For those of us who do not have access to a private jet, traveling on a flight exclusively for business class passengers is the next best thing. We flew Lufthansa’s new all business class service from Chicago to Düsseldorf. As a bonus, our flight had few passengers. Boarding in Chicago was a breeze; there were no long lines, actually no lines at all.
We told our foodie friends about this up and coming restaurant and chef we found worth visiting. Relying on the reputation of the hotel and prestigious location, we had dined at the famed Les Ambassadeurs (French for the ambassadors) on a previous occasion and had been somewhat disappointed. When we heard things were changing, we jumped at the opportunity to sample the “new” cuisine.
One of the oldest game lodges in South Africa , Thornybush was also one of our favorite for game viewing and a pleasure to visit. As in other lodges, we started our game viewing drives around dawn. Though it was difficult to leave the comfort of our spacious African design suites, with private plunge pools, in the cold of early morning winter, our drives were rewarding.
We felt far away at Lebala , named for open spaces in the Setwana language. With a maximum of 16 guests and 19 staff members in a 232,000-hectare gaming concession, we felt near Africa and well settled for game viewing. Our camp, as most game viewing camps in Botswana , was set in the open, without fences or impediments so wild animals could walk by anytime. During our stay, the staff made sure all our housing, meals and laundry needs were cared for so we could focus on the purpose of our trip – viewing the wonderful wild animals.
For years we heard how wonderful the Mount Nelson was. We left our extraordinary waterfront accommodations early to sample the historic Mount Nelson . We need not have bothered. We found droopy, dated, and at times smelly, common areas, poor food, indifferent staff with an attitude; and a less than desirable location for our Victoria & Alfred Waterfront oriented visit.
Imagine waking to the sound of a young wounded water buffalo being hunted by a pack of hungry lions as it searches for the safety of the herd. Now imagine walking out into the bush to see how the drama ended; standing fifty yards from a pack of lionesses tearing apart a carcass when they pick up your scent and scramble. Though we were warned that it is rare for visitors to have close encounters with animals during bush walks, lady luck was with us that day. We followed our able and patient guides to the kill shortly after breakfast our first morning at the only wilderness concession inside Kruger National Park and a big five area, Plains Camp at Rhino Walking Safaris.