Out of Africa… and onto Singapore, via France.
No, it doesn’t make any sense.
C’est la vie.

Bye zebras…

(Photo by iPhone)

It’s Choose Your Own Adventure, in French!  What should I do during my one-day layover in Paris?  Cast your vote before midnight on May 6.

Africa is a dynamic continent, filled with spectacular wildlife and breathtaking sights. During my time here, I visited one of its most famous natural wonders, Victoria Falls, and then went on safari in Botswana.

I saw the Falls from two completely different angles: high above in a helicopter, and up close and personal in a walking tour.  Majestic isn’t a big enough word to describe it.

Then, I flew deep into the Okavango Delta to Chief’s Camp, where I spent several nights living in the wilderness.

Every day, we ventured into Africa’s diverse animal kingdom.  Sometimes, we’d only catch a glimpse of a tail or a flash of fur, like the day we tracked a leopard for hours. But more often than not, we were able to get so close we could see the whites of their eyes — and they could see us.

Between game drives, we relaxed by the pool or in our cabins.  And one day, I floated along the river in a mokoro (a traditional dugout canoe steered with a long pole).  At night, the staff served us fabulous meals and even provided entertainment, singing and dancing as darkness fell over camp.

Heading to airstrip for next flight.  Yesterday, I watched a prop plane buzz an elephant that had wandered onto the runway.  Weird, but true.

I am quite literally out in the middle of nowhere Botswana — and it’s fantastic.  I’ve seen every type of animal imaginable (some closer than I would have liked), and am sleeping in a perma-tent where painted reed frogs and non-descript animal sounds lull me to sleep at night.  I’m told there was a lion roaming around my section of camp the other night, so maybe that’s what I heard…

Surprisingly, there’s wifi here.  But it’s not so good that I can post a long entry. Tomorrow, I leave the desolate delta and head into Maun, so hopefully the “city” will come with a better connection.  Cheers!

Flying to Zambia to see Vic Falls & then to Botswana for safari.  Probably won’t have web access for a week, but check May 7 for an update.

The theme of “flexibility” has come up several times during my trip, and it’s staring me in the face once again.

After spending time in Africa, I planned to fly to Mumbai and then move onto Bangkok. But unfortunately, the US government has posted travel alerts for both locations in the last few weeks.  (When I first saw Thailand and India pop up on the list, there were only 4 destinations in the world that had been awarded this distinct honor.  If Ethiopia and the Kyrgyz Republic had been on my itinerary, I would’ve been 4 for 4.)

Typically, I’m not overly-cautious about things like this.  But since I’ve already dodged two major disasters (the earthquake in Santiago and the volcano that shut down Europe), I figure — why press my luck?

[Insert flashback to 1983-86 when “Press Your Luck” — the world’s GREATEST GAME SHOW — was airing weekday mornings.  No whammies, no whammies, no whammies…]

So, where should I go instead?  At first, I thought about putting it up for a Choose Your Own Adventure poll.  But unfortunately, the answer will be largely driven by Delta’s flight schedules and entry/exit requirements, so I can’t let you pick this one.

If it were completely up to me, I’d go to Vietnam.  I’ve heard amazing things about the country and its people, but you need a visa to get in.  Usually, this wouldn’t be a problem.  But you have to submit your passport in advance, and it’s hard to travel around the world when you don’t have your passport with you.

Korea, Japan and Hong Kong are out because I’ve already been there and would rather go somewhere new (apologies to my Korean peeps).  At some point I’d love to visit Russia, but since I’m going to Australia next, it’s a bit out of the way.  Flying to Indonesia or one of the outlying islands sounds like fun, but I’m guessing that requires a bunch of transfers — and I’m WAY over small plane travel.

So, it looks like PROCESS OF ELIMINATION + DELTA AVAILABILITY = Singapore.
Not my first choice, but I’m certainly not complaining.

Flew past Kilimanjaroo en route 2 Johannesburg.  Periodic power outages, so I’m switching off 2 conserve battery!

(Photo by iPhone)

Landed in Nairobi – just in time to wish my nephew Parker a happy bday! He’s 2, loves Mickey & drives trucks on my face when we skype.

Well, now my flight has been pushed back even further.  And that pretty much ensures I’ll miss my connection to Johannesburg.

But on the upside, they’ve now put out cheese, bread and mini-sandwiches.

I’m calling it a push for the time being.  But if it gets much later, they are going to need to bring out something more substantial.  Like pasta.  And lobster.