Day 9 – Missing You

January 28, 2012
Bwindi/Lake Bunyoni
Lake Bunyoni Overland Camp

This morning a few of the group members decided to take a boat ride to a local pygmy village, I’m still a bit stuffed up so again I opted to relax and stay at the campsite, which gave me a bit of time to reflect on the trip so far.

As much as I miss my husband Jeff, and I very much do, this trip wouldn’t have been the same if he was here. It wouldn’t have been better or worse, it just would have been different. I wouldn’t have made the friends I have, but he pushes me to be more outgoing so I probably would have talked to more people. I would have had someone to share the quiet moments with, but then I probably wouldn’t have started writing them down.

I love that I’m here alone. It is incredibly confidence boosting and I’ve really come to enjoy just being Sarah again, instead of being “Sarah and Jeff.” Talking with the other solo travelers has been inspiring and I already have a list of countries in my head of where I want to go next. As a young woman I’ve really learnt that as long as you’re smart about it, there is nothing to fear about traveling the world alone…but that doesn’t stop me from missing my husband.

I think about Jeff at least once a day and wonder what he’s doing and whether he regrets his choice to support my month long African adventure. I think given the choice again, he would choose to come. But we have the rest of our lives to travel together and this continent is so huge with such diverse countries that I really shouldn’t call this a “once in a lifetime” trip because I want to come back many times in my life.

When I started telling people about this trip and that I was going alone people looked at me like I was crazy, then asked if my marriage was ok. For the record, I’m only a little bit crazy and my marriage is amazing. Why on earth would I want to be with someone who doesn’t support my dreams? I found a man who is confident and trusting, who chooses to lift me up instead of hold me down.

I try to call home every few days and hearing his voice on the other end of the line chokes me up every time because I’m reminded of those long-distance relationship days when we were trying to figure out how to make it all work. By his tone of voice I can tell when he’s smiling, when he’s worried and best of all when he’s proud of me. Being halfway across the world and still being emotionally connected to your other half is an amazing feeling that I am so thankful for.

I could go on but I think I’ve made my point. Solo travel is awesome and a hobby I plan to continue doing, I also plan to travel with my husband and maintain our kickass marriage because I love him beyond words and if someone doesn’t understand that then it’s not my problem.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, banana, pineapple, coffee/tea, juice
Lunch: sandwiches, rice with peppers/onions/carrots, salad, juice
Dinner: pasta, spinach, veggie mix, banana custard