When I returned from my trip in Africa, I created this video to highlight some of my favorite moments abroad. It was my first major video-editing undertaking, and unfortunately much of my video clips ended up becoming really shaky (darn you Windows Movie Maker!). Still, it was fun to make and watching it back fills me with joy and happiness (and actually some tears too) because it was such an amazing experience. Highlights include:
(1) Camping in the Okavango Delta for 3 days (hippo lakes, elephant sunrises, bush walks!)
(2) Cage diving with crocodiles- really crazy stuff happened
(3) **Swimming in the Devil's Pool on the top edge of the Victoria Falls, Zambia side (!!)
(4) Seeing 4 of the Big 5 Game Animals (elephant, buffalo, leopard, and white/black rhinos)
(5) Crouching and creeping extremely close to big white rhinos on a walking safari
These are just the major experiences. And still there were the quiet, gorgeous nights with seemingly billions of never-ending stars blanketing the sky, making me stand silent and small in awestruck wonder. There were the times sitting around campfires telling stories and scraping food and drinking coffee and rooibos tea from metal plates and cups, There were the hostel friends I made who stayed up with me all night (and before my solo trek from Zimbabwe across the Zambian border too!) to play music, sing, and feel all the feelings. And the sunset mokoro rides coasting in the Delta, watching the sky fade from a brilliant orange to a deep red and finally to light and dusty streaks of pink and purple. There is so much more...and although I say that South/Central America is my favorite area to travel, Africa holds a special place in my heart and was the one trip that really changed me at my core. Perhaps I am being dramatic; yet I truly feel this way. The beauty of nature can really do that to you. I will be writing more in depth experiential and descriptive short stories on different experiences during this trip in my next posts. I can't wait to return!
(1) Camping in the Okavango Delta for 3 days (hippo lakes, elephant sunrises, bush walks!)
(2) Cage diving with crocodiles- really crazy stuff happened
(3) **Swimming in the Devil's Pool on the top edge of the Victoria Falls, Zambia side (!!)
(4) Seeing 4 of the Big 5 Game Animals (elephant, buffalo, leopard, and white/black rhinos)
(5) Crouching and creeping extremely close to big white rhinos on a walking safari
These are just the major experiences. And still there were the quiet, gorgeous nights with seemingly billions of never-ending stars blanketing the sky, making me stand silent and small in awestruck wonder. There were the times sitting around campfires telling stories and scraping food and drinking coffee and rooibos tea from metal plates and cups, There were the hostel friends I made who stayed up with me all night (and before my solo trek from Zimbabwe across the Zambian border too!) to play music, sing, and feel all the feelings. And the sunset mokoro rides coasting in the Delta, watching the sky fade from a brilliant orange to a deep red and finally to light and dusty streaks of pink and purple. There is so much more...and although I say that South/Central America is my favorite area to travel, Africa holds a special place in my heart and was the one trip that really changed me at my core. Perhaps I am being dramatic; yet I truly feel this way. The beauty of nature can really do that to you. I will be writing more in depth experiential and descriptive short stories on different experiences during this trip in my next posts. I can't wait to return!
~burn bright~
Jess