Tag Archives: Travel

Exotic Vacations, Safari, South Africa, Travel

On the road again!

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As we head into the second half of 2021 it is becoming apparent that travel is making a pretty strong come back. Pent up demand combined with limited itineraries have caused many of our standard venues and sailings to sell out or be close to full capacity for 2022. Fortunately, we have group reservations booked well into 2023 however they are also filling fast as we release our itineraries. If any of our many adventures appeal to you, we highly recommend you get a deposit in as soon as possible. We hate having to wave goodbye to you as we set out on our next adventure. Why not join us and be part of the fun! 

In compliance with COVID-19 travel restrictions we managed to make two international adventures this year: Riviera Maya, Mexico and our most recent visit to Jamaica. We found both venues to be safe, fun and well worth doing. Of course, vaccines are a must, and you’ll have the extra step of pre-testing protocols whenever you travel across a border, but most venues have systems in place making the process as painless as possible. A huge benefit we have enjoyed is the reduced number of travelers and the gratitude of the people who rely on our tourist dollars. We have never felt so welcome in our many years of adventures as we have during the past few months.

With respect to domestic travel, we made it to the big island of Hawaii earlier this year and will be returning to Maui in July. Yep, even travel to Hawaii requires COVID testing. Since international travel has been so severely restricted, like many others, we decided to hit the road in our travel trailer. Our first trip out was a visit to St. George, Utah to kind of get the bugs out.  Our next road trip will be a month-long adventure to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks later this summer with lots of stops on the way to visit friends and relatives.

We’ll be back home in time for our 5 Day Back to Cruising Cabo Adventure where we can knock the dust off our shoes and enjoy a luxurious roundtrip cruise from the Port of Los Angeles to sunny Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. October will find us in search of the Northern Lights as we set off on a brand-new adventure to the Land of Fire and Ice, for a highlights tour of Iceland.  Finally, we will end 2021 with a Christmas Cruise of the Western Caribbean onboard the Caribbean Princess and start 2022 off with a New Year’s cruise of the Eastern Caribbean onboard the Regal Princess.

2022 will be a huge year for us as we have some truly exciting Adventures in store, two of which we’d like to get you thinking about now! Our third African Safari Adventure is scheduled for April. The pandemic caused us to postpone this adventure twice, however, that may be great news for you if you have not yet signed up. This is perhaps the most exciting, fun and educational trip you’ll ever do, and you’ve now got this extended opportunity to share in this awesome up close and personal experience with us.

Our second major Adventure for 2022 is your opportunity to see Europe in a most spectacular way. This one-of-a-kind signature vacation adventure can be done as a combination of any or all of our (1) 8 Day Fairytale Rhine River Cruise plus one night in Lucerne, Switzerland and two nights in Lake Como, Italy, (2) Chris & Sue’s 11 Day Intro to Italy Tour of Venice, Tuscany and Rome, and (3) an 8 Day Dream Cruise of the Mediterranean and Aegean. Yes, if you do them all, you’ll be gone a month, but we guarantee you to be totally caught up on all those vacations you missed not to mention mesmerized, inspired and totally blown away by this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Chris and Sue Elder will be with you every step of the way to insure a smooth journey and get you the most out of every minute of this complete European Adventure.

We hope you’ll consider joining us on an adventure or two and we look forward to seeing you on the road again soon. Remember to check our website often, VivereTravel.com, as new adventures are added frequently. If you have a travel idea that might work well for our group, let us know. We are always on the hunt for the next exciting destination.

Exotic Vacations, Safari, South Africa, Travel

Africa Safari Adventure 2017

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IMG_3534By Chris Elder

For those of you that follow our many adventures, I need to make this point as clearly as possible. This trip blew my socks off at every level and exceeded my expectations to the power of 10! The experience is surreal, exhilarating, inspirational and outside of the long to and from flights, easy to do physically. Our plan is to take a group back in 2019 and it is my sincere hope you’ll take this or another opportunity to visit this magical place called Africa before it’s too late.

The flight from Dulles in Washington D.C. was a long one. There was one refueling stop in Ghana where those traveling on to Johannesburg do not disembark the aircraft. The plane is on the ground for about an hour while it is refueled and a crew comes onboard to clean and freshen up the cabin. By this time we had been onboard for nearly ten hours so we spent the time standing up, walking the isles and trying to stay out of the way  of the cleaning crew. Aside from not being able to disembark, South African Airlines took very good care of us with complimentary meals, snacks and adult beverages. Another seven hour flight and we finally arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa. (If you’re keeping track, that’s about 18 hours onboard the aircraft from D. C.)

