The decision...

When Kevin asked me earlier this year if I was interested in going to Africa with him, I had to spend some time to think about it. My first thought on an exotic trip is “hell yes I want to go,” but with two kids and this trip not being my typical three night jaunt, I had to really ponder my decision. This trip will be my first time off the continent, and I have a bazillion questions (e.g., Departure tax? What’s that?). I sat down with my wife and we talked about everything possible, but in the end, she told me to go. I must admit, it was a harder decision than I thought it would be. Now I am ready and feel more comfortable with her support (she’s the best wife ever).

There are two things that really interest me (other than the diversity of animals and the fact that it’s Africa). The first is the African bush factor. I spent 18 months in the bush of Alaska and it was amazing, especially the nighttime sky. Even in rural Kansas the nighttime sky was polluted by city lights, but in Alaska, there were millions more stars and they all danced, glittered, and fluttered (not to mention the Northern Lights), and they seemed to be a lot closer. I am curious to see what the stars are like in Africa.

The second thing that interests me is the deadly animals. I am deathly afraid of snakes and in Africa, there are a few that could cause more harm than the typical Illinois garder snake. Everyone has told me not to worry about snakes, but to watch out for hippos and crocs; to me that is a no brainer. Comparing Zambian critters to those of Alaska, hippos are like moose and crocs are like bears (follow me on this)… hippos/moose appear to be these cute, cuddly herbivores that you want to pet and give a big noogie but are actually bad mo-fos that could charge and put a serious lickin’ on you, and crocs/bears like to hang out in water for a free meal and have big, razor sharp teeth (I can’t think of anything else to compare a reptile and mammal). However, in Alaska, there were no black mambas, spitting cobras, or puff adders.

Snakes or no snakes, I am looking forward to this trip. I get to meet new people, collect a few cool critters, and see some amazing sights.