Up until our recent stopover in Cape Town, we've been camping it up for four weeks - living under canvas, that is. So other than a couple of nights in a hostel or B&B, we've been sleeping on floormats in tents, or even in the powder-dry red dust of the hide.
But at the ripe old age of 39, this and the climate have taken their toll: back aches, insect bites, muscular twinges and the occasional heat rash.
At various times we've been roasting hot to the point of collapse, shivering with cold first thing in the morning, nursing sore and stinging cuts and scratches, sunburnt or just exhausted and aching.
So, we've both finally come to our senses - and by that, I mean we've rediscovered them. Because however you feel in Africa, you feel.
Apologies to anyone who may be reading this while in an office, but what's struck me is how our modern lives seek to actually limit feeling as much as possible.
We drive in comfortable cars from our centrally-heated homes to an air-conditioned workplace where the slightest discomfort can be the source of complaint, or the smallest injury should immediately be recorded in the accident book. (This isn't turning into a rant about Health and Safety because I think that usually well-intentioned and has its place.)
But by trying to make our lives so comfortable, I think we actually deprive ourselves of life-affirming sensory experiences. Much as life's joys would mean nothing if we didn't have to face the disappointments as well, the physical highs and lows are just as vital.
I won't quickly forget the relief of sinking into a mattress after night after night on an unyielding ground mat, the relief of a cool breeze in the midst of a sweaty morning's work, or even the pleasure of realising that mossie bite has finally stopped itching. And at the end of a long, dry, hot and dusty day, words simply cannot describe the pleasure of stepping into a refreshing cool shower and washing yourself really clean.
When we return home next month, I know we won't be sleeping on the floor and washing ourselves in the sea off Brighton beach - but I hope that I'll be more discerning about our home comforts, and more grateful in the shower when I'm able to choose between hot and cold.
Henry
Musings of two Englishmen who have popped out of their Comfort Zones - and into the Southern Hemisphere ...
The Story So Far ...
We said farewell to our work friends at the RSPCA and BBC on 14 September, farewell to our families on 3 October, and set off for Africa to save cheetahs, decorate school buildings, and look around a bit. After a trip home for Christmas, we headed for South East Asia on 6 January -- where we were stunned by Qatar and Cambodia, taught novice monks in Laos, and acted as security guards at an Elephant Festival. It was back home for four weeks to look after John's dad, before we tangoed our way through five South American countries in fifteen days. We then snooped our way through New Zealand, dipped our toes into Fiji, drove-thru California and were home from home with family in Vancouver.
Now, we are home itself. Fulfilled, happy, and ready to earn the respect of our friends and family by knuckling down and earning some money once again ...
macaulaygenealogy.com Love to hear of your connections to the family name. Avoid lions and get a hold of me when you return. Funny thing is that I once had a monkey on my back, Brighton pier.
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