OAT – Page 14 – Destination NOW

Four Visas, Three Countries

We will be visiting three countries–Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. So why do we need FOUR visas? Fair warning–this post will likely only interest those that are taking a similar trip, or are planning to visit India.

For the three of you that are still reading, here goes.

We fly into and out of Delhi, so since we have at least one overnight stay in India, we need a visa. A visa that costs (depending on the service used) anywhere from $135 to $173, per person. A visa that requires you to complete an on-line application that is challenging to decipher. But there IS a positive aspect. The visa is good for 10 years. So, should we decide to spend more than an overnight in India, it will be best to do so before 2026.

If you are anything like me, you are probably wondering how to score the $135 charge. Well, Cox and Kings is India’s approved visa grantor, so you get the best price if you opt to go direct to them.

Our travel company, OAT, sent out a package with very helpful, clear instructions. Good thing, because there are lots of hoops you need to jump through for that India online application.

OAT recommends PVS, a visa processing company located in DC, probably because you can send your passport to one service and they take care of visas for both India and Nepal, which is not the case with Cox and Kings. PVS is convenient, yes, but as with everything, you pay for that convenience. If we had used PVS, we would have paid a total of $566 for both visas, including mailing charges.

Instead, our total cost was $362, a savings of $204. How did I pull that off? In addition to using Cox and Kings, I dealt directly with the Nepali Embassy.

I happened to be traveling to NYC to meet a friend for lunch and a show, so I figured, what the heck, I’ll just go in a little earlier and stop by the embassy. Located at 216 East 49th St, it is only open between 9:30 and 1:30 during the week. Right between these two restaurants,

you’ll find this sign on the side of the building:
You have to press the button on the side of the wall to get buzzed in. I walked up to their tiny office on the 4th floor, but there IS an elevator. The visas cost $40 per person versus $90 for PVS, so that represented half of our $200 in savings.

One thing that is important to know if you decide to go–they ONLY take money orders. No cash, no personal check, no credit or debit cards. Of course, I had everything that they didn’t take, but all was not lost because there is a place that sells money orders on the next block. I have no idea what a money order costs, because my bank had a branch on the same block, so my money order was free. If I had been smart, I would have found this website before I left home. It EXPLAINS the money order requirement and tells you what is needed to submit by express mail or courier–good news for those of you that have no intention of traveling to NYC.

It took 30 minutes for processing to be completed. Passports and visas clutched in one hand, my other raised to hail a taxi, I was off for the Cox and King office 23 blocks away.

I thought I might be able to drop off my package (to be mailed to my home when processing was completed) and still be on time for lunch. I was delusional. It was a total waste of time and cab fare. The smart thing would have been just to express mail the damn thing in the first place and be done with it. Which is what I ultimately did. Less than 2 weeks later, our passports arrived.

Two down, two to go.

Bhutan and Tibet both require that you send them a color copy of the first two pages of your passport in advance of trip. (OAT , bless them, is handling this part). The actual visas are provided when you arrive, but only if you have 2 color passport type photos (2 for each country, 4 in total), ANOTHER copy of our passport pages (for Tibet) and approximately $70 for Bhutan and $190 for Tibet, per person, in cash. Cash means pristine bills–no wrinkles, tears or marks. OAT recommends we bring more, because these fees are subject to change without notice. See why we use a travel company when we venture to more non-traditional locales? Knowing me, I would have missed one or more of the requirements.

So, what did I learn from this adventure? If you have enough time to submit directly to the embassy and Cox and Kings by express mail (or Fedex or UPS–whatever) you can save a bundle. You just need to send for one, wait for the passports to be returned, then send to the other. If, however, money is no object (that’s definitely not ME), and you prize convenience, or are short on time, then a service, like PVS is the way to go.

Next post will be about something other than this future trip. I promise!

Adventures? We Had A Few.

What an amazing trip! I couldn’t possibly include ALL of the adventures in one post, so here are some of the highlights, which, coincidentally happen to be the answers to Africa Quiz #3.

1. Bungee jump? No way! Even after Jeanne and I were offered two for the price of one, we declined. Did the vendor want to show that insanity knows no age limit?

2. Zip line across the gorge…you bet! And it was GRAND! Fortunately, my friend Jeanne was up for it as well. And no, that is NOT a tattoo on my arm. It is a special code– so if the rope broke, the divers would know who was who. (Only kidding–it was our weight, in kilograms, and other secret stuff). You are probably going to want more than just a photo of us leaning against a sign, aren’t you? Well, Jeanne went first, so she was able to take these photos of my transit.

Did I enjoy the experience? See for yourself.

