The Thrifty Travelers

After an overnight stay in Frankfurt, we hop on Lufthansa for the 10 hour flight to Dallas, then we go through 2 hours of customs, and then on to Austin on American Airlines. Finally, we make it home around 7:45pm and stay up late with the kiddos. In the next day or so, I will be sending out a summary of the trip with good and bad experiences with certain companies. Stay tuned. Would love to hear your comments, questions, etc.

We wake up to make our way to Cairo at 7:15am. We are picked up by Hany Halim, our guide, and taken straight to the pyramids. The site of the pyramids is awe inspiring, the only problem I have is that the city continues to creep closer to the site with apartments, restaurants, and warehouses....which is sad. We visit a papyrus store, cotton stores, a perfurme store, etc. After some shopping, sightseeing, we get back to the airport....much sweatier than I want to be. Here is the link to the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/aquadri26/WorldCupDay17#

Today is the day we head home. Our flight from Cape Town is around noon arriving 2 hours later in Jo'Burg. We have a 7 hour wait and then an overnight flight to Cairo.

Today is our relaxing day. We lounged around, did some window shopping, went back to the gem shop (for some gifts), and explored the towns around us. The main goal for today was to watch the USA vs Slovenia match and there was plenty of yelling and screaming, but in the end, the draw prevailed. We get ready by packing and having dinner at Kalkys.

Today, we head to Stellenbosch. This area is considered to be one of the greatest vineyard and estate places in the world. We visit 4 wineries which provide various types of wine, cheeses, food, and chocolate. We have a great, relaxed day traveling all over and heading back for dinner. Not much to say except that it was one of the best days to see the Wine Country. Here is the link to the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/aquadri26/WorldCupDay14#

We bought tickets a couple of days ago to visit Robben Island, the famed prison which held Nelson Mandela and many South African leaders during Apartheid. The morning was about exploring Fish Hoek, Simons Town (we end up going to one of the largest mineral/gemstone shops in the world), and of course Kalk Bay. We go to the V and A Waterfront to finish shopping, but it rains most of the way to Cape Town. Once we finish shopping, grab a small bite to eat, and make our way to the ferry, the rain seems to be subsiding. Robben Island is very foreboding...the history, the atrocities, and the sheer inhumanity can be felt any where you go on the island. The amazing thing about the place...the tour guides here are past inmates and the passion in their voice is clear as is their message. Hope lives and hatred can stop, but only if each of us is willing to love our neighbors as ourselves. A very unique end to our evening. Here is the link to the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/aquadri26/World

Today, we decide to take in some of the scenery around Cape Town. After breakfast in Kalk Bay (it is quickly turning into our favorite town), we head out towards Simons Town and the head out towards the Cape of Good Hope...the southwestern most tip of Africa. Just to let you know....that is not where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet...that is another Cape further east. The park is very scenic, has great beaches, picnic areas, light houses, and hiking trails. You could really spend time here and get to see lots of things. Our goal, was to the Cape. We make the long hikes up to the viewing points and even make it to the lighthouse. There were some burning legs on the way up. It is not a leisurely climb. We take some great pics and head out to our next spot, Boulders Beach. There is a type of penguin, the African, and this is one of its main stomping grounds and breeding areas. The park is simple, but set up nicely and the girls have a great time taking pictures. From here, we

We woke up to a dreary day today...the sky is overcast, but minimally. Since the bay is clear, we decide to try Table Mountain. After hanging out in Kalk Bay for breakfast and doing a little shopping, we head towards Cape Town. On the drive, we notice that Table Mountain is not even visible and decide instead to head over to Green Market Square for shopping and then on to the V & A Waterfront. We shop and walk around at the square, but find that there are many stalls which sell the same stuff and head on out. The V and A waterfront is a very nice place...lots of eating places, shops, boats, and even a large amphitheater to watch the game.....an overall fun experience. Here is the link to the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/aquadri26/WorldCupDay11#

We are at the airport by 5:45(late arriving) and make our 6:30am flight. We fly on Kulula Air...reminds me of Southwest Airlines, when they were funny, and we get our bags quickly. We rent a VW sedan from Tempest Car Hire (probably the nicest car company I have been around), pick up a GPS rental and then head out the beach house. It takes a little bit to get used to a right hand drive car and to drive on the opposite side of the road, but not as hard as I thought it would be. We meet up with Val (the lady in charge of the home), get settled in, and then visit Fish Hoek. The group wants to get to GreenPoint Stadium early and use the Park and Ride at the University of Cape Town. Things are much better organized about transportation and we get there very early. We have dinner (not that great), but have a place to watch the USA even the match with Slovenia. Let me tell you....the England fans probably dominate the Algerians by 10 to 1. The chanting, yelling, trash talking is domin

