Lessons Learned

1. Smog checks are a good thing. It is such a pain in the butt every other year when you have to go get your car smog-checked in order to renew your registration. Thank God we do, though! Being in a place like Bangkok was gross. I swear, the sun would be out every day if it weren’t for the giant layer of smog over the entire city. The cloud, along with the smell, along with the exhaust you see spewing out of the vehicles on the road, make you appreciate the clean air we have in the US.

2. Expect the unexpected. I would say we were very prepared. I was so nervous about getting sick while we were away. We got our immunizations. We got antibiotics (a different one for each continent) for traveler’s diarrhea. We got anti-malaria medication (a different one for me because it makes you sensitive in the sun). I brought Advil. I brought sunscreen. I brought cold and sinus medicine. What did I wake up with on day six of the trip? Pink eye. Nice. I contracted it from this tailor that was hanging out near our guest house. No worries, though. Matt took me to a Muslim hospital (on Ramadan, no less), and they took very good care of me. I was in and out of the ER, with four antibiotics in-hand, for less than $40. Much more efficient than the healthcare system in the US, as far as I’m concerned. I was not prepared for pink eye. I hadn’t even brought my glasses, so I walked around blind for about a week until I could put my contacts back in.

3. We are fortunate. I’ve touched on it briefly in the blog, but it is really humbling to see the way people live with so little. Our bushman guide, Christian, lives in a wooden hut that is smaller in area than our couch, with his wife and two kids. And he has a good job. The tailor who gave me pink eye obviously had a way worse case than me, that had been manifesting for weeks, I would guess. I won’t go into the gory details, but I’ll just say that it was pretty obvious. It was very disconcerting to think that this man could not afford the $40 to get himself proper medical treatment.

4. You CAN travel with kids. We were so eager to do certain things, like a safari and other “adventurous” types of traveling before starting a family. But, seeing Hans and Nomi with their two daughters, Simone and Ristele, made us realize that, like most things, you can do anything you really make an effort to do. Everyone creates their own lives and, finances permitting, affects their family's and children’s perspectives and tolerances. Maybe things are done on a different scale, in a different place, with different accommodations, but you can do what you set out to do. Hearing all the countries that Simone and Ristele have visited left us awestruck. But, you can tell by their ability to go with the flow that they are used to seeing all different things and living in all different conditions.

5. Go with your gut. There were so many times in hindsight that we said, “We KNEW it.” I just knew that I didn’t have the name of Ko Mak wrong when we were scheduling our tour with Tony. Even with the language barrier, I had done too much research to be that off. When Yasser was driving us to HIS felucca boat, we just knew it was too far from the Nile to be what we were looking for. We weren’t locals, but we had our bearings pretty straight by that point in Cairo. Trust your instincts and question everything. Just because you may be a foreigner doesn’t mean you’re stupid!

6. Know your audience…and their age! We had such a great time with all the people we met on our jungle trek. Even though they were younger than us, we must’ve forgotten about that since we all got along so well. The night we ate dinner with Diarmuid and Ita at the Riverside, our egos were a bit bruised. For some reason or other, Matt was telling them about the band Phish. They had never heard of them. Ok, I think I get it. Not sure that Phish has really made much of an impact outside the US. Matt then told them they are a jam band. Blank stares. “You know, like the Dead,“ he continued. Blank stares. “Uh, the GRATEFUL Dead?” Nothing. Wow. Ok. I mean, we are about eight years older than them, but…REALLY? I think I will prefer to chalk this up to the cultural differences rather than the age difference.

7. Do your homework. We did a lot of research for all the sites and experiences we wanted to take in while away. I do wish that we had spent a bit more time figuring out the locations of the different attractions. For example, we should have gotten the address of the Floating Restaurant in Chiang Mai, and maybe we would have made it there. Maybe not, but at least I would have felt a bit better about it. And we should have gotten more details on the location of Wadi Degla in Cairo. We made it there eventually, but not without spending almost two hours looking for a place that was about 15 minutes from Cairo’s center. It’s just different when you are away. You can’t expect the cabs to know every random thing you’ve seen online, when they might not be in the locals’ ideas of popular tourist attractions. We did give Yasser one of our brochures from Wadi Degla, so he would have it for reference the next time someone asked him to go there. He just looked at us kind of crazy, though. Obviously this was the first, and he suspected, last, time he would be asked to go there.

