"Ah Botswana?"
I have been a collector all my life, most notably tubas and vintage photography. Along with these, I would throw in a healthy dose of vacation travel, seeking out national parks and the path less taken. 17 years ago I set out to see America by bicycle. I had taken a few cycling vacations before hand, but each trip was buffered on either end with the logistics of both "getting there" and "getting back". "A Crossing of America" was the logical answer to the question "but what if you DIDN'T have to come back and just kept going?" It was a great experience and I came back with the memories and stories that should have filled a lifetime....but they ran out. I retired the bicycle and set out on foot and by car to keep seeing things at a slow pace and got better (and more expensive) camera equipment to "bring it back alive" for friends and family.
As with the bicyle, my appetite for answering the "what if?" question outgrew my yearly ration of smaller trips to closer locales.... it was time for something a bit larger.....
But the "Botswana?"
"The World of Commander McBragg" was a cartoon from the late 1960's that featured a retired adventurer who would regale his
compatriot with stories of his exploits in a far-flung country picked out on a globe. The compatriot would wind up the
segment by commenting, "My word commander, that's quite some story..." to which the commander would reply dryly "quite"...
The "Botswana Tour" will take me to all the places I'd always wanted to see, from the Great Migration in Africa, to the Great Walks of New
Zealand. From the Egyptian Pyramids to Machu Picchu. And yes there will be the Moa on Easter Island. I miss my moa..
"Oh Mark, that sounds like quite some adventure" to which Mark would reply dryly..."Quite"
