"All my bags are packed...I'm ready to go"...

It's 4am, this really blows.
There's not much left to do but wait and stress...
I'm leaving! On a jet plane! Don't know when I'll be back again...

Ok. This is obviously false. I know when I'll be back again. September 4th. I also know I have 36 hours of total travel time fast approaching (hence being up at 4:16am finalizing last minute details knowing I will have PLENTY of time to sleep soon). 

It seems like absolutely forever since Erika and I decided (on pretty much a whim and a Groupon) to go to South Africa. Considering I got the Groupon email back in February, in travel-speak, 6 months IS forever.

Yet, here we are, 8 hours to go before our pick up. I finished packing Monday which is a change for me. I usually wait until the last minute so I don't know what happened. I have to say, it's pretty nice. I should try this more often. I'm still amazed how much crap I manage to pack for a relatively short trip. Though this time around, my camera gear takes up about 1/3 of my suitcase and that's not even including my lenses and camera body which I'm carrying on with me. You can't go to Africa and not bring a good camera (and a spare...and a point and shoot....and a waterproof video camera for videotaping Great White Sharks while in a shark cage...and batteries and filters for them all...). Overkill? Absolutely. But I'm not flying 8000 miles to miss a MyPublisher book-worthy shot!

Traveling is strange for me. I love it, but I don't get overly excited until I actually touch down at the target destination. Probably because I know what's in store for me between home and there. Lines, waiting, airports, more lines, more airports, smelly feet, recycled airplane air, crying babies, the smell of chemical airplane bathrooms, traffic, blah. However, this time should be different. We are flying BUSINESS CLASS! International Business Class no less! Now I'm looking forward to the flight(s) almost as much as the trip itself! HA! Come on now, you know you'd jump at unlimited free food and drink, a lay-flat chair with mattress that massages your bottom, and 1200 tv channels and movies on a 17" HD tv. Not to mention complimentary chauffeur service to and from the airport courtesy of the airline. And a complimentary hotel room in Dubai for our 8 hour layover courtesy of the airline so we can rest and "freshen up". As Anthony Bourdain likes to say... "Damn."

Traveling is also incredibly stressful. I'm now finding out why Groupon had such a deal for this trip. WEATHER. South Africa sounds amazing with beautiful wine country and animals of various degrees of grace and terror. It also is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Which means for you geographically challenged people, it's Winter there. Winter means cold and rain. Cold and rain wreak havoc on vacations. I am literally emailing some of our tour operators in another window, sending it off, and writing this post while waiting for responses. (It's 4:43am now). Our itinerary is also taking us through the United Arab Emirates which is in the Middle East. The Middle East is in the Northern Hemisphere which means it's Summer there. 125 fricking degrees Summer there. Well, it's only actually 95 but it feels like 125 with the humidity. I'm not joking. I have the screencap on my iPhone to prove it. Thank goodness they have a ski resort inside the mall.

So I ask of you people who might be in higher standing than I am with the "man above" to please say a few good words wishing us safe passage and return, immunity from common travel calamities (lost luggage, delayed flights, stinky passenger neighbors, "the rheaa"), and most of all, cut us some fricking slack and give us good weather dammit!

Ok. It's 5:00am. Time for bed.