8. Good shoes are worth the money. This holds true for heels, flip-flops, wedges, sneakers and now…hiking shoes. The last thing we wanted to spend money on two weeks before our trip was new shoes, but they have paid for themselves over and over again in value. Between the trek, the hiking on safari, hiking at Victoria Falls, Wadi Degla…I’m not sure how we would have done so well without our new shoes. They are well broken in. And they do NOT look new anymore!

9. “A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” We all have different time and money constraints; we all have different levels of adventurousness and curiosity; we all have different interests and goals. Whatever yours are, and however simple or elaborate your plans may be, it is so important to get out there and see things, even if they are right in the city you live in. It will make you appreciate the value and the beauty in every day and every place. I am so thankful we committed ourselves to taking this trip. It took us a bit out of our comfort zone on all different platforms, but it was worth each expenditure -- financially, mentally, physically and emotionally. Things have really been put in perspective on every level.

10. Everything you need to know you learned in Kindergarten. Remember the first day of school, when you would wear a badge or necklace or sticker denoting your name and your bus number, so that the teachers could get all the kids back home safely? What a novel idea! We found the same thing works with adults. When we were on some of our travels through Thailand, the tour groups use this sticker system, where they put a different colored sticker on you based upon your final destination. So, on our big pink bus, there were grown adults, from all different countries, going to all different islands, wearing all different colored stickers. Matt and I laughed at first, but realized it was a really efficient way for them to get the right people on the right buses and ferries without having to deal with the language barriers. Plus, once you figure out the system, it gives you a sense of security to see other people walking around with the same color sticker as you.

11. Marry (and travel with) your best friend. One of my girlfriends told me, “If you two come back married, it will be a miracle.” I kind of nervously laughed. Except for two less than five-minute conversations each with my Mom and Matt’s sister, the only people we actually spoke to from home for six weeks was each other. Of course we made friends with some other people throughout our journey, but the only people we really had to rely on and get us through every day were each other. Even after sleeping in tents, on hardwood floors, in mosquito nets, showering outside, bathing in rivers, eating weird foods at weird times of the day, hospital visits, crazy taxi rides, maiming a giraffe, giant pink buses, uneasy stomachs and everything else, there is no one in the world I would rather travel with than Matt. This trip reinforced a lot of what we already knew about each other, taught us a few things that we didn’t already know about each other and ourselves, and made us fall in love and appreciate each other all over again. I can’t wait for our next adventure together.

These are all lessons we’ve heard before, but somehow they have more relevance when you’re away from home.

I’ve posted the pictures and videos to Facebook, so please request me as a friend if you’d like to see them. Or, if you refuse to join Facebook, send me an email and I will try to get them uploaded to Webshots or something soon.

Thank you for following our blog. If you read it all, I know I can be a bit wordy at times, but it has been fun to share our days with you.

South Africa

We arrived in Joberg for a stay of about 24 hours before heading back to the US. Unexpectedly, we were upgraded to first class on our flight from Livingstone to Joberg…I can only hope that the same happens for our flight to DC (I say DC because our last leg, DC to LA, is a United flight, for which an upgrade is guaranteed NOT to happen – shitty US carriers).

We enjoyed a very peaceful last night eating pizza and drinking beer at the Airport Game Lodge, a small slice of rural paradise (complete with game on the grounds), about 10 minutes from the airport. While Jack caught up on the blog, I enjoyed the Brazilian Grand Prix in its entirety. I had been craving some racing, and that more than satisfied me.

It’s now October 19 (happy birthday mom! We love you!), and we depart for home in about 5 hours. As we wrap up our trip, I can’t help but share my thoughts on Africa. Despite the perception of many as it being a corrupt and third world continent at best – which is in many ways true – the courtesy and hospitality we have received from the local communities has been second to none. The actions of those in charge have unfortunately labeled the citizens as something they are not (there are some bad apples, but there are bad apples everywhere). I would encourage you all to take a trip here to see it for yourselves…you will not be disappointed (so long as you don’t expect 5 star conditions throughout).

My rant is done. Thanks for following the blog, it has been fun sharing our experiences.

