Home again, home again . . .

I’ve been home just over a week, and thought I should finish out my blog with a post on what I’ve been up to for the last month or so now that I have the time.

First off, I’ll backtrack to Bologna, where Cindy and I went on a really long hike to a beautiful cathedral that overlooks the city. We accidentally took the long way around, and turned what was supposed to be an hour-long walk through the longest portico in the world (I think) into about a 2 ½ hour walk through the beautiful countryside. We looped around to the cathedral, then walked back through the portico, which was nice since that means we saw more and burned off some of the gelato and cheese we’d been eating.

From Bologna, we hopped a train to Modena, which is really close, and Cindy met up with a family for an interview to be their nanny. Since she never left Italy and is living with them now, I’d say the interview went well. ☺ She’s now living in Correggio, which is just north of Modena. We wandered Modena and had a good time catching as much sun as possible before leaving for Verona, the city where Romeo and Juliet is set. There, we checked into a hostel and went in search of a restaurant. We ended up at a great place, where we made friends with all the wait-staff and the cook, even the regulars. We barely made it back to our hostel before curfew (11:00 – so early!).

The following day, we put on our tourist hats, and spent hours walking around in an attempt to see as much as possible. We saw Juliet’s house, her tomb, her balcony, countless churches, amphitheaters . . . the list goes on. That night, we were once again on a mission to find a restaurant, when an Italian guy recognized our accents as Seattle accents, and he took us out to dinner. It’s so nice being a tourist sometimes! ☺

Cindy and I scrambled the next day to make it to Milan in time to burn our photos to DVDs before I took off for Cape Town to meet up with Amy. That accomplished, I caught a train to the airport and was off on my first adventure without Cindy in 5 months.

I arrived in Cape Town on October 2, after nearly 24 hours of traveling. Amy and her friend Fiona had already checked into the hostel we were staying at, so I met up with them and we took off for dinner. The most amazing thing I noticed about the food in Cape Town was the portion sizes! We always hear that there are starving children in Africa, but you’d never know it based on what we were served in the restaurants. Everything we ordered there was as big as something you’d get at Cheesecake Factory, which could easily feed you for 2-3 days.

We got an early start on Oct. 3, and took off to climb Table Mountain. It started off being a beautiful day, but by the time we made it up the mountain (after taking one LONG detour that added about 2 hours to our climb), a cloud had taken over the top of the mountain and we couldn’t see a thing from the top. Rather than risk going back down the steep climb in the misty/rainy mess, we took the gondola back down to the bottom of the mountain, where it was once again sunny. Then we walked down to the Cape Town waterfront and took in the rest of the sun before heading out to explore the night life that night. Although we had fun that night, we definitely struck out in finding the good night life. Our taxi drivers definitely did NOT give the best advice!

The following morning, we woke up just in time to catch an 8am bus for a wine tasting tour. Our tour leader, Devin, was very entertaining, and the approach they took to wine tasting was great. It was more organized than most tastings I’ve been to, which was nice. We tasted as a group, and learned a lot while we were tasting, which was an added benefit since most times you’re on your own and don’t really learn much. Also included was a brandy tasting, which I was very impressed with.

After a day of indulging, we crashed early, as Fiona had to catch an early flight out of Cape Town and Amy and I planned to go up Table Mountain again in an attempt to take in the views we’d seen on all the postcards. It turns out, the views are spectacular. We made it up Table Mountain in an hour and 15 minutes, since we missed the detour this time, and although it was freezing at the top we spent a few hours wandering around the top of the mountain, taking in the view from all sides. This time we also hiked back down the mountain, which was harder than going up.

On October 6, Amy and I woke up early for our cage diving adventure. We were joined by our dorm roommates Ed, Simon, and Giuliano, who had all just finished a safari through East Africa, and were in Cape Town for a few days before leaving to go back home. And although I didn’t find the cage dives particularly scary as I had hoped, we did see 9 or so great white sharks, some southern right whales, and tons of seagulls (we were lucky to be wearing rain coats and wet suits because EVERYONE got pooped on multiple times). That night, we went out for a seafood diner (yuck! I had a salad) and then out to an Irish pub and had a great time.

