Our first of three days sailing the infamous Drake Passage. Thankfully, I had gotten a prescription from our doctor for the patch. I have a terrible time with motion sickness & the patch was a lifesaver! Hosea, on the other hand...not as lucky! We ended up calling the ship's doctor, Dr. Fiona, and she was able to give him some stronger medication than the over-the-counter stuff he was taking. He ended up spending most of the Drake Passage days lying in his bunk while I attended the lectures on my own.
Our cabin was very narrow & small but had 2 portholes and lots of ingenious storage compartments. The bunks were more comfortable than I anticipated!
Today's lectures: Seabirds of the Southern Ocean, Secrets of Polar Photography, Shackleton & the Greatest Expedition of the Heroic Age and Whales of the Southern Ocean. It was exciting to hear about all of the amazing creatures we were about to see!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.