3. Yes, we did play netball, a type of basketball, with six very pregnant young women. The staff at the health center encourages them to exercise, so after their checkup they go to the school playground for a fun game of hoops. And yes, I WAS tossing the ball to a member of the other team. She’s PREGNANT, for crying out loud! I didn’t want her to have to run TOO far.

4. All 8 of the women in our group were taught the many uses of the chitenge by lovely Doris. Here we are, rockin’ our new look. 5. Friends and family will be shocked, because I am known as a picky eater, but I DID consume a mopane worm. Despite the look on my face after that first bite, I actually DID finish it. Jeanne was equally enthusiastic. 6. On the other hand, I did NOT finish the beer. One mouthful was more than enough– enough to convince me that it tasted exactly like dirty gym socks. Not that I have ever tasted dirty gym socks before, but if I had, that is exactly how I imagined they would have tasted. 7. Since I am sharing the contents of my overactive imagination with you, I might as well admit that wallowing in the mud with the hippos was indeed an imaginary activity. The only mud wallowing was done by this fine fellow. What’s he doing? Why, he’s asking the others if two tones makes his butt look smaller. I think their body language indicates their answer. 8. Mike and I loved the helicopter ride over Victoria Falls. The views were spectacular! 9. Yes, I did trade my tevas, and fortunately had flip flops in my backpack so I didn’t have to walk back to the hotel barefoot. Same for the tee shirt. Us former girl scouts are ALWAYS prepared. No photos of the transaction exist, fortunately.

10. Although I climbed more than one tree, I never made it to the TOP of a baobab (sorry Sammy). This one was growing through the lobby of the Moremi Wilderness Camp. I made it as high as the ceiling allowed. 11. We had a fantastic dinner at Savoy Cabbage. Mike gave me a taste of his warthog, and I sampled the “other” Mike’s kudu, but stuck with rack of lamb for my entree. Neither of us had our cameras with us, so sorry–no visuals exist.

12. I never missed a chance to sing and dance with the camp staff. They were incredibly talented. We were willing and enthusiastic. That blue arm on the left belongs to me. 13. The kids were sweet, beautiful and curious. When one asked about snow, I ran back to the bus to fetch my ipad. 14. I did not grind millet, but Connie and Marisa (mother and daughter) did. 15. We all had our Ringo Starr moments in the Boma, an outdoor meeting place, where we would gather around the fire the last evening at each camp for a great dinner and entertainment. Check out my very own rock star! Remember I said I did 10 of the 15 activities? Well, I was in such a hurry to upload the post before I ran out of time and MBs that I miscounted. I actually did 11 out of 15. The only ones I DIDN’T do were: bungee jump, wallow in the mud with the hippos, climb to the top of the baobab and swing down, and grind millet.

Our Africa trip is over, we are back home, but if I get inspired, I might be able to come up with one last Africa quiz. Thanks to those who played! I loved seeing the answers and the logic behind the choices.

The “Adventure” part of Overseas Adventure Travel

During our trip, we had so many wonderful opportunities for what Arthur, our wonderful guide termed “learning and discovery –and I took advantage of MANY of them.

Are you ready for another quiz? My sisters, cousins and friends MIGHT have an unfair advantage with this quiz. But maybe not. Let’s see who does the best determining just how much of a spirit of adventure I have.

Which of these activities do you think I did? I’ll give you a hint: I did 10 out of the following 15, and a couple of the activities are figments of my imagination.

1. Bungee jump from the Victoria Falls Bridge

2. Zip line across the gorge

3. Play netball against a barefoot and pregnant team

4. Model a chitenge

5. Eat mopane worms

6. Drink local beer

7. Wallow in the mud with the hippos

8. Ride a helicopter over Victoria Falls

9. Trade the shoes I was wearing for bracelets and my tee shirt for a carved hippo

10. Climb to the top of an Baobab tree and do my Tarzan imitation to get down

11. Taste kudu and warthog, but pass on the zebra.

12. Sing and shake my booty with the camp staff

13. Play with the children at a village school

14. Grind millet in a village hut

15. Play the drums in the Boma

Answers when we return to the USA and I can upload photos, because I know you’ll want visual proof!

Answer to Quiz #2

August 3, 2014
Today will be a travel day. We leave Victoria Falls, change planes in Johannesburg, and end up in Cape Town tonight.

I loved YOUR answers to Quiz #2 — and you definitely get points for creativity!

Here are MY answers.
1. Yes, deer have antlers and antelopes have horns. The horns are actually part of the animal’s skull. Antlers are shed every year.

We didn’t see any deer during our safari. Guess I’ll just have to wait till I get home and look on my back yard for one of them!

2. That is a termite mound! Africans use it to build their homes. Termites are edible, but our guide, Sondy chose not to demonstrate. He just dug into the mound with that stick and pulled a couple out for show and tell.

