My favourite thing about every country we have visited...aside from the children. I've loved them everywhere. South Africa - the wine. Oh man, the wine. Absolutely beautiful wine for absolutely no major expense. I bought a 1.5L cardboard box of wine for 20 Rand (the equivalent of $2 CAD) and it was totally legit. Our biggest regret is not having done the Wine route tour. The weather wasn't right for it as a result of rainy season, but we have vowed to go back. Honourable mention - the restaurant and bar scene aka the 'turn up' culture. At the very least in Cape Town, you can always find somewhere delicious to eat and live to dance. Botswana - the sounds. Deep in the Okavango Delta (a massive inland water system ripe with wildlife) the sounds are incredible. There are these frogs at sunset that sound like wind chimes. I posted a video on Instagram of it if you want to hear. It was magical. Honourable mention - the stars. I've never seen so many stars in my life and I wasn't even (that) scared. Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls. Tim described it as feeling like a cross between being in an early 90's sega genesis game and Pandora from Avatar. It was this completely surreal and beautiful tropical rain forrest - fully equipped with antelope and thieving monkeys and baboons - that leads you to one of the wonders of the world. Honourable mention - we were only in this country for a few days and only in Vic Falls town, but as we crossed the border from Botswana a disgruntled elephant charged our overland truck. That was pretty rad. Zambia - the friendly people. People have been friendly to us most everywhere (save for the train to Tanzania) but people here were particularly chilled out. Nothing was an issue here. It was the only place people just walked by us on the street without a second look and when we went into this super local restaurant in Livingstone and we weren't sure how it worked, the staff and patrons alike were so nice and patient and welcoming. Bless them. It can be really intimidating. Honourable mention - no 'mzungu' price. Everything we bought, we were quoted and paid the local person's price. This is very rare. Tanzania - Swahili culture. I could go on and on about why I loved Tanzania and why I'm going back, but to sum it up, Swahili culture in general is lovely. It can have it's exhausting points - the shameless 'mzungu' calls and prices for one - but overall it is extremely cordial, formulaic, lovely and all round fun. The language is relatively easy to navigate and melodical even, once you get the hang, and people just constantly welcome you. Like, everywhere. It's a constant stream of "Karibu sana" (you're very welcome) whether it's into a shop or just to Tanzania in general. You'd be hard pressed to engage in conversation or even pass by a local person without them welcoming you to Tanzania. It's something I've adopted and will continue for the rest of my life I think. It's a lovely sentiment. I suppose that stands out the most to me about the culture. Id been keen to hear from my Moshi friends about what they love the most about Swahili culture. Honourable mention - working with Tusaidiane. This really goes without saying. Whether I'm talking about the actual seminar work - being a teacher and a public speaker, putting together cohesive and relevant bodies of information, all of it was rewarding and fantastic. Or having the opportunity to meet, work with and become friends with inspiring women like Amanda and Rahab, all round it was life informing. Rwanda - Gorilla trekking. Wow. Just wow. It's all I can really say. The trek itself was rewarding because I'm not a hiker or a climber and I'm recovering still from my ankle break, just physically being able to move through the tumultuous jungle of Volcanoes National Park itself was an accomplishment for me. But the actual time spent with the gorillas was nothing short of a massive privilege and life experience. They are beautiful creatures and so close to us as humans. I cried when we finally got to them. When the baby touched me, my heart stopped. I wish I could relive those moments again and again. Honourable mention - the landscape. Again, wow. "Land of a thousand hills" is an understatement. You can't believe this until you've seen it and lived it and driven it on the back of terrifying motorcycle taxis. It's astounding. Ethiopia - the rituals We were only in the northern part of the country (Tigray and Amhara regions) so that's all I can speak to, but the ritualistic presence is quite something. For example, whether you're going into a shop or a cafe or someone's home, there is always long fresh strands of grass on the floor to signify freshness of life and to welcome you. The coffee ceremonies and eating rituals as well are inviting albeit time consuming and transcend all economic barriers. Ethiopia is very special in that it is the only country in Africa to have never been colonized and this is visible. Honourable mention - the historic and architectural sites. We visited and learned a lot about many of the sites these regions had to offer. All of which are grand and mysterious. The stalae and the stone hewn churches are particularly remarkable and shrouded in the unknown. How ancient peoples were capable of these feats is truly awe striking. And so, as we prepare to leave this continent tonight (I promise to write more about Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia in a separate post, if for no one else but myself) I have to say that resoundingly, the children here have been just the absolute most endearing experience. Their waves, their smiles, their eagerness to practice their English with foreigners, their little handshakes, their independence and fearlessness, ugh. It will warm my heart forever.
