The final destination before returning to Toronto! We didn’t spend that much time in Aruba. It is more for the airline to refuel and for travelers to party one last time!. We arrived in Aruba around 4 pm and by the time we checked into our hotel it is almost time for our final gala dinner.

The gala dinner included musical entertainment. After the dinner, Chuck, along with his friends Leo and Jan, went to the casino, attached to the hotel (Radisson). After a while, Ben Sr. joined them. Ben recounted his 50 years in the business and at 1.30am we all decided to call it a night. Not because Ben Sr., 86 was tired, but people half his age were!

On October 29, we flew to Iguassu Falls, a collection of some 200+ waterfalls. We checked into our hotel and immediately visited the falls which is (are?) located in the Argentina-Brazil border. We went through a thick Brazilian jungle to get to the falls by buses and jeeps. The highlight was a boat ride that took us under a fall. Everyone got wet and good time was had by all.

Chuck read somewhere a list of the six most beautiful cities in the world. They are, not in any order;, Vancouver, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Sydney, Cape Town and Rio. We covered three of these cities on this trip. This is Chuck’s first visit to Rio. The hotel we stayed in, Sheraton Barra is outside Rio. It is a luxury hotel with generously proportioned rooms and balconies with a great view of the ocean.

On the following morning we were taken on a helicopter ride over the city. The choppers weren’t ready and to keep us occupied they were serving beer. We wondered if it wasn’t too early for a beer (it was just before 10am). Brian Fedak from Winnipeg pointed out the absurdity of this line of thinking – surely it was evening somewhere in the world and, as world travelers, we should know that.

Then there was the helicopter ride. It was breathtaking. We had a panoramic view of this beautiful city. The chopper flew around the imposing statue of Christ the Redeemer. For Chuck, this city is far and away the most stunning in the world. We then had lunch in a Copacabana restaurant which had an endless supply of seafood dishes. Copacabana is a long stretch beautiful sandy beach. After lunch we were driven to Ipanema, an upscale shopping district. Those who were keen shopping got off there. The rest of us returned to the hotel to indulge in less mundane activities.

On the third day, we went back again to see Christ the Redeemer statue, this time by bus and by train which took us to the top. This is one of the most impressive statues Chuck has ever seen. While the helicopter ride gave us a bird’s eye view of the statue, it was not the same as seeing it standing in front of the statue. A wonderful wonderful experience. The afternoon was free except for those born to shop. The rest of us went for a walk along the coast, caught up on our emails or simply sat at the bar.

This requires its own special entry. This British base is isolated with nothing of apparent visual interest. However, we were told that ours was the first commercial airline to land on the island since 1966. We were there about an hour and had the honour of our passports stamped for “a small donation” (we know not for what).

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Tucked into the arms of a broad bay, surrounded by wild, white sandy beaches and set against the canvass of the Table Mountain, it is affectionately known as the “Mother City”. This was the home of the nomadic Khoi people for at least 30,000 years. It is the port of the first European settlers.

As we were transported from the airport to the hotel, we saw several vestiges of the apartheid era; shanty towns or “townships”, a hangover from the notorious Group Areas Act which reserved the prime areas of the city for “whites only”. The apartheid regime is now disbanded but weiths still heavily on people’s minds. Our first tour guide who was white told us how he would transform South Africa if he became the president. He really had a detailed blue print. Our second tour guide (who was “coloured” and with us for three days in Cape Town) said that she was so happy that her children could have opportunities (especially for good education) that were denied to her.

On arrival, we were taken to Table Mountain, with spectacular views of the city and False Bay. The following day was overcast and we went on a sightseeing trip along the mountain. We saw baboons, ostriches and other assorted animals along the way. The sights were spectacular. We could see the Cape of Good Hope where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. In the evening we had a talk from a University Professor about the status of South Africa. However, the star attraction was Joseph, a cheetah which was brought in by an organization that is interested in saving theanimal from extinction. We were allowed to pet Joseph the cheetah, who seemed to be enjoying thoroughly all the attention.

The next day Deborah and Chuck visited Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 16 years of some 27 years of incarceration. Robben Island is about 45 minutes away by boat from Cape Town. This is something Chuck was looking forward to visiting. We were shown the prison and the cell where Mandela (Madiba as he is commonly known here), prisoner number 4664) was kept. It’s a tiny cell (cell number 5). The guides who accompanied us were former Robben Island political prisoners themselves, so their accounts were first hand. As one of our fellow travelers Morgan McCague remarked “we were witnessing a piece of history; twenty years from now, the guides may well be those who had no direct experience of the prison or even of the apartheid regime.”

It was interesting to see how prisoners’ privileges depended on the shade of the colour of their skin. For example, “coloured” prisoners would get more food than black prisoners.

Chuck has always been a great admirer of Madiba for his extraordinary lack of bitterness against those who took away 27 years of his life and his lack of vindictiveness against those who made his life miserable. Such greatness is so rare in human history. In contrast to most African nations, the transfer of power in South Africa did not result in widespread bloodshed and Madiba, Chuck believes, was mostly responsible for it. He was glad he could visit Robben Island which now houses no prisoners but only some 150 residents and penguins. You can always see whales on your way to Robben Island.

