Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have three weeks left before we head over to Tanzania.

I prefer to make sure that everything is sorted out long before it is required, so there is no last minute hang ups.

Visa's have been obtained, airline permits have been obtained, rifles, ammo, and all sorts of things that make safari life more enjoyable have already been packed.

Sat phone is ready, sat modem is ordered and will be activated a couple of days before our trip.

I planning to give you a live report from the camp, as we have been doing for the past few years.

I have also managed to get our tape deck working, and will post a few more videos for your enjoyment before we leave.

I have spoken to both Roy and Alan. Alan is in Tanzania hunting right now, and will be waiting for us at the camp.

Roy and Rene seem to be just as anxious as we all are to start hunting.

So we have something to look forward too, despite the fact that our long time friend, Nelson, is unable to make it this year.

Due to work, he had to cancel his trip.
He was almost in tears for this to have happened, and we are all just as sad not to have him with us.

A long time friend, who many of you know from AR, will be joining us for the first time.

You will know who it is from my reports.

Walter has already promised to be nice to him!?
That means, as far as we are concerned, the poor man needs all the luck he can muster! All the nasty accident that have ever happened to Walter hapened to him while he is being "nice" to someone"

Now you know why neither Roy, Alan or me ever nice to Walter.

Good luck to you all, Saeed. Maybe next year I will get to be your special guest!!!

Saeed, The taste of Africa that you so generousily donate each year has become like a mental holiday for those whose heart yearns to roam the dark continent once again. To say that the antics which occur adds suspense and body to the tales would be a gross understatment. May this be the best and most personally rewarding safari for you and those in your company.

time will pass quicker if you occupy your mind with ------------ things to do to walter

Saeed,

I have heard all the buffalo have consorted with local witch doctors to put a spell on your party to make time stand still. They're all cowering in fear of your arrival

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:


A long time friend, who many of you know from AR, will be joining us for the first time.

You will know who it is from my reports.

Walter has already promised to be nice to him!?
That means, as far as we are concerned, the poor man needs all the luck he can muster! All the nasty accident that have ever happened to Walter hapened to him while he is being "nice" to someone"

Now you know why neither Roy, Alan or me ever nice to Walter.

Well at least you found something to keep Walter occupied.

Time is standing still, but hunting with your good friends will make the wait worth while. I wish all of you a safe journey and great hunt Saeed!
Cheers,
David

Be safe , Have fun, Good luck, And may you have as much fun on your Safari as I did on mine first Safari this year with Steve

We are all anxious too. Anxious to see what you, Roy and Alan will do to Walter this year!

Saeed;

Have a wonderful safari...

After all your safaris it is really great to hear that you still get as excited (counting the days)about hunting as the rest of us.

Can't wait to hear/read your reports!

Best regards, D. Nelson

quote:

Originally posted by D. Nelson:
Saeed;

Have a wonderful safari...

After all your safaris it is really great to hear that you still get as excited (counting the days)about hunting as the rest of us.

Can't wait to hear/read your reports!

Best regards, D. Nelson

As long as there are buffalos to chase, Saeed will be very happy.
I have to ask him many times to shoot something smaller for me to BBQ. He tells me to shoot it myself. I cannot do that when him, Roy and Alan are chasing buffalo.
One time he told me to BBQ a buffalo and he meant it too.

I wish you all the best on your safari!

And I can't wait for your reports!
Be nice, Walter...

Waidmannsheil! Can't wait for the report and pictures.

Good hunting!

Best of luck and safe traveling! Thanks for sharing your adventures in semi-real time with all of us. For many of us, it is a highlight of 'our' hunting year.

As for Walter, just wait until he finds out what Rene has in store for him.....

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Best of luck and safe traveling! Thanks for sharing your adventures in semi-real time with all of us. For many of us, it is a highlight of 'our' hunting year.

As for Walter, just wait until he finds out what Rene has in store for him.....

I don't believe a word of it
Rene is normally Walter's best friend at the camp. She is the one telling us all off anytime we plan something exciting for Walter!

In fact, she supported him so much that a plan was hatched that we should tie both of them with half a buffalo outside the camp for the hyenas.

Trouble was Roy got cold feet and stopped us.

Walter then put his foot in it by saying Roy stopped us because "he can put up with hyena he knows rather than try to find a new hyena"!

