We left Africa a few days ago. Before we get on to talking about Vietnam, the first stop on the SE Asia leg and where we are now, we wanted to talk about what we’ll take away from the glorious, unpredictable place that is Southern Africa.
First, to explain the title of this post: We saw the saying for the first time on a sticker in the windshield of the 4-wheel drive vehicle taking us to Deadvlei in Sossusvlei, Namibia (see photo below). We had only been on the continent for a few days, but we had already experienced a few of its many personalities, from baboons on the side of the road to rural villages in the middle of nowhere and the dry, unforgiving desert heat. So, the sticker made us smile. Africa is not for sissies. But we’re here. We must not be sissies!
We heard/saw that saying pop up sporadically throughout the rest of our trip. A couple of South Africans our age who we met at a hostel confirmed that they too love the saying about their home country. (Second only to TIA, which stands for “This is Africa” - another saying to express that Africa is totally one of a kind - indescribable and unpredictable. It also has a sort of Murphy's Law connotation, but I won't get into that here.)
Africa is gorgeous, scarred, welcoming, rough, playful, forgiving, intimidating and so much more, all at the same time.
We learned how to roll with the punches. How to tell “African time.” And that while sometimes things seem unorganized or even chaotic, there’s almost always a process hidden in the chaos.
As far as getting out unscathed, while we made sure to be hyper aware, responsible and cautious, we know there’s always an element of chance involved in all the things that can go wrong when you decide to leave your comfortable home and venture out into the world. We feel super lucky to walk away being able to say we didn't once get a flat tire (a true accomplishment when driving around Namibia), never got pickpocketed or robbed (or worse), never got stranded, or eaten by a lion, or any of the other things that could have gone wrong.
And we almost made it out without getting sick! Grace got hit week three by some unknown plague but luckily recovered within a week. Later, only three days before departure, Mike came down with a serious stomach bug that wasn’t kicked until a few days after we arrived in Vietnam. (We’ll take both over malaria, though!)
With that, we say our final farewells...
Thanks, Namibia, for introducing us to your home continent and being patient with us as we navigated uncharted waters, whether they were driving on the “wrong” side of the road or constructing a braai for the first time. You were the most diverse, striking country we’ve seen yet. We forgive you for the hours and hours on bumpy, unpaved roads.
Zambia, you get a shout out for hosting epic birthday celebrations. Victoria Falls is basically a gigantic playground for adults because of all you can do there. We were able to get adventurous and meet some new friends. Honorary mention to Botswana where we completed our Big 5 checklist!
Seychelles was the first place we went scuba diving together, and the most faraway and exotic islands either of us had ever visited. Knowing we may never make it back made our time there even more special and we appreciated every moment. We’ll never forget exploring pristine beaches, sea kayaking and snorkeling in crystal clear water, spotting various sharks and of course Grace’s ebola scare.
Last but most definitely not least, South Africa. What a unique and remarkable place you are. We fell in love with your many faces, from the swanky suburbs to Soweto, roadside Wimpy to sushi restaurants in Cape Town, the bush to the ocean to dramatic mountains and back again, and of course the array of beautiful animals. Most of all, we fell in love with the people. The children so full of joy and excited to simply high five or write their name on your hand. All the locals who smile and wave and say “Howzit?” Wonderful families who took us in and made us feel so welcome - thank you for all the knowledge and perspective you gave us!
Africa, it was a total trip. You’re one tough bitch. We hate to see you go, but we love to watch you leave. And we know we’ll be back for more, sooner rather than later.
While we didn't get a photo of the sticker in Namibia, I found this one online and am 99% sure it is the same truck we were in! Photo credit: Dalene and Pete Heck, www.hecktictravels.com (a great travel blog to check out!)