September 21, 2021 • 24 mins
Episode 006 - I did not want to go to Africa. Let me rephrase that. I did not want to go to Africa until I retired because I wanted to spend months exploring each country. However, in 2013, my godson joined the Peace Corps and was stationed in Lesotho, which is an independent country within the South Africa border.
The flight from Dulles to Dakar Senegal stopped for an hour to let off few passengers and pick some new ones. Then we departed for Johannesburg. My Godson met me at the airport.
The flight from Dulles to Dakar Senegal stopped for an hour to let off few passengers and pick some new ones. Then we departed for Johannesburg. My Godson met me at the airport.
1. Stayed in Pretoria and did some tours in Soweto, Apartheid Museum, Joburg to meet his friend Tumi, and visit the Capitol buildings, etc
3. Joburg city tour
4. Zimbabwe & Botswana
5. Cape Town
6. Durban
Going to South Africa changed me forever.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Danielle (00:13):
This is Danny knew coming at you with the slow
traveling souls is the podcasttravel, nourishes the soul and
broadens the mind, but solotravel, frees our imagination
and builds our con.
Hashtag go see, do B the firstfive episodes of the slow
(00:35):
traveling soul sister podcastallowed you to pick into my
mindset growing up in mature.
The rest of this podcast will goback into my travel memories and
stories.
My future travel plans, myopinions, aspirations, and
inspirations on single lifework, life and retirement life.
(00:57):
In this episode, I discussed mytrip to Africa and how my life
was changed forever.
(01:25):
I did not want to go to Africa.
Let me rephrase it.
I did not want to go to Africauntil I retired because I wanted
to spend months exploring eachcountry.
However, in 2013, my godsonjoined the peace Corps and was
stationed in the soup too, whichis an independent country within
(01:47):
the South Africa border.
You see, my godson takes afterme with his traveling.
So when he told me about thepeace Corps, I said, Do you want
me to tell your parents?
And he said, no, I'll tell them.
I just want you to be there tobe the calming influence.
(02:08):
I said, okay.
We sat down.
He told his parents that he wasgoing to Africa for two years
and gas was expelled by bothparents, my best friends.
And the first thing that I said.
Now it's time to get thatpassport because you're not
(02:28):
going to let your only son go toAfrica and you can't get to
them.
So we got the passports for themand they went to Africa before I
did my guy, son went to thepeace Corps in July of 2013 and
they went that followingDecember, 2013, right after
(02:52):
Nelson Mandela had done.
So after I got his parents andyounger sister over there for
their Christmas vacation, I tookthe opportunity to visit him for
his birthday month in April,2014 and do a little exploring
around South Africa and someneighboring countries.
(03:13):
The preparation for me findingthe right tour operator.
I like boutique or smallindependent operators.
And I found one in Titansafaris.
They had a 12 day Kruger park,Victoria falls and Cape town
experience, tour package, whichincluded three days, two nights
(03:37):
so far and Kruger one full day,two nights in Johannesburg,
three nights in Zimbabwe, threenights in Cape town.
One whole day was going to befor traveling between Victoria
falls all the way down to Capetown.
(03:57):
So of course I ultimatelyextended that 12 day into a 21
day vacation for myself byadding three days, two nights in
Pretoria in the front andovernight in Botswana from
Zimbabwe.
Another two nights in Cape townand three days and two nights in
(04:20):
Durban, South Africa, the otherpreparations were forced the
required immunization shots,yellow fever, typhoid, and
hepatitis a.
I got those in March of 2014 ata travel clinic in the
Fredericksburg Virginia area.
The CDC website has all therequired and recommended
(04:45):
immunizations for each country.
So that information was easilyaccessible.
And of course the travel clinichas all that information, but
you might as well be prepared inadvance because it's going to
cost you if you need all thosedifferent shots.
But the third part of thepreparation where the visas
(05:05):
South Africa did not require abaseline.
