Unexpected Africa

They say one should fight fire with fire.

Which means?

Which means that after the blues of being back from a long adventure, it is sometimes better not to ask too many questions. And to seize the opportunities when they come.

So South Africa invited itself in the portrait. Nowhere on my radar yet : a little far, expensive, not easy to take time off from work... again.

Or maybe... The proposition came from an Austrian friend who bought his ticket for Cape Town. Stars aligned themselves. Too bad for the doubts and the expenses. After all, money is made to be spent.

True we hear South Africa can be dangerous. I asked other travelers. Nothing too bad at first glance. I for one have no doubts.

No need for a visa to get in Oscar Pistorius country. At least, not when you're a simple tourist. The only hard thing is to find a "short" flight. From North America, one needs at least one stopover... three sometimes. In my case, the best and shortest option seemed to stop in Amsterdam before leaving for 12 more hours towards Cape Town. If lucky, you can find a ticket for less than 1500 $.

The plan, for now, is to spend two days near Moutain Table, also visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. They say it is better to buy tickets in advance, online, to visit. Done!

We'll then ride along the south coast towards Addo National park, known for its elephants population. Crossing our fingers to see lions, rhinos and other big 5 animals. We have already booked a night drive in the park to get the best experience possible. We'll also sleep in the park for two nights, one of them being in a tent near the water hole. There again, it is better to book ahead of time. Especially in summer. I was lucky to get the last lodge for the night I wanted, booking three weeks in advance.

The website for the South African national parks is a good source of information and allows some bookings. It might be hard to navigate on it though.

I also found a ziplining experience in Tsitsikama park. We'll see if it seems as fun once I really have to slide up in the air.

If technology allows it, I'll update as I go.

Crossing my fingers, I say a temporary adios to winter.

One year later

One year ago, Gilly first set his feet in
 Newark for a stopover

There you go. A whole calendar. An anniversary. A last nostalgic assessment on a year closing the circle even if I won't shut up about my trips.

One year ago today, with a little shoulder bag heavy from the uncertainty of the ones who are jumping into nothingness, with the concern I had left something important behind, with a big cold, I must say, and the fatigue of a world and a half on my shoulders, I locked the door of my appartment to conquer to world. I indubitably left my old life behind. I was letting go saying to myself that I might not want to hang on ever again to that old life.

One year ago, not naive enough to ignore those 183 days coming at me that fast had surprises in store for me, I stared in the future eyes accepting to trust it. One year ago, I traded my old life.

Today is another anniversary too. Six months! Six months ago, my brain let go. Went back to his cartesian habits not to atrophy itself by going back to the routine mold. He knew he was pretending, but chose to ignore that.

Six months ago, that fate I was staring at hit me in the face to show me I was back hom0e. It hurt me a little, too, to remind me I was still alive no matter what.

Sometimes people say it takes as long as you were gone to really get back from a trip. Six months after a round-the-world trip in six months, I should be fine. "Cured". Maybe! Anyway! Better, at least.

One year later, my hair turning white fast, I feel like I got 10 years older at once. As fast as I put my weight back on after I came back. Not everybody likes to travel. But everyone would have something to gain from doing it.

No, there is no such thing as eternal happiness. Especially while traveling, make no mistake. You get lost, you get angry at all those scamers, your belly aches, you fall sick, often you understand nothing, sometimes you don't eat or eat really disgusting stuff. But you love it anyway. Because!

I ended up turning that page, in part. To come back "completely". But I regret nothing. Nor the good moments. Neither the friends I still talk to everyday.  Nor the pain. Neither all those questions I asked myself. I went on a journey of thousands of kilometres, in the real world and in my head. I felt alive more than ever. I felt something, point blank.

I still believe in that resilience that has nothing to do with the weight of time. It doesn't come from resentment, but because we know there is something better.

The pain! Yes. There is that physical pain the body forgets. That pain that comes out and we send flying while paying the price. There is the sneaky one in the soul. Stabbing and sneaky, which envelops us and hit at the base of the skull. It embraces and rocks you with a smooth intensity screaming out. It makes you crazy, irritates but won't heal. When coming back especially. But it grows tired of torturing you, tired of winning every time on that physical pain the body forgets. It fades out with the promise to stay close enough, just in case you'd forget to forget.

Yes, coming back takes a long time. Yes, you cross an emotional desert. But you feel alive.

One year ago, I took the best decision ever. I still talk to the me I was then to find that capacity I had to choose to change my daily life. I try not to forget, to build, to believe like on the day I came back that dreams can come true.

Still have that impression nobody will understand. Not to be snob. Just because nobody was there with me, full time. Deal with it. Still people gaze jealously, get narrow-minded comments, people sighs when I talk about new traveling projects.

I wrote it when I came back, in a post that still plays with the broken side of my heart : I will disappear at one point. Tomorrow, in a week, in a month, in a year... Because there is a whole world, out there, I still need to explore. And I won't let it run away from me.

I'm told to leave some for the others. To pass my turn. Or people say : traveling again! Like I shouldn't.

Deal with it! My life, I'm the one living it. Point blank. No way I'm gonna compromise.

That's what happens when you come back, too. You know who you still want around you.