IMG_3947We had one small glitch with the fact that our luggage was checked through to Victoria Falls where we would start the ground portion of our trip the next day, so we had to go the night with only our carry on items. Fortunately, Sue and I have learned to pack a one night contingency kit in our carry on and we had no problem going one night without our big bags. Actually, it worked out pretty well as we did not have to lug them around the airport, over to the hotel and back to recheck them the next day. It was very convenient to stay at the Airport Hotel right on the airport property and just a short walk from the gate. This is also where we met the rest of our travel companions and enjoyed a few cocktails at the bar before retiring to our rooms for some much needed rest. Next morning our newly formed band of adventurers were off via a regional flight to the small airport at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Our accomodations at Victoria Falls were spectacular and as soon as we checked into our room, our adventure began. A breathtaking view from our private balcony of the “bush” included a water hole where elephants, giraffe, warthogs, crocodile, baboons and all sorts of antelope-type animals would frequent at all hours. I was in awe as I expected to see animals but not from the balcony of my room. Shortly after getting settled we were collected for our sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. We were greeted at the dock by a group of traditional singer/IMG_1020dancers who performed for us as we boarded the vessel. As we set off we were immediately treated to exotic birds and beautiful jungle scenery. One of the highlights of the entire trip for me was encountering a pod of hippos and I could not stop shooting photos in the perfect natural twilight.

Back at the lodge we had our first group meal looking out over the waterhole and I was surprised that there were so few bugs. I had expected to be eaten alive but our outdoor venue was perfectly comfortable and all we saw were a couple of odd looking flying beetles. We spent the after dinner hours bonding with our new friends and then it was off to bed under our mosquito nets to get some rest for our visit to Victoria Falls the next day.

As we approached the falls via our private shuttle, you could see the mist rising hundreds of feet into the air creating its own weather system. We were issued rain geaIMG_1375r when we arrived since once in the vicinity of the great falls, the mist creates rain in spite of the abundant sunshine. We had a wonderful walk through the rain forest as our TC (tour conductor) pointed out the flora and fauna and then proceeded to discuss Dr. Livingston, the English explorer who popularized and named the falls for Queen Victoria.

After our visit to the falls and a short stop at a craft market for trinkets our TC surprised us with a very special encounter. He had arranged for us to break into a couple of small groups for a private lunch with local African families. IMG_1286Our host, Memory, a beautiful African woman, introduced us to her extended family, and prepared a traditional meal for us including a ritual washing of each of our hands. We spent about an hour discussing her local customs, kids, foods and generally just getting to know one another. We all felt so very privileged to be able to participate in this special intimate event.

Back at lodge we had the opportunity to rest up a bit before hearing from a pre-dinner guest speaker. Our TC arranged for an expert to speak to our group on the life of Dr. Livingston. She presented a great lecture on the highlights and even failures of his life, all of which contributed to the course of African history.  Dinner was again on the wonderful open air deck at the lodge where we enjoyed a fine meal, adult beverages and lively conversation of the days events.

Next morning we were off to Botswana where we enjoyed a short game drive on our way to an interesting border crossing where we had to place all of our shoes into insecticide before being allowed into the country. (I forgot to mention that we were also subject to aerosol bombs each time we transferred via aircraft when traveling between countries) Our trip was actually a group of travel agents so when we were not doing safaris on game reserves we were out doing site inspections of the many accommodations. This kept our itinerary extremely busy so we are looking forward to a return visit to enjoy the wonderful accommodations a little more. IMG_2545We stayed a couple of nights on the Chobe Game Reserve where we did morning and afternoon game drives and one spectacular sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. All meals were included and our safaris could not have been better. We saw the “Big Five”…, Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalo and Rhino within the first few days.

We then flew back to Johannesburg for another one night stay at the Airport Hotel before flying on to Krueger National Park the next day. We stayed a couple of nights at a “Glamping” (Luxury Tents) lodge and a couple of nights in spa suites. Both were very comfortable and unique. The safaris in Krueger were just as spectacular as Chobe with additional sightings of Zebra, Giraffe, Cheetah, and the three adorable little lion cubs. My camera was going nonstop every time we left the lodge and between Sue and I, we took over seven thousand photos. Be thankful you don’t have to help us edit them!