The following day, Amy and I were picked up by her friend Darryn, who is a South Africa native and whose parents live just outside Cape Town. Darryn drove us out to Cape Point, where we saw the point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, and saw a white southern right whale, which is apparently a rarity. Afterwards, we drove back to Darryn’s parents’ house, where we experienced a braai, or South African BBQ. His mom is an amazing cook, and since it was the first home-cooked meal I’d eaten in what seemed like a million years, I definitely went overboard, but it was worth it! ☺

Amy, Ed, and Simon left the following day, but at least I had one friend left. Giuliano and I walked around Cape Town some more while I ran errands before taking off on my safari. Who would believe you’d need a sleeping bag to go camping in Africa?! ☺

On Oct. 8, I left Cape Town for Windhoek, Namibia, where I joined my safari. The group I joined up with had already been traveling together for nearly 3 weeks, and was already pretty close, but I fit in great and was paired up with who else, but another Suzanne. The other Suzanne is from Holland, and luckily we got along just great. The other people on the safari were from Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Korea, Australia, and Brazil. Our cook and tour leader were both from Zimbabwe. Four of the Brazilians were part of a film crew that was shooting a documentary/news piece, so we were followed around by cameras for part of the trip.

The first two days of my safari were spent driving, which I was very disappointed about. I saw barely any wildlife (maybe that was partly because I have a tendency to sleep whenever I’m in a moving vehicle lately), and I was surprised to know that we really weren’t going to see anything until we crossed into Botswana.

We arrived in Botswana on Oct. 11, and headed straight for the Okavango Delta. When we arrived, we were taken to a camp in dug-out canoes, called mykoras. The mykoras are driven by polers, who use really long poles to steer the boats through the shallow delta, which is croc-and hippo-infested in areas. From where we were seated, two to a mykora, we couldn’t see much since the reeds were taller than we were sitting.

After arriving at our camp, where we stayed for 2 nights, Suzanne and I set up our tent for the only 2 nights of the entire trip that we would use it. The rest of the time, we slept on top of our truck which was great since it’s always better to sleep out under the stars. After a quick snack, we went on our first nature walk, and saw elephants, a hyena, a wild boar, several antelope, and probably a few other animals I can’t remember. A lot of them were pretty far away, so the most memorable thing I saw was elephants since we were up close and personal with them. They were all males, since the females only stay in herds and these were mostly loners or groups of up to 5 elephants. And although by the end of my safari I would say, “Oh – it’s just another elephant,” it was pretty amazing to see them right there, in your face.

The following morning, we woke up and did another walk through the delta. We saw more animals this time, including impalas, ground birds, more elephants, baboons, buffalo, and other animals. We were in search of the Big 5 – lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and cape buffalo, most of which remained elusive the entire time I was on my safari. The others had seen lions and rhinos, both black and white, in Namibia, but I joined too late to see them. After swimming that afternoon (kind of scary since you never know when a hippo, snake, or croc will show up), we rode in the mykoras out to a hippo pool and watched the hippos (which was mostly uneventful) while the sun set.

The following morning, we once again went on a walk. We saw more wildlife, but nothing too terribly exciting until we were nearly chased by a rogue elephant. We were all prepared to run for cover at one point when our guides were convinced he was going to turn on us and charge. Luckily, it didn’t happen although I was kind of hoping it would because I wanted to have a good story to tell. ☺

We left the delta that afternoon, and a number of us paid for the optional activity of a 45-minute flight over the delta, out of Maun. On the flight, we predictably saw more than we had on foot. There were huge herds of buffalo, elephants, and antelope, and I saw lots of giraffes, ostrich, and other animals I’d have to look at my pictures to remember. The flight didn’t last long, but it was definitely worth the money for the experience of seeing how expansive the Okavango Delta really is. And this was in low season. The delta will creep very, very slowly (I think I remember only about 10 ft. /week or something crazy like that) farther south for the next few months while it rains, creating more habitat for the animals until the rains stop, then will recede just as slowly as it gets hotter and hotter.

After leaving Maun, we drove quite a ways to our next campsite which was just outside of Chobe National Park, still in Botswana. On arrival, we set up our tents, then hopped back on the truck to leave for a sunset river cruise. The river cruise was absolutely spectacular. We saw loads of buffalo, elephants, crocs, hippos, antelope and impalas, pumbas, and other animals. Other than the flight, this was the best animal viewing, and we were closer than on the flight, so it was maybe even better.

