And it’s coming to an end. 14 countries. 80 days camping and roadtripping through Africa. 1 detour to Hong Kong. Eating too much pad thai in Thailand. Island hopping in Indonesia. Falling in love with the mountains in Nepal. I dealt with bed bugs, mosquito bites, leeches, sunburns and blisters. My camera, all my photos, are gone. I stepped on what I thought was a rock and fell straight down a cliff, completely buried by dirt, and thankfully walked away with only a few cuts and bruises. I hiked for 2 weeks in the Himalayas eating just rice and lentils. I found the endangered mountain gorillas in the Virungas and the endangered orangutans in the deep jungle of Gunung Leuser National Park Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. I watched the stars light up in the Serengeti and had lions brush past our tents in the middle of the night. I failed miserably at surfing in Bali and then found my place drinking smoothies in the beach. I took a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls, one of the 7 wonders of the world and a small plane over the Okavango delta to see the wildlife from a different angle. I became scuba certified and found Nemo in Thailand and turtles and manta rays in Indonesia. I went paragliding over the countryside and rice fields of Pokhara. I fell in love with kao soy and dal baht and momos and chapati and samosas. I rafted down the Zambezi and white water kayaked down the Nile River. I trekked for hours in the rain through the Kalinuzu Forest to find chimpanzees that didn’t want to be seen. I skydived (twice) and sand boarded over the bright orange colored dunes in Namibia. I rode scooters to canyons and waterfalls in Northern Thailand. I got to find my way through Hong Kong’s crazy public transportation and eat too much dim sum. I spent too many hours on buses and trains. I drank too many tuskers and too many Everest’s. I’ve grown thrilled to have a cold shower. Most of my meals have been cooked over a campfire. The red African dirt and campfire smoke have stained my clothes a different color. And I can’t wait to throw some of them away when i get home. Spent too much money on alcohol for a house boating trip on Lake Kariba in Zambia. Snorkeled in the crystal blue waters of Zanzibar. Found peace in the cold wind on our faces standing atop a Jeep through the Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti and Maasai mara and Etosha National Park and Chobe and more. I walked with elephants and cheetahs and watched lions bathe in sunlight and got extremely close to the beautiful ancient rhinos. And I drank wine in stellenbosch and laughed and laughed until I cried. I hiked table mountain in the clouds and lions head as well. Oh, and found penguins on the beach. I got a tattoo in Thailand and learned enough Nepali to get me through small talk. And my time has been filled with watching thunderstorms, exploring temples and art, walking through colorful rice fields, drunkenly dancing, searching for golden light, getting lost driving around heavy scooters, people watching in cafes and markets, falling deeply, madly in love with the world. And this has been the greatest time of my life. And the best part is, this is still just the beginning.
difficult