Travel Stories

My happiest birthdays are spent traveling. If you had asked me a year ago where I would be spending this one, South Africa would not have made my top ten guesses.

The most remarkable part of the day was being on foot looking at dung and tracks when two curious giraffes came out to look at us. I can’t even express what it was like; feeling so incredibly small to their tall bodies.

We spent the afternoon identifying tracks, learning to distinguish male and female tracks for certain species, and following their tracks.

Each night I sleep in a heavy canvas tent on a raised platform with one other tent about 3 yards away. My tent has a raised bed, end table, and camping torch. We have an open air common area kitchen where Chef Sibi cooks us three meals a day, and all the large bugs like to slam into the light at night flying across the kitchen.

2 December 2024: Brighton Beach bluff, Durban, South Africa Three flights, one very long layover, and 43 hours later, enjoying this amazing view before I go pass out for the evening. So happy to be here. A day to relax before heading into the bush.