As always your trip reports are intresting and full of action:

What a way to start with some screaming in the plane running; I do not think I would have been happy travelling with such a person on the loose.

Italians - we always tend to leave a sign on behaviour anywhere in the world. A glass of wine and the screws loosen up and the words get lounder & louder... unfortunately we have such a reputation..... sorry that they spoiled the peace in the bush.
For some reason we are quiter in our own country than outside... but it does annoy me when people do not respect or shut up is the better word in paradise with animals and other people around.

jan,
i also enjoyed your report. but the aircraft thing....strange....i would have imagined myself blowed up or ending up in an african desert....
otherwise: cannot book that in advance...some kind of a bonus

Jan, thanks for your report. It’s always interesting to hear about your visits to two- and four-legged friends at Ol Tukai and Satao.
The story about the man in the plane was chilling. I don’t think he had committed any real offence. Most probably he had been doing some job that the Dutch wouldn’t want, but without the papers required, and that he would never be given anyway. I suppose he was desperate because he was deported back to an impossible economical situation in Kenya.

Jan - I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report. I do appreciate your flare for words and describing situations. As a smoker (when will I learn?) I am nervous about the eleven hours between LAX and London. Now Heathrow is nonsmoking - I do hope that four hours is enough time to step outside and grab a smoke before the next eleven hours to Johannesburg. I think its time to invest in some Nicorettes.

Thanks for all your kind comments.

VeeR, I agree that it is really becoming a nightmare for us smokers. I can remember well when the back half of the plane was for smokers and everyone did smoke. I am also told that the air circulation in planes was better then. Nevertheless, I do agree with no smoking on board flights now. However, I disagree greatly with the total non-smoking bans governments are putting on. There should be at least one room in each terminal in an airport with the necessary smoke-eater vents where us long-term smokers can go to get our fix in between flights. On my arrival in Amsterdam, with two hours between flights, I did run outside the front of the terminal - but you had to leave your passport at Passport control (which terrified me - I never let it out of my hands). On the return flight to Amsterdam with an eight hour layover I got the hotel room where one could smoke. However as of July 1 there will be NO SMOKING anywhere in Amsterdam. How all these governments can break their own rules of non-discrimination is perplexing.

I am lucky in that I sleep most of the plane trip and thus am not ready to kill someone for a smoke. I do carry patches with me "just in case". Also taking hard mints with you does help a bit.

Despite some hardships we face getting to Africa, once you get there it is totally worth anything you have gone through when you get to know some marvelous people and see their out of the world wildlife.

Now Jan - I'm pretty used to the no smoking anywhere law - I live in California and we've had that going for a few years. I managed last year on a long flight from Washington DC to Johannesburg and back. That no smoking anywhere in Amsterdam - how will that affect those special coffee houses that make it must stop some world travelers?

don't mean to hijack the thread - just a little curious.