Tony Trischka Banjo Safari - South Africa 2019 Postscript Dispatch #4

Our Tuesday farewells to our new friends from the banjo safari were bitter-sweet, with heads full of fond memories which we should carry with us for years to come. Most left for their homes, while Tony left for a gig in Durban. Pinky and I had decided on an extended stay to spend a few days at a place we had never seen but had on our bucket list - Victoria Falls, which straddles  the border between Zimbabwe (previously Rhodesia) and Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia)  on the Zambezi R.  But first we we returned to the Clico in Johannesburg for the night. While having dinner there, a woman from the next table comes over, looks at me, asks didn't I go to Princeton, and aren't I a member of the class of '69? It turns out it was Christy Wise, wife of friend and classmate  Bob Axelrod! We enjoyed spending time with her at the table, and I marvel how such a coincidental meeting could take place in a 9 room hotel so far from home.

The next morning our Uber ride returned us to the airport for another South African Airlines flight. We soon found ourselves checked into the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe, a magnificent 5 star Edwardian-style majestic, luxurious hotel dating back to 1904. From the terrace one can enjoy a gin & tonic while watching the ever present mist rise from the river's gorge a mile or so away and occasional warthogs, monkeys and baboons making their way across the lawn.

Our travel agent, Nancy Cassano, had booked a sunset cruise on the Zambezi, and we were glad she did! The river boat was reminiscent of the African Queen, with a flat cover and just 6 tables accommodating 6 couples, a skipper and his mate, who served a full bar and snacks, which adequately served for dinner.  We motored upstream and back, well above the falls, the 2 hours highlighted by hippo sightings and a gorgeous sunset.

We had booked a tour of Victoria Falls, an acclaimed Natural Wonder of the World, Thursday morning. Our guide Phumulani took us from the hotel a couple of miles to a national park which afforded a dozen vistas of the falls. There can be nothing like it, stretching over 2 miles across the Zambezi R., interspersed by a few islands and actually comprised of several falls, and an ever present mist. And many more pictures!

That evening we treated ourselves to a high English dinner in the beautiful Livingston Room (voted the seventh best hotel restaurant in the world by The Daily Meal).

Phumulani had asked us if we would be interested in visiting a local village, and, after we said yes, he picked us up the next morning for a 20 minute drive to meet with  the head of homestead of a village called Monde. which exists in sharp contrast to the luxurious hotel where we were staying.  His name is Ncube. Custom has it that each family has a surname aligned with nature, and his is with the baboon. The homestead consists of several 1-story thatched huts with packed dirt floors, and common cooking and food storage huts. Surrounding the living area are gardens consisting principally of corn (maize.) Ncube oversees about 40 people and answers to the chief of the village. Despite it being the rainy season, the village and surrounding region have been suffering through a drought, and there's concern that they may loose much of their crop. Water is a big concern, and they have to walk some distance to retrieve drinking water from a deep well installed by an NGO. Ironically, there exists a water supply line in the dirt road leading to the village, but for the village to connect it would cost $300 to $400, and the village can't afford it.  In Zambabue poverty rates stand at about 80%. 

That afternoon I walked to the bridge below the falls while Pinky hung out at the hotel. Built in 1905 (The same year that Princeton started its wrestling program!), the bridge was to complete a railroad connecting Cape Town with Cairo. It affords spectacular views of Victoria Falls and the gorge below it. I walked across the bridge, had a Mosi beer on Zambia soil, and photographed several bungee jumpers tethered to the bridge.

That evening we enjoyed the Boma dinner & drum show, an African experience with Zimbabwean cuisine and energetic performances including drums, dancing and singing (but no banjo!)  The evening was great fun, and we would recommend it to anyone. It was a fitting conclusion to yet another exceptional adventure.

Tony Trischka Banjo Safari -South Africa 2019 Dispatch #3

Several highlights from our time at Tony Trischka's banjo safari in the Pilandsberg Game Preserve, and a few surprises:

There's little doubt that the lion sighting early on was thrilling. We saw a male and a few females on the prowl, not just lying around. They paid no attention to the two Toyota vehicles that took us through this foreign territory, and because they were on the move we surmised that they were looking for a meal. The other unexpected highlight was the magnificent terrain consisting of spectacular vistas, mountains and valleys which were remnants of towering volcanic mountains, covered with lush grasses, shrubs and small trees. It took nearly an hour's drive through the reserve before we reached this land of incredible terrain, rock outcroppings, and winding, rough trails. 

