Bridezilla's Trip Report- Vic Falls, SA, Mauritius

Old Oct 11th, 2006, 08:17 AM
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Bridezilla's Trip Report- Vic Falls, SA, Mauritius



HONEYMOON ITINERARY:
Milan-Dubai-Johannesburg-Livingstone
Livingstone for 3 days (The Royal Livingstone Hotel)
Livingstone-Johannesburg-Cape Town
Cape Town for 4 days (The Table Bay Hotel)
Cape Town-Johannesburg-Hoedspruit (Timbavati Reserve)
Timbavati Reserve for 4 days (King's Camp)
Hoedspruit-Johannesburg
Johannesburg for 1 day (Garden Court – Sandton)
Johannesburg-Mauritius
Mauritius for 4 days (Beau Rivage – Belle Mare)
Mauritius-Dubai-Milan

I am an American-raised, half-Italian, half-Cuban newly wed wife living in Italy with her Italian newly wed husband chronicling her recent honeymoon in Africa. Have I lost you yet?

This is my account of the best trip of my life.

As with any new experience, we went in not knowing quite what to expect. And so, we did our homework diligently so that we could make informed decisions. But how much planning and googling and researching can prepare you for the spectacle of your first African sunset? Your first encounter with a wild animal? This trip will be one that we will never forget and that gave us much more than we could have ever hoped for.

We arrived in Livingstone, Zambia after a very, very long succession of flights from Milan, Italy. We were beat. Dead tired. But when we overheard the nightmarishly long transfers of some of our American fellow passengers, twice our age nonetheless, we couldn't complain! And plus, we had arrived! We were rearing to go!

Having completed all the formalities at the airport, we met our bus driver for our ride to the Royal Livingstone Hotel. Outside of the airport, oddly, the first thing that struck me was the colorful rose garden in front of the airport parking lot, a stark contrast to the evident dryness of the area. We loaded onto the bus and were on our way to the hotel. Driving through the town of Livingstone, the driver explained that it was the only African city to have kept its colonial name after liberation and that it thrived on the tourism from the Victoria Falls. As we were driving through, he pointed out the banks, the textile factory, the one-month-old strip mall, the fact that there are no traffic lights (“Here, we use our brain!”, he said), but one thing I couldn't help but notice were all of the people walking in the streets. Some aimlessly and others, carrying what seemed like very heavy loads, clearly with a mission. The red dirt roads were filled with people coming and going, some idling, some working behind makeshift fruit stands, groups of youngsters, women alone, you name it. Along the side streets of the main road you could make out people walking in the distance going to or coming from somewhere only their feet would take them. We reached the entrance of the Royal Livingstone and with the manicured lawns ahead, the gates closed off behind us the rest.

The grounds were impressive. Only a few seconds past the gates and already we encountered a giraffe and some impala. This was going to be good. We reached the entrance to the hotel and the view through the lobby, past the lawn and the pool was simply amazing. We were greeted warmly by Lydia and given a cool hand towel, iced tea and a quick rundown of how things worked. No time to waste, though, our sundowner cruise along the Zambezi River, the fourth largest in Africa (another tidbit we learned on our bus ride over), would be leaving in an hour. We were golf-carted to our room and there we met our butler, Sharon. She welcomed us and showed us our room. The room was beautifully decorated and nicely mirrored the style of the reception area. We received an added welcome from a small, inquisitive vervet monkey perched on our balcony. Apparently, the monkeys are a common sight. They are very fond of sweets and get their little hands on them whenever they can sneak a chance. Any dishes you would hear clanging on the floor was always an indication that a monkey had snatched something sweet away from somebody. We were warned that if we didn't lock the door to our room, they would get in.

Quickly, we made our way to the bus that took us to the African Queen sundowner cruise. Upon our arrival we were greeted with music and a beautiful copper sun reflecting off the water. We were amazed at how clean the greenish blue river water was. Comfortable in our wicker chairs at our table on the deck, we glided along the Zambezi as we drank refreshments and nibbled on finger food. We caught glimpses of hippos in the water and elephants through the trees. The eles were fairly far off, but we did manage to see a male elephant try to have his way with an uncooperative female. He tried, but she was not having it. She must have had a headache.

