It is starting to sound like and old Bob Hope Movie or more correctly a Three Stooges Movie !!!

Anyhow, to cut a long old story short, I had a brief review with my brother and if anyone wanted to make a goer of the plan we could proberbly come in close to the following scenario ...

4-6 OLD B..tards / no offence in the lingo please [ age 58 + is acceptable / must all be compatable ] with or without pacemakers is OK

There will/may be a JURY selection process, under the auspices of a JUDGE whom will remain nameless of cource ... Quite please, the court is in session

12-DAY PACKAGE ( $2750 - per old timer ) inclusive of arrive & depart days + species + dip pack ship.

International return airfares to Jo-burg/Pietersburg your care cost

WE can loan suitable rifles to hunt so there is no stress to get permits and all that bullshit red tape.

4 x hunt - 4 x travel - 4 x safari - transpose a day either way if required - we can roll with the punches !!

WE would require a $1,000 / DEPOSIT per guest to secure a booking . ONE t/t payment covering all guests

The only OTHER (add on extra costs) would be for (off the ranch) ventures such as and including elephant rides / balloon rides / visits to other as chosen, AND all drinks in BARS or other watering holes on route outside of our ranches. Each guest can pay individully for these ventures as/if chosen and as required for his drinks in the BARS on route.

WE will/can exchange US dollars into ZAR rands at our [Transform Electrical ] business shop in Louis Trichardt town as required. No damn hassles to go into Banks and piss around standing in any line ups with undesirables.

PRICE INCLUDES:

All accommodation food drinks ( beer, local wines, soft drinks ) and associted PH Guide and other camp staff services at our two ranches and also (two overnights) outside of our ranches at Kruger possibly, and Pilgrims rest. It will be determined on how many BARS the vehicle has to stop at to refuel with HIGH OCTANE as to where we might sleep. It could be on the side of the road next to the local WHITE LION breeding area (-:

Suggestion:

Bring a couple of bottles each of DUTY FREE methnol or other speciality drinks/spirits as required which can be obtained at Jo-burg airport ..

Suggestion:

To arrive fresh maybe FIRST overnight upon arrival in Jo-burg @ Afton Guest House before flying the next day to Pietersburg where we meet greet and proceed to party up
Pleeeeease, no rude comments or highjacking this thread like I am known to do from time to time

Old Timers

I have just being looking around at some (off ranch) ventures which might complement the SAFARI ...

These two stand out as MUST DO"s within the proposed trip ...

1) ELEPHANT RIDES:

Allow around $100-$120 max per person / minimum of 2 .... That will cover the excursion which is a few hours duration and you can swim with the elephants as well at the dam

2) BALLOON FLIGHTS:

They fly from a location close to the Kruger Park, along the scenic Sabie River valley.

Flights take place in the early morning (at sunrise – so have an early night!). We start with Tea & Coffee while the balloon is set up and then launch for the flight which will last about an hour. When we land, you can enjoy Cape sparkling wine and orange juice before being transported to a nearby Country Lodge for breakfast.

The whole trip lasts approximately 3 ½ to 4 hours and the price is about $350 per person.

Although we do fly all year round, the weather tends to bit a bit more stable during the winter months. (We are totally reliant on the wind as we have no means of steering the balloon).

Depending on the weights of the passengers, we can fly a maximum of 6 - 8 people at a time. There is a minimum requirement of 4 people; however, we will try to fill flights with other passengers.

More to follow as I look around for other ideas

Peter:

I dang well want to do it. I need folks to listen to my hokey stories. My two girls run like hell when I begin... "When I was in Africa...". Having a captive audience in a car would be heaven...

Just one thing, though. I'd rather spend a little more time on the hunting and kind of feel that others would feel the same. And... I'd really like to take a good bushbuck or nyala. Would this have to be this year.. I'd have more time to plan, round up money, etc., if it was... say... May of 2006.

JUDGEG

WE are {100% family operation} as you already know from digging into our case study so to speak ...

