Alan Feldstein - There Is More To Africa Than Just a Wildlife Safari
Alan Feldstein
When people think about Africa they think about seeing the “Big 5” and all the other wildlife there is to see –
but Africa offers many more adventures.
Whether it is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro,
kayaking off the coast of Tanzania,
scuba diving in Zanzibar or “sand boarding” down the dunes of Namibia there are a lot of adventures
awaiting people who want to do more than just go on a wildlife safari.
Alan Feldstein (member #1094) will share some of his other adventures in Africa and describe for you
other things that you may not have thought of to do and see in Africa.
For over two decades, Alan Feldstein has been a successful entertainment and marketing/advertising attorney in Los Angeles.
In 2000 he made his first trip to Africa and upon seeing a family of giraffe on his first day instantly fell in love with Africa,
its wildlife, its people and its beauty.
In 2005 in celebration of his 50th birthday Alan returned to Africa and summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.
While tracking chimps in the Mahale Mountains, Alan met a kindred spirit, in the manager of the camp where he stayed,
who shared another passion that Alan had - kayaking.
In 2008, Alan and he became the first to kayak off the coast of Tanzania.
After that kayak experience he decided to merge his love for kayaking,
his love of wildlife and his passion for Africa and adventure to create Infinite Safari Adventures,
(http://www.InfiniteSafariAdventures.com),
a wildlife safari and adventure company that offers custom wildlife safari experiences with the
opportunity to add on a variety of adventures including being the only company in Tanzania to offer kayaking.
He loves sharing his passion and getting people to come to Africa to see wildlife,
go on adventures and have experiences that can have a profound effect on their lives.
His company motto and his life’s philosophy is: “Someday Is Now!”
As part of his company’s giving back program, Alan assists in the funding of a college education for Patrick Olepapatiti,
a Maasai warrior to attend college in Nairobi.
Together Alan and Patrick have recently started a project where the women of the village are creating Maasai beaded dog collars.
Proceeds will be used to pay school tuition for the children of the village.
Alan is also active in conservation in Africa and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia.
Alan is a member of the Adventurer’s Club of Los Angeles and is currently the Southern California Chapter Chair of the Explorer’s Club.
He is an avid nature photographer, and has had work appear in the Los Angeles Times, Wavelength Magazine,
California Kayaker and the paddling.net calendar.
Robert Baxt is an international comedian and comedy magician.
He has travelled the world, speaks four languages and gone through 6 passports.
Recently seen on the hit CBS-TV show "How I Met Your Mother" as an actor,
he is also a favorite at the famous "Magic Castle" in Hollywood and travels frequently as the guest performer on international Cruise Ships.
His presentation will be a laugh filled look at the tricks and comedy routines he has picked up around the world
in his travels with highlights from Japan, Saudi Arabia, Korea, and South America.
As a child growing up in Brooklyn, New York;
Robert first became fascinated with magic when he was taken under the tutelage of the owner of Houdini's original magic shop.
His first taste of international adventure came in 1985, when he travelled to Madrid, Spain where he won the Olympics of Magic,
the Federation International Societe du Maqicue's (FISM) competition for comedy magic.
In the years after that Robert travelled the world delighting audiences and now we are delighted to have him delighting us!
Ladies Night -
Marc Weitz - Travels Through the Wild Coast of South America – Jonestown, Devil’s Island, and Kaieteur Falls
Marc Weitz (Click on Image to View Complete Photo)
“Do you speak Spanish?” someone asked Marc when I got back from Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana – wondering how he got by in South America.
“No, but neither did any of the countries I visited.”
The Guyanas are an unusual part of South America, different from any of the other countries on the continent.
Until recently, no road connected the Guyanas to the rest of South America.
They feel like transplanted African colonies.
Guyana is formerly British Guyana – they speak English.
Suriname is formerly Dutch Guyana – they speak Dutch.
French Guiana is, well, French – and still part of France.
The people are former slaves, colonial settlers, indigenous people, as well as Chinese, Indian, and Hmong who arrived as merchants.
Travel is rugged.
The tourist industry is minimal.
Marc will tell us how he visited Jonestown by hitching rides with gold miners called “Pork knockers”
in a modern-day frontier mining area,
may have possibly caused a plane crash,
got soaked on the precipice of Kaieteur Falls,
and snuck into the solitary confinement cells near Devil’s Island.
So bring your Kool Aid, mosquito repellent, Edith Piaf, and homemade shivs to the Adventurers’ Club for a night visiting the Wild Coast.