The boat had two levels and was fairly big, with lots of tables, so it wasn't as intimate or romantic as one would hope, but it was a great chance to see the surroundings from the water. And it was only then, looking out onto the river, that we finally had time to stop and take it all in; it finally sunk in that we were in AFRICA. I was watching an amazing sunset with my newly wed husband on the mighty Zambezi River in Africa. Wow. We capped the evening off with a delicious, albeit slightly pretentious, dinner back at the hotel.
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Old Oct 11th, 2006, 09:41 AM
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Congratulations on your wedding. Looking forward to reading more.
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Old Oct 11th, 2006, 04:12 PM
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Welcome home from what I'm glad was your best trip. That's a good way to start of the marriage.
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Old Oct 11th, 2006, 05:53 PM
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Great beginning! Congrats on your wedding. I look forward to hearing more about your trip.
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Old Oct 11th, 2006, 06:04 PM
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Hello! Welcome home and glad you had a fantastic trip....fantastic first segment of the report. Thanks

Hari
 
Old Oct 11th, 2006, 06:52 PM
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Welcome home and congratulations on your wedding! Keep the report coming!
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Old Oct 12th, 2006, 01:33 AM
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The following morning there was a walking tour of the Falls and a cross over to the Zimbabwe side planned for us. It was an easy hike and our guide was informative and friendly, telling us of the medicinal uses of some of the plants we encountered, among other things. It being the dry season, the rush of the waters was not as magnificent as in, say, March. The upside to this though was that this way we were able to see much of the rock formations, take pictures of the falls without getting totally drenched, and actually hear our guide's explainations. Needless to say, the Falls are spectacular. The power and force of the water is truly amazing. We found that it was worth the while going over to the Zimbabwe side as there was much more water there. With the help of an assistant of the Zambezi Sun (the hotel adjacent to the Royal Livingstone), we got through passport control, were issued visas, driven across the Victoria Falls bridge in a “No Man's Land” that links Zambia and Zimbabwe, and, without a glitch, handed over to our Zimbabwean guide.

We particularly enjoyed this part and our guide told us many interesting facts, like that the engineer who built the Victoria Falls bridge 100 years ago had poured his heart and soul into the project and was so devastated when upon completion it seemed that he had miscalculated and that the bridge was too short that he killed himself. He died days before knowing that once the bridge had settled, it all fit perfectly. Although Zimbabwean law requires all bridges more than 100 years old to be replaced, after an assessment, it was deemed that this bridge structure is still so solid that it is in no need of replacing.

The spray from the Falls formed rainbows in the sunlight and we caught a peek of a little bushbok curled up in the lush vegetation, making it all very enchanting, when suddenly a particularly startling sound reached our ears. Across the way, on the Zambian side, we could hear howls and yells. Human howls and yells. Of the stupid, thrill-seeking tourist kind. Through the mist, with our binoculars, we could see a group of men slipping and stumbling their way into the river current and plopping themselves into a pool formed in the river rock dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. You know where just before the whitewater sweeps away everything in its path with unthinkable force it plunges 100 meters? Yep, right there.

Back at the hotel, we spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool and enjoying the spectacular view. As newlyweds we were offered high tea at four and like any civilized, properly-mannered, high-tea-drinking couple, we scarffed down the cakes, crumpets and scones before the monkeys could get at them, our eyes darting right and left on the lookout for the wily suckers. The couple next to us was not so lucky.

Walking the hotel grounds at twilight we came across a group of grazing zebras. They seemed oblivious to us and chomped away as we watched them, enthralled. You could smell in the air what we thought was the smell of these wild animals. It was strong, yet familiar. It smelled like boiled potatoes. Almost rotten boiled potatoes. In different places we kept smelling it and later learned from our safari guide that that is the smell of the potato bush. So if you smell that smell, that's what it is.

