Acacia Africa Overland Truck Tour BEGINS!

I know that I suddenly went silent on you, dearest four people who are probably reading this blog. For that, I apologize. It was not my intention, but it was a necessity.

I believe that I last left off at Table Mountain back in Cape Town. Well, that morning I did make it up to the breathtaking views and changeable weather at the summit of Table Mountain with Claire and Alex, although not without some setbacks. Claire and Alex wanted to take the cable car up, but they were nice enough to also pick up a German guest at my hostel who wanted to hike up. So, we drove up to the base of the mountain, found a parking space, wished Katharina a pleasant and happy hike, and commenced waiting in line FOREVER. It seems we had all forgotten that it was the last Friday of the holiday weekend and, with the nice weather, that everyone in Cape Town would have the same idea we had to come to the mountain that day. We waited 2 hours and 45 minutes to ride the cable car up, and Katharina beat us up there by about an hour . . . on foot. Regardless, the views were incredible, as per usual and it was totally worth the wait. Including the extra hour in line to take the cable car back down the mountain!

The view from Table Mountain. Amirite?

After the Table Mountain excursion took far longer than expected, I parted ways with Alex and Claire and took to the city center. I just had the afternoon left in Cape Town before a pre-departure meeting for my 25-day overland truck tour that was to begin early the next morning, so I passed the time wandering around Long Street, Green Square Market, and District 6. I made it back to my hostel for the meeting in plenty of time and I got settled in and started chatting with the other folks who were gathering. As fate would have it, I sat between the only two other North Americans who, coincidentally, were both from Calgary, Canada. Otherwise, we soon learned that, while everyone was going to be on the tour for different lengths of time, we would all be together until Livingstone, Zambia, which was a ways away.

There are 23 of us in total, very nearly a full truck, and our size has earned us the largest and coolest truck in the fleet, White Nile as she's called, which includes enormous lockers, a freezer for our dinners, and compartments for all of our equipment and supplies. As well as the US and Canada, we have representation from Germany, Finland, England, Ireland, South Africa, and an enormous Australian contingent including folks from Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. The group has been great so far and seems to be up for anything! The tour is for 18- to 39-year-olds, but we are mostly on the younger end of that spectrum, making for an often raucously fun time! It’s kind of fun to be a member of that group of people you hate sitting next to in a restaurant or movie theater!

Our tour group at the Tropic of Capricorn with our home for the month in the background.

Our guides are also tremendous and I feel so lucky to have them at the helm! Our tour guide, Kelly, is from the UK, but has lived in Australia and Africa for many years, four of which have been working for Acacia Africa, the overland truck tour company. She’s laid-back, efficient, full of ideas and solutions, and overall just a really cool chick. Mark is our driver/mechanic and is from South Africa. He is just brimming with information about the flora and fauna, as well as the cultural and historical context of our stops and each country. He’s also got a pretty terrific beard, which obviously coincides with his awesomeness. My favorite Mark quote so far was when he and Kelly were telling us about Red Romans, an insect that kills scorpions, but also has a tendency to scurry about near and on humans, if given the chance. He was telling us that often people think the Red Roman is chasing them, but in reality they are chasing their shadow because they can’t stand direct light. However, if a creepy crawly thing is perpetually barreling toward you and won’t stop, it can feel pretty terrifying. After explaining all of this in a fairly nonchalant way, he concluded with, “How fucked up is that shit?” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Mark.

