The conversation went something like this: Me:  I would like a quote [... Time-lapse Botswana]]]> I am a budget traveler, but I have to tell you, Botswana wasn’t a budget experience.  As we were preparing to plan for our trip there, there was just too much to see.  I came across a great website, Drive Botswana, and gave them a call.

The conversation went something like this:
Me:  I would like a quote on a self-drive tour that possibly could include the entire country of  Botswana,seeing not only the Big 5 animals, but all of them.  Oh, and I would like to keep this as inexpensive as possible.
Andy:  No problem, when would you like to come?
Me: In three weeks.
Andy: Choke! Wheeze!  Cough!  Three weeks!?  We’re normally starting this process at least a few months beforehand…but I’ll see what I can do (now that I’ve caught my breath).

Boy did Andy come through.  The price, well let’s just say…not inexpensive, but, as the commercial goes, the experience was priceless!  He had asked me to call him back a couple days later, then sent me a tentative itinerary.  We worked out some of the kinks like my having to visit Tsodilo- the one and only UNESCO World Heritage Site in the country, and voila!  I was ecstatically embarking on a new continent, new country, and an entire slew of new and exciting experiences. At this point, we trusted Andy with our entire trip.  He set up our rental truck, accommodations, food, and some activities.  When we were on site, the people there all knew Andy quite well and if there was a question of what was included or how to pay for something, they didn’t bat an eye.  He is well-respected at all the places and we, in turn, received right royal treatment.

Our itinerary went something like this:

Fly to Livingstone, Zambia to visit Victoria Falls.  Wet, hard to photograph, funny bamboons, wet, beautiful birds, hilarious people, gorgeous, awe-inspiring…oh, and wet!

Andy then sent a hired van to pick us up, take us to the river crossing, then drop us off in at Kubu Lodge in Kasane, Botswana at our first accommodations.  There we picked up our truck and were basically on our own for the remainder of the trip. While in Kasane, we took an evening Chobe river cruise, something that I’d read mixed reviews about online. Therefore, I was a little apprehensive about it, but it turned out to be one of the best wildlife viewing excursions of the trip.  We also drove through the next day, which in retrospect, I wish we had allotted more time, because the abundance of wildlife was astounding.  We even saw lions, albeit they were covered with flies from eating their lunch, so they weren’t as majestic as I had imagined.  I loved the camaraderie of the fellow drivers as we shared info on this sighting and that sighting. 

From Kasane, we moved on to the Caprivi Strip in Namibia for only one night.  Again this probably would require more time, but if you don’t have the time, don’t bother.  The best part of the drive were the views, and the best view was from the customs house border crossing. 

After our brief jaunt into Namibia, we drove to Seronga.  This was one of the most out-of-the-way, and hardest places to get to.  We had to try and get gas and then take a ferry over.  Once there, we took a tour of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro.  These squat, kakhi-colored boats convince you that you could not possibly be closer to the water.  Our guide was a funny man that had lived in the delta his whole life and told us story after story about the peope and animals found there.  At one point, he took us to where a bloat of hippos liked to hang out.  Apparently, he had made friends with one of the more curious females.  He took his pole and slapped the water to call her, and she came to visit.  A male, her male, the male…anyway this guy didn’t like her behavior and anytime he felt she was getting too close called her back.  I don’t think his language is fit to print, but I have to admit, I didn’t really like her getting to close either. I was just as happy that he kept her back where she belonged, safely out of reach.

The next day we were headed for a camp way out in the bush.  At this camp, we could do another delta boat ride, or drive to Tsodilo.  Because this World Heritage Site is so far off the beaten track, we only saw one other group the entire day.  The San people that run the site and museum, were friendly and knowledgeable.  I asked question after question, and our guide was more than happy to answer.  The area driving up to the site is flat and dusty, but the Tsodilo hills appear and you can see why it became such a spiritual spot for the San.  Here, where its been inhabited for over 30,000 years, you can see tons of rock paintings.

Our next stop was Mankwe Lodge.  Talk about luxurious!  I think this ranks up there as one of the few in all of our travels.  Needless to say, we loved be pampered and we loved the camp director, Christopher.  Around the campfire, he regaled us with stories about everything from leopard encounters to his stint in the British SAS somewhere in Indonesia. While there we also had a couple of guided safaris, one at night and one in the daytime.  Then upon leaving, we drove ourself throught the reserve.

