Back to Paradise, part 1

This guest post is by Dave Tindell.

December 5, 2013 --  Wisconsin to Tahiti

    It was early in the year that my wife Sue asked if I wanted to accompany her on her next trip to Tahiti.
    This was not a difficult question for me to answer. My response: "When do we leave?"
    On her two previous visits in 2010 and '12, Sue had gone as a representative of Travel Leaders Rice Lake, visiting the various islands in the Society Islands archipelago and their many resorts and attractions, hopping from island to island by airplane. This time we would take a slower route, a cruise aboard m/s Paul Gauguin, the flagship of Paul Gauguin Cruises. Gauguin was a French painter who first came to Tahiti in 1891. Inspired by the primitive art and culture of the native Polynesians, Gauguin worked in the post-impressionist style and had a great influence on art and artists of the 20th century, including van Gogh and Picasso.

Gauguin's "Tahitian Women on the Beach", 1891

    

    Making the trip especially welcome was the fact that our northwest Wisconsin winter had started early and fiercely, with heavy snow and below-zero temperatures. So it was that we made the drive over to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and flew first to Los Angeles and then on to the South Pacific. 
    Tahiti is in the same time zone as Hawaii, four hours earlier than US Central Time, so it was late Thursday night local time when we arrived at Fa'a'a International in the capital city of Papeete. A primer about Tahitian words is necessary here. Many of their words have multiple vowels, and in pronouncing them you must insert a quick pause between each. So the name of the airport sounds like "fah-ah-ah." Fortunately, English is widely spoken in the islands, which are administered by France.
    First settled by Polynesians who sailed eastward from what is now Indonesia around 200 BC, Tahiti may have been sighted by European explorers as early as 1576. An English captain, Samuel Wallis, arrived in 1767 aboard HMS Dolphin. Over the next hundred years the British, French and Spanish vied for control of the islands. The natives' relations with the Europeans often turned violent, but peace eventually broke out and France took control in 1880, which it retains to this day. The Society Islands are part of larger French Polynesia, a semi-autonomous territory of France. The locals run the show for the most part, with the French providing security, educational resources and a hefty annual subsidy. As we would find, there is an active Tahitian independence movement. I would think, though, the French would be reluctant to give up this jewel. 
    French Polynesia encompasses a number of islands, covering an area the size of Europe. The total land mass, though, is less than that of Rhode Island. The islands we associate with Tahiti are the Society Islands, of which Tahiti is the largest. 

     

    We checked into our home for the next two nights, the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa, and settled in to our over-the-water bungalow. It had been a long day of travel, about 20 hours and some 5700 air miles, and we were ready to hit the hay. The heat and humidity had been apparent as soon as we left the airport, but considering what we'd left behind, that was just fine with us.

Friday, December 6th -- Tahiti

   
    We had arrived a day earlier than our original plan so that Sue could attend a conference hosted by Tahiti Tourism Exchange. She is a certified Tahiti expert and has clients from all over America who reach her through Tahiti 360. The conference is an annual event held in Papeete, a gathering of travel agents and suppliers.

  
    
    Before her departure, Sue and I enjoyed breakfast at the Intercontinental's open-air restaurant, Te Tiare.

While Sue was working, I checked out the grounds of our home-away-from-home.

    I decided to take a tour of the island. The resort offered many options through local suppliers and I chose a trek by jeep to the interior of the island. My companions were Julie and Bill from Asheville, N.C., Gil and Ruta from Chicago, and Josephine, a young German fraulein who was staying at the resort with her boyfriend, who was working that day in the city. They live in Singapore, where he works as a regional representative of Porsche, the German automaker. Selling luxury cars throughout the South Pacific? Where do I sign up?
    Our guide was a Frenchman who has lived on Tahiti for nearly 20 years, and when we reached the end of the road, deep in the interior, he explained we were now in the crater of an extinct volcano. All of these islands resulted from long-ago volcanic activity, and in fact they are now all sinking back into the Pacific, but since it's only by a few millimeters a year, we had time to finish our tour.