Botswana did not require a basedup, but Zimbabwe required a
visa.
So since I was going to beentering both Swan up from
Zimbabwe, I needed a multipleentry visa.
Therefore I sent my passportinto the Zimbabwean embassy in
(05:29):
Washington, DC.
I was just in Virginia, justdown the road in February of
2014.
But when I did not get mypassport back, mid March, I
started calling.
They would look for it.
I was promised and call me back.
I never happened.
I call and I kept being told tobe patient, but it was almost
(05:57):
the end of March.
And I was leaving on April 2nd.
So I didn't have that much timeon March 24th when I called.
And started screaming.
They finally said, okay, it'slost.
We don't know where it is.
So I had to expedite to get anew one, costing me a small
fortune.
I would've rather spent thatmoney on fabrics and food and
(06:19):
gifts for family and friends,but oh, well of course I cursed
them under my breath.
I did find out however that Icould get the multiple entry
visa at the border crossing orat the air.
Then the Saturday before I left.
So I was leaving on April 2nd,which was a Wednesday, the
(06:40):
Saturday, before I left, I'msitting at my desk.
I hear someone pull up near myhouse a couple seconds later,
close my mailbox.
Then the car pulls off curiousbecause the mail had already
been delivered that.
(07:01):
But, you know, sometimes smellgets mixed up and your neighbors
will come by and drop off yourmail in your mailbox.
So I went out to the mailbox andwhat do I find in my mailbox?
My passport with the visa fromZimbabwe.
So they found my passport.
I don't know when, but theydidn't bother to call me back to
(07:26):
say anything.
They dropped it off.
Three days before I was leavingand it wasn't even in the
envelope.
So it was just there.
My passport was just there in anempty mailbox.
Anybody could've come by andjust like, you know, had my
information.
So of course I was so upset.
I was so mad because I thinkthat expedited passport costs me
(07:49):
like 400,$500 at that time.
So yeah, I was not happy about.
And I called the U S passportoffice and several other federal
government offices to reportthem.
I wanted to use my old passportbecause it had all my previous
(08:09):
stamps in it.
But I was told that since it wasreport lost, I should absolutely
not use it as it is invalid inthe system.
And I could be detained.
I didn't want that to happeneither.
Thankfully.
None of the countries requiredthat my passport be at least six
months old, or I would have beendenied entrance.
(08:32):
Anyway, I made the flight fromDallas to the Carson.
The call stopped for an hour tolet off a few passengers and
pick up some new ones.
Then we departed forJohannesburg.
I believe the flight from Dullesand Virginia to the Carson gall
was eight hours.
And then.
(08:53):
An hour stop.
And then I believe the DakarSenegal to Johannesburg was
seven hours.
My boss had met me at theairport.
We stayed three days and twonights in Pretoria.
We hired a driver to take usaround Johannesburg and Mr.
(09:13):
Wetzel area.
We did the apartheid museum.
I knew that the tour, uh, It'spart of the package.
We're also take me to theapartheid museum and the Soweto,
but it was all based on time.
And so because me and my bosswere, we're doing this.
(09:34):
We wanted to take our time.
One take all day that we neededto, to go through this the way
to a neighborhood and theapartheid museum.
And I did take several hours inthe apartheid museum.
We also went to Johannesburg tobe his friend, and I'd been to
the Capitol buildings andPretoria and a mall and did some
(09:57):
shopping and just had a reallygood time.
Then tied in safaris, picked meup in Pretoria at my hotel and a
Jeep.
And we drove even stopping toget groceries from a huge
farmer's market on the way toKruger national park.
The attentive camp that I wasstaying in, which was absolutely
(10:20):
stunning.
Just, you know, it wasn't highluxury, but I wasn't, I wasn't
missing a thing.
Okay.
It was fantastic.
And it was right outside theSabi sands gates.
Uh, so obviously there's a gamereserve inside of Kruger.
National park was a certain areaof Kruger national park.
(10:40):
So that was three days into.
