2018 - The Preps

The year 2018 began with much expectation on my part. I should say first the arrival of a baby, but in reality, it is first the anticipation of a trip to Africa, since plans for that began a lot longer ago than the baby, and I had nothing to do with the planning for that. It was right after New Years in 2017 that I formally began to put together a plan we had discussed for some time. I sent an email to a South African safari guide who I knew from the African magazine I subscribe to. I outlined my wish list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go. I have to be honest here and admit that my planning was very selfish. I did not want to consult with a bunch of people who may come along and have to compromise on where, when and how long, since this was for me the trip of a lifetime and I did not want to have to give something up because of other people's wishes. I had given this a lot of thought, and felt that if I put an interesting package together, those inclined to join us would be happy and if they were not, I probably would not want them to come along anyway. So there! I did discuss things with my wife, but in matters like this, she pretty much lets me do the leg work of planning and organizing.

When I did not receive a response to my email, I started researching other African based safari companies. The difficulty is that there are so many safaris geared towards the rich, with fancy lodgings, world-renowned chefs, and hoity-toity services. My only other safari had been low end, where we had to help with setting up, doing dishes, etc., even setting up our own tent in the Okavango Delta, where our toilet was a hole in the ground with a seat suspended over it. I was looking for something in between, with clean, comfortable accommodations and reasonable but not 4 course meals, where we did not have to help out but could just enjoy the scenery and wildlife. I also did not want to spend more than half the trip driving from location to location. I did find what I was looking for, African Budget Safari. I wrote them in February, 2017, outlining what I hoped to see and do, and soon we had a package together hitting on all my wishes. Over the next year, that expanded to include a stop in Cape Town. If you're blowing the budget on going to South Africa, how can you skip Cape Town?

By May, I was able to put on a presentation, with a rough itinerary and cost estimates, and invited over a number of people who had indicated an interest, to see if they wanted to join us. By the end of the evening, all of them said an emphatic yes! A 10 person trip including both family and friends. Since then, I was continuously busy working out details, getting answers to questions, etc. I also prepared monthly info sheets that I sent out, full of interesting tidbits of information on the wildlife and other aspects of our trip. So, yes, 2018 marked the approach of these plans all coming together for our May trip.

Second, but of more importance I grant you, was the birth of our first grandchild, a son. Not only that, but he was named after me as well. What a blessing! One problem though, my spouse already says she will find it hard to leave for what have become long vacation trips. A few days on the Serengeti will change her mind I am sure.