3. The two names are Wildebeest or Gnu hanging out with his buddies, the impalas.

4. Can you see the eagle peeking out of his nest?

5. The impala was dragged up the tree by a leopard who wanted to keep his dinner safe from other predators.

6. There are two correct answers for this one: lower jaw of a hippo, or African bush toilet.

Just flip it over, prop the back up with a stick, and you’re in business!

That’s all for today. Thanks to all who have been playing along. I hope it’s been as good for you as it was for me!

Africa Quiz #2

We had so much fun with the last quiz ( and I believe I am using the papal “we” here), I figured we’d do it again.

1. What is the difference between an antelope and a deer?

2. Which creature built this structure? Hint: the one with the hat is NOT the correct answer!

3. This animal has two popular names. Do you know what they are?

4. What creature built THIS structure?
5. How did this impala get into the tree?

6. What do you think THIS is?

Good luck!
Answers when we get to Cape Town.

Answers to Africa Quiz #1

We are now out of the bush, and into the falls. Victoria Falls, that is. They are quite magnificent, as you can see.

But enough about us. I know what you really want is the answers to that first quiz!

1. Those were indeed elephant tracks. Here’s one of the big guys in action.

As you might imagine they do quite a job on the trees. You can easily tell when a herd has been hanging in an area.

2. When a giraffe eats its leaves, the tree reacts to being over browsed by producing tannins, which makes its leaves bitter. Believe it or not, the tree communicates with neighboring trees, warning them of the danger, so they too produce tannins. How do they communicate? Courtesy of a renewable resource, wind power.
The giraffe is no dummy. It just moseys downwind to the trees that are out of range of the early warning system. Isn’t that amazing?!

3. Yep, that is indeed a hippo under the water. Check out the dental work on this guy.

Want a closer look? Boyd, our guide used a hippo skull to demonstrate how this behemoth protects itself.

4. I believe the warthog had a starring role in The Lion King. They definitely were the stars In Karongwe River Lodge, wandering freely through the camp.

5. Setepi, our guide at Karongwe explained that elephant dung has many uses. For example, you can burn it and inhale the smoke to stop nosebleeds.
AND if you are lost out in the savannah, without food, you can make yourself a dung sandwich (minus the bread,of course). Don’t believe me? Setepi demonstrated. No, he didn’t spit it out. I watched.

6. What he DID spit out was antelope dung. It is true that antelope dung spitting is a popular game—whoever spits the furthest wins. I’m not certain, but I have a hunch only boys engage in that sport. I’ll spare you the photo of antelope dung. It looks like little black pellets.

7. Although hippos kill more humans than rhinos, it is mainly because there are far more of them. The most dangerous animal? It’s the one in a bad mood, standing a few feet in front of you!

At one of our camps, our tent’s deck was literally a couple of feet from the edge of the river. I was sitting on our deck reading, when I heard a splash and saw the big butt of a hippo entering the water about 15 feet away from me. I can’t believe I had a book in my hand instead of my camera!

Congratulations to all who tried. If you didn’t get them all correct, well, not to worry. More quizzes in the coming days, as time and Internet access permit.

Karongwe River Lodge

Spectacular, unexpected, luxurious, exciting, thrilling, educational….I could continue to pump out the adjectives and still not do justice to this incredible place! So, I’m going to give my words a bit of a rest and let the photos do the bulk of the communication.

How fantastic is this room? We have a private deck overlooking the river. — How great is this room? We have a private deck overlooking the river.

If you think the tub is great, just wait till you see the shower!

Yep, that IS a huge window inside the shower. You can look out at the river and be grateful you don't have to bathe in it! — Yep, that IS a huge window inside the shower. You can look out at the river and be grateful you don’t have to bathe in it!

We had springbok filet which was absolutely delicious, plus more standard fare, like caramelized parsnips

We had our picnics during our two daily game drives: coffee and pastries to tide us over till our huge breakfast, and "sundowners" (beverage of choice--mine was wine) in the afternoon. — We had our picnics during our two daily game drives: coffee and pastries to tide us over till our huge breakfast, and “sundowners” (beverage of choice–mine was wine) in the afternoon. Setepi and Sondy, our driver and tracker

But it really was all about the animals, so I’m going to upload a couple of shots before the Internet shuts down on me. Here goes…

Saving the best for last…

Two Hours Till Blast Off

Remember that standard issue duffel bag? The one that all OAT travelers get? I decided I didn’t want to waste time at baggage areas determining which of the identical bags belonged to me, so I did a bit of “bag enhancement”.I know, I know…I probably should have given it some thought BEFORE I went wild with the sharpie markers, but hey, I figured I dramatically decreased the odds that this bag will be stolen. What self respecting thief would want to be seen dragging this along? Besides, a smart thief would suspect the bag’s contents would be equally jumbled and lacking in style.

