Tiny Men in Tuxedos

Penguins, I’m talking about penguins and I think they are my new favorite animal, no, who am I kidding, sloths will always be #1 in my heart. But penguins are a close second. They waddle around like they have on shoes that are two sizes too big, and don’t get me started on how cute they are when they hop.

Yesterday I visited a spot in Boulders Beach where these little guys congregate to mate, lay eggs and raise their young. Just like many other beautiful nature spots that have advertised on the world wide web, this place was buzzing with other tourists.

It’s easy to benefit from the fact that these crowds of people tend to follow the rules. They stay within the fences and don’t dare to venture out where no one else is.

That’s fine guys, you all can stay within the confines of your imaginations, I’ll be over here getting up close to the cute little Charlie Chaplins.

It appears a lot of people are afraid of that “all-seeing eye” that will come and get you if you step outside of the borders. In this case the authority was the park patrol, who mostly sit in the buildings that mark the entrance to especially scenic views, views that they charge money for. So I guess you could say that my friend and I tested the authority. We daringly walked along the path less followed. Literally, it was an established path that the other lemmings wouldn’t dare take. This beauty of a path led us to a gorgeous white sand beach where the penguins enjoyed swimming in the turquoise water and hopping along the massive boulders. So much better than trying to sneak a peak of them in between the bushes and behind a fence.

There’s a part of me that feels bad for everything these other tourists must have missed out on by failing to challenge the rules, or to even question them in the first place.

Ok, sometimes the rules are there to help with safety and all that jazz, but don't forget that you have a mind of your own. It's so much fun to take the path less traveled.

That's how you come away with travel stories that are worth sharing.

Speaking of travel stories worth sharing... I just arrived to Victoria Falls last night after spending a couple days in Harare, Zimbabwe. Woah, did I ever get some kind of experience there. The wealth divide there is massive, I visited the slums, drove past mansions and spoke in depth with my host about the culture and how it's changed over the past 30+ years.

Keep an eye out for my next couple posts this weekend. I'm hoping to get a better wifi connection so I'll be able to share with you all soon!