I'M ALIVE!!

That I haven't posted in over two weeks is more a product of computer availability than lack of stories to share.

I have a notoriously poor memory, but I'll try to drop in here what highlights I can think of since I wrote in Windhoek.

Once in Botswana, we took tiny six-seat planes into the Okavango Delta. Definitely a very cool experience hopping over this roadless swamp and onto a dirt runway. I think our pilot was about 13 years old. The lodge we stayed at ended up having no other guests, so we were upgraded to large "tents" with beds. I even ended up with my own which was key. It was hardly roughing it. Good food, drink, wildlife, boating, village tour and general fun.

Once back from the Delta, we hit Chobe National Park. Saw the requisite Big 5 animals and moved on. Gotta say I'm all gameparked out. I think we I did 6 game drives over the 52 days.

Next up was a drive northward through Botswana into Zambia and Victoria Falls. Certainly this was one part of the trip I was looking forward to and thankfully it didn't disappoint. The falls are awfully spectacular and go on and on and on. The second day we were there, I went whitewater rafting on the Zambezi. I've said I wanted to do this since I was a wee child. Definitely was the best rafting I've ever done and would have loved to go on even longer. Getting on the raft with the "right people" was key too! (no offense to those on the other raft) The walk out of the canyon at the end was brutal though and the feeling in my legs the next day (and day after that) has me remarkably concerned now about my level of fitness for Kilimanjaro next week. Oh well.

Most of the tour group departed in Livingstone. The final seven or eight days of the trip included just me, the Irish (Victoria & Marian) and our guide, Johan. Rather uninteresting finish as we worked our way back south through Botswana and back into South Africa. Our bus, which had been falling apart for the last month finally broke down just as we got over the border into S.A. We "stopped" in front of a farm and without discussion, two young fellas who worked there grabbed their truck and pulled our bus and trailer over an hour to the next town. When I thanked the one guy he said, "Hey, what else did we have to do today?" Hard to imagine I'd drive someone I'd never met to NYC and then come back on my own if they broke down in Old City. This is effectively what these guys did though. Not bad.

So now we're back in Pretoria at the hotel where we started. I had quite a blowup with our guide last night over his bigotry towards certain groups. It didn't end well, but whatever...what's done is done.

I've decided to stay in Jo'burg a couple more days with the Irish so I can hit the Apartheid Museum and Soweto. From there I'll be taking the train down to Capetown for a week.

Looking back at the tour, we had lots of bumps, but generally I got what I hoped for. Definitely happy with the number of terrific folks I met too who I hope to see later in the year. At the risk of offending those not listed, let me say how great it was to spend time with Victoria/Marian/Kris/Kim/Fiona/Marta/Hanna/Kristina/Eric/Malin/Raf/Gabby/Michele. You guys were incredible and I look forward to staying in touch!