Back to Africa

This time for vacation. I'm not looking forward to getting back on a plane again so soon -- especially the reverse of the very same South African airways flight I took from back Dakar -- but I am certainly looking forward to arriving.

It's funny -- southern Africa has become so familiar now, and I think part of me expected West Africa to feel that way too. But they're nothing alike, really. They might as well be on opposite sides of the planet. Still, I think all those visits to South Africa probably prepared me a lot better for Chad and Senegal. I experienced some pretty serious culture shock the first time I was in SA, and some VERY serious culture shock in Chad. I keep thinking that if I hadn't already had four trips to Africa under my belt before I went to Chad, I might have had a pretty tough time of it.

Anyway, all that seems very distant now. I'm looking forward to lying on a Mozambiquan beach and drinking South African wine. If I'm feeling energetic, maybe I'll do a little scuba. It can't get much better than that.