Got my tetanus shot, passport, evacuation insurance and a prescription for anti-malaria pills.

Fifteen hours on South Africa Airlines landing in Johannesburg and a 2.5 hour bus ride to the Palace of the Lost City in Sun City . But this is the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Merle trip". Now, I thought that THIS place was outrageous, but it got even better.

The initiation of the first of many game drives was a trip to the Sundown Ranch Lion Park where I had the utmost joyous pleasure of holding a three-month old lion cub. I was able to kiss its little nugget head and rub its little belly. Awwww.

Game drives and game reserves. This was the most awe aspiring adventure that I've ever experienced. All of the game drives took place in an open vehicle. Early morning and evening drives... with the use of halogen flood light, but not 200flashed directly into the animals' eyes. Yes, this was the naked jungles of South Africa where lions and tigers are bare, oh my! This first one took us through the sandy roads, but as the drives progressed, the Game Rangers drove on just about any terrain in search of the wild.

No fear. Never. These animals are not fed by humans, go after prey and there are no fences. Animals that I have never seen before…….wildebeest, impala, kudu, bushbuck, warthog, white rhinos, genet. Plenty that I have seen like elephants, leopards, cheetahs, baboons (who looked familiar). I did not experience an actual "kill" taking place, but did see one zebra that apparently met up with a lion.

Another long drive to spend three nights at different private game reserve lodges. The first was called Makweti and owned by a woman who lives in Huntington , Long Island . This was also the beginning of receiving more personal attention. Dinner was outside around a bonfire and native women entertained us in song. It got even better.

We were getting really close to the animals. Sometimes we were just between 10 and 15 feet away. They didn't appear to care. But it seemed that every time I wanted to get a good photo, the animal would turn around and show it's behind. Well, at least the warthogs know how ugly they are and would rather that we take their best side. What went through my mind was the animals thinking, "Photo, shmoto... kish mier in tuchas".

Singita was the last of the private game lodges. Wait.…just let me describe the accommodations. Entrance into the foyer with a refrigerator of gratis refreshments to include wines and liquors. More about that ater. The bedroom had netting over the bed leading into a huge bathroom. Tub equipped with bath salts and candle. A separate shower stall and another shower stall located outside of the room in the open air. I'm not sure but I sensed a hyena laughing at me. The private terrace had its own pool, too. After the night game drive we pulled into an area with lots of hanging lanterns. Outdoor dinner in the wilds! You just had to see the "outhouse" set up. Bamboo, curtains and a "sink" of water and lemons just outside of it. Every time someone walked there, there was an employee to light the way.

Food? I thought that venison was an extreme. Ostrich in all forms. Ostrich eggs are a biggie in regards to decoration. It seems that a bowl of them is considered to be "welcoming". There was smoked kudu... and no, none of it tasted like chicken.

Different game drive of sorts as we drove down the Cape Peninsula . We first went to Boulder Beach to see an amazing colony of African penguins. I could tell that the tourists were all foreigners as they were walking towards the right. Onto Huat Bay for a cruise to Seal Island . On the way down to the Cape of Good Hope , we came across some "families" of baboons sitting along the road, looking as if they were "homeless and hungry" and practically begging. I expected them to have signs reading, "will do people imitations for food.”

A break in the Village action had us staying one night at the Table Bay Hotel, near Table Mountain , accessible by tram. What a view!!! The hotel, located on the waterfront, is connected to one of the biggest Capetown tourist attractions; the mall.

Next was a tour of the wine country. We went to an estate called Merelust and did some wine tasting. Having already experienced the vast flow of wines with dinners, this just added to my personal opinion that South African wines are great.

Having gone out with the gang, four shots of tequila and three beers later ("Oh, come on, Merle, loosen up"), I swore off any form of liquor for the rest of the trip and opted for an herbal tea called Roobios. I did buy a native liquour called Amarula., a cream drink made from the marula fruit tree and rich in vitamin C.

Two airplanes later, we arrive in Livingstone , Zambia to stay at the Royal Livingstone Hotel. My room was on the ground floor and the area had monkeys walking about. There were "Monkey Chasers" on hand to keep them away from the outdoor dining area. They threw stones at the monkeys. They must have to put "without sin" on their resumes.

Took a trip aboard the African Queen... no pun intended... for a sunset cruise... still no pun intended. The next day was spent viewing Victoria Falls . First was a walking tour. On the way back through the paths, young monkeys would just jump out and walk in front of me the way my cats do. Didn't care, but wasn't going to pet them. A second view of the falls was via helicopter. Although the falls is considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World , it appeared a bit dried up and just made me wonder what it would have looked like. Also got a tour of a Zambian village complete with a female witchdoctor.

Last leg of the tour brought us to Johannesburg at the Grace Hotel in the Rosebank area. Another mall and an African craft market. This is where I did most of my shopping. Not too many "chatchkas", as I didn't want to haul too many extras in my luggage or have to go to a "Schlepp-and-Ship" outlet.

This particular trip was organized by David Tours who recently changed their name to David Travel. Since my trip, David said that similar vacations can be requested but may have different accommodations. Check out their website of www.DavidTravel.com.