It's been great to have the opportunity to spend some time on the Island this summer. It has been around 10 years since I have spent the summer here at home. Summers are great!
Other than a few snow days the planting this year has been going well. One thing I am noticing more and more over the years is that I'm not as young as I once was out here. I remember back in my early years when I was planting with eighth year vets and wondering how and why they were still out here. Well at least now I know. Thankfully somehow over the years I have yet to injure myself. It seems all to common for planters to have tendinitis, blisters, bad cuts/sores, twisted ankles, bad backs, bummed knees....
One other think I have noticed out here planting this year is people falling into the good 'ol days mindset. Just remembering the best land, best cooks, best crew bosses, best pilots, best prices and so on and wishing those days were now. In reality things do change, it simply is a part of life. Thankfully it keeps life new and exciting. Even if the change is not wanted at the moment. Well in another 5 days planting will be only in the good 'ol days in my books... well if I get a job at least...
Another season has come yet again... Thankfully 
I only plan on being out here until the end of the month before I head home to continue my full time employment search. The first two weeks out here have been somewhat typical for a planting season. Some sun, some snow, some rain and lots of COLD... I just moved to my tent from a motel yesterday which of course meant it had to snow overnight... only another 10 days of planting and I'm done.
After upwards of 60,000 km of travel Holly and I have made it back to our Island. We both had an incredible journey and wish that more people would have the opportunity to do a journey such as this. For me reality is starting to settle in... I need to put together a resume and start begging for work... We would like to thank you all for your support and prayers as we have been off traveling. We truly have appreciated it all.
Holly and I have been making a quick pass through Europe the past few days. Trying to make the most of the little time we have left. From Frankfurt we made our way south to Salzburg where we were able to quickly check out the city. Following that we made it to Venice for a day of exploring this unique spot. After an overnight train last night we spent today in Rome checking out the sights. Tomorrow we fly from Milano back to London then fly home from there the next morning.
Holly and I have now completed our Africa portion of our trip. It's hard to believe how time moves along. Although it feels like we have been gone a long while, it is also hard to believe that our trip is already coming to a close. At the moment we are on a layover in the Doha airport in Qatar on our way to Frankfurt, Germany. From there we plan on spending a few days training around Europe before making our journey home. It's too bad our time is quickly running out.
From Southern Namibia, we were able to hitch a ride on a truck heading to Cape Town, South Africa. 
Cape Town is a scenic city situated on the coast with mountains surrounding it. After spending some time hiking Table Mountain and browsing the craft markets, we are getting ready to head to Johannesburg to catch our Friday flight back to Europe (Germany).
Namibia is a large country with a small population and therefore does not have an extensive public transit system. Hitch hiking is very common and safe in this area so we decided to try our luck from Maun, Botswana to Windhoek, Namibia.
Surprisingly, we were able to make the journey in only one day as a number of people picked us up. We had rides from a government employee and son, a rancher (cattle & game farm), peace core volunteers, and Zimbabweans driving to the coast to pick up used tires they shipped from Europe. We really enjoyed this mode of travel and learned a lot from the people who picked us up. After spending some time in Windhoek, the modern capital, and Swakomund, where the Kalahari desert meets the Atlantic Ocean, we headed south by minibus to Keetmanshoop where we would continue to South Africa.
After crossing the Botswana border, we stopped in Kasane, a modern city and gateway into Chobe National Park. Accommodations were not cheap so we opted for camping at a nice lodge instead. 
From the lodge we were able to organise a afternoon boat cruise on the Zambezi River. Since the river level was so high (7 metres higher than normal) we were able to get quite close to the bank and saw many elephants and hippos, as well as various antelope, Buffalo, monitor lizards, crocodiles, giraffes and birds. According to the guide the park contains about 150,000 elephants however the park can only sustain 60,000. They moved some to another park in Botswana, but they all walked back to Chobe.