Now, I know that you’re all clamoring to hear about absolutely every little detail of my last week, but I haven’t the time or patience to detail our entire trip, so I’ll hit the highlights for ya:

• A tour of Langa, Cape Town’s oldest township, as well as a surprise lunch at Mzoli’s (can you say “meat coma?”);
• A stay in a lovely vineyard, including a delicious dinner and a wine tasting (as well as an overly-amorous one-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy who took quite the shine to one of our Aussie boys);
• On our first night we also learned to unpack the truck and set up our tents! Then, of course, the following morning how to do the reverse.
• A border crossing from South Africa into Namibia;
• Sighting two Red Romans (one of which did, in fact, scuttle up my leg) and one scorpion;
• An incredibly pleasant, quiet, and scenic canoe trip along the Orange River (where there are no crocs or hippos to worry about);
• Several long drives over gravel roads that are nearly invisible in the desert landscape), including one 600-kilometer (or ~375-mile) day;
• A hike along the rim of the world’s second largest canyon, Fish River Canyon, topped off by a cold glass of champagne while watching the sun set and the full moon rise;
• Only one very minor mechanical difficulty with the truck (so far);
• Springbok and Oryx walking and grazing through our camp for the night;
• A pre-dawn climb up an 80 meter sand dune to watch the sunrise from the top, then a run down the steep side back to the truck for breakfast;
• A wander through the petrified acacia forest at the base of the desert’s largest dune, “Big Daddy;”
• Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn;
• Many afternoons enjoying the campsite’s pool, a cold drink, and each other’s company (including a sand volleyball game with a local team of Namibians);
• A tour of the Mondesa township outside of Swakopmund, Namibia, including lunch, and a performance by an a capella group who arranges their own music;
• And, to top it all off, a skydive over the Namib desert where the dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean over the town of Swakopmund!!!

Our Acacia Africa tour group at the wine tasting on our first night!

One of many Chaco photos, this one from Fish River Canyon in Namibia.

At about 3/4 of the way to the top of Dune 45 as the sun was rising.

Now, on that last point, I shall elaborate. I had no intention of doing another skydive on this trip for two main reasons: 1) I’ve done a skydive before and it was great, so no need to spend the money to do it again, and 2) I didn’t know there was an option on this trip to do one. Welp, there is an option to do one on this trip and Kelly and Mark were on about how much fun it is to get the whole tour out there to hang out and watch people going up and coming down, and while you’re there, why not just jump yourself? I started to get pretty excited by the idea, so I knew it was on. Being my second jump, I felt incredibly relaxed this time and the caliber of the company running them only helped me to relax more. They were professional, caring, and fun-loving guys, making for a fantastic experience. We had a few who were pretty nervous and others who were just chomping at the bit to get going, but everyone had an incredible time. Of our 23 people, 15 ended up jumping, including one gal who decided to go topless for a small discount and a fellow who, while completely wasted the night before, agreed to jump naked for 100 Namibian dollars (the equivalent of less than USD$10). Apparently this group will do quite a lot for quite a little! In the meantime, we all hung out at the drop zone, chatting, drinking beer or cider (some to cool off, some to calm their nerves and eventually to celebrate their safe return), and cheering on the jumpers as they sailed back down to earth. It was a really incredible day and I have loads of photos and a great video as proof of it all (yes, including the less-than-clothed jumpers).

My skydive with Dries over Swakopmund, Namibia!

This evening I will be taking a horseback ride through the desert and along the coast, then we continue north into Namibia and toward Etosha National Park. From there, we should start seeing more and more animals and I’m really looking forward to that! We have one more night in our real beds here in our Swakopmund hostel, then it’s back to camping. In fact, the next two nights will be in bush camps without running water or electricity, so it’s about to get interesting (and smelly)!

I’ve really enjoyed my time on this first visit to Namibia. And, as always happens in a new country, my list of things to see and do here has grown exponentially and will require another trip in the future. I may be able to post again in the next week or so, but otherwise, I’m on tour until we hit Johannesburg, South Africa on the 27^th . Keep an eye out before then, but if you don’t hear from me, assume I’m having a blast. It’s actually been incredibly easy to relax and unplug on this tour so far and I’m enjoying the freedom while I can.

I hope that 2015 has been kind to everyone so far. Sending you love and a dry, desert heat from Namibia!

Happy New Year from Cape Town!

