Day 12: Out of Africa ------

Last day in Africa...... early morning sun and still no hippos..... the Zambezi flows on it's way to Victoria Falls. Monkeys run across the grass eyeing the breakfast tables. Simba has a sling shot --- a real sling shot the sight of which sends the monkeys running.  I tried it, and it's the real thing. Simba goes for coffee and they jump right up, paws on the tablecloth ready for sugar, their favorite it appears. They go after the sugar packets, but here comes Simba and they scatter. The sight of him is enough. They're off onto the river barge to see what's been left behind. They'll be back!

The river's placid flow and sparkle belie the hippos and crocodiles that lurke below. Crocodiles, Simba tells me, have round snouts and their upper teeth come down over the lowers showing a wicked grin. Alligators, on the other hand, shut their mouths and nobody sees anything.

Simba lets fire stone pebbles into the trees. They fly over the lawn, a dozen of them.

And so the games begin again. This is where traveling alone on this adventure can get a little tough. First its the luggage weight and not having another person to pass off stuff to. Then it's the logistics themselves and just having companionship to jump in when my patience wears thin or I don't hear correctly. But then..... there is always another American who wants to talk or someone thoughtful who grabs the bag.

We have a 36 hour journey ahead. First Leg.... 1:20 pm South African Airways flight: Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, South Africa. Then a 4 hour layover before the 7:45pm flight to London, Heathrow.

There are a few ways to make this whole trasnsition and right now I am sitting in the airline pay for lounge that provides wifi, food, beverage, comfortable chairs, internet stations, and a level of comfort for $30 for 4 hours. Not bad, I could spend that much in  the coffee shop on a hard chair with no wifi, and I need to finish up Day 12 with you. My boarding pass says 11+ hours and 5,843 miles. We have a hopeful arrival time of 6:35am Monday the 28th because .....guess what.... we have to make another set of connections, 2 flights... but I'm not telling where to. Lets get to London first......... That will be Day 13. Don't forget to check back and see where we land,,,,,, next..