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Late morning came and back to Joburg. Staying at the Radisson again. All on the Exec floor and a great suite upgrade for me and mrsandye. Lounge very good with a Nestoresque guy in charge

Next morning we had our last game drive. A smidge jealous of the Swedish couple wjo'd ticked off the Big 5 ay Kruger the previous day. Howver, all agreed we wanted lions. It had been raining and not much to see, a 'rare' hornbill and eagle aside in the first hour. But the chatter went out...

The lodge put on a decent BBQ/braii that evening. Available pics dont to justice

Next day was allotted to a tour of various scenic spots aroind the Drakensberg Mountains. The Rondavels, various waterfalls and God's Window ( a scenic view Mozambique toward the Indian Ocean). It apprears on almost all the safaribookings tours as a Highlight. Pretty scenic but to be honest we...

We didnt have much luck with cats but did see a (slightly dishevelled) leopard just as we were leaving

Kruger is a big park and full of game. You have to stick to the sealed roads. Open to private cars. You can stay on the Rest Camps for a pretty budget experience without long drives. We were in a jeep with very good visibility.

Next day was into Kruger. We picked up our fellow travellers from the Radisson (looked pleasant enough but very glad we chose the lodge). It was am interesting bunch and felt a bit like a set-up for a slasher film 1. Us, the doctor and nurse with a couple of teenage kids 2. The man from New...

There is, it's called Gin! I picked up some Four Pillars Rare

Its tempting to say its like a stick for a marshmallow but its really for a spotter to give an extra pair of eyes to the driver. This one was particularly good

After settling went for an evening game drive on the reserve. Have missed out on rhino on my 2 previous safaris but there they were within 20 minutes. Open jeeps so very easy to see. Had a hunt around for a leopard before and after drinks but you cant win them all

The safari part of the trip is the one I spent the most hours researching, trying my best to balance budget with the experience. I found safaribookings.com invaluable with a wide range with useful filters. Ended up choosing the Khaya Ndovlu lodge3-night tour which though not the cheapest, made...

We had an early pick-up from the hotel for our minibus trip to Hoedspruit. Its a 6-hour drive with a couple of stops. The first had an opportunity to see a little game in the distance.

I had booked the hotel some time ago, choosing Radisson as I had VIP status due to the Avolta status match (Avolta status also due to a status match). It's a pretty smart hotel and both rooms were upgraded from a very cheap base rate to the Exec floor. Our timings meant we missed the lounge but...

Queues in JNB are moderate. Its after 2200 and my plan to take the hotel shuttle bus is scuppered. Mrsandye's friends have spent the previous weeks telling her how dangerous Jo'burg is. She was not somewhat alarmed when I strode off to the central taxi booking desk (turned out she had misheard...

Dodgy outfit. Need a dressing down

Flight 8 AMS-JNB KLM Y B777-300ER Qf Classic award 18k QF + EUR 249 pp Pax:mr&mrsandye, mstrsandye3&4 AMS pretty busy on Easter Sunday. The taxi driver took us to a side entrance to avoid the queue of cars at drop-off Have a snazzy automatic bag drop that befuddled a lot of pax. The...

Had grand plans of a quick trip into central Amsterdam (never been out of airport) but it wasnt early and we were pretty tired. Settled in at Holiday Inn Express Schiphol (1 award, one cash room). It did the job

It is at a 5k points cost. However with partner airlines, there is always a risk of losing the original flight during reticketing (the One World Award thread is full of horror stories). Less risky with the Hobart call centre if you have access. QR bookings were notorious but moot now you cant...

Flight 7 AGP-AMS Easyjet A320 Revenue EUR 150pp includin baggage Pax:mr&mrsandye, mstrsandye3&4 The PP lounge in Malaga is one of the more impressive ones. Very spacious and good F&B Descent into AMS