    Our tour included a refreshing dip in a pool formed by the Papenoo River, which swells after rainfalls, which also add to the island's myriad waterfalls. Tahiti gets a lot of rain, with January typically the wettest month with some 13.2" on average. The island's highest peak, Mount Orohena, is obscured by clouds in the above photo but rises to 7352 feet. Tahiti is now one island, but eventually will be two; the larger portion, known as Tahiti Nui, is connected to a smaller portion to the southeast, Tahiti Iti. The narrow isthmus that now connects them will eventually sink below the ocean surface, as has happened elsewhere in the archipelago.
    Sue returned from her conference late in the afternoon and we dined at the resort's specialty restaurant, Le Lotus.

  

    All in all, a pretty fine first day in paradise, if you ask me. The next day we would board our cruise ship.


Saturday, December 7th -- Tahiti

    Since Paul Gauguin would not sail till nearly midnight, we did not have to board until mid-afternoon. No problem; we enjoyed the resort, starting with a hearty breakfast and then a workout at the fitness center. The resorts in the Society Islands are first-rate, but they are not all-inclusive, as many are in the Caribbean. Breakfast was included in our package, but other meals were not, and they can be pricey. Sue's lunch on Friday had been included in her conference, and when my tour returned to the Intercontinental I hitched a ride with the guide to a nearby mall, accompanied by Josephine the German and Gil from Chicago. Gil, an avid bird-watcher, was on the hunt for a book on South Pacific bird species. I was looking for a relatively inexpensive lunch, and found it, sort of; "relatively" means my ham sandwich, french fries and drink were about half the price of what I would've paid at the resort. As it was, it cost about 1100 Polynesian francs, the equivalent of $14 US. When our tour guide had stopped to fill up with gas, I'd noticed the price per liter was 165 francs. In US terms, that would be $7.90/gal. Even at those prices, the streets of Papeete had plenty of vehicles, mostly small European- and Asian-made cars and motor scooters.
    We had plenty of time after our workout to enjoy the sun and the "infinity" pool. Knowing that it was below zero back home certainly added to the ambience.

    We departed the hotel around 3 and took a cab to the wharf in downtown Papeete. Paul Gauguin was designed specifically to cruise the islands of Polynesia but occasionally goes all the way to Southeast Asia. It's on the small side, with about 300 passengers, but the amenities are nice indeed. We would find the service and the food to be especially first-rate.
    Among the first to check in, we were soon joined by one of Sue's travel colleagues, Barbi Bush Paltrow, and her husband Steve from Richmond, Va. Sue and Barbi had met at the 2012 Tahiti event and had stayed in touch online. The Paltrows would become our travel companions for the cruise, but we would meet many new friends. Our "welcome aboard" edition of la Orana, the ship's daily newsletter, listed the nationalities of the passengers. More than half were American, but there were about two dozen Canadians, a dozen Chinese and eleven French; all told, 18 nationalities were represented, including a former Miss Latvia.

    Our cabin was more than adequate, including a balcony. We were welcomed by a bottle of champagne and a tray of delectable fruits, including chocolate-covered strawberries. Gauguin was certainly making a good first impression.

    The mandatory lifeboat drill took place at 5:30, and we took the first of many exemplary meals in the ship's main restaurant, L'Etoile. We then repaired to the main deck where the ship's band, Santa Rosa, got things rocking. Like most of the crew, the band was composed of Filipinos, four brothers and the wife of the lead guitarist. Our captain was Croatian, as were several of his officers, and our cruise director, Michael Shapiro, was an American who had performed on stage and TV before joining the crew in 1998. He was usually joined by his assistant, a lovely Peruvian woman who translated his English into French.
    We were still rocking on deck when the ship's lines were cast off and we set sail. Our first stop would be the island of Raiatea.

The Dark Continent, part 3

Friday, April 12 -- Cape Town, South Africa

     We would spend only one night at Babylonstoren, a real shame because it is a remarkable place. Harking back to the earliest days of Dutch settlement in the late 17th century, it is a working farm in the Drakenstein Valley. We had an incredible organic breakfast and embarked on our all-day tour of the wine country.
     South Africa's wine tradition dates back to the 17th century and the early Dutch settlers. Close to the Cape of Good Hope, the wine country has the benefit of a Mediterranean-style climate, ideal for vineyards.



Our room at the Babylonstoren, complete with fireplace and wine.




Breakfast included a baked granola fruit tart.




We toured the gardens at the farm.




A panorama shot of the view from our luncheon restaurant, Tokara, in the wine country.




