My wife and I (hereafter referred to as Karen and Tom) had a very unproductive day at work on Friday as we counted down the hours.
Finally a little after 3pm we left for the airport. We were flying DFW-MIA-EZE departing at 6pm and although we didn't expect much traffic or any parking problems, sometimes it is just easier to arrive early. Plus Karen had never been inside an Admirals Club, so I wanted her to get that experience.
The DFW flight was a tad late leaving, but nothing material, it cut-down our layover time in MIA.
The MIA-EZE flight on the other hand! That was full of issues. We boarded on time and found our cozy business class seats. Departure was scheduled for roughly 11pm local time, but that time came and went. The first set of reasons was that the flight was oversold and they were looking for 3-4 people to stay in MIA overnight and fly to EZE the next morning. It was actually a tempting offer since they were offering $800 vouchers per person.
This went on for sometime and then we had a medical emergency on the plane. In hindsight, it was good that we hadn't departed so the person could receive proper medical care. They needed to leave the plane and of course their luggage needed to be removed from the cargo hold.
Finally, we had a water leak that needed to be fixed.
All told, we left roughly 2 hours late and landed at EZE around 12pm local time. But that is for tomorrow's entry.
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.