Uh, so far.
And so you had more in drivesand you had evening drives.
There was no sense in trying togo on an afternoon drive because
of course it's too hot and theanimals are sleeping or hiding
or doing whatever it is theyneed to do and not bothered with
being visible.
So in the afternoon you comeback.
(11:02):
What I did was I looked at allmy pictures.
I downloaded, you know, you hadthe opportunity to take a swim
because it was a nice pool.
I'm going to go out and take anap because you're getting up
early in the morning.
You're in the Jeep before sixo'clock in the morning, you come
back and you have breakfast, youdo any activities and things
(11:23):
like that on the camp.
And then, like I said, then youhave lunch and then do whatever
it is you need to do.
And then you're going on in theevening drive.
So three days, two nights ofthat was just, it was fantastic
on the draft back.
To Johannesburg, you do thepanoramic route, which is a
different route than we took tothe tented camp, saw the sand.
(11:47):
So the panoramic road, youstopped by God's window.
The Lisbon falls just someamazing, uh, stops to view
nature.
And we didn't see God's windowwas too foggy, which I think is
ironic, but that was justfantastic.
So spends a night inJohannesburg.
(12:08):
So did my driver and then theyhad someone to pick up in the
next morning to do the samething that I did.
And so I had a city tour again,let's see.
The tour was the apartheidmuseum Selecto and the old jail
and constitution hall.
So again, all of that wastiming.
(12:29):
And so you did not get to spendas much time as I wanted.
And that's why me and my godsondid it earlier while we were in
Pretoria.
So the next stop was Victoriafalls in Zimbabwe.
I purchased my multiple entryvisa at the airport.
No problem advanced with theZulus at the airport, I was
(12:53):
driven to the hotel checked inlast, a warning that you get to
please close your shutters onyour balcony.
Or at least use the screen sothat the wild animals, the
monkeys basically, and the birdwouldn't get in and destroy your
room while you were away.
So that's something that youneeded to remember that evening.
(13:15):
I had a sunset cruise on thisMBZ river, which was lovely.
You got to see the elephantsplaying cooling off from the
sun.
It was actually a fantastic, youcould hear the water going over
the falls and we were about halfa mile or maybe more away.
(13:37):
They don't allow you to go closeduring the month of April,
because April has the largestcapacity of water going over the
falls.
That month is best month.
If you want to get sprayed, youwant to get down.
That's the month of.
But when you're taking a cruiseon the Zambezi river, because
the current is so strong, theyonly allow you to go so far down
(14:01):
into the mouth.
So it was amazing.
It really was amazing to see theanimals at play, uh, nearby and
actually a food and a drink onthe cruise was pretty good too.
Uh, back to the hotel.
The next day I had booked thewalk from the past.
At Victoria falls.
(14:24):
And again, as I said, the watercapacity is at its highest.
And I had two raincoats on, Ihad my camera in a waterproof
bag, but even my underwear wasdrenched.
It was that much spray.
It was fantastic.
Anyway, I had to run back, grablunch, but of course change
(14:44):
clothes because my next tour wasthe flag over the Victoria falls
and the health.
Which I just have a thing forhelicopters.
And I just love that particularview.
The next day I had booked a landsafari and Shelby river cruise
safari in Jodi volt, Swana, andI had also booked an overnight
(15:10):
at the lodge.
So in the morning we did thechubby river cruise safari.
We had lunch at the law.
And then I went on the land partof the safari.
I thought that after going inKruger national park for three
days and two nights that I wouldhave my field, but I can never
(15:33):
get my field up, seeing animalsliving free as they were meant
to be both, want to havedifferent species of birds that
I couldn't see in South Africa.
In Kruger national park, plentyof elephants.
I got to see warthogs in bolts.
Wanna, I did not see them inSouth Africa the next day
(16:00):
overnight.
I took another river safaricruise, and then I was taken
back to the border crossing,picked up at the gate and taken
back to my hotel.
