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I Dreamed of Africa

My stomach began to flutter as I walked to the jeep. The feeling grew as I climbed into the open game drive vehicle for the first time. I was both excited and nervous going for a 3-hour drive in the Greater Kruger National Park. The times in front of the TV watching Wild Kingdom with my dad and Gran and the hours spent leafing through National Geographic magazines as a child came to mind at that moment.

Was this real?

I wondered what animals we’d see on our drive. Though I would be happy to see any animal that was allowed to roam free, I secretly wished for a giraffe sighting. Suddenly we came upon a lone giraffe walking gracefully in front of us; I was ecstatic. It was too far away to get a decent photo, and we were moving slowly behind it.

It turned left and disappeared into the bush. We caught up to where it was, but the thick bush separated us. We watched for a moment and continued driving. Unexpectedly our jeep turned left; I smiled as I knew our guide would get us closer. The giraffe was eating off to the side of the dirt road, but the area had a lot of trees and thick bush. You’d be surprised at how quickly giraffes and even a herd of elephants can hide in it.

The giraffe moved, and the bush gave way a little, but still, I waited.

I soon noticed that the sun was beginning to set and the scene unfolding before me. The beauty of the sky and the road in front would add to the photo I thought. The light was disappearing, but I continued to wait. I enjoyed watching the slow manner in which it ate and moved, but I wondered if I would lose my chance.

Before I travelled to South Africa, I envisioned scenes I wanted to capture. This view was one of them. I wondered if the giraffe would ever come out of the bush so I could see it silhouetted against the sky, just as I had imagined. Someone asked why I wasn’t taking any photos, as she knew that I was a photographer.

“I’m waiting for the giraffe to walk out in front of us so I can take a photo of it against the sun and sky.”

“Spoken like a true photographer”.

Little did she know that I had been waiting my whole life for this, what was another minute or two? The giraffe stopped eating and moved away from the bush. It appeared in front of us.

I dreamed of Africa, and I dreamed of being able to capture this very scene… a giraffe photographed against a sunset sky. Dreams do come true.

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Cage Diving with Great White Sharks, check!

I came face to face with JAWS (cue the music) and lived to tell. Jaws (the movie) scared the bejeezus out of me, but for some reason, I have been fascinated with sharks for as long as I can remember, especially the Great White Shark.

Over the years, I’ve watched many episodes about them during Shark Week. I knew there were Great White Sharks in South Africa, but until recently I did not know you could get up close to them.

After much research, I chose to go with Great White Shark Tours (GWST) in Gansbaai, South Africa. It’s about a 2 hour drive from Cape Town and well worth it. The transfer company picked me up at the hostel I stayed at, The Backpack, and on the way, we stopped in Hermanus for some stretching. I saw a southern right whale and it’s calf from the shore.

My shark diving experience was a dream come true. I wish I could have gotten more underwater video with my Go Pro Hero 2. At the same time, I was happy to be present and be in the moment. Though you are in the same water as the sharks and only mere feet away, I felt very safe inside the cage.

It was absolutely incredible to be so close to these white sharks and it was actually calming. I compare it to watching a tank of fish swimming by. They didn’t even seem like they cared about us at all. If it weren’t for the chum and the workers on the boat trying to attract them, they probably wouldn’t have even approached us at all.

One of my favourite moments was when I was on the deck near the rail, and we were splashed by a Great White. Another favourite moment was when a shark was right beside the cage. The shark could not get any closer except to be inside the cage. It was so close that I moved back as far as I could as I thought it’s fin was going to touch me, but it missed me by inches.

Here are 2 photos I got with my iPhone from the boat.

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

Great White Shark
Great White Shark off Dyer Island, South Africa

 

Great White Shark
Great White Shark off Dyer Island aka Shark Alley, South Africa

 

Preparing for Africa…considering health and vaccines

We’ve all seen the National Geographic magazines and television shows. For as long as I can remember I have been following National Geographic, first in print and then on television. I’ve seen the countless animals, people and landscapes of Africa that have been featured over the years. It will be my first time to the continent and upon deciding to go, images from my National Geographic dreams came to mind. I’m no longer going to be a viewer from afar, I’m going to be a participant. I’m going to be experiencing Africa with all my senses.