Now that I learned to smile more, and to pretend sometimes, I know that fear, age, money, family won't be good reasons not to go. One can take off. There are planes leaving each day for every corner of the world. Leaving. Live with the consequences after. But consequences, in the end, are only positive. A transformed life. Because we always fall back on our feet, even if it takes a week or six months to do so.

There are planes leaving each day for every corner of the world. And I plan on taking off again and again.

For those asking the question, karma is still playing tricks on me. I send it to hell as much as I embrace it when it helps me. But it taught me to smile when small bad lucks occur in life. One can say it got me with time.

And no, TAP Airlines never answered my complaint letter. Neither did they to the two or three emails I sent different addresses for a follow up. Looks like I am still bitter from that one.

And yes, I still have to make some photo albums and have a lot of stories to tell about those 20 countries I visited in a short time. Maybe it's not true, in the end, to say one can't buy happiness...

Western USA by car

Stovepipe Wells

Nevada, Arizona, California... Three states that are best visited by car.

If you can choose a rental car on several websites, if you can get a discount by booking it while booking a flight, I like to compare the prices on sites like Priceline, where you can name your own price, or vroomvroomvroom.com, for any country in the world.

Like for flights, you need to make sure every additionnal fees are included in the price. And don't assume the smallest cars will be the cheapest.

Note you may have a surcharge if you wish to drop the car in a different place than the pick-up place. The fees might be worth it if you don't want to go back to your starting point. It is impossible to name you price on Priceline if don't drop the car where you picked it up.

I for one had a better deal with a bigger car in Las Vegas. But that meant paying more for the fuel. Choosing a company located outside of the airport also helped getting a better price.

For the insurance, make sure your credit card doesn't cover you before accepting to pay a surcharge. Your own car insurance may or may not cover the responsability too. Check that before you leave on your trip.

Idiot tip : in very warm states, think about the A/C... and choose the color wisely. This idiot, had he thought about it, would not have chosen a black Mistubishi.

In Las Vegas

True you don't need to drive in Las Vegas. The main boulevard (the Strip) has shuttles and a monorail. The traffic lights make you go slowly anyway. But being behind the wheel helps getting away from the bling-bling. Like if you want to go to Red Rock Canyon. Most casinos have a free parking... which is technically for clients. But in Vegas, we're always a client in every casino aren't we?

The Grand Canyon

True also it is possible to book a tour to the grand Canyon. Once again, the car means freedom. It will cost 25 $ for each car to get in the park. The permit is valid for seven days. Then you can beat the crowd for sunrise, leave any time you want or drive from the South Rim to Desert View Watch Tower.

If you plan on visiting some other national parks, you could get a discount on a package ticket. With Zion, Antelope Canyon, Glenn Canyon or Death Valley, all very close, you might want to consider it.

Death Valley

Death Valley without a car? Never. Because it's a desert. Because the fun part is going from one point to another on the road. Because you can't get there with public transportation... or hitchiking.

The price to get in the park is 20 $.

If you go in winter, think about renting a higher car and decide if you need winter tires...

The coast

The West Coast is totally worth it. Road 1goes along the Pacific Ocean in California to merge on Highway 101 all the way to Canada. Small cities along the way might be worth a pit stop. But one must consider it takes more time to drive on that road than on the boring but direct highway.

Note the fuel price varies in every state. It is cheaper to get it in Las Vegas than in San Francisco, for example. Knowing that, you can save depending on your strategy.

A lot of gaz stations will ask you to pay before you start fueling. Paying cash, sometimes, might be cheaper. If you plan on using a credit card, they might ask for an american zip code on the pump or an ID if you pay inside.

Visiting those friends from another trip

Malibu, Californie

It became a habit. You travel, you meet strangers and you share details.

Nothing new, you'll say. But one doesn't need to go far back in time to find the moment where mail adresses and telephone numbers would get lost. Six months, one year... that French friend you met in New York? No news at all!

Facebook revolution! Stay in touch without any effort. Or make a relationship stronger where there was nothing special at first. So give me a break with the theories about the social medias alienating people. When one knows how to use it, it's the opposite.

So there you go! The new friend sends you a request on Facebook. Tells you you'll always be welcomed in his house, Who-Knows-Where. But the truth is you will probably be too shy to visit that new friend.

Too bad!

Two years after meeting a girl from Hong Kong, in Germany, I visited her in her country. Not only reuniting felt natural, but it felt like we had just met the past week-end. We started talking exactly where we left the conversation before. That friend, she was very enthusiast to share her culture with me. She brought me places I would never have visited otherwise.

So for my last trip, I tried it again. Spent a whole week with friends in California. It is a different way to travel. Less museums, less major attractions, more small places and villages, well kept secrets. A slower pace too. But vacations are made for that. And learning to know a friend might be more rewarding that looking at beautiful landscapes.

True, there is a risk. A risk the first impression was totally wrong and you might have nothing in common. A risk to destroy precious souvenirs from a previous trip. But there is also a chance you'll discover even more common interests and that'll make the friendship stronger. Still, being right about the first impression is already something special.

And who knows. Once you have a place to stay somewhere, it might be easier to go back. Just have to believe they mean it when they say "Anytime you come close to my town, you can stay at my house."