Happy New Year, friends! HOW is it already 2015? And HOW many conversations have you had in the last 24 hours about how quickly the year went by?

When I left off yesterday, I was just heading out to kill some time before check-in at my hostel. I did find a nice shady spot to read a book and eat a little picnic lunch. I wandered down to Sea Point Promenade, a large pedestrian and bike pathway that goes along the coastline from Sea Point to Three Anchor Bay to Green Point. It looks out on the ocean and there is plenty of green park space with shade trees, outdoor gym equipment, public art, and playgrounds. The weather was stunningly beautiful: bright, sunny, breezy, and not a cloud in the sky . . . I was still in my air travel/London outfit, but once I found the shade, it was extremely pleasant. My one mistake was forgetting sunscreen before I left for the walk . . . I now have a delightful red neck and a very subtle tan line about halfway up my forearms, where I had rolled up my long sleeves. NICE. No matter! I enjoyed the walk and the weather and particularly the people watching.

Three Anchor Bay, nearby to where I killed time before checking into my hostel.

After I was able to check in, I got settled and headed immediately for the shower. I cleaned up and cooled off and felt prepped and ready . . . for a nap. I knew that without one I wouldn't have the stamina necessary to truly enjoy a New Year's Eve out in Cape Town, so I went for it. Granted, it lasted an hour longer than I'd planned, but I think I needed it. It was terrible pulling myself out of bed, but I got dressed and ready and met my friends Alex and Claire, the English gals I knew from Zim, for dinner.

Considering that it had been four years since we'd seen each other, it really was delightful to get to catch up and spend an evening together! They've been back to Africa nearly every year since then, including stays at Antelope Park, so they were able to give me updates and talk about what has and hasn't changed there. We ate at this otherwise completely empty Chinese restaurant and our waitress was perhaps the cutest person ever. She was obviously new to serving and seemed a little unsure and timid, but she was just so sweet and pleasant that all of it was absolutely endearing.

Antelope Park 2011 Reunion!

After the meal, we snagged ourselves a cab and headed into the madness that would be the Victoria & Albert Waterfront for the party/concert/fireworks display that was taking place down there. It was crowded, to say that least, and people continued to pour into the area all night. After listening to some of the live music, we stopped in at the ONE bar that was not reserved for a private party to kill some time before the fireworks. Finally, just after 11:30pm, we decided to head back into the fray. The crowd had at least doubled since we'd gone into the bar, so moving around was . . . difficult. Finally, we walked about as far down the wharf as we possibly could and found a spot. Others, however, were unwilling to view the fireworks from any kind of distance at all, and we were soon sandwiched on all sides by other NYE revelers, simply trying to stay on our feet, keep track of our belongings, and not tumble over the railing into the patio of the nice restaurant behind us where wealthier attendees dressed in sequined dresses sat comfortably at tables eating tiramisu.

NYE sardines!

Now, on nearly any other night in my life, this would have driven me absolutely crazy and I'd have left. However, whether it was the delirium of jet lag, the proximity of good friends, or the adventurous spirit that always accompanies travel, I found the entire experience utterly hilarious. At one stage, a guy's man purse was squished into my belly while he took a photo with his girlfriend, another guy's armpit was next to my face as he tried to video the fireworks, and a girl's ponytail repeatedly ended up in my mouth briefly as she turned her head. WHAT?! Just too funny.

At least the fireworks were awesome!

After the fireworks, the expected mass exodus left us in a bit of a pickle (along with thousands of others) as to how to get home. Cabs were charging whatever the hell they wanted and my friends and I were going in two different directions. Eventually, and after a lot of walking, we worked it out, although it did still include people soliciting my driver to jump in the same taxi and him laughing and saying "bye" as he sped away when people looked incredulously at him after hearing what he would charge. In fact, we even left two other guests to my hostel in the dust before I could tell him that was the same place I was going! Sheesh. Eventually, a young couple joined me in the cab, headed in another direction, but grateful to have a seat in a cab at all. I made it home in one piece and then it was time for bed!

