Roccco

I guess it all depends where you stay, whether or not you gain or lose weight.
For example, during my last trip, the food was great at the Picolo Mondo Restaurant, the Michelangelo's Hotel, for the first two nights of my stay.

Then, during five nights at Kafunta in South Luangwa, the food was very mediocre and I'm sure STD and I lost a couple pounds.

Then, however, with four nights at the Twelve Apostles Hotel, where the food was good to excellent, with buffet breakfasts included daily, we definitely gained weight. It didn't help that we didn't discover the mountain trails behind the hotel until the morning we were leaving.

The food at the Lanzerac Manor was good and to finish out the trip the food at Djuma Vuyatela was pretty good also.

Maybe its just because I am a fat American, but when food is included, I, for one, tend to eat more than I would eat than when I am paying for each and every item. Also, it may have to do with the psychology of telling oneself to "enjoy, you're on vacation."

While 10 pounds sounds like a lot to gain on one trip, if situated at the right (or perhaps wrong) places where it is a lot of buffets, fine dining and drinking, I can understand how it can happen, which is why before two of my last three major trips I have either trained and run a marathon right before or during the very beginning of my trip. Unfortunately that was not the case before my last trip and with zero marathons in 2003 I am feeling and seeing the negative effects.

lbright

I am traveling to East Africa April 2004. I have read everyones messages and have a few questions. Rocco..could you please forward or email the article you mention that you wrote on planning a trip to Africa. So far, I am thinking I would go with 2Afrika for the 12 or 15 day trip but after reading all of the responses...I am not so sure. Rocco, I liked your self made itinerary with zanzibar being in the middle to break it up. How did you book this and with which company. Because you made your own trip up were there not a lot of people on the same trip as you.
I appreciate any information one would have for a first timer to Africa who loves to travel, not afraid of adventure but wants to be safe.
Thanks LB