One step closer to vacation
I’m one step closer to my vacation. You may remember some time back that I was supposed to be leaving for France and Italy on Friday. Well that trip was cancelled and I re-allocated the time to go to California instead. So this Friday (12/1) I am on a jet plane headed to San Francisco. Let’s hope I avoid flights with 5 screaming babies on board this time.
However these are not the trips I’m talking about being one-step closer to. No this time I’m working on a trip to a far away land known as South Africa. I managed to get my airline award figured out last night and have reserved tickets (but not yet paid taxes) that will take me from Conservative Hell – MEM – AMS – CPT then running around South Africa where at the end I will board a plane to go JNB – AMS – EWR – Conservative Hell.
I hope we get to go to Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique while we’re down there. I’m most looking forward to dipping my toes into the Indian Ocean. At that point I will have seen five of the seven seas and put my feet in four of them.
I’m looking forward to this and hope that my pals Elmada and Disenchanted are able to get their end sorted out. I think it would be wonderful to travel around with them both since I’m a fairly inexperienced traveler and they have both traveled more extensively than I have. I just hope I don’t have to pick-up the rental car since they drive on the other side of the road in South Africa. Elmada worries enough when he rides around with me in the USA.
The Cynical Queer 
Nov 28 2006 at 18:06
I hope you get a first class ticket to California with no babies or boring stiffs that want to talk. Your African trip is a once in a lifetime miracle. I will never go anywhere outside of the Midwest so I must live vicariously through you. Take pictures and write down all your wonderful experiences. I hope everything works out and you get to dip your toes in the Indian Ocean. Hugs and More.
Nov 29 2006 at 9:53
I usually avoid awkward conversation on flights by talking at nobody in particular and saying things like, “Kenneth, Kenneth, what’s the frequency…” That usually causes people to leave me alone or outright change their seat.
Nov 29 2006 at 11:15
Yay! I’m glad you get to go! I cannot afford such trips right now in my life. Traveling to far away lands is one of my favorite things to do, though I can’t do it often enough. My next trip will likely be to visit family in germany and switzerland…then go to turkey though dustin claims I cannot go to scary parts 😦 le sigh
I’m glad you have the opportunity to go! xoxo
Nov 29 2006 at 11:30
I found that if I cross my eyes and say “Mind your business, that’s all, just mind your business”. That most people will give me a wide berth. I never tried it on a plane but it should work. I agree, I am so glad you get to travel. I think it will do you so much good. I will miss you so blog when you can. Hugs and More.
Nov 29 2006 at 21:12
I hope you don’t have to drive on the wrong side of the road. That would be like Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold in European Vacation. I can still see it. Chevy driving on teh wrong side and everybody screaming. He kept driving around the circle pointing out Big Ben, There’s Parliament, there’s Big Ben, Parliament over and over. LMFAO! I’m sure you would be a much better driver. In fact an Excellent driver, I don’t care what they say.
Nov 30 2006 at 10:03
I’m worried I’ll suffer from the same issue the British person that visited me a few months ago did. She wasn’t at all familiar with the markings on the pavement in the US. Come to think of it, I saw quite a few odd markings on the pavement in London that I didn’t understand.
They apparently have no center turn lanes in the UK, and she found that an odd concept. She was surprised that I turned off my street and into the center lane in the main road and stopped to wait for her to make her turn.
She also didn’t know that flashing yellow meant she could proceed through the intersection and that flashing red was to be treated as a stop sign.
Those are the types of things I’ll be worried about more than driving on the opposite side of the road.