Cosmos: Around the World with Our Kids
This was no ordinary vacation; instead our Cosmos (around the world) journey with our kids was a lifestyle change that lasted over four months, from September 2003 to January 2004.
This was no ordinary vacation; instead our Cosmos (around the world) journey with our kids was a lifestyle change that lasted over four months, from September 2003 to January 2004.
We are now in route from South Africa to Namibia (about 4 hours into a 21-hour bus trip). It is a fairly comfortable vehicle with 2 stories, air-conditioning, a bathroom and fairly frequent stops to stretch one’s legs.
After an all-night flight from London, we first arrived in Johannesburg and then took a short flight to Cape Town. We spent one entire day touring the Cape Pennisula, seeing penguins and visiting the Cape of Good Hope.
We left Windhoek at 7:30am and arrived in Maun at about 3pm. As we approached Maun (about 50km away), we passed a village called Toteng. We didn’t see any cars, bikes or stores. In fact, the only reason I noticed it was that the speed limit was reduced from 120km to 80km.
To get to Zambia, we crossed the Zambezi River by public ferry and walked across the border.
Today we are in Livingstone, Zambia, near Victoria Falls. We happened to arrive here on the country’s Independence Day. They are 39 years old today, having gained their independence from Britain in 1964.
After two days on the train, we finally arrived in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. We splurged and stayed one night in a very nice Holiday Inn. After that we went to Zanzibar for three days.
As I write this, we are nearing the end of our journey on the Tazara train from Kapiri Mposhi (K.M.), Zambia to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Our train departed two days ago at 3:10pm. The total journey is 1860km (a little more than 1100 miles).
During our month in Africa, we saw a variety of sights, including a camping safari deep in the heart of Botswana, mokoro and walking trips in the wild, an epic 40 hour train journey from Zambia to Tanzania and the relaxation and history of Zanzibar. This video provides an overview of that experience.
We arrived in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) at 3:30am. We stayed with a family that consisted of a couple with a four year old boy.