Vilanculos

Here I am in Vilanculos, so far so good. I just saw my brother off at the airport because his spring break is over and he has to get back to classes in Capetown. I however, am on life vacation so the journey continues. Yesterday we went on a dhow (read "dinghy") trip out to the beautiful Bazaruto Islands, where we had a delicious lunch, found some incredible shells, and did some snorkeling. Today I am on my own again, just trying to figure out some logistics, then I will head off to the market to buy some bananas, avocados, and bread to hold me over for the next few days. I am changing my itinerary around, since the consensus is that Lesotho beats out Swaziland as the better Southern Africa nugget country. More soon....

Beach Bummin in Tofo

Hi again,
I am sitting in an "internet cafe" in Praia de Tofo, Mozambique. It is about 100 degrees in here and I've already used up nearly a half hour just waiting for this page to load. I have a painting rolled up next to me that I just bought from the artist at the craft market on the beach. Mozambique has been amazing - so beautiful and relaxing. After I last wrote, my brother and I went to the fish market in Maputo, excited about getting some fresh tiger prawns grilled up for us. We ended up "splurging" on 2 kilos (4.4 lbs) of tiger prawns for about 200 rand, or 25 dollars. We were waiting more than an hour and starving by the time the plate of grilled prawns arrived. But the prawns were no bigger than my pinky finger. We tried to tell the lady that she had made a mistake, that these were not our prawns. Unfortunately, we soon found out that the lady at the fish market had taken us for a complete ride and scooped out 2 kgs of her smallest, shittiest prawns because we were unsuspecting white tourists. We were very let down but last night we got out justice when we tried it a second time at the local market here in Tofo and made sure to pick out each prawn one by one. This time we got 1 kg for 8 dollars and feasted like royalty. The seafood here is unbelievable, as are the fresh fruits and vegetables, art, and curios.
I am on Day 2 of my SCUBA course and the diving here is awesome. Yesterday we did our intro lessons in the bottom of a pool and took a dive to a nearby reef. Today I had to watch a bunch of DVDs about dive "philosophy" and tomorrow I have a quiz and two more dives, then David and I are catching the boat Northbound to the remote and beautiful Vilanculos (Bazarutos Archipelago) . I will be heading into Swaziland in about a week to see what that little nugget of a country is all about.

Stay tuned.

Hi from Africa

Hello! I am writing from an internet cafe in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Today marks exactly 1 week since I arrived in Africa and I can fairly say that things have been crazy - and amazing. My first attempt to take the African busliner from Joburg to Nelspruit ended up in a 2 hour delay and a 3 hour breakdown on the side of the road, in total my trip took 9.5 hours rather than the expected 4.5. Frustrating as it was, it gave me the opportunity to meet a bunch of locals. I have expected people to treat me negatively because I am an american, but on the contrary, people are really excited to see me and everyone wants to talk to me. When the bus broke down and people found out I was an American, it was like I was a celebrity.
Anyways, once I actually got to Nelspruit, things were amazing. After much stress, everything worked out: I met a Harvard medical student doing research here who was traveling for the weekend and the two of us went up on a tour of the Blyde River Canyon. He dropped me off in Graskop, where I met a group of awesome Portuguese kids and together we went hiking then we took the bus back to Maputo, where they are working, and where I am meeting my brother. The bus driver threatened to leave me behind at the border of Mozambique because I didnt have my visa, so my new portuguese friends and I sprinted through the visa office and thanks to their language skills, I made it back on the bus in time. That was a crazy adventure.
So I arrived in Maputo last night, David and I met up at the hostel and partied with some awesome South Africans. Tomorrow we are going to Tofo where I will begin my SCUBA course.
That's all for now. Bye!

Backpacking in Africa

Hey all,
This post marks the closing of the current chapter of the quest and the dawning of a new one. On Friday March 14, 5 days from now, I will be taking the GMAT, for which I have been studying since January. Then, on Monday the 17th, two days after my exam, I will be departing for Africa to commence a period of travel that will (tentatively) last through the beginning of June.
Those of you who have been with me since the beginning will know that travel was always a big part of what I wanted to do during this vision quest. But, you may ask, why Africa? The short answer is that it just kind of happened that way. My brother is studying abroad for the semester in Capetown, and my parents offered to pay for my flight down there to visit him. And its a hell of a lot cheaper and less exploited than Europe. Now that I've done my homework, however, there's nowhere else I would rather go. Southern Africa is teeming with incredible sites and natural wonders. I am so unbelievably excited.
To give you a rough outline of my route: I am flying into Johannesburg (19 hours, straight from DC...), then after sleeping off my jetlag, I am meeting my brother in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where we will spend a week traveling together over his spring break. After ending its nearly century-long civil war about a decade ago, Mozambique has become one of the most sought-after travel destinations for its pristine beaches and world-class SCUBA diving. While I am there, I plan to get my SCUBA certification so I can take full advantage of it! From there, I will travel west around the cape of Africa before arriving back in Capetown, where I will meet back up with my brother. The second leg of the trip involves traveling north from Capetown into the deserts of Namibia, east along the northern coast of Botswana (to see the amazing Okavango Delta), then to Victoria Falls, Lake Malawi, and finally, Zanzibar.
Pretty unbelievable, right?
Should make for some pretty good reading, so I hope you will all follow along.

Pray for my safe travels!