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Bangkok
The way to Bangkok I got here by the most direct route, Regina to Vancouver to Bangkok. The Vancouver to Bangkok flight is 16 hours 20 minutes. (The longest flight in the world is over 18 hours). I tried to upgrade my seat but there was nothing available. We were packed in like sardines. The flight arrived in Bangkok around 6 am. I knew that I would be shattered after that very long flight and a 13 hour time change, and would just want to have a rest when I got there. So, I booked an airport pickup from the hotel, at a higher rate than a regular taxi service.…
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Thailand and Laos
What kind of trip am I going on? This trip is with Intrepid Travel https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ca/laos/thailand-laos-adventure-166921 It’s called an “adventure” so I think it will be fun! How will I get there? My flights take me from Regina to Vancouver, then straight to Bangkok. I paid $177 for my flights, using aeroplan points earned from a TD aeroplan visa infinite credit card welcome bonus. Two nights before the tour in a nice hotel were booked using TD points from a TD platinum travel credit card. Two night after the tour in a very nice hotel were booked using Marriott Bonvoy points from a Marriott Bonvoy business credit card ($150 annual fee).…
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Belgium
To see the previous parts of this trip – https://lynntowin.ca/rwanda/ Brussels I made a stop in Brussels to break up the otherwise 30+ hour trip home from Africa. The flight was notably staffed with very tall handsome men. Belgians are among the tallest people in the world, with the average man clocking in at just under six feet tall. We made a stop in Nairobi, where unfortunately the staff changed while cleaners came in. I arrived in Brussels about 7:45, then stood in a customs line that did not move for around two hours. Once at the front, I could see that the automated entry machines were out of order.…
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Rwanda
What happened before this – https://lynntowin.ca/uganda-part-three-gorillas/ I repacked a bit, since the plastic bag I’ve been carting around in the truck with me will not be allowed into Rwanda. Well, if the border guards see it. One of the group told a story of plastic bags taken away when entering Kenya, because they became “flying toilets” in the slums, discarded on roadsides. Yes, probably just what you think that means. We had another very early morning drive to the border with Rwanda, with amazing views as we made our way down in elevation again. Kigali The border was one stop for both exit from Uganda and entry to Rwanda, so…
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Masai Mara and Gorillas
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Uganda part three – Gorillas
What’s happened on this adventure so far – https://lynntowin.ca/uganda-second-part-safaris/ On the road to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest At sunrise, we set off in our safari trucks on a highway alongside the park, up to the edge of a valley, or escarpment. We saw elephants, buffalo, birds, baboons all from the highway. Here, many elephants don’t have tusks. They have evolved that way as those are the ones who survived poachers looking for tusks. From the top we had a view down to crater lakes. We stopped at beautiful green tea fields. Still climbing, there were amazing landscapes, and in the distance, seven dormant volcanoes. The volcanoes all belong to Uganda, Congo…
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Masai Mara and Gorillas
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Uganda part two -Safaris
Previous posts are at https://lynntowin.ca/uganda/ Village walk After the chimpanzee experience in Kibale, we went for a visit set up for us in a nearby village. Our first stop was grounds of a guy known as the Banana Man, who made juice, beer, and gin from bananas. He was quite a character. Next was the coffee lady who ground her beans for us (a “coffee snob” in my group pronounced it excellent). Then we went to the hut of the village medicine man, and last to a place where women were weaving colorful baskets, dyed with natural plants. On the way back to camp, we passed a big black snake…
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Masai Mara and Gorillas
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Uganda part one – Chimps
For the first part of this trip, see https://lynntowin.ca/masai-mara Kampala To start the second part of our adventure, we flew Kenya Airways to Entebbe, on Lake Victoria in Uganda. Entebbe is a laid back lakeside city with mansions overlooking the beautiful vistas. The president of the country has two official residences, in Entebbe and in Kampala, the capital. A driver picked us up there to take us to Kampala. Vendors lined the highway, selling sheets, backpacks, apples, you name it. He told us stories of the current president going with an entourage between the cities each day, causing traffic jams. This may have been continued after the infamous dictator Idi…
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Masai Mara and Gorillas
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Masai Mara
To see the earlier parts of this adventure, https://lynntowin.ca/nairobi-kenya/ We drove for a few hours inland, getting views of the Great Rift Valley that runs vertically through the continent. Our tour leader told us there are 42 tribes in Kenya, all speaking different languages. The Swahili language is common to all, and English is taught in the schools. We arrived at the gates of the park around noon. The gates are there to control traffic on the main roads within the park, that you are required to stay on. There are not fences around the whole park, so the animals can go wherever they want to. Masai Right inside the…
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Masai Mara and Gorillas
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Nairobi, Kenya
I set off on the my Masai Mara and Gorillas trip, with G Adventures. A little more about it here: https://lynntowin.ca/masai-mara-and-gorillas/ It takes a long time to get to Nairobi from Regina, Saskatchewan. After many hours, I arrived an hour later than scheduled, and border control added another hour. It was 11 pm by the time I exited the airport. Thankfully I had a driver waiting for me. It’s really nice to have that, especially when you arrive at night in a city not known for its hospitality (travellers have nicknamed it Nairobbery). John treated me to a commentary on the way to Hotel Boulevard, talking about the Big 5…
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Masai Mara and Gorillas
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Masai Mara and Gorillas
How to use credit card points to pay for your trip There are many things to book besides the trip once I’m in Africa. I managed to pay for most of these extras with credit card points. The trip with G is way more expensive than the ones I usually do, because of the gorilla trek. Mountain gorillas are an endangered species, with only 1,000 of them left in the wild. There are none in captivity, attempts to capture them resulted in their deaths. About $2,000 goes towards the national park where they live, and to the guides who track them for you. Since the trip is so expensive, I…