Where I just rested and relaxedfor the evening.
And the next day it was a fullday of flying.
So Victoria falls back toJohannesburg and then down to
(16:25):
Cape town, Cape town.
What can I say that hasn'talready been said about Cape
town.
This is spectacular city.
Plenty to do, plenty to say.
You have the Cape Winelands onone side, you have K per mamas
where you can see the whales.
You can see penguins and seals.
(16:46):
On the other side, you can climbtable mountain where you can
take the cable up to tablemountain.
It's just spectacular, reallyspectacular city going on tours
in Cape town.
So you do, you know, a full daywine tour, or you go see the
penguin colony and you go toCape.
Which is the Southern most pointon the continent.
(17:10):
And you can do a tour that takesyou through the book hat
neighborhood, but there's also acore where it's called the
district six.
Um, we'll take you through thatneighborhood and you understand
that the it's just like Tulsa,Oklahoma.
It was an affluent neighborhoodfor the blacks in Cape town.
(17:32):
And.
Whatever is coveted by thecolonizers.
You know, everything will bedestroyed.
And so they had built a ghetto,a neighborhood to push the
blacks into because they wantedtheir streets in Cape town to be
(17:53):
whitewashed basically.
And so they burned, everything.
Took stores, killed people.
You know, moves all the blackpeople out of their houses and
everything else by force andpushed them into these shacks
and chances.
That is a remarkable tour.
(18:14):
That district six tour great.
Get a guide tire guy and adriver.
It's a way to as well.
So you will experience the realdeal.
Take these tools.
That will lead you to yourhistory.
Good or bad.
You need to see it.
(18:35):
You need to hear it readingabout it as one thing, but
experiencing it is another it's.
When you go to the continent,don't just go to the beaches.
You can go to the beaches, butalso learn about your district.
I'm going to say this.
If I ever get diagnosed.
(18:58):
And the prognosis is you got sixmonths to live.
I'm spending my last six monthsin Cape town, South Africa.
So just know family, just knowthat I have a book a one way
trip.
Okay.
That's where I'm going to diefor real, for real.
Anyway, after Cape town, I wentto Durban.
(19:21):
I had a cohort.
Who was from South Africa andDurbin in particular and his
family was still there.
So I went to Durbin for a coupleof days and, you know, met his
family and got some beach timein anyway, flew back home.
After those 21 days going toAfrica, specifically, South
(19:45):
Africa changed me forever.
The apartheid museum, becauseMandela had just died.
Special building it in tributeto him and his presidency and
his life.
And of course Winnie and thestruggle and the fight.
Don't go on a tour, just havesomeone drive you there, just
(20:07):
hire a driver and just go thereand spend as much time as you
want the pictures that wereallowed to be captured.
It is life-changing.
And for me, going on safari,Seeing elephants and lions and
leopards living free and runningwild, surviving on their own and
(20:27):
dying as part of the circle oflife.
Not any pages or confined livingspaces are being fed with.
Pitchforks changed myperspective on wildlife period.
I'll stop going to zoos, whichwas something that I absolutely
loved doing, moving fromPittsburgh and going to school
(20:48):
to Indiana and moving.
To Washington, DC was a hugeimpact on my life.
South Africa had that same orbigger, cause we're talking
about an entire country apart,how it had just ended 20 years
prior and it was booming and itwas progressive and they were
(21:11):
trying to right wrongs one ofthe sayings on, uh, Either
posted on the front of theapartheid museum or inside says
something to the effect of, ifyou don't acknowledge your past
history, you're bound to repeatit.
(21:33):
That was so profound.
So profound.
At least to me, you can't callyourself acquainted if you've
never rolled.
And that means.
Finding your purpose, findingyour passion, knowing when that
epiphany comes or that light inyour brain turns on what makes
(21:59):
you tick?
What makes you go forward?
What, what are you going tostand in line for?
What are you going to stand upfor going to Africa?
