April 18, Tuesday Day 4-Never Go Alone!

Hello Class: Thank you for your note. We are doing well and are now rested. I was so excited to wake up and look outside to start the beginning of our African Adventure. What a view it was! Bridget, our Lodge keeper met me and cautioned me to never to take walks alone-only on the Lodge premises. She will be my escort for morning walks if I would like to go. Of course I would! You will see the bottom picture is actually to the left of our room which is the African terrain for as far as you can see. She pointed out several heads of loping giraffe sprouting out from among the tall trees! Also, she informed me there were all sorts of wild African animals out there from elephants, hippos, baboons to black and white rhinos. Black Mamba and Zebra snakes are around the lodge (you might want to look them up-the most dangerous in all of Africa). Also, leopards and cheetahs (you will never see them, but they will see you..). In the water hole behind me all the animals come together to drink in the dusk and morning hours. We saw impalas, springboks, waterbucks and African geese this morning. The elephants and hippos are not at this lodge now as the terrain is quite green and they prefer a more dry environment. They are present though at the Mt. Etjo Safari Lodge. But when the elephants are there in the dark, you will never hear them, because their hoofs are cushy and they are very quiet. We had a hearty breakfast and lunch (with chocolate cake for dessert!) and this afternoon we went on a mini-safari. Can't wait to tell you what we saw! That is another story for tomorrow.......

Safari Tip: From Professional Hunter Naftari (better than a bushman tracker-according to him): How can you tell which direction a snake will go next? Look for the bushes and sticks they left behind. As they slither, they disturb the ground and depending on which way the sticks or various debris point, that is the way the snake will go.

Day 3 Monday April 17th. We have Arrived!

Day 3 Monday April 17:

Hello Class: We arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa in the morning and left for Windhoek, Namibia on South African Airlines this day at 1:15. Apollo (picture) from Jan Oelofse Hunting Safaris met us at the airport. Off to the lodge we went-3/12 hours! 35 of those miles we were on rain-washed roads leading into the Mount Etjo Safari Lodge. We arrived in the dark. I  thought we were already there, but were informed the hunting safari lodge was another 1/2 hour away (on even rougher roads!). We saw several (rather shy) jackals (small predator-like coyotes) on the way, as well as an assortment of birds. When we arrived (a big yeah!), all met us (including Bridget, the Lodge keeper and Rudie the Professional Hunter-PH). We were served a fantastic dinner consisting of Eland (largest of African horned-antelope species) and Gemsbok (known as the desert warrior). When we went to sleep that night I was excited to see what we would wake up to. More to come......

Day 2, April 16th-Sunday-The Art of Sleeping on a Plane!

April 16, Day 2, Sunday: Flew from London, Heathrow airport to Johannesburg, South Africa. Another 10 hour trip! We partially slept on the plane. Notice the route and coordinates on the flight navigator on the plane. Stay tuned for more!

April 17th

Hello Mrs. Janes!  We're back from Spring Break.  The students were so excited to read your posts today!  They are busy jotting down some notes, making calculations, and creating a timeline to follow.  So many questions... How are you feeling?  What did you do first?  What have you eaten since arriving?  Can't wait to hear more!

Day 1 April 15: LAX to London, Heathrow Airport

April 16 Day 2: We have arrived at London, Heathrow after a 10 hour flight! Happy Easter everyone!

Next Stop Leg 2: Virgin Atlantic (again) at 8:00 PM headed for Johannesburg, South Africa. Let the traveling continue.......for another 10 hours this next leg....

Mrs. Janes' Fun Fact about Heathrow Airport: 1,400 flights leave a day, every 45 seconds, approximately 1/2 million a year.

Day 0 April 14: Mrs. Janes' Guide on How to Pack for an African Safari

Hello Class: It's the night before we leave for Africa and we are very excited! If you go to Africa it's important to plan ahead. We have been packed for at least a week. Notice at the bottom right we have packed the Garden School Tee-shirts that your school so generously gave us. How much do you suppose they weighed? Almost 15 lbs.! No problem-we have plenty of room. We also packed about 5 lbs. of Tulare City School books, which Mr. Hollingshead so graciously donated on behalf of the District. We are allowed up to two bags each and they cannot weigh more than 50 lbs. each. The bags are labeled with special tags (they have African animals on them!) for easy identification at the airport. For the trip going over I packed two changes of clothes in my backpack. I will also carry a crossover purse (and a money belt). It will take three days to get to Mt. Etjo so the backpack is a necessity.

Notice the pants in the front on the top picture are TAG Safari pants-I packed two pairs. They are sturdy pants for safaris and can take a tangle with the bushes (or good for running from wild animals!). I also packed several long-sleeved (one UVF) lightweight shirts-easy to roll up if it gets hot while exploring. All the colors of the clothes are earth tones (no bright colors, which may detract or attract animals). Sunscreen. Two hats-which will shade me from the sun, three pairs of shoes-low boots, regular boots and of course if you are from Tulare-cowboy boots! A fleece jacket for the African evenings and a black puffer one for the airports. They do laundry once a day,  so I think I am good to go. I will bring my lap-top, mouse, mini-iPad and iPhone.  I will also carry the smaller suitcase with the t-shirts. Mr. Janes, the Hunter, will carry a big suitcase with his safari clothes, hunting equipment and a locked gun case for his hunting rifle.

So many things, but I think we are ready. Oh, and not to forget the passports, some money and one credit card.

April 15, 2017 Day 1: The first leg of the journey is a drive to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). We will leave about 1:30 PM in order to get there at least 3 hours early for our 9:00 PM all night flight to London, England. First stop.

Let adventure begin.......

April 6, 2017: Thank you for the Visit: A Video from Garden School 5th Grade Class

Hello Class: Thank you inviting me to your class today to talk about my pending trip to Africa. I will share this video with the Mt. Etjo School children. They will see your excitement about the adventures to come! I am sure they will want to share one with you. Africa awaits......