In 2005 I reached a milestone in my life - I turned 50. Generations ago, you were lucky if you lived that long. A few generations back you began to think of easing into retirement.
Now 50 is not the end of your life but for many of us the beginning of having the freedom to go on adventures. I wanted to do something special. In 2000, my wife and I went to Tanzania and Zanzibar and fell in love with Africa and its people. At that time I wanted to go back and do something I had dreamed of doing - Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro! Off I went and successfully reached the summit. To see the sunrise over the glaciers of the tallest point in all of Africa was a site I will never forget and to this day still humbles me. But that was not all.
After Kilimanjaro my wife, Diane joined me and through Thomson Safaris (www.thomsonsafaris.com) we returned to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti and once again fell in love with the land, the people and the animals. But then we experienced a new adventure. We went to Lake Tanganika and the Mahale Mountains to track and view chimpanzees. Where we stayed was as close to paradise as I have ever been. Being up close and personal with animals who are about 95% genetically the same as us and watch them interact with each other helps put many things into perspective about family, community and how we must live on this planet. I was also lucky enough to find one of the few if not only kayak on Lake Tangaika and got to paddle there as well!
< View photos and highlights from this adventure!
