At the airport waiting for our 14 hour flight back to the Stars and Stripes... and we found a spot to cheer on Belgium as they take on England! Gerry is one happy fan!
We felt our trip wouldn't be complete without a trip to the dessert. We took a dune bashing ride where we hopped in an SUV and our driver took us through the dunes...it was a wild ride. Then, we sat on a camel, sand boarded, got henna tatoos, watched the belly dancers and topped off the night with an act from "America's Got Talent..." a fire breathing dancer...yep - the guy drank lighter fluid right in front of us and breathed on a torch and flames shot out just like a dragon! And that's a wrap in the Arabian dessert!!!
we landed in the United Arab Emirates this morning... and we are checked into the grand excelsior hotel Dubai. We are just settling in... so I’ll post more later.
Our African adventures ended with a quick trip through Pilanes National Park where we completed the big 5 by seeing a leopard in the wild! We also saw hippos, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, kudu, wart hogs and zebra... to think we almost skipped this place! Now we are at the airport awaiting our next flight.
we just finished our last spectacular game drive... following a lions roar into the wild where we found a male and female resting for the day in the brush. We are now leaving motswiri and heading to another lodge for the night about 2.5 hours away before we head to the airport and hop on a plane to the United Arab Emirates.
Our morning sun rise game drive took us past 4 lions cubs, their mom, aunt and dad. This. Is. Amazing!!! We also saw more Zebra, Giraaffe, Elephants, Wort Hogs, Impala, Buffalo...and much more!
We made it...we powered through a long travel day and were rewarded with a 2.5 hour game drive where we saw Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, Zibras, Steenbok, Impala, Kudus (sp?), Cape Buffalo...already! And, this might be the best photo I've ever taken! We are getting up at 6AM for our morning game drive in search for more wildlife.
We hiked two hours, two miles, with a 2300 foot elevation gain along a stone covered staircase to the skies. We felt sun, fog, and a little bit of mist as the promised view hid behind the thick, puffy clouds. There was just a quick break in the action for a tiny glimpse of the 360 degree panoramic wonder of Cape Town. And that's how we bagged Table Mountain's famed Platteklip Gorge trail...and the kids still had energy to swim afterwards! Tomorrow is a monsterous travel day as we head to the airport at 3:30AM to catch our 5:45AM two hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. From there, we will drive 4.5 hours to Madikwe Game Reserve. We will be staying at Motswiri Lodge where we hope to see the big 5 over the next 4 days and 3 nights!
We set sail on the hunt for whales in Hermanus, South Africa. After about 1.5 hours of being tossed around in the Atlantic's wild waves, we spotted two of the region's famous Southern Right Whales fresh from their Antarctic Voyage. It was amazing and exhilarating...and another check off our bucket list!
I'm glad we took the long road home...this is Hout Bay, the location of our Cape Town Casa for a week...our place is on the right somewhere down in the lights.
We are in an awesome beach front condo in Hout Bay, Cape Town. Yesterday we saw the penguins in Boulders Beach. Our internet is not working too good...so right now I can't upload photos. But today we are heading to Cape of Good Hope - the almost southern most point of South Africa. *updated the next day with photos from our deck. The photo on the left is also a photo of the world famous road called "Chapman's Peak." Look it up, it's pretty awesome. We drove it that same day.
Thanks to our Belgian family and friends for helping us cram two years worth of visits into 9 fun filled days! Even though we are far apart, we still feel close together and welcomed with open arms every time we visit. Now we are off to Paris for the night and onto Cape Town. But before the adventure begins, here's a sneak peak at just a few of the hundreds of photos we took.
There may be no jumbotron, half time show, instant replay, 5 different camera angles, cheerleaders, or loud speakers pumping up the crowd... but the 12th man sure can carry their team to victory!!! https://photos.app.goo.gl/QpmLipfXJ1KWHqCu6
From Forts, Cliffs, Beaches, Sheep, even cows...Irish I was back in the Emerald Isle. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNmO5IDvNKKc9d8KDrkh9hopE3_SYrPrwV0hy2WGB_Tv1OQ0wOr5rWxVSU3bd2SgQ?key=bXBzV05kRjQxWnVUcE9DT05TTVBuWEZvVmhISUNB
We were welcomed with open arms by Omi's sister Wivinne and brother George - eating tarts, picking cherries, riding trucks, and checking out all the farm animals that live right in their backyard...including the two day old lamb.
The fog lifted and the landscape showed off as we ditched our Dublin plans and headed back to the Cliffs of Moher for our second and only successful day on the hill. This place feels magical, powerful, and we are in awe at what this part of "God's Country" has to offer.
we are about to hop on a plane headed for Gerry’s homeland. See ya soon Belgians! We arrived in Belgium this afternoon. We are staying with Reginald and Annelies for the next week or so.
The Cliffs of Moher is the most beautiful sight I've ever seen...well, that was 20 years ago, and today we learned you can plan everything but the weather...thank goodness for visitor centers with full length pics of the place and hats...lots of hats. And, at least we could see from one side of the ferry ride to the other...not to mention Gerry felt right at home with the heard of cows crossing. Oh Ireland - from one adventure to the next..