on endless plains...

We have had wonderful days on the endless plains of the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. As I sit here at my tent in the Mara reflecting on my days spent here, I can't help to feel a oneness with his place. As giraffe and zebra stroll past my view, I feel at home and serene.


The circle of life is so wonderous and is evident everywhere you look. You see birth and young across the land; you see death and vultures too. It takes both to sustain life and life is dear. On departing the Mara, David gave us the following verse:

I love all waste, solitary places

where we taste the pleasure of believing what we see

as timeless as we wish our souls to be.

Mara Private Tented Camp | Sneak Peak Photos



David setting up lunch in the Bush

Delicious food!

Kip with a full bar for lunch

My Mara Tented Camp and a fabulous dining room table.

Two gorgeous views of the Mara River from my tent

Kenya

           We have had three days of amazing lodges, camps, and animals as well as new friends. Solio Lodge with its thriving rhino reserve, having started with 16 black and white rhino and now having over 200, was the first of our stops.



White rhino of Solio

            Enasoit Camp managed by Peter and Karen Grubber was our second stop and is located on its own airstrip one hour by car from Nanyuki. The camp is (heaving) with wildlife, so much so that you sit in the camp and all of the elephant, zebra, giraffe, lions and antelopes come to you. They have a pet cheetah named Aarage whose best friend is Aekwa the Samburu dog.



Aarage and Aekwa

Our new friend at Enasoit Camp

Elephants at the salt pond at Enasoit Camp

           Last there is Sirikoi, the newest of the Lewa Conservancy properties. It has been many years since I last visited the Lewa Conservancy and stayed at Wilderness Trails with Will and Emma Craig. This time I'm hosted by Sue Roberts at her property called Sirikoi. What a treat I had in store in this little oasis in the bush -- the love Willie and Sue have poured into this property is obvious at every turn. The flowers from Sue's garden are everywhere and every meal is a treat. I especially enjoyed watching their animal orphans which include cheetah, giraffe and water buffalo. Here too the rhino and giraffe are thriving. 

Celebrating my birthday at Sirikoi

           These people are passionate about their country of Kenya, its abundant resources, wildlife and cultures. The last few days I've met up with old friends and made new ones, and I have found that I too am very passionate about the people and this land of Kenya.







Warriors

Today we are headed to the Sirikoi Lodge in Lewa Downs with morning and afternoon game drives. Last weekend we spent time in the fabulous Serengeti Mara Tented Camp! 

"Vibrant Warriors"

natural simplicity...



our treehouse in the Baobub tree

washstand



outdoor shower!

tent in the kigelia camp

Kigelia Camp

“If you get the dust of Tanzania on your shoes, you will always want to come back”  

               -our guide Philip states as we begin our morning game drive in Ruaha National Park

It is dry season here so not much water and the baobub tree branches are bare and stand out against the deep blue sky. Although the largest park in Tanzania, you do not see many people…just lots and lots of animals…Masai giraffe, elephants, lion, leopard, hippo and ostrich are all spotted this morning on our game drive. We listen to folk tales of why the wart hogs’ tails go up when they run, and what baboons do to trick the impalas when they birth their young.



Twende the Elephant

Chef James

Barbeque Dinner

We have taken over the Kigelia camp. It is a time of much laughter and celebration. We are all so fortunate to have made it to this place, and the camp staff are our conduit to the magic of Ruaha.

The golden grass savannah dotted with baobub and acacia trees, the barbeque dinner on the sandy river bottom, the men filling the warm water in my outdoor bucket shower, and Amos’s prayer for a blessed day will always come to mind as I remember Kigelia. Then some day when I’m dreaming and Tanzania is so far away...then I will remember the things I did here today.  M



...and away we fly!

When pigs fly it is something special... it is not as much about where they go or how they get there, but what they do when they land.

                       

It is an attitude. A life-altering experience. An overwhelming emotion.

It is a sense of place, sense of self, a sense of peace that only happens in a rare moment...the moment when pigs fly. oink!

Join me as I fly to the other side of the world...

Africa!

Birthday Photo

When PIGS FLY....WHERE do they land? On my birthday cakes!

M

Pictures from Paris

Caroline with one of our favorite guides Antoinette

Piglet Caroline at Notre Dame

Luxembourg Gardens

Piglet statue at Louvre

Saturday Market in Paris

The real statue of liberty in Paris

M

Shopping...Swimming...and More!

by: Caroline Brown

Hi today I went to the louvre and my favorite part was the fortress.On the way home i went shopping and my favorite thing was the perfume and my ballet shoes. Then we came back to the hotel and went swimming. That wasy my day.

at the Louvre with our guide Leo and the Mona Lisa

At the end of a fun day there is nothing better than a swim in the Bristol pool

Caroline

The Piglets Head for the Underground!

Caroline wants to sleep in today and with the forecast calling for rain that suits me just fine.We are planning on using the Underground today and doing most of our activities indoors.We have been told to use the underground outside of rush hour times so we head out for our day around 10:30am.