Click the photos below to view the gallery (Yes, I am the photographer)

A few things worth mentioning are the following:

Each resort had a Boma night, an outdoor barbecue of sorts including a little entertainment around a ragging campfire. The food could be just as exotic as Africa but there was always an abundance of beef, chicken, rice and vegetables for the less brave.

The dollar went a long way in South Africa with the current rate being close to 15 Rand to 1 US Dollar. Although most meals are included at the lodges, when we did go out it was very affordable.

The safari vehicles were all modified Land Cruisers and in spite of some fairly rough terrain we were all impressed at the comfort we enjoyed while out in the bush.IMG_3355

I can only speak for this time of year but there was not a problem with bugs or mosquitoes. Most accommodations had nets over the beds but I did not see the necessity other than some really cool ambiance.

English was spoken everywhere.

People were extremely friendly especially when you engaged them.

Our South Africa TC speaks several languages and pretty much thought of everything in advance. He and his wife have agreed to personally accompany our group in March/April 2019 which will make the adventure all the more special.

Although we have not confirmed final arrangements, we expect to be able to offer a two week itinerary with visits to Chobe and Krueger National Parks, economy class air, safaris, river cruises, most meals, transfers and a visit to Cape Town for about $7,500 per person. As mentioned previously, the adventure will include accompaniment by your travel agents, (Sue and me) and an expert Tour Conductor team. Please email Sue@VivereTravel.com or call 866/223-6492 for more info. Space is limited so please don’t delay. Payment plans are available.

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Travel

2015 Queen Mary 2 Jazz Cruise and New York City Adventure

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Now that we’ve had a few days to rest up and put a few real estate deals together we are already excited for our next Vivere Travel exploratory adventure. On Thursday of the coming week, we’ll board the largest and most innovative ocean liner ever built, Cunard’s luxurious Queen Mary 2 for a week long jazz cruise featuring Gregory Porter and Blue Note. Our musical journey will transit the North Atlantic from New York City to Southhampton in the United Kingdom. This will conclude our travel abroad for this year resulting in over 60 days at sea and visits to sixteen countries on four continents. (No wonder we’re so tired) 2015 will also go down as the year we sailed on four cruise lines; Carnival, Princess, Azamara and Cunard and passed through so many metal detectors and body scanners that we probably glow in the dark.

The purpose of this journey is two fold; to check out the world famous White Star service only available onboard Cunard and secondly, to spend a few days visiting New York City on our return, something I’ve never had the opportunity to do. As there are no stops on the way to England I imagine we’ll have plenty of time to explore the QM2 and simply relax, something we rarely get to do on most of our adventures. In New York, on the other hand, Sue has already put together another of her famous whirlwind itineraries guaranteed to leave me breathless and requiring medication for my aching joints. The Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the Top of the Rock, the Empire State Building, dinner at Carmine’s and the Broadway show Chicago will all be squeezed into our short visit before returning to Laughlin just in time to get started on the Holidays. Geez!

In the coming days I look forward to reporting to you from the Queen Mary 2 and our brief visit to New York City. In the meantime, if you think you might enjoy accompanying Sue and me in our daring adventures around the world, make sure to give us a call or check out our website at www.VivereTravel.com. We’ve already scheduled our Friends and Family Caribbean Cruise for February, a land tour of Ireland and a Baltic cruise in June and we are currently investigating the possibility of another of our popular Med cruises in late summer or early fall of 2016. Don’t forget we are always happy to help you with group travel events and arrangements anywhere in the world whether for business or pleasure. When it comes to travel, experience makes the difference and as you can see, we’ve been there!

Until next week, “Ciao for Now”!

Travel

Chapter Five – Middle East Blog

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Writing today from The Sultan’s Palace Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey. I always get a little depressed when disembarking the final day and leaving behind our new friends and of course the beautiful Azamara Journey that we’ve been privileged to call home for the past couple of weeks. A quick taxi ride through the busy streets of Istanbul and now we are truly on our own in a very strange land. The hotel will be our new residence for the next few days while we finish up this amazing journey to the middle east.

The ship actually arrived in Istanbul early yesterday morning for a two night visit so we were able to enjoy our stateroom one last time after touring the city yesterday. The tour included visits to the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia Museum, the underground Basilica

Cisterns and finally the Grand Bazaar with over 4,400 stores and at least double that number of pushy salesmen. We had arranged a private tour and our guide, Gizem, was a young energetic Turkish girl who shared information and insight about the old city and made us feel very comfortable in spite of the crowds and excitement. We also enjoyed a very nice lunch with her featuring typical local cuisine at the Pudding Shop Restaurant.

