My Dad..."Mr. Mapquest"...

Day Thirteen

When you're on a train for this long, you start to get into a little bit of a routine. It's kind of hard not to. My Dad gets up and goes to breakfast to do his crossword puzzle. I usually head to the OC for coffee and a little reading. He meets me up with me after he is done eating and we hang out. There are times when we sit silently and just take in what is happening around us. Some time is spent visiting with others who pop in and out of the OC. Other moments are spent talking to each other about what we see, what's to come and where we are. No matter how the day is spent, we are rarely ever apart. Where he sits, I sit. And...vice versa. Always together. 

I spend a lot of time with my Dad back home. But never this much time all at once. But yet, we don't seem to have grown tired of one another. Not one disagreement, not one moment of impatience or anger. Not that I expected there to be, but I suppose its always possible. He tells people that I'm his "travel advisor". I keep him organized and on schedule, remind him of times we need to leave and return to the train. He keeps me informed on all else - where we are in the map, the history and the points of interest. We are the perfect travel buddies because we genuinely enjoy each other's company. 

My Dad has quickly become the "Navigator" on the train. He sits with his map and tracks our whereabouts. He has been plugging in the times that we arrive at certain places and seems to always have a sense of exactly what time we will get to the next stop. People are fascinated by this and are constantly checking in with him. He is like their own personal "Mapquest". I love that people are drawn to this because I think it's really cool and they do too.

I've learned a lot more about him on this trip by listening to him talking with others. I feel like I already know a lot about my Dad but when other people are trying to learn about him too, sometimes things come out that I never knew. Or, perspectives he has on travel, people and life that I didn't know he had. I love that I know even more about him every day on this trip. He has been all over the world. Journeys. Excursions. They are all fascinating and adventurous. But he is humble about them. There are a lot of people on this train who will tell you every cool thing they've ever done within the first five minutes of conversation. Not my Dad. He listens and engages, but he is humble. Waits for someone to ask about where he has been and what his life is all about. I love this about him. It's one of my favorite things about him. Incredibly humble even when he has so much to tell. 

He has bonded with a few guys in this trip - Matt from New Zealand, Mark from Belgium and Richard from Australia. They are fantastic people and they totally love my Dad. They have spent a lot of time talking together about business, family and travel. It's fun to see my Dad laughing with them. Having fun. It's all part of what this trip is all about. They are part of our routine here and it feels really good to have them. There will be a lot of things that I will miss about this trip once I leave, and our little group of friends will definitely be one of them.

Today we entered Tanzania. We have another full day in the train with a short stop in a town called Mumubaka. The idea here was to give us the experience of what a town center was like in Tanzania. We spent an hour walking through the Markets, which were interesting. The townspeople  did not seem exactly warm to us walking their streets so my Dad and I kept the trip short. Got the feel then got back on the train. 

Tanzania is a beautiful country. It is very green with lots of carefully and well manicured plots of farms. We saw far less children on the track today and those that we did were usually with an adult, either being carried or walking hand in hand. In many of the small towns we went through we noticed entire families working in the gardens, and though they stopped to smile and wave, didn't seem that interested in us. It was, after the past few days, a refreshing turn of events.

This has probably been my most favorite stretch so far. We passed through the Great Rift Valley and the Udzungwa Mountains during the mid afternoon hours. I absolutely love the landscape of Colorado and this felt very much like it, just on the other side of the world. It was almost like Tanzania felt like everyone needed a "feel good, fresh air, awesome scenery" kind of a day. This was definitely it. From start to finish.

Today was also a "game changer" kind of day for me. I assume all the days leading up to today we're building towards this, but today was the day that I felt it completely and totally. Unique to any other day. 

Clarity. 

I had to peel off quite a few layers to get there, but I think I'm finally there. I was hopeful that this trip would be the time and place where I got to know myself much better, and I think I finally do. I know it may sound strange, but that's the way it feels. I can't really describe it any further than that, but it's a really good feeling. I just hope it lasts forever…and if it doesn’t…I at least hope I remember exactly how this day felt.

Tonight we actually had our "Final Farewell Dinner", which is a bit odd only because we don't actually depart the train until Saturday morning in Dar Es Salaam. The switch was made because on Friday - our final day - we have an afternoon Game Drive at the Selous Game Reserve and they thought asking people to get in their "proper dress" for dinner would be too much after a long day. And...people needed to pack  and prepare for departure. The dinner this evening was what they call "Proper Dress", which amounts to Black Tie in the States. It was fun getting dressed up and doing something a bit more formal...and seeing everyone else do the same. 

We met our little crew in the Lounge Car at 6:30 for a drink, per usual, then headed off to dinner. A night of great friends, good conversation and shared experience. Nothing better than that.