We really didn't know what to expect to discover by way of those we were accompanying from the small group sharing a banjo music interest for a week. Well, I have to say I came to appreciate that banjo folks are real, diverse, interesting on a variety of subjects, and just fun to be with. Our days were long, and Tony's sessions were intense, but everyone without exception remained in good humor with a desire to learn and to just have a good time. I saw no crankiness at all at the 5:00 AM daily pre-game ride gathering.  We all arrived ready to experience the day's adventure. The eight participants and the few spouses came from all over the country for this experience, from the FL panhandle, to Oregon, to DC, to Chicago, to North Texas, to Boston and VA. 

Then there was the one-on-one lesson with Tony - in front of the 7 others! Wow. I think it was only then that Tony realized the extent that I suffer from only being able to play bluegrass banjo "clay style" (a term coined by participant with the coolest name, Ed Goldfinger.) I won't beleaguer you with the problems with this affliction, only it will never permit me to play true bluegrass as Earl Scruggs played it. This I learned and hopefully will propel me to play classic bluegrass as Tony taught us all.

The week's sessions climaxed with the last evening's performance when we all were summoned to play in front or everyone (of course, including Tony, which was nerve wracking for the best of us.) I had the misfortune of following Steve Loggie, the North Texan who is a true pro and sounds just like what I want to sound like. So, what to do? I made a last minute decision to perform something completely different and not in the bluegrass style, and I think it was ok. Tony - and others! - complimented me, and that was all I needed.

Lastly, the most lasting highlight was Tony Trischka himself, who showed class, patience, unparalleled skill in his teaching and play, and was simply one who was approachable and fun to be around.

Traveling all the way to South Africa was a long way to go to go to banjo camp for what is essentially an American music genre. A paradox, yes, but one that could not be done better any other way.

Tony Trischka Banjo Safari -South Africa 2019 Dispatch #2

February 23, 2019

Our one day stay in Johannesburg South Africa started with an excursion to the Cradle of Humanity, which includes a museum and caves with a history of humankind with fossilized remains of human skeletons found in the nearby caves.  It was in the Sterkfontein Caves where the skull an adult humanoid more than 2 million years old was discovered in 1947. 

We enjoyed our return to the Clico Boutique Hotel, where we has stayed before our Princeton in Africa auction "won" safari in October 2015, which is a nine room up market boutique hotel in Johannesburg's Central Rosebank district in a renovated Cape Dutch house with.  After leaving the Clico, Pinky and I met up with the banjo safari group at a hotel next to the airport, where we joined seven other banjoists, banjo master Tony Trischka, his son Sean, a couple Tony is friends with from New Jersey, and Wiam and Renee, who organized this whole event. We left the next day for the Lesedi Cultural Village, where we enjoyed cultural dance and historical interpretations  delivered by talented performers, along with an impromptu jam by the local performers, Wiam, Sean and Tony. It was truly magical! 

After spending the night in a thatched roof hut, we left on a 3 hour drive for the Black Rhino Game Lodge in the 150,000 acre  Pilandsberg Game Preserve, centered on the caldera of an extinct volcano dating back 1.3 billion years. We settled in and went out on our first of 8 game rides.

Our five day stay included daily game rides and banjo instruction/lessons with the banjo extraordinaire Tony Trischka. Our daily routine included getting up at 4:30 AM for coffee, leaving on the morning safari at 5:30 AM, returning for the morning banjo session at 10:30 AM or so, then lunch,  a 2:30 PM banjo session, a 4:30 PM game ride, returning in time for dinner at around 8:00 PM. There are eight banjoists and with guests and family, 18 in all. It’'s been a pretty rigorous schedule, and I have come to realize how little I know about how to properly play bluegrass banjo! But I am learning and will have much to work on when I return home.

Today was a magical birthday for Pinky. During the PM game ride, we stopped in a beautiful secluded spot in the bushveld where Tony and Sean put on an unforgettable outdoor concert and where everyone joined in to sing happy birthday to her with Trischka & Trischka leading the way. 

Tony Trischka Banjo Safari -South Africa 2019 Dispatch #1

To my traveling friends and family – Pinky and I are off on an unusual Amorous Adventure, returning to South Africa for a banjo safari. This is really an exclusive music safari where we will be joining banjo master Tony Trischka  as one of six banjoists and spouses at the Black Rhino Lodge for morning and evening game drives and midday master class sessions with Tony. For six days we will be immersed in what should be the perfect music workshop environment. In a small group setting, with lots of individual attention, this Black Rhino banjo safari with Tony Trischka should be a highly rewarding and unforgettable musical experience taking place on the continent where the banjo was first played played. I can only hope that I can remember what I learn. Our first stop will be a return to the Clico Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg, which we greatly enjoyed during our previous visit to South Africa in October 2015.

