Housekeeping

 

Home again.

After a heck of an adventure across the planet.

But before I spend the next several posts sharing stories, photos,

and more safari details than you ever wanted to know, let's have a

quick rundown of the practical stuff since I've returned home.

Greeted with an corn cob airplane when I landed in Atlanta, GA,

after a 16 hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.

I watched a lot of movies, and didn't get very much sleep.

treated myself to some fancy sushi rolls on the long layover in 

the Atlanta airport.

Finally home to a stack of bills to pay and this

adorable feather face.

I missed her beaky face.

The weekend after I returned home, I had a ticket to see

Herbie Hancock (jazz fusion legend!) at Hancher Auditorium

in Iowa City. I brought a cooler along to get some salads

and goodies from Trader Joe's before the show and found the giant chicken

behind the store.

The show was amazing.

He's a legend for a reason.

The band was spectacular and they played our faces off!

Herbie is the gentleman on the far left.

Before the details of the trip take over the next several posts, I thought I'd

get some practical items out of the way.

I was advised to pack lightly for the 11 day safari.

My main luggage was a rolling duffel bag I picked up second hand

from a consignment store for $10.00. It handled the job pretty well.

It went through checked baggage at all legs of the airplane journey,

and was fortunately not lost and returned to me at baggage claim.

And the wheels made lugging it around so much easier.

For clothes, as you can see above, I tried to keep the wardrobe neutral

 (as is advised on safaris) and minimal.

2 pairs of pants (convertible to shorts)

I found them on Amazon and they worked out perfectly.

Lightweight, but still kept me warm, dried fast and the pockets are zippered to

keep valuable objects and money from falling out and getting lost.

They are comfortable enough for sitting for long distances and 

for walking many hours through the bush.

one long-sleeved button-up

one short-sleeved button-up

Both are second hand, I found them on eBay.

The long sleeve is an REI tech shirt that is in great shape

for second hand (and much more affordable than buying new)

Lightweight, zipped pockets, easy to clean.

The short sleeve is a vintage Banana Republic safari shirt in olive.

My vintage-BR-loving heart was delighted to put it to its

intended use. Stylish and practical.

three t-shirts

These were all inexpensive graphic tees from Banana Republic.

Soft and comfortable under the button-up shirts.

neutral colors to not offend the animals.

Not shown are two sleeveless tank-tops, also worn under

the button-up shirts. They didn't take much space in my bag

and were nice to use if it got too hot.

thermal long underwear

long sleeved t-shirt

These I wore as sleeping clothes.

I definitely appreciated the thermal underwear on the colder nights.

one nice top

I brought an inexpensive Old Navy top I'd gotten years ago to use

as a "formal" top. I only used it on the Zambezi River cruise.

If only to feel a bit more glammed up after a week in camping clothes.

It also packed down very small and didn't take up a lot of space.

two buffs

A trick I learned from the people at Campo Cortez when I visited

the whales. Buffs are great to keep your neck warm and clean

and can also be used in a pinch to keep your hat from flying off your

head in winds, or as a head covering or do-rag. Lots of practical uses.

And they pack down to almost nothing, so super-easy to take with you.

Smart wool socks

I took four pairs of socks, plus a pair of compression socks for the long flights

The fourth pair of smart wool, not shown, is a purple pair I picked up on another

camping trip into Yellowstone. I like it so much, I picked up

three more pairs (Merrel, shown here) to get me through this trip.

The smart wool does a good job of not getting stinky and I found I

could wear one pair two days in a row and my feet didn't feel icky.

I packed with the anticipation of finding at least one laundry service along the way, 

so some underwear, socks, and a couple T-shirts

were washed and worn again at least once.

Not pictured are my underwears.

Y'all don't need to see those.

But I would recommend pairs that are quick-drying, so if you

need to wash them in a sink one night, they will be dry by morning.

swim suit

Our itinerary mentioned opportunities to swim.

So, because it's small and easy to throw in my bag, I packed

a swim suit. I did end up using it at the last campsite that had a pool

and I had some extra free time.

towel

Travel towels are fine, but I liked this Turkish style towel.

It folds down flatter than a normal beach towel, so took

up less space, but was normal size. Turkish towels also tend to dry quickly.

All of this, plus an inflatable sleeping mattress and a pair of Tevas

sandals all fit inside my rolling duffel bag.

For shoes, I wore my Timberland chukka boots.

I've had them for a couple years now, and chose them for 

this trip because they've never given me blisters, are well

worn in after a couple years of use, and the soles are still

in great shape. They worked very well in the bush and even

after the four hour walk in the Delta, my feet were still

relatively comfortable.

Camera gear:

Canon Rebel 6, with 300mm zoom lens

Olympus Tough TG-6

whatever my Google Pixel 6a phone is packing for optics.

Everything that wasn't clothes, towel, or an inflatable mat was packed into 

a Swiss Gear backpack I've had for many years 

(didn't really need to buy too many new

things for this trip) and the DSLR camera bag.

I also brought with me a field coat 

(that was also purchased second-hand; you're getting a theme here, I think)

that was very appreciated on cold nights, chilly mornings, and

while riding the 4x4 open air vehicles.

Travelling lightly was the goal,

and I think I nailed it.

😸😸😸