unlike you and your family.

So, Mrs. C - you can start now, I think.


* "Old boy" of course does not suggest that you are old, and is a term of endearment... before we start again.

Ahh, so the term "pull the finger out" isn't used across the Atlantic? It is a term we know all too well down under, and use a lot with those who are dragging the chain.........

... what chain?...

hahaha, this thread just gets better and better!

by the way, I still can't view your pics. I get the cover page but no way to advance the photos. Is it just me? I'm dying to see some of these events you speak of...

kimburu, Fingers and chains??!! Looking forward for those idioms to catch on here. Until then we will stick with the G-rated ones like "G'day mate," and "The dingo ate my baby."

twaffle, Our name for that ocean is the "Pacific."

chi_cat - We witnessed a birthday celebration like yours for a British guest. It was so moving and magical that we asked Philip if they could do it again two nights later for our unbirthdays.

aknards - You should be able to view one the one pic I posted - the one with the villagers and the Silly Bandz. I have now uploaded just about everything and am flying to NY tomorrow. I chose a flight with Wifi, so I should have enough time to arrange the set and write the final chapter. But I might want to borrow some of Leely's migration photos because mine are all overexposed.

MrCrosscheck - Could you pick up my clothes at the cleaners? Thanks.

I can save twaffle's bacon here (not really, I just wanted to use the expression ) .... I 'learned' the expression in the UK, where I am originally from, so then it would be across the Atlantic.

kimburu, Thanks for the clarification. Twaffle's bacon is saved. MrCrosscheck actually presented the same theory to me, but without the colorful slang. `

AN OFF-TOPIC ANECDOTE:
I am currently on an AA flight to NY which left LA at 9:30 am and is due to arrive at JFK at 6:00pm. You would think there would be a selection of snacks available, but curiously, there is NO FOOD at all on board...just a few bags of trail mix. Apparently their breakfast croissants were rated so highly on a travel site that they sold out in the first five rows.

The flight attendant was so upset about this that she told me that SHE intended to complain to management. She confessed that she had not had breakfast, so I did the right thing and opted to not buy the trail mix - she clearly needed it more than I did. And now I am eating one of the stale power bars that was still in my backpack from our trip to Africa.

FLICKR UPDATE:
Waiting for Mr. C to upload a few key missing photos, but to show you that I'm not just stalling, I will post a preview.

http://flickr.com/gp/crosscheck/701UsV

The luggage! I am so happy to see it with mine own eyes at last.

Don't worry about your photos. You will have a fantastic gallery based on what I'm seeing in the preview. I never really finished going through my photos from the Mara because apparently there was a speck of dirt on the upper left corner of one of my lenses. So I keep telling myself "Oh, one day I'll sit down and take that speck out in Photoshop." And I never do!

Enjoy NYC and I hope that Power Bar reminded you of your safari.

Phew, thanks Kimburu. I'm greatly relieved!!

Now feel able to go and check out the photos......

Impressive packing!

One question-is that a plastic wheelie I see and if so, where did you get it? I need to replace mine and can only find the heavier metal ones now.

Yes, it is a luggage cart. I bought two of them for our trip at Bed Bath and Beyond for around $30 each. They call it the "Stow 'n Go Wheeled Utility Cart". We were able to put two bags on each cart. They were very handy for getting around the airport and we folded them up for boarding.

Crosscheck and family; It is currently 12:30 am in Barbados, West Indies where I am having one hell of a time with cousins from the US. Until one cousin told me she could never go to Kenya ( I was previewing some of our own pics from 2 wks ago) Because people were being killed in the camps and there were too many diseases.
I realized I was in the wrong place with the wrong people (who would never believe me when I say it is not true, and if it were, how many people were killed in their own Us cities last year)

So...I had to get my FIX, and I was thrilled to see pics posted

Thank you for saving my cousins from being drowned in the pool. And I even danced all night to a steel band, but had to come back in and check on Africa

Now, I finally realize what the word addiction means in my little corner of the world.

MoneyB

MB, welcome to a very nice and friendly club! Safari addicts not so anonymous.

TWAFFLE....................... CANNOT AGREE MORE, MONEY BURNS...............COUNT ME INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN, Sonali

CROSSCHECK...........JUST BEGINNING TO VIEW YOUR FAB PHOTOS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

crosscheck, glad to see you enjoyed Porini camps as much as we did last year. it's hard to think of another trip that could top it, isn't it?

Nobody has ever had a more interesting balloon ride than you! I'll be checking the photos.

Thanks to everyone for your patience. I am still on my trip, with carry-on, of course, but with a predominantly black wardrobe. Everyone in NY is panicked about bed bugs - they pose more of an international threat than tsetses. Hope they're not attracted to black.

I should have this completed by the weekend, and I promise I won't be as tardy as sandi.

Here they are. Please remember that these are AMATEUR photos taken with five point-and-shoots, including one ancient one that we bought before they invented pixels.

http://flickr.com/gp/crosscheck/4W4skL

They are excellent photos and you really got some great close-ups with that Panasonic which I recently purchased too-it's got a wonderful zoom. Love the "Amboseli's Got Talent."

Yes, I agree with moremiles, these are excellent. Love the cheetahs and the topi especially. I also enjoyed the videos. The one with all the wildies really captures the sights and sounds and almost the smells (certainly the dust) of the migration.

Yay!!! FANTASTIC! Thank you for sharing. You captured some wonderful images.

Great pictures and terrific trip report. To think you told me you weren't going to do a long trip report. I'm glad you changed your mind. That was three months ago and you've been entertaining all of us ever since. I've actually been feeding my husband chapters (or should I say episodes) to read on the train during his commute. He keeps asking for more.

So very good Crosscheck - I feel right back in Kenya.
Guess I should have conferred with you on how to upload on Flickr;yours came out perfectly!

Really enjoyed your style of storytelling - humorous, entertaining and real. Thanks!

MB

You all should read CC's toilet buying Asia trip report too-also hilarious!

The pre and post pixel cameras and their respective operators did a fine job of photography. My eyes were immediately drawn to the cheetahs. I really liked the one in the long grass. Great animal and people shots. And the stand alone luggage photo is most impressive. It appears you are flying over the waterbuck in one shot.

Glad the good wildebeest finally got their act together and crossed for you. The large herd of zebras crossing had to be a sight!

How fortunate you were able to dodge the New York bed bugs by escaping to Kenya.

I can't wait for your next trip and the hilarious report that will follow. In the meantime it looks like I can check out a past adventure involving toilets in Asia. I'm laughing already.

