As someone who has all but immersed themselves in travel around South Africa over the years, it should come as no surprise that after 5 visits in the last 20 years (2 of which could best be described as “mini-life-crises”), I have compiled quite the “bucket list” of activities in which to partake during time spent in this nation of rainbows. From sights requiring seeing, restaurants necessitating dining and of course places demanding going, it is exceedingly difficult to whittle down this extensive list, especially when presented with a finite amount of time in which to do so. Thus, when our 2nd set of visitors (henceforth known as “The McNelligans”), made the initial decision to visit for a 2-week period during our “farewell tour” of South Africa, it was quite the challenge to not only develop an itinerary that provided a well-rounded glimpse of all that South Africa has to offer, but also abided by some fairly-specific requirements, set out before us: Requirement #1 = Epic Safari – With over 40 game reserves around the country, this was by far the easiest requirement to fulfill. And also the least surprising. I mean, who visits southern Africa without going on a safari? It would be the equivalent of traveling to Brazil and not coming home with ass implants. I mean, right? Right. Requirement #2 = No Malaria – With a 7-month-old in tow, and the combination of malaria & young infants typically resulting in fairly “unideal” outcomes, we had to whittle down our list of potential safari destinations fairly drastically (as over 95% of games reserves in South Africa are conveniently located in the region officially declared by the CDC as “no bueno”). Nonetheless, with 2 mosquito-free options remaining, a safari was still to be had! Requirement #3 = Do All The Things – Aside from seeing animals and not dying in the process, the last requirement was by far the most extensive – “do all the things” -- A challenge we were more than experienced in tackling after 11 months of doing exactly that. And while this choice of “travel style” would eventually result in occupying a van with 3 children under the age of 5, for multiple hours on end, day-after-day-after-day, honestly, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s not as if we were traveling with children known for having meltdowns over inane notions such as the inability to put a recently picked booger back into the nose from which it was just pulled. I mean, that would just be ridiculous. Ridiculous I say! (Pause for dramatic effect / awkward literary transition) Now, as this isn’t our first South African travel blog, and the eventual itinerary with the McNelligans involved quite a few “repeats” from years past, it felt prudent to avoid regurgitating from prior posts, when attempting to summarize our experiences from their visit. Thus, to maintain the focus of what I can only assume at this point are 13 ½ loyal readers, I decided that instead of re-portraying those aspects of our trip that have been so carefully documented over the years, I instead would give this particular blog post a much more "personal touch," providing a more-colorful-albeit-less-informative account of events. And of course, add to that a sh*t-load of photos too. Just to pack things up nice and pretty. Onward we go. Highlights OF THE Highlights (Week 1):
Highlights OF THE Highlights (Week 2):
The OTHER Highlights:
(Queue up friendly reminder = All of this occurred in a matter of 13 days) Now, while it took only 10 minutes of driving at the commencement of our road trip to fully appreciate that the limits of our sanity would undoubtedly be tested, what we did not envision, were the benefits of surrounding ourselves with like-minded peers, 24/7, for almost 2 consecutive weeks. And not because said friends provided a form of socialization that had been drastically lacking for almost a year. But because said friends filled the missing niche that we had oh-so-desired since the start of our year abroad – Marital Disagreement Debate Resolution. Let me explain. For those that have been lucky enough to relish in the joyous experience that is commonly known as a “marital disagreement,” you are keenly aware that there are only two eventual outcomes:
However, a rare opportunity presents itself from time to time, whereby a 3rd party is able to intervene, and provide a final declaration of winner/loserdom. And while most rely on a seasoned professional (i.e. therapist) to provide such a determination, there is another rarely-used alternative, which relies heavily on immersing yourselves in the presence of others, for a significant period of time (e.g. visiting friends). Who after 2 weeks of 24/7 contact, are more than versed in your marital mannerisms. So, purely hypothetically speaking, if a spouse were to declare something as ridiculous as “most people in America live to be over 100 years old” (since of course, the grandmother of this opinion-holder is almost 100 years of age), well, there really is no reasoning with a person that believes such a notion. However, with “Marital Disagreement Debate Resolution,” resolve is only a quick democratic vote away! And thus summarizes our 2 weeks spent with the McNelligans. An impeccable opportunity to provide finality to arguments that previously would be… well… undetermined. For example:
And so, it was. Team Mark vs Team Julie: The Ultimate Battle. Finally settled once and for all. Thanks, McNelligans! Our marriage has never been better! Onto the “assload” of pics AND videos:
4 Comments
Mom - of course
6/27/2022 06:35:07 pm
I’ve been in withdrawal. 6 weeks without a blog! Thanks to the McNelligans for the inspiration. Loved the blog and the photos. Less than 4 weeks to go. Can’t wait to hug you all.