Zambia

After enjoying another of Franc’s breakfasts at Nambwa Camp, we loaded into the van for the last time. Martin had warned us that crossing into Zambia wouldn’t be as seamless as Botswana and Namibia. He prepared us for a 2-3 hour wait but, fortunately, there was no one else there when we arrived. It was a much more informal process…the other crossings were small but very official-looking buildings. This was basically in a trailer, with officers carrying huge guns outside. The entrance forms were photocopied paper, 8.5” x 11”, torn into fourths, seemingly by hand. Matt and I were first on line and the man in charge quite simply was in no rush. It took about 45 minutes for us all to get through, which really wasn’t so bad, except that it just didn’t feel like the safest place to be. I think we were all happy when the van started moving again.

Ever since we had our accident with the giraffe, we’ve been asked by other tour groups, park rangers and government officials what happened to our windshield. Martin sometimes tells them it was a giraffe, sometimes other animals, sometimes that it was a week ago, sometimes the day before. We all took it in stride and thought it was kind of comical. Until we were pulled over at the Zambian border crossing. The police officer asked Martin what happened and he replied, “Kudu.” We all got silent. Apparently we had hit a kudu, not a giraffe. He asked when it happened and Martin said, “Yesterday.” And the officer asked him to pull to the side. He asked a bunch of questions, including whether Martin had reported it, what the police said when he reported it, where the police report is, etc., before asking Martin to step outside the van. You could have heard a pin drop in the van; we were all so nervous. At one point, Martin came back to the van to get some more documentation and he muttered, (without intending for any of us to hear, I believe) “This has been the hardest trip ever.” He was out there for about five minutes and then got back into the driver’s seat and started driving away. We all started applauding and hooting and hollering. Martin has really been fantastic. We were always making fun of him at each stop because he seemed to know all the ladies everywhere we went and was such a talker with everyone. Apparently he IS quite the talker, because he talked the Zambian officials into letting us come in with the smashed up vehicle.

We pulled up to the Danes’ hotel and bid farewell to them, then were dropped off at Jollyboy’s Lodge where Chad and Bev, and Matt and I had rooms. Livingstone is a really cool little town. Great markets; lots of restaurants and bars; people bustling around the streets…much more lively than Windhoek! We explored the town a bit, stopped for a few beers at Da Fusion and then enjoyed a great dinner at Fezbar with Chad and Bev. We had a few more beers back at Jollyboy’s and then went to bed since we had a busy day ahead of us. The camping was actually much easier than I had anticipated, but getting into bed at Jollyboy’s was awesome, even with a hard mattress and mosquito net.

When we woke up the next morning Matt, Bev and I had a quick breakfast and called a taxi to take us to our walking island tour at Victoria Falls. Of course the driver needed to stop for gas as soon as he picked us up and then we got stopped by police because his windshield was smashed. Fortunately, Bev got out of the car and politely asked the officers how long this would take since we were already two minutes late for our 8:45 pick-up. They understood and let us pass through, probably because the driver would have to pass through them to get back into town later. We were nervous about being late and when we arrived it was clear our tour had already left, but they set us up with a guide, Leonard, to take just the three of us. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I guess it was a blessing that we were late…we were set up on our own private tour! The moment we stepped into the world heritage site the views were incredible. Leonard knew all the best picture spots, so if we stopped anywhere, he would refuse to take our picture, saying, “It is better up here.” He was always right. I guess the experience of walking up to the top of the falls five times a day pays off.

Right now is the low season at the falls. While the views during the high season, which is what is captured on all the postcards, look amazing, we were really excited to be there in the low season for two reasons. First, we were able to hike the 1.7 km over rocky terrain right along the edge of the falls. During the high season, the area that we hiked is unable to be walked, as it’s covered with water. The hike was fantastic and the views were like nothing I’ve seen. I’d explained my fear of heights to Leonard, so he was understanding, but also made me come out to the edge to get the best pictures. He made me feel really safe, though. When we came up to “Main Falls”, it took my breath away. I couldn’t control the smile that spread across my face and I just whispered, “Oh my God.” I was so taken aback by the roar of the water, the mist rising up out of the falls, the beauty of the waterfalls and the perfect rainbows arching across the ravine. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a single moment in nature that was so beautiful to me.

