Kim’s View 2018 Highlights
Hey Kim, we traveled far and wide in 2018! We created twenty-six Kim’s Views, in twenty new countries, on three continents.
We explored South America for four months, Western Europe & Scandinavia for three months, and South & East Africa for two months.
Tracking The ‘Big Five’ On A Serengeti Safari
Tanzania was high on my wish list when I started this epic journey, and she didn’t disappoint!
We enjoyed four UNESCO world heritage sites; Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park’s safari, Ngorongoro Crater’s stunning scenery, and dense wildlife, and Zanzibar’s historical, cultural melting pot Stone Town.
Kim’s View of Serengeti from Ngong Rock—used by the Maasai for millennia to communicate and make music—is a front row seat for the ‘great migration,’ one of earth’s greatest natural spectacles.
Learning The Hard Truth About South Africa
South Africa moved me, Kim. I’ll never forget Johannesburg; the Apartheid Museum was both fascinating and heartbreaking, and my bike tour in Soweto was inspiring. Black South Africans have come so far.
But the threat of street robbers—even in broad daylight—certainly got my blood flowing! Two of my hostel mates were robbed at knifepoint, but both locals and tourists are targets.
Thankfully, Cape Town had a much larger police presence, and Kim’s View at the Cape of Good Hope is excellent. According to our walking tour ‘storyteller’—he corrected me after I called him a guide—apartheid has been outlawed, but many people’s attitudes haven’t changed.
After giving us examples of how racism and discrimination currently affect his life, he fought back tears. “Apparently, apartheid has been abolished. Now I can sit next to you on the bus. But the way of thinking is still the same.”
Heavy stuff, Sis.
Creating Six Killer Kim’s Views in Africa
Cruising Norway’s Epic Fjords
The steep cliffs, colorful villages, and picture-postcard scenery in Norway’s mighty Sognefjord are unforgettable.
Kim’s View of Aurlandsfjord from Stegastein Viewpoint is one of my top ten favorites. An instant, all-time classic.
Soaking Up German History, Culture, And Beer
Whether it was fascinating museums, iconic landmarks, or compelling history, Germany really impressed, Kim.
We enjoyed Dresden’s mini Oktoberfest, the Nuremberg Trials exhibition, and a bike tour thru the former East Berlin. And we created cool Kim’s Views in Heidelberg and Trier, Germany’s oldest city.
Scoring Thirteen Cool Kim’s Views in Europe
You’re a proud mama, Kim. Your oldest daughter married a Swede this summer and seeing our family in Stockholm—for the first time in three years—was the best week of 2018. Kim’s View at the wedding venue near Ramnas, Sweden is extra special.
Paragliding Above Chile’s ‘Cerro Dragon’
The first thing you notice when you arrive in Iquique, Chile is their massive sand dune ‘Cerro Dragon.’ The cliffs above the city are a paragliding mecca, so it was the perfect place for a Kim’s View.
I had to wait two weeks for the clouds to break, but I’m glad I waited for a clear day to get THE coolest Kim’s View of 2018.
Seeing The Sun Rise At Machu Picchu
You have to fight thru hordes of tourists, and pay jacked-up prices in Aguas Calientes, but seeing the sunrise in Machu Picchu, Peru is worth every ounce of effort!
After hiking up thousands of steps in the dark—with a picturesque view of a stranger’s butt in front of me—I made a beeline for the Sacred Plaza to make a Kim’s View at the legendary Intihuatana stone (‘hitching post of the sun’ in Quechua) before the tour groups invaded.
The Incas believed these stones gave them vision into the spirit world, so the Spaniards tried to destroy them all. This is the only Intihuatana stone still intact.
Now THAT is a cool Kim’s View!
Getting Seven Sweet Kim’s Views in South America
Hauling-ass down Bolivia’s Death Road on a mountain bike—starting the twelve-thousand-foot descent on pavement in sub-zero cold, then racing down the gravel ‘Camino de la Muerte’ in a tropical climate—was THE most fun I had all year.
But my favorite country in South America is Colombia. I love Colombia, Kim!
Kim’s View 2018 Lowlights
Long-term, low-budget travel is not sexy, Kim. Saving money often means putting up with inconvenience, discomfort, and limited privacy. And you’re a constant target for thieves and touts.
Riding Buses For Over Three Hundred Hours
2018 lowlights include riding buses for over 355 hours! That’s three hundred and fifty-five hours—the equivalent of fifteen days—traveling over nineteen thousand kilometers by bus!
Robert Louis Stevenson (Kim’s View-Samoa is at his gravesite) said ‘I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.’ Alright, I can dig that. But sitting on a bus for eighteen hours still sucks.
“Yeah right, Kim, I’m ‘living the dream.'”
Another 86 hours were spent with my fanny parked on planes, trains, ferries, and trucks traveling an additional twenty-eight thousand kilometers. And that doesn’t include the countless hours waiting in line to board/exit said vehicles.
Getting Ripped Off In Chile
“The Carabineros didn’t put out an APB for my stolen backpack.”
The lowest point of 2018 was on July fifth when my small backpack was stolen from a bus in La Serena, Chile. My passport, laptop, cameras (plural), hard drives—all my electronics—were gone in a heartbeat. Poof. Sayonara.
Stay tuned for my riveting blog post ‘how to prevent your backpack from getting stolen.’ I’ll write it as soon as I can relive the fiasco without throwing up.
Fighting Off Diarrhea
I had two ferocious bouts of diarrhea in Potosi, Bolivia—in sub-freezing weather—and in Nampula, Mozambique. Nuff said.
But I signed up for these lowlights, Sis—they come with the highlights—when I started this Kim’s View epic journey in October 2015.
And the 2018 highlights far outnumber the lowlights. I’m the luckiest vagabond on the planet.
Kim's Views End 2018
Plan For Kim’s View 2019
There are 79 countries without a Kim’s View. Where should we go next, Sis?
We’ve been traveling northeast from South Africa to Kenya in the past few months. To the northeast is southern Somalia, and to the northwest is South Sudan, two countries that are not very backpacker friendly at the moment. To say the least.
How about we head southwest thru Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, over to Namibia on Africa’s west coast? Then—for a change of scenery—maybe we’ll search for a killer Kim’s View in Patagonia.
“Our 2019 target is to create a Kim’s View in 24 new countries.”
That doesn’t leave much time for dilly-dallying in one place, Kim, so let’s rock ‘n’ roll! KV
