Response to comments

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave comments - I know these will help me create the stories that most will want and enjoy. So here are my responses to some of the comments.

Food: I am an adventurous eater. I try to stay away from known foods and eat what my hosts eat. I avoid anything that smacks of America like all the fast food chains making their way around the world. However, our first visit to Botswana landed us right at lunchtime when Mexican style siestas are taken. So, our first African meal in 1990 was at the local KFC! It was the only restaurant open. This time my sister-in-law may keep her promise from then to fix phane worms the next time I visited. It's been 18 years since that promise, I wonder if she remembers or if I will be brave enough to ask. I ate the best curry during that visit that I have ever enjoyed, along with antelope and ostrich.

I've asked my Cypriot sister to feed us as she fed my husband and I when we visited her in 1993. We ate often in tavernas in the tradition pattern of small plates. My husband was most interested in the sheer number of dishes - one dinner of mostly fresh fishes included 30+ choices over about 2 hours. My paper journal from that trip documents these meals. We also enjoyed 'old goat', some of the most tender meat I have eaten which was cooked in a backyard oven that is sealed with mud during the long slow cooking. Until the day my father died, he would not accept the fact that he ate goat; he insisted it was beef, although the shape of the bones did not look like any beef bones I have ever seen. This time we will enjoy a post wedding celebration for my sister's niece who will be married in Athens during the time my friend and I will be in Botswana. The wedding party will return to Cyprus before we arrive on September 4th, and on the 5th, we will party!

Animals: With my zoology undergraduate degree, this topic is very important to me, so be prepared for lots of animal descriptions. During our previous visit to Botswana and Zimbabwe, we were fortunate to see the 'big five' and many other mammals, reptiles, snakes, insects, birds, and miscellaneous others. I purchased a tourist binder and simply checked off those animals sighted and confirmed by guides. As I remember, our list totaled 250+ by the end of our visit.

3. Safety and healthy: Anita and I have had all our shots, have our malaria pills to begin on Monday, and have researched as much information as possible to ensure our safety and health while we are on the trip and in so many different countries. Your good wishes will help us as well.

Thanks again for your interest and the time you have taken to help make this story one you will enjoy and want to visit again and again.