Seven months ago, almost to the day, I hopped on a plane to take me back to Africa, back to Bruno. Brimming with hope, excitement, and nerves, I imagined what it would be like to live in a camper van, to spend my days with Bruno, and to travel around Southern Africa indefinitely and freely and without a concrete plan.
Seven months ago, almost to the day, I met Bruno at the airport in Francistown, Botswana. I, red-faced and shy, he, eager to accommodate me and to begin our adventure, wherever it may lead.
Seven months later, I find myself yet again in Francistown, Botswana. Many things are the same – Bruno is still with me, we’re still living in the camper van, and we’re still traveling around Southern Africa. Yet so, so much is different than when I hopped off the airplane 7 months ago. The gradual transformation that has taken place within me since Bruno and I began our journey would seem almost imperceptible – and admittedly, I haven’t sat back to reflect upon it much over the months. Yet something about being back in Francistown – coming full circle – makes it easier to compare my 7-months-back self to my current-self. And I can see that, somewhere along the way, I changed.
And who wouldn’t change, when your last seven months involve traveling through the salt-pan-surrounded Kubu Island, past the Okavango Delta, through the fluid-sucking Kalahari, to Windhoek, down past all the solitary places of Namibia to the windy coast of Luderitz, the heat of the Oranje River, the forests and coasts and cities and national parks of South Africa and Swaziland, and past the baobabs and mountains and natural springs and endless dusty lands leading us back here. Back to Francistown. Our loop completed. My first loop.
My life is so full of adventure and discovery right now. Almost every day brings something new, something stunning, perplexing, or inspiring. In the last week, I have done the following:1. Bush-camped along the Limpopo River in the Tuli Block (“bush camping” meaning no electricity, open-air showers and toilets, and no fences separating the campsite from the wild animals roaming in the vicinity)
2. Been mock-charged by a young, male elephant
3. Watched the sun set against a 30m tall rock dyke naturally eroded by the nearby riverbed4. Walked along a river full of tiny, teething crocodiles
5. Searched for [and found] elephant tracks and lion prints in the sand
6. Seen 6 of Botswana’s last rhinos in the Khama Rhino Sanctuary
7. Watched the sunset from the top of a kopjie (rocky hill) while listening to a fight between two male elephants, very close-by
8. Off-roaded on sandy, muddy, rocky, and hilly “roads” (thank goodness for Bruno’s 4×4)
9. Chased vervet monkeys and mongooses away from our campsite, lest they steal our food before we get to eat it
In the last week, my emotions have ranged from the incredible relaxation that comes with noiseless, lightless evenings in the bush to the adrenaline-pumping awe of encountering an angry and dangerous animal in the wild. And my list shows that I average more than 1 new/exciting thing per day! That’s a pretty amazing track-record by anyone’s book. And this was an average week.
I guess the biggest difference between my 7-months-ago self and my current-self is that, then, I was brimming with hope, ideas, and dreams about what this camper-van-with-a-Frenchman life would be like. Now, I know what that life is like and I know I love it. I don’t want to give too much away, but I think I can safely say that this blog isn’t going to die anytime soon, and that you can expect to read about more travels and adventures from this gal. And when I look back on today’s blog entry in another seven months, I’m guessing that I’ll be able to compare my current-self and my seven-months-from-now self and see the growth and development that another seven months of travel will have provided me.My first loop is completed. Now Bruno and I begin a new journey – perhaps a loop, but perhaps not. Destiny, and the freedom of the road will guide the way.
