On being home

So home is great. Besides my friends and family, everything seems to be pretty much the same here. I wouldn't say I'm having reverse culture shock; it's more like post traumatic stress disorder. Like I almost missed my sister's art opening because I couldn't decide what to wear. There were just too many options. I was used to the same 4 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. The price of gas was a big blow, but since I haven't had a car, it hasn't been a problem. And for those of you wondering how we used to live before we had cell phones, it's kind of nice but isolating. I feel like I'm still in another country using email as my main form of communication. But, yes, it's great to go home and check the answering machine. (I can't believe I could still find one.)

I just wanted to thank everyone who made my adventure such a success. I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for all of your support in making the leap to quit my job and travel. Thanks for helping me prepare with travel books and tons of gear from REI. I'm so attached to my back pack that I just can't seem to unpack it quite yet. It's practically been my home for the last 7 months. Thank you for all your support and prayers throughout the adventure. They made it a success. And thanks to everyone who read my blog! I really appreciate the comments and feedback. I hope everyone is having a great summer, I know I am now that I'm home!

Home, Sweet, Home

I've had enough. I'm done. I'm home! I had a fabulous adventure but it was starting to wear on me. I was exhausted and homesick. So after 7 months, I decided to call it quits. And it's wonderful to be home! I'm so happy!!! It's great to have fresh clothes, a comfy bed and clean feet. I can't wait to catch up with everyone. I'd love to hear from you: cbern18@gmail.com. I hope everyone's having a great summer. Happy 4th of July!

Safari Time

After an awesome time in Cape Town, Anna and I headed to Johannesburg to start our safari in Kruger Park. We spent one crazy night in Johannesburg before the safari. First we went out to eat with the Delta flight crew who was staying in our hotel. Unfortunately all the pilots were married but we did get a free glass of wine. Then we made it to our concert just in time for the second half. Johnny Clegg was amazing. He was born in Zimbabwe but moved to South Africa when he was young. He became close to the Zulus and sings an ecletic mix of music. His latest album includes songs about the situation in Zimbabwe, traveling, child soldiers, deciding to get married and life in general. It was actaully a great culmination to my trip. The first song we saw included Indian sitar players and Indian style dance combined with Zulu music and dance. It was amazing. Johnny even tied in some French, which France is Anna's second home. After a little international drunk dialing, we headed to bed so we could wake up in a few hours to drive 8 hours to Kruger Park.

Needless to say the drive out to Kruger was not the most pleasant. It was long and cold, but the first game drive made it totally worth it. We saw kudu, elephants with their babies, giraffes with their babies, zebras with their babies, and buffalo all on the first day. But the highlight was seeing the lions eating. We found them just after they had killed a big kudu. There were 9 adult lions and one cub chowing down on this kudu. It was incredible. Big chunks of meat were flying. It's so amazing to see the circle of life! There is so much order in nature. Nothing dies needlessly. Every creature has its own mode of protection and place in the world.

Over the next two nights we camped in the bush in Kruger Park. It was amazing. At night we saw hyenas walked past as we ate and heard lions roar. During the day we went on two game walks. On the first the guide was so cute but he kept talking about and playing with animal poo the whole time. He would crack it open and touch it and say, "feel how warm this is? It was probably left within the last 45 minutes." He would really expect us to feel how warm it was. Disgusting. But not as bad as the next walk, when the guide told us how when walking in the bush, people would get really bored and make up games. One game was to shoot giraffe poop out of your mouth to see how far you could get it. Anna actually tried it! You don't really know someone until you travel with them. JK. I tried it too!

The safari was amazing. The last night we stayed on a game reserve in the cutest hut and awesome outdoor shower. Our guide was super knowledgeable and patient. We also saw the Drakensburg Escarpement, which was breathtaking. I'm so thankful Anna came to visit. I feel so lucky to have friends that will travel half way around the world so we can share an adventure together. Anna and I had a blast. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time, well not since Mom visited. Thanks, Anna! Looking forward to the next adventure together.

