After getting fully infected with the travel
bug, I set the lofty goal of seeing six of the seven continents before my 25th
birthday… I was leaving Antarctica for my 40th birthday. By my twenty fourth birthday, I had only
Africa left on my list. And realizing
that going to Africa was probably out of the budget (both monetary and
time-wise) for most friends my age, I made the best decision ever and asked my
mom if she wanted to join me! We signed
up for a three week tour of South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia, got all of our
necessary shots and were on our way.
Just a quick 30+ hour flight later and we
officially landed in Cape Town, South Africa, more than a little jet-lagged and
fully experiencing the “oh fuck” factor of being in a completely different and
new place. And it was on our first night
in town, as my mom tried to call my dad from the hotel room, that I was
informed that this trip would be the longest amount of time she had ever been
away from my dad since they started dating in high school. This statement clearly stuck with me
throughout the rest of the trip and might have been why there were more than a
few occasions where I thought to myself… “Dad is going to kill me if mom dies”.
Come to find out, in Africa, there are more
than a few ways to experience that fear… The first time was on the river cruise
in hippo infested waters (they are the most deadly animals in Africa) and the
second time was crossing into Zimbabwe to see the other side of Victoria Falls (it
was and still is on the no travel list and we had to pass at least 16 heavily
armed officials in army gear to reach our destination.) And it definitely crossed my mind at least a
dozen other times including the river cruise where a puff adder tried to swim
on board, walking through a grassy knoll on the edge of a forest where I was
positive lions lived and even walking past the leopards cage while wine tasting
in Stellenbosch.
Other than the irrational fear of my mom dying
(and me somehow not) the trip was an incredible experience. The countries visited were beautiful and the
landscapes changed drastically each day.
In addition, it opened my eyes to things outside of my comfort zone. I still vividly remember leaving a small
village in tears after taking a picture of a family (at their request) only to
have the father demand money from me for said picture. I was dumbfounded on how to react and
saddened that I accidentally committed a travelling snafu.
Other highlights of the trip included:
|
Cape Town on the First Day |
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Checking out the penguins... the "raccoons" of South Africa |
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The views from Table Mountain |
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Wine Tasting in Stellenbosch |
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If given the chance, you have to ride an ostrich |
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Oysters in Knysna |
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Saying goodbye in Swaziland |
|
Off on safari in Kruger National Park |
|
River cruise... in hippo infested waters |
|
Victoria Falls from Zambia |
|
Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe |
We flew home after the three weeks feeling a little more aware,
a little more in awe and a little more humbled by the experience. My dad picked
us up at the airport and it turns out he too had undergone a life changing experience
in our absence, albeit a more physical change…he shaved off his mustache, one
that he had had since I was born.
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