Season 1
Grannies on Safari is an American television travel series produced by The Art Explorers, Inc. in association with Brave New Pictures in which 60-something best friends Pat Johnson and Regina Fraser embark on expeditions around the world in search of bizarre and exotic attractions.
The series premiered in the USA on public television stations nationwide on Saturday 7 October, 2006. The second season premiered in the USA on Saturday 3 May, 2008. There are four seasons planned, containing 26 half-hour episodes.
Grannies on Safari premiered in South Africa on DStv's Travel Channel on Wednesday 1 October 2008, at 20h00. There are six episodes in the first season.
Repeats
Sundays: 13h30
Episode Synopses
Season 1 Synopsis
Imagine two middle-aged African American women who are best friends, traveling worldwide to destinations that dazzle the eye and intrigue the mind.
They are Pat Johnson and Regina Fraser – the Grannies on Safari.
Pat Johnson is a widely-respected arts administrator who has worked with many internationally recognized cultural institutions and has owned an art gallery. Regina Fraser is an energetic traveler with a natural curiosity about the world and its most creative citizens.
Between them, they have traveled to more than 80 countries over the last three decades.
In this series they offer audiences surprises at every turn in their determination to track down cultural treasures.
Each 30-minute episode takes viewers along on an expedition seeking the interesting, the bizarre, the exotic and the sublime. The Grannies follow winding roads; ride canoes, camels and donkeys; look behind mysterious doors; and visit urban city centres and rural hamlets.
Pat and Regina's interaction with each other and the situations in which they find themselves make every episode an engaging journey.
Destinations include:
South Africa, where in a two-part episode the Grannies visit Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg and meet artists, designers, musicians and everyday people in their homes.
They also go on safari and explore exceptional wild life at Kapama Private Game Preserve, check out the Lesedi Cultural Centre, view ancient cave drawings at Kagga Kamma and ride an elephant at Camp Jabulani.
Morocco, where Pat and Regina experience the magic of the blue city (Fes), the white city (Casablanca), and the pink city (Marrakech); enjoy the beautiful fishing village of Essaouria; and ride camels in the Sahara.
Istanbul, where they view ancient Roman underground cistern ruins; travel back in time to the treasures of Topkapi Palace; and meet with three famous Turkish artists and Bedri Baykam, internationally known visual artist, filmmaker and writer.
Japan, where they spend two colourful nights in Tokyo and Kyoto, visit the mountain village of Kusatsu, at the base of a volcano; and have the ultimate spa experience at the five-star elegant Royokan.
They also tour one of the leading Anime studios and view previews of upcoming video programs. And of course, they make time for a little karaoke in Tokyo.
Korea, where Pat and Regina explore Seoul’s world-class museums and galleries, the internationally renowned World Ceramics Centre, and have an overnight stay at a Buddhist Temple.
They enjoy a traditional Korean feast and dance performance at Korea House, and even dress up as Korean empresses for a stroll in the park. In Busan, they visit the Jagalchi Fish Market to look at fish never seen in North America.
Grannies on Safari is produced by The Art Explorers, Inc. in association with Brave New Pictures, Inc., comprised of director, DP, and videographer Dave Monk and producer, writer and editor Kathy Monk.
Original incidental music for the series is by Allen Phillips, with the theme song composed by trumpeter Orbert Davis.