My ankle is pretty shot from all the walking yesterday so today we are taking the opportunity to enjoy unlimited internet and relax with the views of the city and the Bosphorus from our hotel window. It is also the first day of our trip that we’ve actually experienced any rain and the light drizzle is quite peaceful after yesterday’s hectic program. This evening it’s off to see a show featuring the famed Whirling Dervishes then tomorrow we’ll visit Topkapi Palace, the Harem, a Belly Dancing show and a four course Turkish dinner experience. We are scheduled to fly to Cappadocia on Tuesday where we will stay in a “Cave” hotel and visit the area, then back to Istanbul to catch a flight home on Thursday.

Travel

Chapter Four – Middle East Blog

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It’s 10:00 am under a warm beautiful blue sky and Sue and I are relaxing on the pool deck with our compulsory morning Bloody Marys discussing how to occupy ourselves these last few days. We are tied up in the small harbor in Dikili, Turkey and passengers are slowly meandering off the ship to investigate this charming fishing village and tourist port. Today’s action plan includes completing our refreshment then heading off to do a little sight seeing followed by some local cuisine at one of the many small restaurants littering the shoreline. Of course there are shore excursions to churches, ruins and markets but we’ve decided to wait until tomorrow when we arrive at our last port, Istanbul, before aggressively touring again.

In the last couple of days we’ve visited Patmos, Greece, a small tourist port where it is believed St. John the Devine wrote the Book of Revelation. This was the smallest of the ports we’ve visited and was very low key with no pushy vendors and a very relaxed atmosphere. Following our visit to Patmos we spent the entire day from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm in Kusadasi, Turkey, for access to the magnificently preserved ruins of Ephesus and where Mary, mother of Jesus, spent her final days. Kusadasi is a very lively port city and negotiating your way through the carpet, jewelry and trinket vendors can be somewhat challenging. The day culminated with a wonderful event sponsored by Azamara Cruises.

The cruise line offered a complimentary excursion out to Cittantica Ephesus Park to a replica of the spectacular Temple of Artemis for what they dubbed an “Azamazing Evening”. Once off the buses we were met with a welcome drink, local beer, wine or fruit juice served by tour guides all dressed in historic toga costumes. We were then ushered into the the temple where we enjoyed an evening of Roman era entertainment including a short play featuring Mark Antony, Cleopatra, gladiators, jugglers, dancers and musicians. I must say this was a highlight for us and very interesting to see a recreation of what these ruins may have looked like at one time. We were told that the event was prepared exclusively for Azamara and this was the first of only two performances all performed by local actors, dancers and musicians. An absolutely wonderful experience. Our next report will be coming to you from exciting Istanbul, Turkey!

Travel

The Ocean princess and cruising the Australian coast

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So to continue from my previous comments about our Sydney, Australia experience, here are some brief comments about the ports of call in eastern Australia and the Ocean Princess.

Safely onboard the Ocean Princess we quickly got into cruise mode and found our way to the pool bar for a sail-away cocktail. With only about 680 passengers we had no problem with lines or crowds and finding our way around the ship was a breeze compared to the average cruise ship with over 3,000 passengers. Our mini-suite was spacious with a king sized bed, sofa, large desk/make up table and the full sized bath even featured a regular sized tub.  The best part however was the full length floor to ceiling glass wall with a slider to the balcony where enjoyed our coffee almost every morning. The vistas were spectacular both night and day and with a port side cabin we almost always had a view of the Aussie shoreline.

A couple of notes about small ship sailing. First, the ship is much more intimate and you’ll definitely see many of the same passengers regularly by the pool, the gym and so on. We actually spent a lot of time getting to know the entertainers who doubled as assistant cruise directors and one of the lecturers and his wife were our tablemates. Also, these ships are capable of accessing much smaller, interesting ports with far less impact on the population. On the negative side, you get to know the ship very quickly and on a long cruise such as this was, we started to get a little bored with the limited venues, activities, and smaller sized shows. Not really a complaint though, just an observation.

So here are some highlights of our ports of call:

Townsville – Our excursion today was a brief tour of the city before heading out to a billabong to enjoy the wildlife. We got up close and personal with a baby crocodile, a variety of snakes, a wombat and then had the opportunity to cuddle a Kuala. After the tour the bus dropped us in town and since it was St. Patrick’s Day we felt obliged to visit two Irish pubs and the local brewery before heading back to the ship. What a way to spend St. Paddy’s Day.