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the kind words about the photos, even though I consider most to be just snapshots. (I actually think that the boys did a great job of storytelling with his tiny Canon.) Next time I would probably bring an SLR - or at least read the manuals for the G10 and FZ35.

moneyburns, Maybe you should have taken me along to Barbados. I would have told your cousins about the people we met in Spain who asked whether children in LA could play outside because of all the drive-by shootings.

laurie_ann, I do think the Porini camps might be a cut above some other safari experiences. To prove this I will have to go on many more trips to Africa and then report back.

atravelynn, I am yet on another trip, but when I get home I will take a photo of the Japanese toilet which Mr. Crosscheck bought as a souvenir. Then you won't have to read the whole trip report.

moneyburns, I suspect that the people who created flickr dhave brain damage from sniffing too many chemicals in the darkroom.

leely2, I also love the videos. I tried to get one of our Masai guides asking guides in other vehicles for tips about where to find animals. But I never was sure if they were saying "Have you seen any leopards hanging from trees?" or "Check out our passengers in their silly Tilly hats."

long2travel, When do we get to see YOUR trip report? And thanks for reminding me that three months is sufficient time to describe a nine-day vacation. Luckily, the end is in sight.

NEXT: KWAHERINI

CC – I love that yours took 3 months. As for my trip report, I have not one but three excuses why I haven’t done mine. First I didn’t dare write anything until the memory of yours has faded. My writing will pale in comparison. Second, while in Africa I was notified that I would have a new job I needed to start immediately upon return. So, I had to hit the ground running without training. Last, I had lost a 4G SD card containing all the highlights of the trip, I was a over a month into my five stages of grieving when it was found. I guess I better write something before I start planning my next trip.

long2travel - and that's why I had 4 memory cards that I rotated so if something happened to one of them, I wouldn't have to experience all five stages of grief! So glad you found the card! I too was quite intimidated by CC's report, but I gave it a whirl and got lots of nice feedback on my report. So jump in and help keep all our memories alive!

Renoduck - good thinking about rotating cards, I never considered it. I was certainly in the denial stage for weeks. I've begun to sort through and upload some of my pictures so maybe this weekend I'll have time to write.

Crosscheck: I leave for India in 2 weeks -- gotta have your final installmwent before I go!!

NEXT: KWAHERINI

Please! Pretty please!

Mrs. C, I loved the photos you and your family took! And finally, a look at The Luggage. And you thought the eBags carry on was design challenged?
I'm leaving for my SA Earthwatch trip on Nov. 9th and hoping that I'll get to read the last installment before I go.
I decided to fly SAA which, I belatedly discovered, has a carry on weight limit of 18 lbs. And I have to bring a sleeping bag. Fortunately, it's summer in SA. Still this will be a challenge.
I do love my silly Tilley; it's the most comfortable hat I've ever worn. I'll readily admit that it's seen far more mule deer and pronghorns than wildebeest and Tommies. And more of the lawnmower and leaf rake, for that matter. Maybe I'll start a frivolous thread asking about preferred head gear.

I'm flattered to see that I'm not the only one concerned about that darn final installment.

I do have some legitimate lame excuses related to an excess of business travel (all with carry-on), but I won't bore you with those. Now that I have returned, I will make sure that I meet the deadline imposed by skibumette's and ccipups's upcoming trips.

Thanks!! Faced with the prospect of a LONG flight to Delhi in steerage, your accounts will help remind me why we all love to travel!

KANGAS
Our final hours of our trip were spent repacking, trying to fit our few purchases into our limited space. Mr. C was smugly in a fabulous mood because of his balloon-avoidance and leopard sighting. We were given a day room at Mara Intrepids, where I visited the gift shop several times and bought some cool kangas – colorful sarongs with Swahili proverbs as graphics. I paid for the kangas with what I thought were our last dollars, not realizing that I could have used a credit card to buy everything else in the shop.

I happened to find some terrific kangas with the following proverbs:

- Wale ambao kupaa katika balloons ghali wala kuona chui (“Those who ascend in expensive balloons miss seeing leopards”)
- Kama kusafiri na kubeba tu-on, kamwe kununua zawadi nyingi (“If you travel with only carry-on, you will never purchase too many souvenirs”)
- Kamwe panda katika safari mpya mpaka kumaliza safari yako ripoti (“Never embark on a new journey until you finish your trip report”)

FLOOR ENVY
The mahogany floors in our Mara Intrepids tents were stunning (but presumably not eco-friendly). During our trip, we had arranged to have our floors refinished at home, and I began to second guess the color we had chosen. You know how when you’re in Europe everything seems superior, designwise. This was happening to me in Africa!

SAFARI ENVY
Curiously, the four of us were separated and had to fly on two different planes from the Mara back to Nairobi. I had been anticipating getting one last glimpse of the entire migration, the way I had when we first landed in the Mara. But because I wasn’t with my own uncommunicative family, I became distracted by our fascinating fellow passengers. First a British couple told me about their two weeks in the Seychelles – why hadn’t we done that? And they described their camel safari up north – what were we thinking?

I also met some of friendly Chileans who had been to the World Cup, then on safari for a month and had almost been killed by a hippo. About halfway through the flight (and a quarter of the way through the hippo story), I realized that I had forgotten to look out the window as we took off, and probably could have had an unobstructed view of at least half a million wildebeest – not as upsetting about the balloon, but my second missed opportunity that day.

DINNER AT A HOOKAH BAR
On our way to Jomo Kenyatta airport, our Gamewatchers driver took us to Al Pasha, a decent Middle Eastern eatery in the very bizarre Panari Sky center. Though located in a multi-leveled mall with video arcades and kiddie rides, the tented patio, which overlooked the highway, was straight out of Arabian Nights.

THE NAIROBI AIRPORT LOUNGE
For $25, you can get a “day pass” to this very comfortable, funky room with flea market sofas. (This was before the bed bug scare.)

THE GREAT HUMAN MIGRATION AT HEATHROW
Here our carry-on strategy came back to bite us in the butts, as it were. We had a 12-hour layover and planned to take a Sunday stroll in Hamstead Heath, followed by a meal of sushi, the boys’ favorite British dish.

Our idea was to leave our luggage in the AA lounge after the T-5 to T-3 transfer and head into town. I even (compulsively) posted on Flyertalk to see if this would work. Mr. C. asked the lounge personnel is this was okay, and they, in horror, say no. They would never notice if we broke the rules, of course. But it seemed as if there were half a million people migrating in the terminal – If we went into London, would it take three hours to get back in.

