Today we arrived early to Rhodes, ancient site of the Colloseus of Rhodes, one of the Ancient Wonders of the World. There are no traces of the bronze Colloseus that was supposedly destroyed by an earthquake shortly after it was built and may have been melted down for use in other projects. We took a walk around Old Town Rhodes, the largest intact medieval town in Europe. The town is surrounded by 15th century walls constructed by the Crusaders in their efforts to insure safe passage for Christian pilgrims. The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem built several fortresses around the old town as well as two hospitals that also served as free hostels for poor travelers along their journey.
This order of Knights was composed of 7 nationalities who each protected a portion of the town and identified their segment with the Coat of Arms for their region and/or that of their Grand Master. After walking the town and visiting the archaeological museum housed in one of the Middle Age hospitals, we took a bus to Lindos on the other side of the island.
Here we had a lunch of mezedes (literally "tastes") of various Greek specialties including a chick pea sauce, squid stuffed with feta and red peppers, marinated squash, Greek salad, hearty Greek bread, and a dish similar to moussaka with eggplant, cheese, and marinara sauce.
After lunch, we rode donkeys to the acropolis above Lindos for stunning views across the island and the harbor. At the bottom of the cliffs beneath the acropolis was a small, sheltered harbor where St. Paul landed in approx 50 A.D.
We walked back into Lindos and caught the bus back to Rhodes old town for some much appreciated free time to gather a few souvenirs and visit the internet cafe before heading back to the ship.
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.