Cairns – Today we boarded a catamaran and headed out to the Great Barrier Reef to do some snorkeling. Unfortunately the sea conditions were a bit rough due to the extended effects of a Cyclone that was wreaking havoc on Vanuatu and snorkeling was quite an effort although I did see a lot of marine life. We were happy to get back to the “Big Boat” and as the Cyclone was headed our way the captain made full speed to give it a wide berth as we steamed north through the Coral Sea.

Darwin – Here at the top of Australia things were really heating up and the humidity took some getting used to for a couple of Nevada desert rats. Our destination today is to check out the jumping crocodiles on the Adelaide River and to get a look at Northern Australia’s “outback”. This is also where I came to the realization that just about everything in Australia is out to bite, sting, scratch or otherwise try to have you for dinner. We enjoyed some great wildlife viewing from the lookout at a nature preserve and learned a lot about how the wet and dry seasons affect the local ecosystem.

Back onboard the Ocean Princess it was time to settle in for a couple of sea days before crossing the equator and landing on Komodo Island in Malaysia. More about our visit to Southeast Asia in my next report.

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Boston to Cape Cod on a Bike (MS Cape Cod Getaway)

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The Finish Line

To say the least I was a little apprehensive about flying back to Boston to ride in the Multiple Sclerosis sponsored two day one hundred fifty mile ride from Boston to Cape Cod. This was my first trip to the Boston area and I felt way out of my element with respect to conditions, people, distance and equipment. As it turned out I was pretty well prepared physically and had no trouble with ride. I actually enjoyed the high-end road bike I rented from Boston Adventours.

We arrived two days ahead of the event to check out the Boston and get a little acclimated to the area and conditions. I rode both days, first Boston to Quincy after picking up my rental bike downtown and then the second day, a long loop around Quincy taking in the shoreline. Lots of traffic, a little rain and I got lost a couple of times but made it back to the Adams Inn in Quincy without too much trouble. There was plenty of sightseeing to do downtown and lots of history in the surprisingly clean city of Boston. Of course we had to visit Harpoon Brewery one evening and then do a carb loading pasta experience at Alfredo’s in Quincy the night before the ride.

Over two thousand cyclists left the University of Massachusetts on Saturday morning headed for the Cape. The event was very well organized with traffic control at intersections and plenty of rest stops along the route. I was very excited about the New England scenery we rode through, especially the architecture and coastal vistas. I arrived at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy where I met Sue four hours and forty-nine minutes after leaving UMASS and received my dorm assignment and the opportunity for a very welcome and needed shower. Although the rooms were pretty Spartan we had a wonderful view of the bay from our second floor accommodation. After cleaning up we headed for the party and festivities.

Many of the teams, including mine, had tents set up with snacks, cold drinks and massage therapists. What a way to complete a seventy-five mile ride with a fantastic massage followed by a couple of very cold beers and a huge feast. The MS Society had entertainment, food, beverages and plenty of seating in the shade for all of the participants. After the festivities we headed to bed to rest up for the early start for Sunday ride.

After an ample breakfast I was on the road again by 5:58 am crossing over the Sagamore Bridge and cycling towards the finish line in Provincetown and the tip of the Cape. Scenery again was gorgeous as we traveled down wooded highways, on bike paths along the canals, through parks and then along the coast to the finish line. Prior to the finish we stopped at the home of one of our team mates for some barbecue and beers and then it was an eight mile sprint to the finish line in Provincetown. (My time today was four hours forty-one minutes for the seventy-seven mile trek) Here we said our goodbyes, turned in our equipment and headed to our various destinations, ours being the Surfside Hotel just a few blocks away.

Sue and I decided to stay an extra day in Provincetown to relax and enjoy some excellent seafood before taking the ferry back to Boston and our flight home to Las Vegas on Tuesday. Of course we had to do a few touristy things like visiting the Highland Lighthouse and the Province Lands Visitor Center. On our way out to the visitor center we spotted a couple of wild turkeys crossing the road and a little later a fox, probably looking for the turkeys. So here we are back at home in Laughlin’s heat and already thinking about doing the ride again next year. Who wants to go? Contact me at Chris@VivereTravel.com or visit us at http://www.VivereTravel.com.