Anna does Cape Town

I was eagerly anticipating Anna's visit! It's been so long since I've seen a friend from home! Anna arrived on a Friday evening and we didn't waste a second hitting the Cape Town sites. We had a delicious dinner at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront and spent plenty of time catching up on the last 7 months.

The next day, Anna suggested we hike up Table Mountain. Luckily the weather cooperated and we made it up the side of a cliff basically in 2 hours. The climb was tough and the top was extremely windy. I thought we were going to blow off so we hid out in the gift shop. We were two hours late to pick up our rental car. Luckily, they stayed open until we got there. Everyone is so helpful here. We hopped in our cute little car, Marshmallow. By the time we got to the Cape of Good Hope, my legs were sore from the earlier hike. But the views were gorgeous and totally worth it. Then it was off to see the penguins. It was dark by this point so we didn't make it down to the beach but there were plenty of penguins in the parking lot and along the street. So cute!

The next day was a little rainy so we took it easy with a delicious brunch at the Bay Hotel with beautiful views of the beach followed by some curios shopping. After our relaxed day, the next day we packed it in. In the In the morning Anna and I froze on the Robben Island tour. Then we headed to Stellenbosch, one of the many wine areas. It was absolutely gorgeous, which made getting lost a little more pleasant. And the wines were divine! 

Welcome to Africa

So had I done a little more research before I planned this trip, I may have gone to India when it was cooler and Cape Town when it was warmer. But what can you do?

I had a mini-case of culture shock leaving India. Even being in the London airport felt strange. But once I arrived in Cape Town, I felt at ease. It was a beautiful sunny day and the city looked gorgeous. I stayed at a lovely backpackers (Cape Town Backpackers) with helpful staff and friendly travelers. Cape Town was so lovely I stayed 2 weeks before starting to work on my purpose in Africa.

I came to Africa with the intention of volunteering with kids and sports. However, given that I came up with that plan a year ago, it's changed a little. I still want to volunteer but I've broadened the scope to also working with marine life. I've always loved dolphins (as some of you know since I forced you to watch the video of me swimming with the dolphins in Mexico) and when I was little I wanted to be a marine biologist when I grew up. So I thought I'd give it a try.

Since the weather was cold and cloudy in Cape Town, I flew to Mozambique. I met a guy in the airport heading to Barra, so I decided to tag along. I spent the first week there, which may be the prettiest beach I've ever seen. Big palm trees, soft sand, a wide beach and crystal clear water. There I did my PADI advanced open water diver certification so I could dive deeper (to 100 feet). It was amazing. I saw a white tipped reef shark, huge manta rays, devil rays, long eels, nemos, and tons of colorful fish. It was magical.

I met great people diving as well. It's so refreshing to hang out with people who are living their dreams as SCUBA instructors. I also met some great travelers. Marcus, Sean and Natasha are on their way around they world. Now they're touring southern Africa in their decked out 4X4. It was awesome. I hitched a ride with them to Maputo and got to sleep in the tent on their roof! There was even a fridge in the back of the truck and their GPS knows all the dirt roads in the tiniest of villages.

Mamma Mia

So my mom set the stage for our time together but she didn't tell you what a good sport she was. Mom hadn't been there 24 hours when I took her to catch our train at the New Delhi train station. And even though it's called New Delhi train station, there ain't nothing new about it. There are 1 billion people in India and I think half of them were at the train station that day, along with an equal number of rats. People sleeping, people living at the train station, people peeing, people begging, people yelling, people waiting every where. So we get on our 1st class A/C sleeper with another family and off we go. We were on our way to visit relatives of family friends, Anjali and Saleem, in a small town (in India that means a population of half a million people) called Basti. We were so excited to meet them and for a true Indian experience.

We wake up later with a strange man in our cabin but that's not unusual. Then we hear the news that there was a derailment in front of us just before Basti. We had to wait until it cleared. And wait and wait and wait. We waited on the train with no opening windows, no water, no food for 9 hours in 107 degree heat. It was like a sauna. We had to ask our cabin mates for their Fanta and Mom made me ration it. Finally the train started moving, but not towards Basti. It was being re-routed. We were instructed to get off at the next stop and wait for a ride to Basti. So we did. I was dying of thirst and hunger so I made my mom walk across the dirt road to the truck stop sheds. It took 3 sheds before I found "cold" water and chips. Spicy chips never tasted so good.