One of the final things we did was stay at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.  We were looking forward to this stop, because we had only seen one rhino before this, and were anxious to have a better look at them.  We were more than rewarded when right away we sighted a female white rhino and her calf.  As this was really our last stop in Botswana, we had driven and driven and driven.  We took a couple rides on the tracks, but then spent an entire day at one of the pans. It was like watching the live version of the “Lion King”.  Taking turns, all different kinds of animals came to the pan to drink.  If the previous slurpers weren’t quite finished, the next ones would wait quietly in the brush until the pan was vacated.  Other drivers came up and saw us there, asked us what we had seen, waited for a few minutes, then left without seeing much.  In one day, we saw everything!  Amazing! It was a great goodbye to this beautiful country.

Ok, so the question is, what animals did we see?  This is not a comprehensive list, but here goes:  elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions, crocodiles, antelopes galore (everything from bushbuck to kudu), a myriad of birds (bee-eaters to fish eagles), buffalo, mongoose, warthogs, wildebeest, ostriches, hippos, and zebras.

This was a fantastic mix of following the trusted route that Andy set up for us, having wonderful accommodation along the way, and yet being able to spend more or less time, depending on our own style, wants, and needs.  We loved it.  We can’t wait to go back.  Botswana, for me, ranks up there as one of my favorite trips…ever! 

I would love to hear from any and all of you that have done Botswana on a more budget basis.

This is a note I wrote for a friend regarding his planned trip to Mongolia. It’s been a year since we went but the info and advice is as valid today as it was then. The trip in question was a nine day steppe, Gobi, wilderness road trip in a 7 seat, 15 year old [... Time-Lapse Mongolia]]]>

Riding shotgun...

This is a note I wrote for a friend regarding his planned trip to Mongolia. It’s been a year since we went but the info and advice is as valid today as it was then. The trip in question was a nine day steppe, Gobi, wilderness road trip in a 7 seat, 15 year old Russian military van. We booked the trip through Bobbi at the UB guesthouse in Ulaan Baator (UB) via email. She was extremely helpful and tailored our trip to our exact requirements. For instance, we preferred staying in a hotel before and after the trip so she arranged that as well as the airport transfers. Typically, the van trip requires 5 people which allows for a driver and a guide and the passengers. We were able to set the trip for our group of six and one driver who acted as our guide. The driver, Jack, was phenomenal, he really made the trip for us. Your trip cost is based on the number of passengers, if you are travelling alone or with a friend, Bobbi will pair you up with other travellers to fill a van and you then divide the total cost among all passengers. So even if you wanted to go with only one or two other passengers you could, provided you pay the total cost of the van between you.

We stayed with families that had a few extra gers (aka yurt) they use for travellers. It was a fantastic experience and we really felt we were getting to know a little about the people, customs, and traditions of the nomadic people of the steppes and Gobi. We went on the trip in mid June with a limited amount of time so the Lake regions were not an option. On our next trip, we’ll plan on spending more time in central Mongolia and then into one of  the Lake areas.

One thing many people are concerend about when contemplating this trip is safety and security. I really don’t think you need to worry about being kidnapped or anything like that. Everyone we met along the way was curious and friendly; or at worst, too busy to pay us any attention at all. You will have at least one vehicle break-down in one of the most remote spots on earth, and you may wonder just how long it will take the vultures and wolves to find you, rip the meat from your limbs, and leave your bones to dry and bleach under the relentless sun and blowing sand. But don’t sweat it, go for a little walk, and give the driver time to work his mechanical magic. Even if he can’t fix it (which would be rare indeed) another van, horse, motorcylce, truck, or whatever, will come by sooner or later to offer assistance. If you still think this trip is for you read on for further advice and notes from our experience.

If you go on the same route we took then you won’t be washing clothes anywhere along the trip and you won’t even be washing yourself very often. Shower houses are only in the large towns and there aren’t many towns (large or small). We had a shower stop about every third day, I can imagine that is what you should expect. It is basically camping so you should consider bringing your sleeping bag, too. None of us did and it wasn’t a real problem. The families had blankets for us at the gers but Corinne and I were very happy to have brought along our own silk sleeping bag liners, they made all the difference. Clothing wise, anything you would wear camping is good. A good idea would be zip off pants/shorts because it will get hot during the day and it will definitely get cold at night. So a decent light jacket (or windbreaker with a fleece) and good layering will be needed. Additionally, a good hat and sunglasses/sun screen are a must.