Another view of the wine country from Tokara.




At the Thelema Mountain Vineyard, we sample the one of the winery's specialties. 



The view from our hotel for our final three nights in South Africa, the Taj Cape Town.

       The Taj Cape Town was the site of the Travel Leaders International Summit, a gathering of 54 travel professionals. After the evening reception, we settled in for the first of our three-night stay in Cape Town.


Saturday, April 12 -- Cape Town

    Business meetings took up our Saturday morning, and then we walked over to the historic Mt. Nelson Hotel, where we had a hotel inspection and lunch. Our group split up for different tours, and ours was a half-day panoramic tour of Cape Town, highlighted by a tram ride up to Table Mountain. The weatherman gave us a break with bright sunshine and warm temps.
      Cape Town is the second-largest city in South Africa and home of the national legislature. Founded by the Dutch in 1652, it was the first European settlement in the country. It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, and was the home of the anti-apartheid movement that revolutionized South African society in the 1990s.
     


The outdoor pool at the Mount Nelson Hotel.





How to get to the top of Table Moutain? A rotating gondola ride.




The view from Table Mountain---the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean.



Cape Town Stadium, which hosted matches in the 2010 World Cup of soccer (known here as association football).




At the top of Table Mountain.



Cape Malay Bo-Kaap is one of Cape Town's most visited areas.

     After our tour we dined on the waterfront at the One and Only Hotel, Japanese-style. Many of us turned in early to prepare for a full day of sight-seeing on our last full day in South Africa.


Sunday, April 14 -- Cape of Good Hope

    Heading west from Cape Town, we entered the Atlantic Seaboard area, with beaches, cliffs, promenades and hillside communities. I was reminded of Italy's scenic Amalfi Coast. Our destination was the Cape of Good Hope.
      We had thought that the Cape was the southernmost point of Africa, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian, but it is not. That is Cape Agulhas, about 90 miles to the east-southeast. But ships traveling south along the western African coast begin to turn eastward at the Cape of Good Hope, which was first rounded by European sailors in 1488. It is a spectacular place, and if you visit Cape Town you should definitely have the Cape on your list of tours.



On the way to the Cape.





At a section called Boulders, a colony of African penguins!





Travel Leaders International Summit at the Cape of Good Hope.    

      Back in Cape Town for the evening, we had a "White Party", one of the new trends of the social circuit. White was the dominant attire, and we made the most of it. The event was at the Vergelegen Estate, a winery. Our transportation to the winery was a special treat, in vintage pre-war automobiles.

    It was a great evening, with wonderful food and of course more South African wine. Although we would be heading home the next day, our flights would not depart till late in the evening. Party time!


Monday, April 15 -- Cape Town and the journey home

     We spent our final day relaxing, shopping and some also did a little more sightseeing to the Robben Island prison, where Nelson Mandela was held for most of his nearly 30 years in captivity. We hit the shopping district, in search of native art. We were directed to a place called Streetwires, a cooperative venture that not only sells artwork, primarily works in wire, but which provides steady work for over a hundred previously unemployed people. 


A wire ostrich at Streetwires.

     In the afternoon we packed---some of us had to buy extra suitcases. Our flight back to the States departed at 11pm, starting a very long night and day of travel: 11 hours to Amsterdam, and after a 3-hour layover, about 7 hours to Minneapolis. One of the wonders of international travel in the jet age is being able to go from one side of the world to another in just a day. When the first European settlers came to South Africa, their voyage took a lot longer.
    We tend to think of Africa as a place of jungles and wild animals, exotic tribes and primitive cultures. And while all that is still there, Africa has a cosmopolitan side, with gleaming cities, vibrant art and music, and great dining. If you have a chance to see today's Africa, don't pass it up.

