Out of (South) Africa

One of my many firsts in South Africa was my first hot air balloon flight
One of my many firsts in South Africa was my first hot air balloon flight
After 32 hours of airports and airplanes, I am back from South Africa.

The last 10 days have were an amazing experience and I have to give a big thanks to South Africa Tourism for the opportunity to visit a country which had been high on my list of places to visit.

Here is a short list of some of the things I did and saw in South Africa:

  • Went swimming with great white sharks
  • Visited my 123rd UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Went on my first hot air ballon flight
  • Took an overnight train from Cape Town to Johannesburg
  • Went rafting on the Orange River
  • Visited the 2nd largest waterfall in Africa: Augrabies Falls
  • Witnessed the live capture of a sable antelope which included a vet shooting a tranquilizer dart from a helicopter
  • Saw zebras, giraffes, multiple species of antelope, seals and penguines
  • Got kissed by an elephant (which is more action than I’ve gotten in years)
  • Got enough frequent flyer miles to make it to the Premier level of the United frequent flyer program

I also had the opportunity to travel with some great people: David, Lori, Shannon, Mary Frances, Sean and Sara.

I took about 2,000 photos while I was in South Africa and I’ll be spending the next few weeks editing them. There are about a half-dozen articles I’ll be posting once I have my photos edited, so stay tuned. This week should be packed with writing and photo editing, so expect a flood of posts this week.

I’ll be in Wisconsin for the next 5 days until I leave for Toronto on October 1.