I slept until about 10:30 this morning and lounged in bed for another half an hour, trying to muster the will to move. Finally, I made it up and prepared to head out for the day to one of my very favorite places on this entire planet: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. I have been extremely fortunate to see a pretty good chunk of this earth and Kirstenbosch is easily one of the most beautiful places of them all. It reminds me of the phrase we learned about the Rococo style in my art history class in high school: "wild but nice." There are flower beds and manicured lawns and stone and dirt paths throughout the grounds, but there are also forests and ponds and the enormous, untouched majesty of Table Mountain as a backdrop. Everywhere you look there is beauty. Even the air is different there. Walking through the gates and into the gardens felt like I was replenishing my soul. Since I was last here, they'd also added a new canopy walkway made of wood and steel and designed after a snake skeleton that starts on the ground and rises up into the trees, looking out across the gardens toward the mountain. I walked it twice, it was so pleasant. Being a holiday, there were LOADS of people, particularly families, enjoying the day in the gardens. But that's another wonderful thing about them. Even with a huge crowd, it doesn't feel crowded. There are still little hidden nooks where you can find a place to be alone, or else you can pop a squat under a tree or on one of the lawns and watch people throw a frisbee or kids chase ducks and marvel at a tortoise. It was fantastic.

Hook 'em from Kirstenbosch's new Canopy Walkway!

One of my favorite views of the day: Table Mountain behind the walkway.

I came home around the back side of the mountain so that I could at least get a glimpse of Hout Bay and Imizamo Yethu, the township where I volunteered four and a half years ago. It all looks very much the same. It was, in fact, a little more emotional for me to see it all again than I was expecting. I found myself thinking about the little preschoolers I volunteered with who would now be well into elementary school. I thought about the amazing tour guide who had first introduced us to Imizamo Yethu and who has since passed away. I was reminded just how stark the aftermath of the apartheid years is there. I also found myself looking ahead to beginning my internship in a month or so, wondering about the new relationships and lessons that would come out of that.

After a long day, I decided that I wanted to join the throngs of people back down at the Promenade by going for a little run before sunset. There were hundreds and thousands of people in the parks and along the path, but luckily I chose the direction with fewer people the further I got. I headed toward Green Point Park, built around Cape Town's World Cup Stadium from the 2010 tournament. I had seen a soccer game there, but the park was not yet completed the last time I was here. It's nicknamed "the people's park" and is absolutely lovely. It's just across the road from the Promenade and is full of even more green spaces, playgrounds, walking paths, and ponds. It was nice to get moving and join in with all of the other folks exercising down there.

It's been a pretty low-key evening and now, I think, it is time for bed. I'll be heading up to Table Mountain tomorrow morning with Claire and Alex and we're leaving bright and early!

Again, happy new year to you all!

Guess who's back!

Well, folks, after months of preparation, including an incredibly frustrating, down-to-the-wire drama involving my visa and passport, I have made it back to Africa! I'm typing this from the patio of my Cape Town hostel, killing time until check-in this afternoon.

Overall, it was a relatively pleasant journey. I left Austin on Monday evening after a full day of last-minute errands and triple checking every little thing on my pre-departure list. My family saw me off at security and then it was like stepping back into my most basic and truthful self, walking out onto the concourse ready for the adventure that lay ahead.

From Austin I flew to London, about a 9-hour flight. Since I am never able to sleep well the night before international travel and am very capable of sleeping on planes, I managed some decent rest on the trip. I was on an aisle seat with no one sitting next to me, meaning I had some space to get comfortable and relax.