Made me realize how black Itruly am.
And I mean that from the insideout, growing up in Pittsburgh,
(22:23):
living in the hood, being taughtby the white people.
Okay.
Going to school in Indiana,probably the worst mistake I
ever made.
Not going to an HBCU.
Not being surrounded by my blackpeople, but moving to Washington
DC, a great stroke, a wonderfulthing for my psyche and going to
(22:50):
South Africa, Africa period, butspecifically South Africa is
what turned that light on insideof me.
This is Danny knew coming at you with the slow
traveling souls is the podcasttravel, nourishes the soul and
broadens the mind, but solotravel, frees our imagination
and builds our con.
Hashtag go see, do B the firstfive episodes of the slow
(00:35):
traveling soul sister podcastallowed you to pick into my
mindset growing up in mature.
The rest of this podcast will goback into my travel memories and
stories.
My future travel plans, myopinions, aspirations, and
inspirations on single lifework, life and retirement life.
(00:57):
In this episode, I discussed mytrip to Africa and how my life
was changed forever.
(01:25):
I did not want to go to Africa.
Let me rephrase it.
I did not want to go to Africauntil I retired because I wanted
to spend months exploring eachcountry.
However, in 2013, my godsonjoined the peace Corps and was
stationed in the soup too, whichis an independent country within
(01:47):
the South Africa border.
You see, my godson takes afterme with his traveling.
So when he told me about thepeace Corps, I said, Do you want
me to tell your parents?
And he said, no, I'll tell them.
I just want you to be there tobe the calming influence.
(02:08):
I said, okay.
We sat down.
He told his parents that he wasgoing to Africa for two years
and gas was expelled by bothparents, my best friends.
And the first thing that I said.
Now it's time to get thatpassport because you're not
(02:28):
going to let your only son go toAfrica and you can't get to
them.
So we got the passports for themand they went to Africa before I
did my guy, son went to thepeace Corps in July of 2013 and
they went that followingDecember, 2013, right after
(02:52):
Nelson Mandela had done.
So after I got his parents andyounger sister over there for
their Christmas vacation, I tookthe opportunity to visit him for
his birthday month in April,2014 and do a little exploring
around South Africa and someneighboring countries.
(03:13):
The preparation for me findingthe right tour operator.
I like boutique or smallindependent operators.
And I found one in Titansafaris.
They had a 12 day Kruger park,Victoria falls and Cape town
experience, tour package, whichincluded three days, two nights
(03:37):
so far and Kruger one full day,two nights in Johannesburg,
three nights in Zimbabwe, threenights in Cape town.
One whole day was going to befor traveling between Victoria
falls all the way down to Capetown.
(03:57):
So of course I ultimatelyextended that 12 day into a 21
day vacation for myself byadding three days, two nights in
Pretoria in the front andovernight in Botswana from
Zimbabwe.
Another two nights in Cape townand three days and two nights in
(04:20):
Durban, South Africa, the otherpreparations were forced the
required immunization shots,yellow fever, typhoid, and
hepatitis a.
I got those in March of 2014 ata travel clinic in the
Fredericksburg Virginia area.
The CDC website has all therequired and recommended
(04:45):
immunizations for each country.
So that information was easilyaccessible.
And of course the travel clinichas all that information, but
you might as well be prepared inadvance because it's going to
cost you if you need all thosedifferent shots.
But the third part of thepreparation where the visas
(05:05):
South Africa did not require abaseline.
Botswana did not require a basedup, but Zimbabwe required a
visa.
So since I was going to beentering both Swan up from
Zimbabwe, I needed a multipleentry visa.
Therefore I sent my passportinto the Zimbabwean embassy in
(05:29):
Washington, DC.
I was just in Virginia, justdown the road in February of
2014.
But when I did not get mypassport back, mid March, I
started calling.
They would look for it.
I was promised and call me back.
I never happened.
I call and I kept being told tobe patient, but it was almost
(05:57):
the end of March.
