Saturday, May 31, 2008

home again

My sweet cat (Joe) was so happy to see me when I walked in the door. He attached himself to my neck and would not let go, purring in my ear and drooling on my shoulder. (Have you ever had a cat that drools? It is very odd.)

For some stupid reason, I forgot to change clothes before I got on my flight home yesterday, so I was wearing a skirt and high-heeled mules. My legs were so cold for the five hour flight home and my feet were KILLING me! This morning, I found a blister on my foot from walking through the Newark and Phoenix airports in those heels.

I had used my frequent flier miles to upgrade to first class, so at least I was comfortable. The lady sitting next to me was very interesting. She was on the final leg of a very long trip which had begun many hours ago in Africa where she had gone on safari. I listened to her describe the different camps her group stayed in, some very basic and some with more luxuries. She described watching a lioness carry a kill through the tall grass and watching the lioness consume the entire front leg of the impala, "bones and all". Then the next day they saw another lioness (or perhaps the same one) with four lion cubs that were only a couple of months old. The small group of travelers sat very quietly, watching the cubs cavort for quite a while. She saw many other animals and described them all. She also described her shopping expeditions in tiny villages and larger towns. (She was wearing a few bracelets that she had purchased.) She was shocked to see that many of the grocery store shelves in Zimbabwe were nearly empty. On the few nights that they stayed at a hotel, they took the fruit from their fruit baskets outside to the begging children. But the continent was absolutely beautiful and she was very glad to have made the trip. She also travels with close girlfriends because her husband does not like to travel.

All of this discussion did not awaken in me any desire to follow in her footsteps. Maybe I will change my mind as I get older. For now, I am content with more pampered travels. In April 2009, Jane & I plan to cruise the Mexican Riviera. 2010 is the year of Greece. 2011 is South America, with a special trip to Machu Pichu. Now that will be amazing!

1 comment:

Ol' Froth said...

I did have a cat that drooled...she died about five years ago. She also liked to climb on the couch while I was laying down and lick the top of my head.