Today I walked in a wider circle around the hotel. The Puerto Maderno waterfront has been redeveloped with upscale lofts, shops and restaurants. I love harbors and enjoyed the scenery of the yacht club and the two old sailing ships. My plan was to walk in the ecological reserve and look for birds, but it was closed because of a fire.
In the Retiro area I walked through the trees in Plaza San Martin, a nice reprieve from the hot sun on the sidewalks. From there I had a good view of the tower that vaguely resembles London’s Big Ben. The guidebook I carried with me said it was a gift from England and called Torre de los Ingleses until the Faulkland wars, when it was renamed Torre Monumental. Ironically, the memorial wall for the fallen soldiers of that war is in Plaza San Martin facing across the road toward the tower.
I had dinner at a street-side café off Florida. I am having trouble finding food. I am a vegetarian and avoid fried or fatty foods. The only alternatives to meat seemed to be cheese based. I have eaten more cheese these past two days than I normally eat in a year.
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.