Still entralled with my cloistered lifestyle behind the palace walls, I woke up this morning to utter luxury and to breakfast in bed, still sore from whitewater rafting in what seemed to be a world away. I had questions. They were the first questions I asked my driver when I got in for my day tour of Johannesburg and Soweto. They were the first questions I started asking anyone whom I could screw up the courage through my American upbringing to ask, "how do you think things are going since the end of the apartheid government with respect to racism?" and [View Full Entry]

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After what seems like an eternity of living in either tents, huts, or sketchy hotels with mystery lumps in the bed, where you definitely didn't want to run barefoot across the floor, I was estatic to get into my room at the Peech Hotel in Johannesburg. Jo'burg is rife with tales of urban warfare and random crime and its enough to make anyone a lot wary. Because my main goal was to rest, really enjoy a nicely made meal, bed and shower, I had the hotel pick me up at the airport, and whisk me away. My driver (and I later [View Full Entry]

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The place we had stayed in Livingstone has to be up there in the top 5 worst places I have ever stayed. It really didn't matter because really it was just a bed to use, but its worth noting that in the budget accomodations to stay at, this place should be crossed off your list. First, the shower barely worked...and of course was missing a shower curtain. For some reason this had happened MULTIPLE times just to Katie and I on this trip. Second, the security of the place was terrible. We broke into our own room multiple times. Our door [View Full Entry]

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Let me just start by saying I've been white water rafting before. Several times actually, maybe half a dozen. Some meandering, some exhilerating, one with members of my family bailing their boat into mine. One recently with a family who was massively overweight, couldn't swim, and couldn't balance to save their lives. The dad fell overboard getting in the boat, and managed to fall out several other times without the aid of any whitewater. But I digress. You know you are not in Kansas (or Colorado) whitewater anymore when the rafting guides informs you that there will be four rescue kayakers [View Full Entry]

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Dr Livingstone we presume? Once our group got through the border ordeal we headed for the Falls. Right through Livingstone, where we are actually staying. We are here in a 'high water' season, and because of very heavy rains the water is more massive then usual. Traditionally, Victoria Falls was visited by the Zimbabwean side, that side had some of the better views and the hotels and infrastructure was superior and right on the water. In comparison, Livingstone was just a town nearby, poor and with little tourist (or any other) infrastructure. Well these days, given the political issues and monetary [View Full Entry]

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Crossing borders is my favorite - there is nothing like watching the crossroads of 3rd world life, bureacracy, ferries, produce, products, businessmen, truckers and the odd little face of a tourist or two toting backpacks and looking out of place. Some scared, some harrassed looking, and some barely noticing that they aren't in Kansas anymore. There is always ample time to observe these myriad of things as the guantlet of forms and queues are processed and waited on, first on one side, then on the other. Enterprising vendors make use of the bored masses by offering cold cokes and native trinkets [View Full Entry]

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The Botswanan people are some of the most genuinely friendly and helpful people I've met recently. They have glowing smiles, easy laughs and seem to feel quite at home accepting cultural differences. There is also a mild reserved-ness which I think comes from not wanting to be at odds with anyone. Though the current government has made great economic and peacetime strides for the country, and the country itself is considered on its way to success, the population, like a lot of southern africa, is facing disaster. Approximately 40% of Botswanans have HIV, and the vast majority of the cases in [View Full Entry]

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We packed in our camp today first thing, right at dawn. I've seen more sunrises in the past week then I have in a combined amount of years. The water lilies were still all shut in the early morning sun as we glided back out of the delta. It was chilly to say the least, and the lilies had the right idea. We only had a limited day of planned activities, and with the exception of running the bus smack into 2 large guinea fowl at 160kph (they bounced) we were well on our way to actually relaxing at a safari [View Full Entry]

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You might be noticing that my entries are waayyy shorter than usual. Some of you might even be happy about it. :) but seriously, it is a task just getting to an internet connection here, and they are running on tandy 1000s with a 1992 version of aol online, and 10 computers sharing that connection. I'm actually missing the days of Windows Vista (heaven forbid). So anyhow, unless a miracle in modern technology happens, I'm going to keep these short and sweet, as most go into my spiral bound notebook, and I can write at about a tenth of the pace [View Full Entry]

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Getting into my mokoro with Kim, a friend I've made on the trip, it was the first time so far this trip that I've felt "now this is what I'm here for". Seated in a reclining position amongst the bags and gear, at first we sat very still - the mokoro was exceedingly thin - a slight movement right or left resulted in a much more exaggerated movement for the boat. The driver of the boat (or poler) stood at the aft with a long poll and pushed off the bottom of the Okavango riverbed, sending us on our way. The [View Full Entry]

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