Mass Thank You!

Hey everyone,

I've been away from the internet for a few days, and logged back in to find many wonderful bday greetings waiting for me. Thank you!!! It was great to feel the love from home while here in SA.

Though I was without you all, I managed to somehow have a very enjoyable birthday. I met a lovely Dutch woman in the Drakensberg, Hendrika, who has been traveling generally along the same route as me, so we met up again in Wilderness, a beautiful and RICH beach town surrounded by a national park. We decided a tandem paraglide was a good way to ring in year 31 for me, and year 26 for her (her bday was just last Wed.). I thought paragliding would be more of an adrenaline type activity, but it was really relaxing and cool. The scene at the launch zone was quite relaxed and friendly, which made for a nice atmosphere. There was actually only a small window of time during which the wind was right for paragliding, and so we were very lucky to have a go at it. The view from above included forests, lakes, rivers, and the Indian Ocean. The rest of the day was relaxing, and then we cooked dinner of ostrich kabobs, veggies, and a "Devonshire" cake (the cake was store bought). Good day.

Today, I went for a nice little canoe trip with Hendrika, and then the bus to Stellenbosch, where I will go wine tasting tomorrow. I just got a lovely shot to celebrate my bday from the bartender, who also sang to me in Afrikans... So adios for now. Thanks again friends. Miss you much!

m

Important Announcements

1. I have passed the MN bar.
2. I have participated in fellow traveler Ida's U Truth Project, so you all should check it out and watch for me in the coming weeks.
3. I have thus far without effort avoided the wrath of an angry hippo.
4. Posting photos might take way more time than I have, so you will all have to wait with anticipation until I get to a place with cheap and fast internet... I'm not going to hint at how long that might be.
5. I miss you!
   

Welcome to the Pink Hippopotamus!

I'm a little obsessed with traveling and have become a little obsessed with hippos while planning my big Africa trip. Thus, here is the blog about my travels named after hippos. I'll try to update regularly, and hope a few of you will leave me comments and/or check out my guestbook! There will definitely be photos, and hopefully a few good stories along the way.

This blog is designed to entertain family and friends, but if you're a stranger who has stumbled across it and want to know a little more about me, here it is: I'm a Minneapolitan, post-law school, post-grad school, soccer-playing, tree-hugging, dog-loving, coffee and/or beer drinking, adventure-seeking young(ish) woman. I've already been to 25 countries, mostly in Europe, and thought I'd see what Africa has to offer before (re)entering the "real world" this Fall.

F.A.Q.

• Where exactly in Africa are you going?
• What are you bringing for FOUR months?!
• Is it safe?
• What's all this stuff about the hippos?
• What are you going to miss the most?
• Did you pass the Bar?

Where exactly in Africa are you going?

Southern and Eastern Africa. I'm flying to Johannesburg, SA (via NYC and Amsterdam), and will explore South Africa for about a month. Then, I'll be doing an overland trip with a company called Dragoman from Cape Town, through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania, to Dar es Salaam. I plan to leave the trip a couple of days early, extending my stay on the island of Zanzibar, since Nick (the bf) and Lindsay (friend since high school) will be meeting me there! Together, we will climb the roof of Africa (Mt. Kilimanjaro) and go on a Tanzanian safari. After they leave, I'll have another three weeks on my own to explore East Africa, and in particular, Uganda, where I hope to see some mountain gorillas. Then, sometime in August I'll return to Minneapolis, with a stopover in NYC for a few days on the way.

What are you bringing for FOUR months?!

Packing for a four month trip when you are going to be carrying everything you need in one very large backpack requires some planning. I'll try to take a few pics when I pack up, but here's a sampling of my packing list:

• Sleeping stuff - sleeping bag & liner, sleeping pad, camping pillow, tent (if room)
  
• Walking stuff - shoes! hiking boots, running shoes, sandals, flip flops, trekking poles
• Health stuff - kick-ass water filter and water treatment tablets, prescriptions for malaria prevention, altitude sickness, and severe stomach ailments, first aid supplies and lots of stuff for minor stomach ailments and other potential aches and pains, bug juice, sunscreen, hand sanitizer
  
• Stuff to wear - I'll pretty much be wearing variations of the same outfit for four months, since I need to prepare for almost all weather conditions (deserts, beaches, rainforests, snow-covered mountain tops, etc.); my fashion will be best described as "laidback and layered."
• Electronic stuff - ipod, digital camera, watch with alarm clock, headlamp, voltage converter/adapter and chargers, flash drive
  
• Other stuff - day pack, personal items to stay as clean and non-stinky as possible and mascara (because a girl has gotta have something girly), guidebooks, one or two regular books, journal, money belt, duct tape, Leatherman multi-tool, jump rope to keep up the cardio when running is not an option, a few photos of family and friends, my wit(s) and senses of humor and adventure
• Pet monkey (maybe)
  

Is it safe?

Absolutely not. ;)

Ok, I definitely appreciate that people are worried about me. And yes, travel through Africa might present some new challenges. But we all know I'm not a total idiot, and I promise to use common sense to stay safe and check in regularly so you know in fact I am safe and happy.

A few safety tips I plan to adhere to:

• Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle.
• Never leave valuables unattended. at home.
• Safety in numbers (this is of course the main purpose of bringing a pet monkey).
• Africa is not a giant petting zoo. Someone should have told that to this crazy lady.
• Seeing pink elephants is a bad idea.
• Avoid the wrath of an angry, territorial hippo.
  

What's all this stuff about the hippos?

They look rolley-polley and cute, don't they? Pfftt. Hippos are one of Africa's most dangerous animals. They are territorial, have giant, continuously sharpening teeth and a set of mouth tusks, and can run at speeds up to 30 mph. They might look all docile and lazy, but get in the way of a hippo and its water or its baby and there is trouble. Luckily, they are also creatures of habit, so with a good guide this problem should be easy to avoid. There are less than 150,000 hippos in all of sub-Saharan Africa, and in some areas the population is decreasing due to poaching and habitat destruction. (Most of the places I'm visiting have stable hippo populations.) I have included a few fun and informative links about hippos if you want to know more.

And in case it is unclear, there is no such thing as a Pink Hippo. I just like pink, and I've already tried to explain the thing about the hippos.

What are you going to miss the most?

I'm not going to name names, but obviously there are a lot of family and friends I will miss while on the road. But the wonders of the interwebs should help alleviate some of that, particularly when you all make comments on my blog or in my guestbook. :) So, the thing I'm going to miss the most this summer is SOCCER! 11 v. 11, 90 minute, outdoor, adult rec soccer. Especially my mamacitas de Fuego Rosado. I expect to receive many email tales of soccer glory!

Did you pass the Bar?

People. Stop asking this question. Won't you feel awkward asking me this if for some reason I did not? I promise, if (when!!!) I get the good news, you will be informed.