Going to Africa

I guess I haven't said on this blog where I"m going and why I was bent out of shape last night by the possibility of not getting my passport back. I'm going to Africa. When I say that to people the stereotypes plug in and they think "safari". That's what I'm doing. Not in the well known Kenya-Tanganyika area that is in all the old movies, but in the lesser known and supposedly still "unspoiled" Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe game preserves.

In fact, I have "been to Africa" twice before. Such is the American info industry that no one immediately thinks "pyramids" or "Sahara" "Casbahs", etc. But I have been to Egypt and loved the pyramids and the Nile and the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Abu Simbel, all that. A must see. And another time I wanted to see the Sahara so went to Morocco and also saw souks an casbahs, the wonderful Atlas Mountains, as well as the dessert. But this is my first safari trip.

It will be mostly in safari camps, after arrival in Johannesburg, travel will mostly be by small plane and Land Rover-ish vehicle and I hope to see lots of elephants [this is prime elephant country]. And lions [also prime lion territory]. And lately I've learned there are not only hippos and cheetahs and various antilopes but meercats -- oh! I hope I see meercats! So I have my passport with some pretty new pages that now won't be filled but that's okay. They're in place as needed and some will be needed. And the excitement is building in my chest cavity like a crush on the new kid in school. Time is dragging until my Saturday night flight to London. I'm rereading the detailed itinarey and the list of the people on the trip. How often I've looked at names and waited to put faces with them.

This is my fifth trip with Overseas Adventure Travel and I've enjoyed the other four very much, enjoyed the places, the people with me, the guides, the arrangements. [Turkey, Peru, Thailand and Morocco]. There are only 15 on this trip, I'll have a roommate who I've Googled and now know a little bit about her. I'm psyched! I have so much static energy I'll go on a housecleaning spree in the next few days just to use it up! [I'm not a fan of housecleaning.] So that's what's happening. I'm finishing off quilting projects and will write a bit more about that. Meanwhile just vibrating with excitement.