Nostalgia and where it all began…

I have many fond memories of watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom as a child with my Gran and dad on Sundays before Wonderful World of Disney. Wild Kingdom brought Africa right into our living room and had me hooked as soon as they would show the world map and show us where they were taking us. I would dream of going on a safari.

I also used to dream about being a travel photojournalist for National Geographic. Not sure where that dream went, but maybe it’s not too late?! I wonder if they’ll accept my iPhone photos hehe.

So how do you prepare for such a trip? Well first, you freak out, call your friends, freak out some more say a few “Oh my Gods” and “what have I done” and then calm down. Well that’s if you’re like me. After I got that out of the way, the intensive research began. I started with health and vaccinations. Even though I hadn’t been there myself I knew that there were certain diseases I needed to be aware of. So I scoured the internet for information, read what I could, consulted some friends and made an appointment at a local travel clinic. I’m going to Senegal and South Africa. My research told me that I would need a yellow fever vaccine because yellow fever is prevalent in Senegal. I also found that I would not be allowed into South Africa without a yellow fever vaccination so that was a must. Senegal is a malaria zone, South Africa is not except Kruger National Park in the summer. I am going on safari in Kruger too. So a good anti-malaria prophylatic is highly recommended.

travel clinic questionnaire

My visit with the travel clinic doctor confirmed what I knew, but also provided more in depth information as well as the necessary vaccines and medications. After all was said and done and about $500 CAD later, I came away with a yellow fever vaccine, an oral typhoid vaccine, a malaria prescription and an antibiotic prescription for traveller’s diarrhea “just in case”. Yep, there is a high chance that you will at least get a mild form of it on travels to Africa. I already had the Hepatitis A vaccine years ago so didn’t need it again. Although I really dislike taking pills in any form whether medications or vitamins and am on the fence about certain vaccinations, I am in the “better safe than sorry” camp on this one. I think malaria is a real threat in Senegal.

anti-malaria prophylactic, oral typhoid vaccine and antibiotic medications

Until next time,

Andrea … and my wandering iPhone

To App or Not to App

I have personally found that that native camera app is not consistently sharp and doesn’t handle the light as well as it could or should. It especially has a hard time in bright light and overexposes the subject. I have tried several camera apps and my personal favourite is Pro Camera. At the time of writing, it is $2.99 and well worth the price. Pro camera gives you a little extra something. With the expert mode settings on, photos are consistently sharp and exposure is spot on. Since having the iPhone 4s I have been struggling with consistency. I’ve tried shooting on 3 different iPhone 4s. With
this app I can shoot with confidence.

With the yellow circle, you have the ability to drag it around the screen to make the scene brighter or darker and get a decent exposure in camera. The square allow you to focus and achieve a sharper photo. The app comes with editing tools. I haven’t used the app much for editing thus far so I cannot comment on that, yet.

Here is a link to the app and further information. This is not a paid advertisement whatsoever, just someone that enjoys the app.

Here are some unedited photos I’ve captured with the app.

The Empress

 

BC ferries

 

Dundarave Beach flower

Happy shooting!

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

 

Who or what is Wandering iPhone?

HELLO AND WELCOME

So who and what is wandering iPhone? It’s a place on the Internet for iPhone photographer and traveller Andrea Rees. Here I’ll be sharing my iPhone photography as I wander about locally and around the world.

I capture whatever catches my eye. I am drawn to people, architecture, details, moments and life. I capture it all in the best light possible with my iPhone.

What I know for sure is that time flies and moments pass all too quickly. It’s important to capture the ‘ordinary days’ and I encourage you all to do so as I develop the content for this blog. I will share my photography knowledge and tell you about the apps, accessories and gear I use. I’ll also share my solo and family travel adventures and include tips to help you travel.

Whether you’re at home with your family, travelling solo or with loved ones, sights and moments deserve to be captured and shared.