My arrival in Heathrow felt so familiar. I've probably flown through that airport more often than any other, apart from Austin. The flight touched down a little after 9am local time, then deplaning and customs took about an hour. There was, all over the ground, what we in Texas would jump at the chance to call "snow," but that I suspect is just referred to as "frost" or perhaps even "nothing" in the UK. The cold was sharp, but not entirely unpleasant, since I'd been sure to dress strategically. I wasn't as warm as I could have been, but given that I would only be spending 8ish hours in the UK winter before carrying on to a southern hemisphere summer, I did alright. The trick, of course, was to keep moving. Luckily, London is a great city for walking. Another lucky stroke was that my bag was miraculously checked all the way through to Cape Town, meaning I didn't even have to bother thinking about it at Heathrow. I just jumped on the Underground Picadilly line, and headed into the city.

I'd planned to see Westminster Abbey, but unfortunately track maintenance meant the line I needed was closed. So, instead, I began my day in London wandering through the Albert & Victoria Museum, a place I'd somehow never been before. They had a special exhibit of wedding dresses from 1775 to the present day that was pretty interesting, along with an exhibit called "Disobedient Objects" all about the importance and impact of the creativity and objects that springs up from activism and social justice. After the warmth of the museum, I just walked out the main door and picked a direction. I walked down the road a ways and discovered Harrod's and that I was in Knightsbridge. I grabbed a hot chocolate to help stay warm, then jumped back on the Underground headed in the direction of Buckingham Palace. Four and a half years ago, when I first came to South Africa, I flew a similar itinerary and had taken a cat nap in the grass in front of the palace. The ground was wet and cold this time, so I opted not to repeat that bit, but I do love the palace and surrounding parks. I could see Westminster, Big Ben, and the London Eye a little ways off, but knew that with the line closures I'd never be able to walk there and get back to the airport in time. Still, it was a pleasant enough day.

Getting back to Heathrow, I endured the anxiety-producing wait by the screens to find out which gate from which my flight would depart. The gate was a little chaotic and I noticed more infants and young children than I have ever seen on such a flight ever before (a consequence of flying close to the holidays, I suppose). At any rate, everyone made it onto the plane and I found myself in a bulkhead window seat next to a lovely German couple and their 1-year-old-ish son.

This was another smooth flight, full of sleep, and amazingly enough, not full of shrieking children. They cried occasionally, of course, but nothing worthy of losing sleep over. Just before they served breakfast, I woke to  see the first light of the day peeking over the horizon outside my window. At first, I saw nothing but the tops of the clouds, but then they broke so that I could see the ocean and the desert of Namibia below, where I will find myself in a week or so. It was breathtaking. Gradually the desert rolled into rocky mountains, then smaller towns, suburbs, and finally, around 7am local time, we made our descent into the Mother City.

It was at that moment that I think everything FINALLY began to settle in. I'm returning to one of my favorite places on earth and I will be staying for a while. What could be better?

At passport control, I felt another moment of intense relief as I was able to hand over my passport with an approved study permit waiting patiently inside.

Through customs, then onto baggage claim, I was ecstatic to see my bag come down the conveyor belt. (I mean, my bag had to wait in London for 8 hours, too! I don't think it was unreasonable to consider that it might be overlooked). From there, I collected my South African cell phone and sat at a cafe for a bit to set it up. It's a typical brick phone with a keyboard and clicking through to each letter as I input important contacts, etc, was a bit of a nostalgic experience! I caught a cab to my hostel and made friends with Mark, my driver. We chatted about Cape Town's beauty, the holidays, and the importance of making time to enjoy yourself.

Now, I'm thinking about taking a stroll to find some lunch and a place to read my book by the water until I can check in and take a shower! I've got germs of the world crawlin' all over me and I'm not wild about that feeling. Then, I'm thinking maybe a little nap or another walk in preparation for tonight.

Two English ladies I volunteered with at Antelope Park in Zimbabwe four years ago just happen to also be in town for NYE, so we're gonna meet up for dinner, then hit the town and see what we can find! It will be so nice to catch up with friends in such an unexpected visit in such an unexpected place!

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2015 be a wonderful year!