I basically hit the lottery when I married Katie.  Her parents are some of the coolest people I know.  Not only were they cool with me dating their daughter, but they also were cool with me (and my creepy van with no windows) asking her hand in marriage.  Mark and Laura are amazing people who do a lot in their community. 

​It's an honor that they came all this way.  There's no chance they were going to leave Africa without going on an adventure with their favorite son in-law.  The only thing I asked them was if they were planning on bringing shoes. :)

The first step on our journey was down to the Wilderness Beach and then over to the mountain.  Follow the decommissioned train track (RIP Choo Choo) and over a few, kinda skinny trails.  Like I said, these guys are champs.  And, it's not their first rodeo.

This is where having shoes came in handy.  Laura leading the way!!

Once you leave the train tunnel, you get to a large cave where a man has built a house inside and has spent almost a decade taking in homeless people who need a place to stay.  If a cave on the side of a cliff is your bag of tea then this is the place for you.  The man is nice.  Last time we paid him a visit it was 2014.  He is a little religious, but not over zealous! He is genuine and the cave man really doesn't say much, which makes you wonder if he leans more towards bat shit crazy (no pun intended) or genius???

Once you leave the cave house you can hang a Louie and continue down the train tracks.

Just past the cave is a beautiful bridge that crosses over the Kaaimans River.  This is a magnificent river, but the bridge is dodgey.

I didn't see the "don't walk" sign.  So, I ventured out juuust a little bit on the bridge.  That was until I realized that each step I took was one step closer to death or tetanus.  I did an about face and walked my ass right back to safety.

Walking on this bridge was batshit crazy.  Do not walk on that bridge. 

I love this last picture.  My father in-law a badass.  A straight up honey badger. 

On a side note.
Don't believe the hype.  I've spent (almost) years in Africa and never once felt danger.  In America however, I have been in public places three times where a gun was being shot in an irresponsible way. 

I suppose it's just what you see...
​Or, maybe not.

There are some things that I will never forget.  Like the day I witnessed my mom meet the Indian Ocean for the first time.  The Indian Ocean is the Grandmother to us.  She is ancient and soft yet she is fierce.  She is mystical and enchanting. 

Mom and I were completely blissed out.  Walking along the shoreline felt like we were floating.  No drugs, just the present moment.  Plus, all the moments that brought us to this moment right now.  I called out to mom that we need to take a selfie.  As I press the shutter on the camera, I drop it and as it goes tumbling down towards the water, my cat-like reflexes kick in and I caught the GoPro mid air, as it was taking a ten second "burst" of pictures.  These were the two gems of that series.  We were more excited that I actually caught the camera before it fell into the ocean.

A lesson on presence over presents. :) 

Indian Ocean sunsets are pretty spectacular.  This sunset will forever be etched into my memory.  I already wish I could go back in time and re-live it again.

My mom and her husband Chris had to leave for the airport the following morning, so we knew we had to go back to see the Grandmother, the Indian Ocean, one last time.

What an amazing trip.  Katie and I would have never guessed that our families would come all the way out to Africa to come meet our daughter Rayah.  The whole experience has been a highlight of my life.

Katie and I started traveling/working/living in Africa back in 2010.  It took us a while to justify going to the game parks.  We used to travel on a such a shoe string budget that going to a game park wasn't something we could afford - and, in all honesty, we didn't want to acknowledge our privilege back then. 

In 2014 we went to Kruger National Park in South Africa.  Kruger is one of the gems of this world.  Seeing these magnificent animals and the conservation corps that keep the African animals alive totally changed our minds.  Going on safari is a must. .

​We were bummed that Kruger was such a long way away from where our parents were.  It took some research to find which game parks are (the most) ethical.  We settled on Botlierskop Private Game Reserve on the Garden Route.  Which was AWESOME.

Check out this wild animal getting a diaper change in the middle of safari. 3 weeks old. No big deal.

Since Rayah was so young, we had to rent a private tour.  Which was even better in my opinion.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate.  It's always nice to be in the company of someone who is passionate about their work.

It's not a bad day at the office.

[Meow].

It is such a privilege to experience a safari.  A privilege to experience life, so rare, it has to be protected.  Our way of life is encroaching on others, both human and non human relatives.

When I was invited to Sweat at Standing Rock, the Elder who lead the Prayerful Ceremony taught us as he beat the drum. "When you pray, you pray for all of Creation. Everything Creator Created. From the Ant to the Elephant. All is Sacred."

I feel their Spirit. It's the same One inside me. We were Created by the same Creator and it is up to me to be a good steward and live in Harmony with Creation.  Learn from them.  Study and meditate and pray for them. For we are all one.