We bought our tickets to Africa (SF to Istanbul to Cairo to East Africa and beyond) three months ago, but with just two weeks til departure the anticipation is killing us. 99% of our preparations are done--pouring over military survival guides and McGuyver reruns, perfecting our poop-'n-bury techniques, and learning how to tame a pack of wild hyenas with a spork and peanutbutter. We also got vaccinations, updated our passports, and packed the band-aids...just in case. In lieu of travel guides, we've been reading an eclectic assortment of Africa-related histories, memoirs, novels, and essays with hopes of gaining a better sense of context for our trip than what might be gathered from "The Gods Must Be Crazy." Most of all, we're amazed not at what we've learned, but at how little we knew. Like the fact
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