The families will feed you a small breakfast (tea and cookies) and a hearty dinner of meat and noodles or meat dumplings and of course more tea. We were on our own for lunch, though. We brought a good supply of trail mix, beef jerkey, granola bars, and dried fruit. Bring a decent size bag of stuff like that and maybe some extra for sharing with the driver/guide and families along the way. Your van should stop on the way out of UB at the grocery store where you can stock up on a few snack things and some other items to supplement the dinners if you want it (canned fruit/vegetables, other snack items, etc). But most IMPORTANT, buy a case of water there. Oh, and maybe a roll (or two) of toilet paper if you didn’t bring any…

You will need water. The families we stayed with boiled water for tea and we used it with no problems but aside from that you will need to bring water of your own. Don’t worry too much about the food, don’t think about what animal the meat is from, try things and share with the families, and you will have a fantastic time! Oh yeah, I would recommend bringing some small things for gifts for the kids. Small toys, small writing pads, pens, pencils, color pencils, toiletries, hair ties, berrets, bracelets, beads, magazines (there are a few teenage girls along the way that were surprisingly western savvy and they begged for fashion magazines or catalogs). Use your imagination but be careful not to pass it all out at once! We never ran in to anybodby who was demanding or pushy about these things, but they definitely loved getting the few things we gave out.

Don’t be shy about asking the driver/guide to stop when you see soomething interesting. If it has been a while he’ll probably be grateful for the cigarette break. Remember to smile at everbody, be friendly and sharing and they will treat you the same. Be careful in the city/towns, they have a real frontier feel about them, I think you’ll pick up on that. Hopefully your companions will be fun and adventurous and friendly. Most of the other groups we met along the way seemed like decent people, I don’t think too many jerks like to travel to out of the way places like Mongolia so there’s probably a natural selection process going on in the background.

Aw, it can’t be that bad?  Millions of Koreans swear by them; what?  Oh, intestines, large ones – Makjang.  Apparently in Daegu, it’s the snack o’ choice to slosh down some Charm Soju. 

So we order some; at least they don’t come to us in one long coil.  They’ve been cut into about 4 inch coils and [... Korean Delicacies – Do You Have the Guts?]]]>

Aw, it can’t be that bad?  Millions of Koreans swear by them; what?  Oh, intestines, large ones – Makjang.  Apparently in Daegu, it’s the snack o’ choice to slosh down some Charm Soju. 

So we order some; at least they don’t come to us in one long coil.  They’ve been cut into about 4 inch coils and are about 2 inches wide.  Mmm mmm good.  Our friend, Bruce, demonstrates how to cut them into little squares, by first cutting the side of the loop, flattening it out and then piecing it further.  They don’t look so ominous at this point (or maybe it’s because we’ve already had a shot of the Korean national drink that is Soju).  The pieces fry and fry, and finally they are ready.  We dip them in the mysterious red sauce that we think is bean paste with some peppers, and pop them into our mouths.  Surprisingly, they aren’t too bad, and the Soju is certainly helping.

If you look at the picture, though, you will notice a side-snack, some baby silk-worm larvae.  I’ve seen these being sold in bulk, at festivals, all over Asia.  Most times they are huge, usually at least 2 1/2 inches long and way too thick, so I’ve never been brave enough to try them.  At least the ones here are small.  Jim and I both tried one.  Yep, one.  That’s it.  We did it, and now we don’t ever have to try it again.

I’ll take large intestines over silk-worm larvae anyday!

What [... My Feet, A Feast for Fish]]]>  ”Oh come on, Jim, you’ll like it….really!”  That’s me imploring Jim that he cannot pass up the opportunity to have his fishy foot massage.  Asia is famous for its massages, and let me tell you, those human hands don’t hold a candle to the attention that these little fishes pay to some dry and deserving feet.

