Modern Girl's Guide to Travel (Part 1)

8 Aug 07

I'm definitely going to need a vacation from my vacation. With the exception of the lazy stretch of day in Franschhoek, our days are jam-packed and there is no end in site. I can't complain though, we're having an amazing time. The problem is that I don't get to write everything down until toward the end of the day and I feel like I've forgotten so much. Also, who knew my handwriting was so bad? The nuns would have a field day. I looked through my journal and thought I'd have to send it off to the Navajo people to decode it.

Big travel day today. The alarms shrieked us out of bed at 5-oh-oh. Weirdly, both Anne and I have our blackberry alarms set to "Antelope." Our driver was coming at 5:30 am to take us to the airport (12 Apostles, we hardly knew ye!) for our flight to Johannesburg. From Jo-Burg, we were catching another flight into the Kruger National Park area for our first safari game lodge.

A few words about the prep for this trip. I've never been one for prophylactic medicine, but when you are traveling to sub-saharan africa (or anywhere else in Africa, India, southeast asia, and parts of the Middle East) the CDC tends to want to get involved. So, about 6 weeks before the trip, I made an appointment with my PCP and had her fix me up with all the antibodies I could handle.

I was vaccinated for: hep A, typhoid, and polio. I was due for a tetanus shot so they gave me the old one-two punch of tetanus/diphtheria. Plus I left with prescriptions for Cipro and Diflucan and a lecture on the dangers of traveller's diarrhea . Last but not least, a course of mefloquine to combat malaria. I have to take it once a week starting the week before travel and take it weekly until 3 weeks after I return to civilization.

If I thought my medicine bag was full, get a load of Anne's:

Although I admit that I dipped into it more than once.
There's always room for Advil!

Loading up on Malarone and dramamine before the flight.

The flight from Capetown to Jo-Burg was uneventful (always a good thing). And check out our cool plane:

It was at Jo-Burg that we finally started to feel like we were really in Africa. We got hustled at the airport by two "porters" who insisted on helping us with our bags. We had to tip them to get rid of them. Luckily, they were satisfied with 5 Rand apiece (roughly 80 cents). Ah, the almighty dollar yet lives!

Our next flight was interesting. There were actually 2 planes on the tarmac waiting for us to carry a total of 18 passengers. Turned out that 16 of them were all together - one big happy family split between 2 tiny, tin can planes. Off to the bush to celebrate their Grandpa's (aka "the Colonel") 70th B-day.

Anne and I were in the slightly larger plane with the Colonel and the rest of his brood. The Colonel and I were stuck in the very back of the plane (I was in charge of the refreshments, not kidding). We were going to land at their camp first then take off again to get us to our camp.

Significantly smaller plane. You will notice a trend emerging here.

At least we can make sure the captain stays awake.

I missed my calling. Coffee, tea, or me?

The Colonel and I gabbed for most of the flight. He was full of theories about how the Muslims are systematically taking over the world. Meanwhile, up front, Anne played Flo Nightingale to a teenager with a nosebleed.

The flight was surprisingly smooth, except for the last 5 minutes when I think I may have re-discovered Jesus and almost let the Colonel re-baptize me with his orange Fanta.

This is not my beautiful life!