Buckle up, readers. I’m heading to South Africa tomorrow and I can barely contain my excitement. After years of ruminating over a possible South African adventure, I jumped the shark to book one. Now, a mere six weeks later, it’s really happening.
Friends have asked whether I’m scared, but honestly, I don’t get nervous about traveling, even to far-flung destinations. (Watching the viral video of a cheetah jumping onto a safari vehicle to take a look at folks up close did make me a bit nervous. I want to get some good pictures, but seriously…) I’m going on an REI Adventure, which is affiliated with the store and with whom I traveled to Machu Picchu a couple of years ago. They do an excellent job handling logistics so I feel very relaxed about hotel/ transportation, etc.
After a grueling set of flights (11 hours from SFO to Munich and then another 11 from Munich to Capetown), I’ll be in Capetown a few days before the tour begins. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get over my jet lag and get acclimatized. I’m planning to tour of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for twenty years and I’ll spend another day hitting the hotspots in Capetown. Thanks to a Facebook introduction, I’ll be meeting a friend of a friend for lunch at a cool, local spot on the day I arrive. The world really is small place.
It’s summer in South Africa so I’m expecting 70’s during the day and 50’s at night. My biggest challenge remains packing related—how to have suitable clothing and gear for hiking, kayaking, biking and safari weighing no more than 40 lbs. I’m still working on that. I’m renting a powerful telephoto lens for the safari so fingers crossed I get some great shots. I better after devoting significant space and weight to camera equipment. Sigh. Luxury problems. Breaking News: My suitcase weighs in at a slim 30 pounds right now. That’s a miracle of restraint for me, as previous travel buddies will attest (Kris Stahlman, you know how it is!).
I’ve been having a little trouble with my hiking boots — first, it was the plantar fasciitis cramping my style, then my boots were crushing my toes (Question: Do your feet get bigger too as you age? Please say it ain’t so). As a result, I made a last-minute run to REI and spent some of my early birthday money on new boots. I’ve only got time for a few break-in walks, but my man Carter at REI says I have nothing to worry about. From your mouth to God’s ears, Carter.
I have tasted my first bit of good travel karma — a timely email from United alerting me to check-in with Lufthansa and I even got a pretty decent seat. I’m back of the bus these days, sadly, but at least I won’t be smashed into that terrible middle section of four seats. Here’s hoping the good mojo continues.
I’ve done my homework, packed my gear, listened to twenty-six hours of Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom (more on that later), and this time tomorrow night I’ll be winging my way across the world.
#Gratitude. What else is there to say!
Boonedoggler 