First stop is Madame Tussauds.We zip right in with our "fast track tickets" but there are A LOT of teenage school groups here. They are all having their pictures made with all the movie, sports, and rock stars. Caroline will only let me take her picture with Tiger Woods. Her Dad is an avid golfer and she feels comfortable being "seen” with him. She moves quickly through the museum and only stops when she gets to the gift shop where she purchases an imitation Oscar and a director's board. I am thinking she now has plans on becoming a movie star!

Back to the Underground to head to the British Museum! We found navigating the system easy with the help of many staff members ready and willing to answer any questions. Here, as in many other areas, it is obvious that they are gearing up for the Olympics which are a mere 400+days away. Musicians play in the tunnels and its fun moving along the paths to the lively beats. I started singing with one of the musicians which of course mortified Caroline.What's one to do with a grandmother that sings in the Underground!?.......why hug her and start singing too! That's what Flying pigs do.

Our last stop today is Kensington Palace and the" Enchanted Palace" exhibit there. It’s a great exhibit for girls of all ages for it highlights 7 Princesses that have lived in the Palace. Diana was the last to live here but the rumors have been confirmed that William and Cate will be moving in sometime this year. Most of the Palace is currently undergoing major renovations in preparation for their moving in and it will truly be a showcase when complete. Leaving here Caroline thought it might also be nice to be a Princess someday, she loved the garden (sounds like I might have a Grace Kelly want to be on my hands!).

We have loved being in the High Street/South Kensington area. The Park is beautiful with lots of activities such as horseback riding, biking, feeding the geese, ducks and squirrels, and visiting the Palace. You have great shopping and Royal Albert Hall nearby, and all means of transportation are at your doorstep.We were very happy here and we will be back. La,la,la,la,la,la.

M

Having a BALL

Good Day Sunshine! Its a beautiful day for touring London. The air is cool with a slight breeze, so perfect walking weather and enjoying the outdoors.

We have a 9:00 am departure with David, our guide. We have had breakfast in our room early to prepare for our day. Caroline received another gift of a London Sights sticker book. It is a wonderful way to identify the major sights and talk about what we have seen and what we are going to see today.

Princess Caroline dining like REAL royalty

Our day will include a ride on the London Eye, a visit to the Tower of London, shopping in Knotting Hill, and a few Harry Potter spots of interest.There is so much history to this great city that you could visit one hundred times and still have more to learn on the next visit!

David is a Blue Badge guide; he is very bright, very engaging and wonderful with Caroline. Don't ever forget while traveling with children how important it is to expose them to their new environment in a way that they can take it all in, absorb it, and engage in the culture and history of the destination. A good guide can facilitate this in ways many adults could never imagine.

I watched David interact fabulously with Caroline. He told her stories, painted verbal pictures, asked her questions, and most importantly-followed her train of thought. He pulled rather than pushed and he kept her engaged. We learned so much and had a BLAST!

having a ball at the Tower of London

Afternoon tea at The Goring was a nice finish to the afternoon. We saw the Royal Suite where Catherine stayed the night before her wedding, and we saw The Goring garden being converted into Basil's Bar and beach. Basil is here from Mustique to give the place the authentic feel! Jeremy Goring is throwing a beach party tonight and we watched Rastah's setting up to play reggae music and rock everyone to the Caribbean beat. The Goring will have their beach club set up all summer long! Afternoon tea had flip flop gingerbread cookies and pina colata pies to celebrate the opening of the beach club. We sipped tea while listening to the band tune up to play some Bob Marley tunes!(Am I next door to Buckingham Palace or in Mustique?!!!)

Tonight we go to Her Majesty theater to see Phantom of the Opera. I first saw this musical 15 years ago on this very stage.I love the London theater scene. The theaters are small and intimate and create the ultimate experience. I wanted to bring Caroline to Phantom so that when we go to Paris she can see the Opera House for which the musical was written.The chandelier will certainly be interesting to compare.

The performance was a 10 on the goose pump scale! Caroline was very moved by it as was I. The Phantom's gut wrenching song "Christine I lovvvvve you" at the end of the performance had everyone in tears and on their feet moments later. I just kept on saying "Caroline didn't you think that was just wonderful?" And she just kept saying "Yes Gogo!"

M

So Much to Do, So Little Time

By: Caroline Brown

Hi this is my blog for today. My day was awesome. We went to the tower of london and saw the crown of jewels. we also took a harry potter tour. We heard lots of stories from our guide. That night we went to phantom of the opera. my day was a blast of fun. Oh one more thing is that i saw alot of other thing but i can't name them. Well that's my day.

GoGo and I at the very top of the London Eye

On the Millenium Bridge-part of the cool Harry Potter tour!

Caroline

Chocolates Galore with Princess Caroline

A new dawn arrives and Caroline is no longer just a cherished piglet.....the moment she crossed the threshold of the Milestone Hotel she became "Princess Caroline" to all that met her. Many saw Kate have her magical day but June 6th is all about Princess Caroline.