And I was leaving on April 2nd.
So I didn't have that much timeon March 24th when I called.
And started screaming.
They finally said, okay, it'slost.
We don't know where it is.
So I had to expedite to get anew one, costing me a small
fortune.
I would've rather spent thatmoney on fabrics and food and
(06:19):
gifts for family and friends,but oh, well of course I cursed
them under my breath.
I did find out however that Icould get the multiple entry
visa at the border crossing orat the air.
Then the Saturday before I left.
So I was leaving on April 2nd,which was a Wednesday, the
(06:40):
Saturday, before I left, I'msitting at my desk.
I hear someone pull up near myhouse a couple seconds later,
close my mailbox.
Then the car pulls off curiousbecause the mail had already
been delivered that.
(07:01):
But, you know, sometimes smellgets mixed up and your neighbors
will come by and drop off yourmail in your mailbox.
So I went out to the mailbox andwhat do I find in my mailbox?
My passport with the visa fromZimbabwe.
So they found my passport.
I don't know when, but theydidn't bother to call me back to
(07:26):
say anything.
They dropped it off.
Three days before I was leavingand it wasn't even in the
envelope.
So it was just there.
My passport was just there in anempty mailbox.
Anybody could've come by andjust like, you know, had my
information.
So of course I was so upset.
I was so mad because I thinkthat expedited passport costs me
(07:49):
like 400,$500 at that time.
So yeah, I was not happy about.
And I called the U S passportoffice and several other federal
government offices to reportthem.
I wanted to use my old passportbecause it had all my previous
(08:09):
stamps in it.
But I was told that since it wasreport lost, I should absolutely
not use it as it is invalid inthe system.
And I could be detained.
I didn't want that to happeneither.
Thankfully.
None of the countries requiredthat my passport be at least six
months old, or I would have beendenied entrance.
(08:32):
Anyway, I made the flight fromDallas to the Carson.
The call stopped for an hour tolet off a few passengers and
pick up some new ones.
Then we departed forJohannesburg.
I believe the flight from Dullesand Virginia to the Carson gall
was eight hours.
And then.
(08:53):
An hour stop.
And then I believe the DakarSenegal to Johannesburg was
seven hours.
My boss had met me at theairport.
We stayed three days and twonights in Pretoria.
We hired a driver to take usaround Johannesburg and Mr.
(09:13):
Wetzel area.
We did the apartheid museum.
I knew that the tour, uh, It'spart of the package.
We're also take me to theapartheid museum and the Soweto,
but it was all based on time.
And so because me and my bosswere, we're doing this.
(09:34):
We wanted to take our time.
One take all day that we neededto, to go through this the way
to a neighborhood and theapartheid museum.
And I did take several hours inthe apartheid museum.
We also went to Johannesburg tobe his friend, and I'd been to
the Capitol buildings andPretoria and a mall and did some
(09:57):
shopping and just had a reallygood time.
Then tied in safaris, picked meup in Pretoria at my hotel and a
Jeep.
And we drove even stopping toget groceries from a huge
farmer's market on the way toKruger national park.
The attentive camp that I wasstaying in, which was absolutely
(10:20):
stunning.
Just, you know, it wasn't highluxury, but I wasn't, I wasn't
missing a thing.
Okay.
It was fantastic.
And it was right outside theSabi sands gates.
Uh, so obviously there's a gamereserve inside of Kruger.
National park was a certain areaof Kruger national park.
(10:40):
So that was three days into.
Uh, so far.
And so you had more in drivesand you had evening drives.
There was no sense in trying togo on an afternoon drive because
of course it's too hot and theanimals are sleeping or hiding
or doing whatever it is theyneed to do and not bothered with
being visible.
So in the afternoon you comeback.
(11:02):
What I did was I looked at allmy pictures.
I downloaded, you know, you hadthe opportunity to take a swim
because it was a nice pool.
I'm going to go out and take anap because you're getting up
early in the morning.