The following morning, I woke up early and went with 9 others on a game drive. We drove in a jeep around Chobe National Park, once again mostly seeing buffalo, impalas, and elephants. The best part of the game drive was seeing all the baby elephants, which I’d been hoping to see up close for the entire trip. Then, that afternoon we crossed into Zimbabwe to end our safari at Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls was absolutely stunning, even at the time of year where half the falls were dry. Standing, looking at how far the falls stretch, I imagined how deafening it would be when the water is really flowing and it made me think it probably could be compared to what Dry Falls in Washington was once like. Maybe Victoria Falls isn’t quite that big, but it’s certainly VERY expansive! And there were rainbows EVERYWHERE!!!

I left the safari the following day, after trading my tank tops, dresses, and other summer clothes I’d bought in SE Asia and knew I’d never wear again for souvenirs. Inflation is so high in Zimbabwe that they won’t take the local currency, and everything is purchased with either American dollars or by trading.

I flew into Johannesburg, where I caught a ride to my hostel, which I didn’t leave until I took off for the airport again the following morning. From there, I flew into Rome, where I arrived at 5am. I caught a train into the city, checked into a hostel, and began sight-seeing. By noon I’d already been to the Coliseum, where I did the audio tour, and was at The Roman Forum when I spotted a guy wearing a Coug hat. Of course I busted out the, “Go Cougs!” and talked with him and his girlfriend for a bit before we parted ways. And although I thought the guy in the hat looked familiar, I didn’t realize I actually KNEW him until yesterday when I got a message from him because he’d figured out who I was. The guy in the hat was Brad Zito, who I played football with for 2 or 3 years on a Seattle flag football league. Talk about a small world!

I walked around Rome and the Vatican for the next 2 days, and probably saw every piazza, fountain, and church in the city before taking off for Venice for 2 days. And although I didn’t have fantastic weather in Venice, the sun did come out the afternoon of the second day, and I fell in love with the city. Once again, I just walked, walked, walked to see as much as I could, and left Venice for Milan on Oct. 23 so I could get in a tiny bit of shopping before flying back home on the 24th.

Once in Milan, I checked into a hotel and hit up the shopping near the Duomo. Although most everything was out of my price-range, I did manage to find some good bargains in the fashion capital of the world, which was a good feeling.

I returned to Seattle on Oct. 24, after traveling for about 15 hours from Milan to London, and London to Seattle. Mom and Dad were there at the airport to greet me when I came through customs, which was so great. They were definitely a sight for sore eyes since I hadn’t seen them in over 6 months at that point. We headed to Andy and Janie’s house straight from the airport, where I was greeted by crazy Turk, then Andy and Janie, and finally Katie, who showed up a few hours later. We spent the weekend watching football and catching up, which was so great. The weather was absolutely amazing, and I was very thankful to make it back to Seattle before the weather turned bad and all the leaves fell off the trees, which is what they’ve been doing all week this week.

Since I’ve been home, I’ve spent time trying to organize myself, and seeing friends. My birthday/Halloween party was a hit, as was my Cher costume. My pictures still aren’t all together, but they will be soon. Then I’ll have to upload them. After I vote tomorrow, I’ll leave for Davenport, where I’ll pick up all the stuff I bought while I was away (all but 1 package has arrived home. Woo hoo!), and will visit my parents, grandparents, and more family and friends. Then it will be back to Seattle where I’ll be full-time job searching.

So my trip has come to an end, but I’ll definitely be out traveling again as soon as I save up enough money and time to go, although on less extensive adventures, just using up my vacation time and not all of my life savings! ☺

Cape Town!

I've spent the last 6 days exploring Cape Town with Amy. She left this morning, but we had an absolutely amazing time and I can't believe she's already at the airport, catching a flight back to Tanzania. We climbed Table Mountain twice, went to Cape Point, went cage diving, and wine tasting.

Tomorrow I leave for Namibia, where I'll begin my safari that will take me into Botswana and Zimbabwe. Then it's back to Italy for a week before coming home. I can't believe it's almost over!!!!!

Happy very belated birthday to Matthew Parsons (Sept. 29) and Alan Hille (Oct. 4)!

Gelato, Gelato, Capuccino

I'm about 15 pounds heavier since having arrived in Italy, but am leaving for South Africa in a few hours and hope to lose those extra 15 there! :)

Happy birthday to Matthew Parsons yesterday and to Alan Hille on Oct. 4.

If you don't hear from me by Oct. 6, that means a shark ate me!!!