Therefore WE are TOTALLY flexable and would hunt for more days as/if required. I only wanted to float GENERAL IDEAS ... of cource the way we would set it up is some can hunt more than others or all can hunt a lot or some can be down right (piss heads) and spend time sulking in the BAR for long periods and reading hunting books, or whatever ...

Whomever voulentered to be or was seconded as RINGMASTER would be basically running the show [WE BALLA-BALLA SAFARIS ] essentially are the venue for the planned ADVENTURE and we would provide the PH/Guide skinner tracker camp staff personal as required, just like a proper full blow hunt except we have OLD TIMERS and not edgy whipper snappers to contend with ...

I dont see in theory as to why it cant be next year ..... BUT even if we had a TRIAL RUN by some OLD PIONEERS this year, maybe it would become a regular event ...

WE can still see if there is interest [from others for 2005] and then it can be a test case for 2006 !!!

PS: Judge, BTW how old are the two girls/daughters whom you brain wash with AFRICA fables!!!

Fairy tale starts: "Once upon a time...."
War story starts: "This ain't no shit..."
Hunting story starts: "There I was in Africa..."

JudgeG & Ray

If you guys are able to come to the party and be a RINGMASTER we will offer the GROUP a small bonus as well ...

After arrival and {whilst having a few cold ones} around the camp fire on the first night we will arrange a NAMES in the HAT draw and TWO ONLY lucky punters will get the OPTION to take a FREE Wildebeest & FREE Zebra species between them, they can then argue whom wants which specie.

This is a 2005 season offer as we dont want to get too far ahead of ourselves at this point in time and break the bank (-:

Peter

This sounds very interesting. Either this yr or next.

I don't know if I am old enough to qualify, as I am only 63 and don't consider myself old just yet, but I agree that it sounds interesting. Unfortunately, I can't go this year. I have an African hunt booked for May and a goat hunt in BC in September. W 1 F E unit might become a bit testy if I did anything else. Why do you guys come up with these things on such short notice? Plan one for 2007 and I can do it.

patrkyhntr

Up to this point in time all we are doing is flying a kite to see what interest there might be for such an ADVENTURE type SAFARI/HUNT

No problem with your age / you qualify ...

Seeing there is (some interest) what we SHOULD do to keep it simple and tidy and on track is as follows.

a) The KEY to SUCCESS will be to FIRST get ONE/TWO [ RAY & JUDGEG for example ] top candidates to be available as team leaders ...

b) SECONDLY the bona fide organiser at the (home base) would liase as required with interested OLD TIMERS to ensure we get a COMPATABLE group together period ...

c) Once a team leader / or two are in place then I believe we can PUSH the go BUTTON and take pre-booking on a first in first served basis as follows:

4-6 people maximum inclusive of the team leaders

Seeing we have not actually done this type of scenario before I believe we dont want to get ahead of ourselves and book too far in advance, we really should start with a 2005 SAFARI as the opener, and once that was BOOKED up then we can take 2006 booking interest !!!

Any other ideas welcome if you guys believe I have it all wrong in my approach

Is May a set time or could it be done in our fall i e Sept Oct.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
Is May a set time or could it be done in our fall i e Sept Oct.

---

There is no set time period ...

Our two private game fenced ranches are 100% owner operated and therefore we are (exempt all permits) and can HUNT ALL YEAR ....

Our [main season] tends to be around [ May through September ] as those particular months are essentially winter time and totally rain free ... BUT we can hunt October / November time as well although it can be very hot and with the possibility of thunder showeres occuring ...

Our first hunt this year is in fact booked for late March.

Peter

Hey, next year I'll be 58 also! Maybe there would be an exception made for me if I brought my hunting buddy who will be 64?
Max

Balla Balla,
It is a pity that us edgy whipper snappers have been excluded I am sure there would be lots to learn from the old "B's"

It seems a shame that none of this cumulative experience is being shared with a youngster like me (age 52) so I nominate myself as being the torch bearer for the next generation. Besides, somebody will have to get off his seat from time to time to get ice cubes.