We were so happy to see our ride to Basti! They greeted us with a helping hand, cool car and cold drinks. When we arrived in Basti, Saleem welcomed us with the warmest welcome. He had cold lassis and sweets waiting for us, followed by a huge lunch of specially prepared non-spicy Indian food. I didn't know it existed! The meal was delicious, and I didn't shed any tears from spiciness.

Saleem and Anjali are both doctors. They work around the clock taking care of their patients who stay at the hospital on the 1st floor of their house. We took a tour of the hospital and met patients recovering from surgery, illness and deliveries. It is incredible all the hard work that they have both done and the special attention they give their patients.

My mom and I had a fabulous time with Anjali and Saleem. We had massages, got full mendi (henna) done, and saw several Indian weddings with grooms entering on camels, horses and elephants. Saleem even has a vintage American car, which we got to ride in. And it a visit wouldn't be complete without a Hindi dance party in one of the staff's homes.

We wished we had more time in Basti. Saleem and Anjali welcomed us right into their home and showed us a true Indian experience. If they ever get tired of being doctors, they should have a bed and breakfast!









On the way home, we were only delayed 7 hours on the train, but we had A/C, food and water the whole trip. After the grueling train rides, we treated our selves to a luxury hotel and it was fabulous. We were definitely in need of a swim, being that it was extremely hot. However, we didn't have our swimsuits with us. So we went to buy some. The first ones we found looked like figure skating outfits with a skirt over bikers and puffy sleeves. We were so desperate to swim that we bought them anyway.

Mom and I spent the rest of our days touring Delhi and napping. It was so hot we'd see one site and go for a nap. Then see another followed by another nap. And of course we saw the Taj Mahal, in all it's glory. I had an incredible time with my mom. She took all the glitches in stride. Thanks for coming!

adios India

I'm not quite sure how to sum up this trip. It will probably take some time to process and I'm sure once I return home, I'll realize even more things about India, the States and myself.

I think after South America, I said I really liked traveling alone. Well, now I really hate traveling alone, and I'm not sure I ever want to do it again. Yes, I realize I still have 3 months to go.

India is the land of extremes. I met amazing people with big hearts. I received warm welcomes all over India. I've been to at least 15 cities in 3 months. I've learned about religions, arranged marriages, people, culture, food, languages and tons more. Even after 3 months, I'm still amazed by India. Seriously every time I leave my hotel room, it's an adventure.

My purpose here was to study yoga and meditation, and I'd say mission accomplished and so much more that I never could have imagined. Cate and I did yoga nearly everyday. I got a personalized yoga practice from the Krishnamachara Yoga Mandrim, the yoga I studied in Atlanta. And I learned Cate's yoga practice also. I did some crazy meditations at OSHO (shaking for 15 minutes, screaming for 15 minutes, dancing for 15 minutes and finally sitting for 15 minutes), and some more traditional but intense meditations at the vipassana meditation course (no talking for 10 days, just sitting and meditating for 12 hours a day). That's probably the most intense I'll ever do. I'm actually happy my original plan to work in an ashram didn't work out. I got to learn about and experience India and it's culture and I made a life-long friend, Cate. Even if a new friend was all I gained from traveling to India, it was worth it. It's rare that you make such a close friend and are able to share such a wild and crazy experience in a foreign country together. And with my mom too! My mom and I made awesome travel buddies (well I shouldn't speak for her). Despite the many glitches we encountered, culture shock and jet lag, my mom rolled with the punches and we laughed through it all. It's rare I get so much individual time with someone, especially as cool as my mom. I just feel really blessed and lucky. Thanks, Mom!

So it's with a bittersweet goodbye to India that I embark on the next adventure in Africa, with no plan at all but with renewed trust in God that it will work out for the best.