The flight was 10 hours and 20 minutes and arrived on time in Frankfurt just after 6 a.m. An hour or so before landing we woke up, had some breakfast and just generally got ourselves organized. After landing we deplaned, went thru passport control, got our boarding passes for the flight to Calgary on Lufthansa, back thru security then to the departure lounge to wait out our 3 ½ hour layover.

  
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The Frankfurt to Calgary flight departed on time at 9:45 a.m. and arrived at 11:25 a.m. Actually, the flight took 9 hours and 40 minutes as there's an 8 hour time difference between Germany and Alberta. Regardless, the flight went very well, the meals were good and Lee and I both managed a good six hour sleep.

In Calgary there were no delays at Customs and our luggage all arrived, including our rifle case. Again, we had to produce our permits, but they were signed off by a Customs officer with no issues. From there, we hauled our luggage to the shuttle stop, got aboard the Acclaim Hotel shuttle and were back at our vehicles within ten minutes of leaving the airport.

Our MKX was no worse for wear sitting out in the open for 3 ½ weeks and the price was certainly right for the parking. Luggage stowed, we fired her up and had an uneventful 3 hour drive back to Edmonton.

Epilogue

Harold, Wendy and I each had a bout of African tick bite fever within a week of arriving home. The Nikolaj's figured out the symptoms early and immediately started on a regimen of doxycycline. It took me a few days longer to determine what my illness was, but after talking with my similarly stricken travelling companions I started on doxycycline as well and within a couple of days was in fine form again. Fortunately, Lee was not affected.

Highveld Taxidermy in South Africa has contacted us since our return and they are now in receipt of the trophies from our hunt. By the summer of 2011 we ought to have our mounts shipped to us. In the interim however, Thomas of Highveld will be scoring our animals for SCI and Rowland Ward and we are awaiting that documentation.

Harold and Wendy were perfect travelling companions. Even though the trip went like clockwork for the most part, when something did go awry, everyone just took it in stride and made the best of it. We had lots of laughs, shared lots of very special experiences and best of all had the hunt of a lifetime.

Lee and I would both do a trip like this again in a heartbeat. And as you can see, I have some unfinished business in Africa. So who knows, we just might be working on a return engagement right now.