We ran away from camp to go hunting and left Walter and Rene to sort themselves out!

I KNOW you'll all have a good hunt, so all I'll say is safari njema!

Last year, I had some black salt that looked like black powder.

We tried a trick on our trackers, drivers and game scouts, and they swallowed it line, hook and sinker!

We told them that I make my own ammo, with my own bullets, and my own powder.
Using quite a lot of saltpeter.

We removed a bullet, took the powder out, and replaced it with this salt, and put the bullet back in the case.

Next day, we had boiled eggs, which I cut into slices, took the bullet out of my ammo, and sprinkled the gunpowder on the egg and ate it.

I did the same with teh other slices of eggs, and gave it to the rest of our trackers, driver and game scout.

The driver, who smoked, was told not to smoke for at least two hours, otherwise he might blow up.

Apparentluy he refused to smoke for the rest of the day.
Just to make sure he did not blow up.

Above you see what we are preparing for this year.

Run Buffalo Run.

Saeed
Have you started dreaming of the buffalo your going to get this yr. yet?

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
Saeed
Have you started dreaming of the buffalo your going to get this yr. yet?

Funny you mention that.

May be you have the same disease as I do.

A couple of months or so before our hunt, I do get the strangest dreams about hunting buffalo.

I have had dreams of us hunting them in the middle of a city, on the beach, on the golf course, and even in a bloody shopping mall car park!

I don't dream of any particular buffalo - just any buffalo will do as long as I have a riflke in my hands.

yes I do have that same disease!
But mine is a little different not only do I dream of hunting I dream of living in Africa. I think about it all the time. But so far no employment opportunity have come my way I relive every minute of my first Safari with Steve all the time people think I'm crazy when I start laughing for no reason. Thinking of something one of use did or said while we where hunting.

Best of luck Saeed! I am sure you guys (and gals) will have another great time! Too bad that Nelson can't make it this year...I know the trip means an aweful lot to him.

Which areas will you be hunting this year?

Chris,

I wish you wouldn't ask silly questions!

All I want is an area that has lots of buffalo.
Anything to keep Walter in the camp while we are out enjoying ourselves!

I think we are starting with the Moyowosi.
Then Alan can decide wherever he wants to take us.

Saeed when there is 3 days left, remember this saying for Walter:

quote:

Poor planning on your part does not make it an emergency on mine!

Roy had always complained about any light coloured clothes any of us wear.

So for the past couple of years, my daughter had the job of preparing my hat to me invisible.

This is her work for this year.

The best part was I had to wear it while she was doing all the painting on it!

Boiled Eggs and Edible Gunpowder was probably my favorite part of last years video, looking forward to what you do this year.
Good Luck in both Hunting and the Walterism's.

I know the feeling. it will pass. Eventually

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Chris,

I wish you wouldn't ask silly questions!

All I want is an area that has lots of buffalo.
Anything to keep Walter in the camp while we are out enjoying ourselves!

I think we are starting with the Moyowosi.
Then Alan can decide wherever he wants to take us.

LOL. I know, I know...its just details. I know Alan will make sure there are lots of buffalo!

Hope you guys have a fantastic hunt!

ps: Hessa did an excellent job on your hat!

Saeed, how many more years until the children are old enough to take hunting with you?

I remember the first time I hunted with Roy, and Alan was about 10 or so, and Diana only around 5 or 6 years old. Of course, they lived there anyway, but they were quite good around cmap.

Honestly, Saeed, your daughter's work on that cap is a huge improvement over the standard model!

Look out Realtree and Mossy Oak!

Saeed,
Give all my best to the group..I visited shortly with Allen at Reno SCI a year before last at the TGT booth..Who is going this year?

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
time will pass quicker if you occupy your mind with ------------ things to do to walter

We have a smooth fox terrier called Dogmatix.

She and Walter have something in common.

They never stop feeding!

She is best friends with him - until this afternnon.

Walter got himself a FART MACHINE!

And he put batteries in it, and was trying how it sounds.

Dogmatix did not like the sound, and started biting the machine. Walter was tryiung to get the machine from the dog, and the dog is angrily biting it.

Eventually he managed to get the machine off the dog, with a few bite marks on it, but still working.

So his friends in Africa will not be disappointed about his fart-on-demand routine!

