Best Travel Experience Stories

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

Mountie — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:09:59 GMT

Somali bandits?

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

Mountie — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:08:44 GMT

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Cast your vote for the Best Travel Experience Story!

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

omegaet — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:05:38 GMT

jashermd....yes, Botswana is also on our list....after, Samburu, we moved further north and east to Meru, which proved to be a great opportunity for game viewing, even though it had experienced devastating poaching from bandits out of Somali in the 80s.

In 1999 and into the early 2000s, a process of re-introduction has substantially improved the numbers of Elephants, Kudu, Buffalo, Leopard, Lions and both Black and White Rhinos.

Even though the animals are growing in numbers, the return of tourists has been slow – hence, it remains a wonderfully isolated and peaceful place to visit, with several very nice camps as well!

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

jashermd — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:03:49 GMT

Nice story! I had the pleasure of seeing a gerenuk in Taragire National Park in Tanzania -- they really are cool looking animals. There's nothing like seeing animals in their natural environment to make you realise how special they are.

If you want to go on a safari where you rarely see another soul, go to Botswana -- it's not cheap, but the government's high cost-low volume tourism policy has kept the wilderness pristine and prevented the crowds of white vans which have overrun the Serengeti and Masai Mara.

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

omegaet — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:30:14 GMT

christian07....wild animals have struggles all over the world.....we continue to increase human populations, take over and destroy more of their natural environments and they end up with shrinking ecosystems.

We're not "hugging trees" with this opinion, we're just observing real trends. If you want to see these "natural wonders" in their own settings, get out and get it done soon! Otherwise, wait in lines at your local zoos or look for their pictures under “extinct species”!

Czech meat!

thepiranha — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:30:35 GMT

In July of 1990, my wife, Michelle, and I flew from Los Angeles to Berliin to start a six month backpacking trip around the world. We chose to begin our journey in Berlin because Roger Waters, the esteemed bass player, singer and songwriter for Pink Floyd, was going to perform "The Wall" at the site where the Berlin Wall had previously stood. The Wall had just come down at the end of 1989 and people came from all over Europe to attend the one time concert.

Two days after the show, we boarded a train for Prague. Arriving at night with no place to stay, we attempted to use a pay phone at the train station to contact a youth hostel or inexpensive hotel. We had some Czech change that someone had given us on the train, but the instructions for the telephone were written in Czech and we had no idea where in Prague we were or how to use the phone. Fortunately, a very nice man approached us and asked if he could be of any help. His English was quite good and he understood our dilemma. He explained to us that it might be difficult for us to get a room at that late hour and that we were welcome to stay in his apartment for the night. He would find us lodging the following day. Michelle and I were hesitant to accept this stranger's offer, but because of our situation, we quickly decided that we should take the chance and follow him home.

On the way to his apartment, we learned that the man's name was Jozef and that his girlfriend and son were in the country visiting her parents. They would be gone for a few days and we could have a room all to ourselves. The apartment was several blocks from the train station and we learned in the brief time that it took to walk that distance that Jozef was a stoker in one of the government buildings. His job was to keep the fires burning during the winter so the building would stay warm.

The next morning, Michelle and I arose to the smell of warm bread. Jozef had gone to the bakery and purchased fresh bread and a tin of meat. We asked him what type of meat it was and he had no idea of what part of the animal nor what type of animal it was from. Although we are very adventurous eaters, the idea of eating mystery meat did not appeal to us.

After breakfast, Jozef insisted on showing us Prague as only a local can. We treated him to lunch and it dawned on us that we had better find lodging for that night. I asked Jozef if he could help us find a room for the night and he insisted that we could stay with him. Being a stoker, he was unemployed during the summer months, and with his girlfriend and son out of town, I think that he was lonely and appreciated the company.

The government owned apartment building where Jozef lived was dark and grey and units did not have their own bathrooms. We used the bathroom at the end of the long concrete hall. The window in the bathroom was broken and we could only imagine how cold it was in the winter. Lightbulbs were burned out and it would take months to replace them. We showered in the kitchen sink, the same place where we brushed our teeth and washed dishes.

Two or three days into our stay, Jozef announced that he would have to take the train to the country to get his girlfriend and son. He insisted that we stay in his apartment while he was gone and we could leave the key in a hidden place when we left.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Michelle and I sent a large box to Jozef and his family. We included travel books about America, sewing books for his girlfriend, and toys for his son. We never found out if they ever received the box, but we suspect that it was intercepted by Czech officials. Michelle and I still talk about our stay with Jozef and how someone with so little can be so kind and generous to strangers. While we enjoy seeing the cultural and historic sights when we travel, interactions with people of other cultures are what truly make traveling such a rich and rewarding experience. Just don't make me eat any mystery meat.

Message Edited by thepiranha on 03-13-2008 06:31 PM

Re: A PENGUIN ADVENTURE!

Mountie — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:01:09 GMT

jalanlowe:

I'm an animal love myself. Enjoyed reading about your adventure with little tux guys. Can you post any photos?

