TonyE2L

It's been a few days since my last blog entry because the camp in Namibia had no internet (no cell service either). I don't think I've been away from the internet and email for three days more than a handful of times since it was INVENTED (and most of those were on safari as well!). I feel like I've been through internet addiction rehab. That's ok -- I've had my PC and electricity (albeit charged nightly at the main camp building) througout, and have been able to compose these entries, cull through my pictures, and prepare to BLOG when I got back to civilization. I'm now in the airport in Maun, Botswana, waiting 1/2 hr to get loaded onto charter plane... ****************************************************************** Day 3 - Sept 15 Was pretty much a travel day. Got up at ... read more

Day 1 started early - with 6am photos of the Burj from our balcony. The temperature is 100+ and a wall of humid heat. Camera lens gets fogged up after being inside air conditioning. A delicious buffet breakfast (the choices covered several rooms, western, Chinese, Japanese, East Indian cuisines -- I can see the diet is gonna go away real fast). Then we're off for a 5-hour tour of the city, with our guide Mary-Rose and our EXCELLENT driver Sama. One comes away with several impressions. The hotel-suburb that is the Jumierah district feels like a vast cavernous Disney-world or Las Vegas. But on steroids. At this time of year (hot season, and Ramadan) it's amost deserted. A bit eerie. The infrastructure of roads, monumental skyscrapers, hotels and condos is all less than 5 years old! ... read more