You're in the Jeep before sixo'clock in the morning, you come
back and you have breakfast, youdo any activities and things
(11:23):
like that on the camp.
And then, like I said, then youhave lunch and then do whatever
it is you need to do.
And then you're going on in theevening drive.
So three days, two nights ofthat was just, it was fantastic
on the draft back.
To Johannesburg, you do thepanoramic route, which is a
different route than we took tothe tented camp, saw the sand.
(11:47):
So the panoramic road, youstopped by God's window.
The Lisbon falls just someamazing, uh, stops to view
nature.
And we didn't see God's windowwas too foggy, which I think is
ironic, but that was justfantastic.
So spends a night inJohannesburg.
(12:08):
So did my driver and then theyhad someone to pick up in the
next morning to do the samething that I did.
And so I had a city tour again,let's see.
The tour was the apartheidmuseum Selecto and the old jail
and constitution hall.
So again, all of that wastiming.
(12:29):
And so you did not get to spendas much time as I wanted.
And that's why me and my godsondid it earlier while we were in
Pretoria.
So the next stop was Victoriafalls in Zimbabwe.
I purchased my multiple entryvisa at the airport.
No problem advanced with theZulus at the airport, I was
(12:53):
driven to the hotel checked inlast, a warning that you get to
please close your shutters onyour balcony.
Or at least use the screen sothat the wild animals, the
monkeys basically, and the birdwouldn't get in and destroy your
room while you were away.
So that's something that youneeded to remember that evening.
(13:15):
I had a sunset cruise on thisMBZ river, which was lovely.
You got to see the elephantsplaying cooling off from the
sun.
It was actually a fantastic, youcould hear the water going over
the falls and we were about halfa mile or maybe more away.
(13:37):
They don't allow you to go closeduring the month of April,
because April has the largestcapacity of water going over the
falls.
That month is best month.
If you want to get sprayed, youwant to get down.
That's the month of.
But when you're taking a cruiseon the Zambezi river, because
the current is so strong, theyonly allow you to go so far down
(14:01):
into the mouth.
So it was amazing.
It really was amazing to see theanimals at play, uh, nearby and
actually a food and a drink onthe cruise was pretty good too.
Uh, back to the hotel.
The next day I had booked thewalk from the past.
At Victoria falls.
(14:24):
And again, as I said, the watercapacity is at its highest.
And I had two raincoats on, Ihad my camera in a waterproof
bag, but even my underwear wasdrenched.
It was that much spray.
It was fantastic.
Anyway, I had to run back, grablunch, but of course change
(14:44):
clothes because my next tour wasthe flag over the Victoria falls
and the health.
Which I just have a thing forhelicopters.
And I just love that particularview.
The next day I had booked a landsafari and Shelby river cruise
safari in Jodi volt, Swana, andI had also booked an overnight
(15:10):
at the lodge.
So in the morning we did thechubby river cruise safari.
We had lunch at the law.
And then I went on the land partof the safari.
I thought that after going inKruger national park for three
days and two nights that I wouldhave my field, but I can never
(15:33):
get my field up, seeing animalsliving free as they were meant
to be both, want to havedifferent species of birds that
I couldn't see in South Africa.
In Kruger national park, plentyof elephants.
I got to see warthogs in bolts.
Wanna, I did not see them inSouth Africa the next day
(16:00):
overnight.
I took another river safaricruise, and then I was taken
back to the border crossing,picked up at the gate and taken
back to my hotel.
Where I just rested and relaxedfor the evening.
And the next day it was a fullday of flying.
So Victoria falls back toJohannesburg and then down to
(16:25):
Cape town, Cape town.
What can I say that hasn'talready been said about Cape
town.
This is spectacular city.
Plenty to do, plenty to say.
You have the Cape Winelands onone side, you have K per mamas
where you can see the whales.
You can see penguins and seals.
(16:46):
On the other side, you can climbtable mountain where you can
take the cable up to tablemountain.