We decided to take a nap in the Lazy-Boy chairs in the AA lounge and then assess the situation. When we awoke three hours later, there was no decision to be made. We spent the whole day in Terminal 3, and ate at Yo!Sushi, not once, but twice. And, still in the wildlife photography mode, I captured an image of the great migration…as well as a dazzling leopard in the window of the Mulberry shop.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crosscheck/sets/72157625292542462

NEXT: SHAMELESS PITCH FOR KENYA TOURISM

oops - i need a remedial flickr course. try this link instead:

http://flickr.com/gp/crosscheck/93G7ZQ

make that an in-patient advanced remedial course

http://flickr.com/gp/crosscheck/94gRxs

Thanks for finishing. I can't wait to read the shameless pitch.

Thanks Crosscheck; the kanga proverbs were worth the wait! Your translating skills are first rate! Looking forward to the shameless pitch as well...

Fantastic, so where are you travelling next? Which forum will carry your trip report as I'll have to read it, even if it is about a country which is last on my list of desirable destinations. It will be worth it.

We also had our farewell dinner at Pasha AKA the Hookah Lounge A convenient if not a bit uninspiring spot near the airport....Thanks again for sharing your adventure and wit. Looking forward to the shameless pitch and your next destination.

I'm still wondering about the 2wks in the Seychelles, lovely as it sounds.

What a great report(again!) and look forward to the rest.

Leely - It was the wrap-up to YOUR trip report that inspired my upcoming shameless pitch!

ski - Let me know if you need me in India to translate Tamil proverbs.

twaffle - In December, we are off to the Turks and Caicos (not sure if it's a Turk or Caico) with two other families, but I don't usually write trip reports about our winter beach trips. I am hoping that India will be our next big one, even if skibumette doesn't take me with her.

reno - As uninspiring as Pasha was, I was grateful that I didn't have to eat crocodile or ox balls before my flight.

moremiles - I think it would be difficult to spend an exorbitant sum on a Seychelle holiday when you could go on safari instead. Having said that, it does look like paradise on earth.

I'm off to vote, then will post the shameless pitch.

Bonus chapters, I love it! We killed hours in the restaurant upstairs in the Nairobi airport. Once we found it, that is.

I was going to suggest you could stowaway in my suitcase for India -- but then I remembered that Mr. C would never approve of association with checked luggage. Who knows where you might end up when my bag goes AWOL?

If you do get to India, maybe you could find a tiger to make up for the lost leopard? And I wonder how camel spit compares with the curative properties of giraffe saliva? There is no way I am going to kiss a nasty camel to find out!!

So you are envious of not almost getting killed by a hippo? Did the Japanese toilet fit in Mr. Carryon's carryon?

Long2Travel, you need to do a trip report on losing and then finding your memory card.

Atravelynn - it was the bizarrest state of denial. To this day I still have the pile of remaining SD cards by my computer, Every time I thought about it I would go back to digging through all the same pockets in my day pack that I had been through a thousand time. The whole time shocked that I would actually look through those same pockets again.

BTW, if the card had stayed lost I would have lost the sundowner, cheetah kill, cheetah babies, and the balloon ride along with some other good shots. And, unlike Crosscheck's ride, our balloon ride was terific. So glad it turned up or I might not have ever done my trip report.

Sorry to steal the thread CC.

just found this, but no time to read it all - ttt for later

long2,
I was about to post the bonus chapter, but I became so anxious about your lost memory card incident that I have not been able to write. I promise to dedicate the last poignant lines to you, but I am about to travel again, so it might take a few days. I am counting on Sandi (whose report is three years overdue) to grant me a waiver.

Hey, don't use me as an excuse. I thought business travel is when you got all your reading and writing done. Long plane flights, nights alone in hotels, etc.

I must admit it took me two and half months to get to mine but at least I finshed it the same day. No pressure though...

We have a culprit now. We can blame everything on lost memory card anxiety.

We'll all have to wait for the thrilling conclusion!

Lynn, wishing you a speedy recovery! Looking forward to your report but please rest and take care.

Kama kusafiri na kubeba tu-on, kamwe kununua zawadi nyingi (“If you travel with only carry-on, you will never purchase too many souvenirs”)

OMG! I have the same kanga! What color is yours?

I know just what you mean about safari envy. The Nairobi airport ... I wrote that and then words failed me. Nothing works, but the employees are so friendly.

I leave tonight for for SA. Thanks for getting the last chapter in. Reading your trip report helps ease the utter sense of failure to make the trip with carry on only. Between SAA's onerous 18 lb weight restriction for carry on and the gear I need for this Earthwatch trip, I failed by about 2 lbs. Now I'll probably bring back too many souvenirs.

Have fun in the Turks and Caicos!

long2 - sorry to use you as an excuse...my new excuse is that I had a weak signal.

lynn - speedy recovery. hope it wasn't bed bugs!

ccipups - Oops - I actually didn't finish in time for your trip. Was planning on posting my bonus chapter tomorrow (even Mr. C is now bugging me about it.) Have a wonderful trip and may all the airline personnel you meet be lenient.

With insights from the boys?, she asked plaintively...

I have resurfaced and am trying to contact my sons for insights. But they are not very insightful, so don't hold your breath.

But I will comment on what they took away from this extraordinary trip...and I have run out of excuses, so will finally wrap this thing up tomorrow.

I have enjoyed reading about your safari experience. I am leaving for Cape Town/Botswanta/Vic Falls in 30 days and I am so excited. Your pictures are great. Can you tell me if you took a computer with you to download nightly or did you just carry several memory cards? I noticed your carry-on bag (which is exactly what I have) and didn't know if you had an extra bag for a computer.

Pure,
Yes we did take an small old Vaio laptop (the size of the current inexpensive netbooks) and we did download nightly...or is it upload?

We also had five memory cards because we had five cameras of various sizes. Several of our cameras had been damaged or submerged in water in the Galapagos so this time we made sure we had enough.

In addition to the carry-on's in my photo, we also each had a backpack and the computer easily fit into one of those.

Crosscheck
Thanks for your response. I will make sure I have plenty of memory cards. I've decided to take my 64GB IPAD with the camera connection kit to upload the photos each night and it can also serve my email and SKYPE needs. My Mac is a 13" and I think it will be too heavy even though I am very tempted to buy the new 11" MacBook Air

Robin

Looking forward to the wrap up. Your kids need a copy of this family tale as told by Mom.

SAFARI ENVY, CURED
Upon returning home, I found out that the friends who had originally invited me on their high end safari had NOT seen a crossing. This was because they had gone to Tanzania, where the migration was supposed to be. They ended up renting a helicopter at Grumeti to fly up to the Kenya border to check out the wildebeest (and like others we had met, they too were almost killed by a hippo in Katavi.) Their accommodations, though absolutely extraordinary, did not seem nearly as “organic” as ours. And they missed out on our cultural interaction and cheetah action.