I very thoughtfully had a “go” at Mike’s bag. A bit less exuberantly, but enough to provide the afore mentioned advantages.

We will be flying almost 8,000 miles. To put that into perspective, it is the equivalent of 2.5 flights from NJ to California, and it will take about the same length of time–15 hours.

We spend the night in Johannesburg then leave the following morning for Karongwe, a game reserve close to Kruger National Park. For all the map lovers, here’s a visual.

Three nights later, we return to Johannesburg. If I’m lucky, I’ll have wildlife photos to post.

Over and out!

Packing for A Month in Africa

OAT’s (Overseas Adventure Travel’s) wonderfully helpful website is loaded with lots of hints from those that have gone before. Thanks to them, I have a good idea of what to pack, and equally important, what NOT to pack.

I need to be prepared for cold mornings and evenings, high mid-day temperatures, and a school visit. Then after the tour ends, Mike and I are on our own in Cape Town for several days.

Suggestions for what to bring for the school visit included uninflated soccer balls and flip-flops plus the usual books, crayons, paper, pens and pencils. I also like to bring along a few frivolous things, like small stuffed animals.

The camps do our laundry every night, so 3 changes of clothes will do the trick, but I also needed a warm jacket, a hat, gloves, plus shorts and tee shirts and a bathing suit. Dressing in layers is key. I also need to plan for our time in Cape Town when we will be without daily laundry service.

I found jumbo zip lock bags at the supermarket and am using them to organize my wardrobe. But will all this, plus toiletries, fit into the duffel bag?

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to. One traveler suggested putting the duffel inside a much bigger bag, then packing everything into that one large suitcase. I tried that, but I easily exceeded the 50 pound weight limit. THEN I decided to check out South African Air’s luggage rules and was very excited to learn that in addition to my carry on, I can have TWO checked bags!!! I’m so used to the United Airlines restrictions, it didn’t occur to me that another airline’s checked baggage policy could be more liberal.

Being able to bring that second bag meant another trip to the Dollar Store for toothbrushes, combs and LOTS more school supplies, plus any odds and ends that I thought might be useful. I packed it all in an old suitcase that I plan to leave in Africa.

So, now my duffel will only contain MY stuff–plus another small duffel that I will use to bring back any purchases I make–good news for sisters, hermana preferida, cousins and other loved ones!

Anticipating Africa

OAT, like Road Scholar, provides an excellent package of preparatory materials. These include everything you need to know about visa requirements, immunizations, climate, what to pack, how much money to bring, plus a reading list for people like me.

I haven’t read ALL of the books on the list, but I have made my way through almost half. Many were available from my local library, others I ordered from Amazon. Here’s a visual of the ones that haven’t been returned to the library yet. (Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a bit obsessive, but I figure if I am lucky enough to be able to spend time in another country, I should at least expend the effort to learn about it before I go.)

Much too much for one post, so I’ll start with the book that is a bit dense, but is crammed with fascinating information–much of it news to me.

Africa, A Biography of the Continent by John Reader
In its 800 pages, this weighty tome covers a little bit of just about everything: genetics, linguistics, anthropology, history, archaeology, geology, geography, economics, agriculture–from the beginning of time right up to the 1990’s. And if THAT isn’t enough, you can delve into footnotes and bibliography for more on the various subjects. The best part? Each of its 55 chapters starts with a short summary of what will follow, which makes it easy to decide whether or not you want to read further.

Here are just a few of the interesting tidbits I picked up from skimming through:

I knew Africa is big, but didn’t know HOW big. China, the USA, India, Europe, Argentina and New Zealand could all fit into its 18.9 million square miles! Hard to believe, but take a look.

Pretty cool, huh? Here’s another one–showing Pangaea before the continents drifted.

Although I knew about plate tectonics from my days of hanging out with geology professors while selling them college textbooks, I couldn’t tell you the difference between Pangaea and Gondwana. But now I can. And I had never heard of Laurasia, from which North America was eventually formed.

But wait, there’s more…

The earliest evidence of life on earth was found in Africa. Fossilized microscopic organisms from 3.6 billion years ago were discovered in the Barberton Mountain region of South Africa.
Geneticists, analyzing DNA mutations, have concluded that our entire modern population descended from a relatively small group of people who left Africa about 100,000 years ago (roughly 10,000 generations ).
The DNA of chimpanzees and humans is 99% identical. Here’s a little visual courtesy of the Auckland Zoo. What a difference 1% can make!

Linguists have shown that the most ancient languages originated in Africa.

I could go on and on, but I won’t. For anyone anticipating a trip to Africa, this book is definitely worth a trip to your local library. Remember, you don’t have to read it ALL–just the chapters that interest you. And there is something for just about everyone!

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