Zambian & Wink

Life was meant to be easy, now you guys hammer me and throw a spanner in the works ...

I guess I did say we are open to SUGGESTIONS so maybe we can look at some (slight adjustments) and variations to a theme ...

I just dont want the opportunity to become a free for all whereby everyong jumps in on what is a (very cost effective opportunity) and make their prime aim to hunt as many animals as possible, and not to experience a combination fun [safari + ventures + hunting] ... Of cource we dont want to restrict hunting BUT we must be mindful of the fun nature of the other proposed ventures to be included ..

IN SUMMARY THEN:

Maybe we can sqeese in (one younger wipper snapper) whom will help out as barman, chief bottle washer and cork remover, and general deck hand to the OLD TIMERS .....

zambian: your point is noted ... it has merit I believe, also see my apology below to Wink which applies

Wink : First i must apologise to you & zambian personally as from the thrust of my threads the opportunity seemed to be tailoured towards USA guests only as I keep mentioning our [ EXTINGUISHED GUESTS] RAY & JUDGEG etc.

I should have emphasized that of cource being multinational on AR and at Balla-Balla Safaris we certainly DO WELCOME anyone whom is compatible to be on the safari adventure. BUT logistics is crucial if people are coming from differnt parts of the world and we want to make it as smooth as possble.

Of cource we could (even get groups) from a particular country (outside the USA) together as required ....

WE essentially are open to ALL ideas BUT MUST have a [PRIME ORGANISER] in each particular location/country from where a group might originate from, to make it happen, and also the main ORGANISER must also speak English as we are not multilingual ourselves.

The vast number of AR participints seem to be USA domiclied, not like me downunder here in the South Pacific and others from various countries around the world.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Balla Balla:
Zambian & Wink

Life was meant to be easy, now you guys hammer me and throw a spanner in the works ...


HEEHEE Balla Balla,
Did not mean to throw spanners in your easy life I was merely suggesting as there are a lot of young hunters that would love to learn from the seniors.
Unfortunately my view might be very biased as growing up I did not have a mentor as such to teach me hunting. I learnt hunting out of neccesity, I was running an amethyst mine in Mumbwa slightly up north from your ranch and had 60 mouths to feed, the road to supplies was hell so it was easier to hunt and keep the guys fed.
I then found out that I actually did really enjoy hunting that is when I took it up as a hobby. Hence the sometimes silly queries from me on the forums
I think its a brilliant plan you have Just make sure you give us a detailed report.
Regards

What is happening on this project? Lets not let it die. This is just too good for it not to happen.

I am only 56, but with no pacemaker. I have had ACL's done on the knees due to a life time of riding horses and racing motorcycles. Do the above injuries count for any additional years

I am hoping that a bunch of you get this thing off the ground and that it becomes an annual event. Unfortunately, my budget and schedule won't stand for it this year. Next year or the following is a whole nother story. My wife would get highly incensed about my going without her, but I fully understand your thoughts. This should be a "guy thing."

If it doesn't get off the ground for this year, please consider it for next summer. At the age of 63, I still have a lot to learn, and would thoroughly enjoy doing so at the feet of some of the masters whose posts I have read on these boards.

Balla Balla:

Let's just drop the age requirement and make the determining factors as follows:

