Good Morning South Africa

And we're off!  Met my dad and stepmom Mary at the airport so that we could embark on a glorious adventure.  But first things first.  A sandwich and a beer.  Okay, Mary had a soda, but you get the idea.

 

Bright eyed and bushy tailed in San Francisco before the first 10 hours.

I watched the sun rise over the top of the world from the plane on en route to Amsterdam, our half-way point.  Watching the sun rise from a point of origin not officially on earth (thousands of feet above) while perhaps not what astronauts or space aliens experience, is a pretty phenomenal sight.  We spent all of two hours in Amsterdam, waiting for our flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.  It was overcast, but green and lush, from what I could tell looking from the airplane window as we landed.  I'll have to come back sometime.  Dad and Mary have done this before- they're seasoned travelers. I couldn't ask for better travel mates, thought the joke we all shared while awaiting our flight is that after our trip, we'll not want to see or hear each other for a bit.  Somehow I doubt that.

Post flight in Amsterdam, looking at the next 11.5 hours on a plane. Are we there yet??

Safely in Johannesburg, I slept like a baby in a plush, clean bed.  My shower spit brown water at me shortly before stopping altogether, but the problem was quickly rectified and I was able to wash the airplane travel stink off of me.  I'm sure dad and Mary are grateful.  I watched the sun rise again, this time over the city.  At first glance it is not unlike any sunrise I might have seen before, but upon careful inspection it is very different in subtle hue and intensity.  Probably a different flavor of smog over here.

Good morning South Africa- It's a pleasure to meet you.

Regarding Africa

So, a year ago I received a phone call from my dad, and the reason for his call was basically this (I'm paraphrasing, of course).  He says to me, "Hey!  Mary and I are planning a trip to Africa and we were wondering if you'd like to go with us.  Well?  Wanna go?"  Of course I gave it some serious thought for all of about 30 seconds and replied with a hearty YES.

And so began the planning process.  Having never left the U.S., with the exception of a few drives down into Mexico for a handful of possibly unsavory reasons, I needed a passport and a barrage of vaccinations.  Of course the passport was painless, a few forms, a few photos and a chunk of money later I received my first passport in the mail.  The handlebar mustache I had at the time really tied the thing together.  The shots were not as painless, though not horrible.  There were enough needles however, to warrant switching to the other arm after a couple jabs.  I asked if there was a vaccination against bazooka fire or at very least, bullets in the event a random pirate attack should occur.  The travel nurse was not amused.  

Packing made me anxious- especially packing for a place I've never visited.  The key to this was pack light, and make sure everything dries quickly.  I won't pretend I didn't fret for quite a while over what to have/not have, but it occurred to me that I could go equipped with my passport, a good pair of walking shoes, my camera and a spare change of skivvies (optional) and I'd be okay, because you know what?  I'M GOING TO AFRICA.  Once I settled with that, it was easy.

...and there it is- ready to go to Africa.  Of course my cat knows what happens when I start putting my things into bags... he was not pleased.  Augusto, or "The Goose" went through my stuff anyway just to make sure I didn't forget anything.  Apparently I forgot the cat hair, so he helped me out in that department.

Yes, the Brilliance of Living...

... it really is, isn't it?  Seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, breathing, feeling... living.  I'm guilty of not properly living on occasion, but then I'm reminded somewhere in my day that I've been complacent or lazy.  That is not to say that living requires being always on the go.  Quite to the contrary, one can stay completely still and immerse themselves in the LIVING of that one moment, however long it may be.  This however, shouldn't be a free pass to NOT embark on fantastic adventures (big or small) when opportunities present themselves, and they really will present themselves if you just PAY ATTENTION.  So this is what the universe wants us to do.  Welcome to The Brilliance of Living.