TAKE YOUR TEENS TO KENYA
Somebody asked about what the boys liked and disliked (besides business class and their premature introduction to sundowners.) I have been trying to get their opinions for days, with not much luck:

CROSSCHECK: What did you like most and least about Africa?
YOUNGER SON (music blaring): I don’t know, Mom. I'm in the middle of writing an essay.

CROSSCHECK: What did you like most and least about Africa?
OLDER SON (at college, wild party in the background): I can't really hear you. I have to go now, Mom. Love you!

My expert interpretation of their responses is to say that they just “got” it. I won’t forget our first glimpse of the wide open spaces of Amboseli, when we came upon the vista of warthogs, gazelles and baby baboons, with birds on the elephants’ backs. Could the boys possibly be as blown away as I was? I took a peek into the back seat – and there they were, totally absorbed and clearly as awestruck as if they were innocent little boys again. I knew then that as difficult it had been to pull this trip off, it was more than worth it.

THE BOYS’ HIGHLIGHTS:
- having our own vehicle so we were flexible and not overscheduled

- photography – some of our best shots were taken with their little Canons, and my not-so-artsy older son has even signed up for a course

- the big cats, especially the lions and the hungry cheetah mom

- downtime – all states of unpluggedness: chess, cards, even reading

- the walks, but more so, the drives. After other vacations that involved cave-rapelling or snorkeling with sea lions, I mistakenly thought this would not be an active enough trip, but the serenity (and lack of a sightseeing checklist) was a good fit for the psyche and pace of slothful teens

-sitting in the “spotter’s” seat during night drives

- the glorified “camping” – tents, whistles, bucket showers, morning tea delivery

- interaction with the cool guides/village visit (where they bonded with the teens and kids, and they even asked to go back to the Amboseli village a second time)

- they both liked the final 24 hours at the more commercial Mara Intrepids...mostly for the buffet, the long hot showers and the wifi, because they didn't use the pool or interact with other kids. We had agonized about what to do with our last day because Lion Porini wasn't available. The very smart and patient owner of Gamewatchers (who is also the head of the Kenya board of tourism) even got involved, assuring me that Intrepids would be a good choice, especially because of its convenient location near the migration, the airstrip, and (sigh)...the leopards. The Gamewatchers guy was right - though none of us would have given up the more authentic Porini experience, Intrepids was a great finale. (And I highly recommend it for families with younger kids.)

- and...yes, the boys did like the balloon. If you have teens, at some point you should probably take them for a balloon ride, and what better place than the Mara - even if it is a rip off?

NOT SO MUCH:
- Bead factory visit; handicraft shopping…Neither was a highlight, but no major complaints.
- Both boys liked Macushla, but were curious why we hadn't planned some urban action in Nairobi

AND THE BEST PART:
- Before we had even arrived home, they had posted their photos on Facebook and had gotten comments like “You really saw THAT? No way, dude. That’s sick.” (a high compliment). They both even invited their friends over for slide shows.

WHY DID WE WAIT FOR SO LONG?
This vacation was so spectacular that I still cannot figure out why we didn’t go on safari previously. We're fairly intrepid, so it wasn't because we overly concerned about “edginess.” Maybe we thought it would be too elitist or “colonial.” Or too structured…or too far of a trip for such a short time…or not enough exercise. Or way too pricey for a family vacation. None of the above turned out to be an issue. The preparation WAS a bit daunting, and in retrospect, we all had way too many vaccinations and bought way too many ridiculous khaki outfits.

But we ended up with one of our best trips ever, and because of the Gamewatchers eco-friendly/community/conservancy part of the equation, we were able to do something good for Africa just by spending our money there.

So if any of you are hesitating about taking your family to Kenya, just go. It will be a peak experience, guaranteed. No matter how well-traveled you are, they’re not kidding when they tell you it’s a magical place. Shockingly, Mr. C (which also stands for Mr. Cheapskate) has already mentioned the possibility of returning. And my tiny little duffel is all ready.

Crosscheck, thank you so much for this delightful adventure which we all shared and enjoyed. Fantastic. Please ask Mr Cheapskate to quickly decide to go on another safari so that we can all enjoy the trip with you.

Wonderful report and conclusion! I hope to run into your khaki clad family someday in Africa or maybe here in the wilds of L.A.

I knew our son(14 at the time) enjoyed Africa since he hopped out of bed at 5am with no problem whatsoever and never complained about anything the entire trip, even without the electronics. We have to read some body language.

Loved this Crosscheck. Gave me goosebumps at the end!!

Yay! I love happy endings. Thanks so much for this report--it has truly provided me with much laughter and joy. And now you got me verkempt at the end. I can especially relate to the following:

This vacation was so spectacular that I still cannot figure out why we didn’t go on safari previously. We're fairly intrepid, so it wasn't because we overly concerned about “edginess.” Maybe we thought it would be too elitist or “colonial.” Or too structured…or too far of a trip for such a short time…or not enough exercise.

I think those crazy ideas were circulating somewhere in my head before my first safari too. I remember coming back to Northern California after my first trip and looking at the dry, autumn landscape, and thinking, "At one time, a long time ago, these hills were dotted with wild animals."

Thanks crosscheck have enjoyed the ride!

Ok so what's the story about people just about being killed by hippos in Katavi?

That's one refreshing thing about Africa. It doles out the goodies on its own time and even renting a helicopter to zip around the skies offers no guarantees.

In the vernacular of your sons' friends let me compliment you on your fantastic report with "You really saw (and did) THAT? No way, dude. That’s sick."

Your trip report is a primer for parents of teenagers considering a safari or for spouses of one-carry-on'ers considering a safari. Heck, it's a primer for anyone considering a safari.

Like I mentioned before, you need to get this in some kind of bound copy--even if it is just a three hole punch and a binder--and present it to your sons.

Hoping you can have more enjoyable and entertaining family trips.

crosscheck, this report has been amazing, beginning to end. Thanks so much for sharing your experience -- it sounds like you've brought back a lot of memories for people who've been on safari, and you've certainly whetted the appetite of this newbie even more. All the hilarious observations and brilliant details in your posts have left me with a giant smile on my face.

Wonderful stuff!

Loved your report. I do not understand...why upload your photos during trip? So you have backup copy? In case something happens to card?

Twaffle, Lynn and Leely - Thanks again for your endorsements. YOUR photos and trip reports were all inspirational - and left me feeling verklempt as well.

