Goodbye Africa

Well, it's two hours in the Ethiopian Airlines lounge before boarding my flight to Rome and then Toronto, thus ending my marvelous trip of a lifetime to Africa.

I think it is time to get home, the trip being just long enough to see a good sample of the place and I don't have any feeling I want to stay any longer. I think the flu/cold over the past few days plus a strained rib muscle show that the trip was tiring enough with the pace of safaris, etc.

What a fantastic destination. I have seen so much and learned so much and met so many wonderful people. Of course, the scenery / landscape and the incredible wildlife just blows you away. It met or even exceeded expectations, and how many times does a travel destination actually live up to the hype? Africa does! I also just was so excited to have the chance to see the relics of human evolution. You get to see 2,000 year old history in Europe, but here, you get 4 million years of history!

Finally, the culture. So much energy, colour and vitality. The people here are great, perhaps excluding Ethiopia. South Africans must be the happiest people on Earth, Zambians the warmest and Tanzanians the friendliest. I am not just thinking of hospitality service staff where every contact was Ritz-Carlton level, but cab drivers, store clerks, and just people in the street.

I love this continent, and especially think South Africa has so much to offer for all kinds of vacations.

Back in Canada with a layover in Toronto, so time to post this final footprint.Les mer