Epilogue

It's difficult to find words to sum up such a trip.  It was 3.5 weeks of exploration, jubilation, and revelation.

South Africa was as warm and welcoming as I remember, and had even bumped it up a notch to welcome all of the World Cup tourists.  We were often asked by Safricans if we liked their country - they were worried about all of the visitors' impressions (since Safrica was unfairly portrayed in a negative light in the build up to the World Cup, scaring away many potential visitors).  We were able to quickly assure them that we loved Safrica and thought they showed the world what a great country they are.  As the constant ads on tv said - "c'mon Africa, show 'em how we do it.".  And they do it well.

The World Cup madness was like nothing ever before experienced, even having been to the Olympics in Atlanta.  Soccer fans are a different breed from Olympic fans - the enthusiasm and pride in their country/team is evident at almost all times, and because they are there for one sport, and one sport only, it makes the excitement a little more cohesive then the Olympic excitement (where you might run into other international visitors who don't care about the same sports as you do).  I loved seeing all of the fans walk around in their team jackets, hats, and shirts.  Everyone we talked with was happy to be there, having a good time, and fun to talk with (breaking down international barriers through soccer).

I wasn't sure what to expect from US soccer fans, since we're not a huge soccer country.  But I needn't have worried, as US soccer fans came out in droves, very enthusiastically rooting for our Yanks.  The number of American flags, US soccer jackets/jerseys, and other crazy American costumes was heartwarming to see.   Our crew was seriously under-dressed, with only USA scarves to show our allegiance.  The absolute jubilation when Donovan scored the winning goal against Algeria was one of the best sporting moments of my life (several fans around us said it was plain and simple the best moment of their lives, period).  Fans cried.  Fans hugged strangers.  Fans hugged the US team.  Fans waved flags.  Fans screamed.  It was quite simply amazing.

Also amazing were our animal encounters.  Not being a big fan of zoos, I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy a safari last time I visited (zoo animals kind of bore me).  I didn't have to worry, as I fell in love with watching these animals in the wild.  Heading back, I wondered if I'd be as thrilled as I was the first time, or if the wonder would have worn off.  Nope, not at all.  Seeing an elephant flap its ears and take a few threatening steps towards you is still as scary the second time around.  Watching cats walk down the dirt road is still something I could do for hours.  The excitement of going off-roading in our Rover and following game that our tracker had tracked for us just does not get old. 

Then you add in new experiences such as a boat safari to see elephants swimming and hippos attack other boats; herds and herds of elephants surrounding our vehicle in Chobe (including adorable baby ones); seeing a wildebeest for the first time; riding an elephant; and watching buffalo run away from us while on these elephants.  The words that we kept coming back to were "wow" or "amazing" or even "ridonkidonk."

Getting to travel to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana to explore other areas of Southern Africa added more perspective and viewpoints to life in the region.  South Africa is more industrialized and modern than these other countries, but also is struggling with major economic, racial, and political issues.  We only saw the touristy areas of these other countries, but what was striking was the difference between the very posh resorts for us tourists versus the very modest homes of the Africans.  In South Africa, we mainly stayed at small hotels and guest houses instead of opulent hotels (which do exist), but they were still were much nicer than the townships where many of the Safricans still live (where homes are made of sheets of metal, cooking is done over an open fire, and roofs are kept on with large rocks to keep them from blowing away or leaking).

A growing industry in these areas is tourism, so hopefully the World Cup helps open the world's eyes to the majesty that is South Africa (and surrounding areas).  More tourists equals more money to the area, which means more jobs and a building of a larger and stronger middle class. 

But don't visit just to help boost the economy - visit to see wild animals (still in the wild), to count eyelashes on an elephant, to watch a leopard sleeping in a tree, to listen to African penguins bray like donkeys, to eat tasty food with your hands, to track a rhino in the bush, to witness the Indian and Atlantic oceans meeting, to sip delicious wine in the vineyards, to zipline through a canyon, to experience the urban rhythm of Capetown, Joburg or Durban, to smell the Cape Flora flowers and plants, and to meet welcoming Africans who want to show you all that their country has to offer.  You won't regret it.

A special thank you to my traveling companions Beth, Mike & Jen, who made this trip possible (special thanks to Beth for looking pathetic the night she talked Mike into reconsidering the trip when he and Jen had decided not to go) and who enjoyed many a springbokkie with me.  It was the trip of a lifetime, guys.  Thanks for sharing it with me.

Circle of Life

Since we have a gazillion animal pictures, I thought it would be more interesting to set some to music in a video format.  More pics to come soon.

Sweet Home Chicago

Despite some check-in annoyances at Heathrow, Beth and I have made it back to Chicago safe and sound.  Easy (if long) flight, and now it's time to crank the AC and hit the hay.

Pics and more to come shortly!

London, Baby!