For dinner we decided to shuttle over to the Zimbezi Sun Hotel and take our own plunge into their wonderful buffet. The food was great and the atmosphere was very lively and colorful. They had a live band playing just across from the pool and it was all very festive. My husband went to the buffet three times. Being Italian, he didn't recognize some of the food, but that was no deterrent. He piled onto his first plate all sorts of meats and curries and a spicy stirfry-something-or-other and a heaping spoonful of what he thought was potatoes and beef, but turned out to be sticky toffee pudding! He was more cautious his second trip 'round.

The next day, our last in Zambia, we awoke to a beautifully sunny morning and after breakfast enjoyed some lounging. From the riverfront deck we caught our last glimpse of a group of hippos across the river lounging, quite like us, in the bright sun. The time had come to say our farewells, continue our journey, and catch a flight to Cape Town via Johannesburg.

We were reluctant to leave such a special place. In all instances we were impressed with the efficiency and professionalism of the people who helped to make our visit to Zambia so fantastic and were touched by their warmth and genuine friendliness. The uppity attitude and disorganization you can all too often come across in Milan had absolutely no place here.

It was dark by the time we got off the plane in Cape Town. Sure enough, our driver was there waiting to take us to the Table Bay Hotel to begin the second leg of our journey. It began in style as we boarded the brand new, all-leather interior Mercedes. Looking out at the city lights, I felt like I could have easily been in an American city. Except that we were driving on the wrong side of the road! Only in the light the next day did I begin to realize that this city was in fact different from any I had ever seen before.
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Old Oct 12th, 2006, 07:10 AM
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Congratulations on your wedding!

I am anxious for your report to continue , as I will be staying at Kings Camp in December.

If you have any photos, I would love to see them
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Old Oct 12th, 2006, 07:42 AM
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Congratulations on the wedding and welcome home! Great start to your report, I can't wait to read more!

Jenn
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Old Oct 12th, 2006, 02:19 PM
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Congratulations on your wedding and you picked the perfect place for a honeymoon!
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Old Oct 12th, 2006, 04:41 PM
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Rainbows in the falls and a bushbuck! What were those guys near the edge of the falls thinking? Glad the sights and hospitality got you off on a good start.
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Old Oct 16th, 2006, 11:45 PM
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The Table Bay Hotel is elegant and massive. It's on the V & A Waterfront, which, according to the headlines of the hotel's complimentary daily newspaper, had just been bought up by a British company for 7 billion rand. Impressive. The area is one big, port-front shopping mall and is packed with various eateries of varying levels of casual. The spa-level floor connects the shopping mall to the hotel.

As a special honeymoon perk, our bed was meticulously decorated with colorful rose petals and awaiting us for our drinking pleasure was a bucket of chilled bubbly.

This I have to say: the hotel's breakfast buffet packs an impressive punch. Greeted with the ever-present glass of champagne (or sparkling wine as they're only allowed to call it) and a handful of strewn rose petals, breakfast was one lip-smacking, head-turning, finger-licking, eye-googling assortment of fresh fruit, cheeses, cereals, sushi, breads, Chinese soy noodles (oh so good at 8 in the morning!), juices, cold cuts, and more.

Our first day in Cape Town was spent on a half-day tour of the city that our tour operator, Kuoni, had planned for us. Managed by the Springbok Atlas tour company, the tour included a cable car ride up to Table Mountain, the Malay Quarter and its brightly colored houses, the downtown, Company's Gardens and the Castle of Good Hope. The tour then continued on to Milnerton beach and ended at the Diamond Works factory/shop. We had been warned at the hotel to resist any temptation to buy any of the featured diamonds and were surprised to find that instead their sales tactics seemed more focused on selling Tanzanite, a purplish-blue stone recently found in the mines of Tanzania at a fraction of the cost of a precious stone.

The morning visit to Table Mountain was definitely the highlight of the tour. As we piled into the cable car, it was pointed out that the floor would rotate so that everyone could enjoy 360 degree views. Indeed we did. At the top, despite the fiercly cold and strong winds, we managed to enjoy commanding views of the coastline, Lion's Head, Devil's Peak and the city below. Soon, however, with the wind blasting spirals of frigid air into our brain via our ear canals, it was only a few minutes before we were forced to seek refuge in the gift shop and cafe and head back down.