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Melissa
6/27/2022 07:16:42 pm
So jealous we didn’t think of being the mcnelligans! Can y’all stay there another 6 months so we can plan a few weeks to come visit? Dave and I are happy to make out at all the stop signs.
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6/27/2022 09:18:27 pm
Best blog post yet. Now, please come home. I think you have all seen enough elephants!
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Brian M
6/27/2022 11:23:52 pm
Seriously cracked me up with this post! Best one yet!
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PRIOR BLOG POSTS: Year Abroad Intro: • Welcome to our Newest Blog! Again! • The Move - Dissected, Probed and Then Probed Some More • The Voyage (Part 1) - If At First You Don't Succeed, Trying Again Won't Work Either • The Voyage (Part 2) - The Layover to Rule All Other Layovers • A Personal Life Update - Establishing Our Shallow Roots A Guide to South Africa: • How to be an Expat When You Aren't Technically an Expat (Part 1 - Bank Accounts) • How to be an Expat, When You Aren't Technically an Expat (Part 2 - Health Insurance) • Load Shedding - Keeping the Lights Off in South Africa Since 2007 • 195 Ways to Fight a Pandemic - The South Africa Edition • Halloween in South Africa - Playing Catch-Up Since 2016 • SnapScan - South Africa's Glimpse into America's Future • Thanksgiving in South Africa - Where My Turkeys Be At? • Life at the Epicenter of Omicron - A Different Type of Cancel Culture • Playgrounds - The Starbucks of South Africa • Cost of Living in South Africa - An Exploratory Journey of Everyday Expenses Trips: • Namibia Roadtrip (1 of 3) - Driving a Shake Weight to Sossusvlei • Namibia Roadtrip (2 of 3) - Searching for Souls in Swakopmund • Namibia Roadtrip (3 of 3) - Getting our Safari on at Etosha National Park • Weekend Getaway in Robertson - A Trip Down Pleasantville Lane • Summer Holiday Trip (1 of 3) - Glamping Without the Glam in the Drakensberg Mountains • Summer Holiday Trip (2 of 3) - The Historical Chronicles of Kruger National Park • Summer Holiday Trip (3 of 3) - Searching for Whales and Spare Tires in the Overberg • Visitors Round 1 - The Woodmans - An Expedited Exploration of Everything • The Great Wildebeest Migration - 15 Years of Waiting Decided in 15 Minutes • Ngorongoro Crater - A Pre-Migration Layover Inside an Inverted Volcano • Ndutu - The Safari to Rule All Other Safaris • Serengeti National Park - Seeking Out Simba at an Abandoned Pride Rock • Zanzibar - The Island of Sugar, Spice and Most Things Nice • Visitors Round 2 - Let's Ignore Our Sanity & Do All The Things • Wild Coast - A Little Tatse of the O.G. South Africa Cape Towning: • Spring Break in September - Just as Strange as it Sounds • A Day in the Life of a South African Expat - The Visual Edition • A Wrinkle in Our Spare Time • Our Final Week in South Africa - A Bittersweet Symphony of Bucket Lists The Other Stuff: • This is 40: The South Africa Version |