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

christian07 — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:55:50 GMT

nice interesting post youve got here! going to safari is on my top travel list. :)
I love the last part showing how these animals are trying to survive.

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

omegaet — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:48:57 GMT

CMDAVILACLI & claassenam...East African safaris are great. As we are certain you have read from jashermd's SA postings (he is an obvious and frequent fan of safaris), being out with the animals and the general environment is "special."

In our experience and opinion, the more remote destinations (at least with visits to East Africa), the more interesting the trips can be.....also, a lot fewer visitors disturbing the animal sightings and "dusting up" the horizons.

We have friends who recently returned from trekking in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and shared some of their fabulous photographic work of the great Silverbacks.

We still have Rwanda and Gorilla Trekking on our "Life List."

claassenam...we sent you a PM for clarification regarding the Gerenuk photo question......see if you can this this shot of a different Gerenuk:

Message Edited by omegaet on 03-13-2008 07:29 PM

Life in an Indian Prison, or . . . ?

thepiranha — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:27:58 GMT

"Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny." Bruce Springsteen

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

claassenam — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:23:11 GMT

Great story Omegaet - very touching photo of the baboons. I'm curious about the Gerenuk - will you repost the photo again? Like CMDAVILACLI, this has inspired me to go on safari!

Re: Tracking Gerenuks...

CMDAVILACLI — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:05:09 GMT

omegaet,
what a great story! I have longed to go on safari, and your wonderful description reinforces my desire!
cmdavilacli

Re: Aaah....Venice

jashermd — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:05:00 GMT

Thanks for all of your comments -- glad you enjoyed the story! The art glass at Palazzo Pauly is much more my style, and I'll definitely put it on the list for our next visit to Venice.

Tracking Gerenuks...

omegaet — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:29:25 GMT

..special moments in journeys often create lasting memories!

A PENGUIN ADVENTURE!

jalanlowe — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:03:06 GMT

Our 14 day Norwegian Dream cruise from Santiago, Chile around Cape Horn and ending in Buenos Aires, Argentina was our penguin adventure! We saw three kinds of penguins, Gentoo, Magellanic or Jackass, and a single King penguin baby! The two most amazing encounters were in the Falkland Islands at Sparrow Cove and in the Punto Tombo reserve in Argentina.

In the Falklands twelve of us boarded two range rovers and for a half hour bounced and lunged over steep and rough terrain, no roads here! We were on a huge private property where the Gentoo penguin colony nested. The Gentoos were absolutely darling and so curious. We had brought a Trader Joes colorful bag which we set down and the little penguins waddled right over and pecked at it wondering what it was! That magical feeling of being among God's fearless creatures that we thought we had lost in the Galapagos islands was here! There we also saw a lone King penguin baby. His parents apparently were at sea fishing. This was no little baby, however, being about 3 feet tall!

The second encounter was in Argentina at the penguin colony in Punto Tombo. This is the largest colony on mainland South America with a million penguins! They were everywhere and again without fear! Like in Galapagos you had to be careful where you walked to not step on them. After a lengthy walk to the end of the reserve was a spectacular sight, a beautiful long crescent beach crowded with hundreds of black and white Megellanic penguins, like penguin tourists at Waikiki! They were swimming, surfing, laying out, grooming their partners and walking to and fro but mostly just hanging out with their friends and family! What a scene! There was a second picturesque area, an exquisite little bay also a playground for the penguins. It was a noisy scene as well as they aren't called jackass penguins for nothing! They call to each other by putting their heads back and vigorously hee hawing just like a donkey! They were very curious as well, not for the Trader Joes bag as had the Gentoos but rather for my husband Jeff's camera! One came right up to Jeff and looked side to side at Jeff's camera and then came closer and closer. Jeff got a clip of it, with his penguin head getting larger and larger almost touching the lens! Alas, the last encounter was all too short as we were with the ship's group. We would have loved to stay much longer. Someday soon we hope to bring our children and grandchildren to this truly amazing place and hope you dear reader can join us!

Re: Withdrawn

Mountie — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:27:09 GMT

jsattapr...thanks for posting travel2fun's PM, but I still don't agree with you two friend's opinion. This is about Travel Experiences. Sorry I asked about photos.

Re: Withdrawn

claassenam — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:31:43 GMT

jsattapr - why did you withdraw the story? I found it to be very touching! (Although, I was a bit alarmed on your behalf from the first paragraph, I thought maybe you hadn't learned the lesson from the movies listed and paid the price yourself!

Re: Three Films Before Going To Prison

shirleyt — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:51:00 GMT

This is certainly among the most touching travel vignettes I have read, but I can understand your mixed feelings about sharing it in this forum. We all have different motivations for the travel we do, and sometimes the experiences are less than upbeat. This trip had to be emotionally very unsettling, but you made a huge impact on the lives of these women, helped to spread the word of their plight, and perhaps have encouraged others to assist them down the road. Thanks for sharing it!