We are up at 5:00 this morning for our nature walk and get to learn about the plants on the preserves, how they track animals, and even dung spitting (ask me about it later). We then have breakfast and then work our way back to Waybury, stopping at Blyde Canyon (the third largest canyon in the world) and making it back by 6pm. We take it easy, have dinner and get ready to wake up for our flight the next morning. It will be another morning to wake up at 4:15am....uggh! The link to pics is here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aquadri26/WorldCupDay9#

Okay, the cold front moved in last night and it is ridiculously cold today! The temperature is in the teens and on the way to Kruger National Park, we have a flat tire. So, we have to stand outside and wait for the tire change in freezing weather. Just to let you know....there are no heaters on this transport, just flaps coming down to block out the wind. We get a late start on the safari, but we are meant to be there from opening till around 5pm, so it will be a long day. About 30 minutes in the park, we get to see lions eating prey, zebras, giraffes, crocodiles....but it is cold! We are wearing multiple layers and the only saving grace is that we are each given blankets that we can wrap around ourselves...without it, I don't know how I would have survived. Juliana sits in front of me and gets the brunt of the wind along with Joseph and Brandi. We stop for lunch in the park and then continue seeing animals till around 5pm. We are then brought back to the lodge and given an

Today is the first day of our Safari. We are taken from Waybury House at 5:00am. Let me tell you something, when on vacation, you don't want to wake up early. We end up riding in a large van (a little more leg room would help) with 2 Aussies backpacking through the World Cup. They are pretty cool and we have some good conversations. We make our way up, making several stops, and transfer into a new vehicle with our caretaker, Wayne. He tells us about what to expect and that we will be going on a game drive at a private reserve in the afternoon. The private game reserve has the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and water buffalo) and that we would be riding in open vehicles (no roof). We arrive at Thornhill Bush Lodge, given some juice on arriving and shown to our rooms. The rooms were really nice and contemporary....as Juliana stated a "Spa Safari." After an hour break, we head to the game drive at Thornybush Reserve and had a great time! It is very rare to

Hey guys...thanks for the emails. The only reason I never updated the blog was due to the lack of Internet. At the safari, I could understand, but in Cape Town (mostly Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay, etc.) we had difficulty getting access. The whole blog will be updated today. Would love to hear from you!

So today is the day we get to our first match: Netherlands vs Denmark. We woke up late this morning, barely making breakfast. I woke up at 9:45am which is amazingly late for me and made my way out. We had Pat call us a cab and made it out the door by 11:15am. Our game time was 1:30pm. Traffic is terrible, the driver takes a long route, and we end up making it to our seat 5 minutes late. We didn't miss much at all. The seat views were great, the fans were awesome, and we had a fun time experiencing a game! Once the game ended, we had some issues. Well, once you get there, it is no problem, but when you leave, JoBurg has had some issues on how to deal with transportation. Cabs aren't allowed near the stadium, the line to the buses, were very, very, very long, and we didn't even know how to get to the train. We asked around, and the girls were asking a security guard for some help, when two men, offered to take us back. OF COURSE, you are in a different country, the

Today is a free day, we have no plans even though we thought about doing another tour to a village to learn about the culture. In the end, we decide to do a little shopping. Brandi and Joseph still have no baggage, so we head to Standton City Mall and the surrounding areas. The area is nice and has a nice range of shops, etc. We are able to get what they need and find some souvenirs for family and friends. It is also nice to have a relaxing day since Juliana and I are both having some stomach issues and trying to adjust. Juliana had a bad evening and we started her on some antibiotics. Just hope and pray for a speedy recovery! The ride there and back are given to us by Pat and Nick (the couple who owns Waybury House, Themba tours, etc.) We ask them questions about their relationship, motivation for a business like this, what they enjoy in life (cycling is one of them!), etc. It was great to spend time with a cool couple who have been married nearly 25 years. Back to our temporar