What you do:  As you walk into Dr. Fish- Spa, Books, and Cafe, you must pay to hang out.  The cafe boasts an impressive “self-bar”, which consists of three types of bread and a watered down tea.  The houses are rather small in this country, so to socialize folks go to a cafe, order tea, have snacks, and hang out.  It’s rather peaceful, and someone else has to do the cleanup.

In order to sit, though, you must consume something, so we order the “self-bar”, then head over to load up our 4,000 won (about $4) of bread.  We also have paid for the “spa treatment”, which set us back another whopping 2,000 won.  We were handed a number and found a cute little table, near the bookshelf (there’s only one), and eat, chat, and wait. 

Finally, we’ve eaten more bread than we should have all week, and our number is called.  We go over to the platform, take off our shoes, and are instructed to wash our feet, then climb in feet first into the fish pool.  Immediately we are swarmed by little fishes devouring every stray piece of skin that our body isn’t tightly holding onto.  It tickles; it doesn’t hurt at all, but the idea that there are piranha-like beings eating my flesh is just a little unnerving. 

After you get used to it, it begins to feel pretty good, but alas, you are only allotted 15 minutes.  Afterwards, we wash our feet once again, have it sprayed with some type of disenfectant (the most distressing part of the ordeal – for obvious reasons), and on go our shoes.  We are allowed to go get more bread, but Dr. Atkins is screaming at us, so we decide to call it a day.  I have to tell you, my feet have never felt so soft!

Jim and I are an American married couple who have had the opportunity to live all over the world thanks to our work. We are both teachers, and currently we’re working in Ankara, Turkey where we plan to [... About Us…]]]>  

Jim and I are an American married couple who have had the opportunity to live all over the world thanks to our work. We are both teachers, and currently we’re working in Ankara, Turkey where we plan to stay for the next few years.

No matter where we live we try to take full advantage of the travel opportunities found in that region of the world; to see and experience as many things as possible. We try to be open and spontaneous, allowing the unknown to fit in as well as the expected. 

Seeing the Sights- We consider ourselves to be middle-of-the-roaders when it comes to hitting the sights. We certainly like to see the major tourist attractions in any country we visit, but we also don’t want to overdo it. For us, the best part of traveling is getting to know the people and just being there. We do try to hit as many World Heritage Sites as much as possible as well as a fair number of religious, political, and human interest types of things. For the most part, we find that if we stick to just checking off the guidebook recommendations, we are too tired to appreciate them…so we take our time and just try to have fun, and more importantly try to get to know some people, because that’s where the real experience begins.

Food- To us, eating is not only sustenance, it’s a passion! One of the best things about traveling is sampling the different food of the country. We are not so die-hard as to stop at the corner cricket vendor and get a bagful to eat in front of the t.v., but we do give new things a go. One thing we’ve tried to do, and hope to expand on, is start collecting some recipes that we’ve enjoyed, and hopefully can replicate in our own kitchen at home. In our blog, we will happily recount those unusual tidbits that we’ve had the chance to try, so keep checking that as well.

Accommodations- Travel is not a cheap pastime. So, we try to make the best out of it by not trying to scrimp, but also not going overboard with spending all our money on a comfortable bed. Once in awhile we’ll splurge, but for the most part we try to stay in guest houses. We feel we get to know the people who run the houses better than any hotel staff, and we don’t spend two-thirds of our budget on our sleep time. We have put some of the places we’ve stayed on our site and given our opinions of them, but if you like to really have the creature comforts of home, you probably won’t want to stay in the majority of the places we’ve stayed.

Entertainment- We definitely try to go to as many cultural shows that we come across.  That means we may end up going to one or two touristy dance shows, but we try not to overdo it.  We like to check out the pubs, even though we’re not big partiers, and we’re not much on “catching rays”, so we don’t really do the beach thing, but other than that, we try to seek out as many events that will give us just one more glimpse into the society as we can.  We’ll try to tell you the ones we like and recommend, and also let you know which ones we feel are complete wastes of money!

Shopping- We aren’t big shoppers and even though we seem to spend, spend, spend, we never seem to have much to show for it, so you won’t find too much about that here.

We’re always willing to meet new people, so if you are in the vicinity of Ankara, Turkey, or anywhere that we might be going, please drop us a line. We enjoy meeting like-minded travellers, sharing stories, and finding new adventures to plan!