Wild times in Africa

I am writing from Africa, having arrived on the continent yesterday. My purpose of this trip is two-fold, first to go gorilla-trekking in Rwanda and Uganda (my dream trip), and then to attend the largest African travel trade show in Durban, South Africa.

I flew from Washington DC, direct service to Johannesburg, South Africa. The lie-flat seats were very comfortable and made the 15 plus hour trip relatively painless. To be fair, I have also done the same flight in coach, a little more painful, but definitely worth the discomfort! I spent one night at the fabulous Westcliff hotel located about 30 minutes drive from the Jo'burg airport (we in the know call it Jo'burg!). The rooms are spacious with beautiful marble bathrooms. The staff is warm and welcoming. Dinner at the Polo Bar was just what I needed after a long flight - a tapas-style menu with many offerings of small plates. I enjoyed the shrimp fritters and beef stir-fry, along with, I think, the best mojito I have ever had!

Off to bed to get a good night sleep before I met up with Robin Binckes, award-winning tour guide on the history of South Africa. Robin picked me up at the Westcliff early in the morning to give me as much of a tour of Soweto as he could in our limited time together. He is an excellent teacher and story-teller, and I learned so much about the complicated history of this nation. I highly recommend a tour with Robin if you are at all interested in Apartheid or the history of South Africa.

I am now at the beautiful Fairmont Norfolk hotel in Nairobi. This historical property maintains its grandeur with a history of hosting kings and presidents. The rooms do not disappoint, but my stay is all too brief, as I head out in the morning for Rwanda to trek to the mountain gorillas. There are only about 750 mountain gorillas left in the wild. They live between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently it is only safe for tourists to do these treks from Rwanda and Uganda. You must buy a permit to enter the National park as the government keeps very tight controls for the gorilla's protection. You are divided into groups of no more than 8, and assigned a gorilla family to trek to. Once you reach your family, you may only stay one hour to observe.

Stay tuned for more updates as I will post as I am able!