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We are about done with our 18 hour layover here in Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s a complete flip – flop in time zones so we slept fair at best. I woke up around 4 a.m. and sucked coffee and managed my Fantasy Baseball Teams. Looks like the Chicago Cubs already lost one. Rats! Then I hit the gym here at our hotel and struggled through a work out. It's tough to do anything after a 15 hour flight but I feel better from it. Now its time to head back to the airport and find our flight to Nosy Be, Madagascar. We get off that plane about 7 p.m. Madagascar time. I doubt I'll have email access but you just have to check. The next definite entry will be around the April 9th. Until then, hopefully we will be catching fish and meeting our goals.
Showing posts with label chicago cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicago cubs. Show all posts
One Flight Left
Wow Long Flight. . . Easy on the Ambien
You could say we were a little surprised this morning when we woke to the wheels touching down in Syria. We got on the wrong flight last night! No water. No fishing. And no fun at all! Just kidding. Happy April Fools !!!!!!!Actually we’re in South Africa. We’re more that 3/4th the way to Nose Be, Madagascar. It was exactly 29 hours from Victor, Idaho to Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is the third time Granny and I have passed through here in route to other countries in Africa, but it is the first time we ever had to overnight here.
Only a few years ago we would have sprawled out in a dark corner in the airport. But being this is our anniversary we opted to taxi to the Protea Hotel in Johannesburg. Of course we are exhausted and jetlagged but I insist we head out and check out the town. Who knows when we’ll be in Joberg again? So we are drinking SF beers and watching the Chicago Cubs game on my computer.
Does life get any better???
Going, Going, Gone to Madagascar!
Opening day of baseball is one of my favorite days. My Fantasy teams (all three) are ready to rock. The Cubs are still contenders and life is great. But this opener is more special than ever, Granny and I are on our way to Madagascar to celebrate our 20th anniversary. How did she do it! Yes indeed this is a fishing trip. Is there anything else? We chose Madagascar because from what I saw on web images, there are some of the most exotic looking palm covered beaches I’ve ever seen. Furthermore and most important, I Google Earthed the place and noted that the surrounding waters look to consist of flats, coral reef, channels and plenty of blue water. It looks absolutely incredible for fly fishing! And being that this tropical island is less than 1000 miles from the ever so famous saltwater fly fishing waters of the Seychelles, this could be epic!
If we travel this far, why not just go to the Seychelles? Well, it’s as simple. The Seychelles fishing packages are super expensive and winging it like Granny and I often do, is next to impossible. Madagascar however is cheap and it appears you can wing it. So off we go.
The bad news is however, research on the internet has not been all that promising. Although the blue water fishing for marlin is first class, the inshore fisheries where we can fish on our own may be dismal. The only reports we found (and very few) were that all water you can walk to has been virtually fished out. Not good news for us. However, we aren’t scared. Sometimes places get bad rap from anglers just because they don’t have the “popular game fish” such as bonefish. It can be like; an angler says his fishing stinks near his home because there’s no trout. Yet this very angler has a trophy bass lake a block from his house. Anglers can be pretty stupid sometimes.
We’ll see. I’m not too worried about catching some fish and having a great time. Our goals are feasible. Granny and I both need to see that famous cool-as-heck-rotating-eyed Chameleon. We’d like to see some lemurs. And if we’re lucky some bad-ass snakes. We also need to get some rest. A winter of constant work, shows, travel and a postponed Brazil trip have taken its toll.
Most important to me however, I want to catch five new species on the fly. I’d love one of them to be a milkfish, an Indian Ocean triggerfish or a dogtooth tuna. The other four species can be anything cool from a small colorful grouper to a new trevally species. I'd also like to get some killer photos and come home with another great PowerPoint presentation to take on the road with me next season. That’s about it.
Granny and I said goodbye to the snow at 4 AM this morning. We drove over Teton Pass and flew from Jackson, Wyoming to Salt Lake City and now we are headed to Atlanta. We have a four hour layover and tonight we board the 15 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. We will overnight in Joburg then Saturday fly to Nose Be, Madagascar which is a small island on the North West side of the main island of Madagascar. From there the plan is to catch a boat for a tiny island called Sakatia and there’s a bed and breakfast type place that we will base out of for a week. From there we plan to head to the mainland and take in a National Park. Then to an island of Madagascar’s east side called Isle St. Marie. Whether I have internet access along the way is unknown. However, stay tuned. I will write about every day of the trip and post them when I can. Like other journeys that many of you have followed before, every day will e accounted for even if I have to post some when I get home. The “Currier’s Blog” is back on track!