Ecuador Adventure #5, Quito

This is the last dispatch on Pinky’s and my amorous adventure in Ecuador. I’ve tried to be brief in my descriptions, but the experiences have been so overwhelming that brevity has been a challenge. So, those of you who have been able to sort through all of these, I hope you have had some modicum of enjoyment from following us. On Thu, I left Pinky and went on morning and afternoon “advanced deep-water snorkels.“ I was led to a cove in Pta. Espinoza, Fernandina Is, where I observed countless large marine tortoises swimming around, along with a variety of fish, and I almost swam into buy a large sea lion (or it into me.) The water was cold, so we all wore wet suits, something I had never done before. (Never too old to try something for the first time.) I tried out my GoPro and am ho
peful the results are acceptable. Friday’s highlight took place on South Plaza, Santa Cruz islands, where we observed a frigate attack mother and father swallow tails and their chick, trying to steal the regurgitated squid the parents delivered, and probably the chick as well. It was an extraordinary, up close wildlife experience that we will never forget. I took an amazing photo of the attack, which I posted on Facebook. On Saturday, we returned to civilization at Puerto Ayora , a city on Santa Cruz of about 20,000 population, where we visited the Darwin Research Center and its giant tortoise breeding facility, which has been successful in re-introducing tortoise populations on islands which had been impacted by human introduced goats and cattle (now largely removed.) We departed the Galapagos Sunday to return to Quito and toured sites in the Andes, where we saw Pululahua (an extinct volcano ), a variety of hummingbirds, a small coffee tree reintroduction “finca,” and a tiny chocolate production operation in Mindo. This was a great way to finish our adventure, where we experienced events and saw wildlife we will never forget and made many friendships among the 95 or so we shared our adventures with.

Ecuador Adventure #4, Isabela Island & Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands

Wednesday we experienced two unscheduled special events that Pinky and I had never seen before, except on TV. The first required our awaking at 5 AM to go on deck to observe in early morning darkness the bright glow of flowing lava from the Sierra Negra volcano on Isabella Island. Because the island is uninhabited, as are most of the Galapagos islands, there was no danger to humans. Volcanic activity has been

quite common over the years – in fact the islands were all created from volcanic activity. The second happened when we were returning on our zodiac from Urbina Bay on Isabella Island and saw a mother and pup hump back whales, which passed between Isabela Is and our ship. To watch such large animals breach from below the water’s surface is unforgettable. Actually, everything we have seen and experienced here in the Galapagos is unforgettable! Our hike around Urbina Bay included stops to examine huge tortoises, serenely munching on poison apples – at least they are poisonous to humans. Our hike on Thursday took us across very slippery lava, where Pinky and I walked hand-in-hand to avoid slipping and falling down. We saw all sorts of wildlife on Isabella Island, including stinky marine iguanas, lots of sea lions, including a mother and her hours-old pup, flightless cormorants, “Princeton“ crabs and a Galapagos hawk. So far my pictures are great – it’s hard to for them not to be considering the subject matter. When friends and family have nothing better to do for a few hours, I’ll be happy to show them off.......For those who may be interested, I have posted a few on Facebook.🌎

Ecuador Adventure #3, Española Island, Galapagos Islands

On Sunday we flew the 600 mile distance across the Pacific ocean from Quito to Baltra Island, Galapagos, where we boarded Celebrity’s Xpedition, a 300 foot long ship with an occupancy of 100 passengers. This is our home for the week. We started touring the islands by circling Daphne Island, and then cruising over to Espanola Island on Monday, where we took a zodiac, a motorized raft that transports 14 passengers, to a remote beach for a walk in the morning. We observed sea lions and a variety of birds and were impressed about how unimpressed the animals were with humans, virtually ignoring us. After returning to the ship for lunch, we circled back to the island for a more difficult hike across a rocky trail to observe more birds, including a “group” of albatrosses. Pinky and I trekked relatively slowly so as not to run into trouble with the difficult terrain. Needless to say, I’ve been taking a myriad of pictures, so many on just the first day. Tuesday was another day of exploration, this time on Floreana Island, with excursions in the morning and afternoon, separated by a lunch break on ship. The afternoon was highlighted by our observing blue footed boobys repeatedly diving from high in the sky into the water to catch fish.