Safari

A month from today we will be leaving on our voyage around the world.  The carton we are shipping ahead of time is almost complete and will be sent around the 7th of January.

The safari will be 5 nights and will take us to the northern edge of Kruger National Park.  We are staying at the Simbambili Game Lodge and, from the pictures, it looks absolutely beautiful.  Apparently we will be able to get very close to the animals and a 70-210 mm lens on the digital/SLR would be sufficient.  I will be also be taking my Nikon 5100 to take videos   I don't have a video cam and don't think it's necessary to buy one for the 6 days.  Friends Gail & Dennis, who live in Durban, may possibly meet  us and might also come along.  Everyone tells us that this will be the highlight of our trip and we are so looking forward to this wonderful experience.

After the 1st we will really need to start doing some serious packing.  Of course, I have already packed on paper but must try on everything before deciding it's a "must have."  Also, I will probably have to cut out 1/3 of the clothes I listed.  Tough job!

Picture: Post located next to lighthouse pictured below at Cape of Good Hope.

Less Than 60 Days To Go

The trip was always so far off, seemed we had all the time in the world to prepare.  Not any more!  Time is moving too fast and I must dicipline myself in order to get everything done.  Bills, clothes, mail, packing a carton of various items we'll use during the 4 months.  Things like toothpaste, shampoo, bath wash, sunscreen, etc. will all be shipped ahead and will be gone by the end of the trip. 

One new addition to our trip will be an add-on safari.  We will be off the ship for 5 days on a photo safari, leaving in Mozambique and rejoining in Cape Town.  This is something we have wanted to do for many years and are really excited to see and photograph the animals.

 Pictures: Lighthouse and landscape at Cape Point at the Cape of Good Hope. Yes, we climbed all the way to the top.  Exhausting but spectacular.

Some Pictures

Pictures from various trips taken through the years.

Bye Bye Symphony

We finally got our Symphony to bed for the winter. She's in a heated building at the marina and looks as good on the cradle as she does in the water. It took several days of hard work to get to this point, and we are so glad it's behind us. Now we can concentrate on preparing for our trip. We need shots for yellow fever along with tetanus and hepatitis A. Also, a visa for India is required.

Getting Closer

Yesterday we made our airline reservations. It will be 3 years since our last world trip on the Pacific Princess. The voyage is 107 days and will stop in approximately 40 ports along with transiting the Panama Canal. The ship holds 680 passengers and contains 200 balcony cabins. We are staying in the same cabin we had in 2008. There are two specialty restaurants, one a steak house, the other Italian. Some of our stops include Easter Island, Tahiti, Auckland, Sydney, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Dubai, Seychelles, Durban, Mozambique, Cape Town, Ghana, Dakar, Madeira, Casablanca, Gibralter, Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Portofino, with the trip ending in Rome. Figuring out what to take for 4 months without going over 2-3 suitcases will be the next hurdle. Things like bath soap, toothpaste, contac lens cleaner will have to be packed in cartons (1-2) and shipped UPS before we leave. I learned to date everything we use to see just how long it lasts so I will know exactly how much we will need for 15 weeks. The pictures are of the Pacific Princess and our room.

Jacob & Me

This is a picture of me with my adorable grandson, Jacob, taken inside our boat.

Labor Day has long past and we are now beginning the daunting task of putting our boat away for the winter season. We have a "pull-out" date of October 6. There is so much to do that we must start weeks before the boat is pulled in order to get it all done. The weather was cold and rainy this weekend which was a perfect opportunity for us to change the oil, check the transmission and polish all the interior wood, including the floors. It's only a start.

Symphony

Our beautiful yacht, Symphony. She's a Catalina 400 and sails like a dream.

Sailing in the City

Summer is beginning to wind down but we are still sailing each weekend and enjoying the final weeks of the season. It's getting dark a little earlier and my garden doesn't look nearly as vibrant as it did just a few weeks earlier. Labor Day is approaching and shortly our boating days will become numbered. Right now we are still enjoying our beautiful Lake Michigan and weekends with our friends at the harbor.