We woke up this morning and were glad to hear that Joseph and Brandi made the flight, arriving here safely around 9:30am. Unfortunately, their luggage didn't. It is good that they keep some extra clothes and toiletries with them. After some rest and relaxation, we decide to take a tour of Johannesburg and Soweto through Themba Tours, part of the Waybury House. We great great overviews of the local area, history, go by the Mandela House, Hector Pierson Museum, Soweto, Soccer City, etc. We were taken to a shanty town to understand how many people live around Soweto. They show you their homes, take you through the streets, introduce you to the local children, etc. You realize how people can be content with living with so little, but make it through their lives with a smile. We bought a box of chocolate bars and Brandi/Joseph bought a multi-pack bag of chips to hand out to the kids, bought a few small items from the local tradesman and took off to visit other areas. There is one t

Juliana and I take off at 12:30am for the flight on EgyptAir. Let me tell you something, there is a big difference between them and Lufthansa. I had decided to take some sleep medication and try to avoid jet lag as did Juliana, but around 30 minutes into our dead sleep, the flight attendant wakes us up to see if we want dinner. I told her no, and returned to sleep, but she forced me to wake up about 5 hours later to have breakfast. She wasn't mean, but didn't understand that first thing about letting sleeping passengers...well, sleep. Anyway, no problems on the flight and we arrived safely at Johannesburg. From the first minute at the airport, you can tell it is a festival. All sorts of people from all over the world are arriving wearing the garb, colors, and blowing their horns in celebration of a good time. It is awesome and everyone is amazingly friends. We get our luggage quickly and make our way through customs, which is practically non-existent. From start of immi

Frankfurt is a quick turnaround. We had a 1.5 hour stay and then on to a 4 hour flight to Cairo. Again, we are in business class and the service was great. We were treated well and enjoyed the food too! So we arrived in Cairo at around 3:30pm and were walking past the luggage carousels when Brandi noticed her suitcase go by. Originally, our luggage was booked all the way to Johannesburg, but I guess not hers. We made a quick stop to the EgyptAir baggage service (who we will fly next) and then received a visa for our day stay in Cairo. Let me tell you something...it is amazingly easy to get into Egypt. All you need is $15.00 and they don't even look at your passport. Weird. So, we get the visa, go through immigration (about 2 minutes) and then make our way out. We were met by Hany Halim, our tour gude for Cairo. He was a nice man, knew about his culture, and really loves his country! He was able to take us to the Cairo museum, to the main market, and even to a restaur

Here we go....So after taking care of the kiddos, we were picked up by a cab and brought to the airport. The rain made us nervous, especially after hearing about 10 inches down south of Austin and headed north. We tried to get on an earlier American Airlines flight, but we found out that they there is no standby. In fact, the agent told us that you can pay $50.00 and be put on a list without a guaranty. Wait, isn't that standby? Just trying to make money off of standby...wow, more fees! We stuck it out and made it to Dallas....meeting up with our friends Brandi and Joseph. We had a short wait and made our way on Lufthansa Business Class, which was fantastic!! The service was amazing, but the seats had a little issue with the pitch, but overall a great, easy experience. Day 1 over, now we are in Frankfurt...

I have always wondered why some people are addicted to seeing the world, while others remain trapped in a small town. My parents never travelled, mostly due to my father's job, but even if we did, they didn't enjoy the details involved in going away from home. I didn't catch the bug until I was in college and haven't looked back since. They always say that you learn about your loved one the best when you go on a trip with them.. I find great truth in that. You learn a person's behavior, how they handle situations (outside of the comfort of their normal routines), and what they enjoy in the world. You see, I am a traveler that wants to learn the history of where I am going, to understand the people, culture, and ideas that make up the good...and the bad of the town or country. My wife....well, she is an on-the-go traveler. She wants squeeze in all the good things to do in the shoretest amount of time possible. I would be happy with reading about a place and experienc

Hey guys, hope all is well. We take off for South Africa on Wednesday, June 9th, and we want you to be part of our journey. Some of you have been reading my occasional postings on our trip planning, but I want to give you an in-depth look on what we do, how much we spend, where we saved money, etc. That is what the blog was intended to do, but I want to expand on our trips and get you to see our pics, see where we stay, comment on the blog and share stories about adventures to do next. So here is your chance to come along for the ride. Oh, and if you want to reach us....we are using a Passport SIM card which I blogged about earlier and our phone number is 011-44-7924427729. Call us if something comes up. Pick up your bags and let's go!