I Have Officially Circumnavigated the World in a Week's Tme!

I'd like to say I do have a few more adventures to talk about, however I won't be addressing them in this entry. I can say I am back in the US and I have officially circumnavigated the world in one trip. I have made it back to the United States prior to my official return date. Unfortunately I had to end my trip early due to unforseen circumstances, however what I did see in Africa I will cherish for years to come.
Stay tuned for pictures of my adventures!

Taveling by myself halfway around the world!

My adventures started on Saturday, June 5 AM. and it took almost 48 hours to arrive in Mauritius Monday evening. Flying by myself was quite crazy, and I thought I would never get here. I could actually say that I have been in a total of 5 countries within a 48 hr. period. Mauritius is a very tropical place, however there are very few tourists. We practically have the entire resort to ourselves. We've spent the day relaxing and trying to adjust to the timezone. Tomorrow we are headed to hang out with the lions and then to the botanical gardens. We will be arriving back in South Africa on Thursday. Well, my time is limited here and the keyboard is sticking. I'll catch you all up in the coming days (Internet access is limited.).

How do you prepare for a trip like this?

A lot of thought and prepartion goes into a trip like this one. I seriously have been packing for the past month and I'm so excited that it is almost done. Even though I've done a lot of traveling, I have never traveled like I will be on this trip. I usually bring suitcases--yes plural, because I need one that's empty so it can hold all of my souvenirs; however on this trip, I will be carrying one backpack (like the one hikers use). It shall be an intersting experience. I closed my backpack for the first time today and picked it up. I could not believe how heavy it was. I actually had difficulty balancing.

I've been contemplating on taking a few items out so that way the backpack won't consume me, however I'm having much difficulty deciding. Let's just say, I'd rather be overprepared. One reason that backpack is so heavy is that it'll be winter in South Africa, and I'm bringing sweaters and long-sleeve shirts. I've been tracking the weather and it has been in the 40s and 50s (brrrr). For those of you that know me, I'm a California girl at heart, and usually only wear flip flops and sun dresses. I don't I don't really own many winter items and I just planned on bringing the few sweatsheirs and a few pairs of jeans. All of this changed when I spoke with Michelle's mom (she went last year).

I am now quite educated on they types of camping gear and I have invested in many polar fleeces, long sleeved dri-fit tees and a windbreaker. I'll bee outfitted in many North Face items.

Another aspect of preparing for a trip like this, is all of the vaccinations you need. About 3 weeks ago I got a typhoid fever shot, and a polio shot (there is now an adult version). Additionally, I purchased malaria pills for when we are in malaria zones. You have to take a pill 2 days before you are in the zone, all throughout your stay, and a week after. It is not fun since they are horse pills. All of my other vaccinations were up to date (Hepatitus, Tetnus etc. )

I cannot believe that I'll be leaving tomorrow! Thanks for all of your well wishes!

Why South Africa?

As most of you know, I like to take a big trip once a year. This year I am traveling to the continent of Africa, and visiting six countries on this amazing trip. You can follow my journey through this blog. I will do my best to update you often and try to post pictures.

Why South Africa?

I vividly remember the day that I decided I wanted to go to South Africa. It was 2000, my senior year of high school, and I was in my early 7AM economics class. Every morning we had to watch the morning news segments on the Today Show and take notes of current events as part of our daily class discussion. One particular day, the news segment was delayed, and we got to watch the section of "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?"

"Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" is a week long news segment done through the Today Show. Once a year, Matt Lauer spends a week traveling around the world and he highlights a different location every day that week. He gives the audience clues, while you try to guess his location. The location is soon revealed, and then Matt Lauer talks about where he is. The day I happened to be watching, was the day he was at Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls is a large waterfall located between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwae, and is the main reason I am going on this trip. Looking back, I really don't know why I thought Victoria Falls was in South Africa, but I think I must have looked for it on the old globe we had at our house ( old globe = it still had the U.S.S.R. on it), and I assumed it was on the Northern border of South Africa. From the moment I saw Matt Lauer's segment, I was determined to visit Victoria Falls at some point in my life, and fortunately the time is now.

This trip has actually been in the planning process since 2004, the year South Africa was announced as he host country for the World Cup. My friend Michelle said that she wanted to go to the World Cup in S. Africa 2010, and at this point, we planned on going together. While I have never been one to follow professional soccer, I will be attending 5 games. I love watching sports and I always root for the home team. My mom even got me an official USA World Cup jersey and scarf. I will definitely be wearing them with pride.

There has been a lot of planning going into this and our friend Mark has been amazing getting this all together. Mark and Michelle will be flying from San Diego through Europe, and I'll be flying solo through Tokyo and Singapore. After 35+ hours of flying, I will meet them at our first location, Mauritius.

I am definitely very excited for this adventure I am about to embark on! I know it is a once in a lifetime experience.