KathB - I suspect both hippo stories were mostly hyperbole (adults on safari tend to "brag" about their dangerous encounters, like little kids) but I will try to get more details.

Windowless - I really appreciate the kind words, and have a feeling that your report will be awesome. You're already a star on this board and you haven't even left yet.

Elainee - We did upload nightly in case something happened to the memory cards. Of course, something could also happen to the computer...Another thing to worry about!

I just remembered two more things that I left out:

1) One friend who travels often to India told me that people who enjoy touring temples in Asia usually don't love Africa. This is an UNWISE friend.

2) Another friend told me that her parents took her on safari when she was 16. She said it was the best memory of her entire childhood and cannot wait to take her own kids - She believes that a safari is the best gift you can give your family. This is a WISE friend.

crosscheck - thank you so much for posting the boys highlights - it makes me feel better that they thought being "unplugged" was a good thing - it's one of the things I'm worrying about with my nephews. And I'm glad to read about the "slothful pace of teens", - my nephews are very active boys in sports, and I worried that they might get bored with game drives (really - this is just me worrying - they are very excited about this trip!), so reading that your boys liked the slower pace is very reassuring.

Your report was great fun to read - thank you!

Cyn

Thank you for taking the time to share your epic safari! I have been riveted. What a perfect trip for your family. When is your next safari?

cyn,

Where exactly are you going? How old are your nephews? My boys are also sports fanatics - both participants and fans. They were both more concerned with missing professional games than they were about the lack of exercise for a few days...The key was to schedule the trip during baseball season, which isn't as critical to them as basketball or football. (This has become a common theme during family trips and I have learned my lesson about when to travel - if you do a search on Fodors, you will find my desperate pleas about where to watch basketball in Ecuador).

We scheduled our trip for after the World Cup and the NBA finals. The boys use the Blackberry (which worked in the parks, but not at the camps) to find out about sports scores. And shockingly, our Masai guides (who now have internet access on their cells) were also following some of their teams.

As far as exercise, the walking safaris were a perfect solution, especially because they included spear-throwing competitions. I did also notice soccer fields adjacent to some of the larger camps in the parks, presumably for employees. My boys would have loved that, but they were fine with a few days off from all their activities.

Local,
Thanks so much for the kind words. Not sure about our next safari - maybe a gorilla trip. The great news is that I know it WILL happen, because the once-reluctant Mr. C is now on board. He even put photos of our trip on his I-pad, and has been known to show them off during meals at restaurants.

Thank you, Crosscheck, for your vivid description of your safari. My son and I also enjoyed a Gamewatchers safari, with 2 days each at Amboseli Porini, Porini Rhino Camp, and Porini Lion Camp, in early August. It was our first trip out of North America, and we were both astonished with the variety and quantity of wildlife living together. It almost became sensory overload.
Of all the pictures we took, very few were of the camps, the guides, or the people we met along the way. I would very much like to buy/copy/acquire somehow/ 3 or 4 of your pictures, Crosscheck. The bucket shower is easier to explain with a picture of the bucket. The sundowner snack table is nice (who knew they grew macadamia nuts in Kenya?), but the inclusion of the guide's used-tire sandals is memorable. We both remember the unsmiling little boy at the Masai village, from your Silly Bandz picture. And we never took a picture of the homes in the Masai village, with their stick frames and mud/dung walls.
I'm looking forward to reading your other reports.
Thanks for a brilliant summary!

I hope gorillas are indeed in your future plans, Crosscheck!

Sillysue,

I believe I met you at both Porini Rhino and Lion Camps. You were a day ahead/behind me pending on which camp, I was traveling solo and I enjoyed talking with both you and your son. I've included some photos of Porini Rhino and Lion camps and photos from my Maasai Village visit in Amboseli although it may not be the same as I stayed at Tortilis instead of Amboseli Porini. Your son was on the nature walk for the spear throwing, but unfortunately not in the photo. I did the same thing and took so many photos of wildlife that I sometimes forgot to take photos of other things and people I met along the way, but hopefully these photos help a little. If you want me to send you a photo of the bucket shower, you can private message me from my Tripadvisor account username JudyNY and I'll be happy to send any photos. I have a great photo of the bush breakfast and the balloon breakfast, but they both took place while I was at Kichwa Tembo which is just before I headed to Porini Lion camp so hopefully Crosscheck can send you her great photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54125082@N02/

what a great trip report! can't imagine I only read this now (shame on me! ).
Are you this lucky on all your trips? seeing cheetah hunt, crossings and leopards.. one can only dream of such a safari!

Are you already thinking of return trips?

Sillysue,
My husband and I stayed at Porini Rhino and Lion in Sept. We also didn't take many photos of the camp or staff. Just an overwhelming number of wildlife and landscape pics. I have some friends that ask about the tents we stayed in and what the camps looked like. Trying to describe the bucket shower..well I have given up!. Would you mind also sending me a pic of the bucket shower? We are planning another trip in the next year or two and will be sure to get plenty of camp pics.
Thanks!

sillysue, First of all, major congrats for going to Africa for your first foray away from North America. I can't believe I spent all my prime travel years re-visiting all the other continents. Now I have a lot of catching up to do. I would be most honored to share my photos with you.

I have a severe learning disability when it comes to figuring out Flickr settings, but I will do everything in my power to make everything I have posted available to the public. And if I see my photos showing up in National Geographic, I will send you an invoice. If that doesn't work, just let me know your screen name on tripadvisor, and I can email the photos to you. Be forewarned: We have dozens of the bucket shower, the gift hut and various angles of our bathroom sinks, so be careful what you wish for.

atravelynn, I've been in the process of hypnotizing Mr. C, and he actually mentioned gorillas this morning. He is also interested in orangutans in Borneo - have you been?

Nikao, We were very lucky in the Galapagos, but I think Darwin arranged long ago for the iguanas and tortoises to stick around and be crowd pleasers. Also got lucky getting an El Bulli reservation in Spain. Super-lucky snorkeling with giant clams in the Cook Islands. Less lucky at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, where I was thrown out for wearing capris. And exceedingly unlucky in the Yucatan when, on the same day, our younger son was attacked by a monkey and our rental car caught on fire.

annah58, You too can take advantage of my free public offer on flickr. When we describe the bucket shower to friends, Mr. C routinely has to take out his I-pad as a visual aid. But if you don't have the photo, what works is describing about the horrors of running out of hot water in the middle of the shower, then whistling for the guides, but making sure they know that the "emergency" is that you are soapy and cold, rather than being attacked by a hyena.