1. Your prostrate must be enlarged 20%, or
2. Your heart was broken when Vioxx was taken off the market, or
3. You owe over 50K on your grandchildren's college tuition because the guy your daughter shacked up with hauled ass, or
4. You've already gotten a Harley, cowboy boots, a girlfriend 20 years younger than you, or
5. Alimony payments each year would pay for a 21 day safari in Botswana, or
6. You really listened to Bob Dole when he advertised Viagra, or
7. You remember Edmund Musky crying about his wife, or
8. Winky Dink and You was your favorite T.V. program, or
9. You've ever heard an operator say, "Number, please" and when you gave the 3 or 4 digit number, the operator recognized your voice asked why you weren't school, or
10. You remember the name of that lighted "tube" that surrounded a Sylvania t.v., or
8. You saw the Everly Brothers perform on Ed Sullivan in their Marine dress blues and went out and bought a 45 r.p.m. of "Wake Up, Little Susie", or
9. You delivered your local newspaper on a bicycle
10. You got drafted, or "dodged" the draft by joining up, or
11. You got a Lone Ranger costume for Christmas, or
12. You once believed anything that Eward R. Morrow said, or
13. You bought a mail order rifle, or
14. You saw Jimmy Demerrit play golf in bright green pants (and also know what type a doctor he was), or
15. You cried when the Dogers went to L.A., or
16. You know what L.S.M.F.T means (and extra if you remember the Loose Straps Means Flopping Titties, joke), or
17. You used to watch the Gary Moore Show when you got home from school and saw him introduce Carol Burnett for the first time, or
18. Your house had only one window a/c unit in the den and everybody used to gather therein to watch Gunsmoke and Paladin (in black and white, of course), or
19. You were in highschool before you ever saw a taco (this is for folks west of the Mississippi), or
20. You were over 20 years-old when you saw your first marijuana cigarette, or
21. You remember when Truman relieved the American Shogun, or
22. On a family road trip, you slept in that little shelf between the back window and the back seat, or
23. You went fishing with a veteran of WWI, or
24. Your first sexual experience was in the backseat of a 55 Chevy, or
24. Your mother sent you to the store with a quarter for a pack of Camels, or
25. You bought a pre-64 Winchester, new in pre-64, or
26. You were over 15 when you saw your first Japanese car, or
27. You finished high school before you saw a refrigerator with a separate freezer compartment and your mother called the whole thing an icebox, anyway, or
28. Your father voted against Windell Wilkey, or
29. You didn't go to the picture show in the summertime because of polio scares, or
30. You played highschool football without a face guard, or
31, Your dad proudly brought home a new Edsel

and finally

and finally,

32. You really, really wanted to be a Mouseketeer so you could have a chance to bang Annette

Any other qualications...

Judge

You forgot about the Little Rascals and the shock that the Isley Bros. weren't black. How about when Elvis was blacked below the waist when he was on Ed Sullivan's show. Etc., Etc...

You mean the "Righteous Brothers"... The Isley's were black as could be. I went to a High School dance in 1961 or 1962 when they sang "Twist and Shout", albeit before the youngest of the group was with them.

or,

You had a high school diploma before you had a McDonald's hamburger.. and it only cost $.15 or just .a total of $.45 if you included a shake and fries.

What the heck was the name of the "glow" thing on the t.v.?

or,

You were pretty grown when Eddie left Tammy for Liz, or

You remember when Jane Fonda was just a nitwit, and not a communist nitwit, or

Your dad built a bomb shelter, or

When you saw your first fiberglass boat, you were old enough to run the damn thing, or

Your first thought about the Texas Tower shootings was that the Marine Corps sure did teach marksmanship, or

You had a job where you operated a hand-crank adding machine, or

You still say "Photstat" instead of Xerox when you make a copy, or

come on fellows!

I stand corrected, it was the Righteous Bros. I believe you're referring to the TV tube?

or... you cut off the top half of your first cars steering wheel so it would look like an airplane steering wheel...

475Guy:

Nope, not the tube...
Sylvania had a white "border" that was lit around the picture tube that supposedly "rested" you eyes. I just can't remember what it was called.

I guess you ought to be able to come if you ever tried to get a 16 year-old sweetie's girdle off in back of a the family Hudson or made your five qualifing jumps in a C-47 or flew an F-9 or F-11 or H-34 (or even know what one was)... We'll let the Air Force guys qualify with a ride in an F-80, 84, 86 or 89!. You army and Marine grunts can qualify if you never touched an AR-16 (or mouse gun derivative) while on active duty.. or picked up an M-14 and used it when you had a chance.. Navy guys if you served on a 27-Charlie carrier or a conventional sub.. Heck, anyone with the little yellow, red and green ribbon qualifies, or,

Watched Eddie LaBaron with the Red Skins, or

Remember Mickey Mantle replacing Joltin' Joe, or

Visited Alaska and Hawaii when they were territories, or

Really, really wanted to bang Annette.