I had a good time with one of those machines in Uganda after everyone figured out is was not just Steve's normal after dinner noised that is

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
time will pass quicker if you occupy your mind with ------------ things to do to walter

We have a smooth fox terrier called Dogmatix.

She and Walter have something in common.

They never stop feeding!

She is best friends with him - until this afternnon.

Walter got himself a FART MACHINE!

And he put batteries in it, and was trying how it sounds.

Dogmatix did not like the sound, and started biting the machine. Walter was tryiung to get the machine from the dog, and the dog is angrily biting it.

Eventually he managed to get the machine off the dog, with a few bite marks on it, but still working.

So his friends in Africa will not be disappointed about his fart-on-demand routine!

lol. The fart machine is definitely a "must-have".

How many more days? It must be getting close!

A week today we are flying to Dar.

By that time our friends from other parts of the world should be there too.

Everything is set, even Walter has his visa ready. He was told sometime that he could get a visa at Dar airport. And every year he insists that is the best way to do it.

I keep telling him we need to get through the airport as quickly as possible, because we have another flight to make before night fall.

He says "We could spend a nice quiet night in Dar, and then fly the next morning"

"That is what you will be doing if you do not get your visa in order. In fact, you might have to spend the whole 3 weeks in Dar until we are finished from our hunt!"

"You would not leave me there for 3 weeks!"
"Try it and see!"

"NO! Knowing you, you will spend all these 3 weeks laughing like a hyaena while I am getting upset in Dar! I will get my visa and not give you ANY excuse to leave me behind"

"Suit yourself. I thought you keep telling me you don't enjoy having me in the camp anyway"

"I don't! But, you are one of those evils one has to live with! I am going STRAIGHT to heaven when I die. You made me suffer enough in this life"

"I will have a word with Roy, I will ask him to make sure you suffer even more"

"You don't have to tell that old man anything. He is nasty by nature, just like you."

I have to share the flight with just Walter from here next week. I dread what he might come up with.

A few years back he took that sugar substitute powder they give you for tea or coffee. He open one and put it on his plate. He then arranged it in a line like those who sniff cocain! He then proceeded to pretend to sniff it with a drinking straw!

The pursor saw this and told him "People get thrown in jail for doing this!"
"Why? This is MY chair! I PAID for it so I can do whatever I wish during the flight"

On another flight Horst was with us, and he was sitting behind Walter. Walter forgot that.

Half way through the flight, I saw Walter creeping onto another passenger in front of us, who had grey hair and half bold, just like Horst. Walter was just about to clout him on the head to wake him up!

I managed to stop him just in time!

"That is NOT Horst! Horst is behind you, you nitwit!"

"Oh shit! Just imagine me hitting that man on the head! Who is he?"

"I have no idea. Just sit down and be quiet!"
"I will go and appologize to that man in front"
"What for? Just sit and stay out of trouble will you?"

"I will but first I will go appologize to that man. Just imagine me hitting him on the head. I will get him a drink, I think he will enjoy that"

While this was going on, his passport fell out of his bag because he left the zipper open. I managed to take the passport without him knowing.

"Your bag is open, see if anything has fallen out"

He looked and discovered his passport missing.

All hell broke loose! He almost took the plane seat apart looking for his passport.

He then got his carry on bag from the over head locker and emptied it. Partly on his seat and partly on the corridor!

He was swearing, sweating and working himself into a good lather. Which is a very good sign. He normally calms down enough after this sort of thing to last the rest of teh flight.

After I saw that he was REALLY upset, I gave him his passport!

He looked at me. I think I could read what was going through his head at that time "I wish I can open the plane door and throw him OUT!"

He did not say a word, until were in our charter flight to camp.

And what did he do?

He had his Swiss Army knife, and was telling the pilot he better hurry or he will hijack teh plane!

"21 days left, and time is starting to stand still!"

Saeed,
It sort of sounds like you are almost obsessed with African Safaris as much as me.
Ahh, maybe not that bad.

sounds to me like you both are a bit crazy I like that in a person. I really liked having the nice lady in Uganda bring Steve a nice glass of yogurt

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
He was swearing, sweating and working himself into a good lather. Which is a very good sign. He normally calms down enough after this sort of thing to last the rest of teh flight.

I had no idea that there was a method to this.