As one who is still in the planning stages of her 1st trip to Africa, I too am very interested in seeing photos of shower buckets, sinks,people and gift bars. Sure hope you'll post the link here for all of us newbies to enjoy.

Here's the link, but I still haven't made them "shareable"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crosscheck/4895154539/in/set-72157625000317812/lightbox/

Oops - once again, flickr has failed me. I will work on it in the morning.

Thank you, Crosscheck, for your efforts on my behalf. I am so envious of your many travels. Your misfires are memorable, but the whistle for running out of hot water conjures up lots of interesting images!

I learned many things on this trip: what's important in pictures, what's really important in packing, and that good memories can sustain me for months on end.

nycjv, yes, we did meet at Rhino Camp, and you gave me the best advise I didn't take: Sleeping pills/Excedrine PM help block out 40 MPH wind noise at night. I am deeply embarrassed that my son and I did not officially say goodbye to you and the Canadiens at Lion Camp; Our desire for an unlimited hot shower in Nairobi clouded my judgement. I have actually printed some of your pictures that were posted on Tripadvisor- apparently, they do not have the same copyright exclusions as Flickr. But I haven't claimed them as my own: just knowing that the close encounter with the young lion occurred to you while we were there is story enough. I remember our conversatons well, and enjoyed our time together.

annah58, I am so jealous..."We are planning another trip in the next year or two and will be sure to get plenty of camp pics." My son joined me on this trip because his dad, my husband, would pay ANYTHING not to have to come along. Next time, I'll make him pay for my son's wife and child, too!

KathBC, how I envy you. I started reading about Africa about 50 years ago, and knew right away that I wanted an authentic experience. The Porini camps (Amboseli, Rhino, and Lion) were exactly that. The food was excellent, the guides and spotters were knowledgeable and dedicated to providing the best experience possible, and the accomodations were classic. My 30 year old son knew that we would be in tents, but was shocked by no on-demand hot water, no electric outlets, and no Internet. But we were both impressed with Porini's committment to give back to the community and protect the land. I recommend them highly.

Thank you, friends, for reading, providing feedback, and making me smile.

I don't know if I can still reply as this is so old, but I'll try! I'm new to Fodor's - I am more accustomed to Tripadvisor - but I just wanted to say to Crosscheck I just finished reading this whole thread and I loved the trip report! Crosscheck, I found it as I have been going down a similar path to the one you trod in the search for the perfect luggage for our upcoming (June) trip to S. Africa - small bush planes, supposedly need soft-sided luggage w/no wheels, etc. I wanted to know which of the 4 different duffels did you end up liking best? or did it just not matter?

By the way, is there a way to private message people on this forum? Thanks!

Welcome to the forum, Jane62! Nope, no way to PM people, which all of us Fodorites would dearly love to see added! Some people post e-mail addresses in their profile.

Crosscheck, I recently read your trip report after it was mentioned on Sundowner's thread... super job!

As for your luggage question Jane62, my favorite case for safari is the Rick Steves Convertible Carry On bag: http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=8&id=139
I've used this bag for almost a dozen safaris and it fits in all the small plane luggage pods. Some duffels can be too thick to go through the pod openings (For example, the Cessna 206 pod opening is 9.5" x 27".) This bag holds a lot and can be expanded.

Thank you ShayTay! Ah, yes, that would be nice if Fodors added that feature.

Thanks for the idea about the Rick Steves' Convertible Carry On. I've been looking at that one and comparing it with the Ebags Mother Lode which I know a lot of people like. And then also comparing with the Eagle Creek duffel which also seems very popular. I like the ability to carry the Rick Steves and Mother Lode on your back. But then I worry what second bag I'd take - I like to have a backpack with me on the plane and then can use it as a daypack at my destination. Not sure how to carry 2 backpacks at once through airports though! Maybe I'll post my own thread to solicit others' thoughts so I don't piggyback on Crosscheck's great trip report thread!

Hi Jane62 and ShayTay,

Thanks for your kind words. This was one of our greatest trips ever, and it's nice to see that the thread has been revived. As far as luggage, Rick Steve's may be practical, but it's not very attractive. The Mother Lode is way more presentable, but I agree about the two-backpack issue. I believe Leely2 and I discussed this on one of her trip reports because she's a veteran safari goer who uses the Rick Steves.

The Eagle Creek duffel (medium size) was my favorite of the ones we took because it held more than the others and zipped open wider, so it was possible to not unpack and still find everything (of course, it helped that we hardly brought anything). We also used lightweight folding luggage wheels from Bed, Bath and Beyond - each caddy held two of the duffels. I believe Mr. C posts a link somewhere in this report, but if not, I can post them for you.

For a backpack, I had a Victorinox, which I still use for most trips.

Happy to discuss luggage endlessly. You can PM me at studiojr on tripadvisor.

I think I have the Mother Lode not the Rick Steves. Headed back to Kenya in June and have four days in Paris first. Time to start worrying about luggage!

Leely2, you think, you don't know? I thought all safari-goers had to obsess so much about what kind of luggage to buy that they'd never forget it as long as they live LOL!

Crosscheck, thanks for the info. I had already gone ahead and ordered 3 Mother Lodes in different colors (with matching packing cubes, of course - though wasn't sure whether to buy 3 mediums, a set of 3 different sizes or what - went so far as to chat with an ebags rep who had to check for me which size packing cubes to get and then told me to get the 3-different-sizes set so I hope he's right)! They are on their way so I'll see what I think when they arrive. Will try doing a mock packing. Still interested in the Eagle Creek duffel though, and still have time to return a Mother Lode and get an Eagle Creek - we don't leave for over 2 months!

Now I'm on to worrying about footwear also. Any tips on that on the forum? (I'm sure there are if I search). What WILL I do with my time when this trip is over?

Thank you so much for your excellent trip report. After many years of travalling to many countries in Asia and Middle East we are doing our first trip into Africa. It will not be until November and to Tanzania foa a safari and the post safari to Zanzibar. Again thank you.

Leely2, Hope it is the Mother Lode that you have - much more suitable for Paris.

Jane62, Of course I have shoe advice. You'll need lightweight trailrunner type sneakers and some comfortable yet stylish sandals. That's about it. I made the mistake of also bringing closed clogs - I like to wear them in airports because they're easy to take off and put back on. They did, however, ultimately cause my ankle injury in Nairobi because I tripped while wearing them, but I guess the injury did add some good conflict to the trip report.

Garfield, I appreciate your kind words. We've been thinking that our next trip will be to India, but Tanzania and Zanzibar sound very enticing.

