The Road To South Africa - Prologue: Back on the Horse

K and I are still going strong after six months of marriage. We're finding our rhythm as a couple. During those six months, the travel bug has come and gone. Now it's back, and it's not going away.

We're going stir crazy. The honeymoon in Belize was the last time we left the country. It feels like longer. Our Japan/Hong Kong trip seems like it was ages ago. My London/Paris/Amsterdam trek seems like it happened in another life.

K and I talked about traveling to Africa before starting a family. While she has been to Rwanda many times for work, K has yet to "vacation" on the continent. I made a stop in Cairo two years ago, but according to K, that doesn't really count as traveling to Africa.

We opted for South Africa; Four nights in the Mother City of Cape Town, and three nights at Kruger National Park. Not a lot of time, but it's still a trip. It's still a cultural experience. It's still traveling.

In a way, it feels like I'm back on the horse. Although that much time hasn't passed, traveling feels different. It's a lot like life. Traveling in my single days meant doing things more on a whim. It meant going all out until my body said no. I listen to my body more closely, and it says "no" more often.

This feels like the start of something new. A new kind of travel; one where I'm spending practically every moment with someone else. It's shared travel. Shared experiences.
I haven't done much planning for South Africa. I figure I'd let the city, and its delights, come to me. Come to us, I should say.

However, in the days leading up to our trip, we've lost whatever rhythm we've attained. We haven't slept well at all. Our free time has been filled doing random things here and there to get ready for our trip. We're tired. And top it all off, my beloved iPhone, trusted friend and companion, went kaput this very morning.

And now we have to wake up before 3am so owe can board a flight to DC, then Jo'Burg, then the Mother City. God help us.

OK, enough talk.

Let's do this.