Do pigs bounce? Do pigs hop up and down? Who is this young piglet so full of joy she can't keep from smiling?.........Why its Princess Caroline who is loved by all and is loving everyone right back!

Gifts abound from teddy bears to "I LOVE LONDON" bags. Her bathrobe and slippers are just the right size, and her butler has brought her favorite pillows and soft drinks to make her feel right at home.(Actually home was never like this!) La la la la la la la.

Early afternoon we head out for a double decker bus tour of London.It is a very chilly overcast day and we are LOVING it! We left Atlanta where it was 98 degrees in the shade. Oh Happy Day to be cold again! We had thought we would have lunch while out touring, but we never found the right time to stop long enough to eat. Instead we found ourselves ravenous at 4pm while standing at the Harrods chocolate counter.It was an emergency and we had to kill our growling stomachs SOoooo we ate lots of Harrods chocolates. How perfectly decadent and unhealthy and happy we both were.We actually ate some of the Queen's favorites with lavender and rose. My favorite were the white chocolate vanilla truffles......Yummy!

My little princess was fading fast so the hotel did a rush dinner with candles, and piano music, shrimp coctail and sirloin burger......oh and monster steak fries! We had to skip desert since eyelids were getting heavy, but we did manage to have some chocolates in our bed before lights out.What a perfect way to finish a perfect day. Me loving my little Princess Caroline and she loving me right back!

M

Grandpiglet's Birthday Abroad

La la la la la la la la, Oh Happy Day when this Flying Pig can bring one of her precious grandpiglets to Europe for her first time! We are celebrating Caroline's 9th birthday by traveling first to London and then Paris.

Travel is a priceless gift that keeps giving. The memories we shall make on this trip will last a lifetime. The places we see and the people we meet will become a part of who we are and who we will become. How blessed we both are to be making this journey together. There is no greater gift I can give her than our time together.

M

The Piglets Take London by Storm

by: Caroline Brown

Hi today i got to london by plane now let me tell you about my flight. my plane seat was awesome all seats could turn in to a bed and they had a tv on the seat in the front of us. Today when i got to london i went on a double decker bus an i saw alot of famous places. i saw Buckingham palace,big ben,the marble arh,and i saw kingsington palace where the princess and the prince are going to live. That night i ate at a restraunt in the hotel. That was my day. 

Exercise before bedtime on the plane in one of Delta's new flat bed seats

Shower sure feels good after a long flight!

Caroline

Pig and Piglet Venture to London

As my granddaughter, Caroline, and I gear up for our upcoming trip to London, I wanted to introduce her and share a little bit about this little piggie. We are preparing for the 1st City Lights Shopping & Theather Extravaganza!

I treasure this time I get to spend with my family when we travel together without the interruptions of iPhones, iPads, videogames, and neverending sports schedules. I could go on and on about my little firecracker Caroline, but I will let her introduce herself in her own words:

Hi my name is Caroline Allman Brown. I am 9 years old. My brithday is May 18,2002. I have 1 dog,and 2 turtles. I have a mom and a dad and 1 brother.I also have 2 grandmothers and 2 grandfathers.I also have 4 uncles and 2 aunts and i do not know how many cousins I have.My favorite color is blue.I love to play and do basketball,softball,soccor,art and crafts, and swim. I love to watch tv.that is all about me.Oh one more thing i love to hang out with friends.

M

Daily Photos

Tiles from Gorky Ceramics at Hotel Maria Christina

Gorgeous Beach at Maroma

Parrot in Maroma Garden

Mayan Warmen Doormen at Fairmont

Luncheon group at Mandarin

1887 Club Group!



M

Bringing Angels to the Table-One Bite at a Time

Pigs love to eat. Flying pigs love to eat well and are very picky about their food. Today this little piggy found Nirvana in Guanajuato Mexico at the restaurant El Garden de los Milagros (translates Miracle Gardens).

Chef Bricio Dominguez Angular is one of the leading chefs in not only Mexico but the world! He is not a technical chef but an emotional chef. He believes food is not only for the body but for the soul and he prepares each dish with a passion and intensity that rocks your palate to the core.

Mouth Watering Dessert

MORE dessert!



My gorgeous (and delicious) entree

Bricio's cuisine is intuitive and greatly influenced by his personal relationship with his client so he was there beside me to watch my eyes glow and my mouth curve upwards as my first taste of my appetizer hit my taste buds. His joy in my joy and others around the room was magic. He "brought angels to the table" with each and every course. Each dish is a new creation,a molecular explosion, a new combination of ingredients; many locally grown, all fresh and organic.

Troy with Chef Bricio

I want to be like Bricio.I want my joy and passion for travel to be the foundation for all the trips I create.I want to watch and be a part of the experiences I create that change lives and nourish souls. I want to "bring angels to the world".

Thank you Bricio!

M