Crosscheck - thanks - the Merrell running shoes I got are barefoot type but with more cushioning on the bottom than usual barefoot. They have a good sole but not officially trail runners. I read that about your ankle injury, what a shame - but you're right, it did make for a good addition to your trip report!

So you think I will use sandals even in June?

My trailrunners were lightweight Merrells as well, more like quasi-hiking shoes, and of course they coordinated perfectly with my safari wardrobe: http://www.zappos.com/merrell-siren-sport-dark-gull-gray
I take these on most trips and thought I would need them for our 14k walking safari, but of course, our guides wore flip flops. I also have (and love) the barefoot type Merrells - those will be fine if you are not planning a big trek. I did use my sandals in the afternoons in July, but they're probably not essential.

For over-the-top agonizing about footwear, check out my Belize trip report. I ended up taking every kind of athletic shoe that REI sells, all in my carry on, of course.

Yikes - sorry for the overuse of "of course." Wish we could go back and edit!

Thanks again, Crosscheck. Those Merrells you have look a lot like mine from Costa Rica. Comfy and cushiony at first but if I walk in them for long, my bunions and/or arches get tired. But I feel I'm on the right track with what to bring now! LOL at the reference for over the top agonizing about footwear - I shall look for your Belize report. You make me feel less obsessed and neurotic - or at least that I have company! And yes, editing is a nice feature they have on TripAdvisor (at least for a few minutes after you post) of which I've taken advantage on several occasions. But no worries.

Great report! Sorry I missed it earlier.

Thanks, Marija. I'm a big fan of your reports as well.

Crosscheck - first let me say that I have thoroughly enjoyed ALL of this information and laughter. My husband is exactly like your Mr. C. We are heading to our first safari trip in October and all had to be arranged with AA frequent flyer miles/points/ perks/ rewards/benefits, etc. We live near Boston and are flying as you have - going to Nairobi via London. (By the way where is the short cut hallway to uncrowded immigration area when we finally arrive? That would be very helpful as we too only travel with carry on bags.) Your suggestions regarding clothing and colors is also very helpful. My husband lives in black polo shirts or maybe navy so this is going to be a switch. I told him pale colors are it. Did you every wear anything but khaki, beige, olive green and light grey? How about really light lavender or light blue for a shirt? I know I can't take my black fleece or vest but I hate to buy more clothing just for this trip. Guess I'll just have to keep looking for cheap substitutes for shirts and a warm layer. Again thank you for so much helpful information. I'm new to Fodors and find this invaluable particularly when you have a delightful and fun way expressing yourself while describing your adventures. You make me laugh.

Thanks so much, Spunkie. Here are the answers to your Qs:

SHORTCUT AT NBO: At the moment I cannot remember how to find the secret hallway, but with some luck somebody will chime in. I think you head toward the office where people are getting visas on arrival and keep going.

ATTIRE: Yes, lots of khaki, olive green, beige and grey, but also lots of brown (and my usual black in Nairobi). But the locals we met and our guides were all dressed in the forbidden colors. Take your black fleece and lavender skirt - the animals won't care! I think they might even be color blind.

Have a wonderful time! I feel your pain re: packing. We're off to India in two weeks and I just got an email from my trip planner about no black (but apparently it's okay if I accessorize with bright colors).

It's not a shortcut but rather there are 2 sets of passport control/visa desks connected by a hallway in between. People tend the head to the ones closest to their arrival gate so if those are busy just head down the hallway (either to your right or left depending on which set of desks you're standing in front of in the first place) to the other set. You'll pass the prayer room and Kenya Airways Simba lounge which are located along this hallway on your way.

Crosscheck and Patty: Thanks so much for answering my questions. Crosscheck if you haven't left for India - have a wonderful time. If you read this after the trip, I await another amusing tale of your adventures.
One last question: What camera do you recommend for safari? I'm looking at the Super/Zoom - Bridge Cameras: Canon SX40HR, Sony DSC HX100V, and Lumix FR150. I'm going crazy with all the information on line. My only other camera is a Canon elph300 so that definitely will not do. I don't want to deal with multiple lens and am definitely not skilled at working too sophisticated a camera. Any recommendations would be very welcome by anyone that has a camera they love.

Hi Spunkle, We use the Canon G12 (previously G10) for all of our travels. This is the point and shoot that our photographer and cinematographer friends use when they're traveling for business. An amazing camera. But for zoom capabilities, we also took the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 and got some great shots with that.

correction: Photographers use the G12 for vacation travel.

Spunkie, I just got back from almost 4 weeks in Kenya and Tanzania where I used the Canon SX40. This was my 13th safari and I've used a variety of still and video cameras. I'm quite happy with the photos and videos that I got with the Canon. It's a great, all-purpose camera with a long zoom lens (35x) that's great for safari. A few recommendations if you take this camera on safari... This camera isn't threaded for filters. However, you can go to www.lensmateonline.com and get an adaptor, UV filter and 58mm lenscap, all for about $40. It's definitely worth it to have the UV filter protecting your lens. You can also get a polarizing filter if you wanted one. Also, Canon no longer supplies a paper manual with their cameras. You can get a "cheatsheet" at www.photocheatsheets.com. It's a laminated tri-fold sheet with info about all the camera settings and can be invaluable while out on safari or any time you're traveling with your camera. They also have the "red pod" available on that website. I used it on the safari and found it was an absolute necessity for shooting videos and stills while using that long zoom lens. It's basically a beanbag that screws onto the bottom of your camera and provides a stable platform from which to shoot. It works on the vehicle rooftop, window ledge, seat arm.

Crosscheck and ShayTay, I have to say again how marvelous it is to have found this forum and receive such fabulous information from terrific people as yourselves. You are my life savers as I plan for our trip to Kenya and Tanzania next month - only my first! I just checked out the G12 and agree I need more zoom. the Lumix is over my price range but very interesting - thanks crosscheck. Shay Tay you are the first "real person" I have connected with who can speak about your experiences with the Canon SX40. I have been very impressed by everything I have read on line but have 2 concerns:1. Was the size of the LDC satisfactory for you in that it is on the small side of most super zooms. Also what the screen grainy? 2. (and most concerning) - I have a few accounts about the continuous auto focus being inconsistent and slow - jumping rather than being a smooth movement/not readjusting as you zoom out or back in. Any thoughts? Overall what do like most about this the SX40? Thank you so much for the additional recommendations. Do you think I should have the Polarized filter in addition to the UV? I'm new to this - do you use both at the same time? If not which is for what? (I'll be OK once I make my purchase - I have a friend who is a photographer who is going to help me learn how to build my skills!) Again thanks to both of you for your continued support.