  

The Dark Continent, part 2

Monday, April 8 -- Botswana

    We started the day with another game drive with Sky, our driver and guide. Each camp provides its guests with a personal driver/guide for every group, and they're extremely knowledgeable. Their goal is not just to show you the sights, but to teach you about Africa's flora and fauna.
     Our next flight was a bit longer, an hour and twenty minutes to Kasane, an actual airport. Our other stops at the camps saw us landing on airstrips in the bush. We were met by Ali, our new guide, from Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero. We were now deep in the wilderness of Botswana, overlooking the magnificent Chobe River, close to the northern border that meets with neighboring Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Botswana is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries, and some seventy percent is covered by the Kalahari Desert.
     Chobe National Park is certainly not in the desert; it has the highest density of trees in the entire country. The river, a tributary of the Zambezi, is the only permanently available source of water for the park's large population of mammals. The park is one of the few areas in Africa where visitors are almost guaranteed sights of elephants swimming in or crossing the river, and the floodplain is the only place in southern Africa where the puku antelope can be seen.
     Our first drive here, which included a boat excursion on the Chobe, came in the afternoon, giving us more magnificent views of the animals in their natural habitat.



Our rooms at Chobe were amazing and had outdoor showers....



...but the baboons kept us from using them.




Kim, Laurie and me board the boat for our river trip.




Cape buffalo have never been domesticated, unlike their cousins, the Asian water buffalo.





Elephants come down into the river to forage.




Crocodiles are quite numerous, one more reason to stay in the boat.




We could hear the hippos, but they wouldn't let us get too close.




This evening's sundowner was on the river, adding to the ambience.

Tuesday, April 9 -- Botswana to Zambia

    

    After a morning game drive, when we were again unsuccessful in spotting a leopard (pun intended), we left Chobe for a ride to the Kazengula border area to cross the Zambezi into Zambia. Customs procedures in Africa's interior are still a bit on the primitive side, but we eventually made our way to the ferry, which was about the same size boat as we'd used on the Chobe. On the Zambian side there was no pier, but just a retaining wall that required us to hoist ourselves up a few feet. Waiting for us were groups of peddlers selling everything from baskets to wood carvings. Luckily our new driver, Raphael, rescued us and got us to the van. A visa is required to enter Zambia; Raphael got ours for us, collecting our passports and the $50 per person fee, then handing it all over to the customs officials while we stayed in the van.
      The ride to Sanctuary Sussi and Chuma took about an hour. The lodge is in the heart of Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, on a bend in the Zambezi River. The lodges are actually tree houses, connected by wooden walkways. What made it even more exciting for us was that we were going to be here for two nights.
      The camp is named after the loyal attendants of British explorer David Livingstone, who died in Zambia in 1873. Sussi and Chuma carried his body over a thousand miles to the east coast of the continent for shipment back to Britain. Livingstone was the first European to see Victoria Falls.
     


One of the 12 tree houses at the camp.




The Zambezi was very high during our visit.




Inside the tree houses, modern amenities.




We saw all kinds of boats on the river.




This evening's sundownwer was on a deck over the water.

    We had a lovely dinner and retired for the evening, excited about our next day's destination: Victoria Falls.




Wednesday, April 10 -- Zambia

     After breakfast we headed to Victoria Falls, an excursion included in our package. The first European explorers heard the native name, used by the Kololo tribe: Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates as "the smoke that thunders". Over 500 million cubic meters of water go over the falls every minute, over a width of more than two kilometers, into a gorge more than 100 meters below. It is twice the height and nearly twice the width of Niagara Falls.  



We are dry before we walked the Falls!

But not so much when we completed the walk....twice!


 



Denise and Kim got this shot from their helicopter ride the next day.





Edward, our guide, Denise, me, Kim and Laurie.



     After our visit to the Falls we stopped at the market in the town of Livingstone for great shopping. We were encouraged to bargain with the merchants and we were more than happy to oblige.

     Back at the sanctuary, we had a surprise waiting: a luncheon cruise on the Zambezi. We had the afternoon to ourselves, catching up on our email and relaxing. After dinner was another game drive, but it was a very warm evening and things were pretty quiet.

Thursday, April 11 -- Livingstone to Cape Town via Johannesburg

    This was a travel day, as we had come to the end of our safari. After breakfast we headed to Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport, which serves Livingstone. Because of our trip to the marketplace, we had to do some creative packing to make sure our luggage wasn't overweight. We flew South Africa Air to Johannesburg, nearly two hours, and after a short layover it was on to Cape Town, two hours' flight to the southwest. We were met at the airport by Jarat Tours, who transferred us to Babylonstoren, a working farm in the wine country north of the city. It had been a pretty long day, but we got rested up for our next day's excursion, into South Africa's renowned wine country.