Thankfully we took off for our hike around 9:30am, so we weren’t hiking in the heat of the day, but we were still sweating and tired from the trek. The payoff was enormous, though. The second reason we were excited to be there in the low season is that during these few months a natural pool is formed at the top of the falls, called the Devil’s Swimming Pool. The water flow is so “low” that you are able to swim in the pool, “protected” by the rock formation that the water flows over during the high season. Matt has been talking about going here for months and months. As we approached it, we couldn’t believe our luck. Not only were we in our private group of three, but there were no other groups there! We stripped down to our bathing suits and swam across to it. Swimming across was a bit of an adrenaline rush for me as it was…just knowing I was about 100 feet from where the falls spill over…it was a little crazy, even with the rope they have set up. I was swimming behind Leonard and when I started to feel the mild current, I kicked into high gear and went flying by him to get to land.

Standing above the pool, I began to get second (and third and fourth) thoughts. There are no ropes, fences, nothing set up to catch you if you move slightly in the wrong direction. All the pictures and video I had seen online made it look completely serene and peaceful and…big…up there. This was not a placid infinity pool, though. Water was clearly flowing over the edge. Pretty quickly. And the pool was maybe 20 ft. in diameter, not a giant expanse of water. I looked at Leonard and said, “Is this SAFE?” He assured us it was and then showed us where to jump in from. JUMP???!!! I told him I would rather just ease in, but he said that wasn’t possible, that you had to jump in and OUT. OUT???!!! Yup, OUT, so that you jump over the rocks. Collins, a second guide who was taking pictures with my camera, got a great shot of Leonard instructing Bev and me where and how to jump. It is hilarious. You can tell Bev is seriously contemplating the safety aspect of the jump. And you can tell that I am like, “WHAT?!” Those of you who know me well know the look. It is a great picture.

So, my parents won’t believe it, even after seeing the pictures, but I jumped. Ok, so it took a few minutes, and Matt and Leonard had to count to three like I was a four-year-old, but I did it! The current wasn’t strong at all and the spot that you jump into is actually 3 or 4m deep (at least according to Leonard). The rush was unreal. The three of us just sat on the edge of the falls, which drop down some 110m, laughing giddily. Then we showed Collins how to use the video function on my camera and we each jumped again. It was so insane, so beautiful, so rewarding, so fun.

When we got out of the pool and swam back to where we’d come from, the swim wasn’t even remotely scary anymore. We dried off and Leonard brought us some Castles to celebrate. And with that, two separate tour groups, with six and ten people respectively, came upon us to experience the pool themselves. Unbelievable. We were so lucky to have had that peaceful time to ourselves up there.

We hiked back to the entrance and saw a bunch of baboon along the way. When we got back to Jollyboy’s Matt took a nap and I checked in with everyone via email since we finally had an internet connection after our time on safari. It was a bit infuriating since the connection was so slow, but I’ve learned to expect that on this trip.

At 4:00, Chad, Bev, Matt and I were picked up for our sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. What a treat! The scenery was so picturesque and snacks, dinner and drinks were included. We had been a bit skeptical about this “deal”, but it was awesome! The snacks were like hearty bar appetizers; they had a full bar; and dinner was great! We could barely move when we got back to the dock because we were so full. We saw five hippos up close in the river, tons of birds and a family of warthogs onshore. The sunset over the river was beautiful; the sky was vibrant shades of reds, pinks and oranges. It was a perfect night. Afterwards, we went to Rite Pub and Grill back in town. It was definitely not a tourist bar…we were certainly the only non-locals there, which was a great experience. There were late 90’s songs playing and everyone was so friendly. After two more rounds back at Jollyboy’s we called it a night.

We woke up this morning, ate a quick breakfast and walked over to one of the local markets to pick up a few souvenirs. After packing up our bags, we checked out and tried to find a place to have a last cup of coffee in Zambia. Unfortunately, Matt didn’t have much luck getting to the register in the coffee shop we tried, so we walked back to Fezbar. It wasn’t open, but the staff there is so friendly, they told us we could have a beer if we sat outside. We enjoyed a Mosi and ran back up to Jollyboy’s to catch a shuttle to the airport.

We can’t believe tonight in Johannesburg will be the last night of our trip! Then again, I also couldn’t believe it when I saw the date printed on my ticket today…October 18. Time has really flown.