Although superficial, and with the stop at Diamond Works seeming a bit “forced”, overall, I would recommend the city tour in order to get an initial feel for the city. And since we were staying scarsely 4 days, it was fine for us.

For the following day the hotel was happy to book us a winetasting tour on the Cape Wine Route. It was the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with South African wines and enjoy the fantastic scenery. Neither disappointed.

We twisted and winded our way through some of the most beautiful landscapes. Actually, I don't think we twisted and winded at all, that might have just been my perception from all the wine. We touched upon estates in Stellenbosch, Franschoek, and Paarl, the names of which I can't for the life of me remember. Suffice to say that as the tour progressed, the wine got better. Again, that just may be my altered perception, or, more likely, due to the fact that the tour guides must make one obligatory stop (the first estate, whose wine did not impress us) but can choose which estates to visti for the remaining stops. Our tour guide had very good taste and the last estate we visited near Paarl was fantastic. They had tables set up in the middle of a vast, emerald green lawn where we enjoyed sweeping views of the vineyards and the mountains in the background. So intent were we on tasting all of the 15 (yes, 15) bottles the sommelier had lined up for us, so mesmerized were we by the view and blurry from all the wine that we left without buying a single bottle. Now that I regret.

Between the first and second stop and just as the wine was beginning to alter my judgement and lower my inhibitions, we stopped at the Spier Cheetah Outreach Center, where I agreed to enter an enclosure and pet one of the cheetahs. And I'm so glad I did. It was an adult male and he was introduced to me as Joseph. He seemed fast asleep, but his ears were perked so that he remained always alert. It was an incredible experience to stroke his soft fur and feel the vibration of his purrs through his ribs.

The next day, we took advantage of the free rental car option offered to us as part of our package trip and headed down to Cape Point. Just the other day, as my husband and I were reminiscing about the trip, I asked him what day in particular he would most like to relive out of the entire trip. He told me this one.

To be continued, our self-drive to Cape Point...
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Old Oct 17th, 2006, 06:52 AM
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I've been waiting, not very patiently I might add for your report to continue.

Your trip sounds wonderful.

You did alot of the same things I will be doing

After a 12 night cruise out of Mombasa, I will be in Capetown for 3 nights and Kings Camp for 2 nights.

I look forward to the rest of your report
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Old Oct 18th, 2006, 02:06 AM
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Continental Girl-
Sorry for the delays!
I'll get the next sections written and pictures up within the next few days.
In the meantime, if you have any doubts about King's Camp, let me just tell you now to put them to rest. King's Camp is fabulous. I'm just sorry you'll only be staying there for two days.
Ciao for now
Bridezilla
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Old Oct 18th, 2006, 06:08 AM
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Hi Bridezella
I am so excited about my trip!
I wanted to stay longer at Kings Camp, but I am going to be in Africa for 3 weeks(travel time included), and just could not take anymore time off work.

I definitly want to go to the Cheetah Outreach Center, and of course the rest of the winelands. Let the tastings begin!!





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Old Oct 23rd, 2006, 05:16 AM
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Help!
I've uploaded my photos onto Kodak Gallery, but can't figure out how to share them with the Fodor forum.
Any help is greatly appreciated since it took me FOREVER to upload.
Thanks!
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Old Oct 23rd, 2006, 05:18 AM
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Maybe this will work?!

Paste the link:

http://olympus.kodakgallery.com/MyGallery.jsp?&
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Old Oct 23rd, 2006, 05:40 AM
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URRGH!
Maybe this link will work:

http://olympus.kodakgallery.com/I.js...&x=0&y=-tndr9h
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Old Oct 23rd, 2006, 06:42 AM
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Thanks for sharing your pics....yes, the link worked.....

Looks like you had a fabulous trip, with some fantastic sightings....nice big pride of lions etc etc.,

Kings Camp looks lovely from your pictures....

Hari
 
Old Oct 23rd, 2006, 10:09 AM
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bridezella,

Thanks for the great photos!!!
Looks like you had a wonderful time.

From seeing your photos I can tell I won't be disappointed with Kings Camp.

I hope I am as lucky as you as far as sightings.
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