It's just spectacular, reallyspectacular city going on tours
in Cape town.
So you do, you know, a full daywine tour, or you go see the
penguin colony and you go toCape.
Which is the Southern most pointon the continent.
(17:10):
And you can do a tour that takesyou through the book hat
neighborhood, but there's also acore where it's called the
district six.
Um, we'll take you through thatneighborhood and you understand
that the it's just like Tulsa,Oklahoma.
It was an affluent neighborhoodfor the blacks in Cape town.
(17:32):
And.
Whatever is coveted by thecolonizers.
You know, everything will bedestroyed.
And so they had built a ghetto,a neighborhood to push the
blacks into because they wantedtheir streets in Cape town to be
(17:53):
whitewashed basically.
And so they burned, everything.
Took stores, killed people.
You know, moves all the blackpeople out of their houses and
everything else by force andpushed them into these shacks
and chances.
That is a remarkable tour.
(18:14):
That district six tour great.
Get a guide tire guy and adriver.
It's a way to as well.
So you will experience the realdeal.
Take these tools.
That will lead you to yourhistory.
Good or bad.
You need to see it.
(18:35):
You need to hear it readingabout it as one thing, but
experiencing it is another it's.
When you go to the continent,don't just go to the beaches.
You can go to the beaches, butalso learn about your district.
I'm going to say this.
If I ever get diagnosed.
(18:58):
And the prognosis is you got sixmonths to live.
I'm spending my last six monthsin Cape town, South Africa.
So just know family, just knowthat I have a book a one way
trip.
Okay.
That's where I'm going to diefor real, for real.
Anyway, after Cape town, I wentto Durban.
(19:21):
I had a cohort.
Who was from South Africa andDurbin in particular and his
family was still there.
So I went to Durbin for a coupleof days and, you know, met his
family and got some beach timein anyway, flew back home.
After those 21 days going toAfrica, specifically, South
(19:45):
Africa changed me forever.
The apartheid museum, becauseMandela had just died.
Special building it in tributeto him and his presidency and
his life.
And of course Winnie and thestruggle and the fight.
Don't go on a tour, just havesomeone drive you there, just
(20:07):
hire a driver and just go thereand spend as much time as you
want the pictures that wereallowed to be captured.
It is life-changing.
And for me, going on safari,Seeing elephants and lions and
leopards living free and runningwild, surviving on their own and
(20:27):
dying as part of the circle oflife.
Not any pages or confined livingspaces are being fed with.
Pitchforks changed myperspective on wildlife period.
I'll stop going to zoos, whichwas something that I absolutely
loved doing, moving fromPittsburgh and going to school
(20:48):
to Indiana and moving.
To Washington, DC was a hugeimpact on my life.
South Africa had that same orbigger, cause we're talking
about an entire country apart,how it had just ended 20 years
prior and it was booming and itwas progressive and they were
(21:11):
trying to right wrongs one ofthe sayings on, uh, Either
posted on the front of theapartheid museum or inside says
something to the effect of, ifyou don't acknowledge your past
history, you're bound to repeatit.
(21:33):
That was so profound.
So profound.
At least to me, you can't callyourself acquainted if you've
never rolled.
And that means.
Finding your purpose, findingyour passion, knowing when that
epiphany comes or that light inyour brain turns on what makes
(21:59):
you tick?
What makes you go forward?
What, what are you going tostand in line for?
What are you going to stand upfor going to Africa?
Made me realize how black Itruly am.
And I mean that from the insideout, growing up in Pittsburgh,
(22:23):
living in the hood, being taughtby the white people.
Okay.
Going to school in Indiana,probably the worst mistake I
ever made.
Not going to an HBCU.
Not being surrounded by my blackpeople, but moving to Washington
DC, a great stroke, a wonderfulthing for my psyche and going to
(22:50):
South Africa, Africa period, butspecifically South Africa is
what turned that light on insideof me.
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