In the evening we had an excellent dinner in a nearby restaurant with exuberant African singers.

Time to wind down our trip. We are now on a plane to Rio de Jeneiro. A long flight, 10 hours on air, with a fuel stop at the Ascension Island.

On 23rd we flew to Nelspruit to visit the famous Kruger Park. The area is astonishingly varied: six rivers feed the park which houses 1980 plant species and 300 tree species.

Deborah and Chuck arrived there on the evening of the 23rd. Chuck went immediately on a 3-hour game drive while Deborah decided to rest for a while. When she went to find others, she realized that others had already gone. Oh well, a little bit of extra R&R harmed not one, Deborah thought and had a relaxing session drinking wine with like-minded souls.

The next day it was a five-hour game drive in the morning starting at 7am in a vehicle that accommodated seven people, each with a window seat. The main attraction of the park is what they call the “big five”: elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino, and leopard. We had an opportunity to see them all, except for the rhino. In addition we also saw many interesting animals and birds+ giraffes, zillions of impalas, hippos, many varieties of birds. Deborah, who was in a different vehicle also saw some snakes. The main attraction was wild dogs. We saw a pack of wild dogs resting under a tree, perhaps after having had a huge meal. They look mean and they are vicious hunters. They were so relaxed that Deborah thought they were like a group of guys high on marijuana who couldn’t care less about what’s happening around them. After five hours, we stopped for lunch at Skukuza Rest Camp for lunch. After lunch, there was another three hours of game drive according to the schedule. Chuck, after having been to Masai Mara in Kenya a couple of times where one could see a lot more animals in lot less time, found Kruger Park much less exciting. Masai Mara (unlike Kruger) did not have many trees and consisted of mostly bushes, which made it easier to spot animals from a distance. Another major difference was that in Kruger Park, you are allowed to drive only on paved roads. Unless animals obliged us with their presence by the roadside we were out of luck. In Masai Mara one could drive to where the animals can be found. Deborah also decided that she had seen enough. Both (and host of others) skipped the afternoon drive.

In the evening we had dinner. African dancers entertained us with music and dance.

The next morning there was an early morning optional game drive. There were no takers.

Is Kruger Park worth visiting? Yes of course. But don’t visit more exciting game drives such as Masai Mara first!

The flight from Perth to Mauritius was the longest of our trip – a lengthy 11 hours that was broken up by a half-hour refueling in Jakarta, Indonesia. Fortunately, the local authorities allowed us off the plane to stretch our legs, and, much to the relief of the handful of smokers on board, a few minutes to scramble to designated areas for a tobacco fix.

Others, including Deborah, headed to the shopping area, which was filled with many duty free boutiques.

Then it was onto Mauritius, an island group to the east of the continent of Africa. Mauritius was uninhabited until the 16th century, when it was occupied by a small Dutch force that named it after Prince Maurice of Nassau. It was abandoned in 1710 and then re-occupied five years later by the French who forced African slaves to work on the sugar plantations. One hundred years later, the British captured the islands and following the abolition of slavery in the 1830s, Indian laborers were brought to the islands. Today, their descendants make up more than two-thirds of the population. In 1968 Mauritius gained full independence but continues today to have Dutch, British, Indian and African cultural influences.

Chuck was surprised to find that the currencies had inscriptions in both Tamil and Hindi although, as far as he could make out, no one in the island spoke those languages. Creole and French were most commonly spoken, although English is fairly widely understood.

We checked into the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, which was a 45-minute drive from the airport. It was a welcome relief. Hotel staff greeted us with warm smiles and a speedy check-in (always appreciates after a very long day of travel). Deborah half expected Somerset Maugham to stroll through the lobby with lit cigarette in one hand and a dry martini in the other. The lobby featured marble floors, a stunningly lit pond, which was home to dozens of goldfish, an ornately sculpted ceiling that encircled five floors of guest rooms and a grand piano that sat next to the bar and dining area.

While Mauritius is a ‘classic’ island vacation spot, it is unblemished and both Chuck and Deborah agreed that its simplicity and the warmth of its people make the island so special.

The hotel is also surrounded by many lovely stores, but Deborah and a pack of rowdies – i.e. Bette Seabrook, Betty Hewson, Doug Nelson, and Anne and John Kraemer – hired two cabs and headed into town for a little shopping and sightseeing. The ‘two Betties’ bought cashmere sweaters and Anne found a lovely gold necklace. Deborah, on the other hand, didn’t buy a thing (much to her surprise and frustration…she decided to ‘save’ her money for Cape Town). Chuck, on the other hand, explored the city of Port Louis on his own – busy markets, street vendors, China Town.

In the evening we had a special dinner. The airline crew were invited which we believe was a treat to them and, of course to us. It was Diwali night, the Indian festival of lights. At the waterfront, the local artists were entertaining the audience, singing and dancing. All commentaries were of course in creole.