Spunkie, I rarely use the LCD on the back of the camera. I only use it if I need to shoot from a difficult angle such as above from my head or from my waist level. One reason I like the Canon SX-40 and its predecessors is that it has an eye-level viewfinder, which I find to be much better to use, especially if you're following action. Both screens (back of the camera and the viewfinder) are much more clear on the SX-40 than the ones on the SX-10, which is what I previously used. I didn't have trouble with the auto focus, just the usual "focusing on the grass, not the lion" issues. That will happen with any auto focus in certain safari situations.

As for filters, you'd use either a UV filter or a polarizing filter, but not both at the same time. The polarizing filter can deepen the blue of a sky and cut reflections on water. However, you "lose" an f-stop or two (the amount of light coming into the camera.) You don't necessarily need one on safari. The UV filter cuts some glare, but mostly protects your lens. On safari, you're on a lot of rough roads and you can damage or scratch your lens if you're not careful. I always keep my lens cap on when I'm not shooting.

Whatever camera you decide to use, get it early and do a lot of shooting before you go. Try for different situations... landscapes, wildlife (even if it's just local birds or pets), sunsets, etc. You'll want to ensure that there are no issues with your particular camera and that you know the settings well enough to automatically go to them while you're on your safari. For instance, I usually use the "P" or "Program" setting so that I can adjust things like the ISO settings. However, I also use the "Sport" setting for action shots.

OK You are awesome, Shay tay,I'll tr to commit with a final decision on the canon as soon as I find a good price. Right now Amazon is close with all your suggested accessories. Only question is whether or not a metal vs "plastic" lens adapter is best.

Thanks a million

42nd St. Photo has it on sale for $339.99, and Costco, $349.99. I think Canon is currently giving rebates via their dealers. Rumor has it that they will be releasing the SX-50 this month, so you might wait and watch for that since you don't leave until October. As for plastic vs. metal... don't know. I've seen some discussions as to whether the 58mm adapter or 67mm adapter is best. I use the 58mm, but the 67mm is supposed to eliminate "vignetting". I did notice a bit of minor "shadowing" sometimes on the side of my videos, so that's probably what's happening.

Shay Tay - super advice again. Hadn't thought to wait for the new one to arrive. Maybe the SX-40 will drop a bit then. If you are already pleased with this model I'm sure I will be also in that you have so much more experience and I am just beginning with this type of camera. May I assume that 42nd St Photo is a reputable dealer? I'm worried about using someone on line and getting stuck if there are issues. I haven't seen this company before, mainly ABH, Adorama, and AjRiches had the lowest so far but not as good as your quote. In general, is there a particular search you recommend when I am price shopping?
thanks a million again

Here are the "rumors" for the SX-50 (might be worth waiting for):
-zoom: 1060mm x44 (instead of 840mm x35)
-14.1 MP (instead of 12.1 MP)
-920.000 pixel LCD (approx. 720x1280) (instead of 230.000 pixels, approx. 360x640)
-3" LCD (instead of 2,7")
-processor DIGIC V advanced (instead of DIGIC 5)
-Super SteadyShot system Hybrid IS (instead of Intelligent IS)
-Max. aperture: F2.8 - F5.0 (instead of F2.7 - F5.8)

There are a few other items that might be included, but these seem to be the main ones listed on photo websites.

I've used 42nd St. Photo in the past with no problems. Nextag is a comparison shopping site that's good. Use www.resellerratings.com before buying from any online store. The reviews there will give you an idea of whether or not they are reputable. 42nd St. Photo rates a 9.13 out of 10.

Hey Shaytay and Spunkie, there's some great camera info here worthy of it's own thread! Kinda gets lost in here.

Sharon I liked the photo cheat sheets website.

Hi Shatay, Just sent the link for resellerratings to my husband and sons. It's great. Found out that Adorama has a 9.52 and B&H photo 9.77. Combined with 42nd st. I know where to shop for a camera. Not sure I can wait for the SX-50 but I'll keep an eye out for in during the next couple weeks. The larger LCD sounds nice and clear but as you said you rarely use yours. What other features would be a big determining factor for me to wait? How would I see or feel the difference with the processor or steady shot? The SX-40 is down to $349.99 as you noted. I'm heading to Costco to check it out. I'm guessing the SX50 will be at least $100 more? What do you think.

If you've not been on safari before and looking for near-professional shots, the SX-40 ought to do the trick, especially if price is a consideration. The longer zoom, while nice on safari, also requires a lot of stabilization. The newer processor and higher pixels matter to some folks, too, but again, the SX-40 is a nice camera.

B&H, Adorama, 42nd St... I've used them all and have had no problems with them. Another thing to consider when purchasing your camera - get an extra battery or even two. If you buy generics, make sure they actually work in the camera. One of my friends on this last safari found out too late that her generics didn't. You'll also need to have adapters for the country or countries to where you'll be traveling. You don't need a converter. The chargers are all dual voltage.

Hi ShayTay, Just thought I'd let you know that I FINALLY made a camera purchase and could not have done so well without your advice. By waiting till this week I found a super clearance sale at Target for the Cannon SX40 - $292.38!!! For that price my mind was made up. Now checking out the accessories you have recommended, filters, extra batteries, and I found a laminated cheat sheet for instructions and operations in that there is nothing in the box that can go on the trip with me. I can see that my biggest challenge will be stabilization with the big zoom. I feel like I have Parkinson's. I still have a few weeks to practice so hopefully I can get a handle on this before on safari. We have a potential for 14 drives during our 10 day stay. Needless to say there will be a lot of time spent in the pop up top van and many opportunities to see some spectacular sights and animals. Hoping the SX40 helps me capture the moments. We will be on the frequently traveled circle with our beginning and end in Niarobi - Lake Nakuru, Massai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Arusha, Amboseli. Other than calling us crazy, if you have any survival recommendations, please share..... I may need a lot of energy boosts to keep up with the pace and handle the bumping rides.
Thank you again for all the camera advice.

I've been traveling and am just now seeing your post... congrats on getting the camera! The Pod really worked great for me: www.thepod.ca. The red one is what works for the SX-40. I used the zoom at 35x and got some great videos. This video was shot at 35x (look in the featured gallery): sharontaylor.smugmug.com. In the open-topped vehicles, you can set it on the roof edge. Inside the vehicles, it will even work on the window ledge or even a seat armrest. I even used it when hand-holding the camera as it was comfortable that way. When hand-holding the camera, use your left hand to support the lens.

Survival tips? Hmmm... If you are traveling that circuit in a vehicle, stop, get out and stretch a bit. Keep hydrated and if you have a midday break in camp, use it to rest. Enjoy your safari!