I Dreamed of Africa

January 9, 2013

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.

Cage Diving with Great White Sharks, check!

January 7, 2013

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 off Dyer Island, South Africa

Preparing for Africa, gathering inspiration and courage

October 31, 2012

In less than a month I will be leaving for Africa. It will be my first visit to the continent. I am super excited and the more I research the more excited I get. Admittedly, I am also nervous as I have never been anywhere like it. I will be visiting friends in Dakar, Senegal who are currently working there. I’ll then be travelling to Cape Town, South Africa!

I’m going to South Africa alone and will be there for 9 days and will then be going back to Dakar for a final few days to break up the long trip home to Toronto.

Did I have some apprehension going to Europe solo? I sure did, especially thinking of Prague as I had heard stories and was warned while in Austria. I took Prague on and off my itinerary several times. Why did I go? I think it was simply because my passion for travel, new things, cultures, people and adventure far outweighed my fear. As for South Africa and Africa in general, I’ve read and heard about it and yes, have been warned about it. It doesn’t help to hear how potentially unsafe South Africa can be everywhere I look in my research. However, with the appropriate precautions, the same ones I practice at home, I feel confident that I will be fine. After 18 days of travelling solo in Europe, I’m happy to report I did not have one single incident. I think it also helps to walk with confidence.

On Preparing For a Trip:

When I prepare for a trip, I engross myself on the internet. I visit sites like Journeywoman that help prepare and inspire me for solo travel. I read and ask questions in travel forums on lonely planet, trip advisor and virtual tourist, tweet and message people on facebook that have gone before me and read reviews on Trip Advisor. It’s almost like a full time job as I like to research and know where I’m going or figure out where I should go in the first place. I follow a lot of travel related people and sites on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest so I am inundated with it on a daily basis and I love that. I am inspired every single day.

Here are a few of my favourite pins and quotes that I have read a few times since booking my plane ticket to Africa.

Inspiration:

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph
over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear — Nelson Mandela

“Passion is what drives us crazy, what makes us do extraordinary things, to discover, to challenge ourselves. Passion is and should always be the heart of courage.” ? Midori Komatsu

When we are afraid we ought not to occupy ourselves with endeavoring to prove that there is no danger, but in strengthening ourselves to go on in spite of the danger. — Mark Rutherford

From caring comes courage. — Lao Tzu

My Inspiration:

Finally, I’ll share my biggest source of inspiration – my beloved grandmother affectionately called Gran. Gran inspires me with her incredible strength, courage, independence, love, zest for adventure, love of travel and faith. She left her home in Rangoon, Burma (Yangon, Myanmar) in 1965 as a divorced woman with 2 children, my father and my uncle, with only $88 on her person and without a visa to Canada. She went without knowing what the future held, most certainly with fear, but with her overwhelming courage. She stopped in northern India to work and apply for a visa to Canada, and after much perseverance, determination and hard work, 10 months later she got her visa to Canada.

Every time I’m about to embark on a new adventure and especially when stepping out of my comfort zone, I think of her. My gran had dementia for about 10 years and the last 3-4 years she didn’t know me and couldn’t really talk, but she could always giggle. We have always shared a love of travel together and if you read back to my first post, you’ll learn of the very first flight I recall, it was with my Gran on a trip to California at age 5.

I took the photo below of my Gran in May 2003. She already had dementia, but could still have conversations, was mobile, lived on her own, but was forgetting.

Before my trip to Europe this past March, I visited my Gran and told her of my trip to Europe and my plans. For the first time in a long time, I received eye contact and what felt like some lucidity.

Do you want to go on a trip with me?”

Gran nodded and very clearly said “where?”.

I lost my Gran this past May 2012 and though we can no longer laugh and chat, I know she is with me and giving me all the courage I need.

Solo Travel

I Dreamed of Africa

Cage Diving with Great White Sharks, check!

Preparing for Africa, gathering inspiration and courage