Our last full day of vacation, and we've spent it around and about in London.  In the last two days, we've managed to eat at Beth's favorite restaurants here (Pizza Express, Wagamamas, Yo Sushi, and a British pub that somehow didn't have malt vinegar for its fish and chips! - tomorrow is Pret a Manger); see a play (Avenue Q); take a river tour on the Thames; visit Greenwich (home of Greenwich Mean Time and the meridian); see the Globe Theater; visit Tate Modern; see Picadilly Circus; join the crowds at Leicester Square; tour Kew Royal Botanic Gardens; and get asked by 2 separate people for directions on the Tube (we must look like we know what we're doing!).  A few more stops tomorrow, including getting the Monkeys their delayed macaroons at Harrods (from their United delays that started the trip).

We're packed up and ready to head home tomorrow.  Sad that our adventure is nearing an end but happy to get back to clean clothes, our own beds, American accents, and not eating out every meal.  It was sad leaving South Africa, thought made slightly easier to leave when stuck in horrible traffic getting to the airport (mainly due once again to bad traffic management).  Hopefully no Tube delays on the way to the airport here tomorrow!

We'll be sure to post some "home safe" and other post-mortem posts, as well as links to pictures from the trip (we've had trouble getting pics uploaded to the blog, as you may have noticed).  Mike & Jen have already sorted through their pics, and Beth & I will do shortly after our return.  You'll have more pics to browse through than you ever wanted!

Thanks so much for following our adventures the last month and posting comments.  They've kept us entertained and given us a connection to our real lives, when they seemed very very far away from the other side of the world.

Birthday Wishes!

Sending out very happy birthday wishes across the pond to Shawna, Natalie and Jack, who all have birthdays today/tomorrow.  And to the United States of America - it's been a fun trip to be proud of our country!

Hope you guys party it up like rock stars (or 3 year olds) back in the U.S.

Stopover!

Today, Beth and I experienced:

• An excited group of people congregating around/taking photos of an animal in a tree in Hyde Park.  Being well trained from our many game drives, Beth and I hurried over to the crowd to see the cool bird or animal everyone was excited about.  Then we saw that it was a common gray squirrel.  Seriously.
• A large group of girls screaming outside a radio station when glimpsing their favorite boy band.  When we first heard the high pitched squeals, I thought for sure it had something to do with "Twilight".  I was happy to be wrong (sorry, Jen).
• An Italian couple who sat next to us on the Thames cruise and spent the entire time taking photos of each other/themselves instead of the scenery (or in fact looking at the scenery at all).  Why bother to spend the money on the cruise at all?
• Two mimes on the Tube who we hope were on their way to or from work, and not just dressed as mimes for fun.
• A gay pride parade/rally.  Several "hen" (aka bachelorette) parties.  Were the feather boas for the parade or hen parties?  Hard to tell.
• A gazillion people, speaking many many different languages.  You don't have to worry about the tourism industry here.  It is alive and very well.
• Puppets singing about racism, porn, and life's purpose.  Beth and I lucked into 7th row tickets thanks to TKTS and finally got to see "Avenue Q."
• Carrying our (very heavy) bags up four flights of (very narrow) stairs.  No elevator available at our hotel.  It made me wish I hadn't supported the Safrican economy so much.

It's London, baby.

An Awkward End to Victoria Falls

Yesterday was an odd, awkward day. It started out pretty normal with breakfast and a trip to see the Zim side of the falls. The falls were beautiful, and we definitely got soaked, even through our rented raincoats. After seeing the falls, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for a while before our afternoon excursion, the elephant back safari. That's where the weirdness began. We were picked up in a minivan and driven out of town to the elephant safari place. We were the only ones on the bus, but I kindof figured that other clients be driven separately, and we would meet them there. Nope, it was just us. We pulled up to the elephant safari place and saw three elephants saddled across the watering hole. After a brief introduction and a look at a dead scorpion (eeks!), we got on our elephants with our guides. We proceeded to meander through the bush, learning more about elephants than we ever thought we would know. Additionally, both Sarah and I were asked some uncomfortable personal questions by our guides, so that made the whole thing even more awkward. After about 45 min of riding, we headed back to the base, where we assumed the safari would end. But oh no, it didn't end there... We proceeded to watch the elephants perform a few "tricks" and then sit down in unison. We were then urged to sit on the elephant's knee and feed it through it's trunk. It was both really weird and cool at the same time.

Finally, after some uncomfortable snacks and drinks with the lead guide, we headed back to our hotel just in time to see the elephants head to the watering hole at sunset (mom, dad, and erin, we know you'll be excited to hear we made it back to the hotel in time for that!). However, the weirdness did not end there... While watching the sun set, we entered into conversation with a nice man from Chile/New York who was traveling by himself. We had a nice conversation with him and headed back to our room. Then, a few minutes after we sat down to eat dinner at the hotel restaurant, he showed up and sortof/kindof invited himself to join us for dinner. Dinner was less awkward than I initially thought it would be, but still a very strange ending to a very strange day... The good thing is if we ever need an optometrist in NYC, we've now got a connection. :)

It's a bummer our trip to Victoria Falls had to end on such an awkward note, but overall we've had a good time here. Today we head back to Joburg for a day, and then up to London for a couple days before heading home. Our trip is almost coming to an end. Sniff Sniff.