And who knows the name of the river between Subic and Olongapo? ... You get to go!

How 'bout a Saturday morning line up including Flash Gordon and Sky King. Flash was sponsored by Ovaltine and Sky flew a Cessna 310B. Anybody ever ridden a Cushman Eagle? I scored a 20 of the Judge's first list. If that qualifies, I'm in. Bob

JudgeG & others of feeble/aged mind (-:

Holy Smoke Judge, that list is very impressive and very well thought.

When you guys (all come out of your coma) maybe we can start to talking turkey ...

NEXT thing someone will suggest OLD HUNTERS with (nice young women) as chaperoanes or something sexist and outragious like that ...

Maybe we call it a (piggy back safari) some stinking rich [FEMALE WOMAN] whom would like an AFRICA EXPERIENCE might sponsor the whole group of us OLD BUGGERS from her hard fought inherantance and we ALL piggy back on her kind benevalance !! Maybe she will sponser me out from NZ as well just to be there and see the fun & games

WE are still open to other GOOD suggestions

How about me make it AGE 55+ /// and then we can have within that group maybe one young whipper snapper as Zambian says to go for the experience from the OLDIES and then the rich woman to get her Africa experience and be MOTHER HEN to the group

Peter

Was the Sylvania thingy called "halo vision?"

Judge, I don't remember the name of the river, but I did spend a lot of liberties in Olongapo and never got drunk enough to eat a Blook (sp).

quote:

Iwent to a High School dance in 1961 or 1962 when they sang "Twist and Shout"....

I was born in 1962 and recently thought I was "old". Thanks Ernest, I feel like a whipper-snapper now!

A few more memories.
Bill Haley and the Comets-Rock Around the Clock.
Seeing my father use ration stamps to get gasoline.
Cigarettes rolled up in tee shirt sleve.
Pflueger Pelican spinning reel.
Seeing Ted Williams hit a home run in Sheib Park, Phila.
The Phillies losing four straight in the 1950 series.
Jack Benny was always 39 years old on the radio show.
Johnny Dollar and his expense account.
Radios, by the way, stood four feet high, were round on top, and had a yellow glow when turned on.
Only AM stations.
Clothes for Christmas presents.

And how about Roy and Dale, & Gabby and Nellie Belle?

So when do the aliens arrive to take all these old codgers away?

Remember this?? Every Wednesday at noon---Your radio programs would end for 60 seconds and all you would hear is this tone. "This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. Had it been an actual alert, you would have been advised to tune to 640 or 1240 on your AM dial for further instructions". Went along with the NIKE-AJAX missles on Miami Beach pointed in the general direction of Havana.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Balla Balla:

Let's just drop the age requirement and make the determining factors as follows:

8. Winky Dink and You was your favorite T.V. program, or
10. You remember the name of that lighted "tube" that surrounded a Sylvania t.v., or
.

Hell I was 15 yrs old when I saw my first TV! I guess that qualifies me!

Our you sat and watched the little dot disappear on the TV so you wouldn't have to go to bed quite so soon.

You did not believe that cap locks would ever catch on and replace fire locks (flinters)

Ray you remember, right.

Hog Killer

OR you ever lived in a house where a "trip to the toilet" was just that

OR your favorite show was on the radio

OR you were old enough to do long division when you first saw TV.

OR you remember going to the neighbor's house one Sunday night to see the first color broadcast (of Disney's Wonderful World of Color)

OR you remember seeing your first air conditioned car (remember those clear tubes in the back? Man that was high tech!)

Dug this up, what ever happened to this project, Hell it is only 4+rs old. It still sounds like a good idea.

Another qualification:
It happened to me yesterday, alas!

You get a senior discount without asking.

I think Balla Balla's family sold their RSA concession???