Steppesister
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
- Messages
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A is for: African Adventures Await!
*****Warning a lot of words and not many photos in this introduction!*****
Who’s ready for an adventure?! I mean a really, really big one!
Welcome one and all to another Journey with Steppe kicking off on May 2nd! 3 short weeks away!!
For those who have followed me for years, a special hug to you- you give me the warm fuzzies when I see your comments and chatter! To those of you who might be finding me for the first time, thank you for stopping in and saying hello! A warm welcome to each of you!! I hope that you all, new or a long-time reader, will stick around to enjoy all of the stories, photos, memories, and banter as we get to know each other better around another trip of a lifetime!!
Before I introduce myself better, a word about my trip reporting style…. For the past several trips I’ve gone ahead and started my Trip Report prior to actually leaving so I can get the groundwork laid out, introductions out of the way, and my readers engaged and excited. (You are excited, right?) While I’m away I will give some sneak peeks as I travel (and am able!), and when I get back, I’ll be able to get right to business. A word of caution: I can be rather slow about writing and posting. I’m busy with other life stuff and editing my photos takes some time. (I edit as I tackle each chapter.) So, if you are interested in a report that is not at Disney, but VERY MUCH Disney-inspired, a report that promises some fairly decent photography, adequate storytelling, and one which will probably take over a year to finish, you’ve definitely found the right place! Again, I know that generally these go in another sub-forum, but this is where my regular readers know where to find me and I trust that there may well be enough Disney-centric content and reference that the Mods will let it be. (pretty please?)
Now, on to the introduction. I’m a person of celebration. It seems like most of my trips are celebrating something, from a birthday or milestone to a graduation. There's always a reason, right?! This one is no different; although not specifically planned as such, I did just get a new job as a Nurse Practitioner in Family Medicine and that, after a very long time in school and a LOT of hard work, is certainly something to celebrate. Let’s throw in a birthday just for kicks and giggles. I’ll be turning old-as-dirt about halfway through this (what think will be a) ridiculously amazing adventure.
For those who may be newer to my TRs and do need an introduction, my name is Liesa IRL, and I live in Bowling Green, Kentucky- home of Bourbon, Corvettes, and Caves. Sometimes, the Corvettes end up in caves (yes, we are the home of the infamous Corvettes falling into a sinkhole incident); Sometimes bourbon ends up in Corvettes.
And now for a poetic interlude:
Roses are red, violets are blue
Corvettes are perfect, I'd sure like a few
I digress… Back to the introductions:
(Bali was exquisite; I wanna go back)
I have 5 great kids all grown up now and 7 beautiful grandchildren. They all seem to like Disney well enough, but not well enough to ever want to go with me. At least since 2020 or so. Like me, they want to explore the world and go to foreign destinations when opportunity arises. A side note: If you do enjoy TRs from other places, I’ve also written one a few years ago from my Grand Tour of Italy and Greece and more recently one from the Philippines, Bali, and Australia.
A few tidbits:
Favorite Park: AK by a long shot (it didn’t used to be and took time for it to grow on me)
Favorite Character: Belle; I like to read and try to find the good in people even if they’re different
Favorite Resort: Boardwalk- lots of wonderful memories there
Favorite Food: Lasagna, especially for breakfast
Quirky Random Things:
- I lived in Kazakhstan for about 10 years a long time ago and still dream on occasion in Kazakh
- I have a phobia of spiders, but love snakes
- I’ve traveled to 35 countries (and counting!)
- I’ve been packed for this trip for about a month (how far in advance to you pack?)
- I was a Cast Member at DLR in college in the Blue Bayou Restaurant and have been going to Disney parks since I was about 2.
Now…. I’m very intentionally keeping the specifics and particulars of this trip a bit of a mystery. But here is what I will say:
Disney himself MEANT for the parks to be INSPIRATIONAL. He absolutely MEANT for his parks to tell a story and motivate people to GO EXPLORE. The Jungle Cruise is a perfect example. It was originally an educational ride about the jungles around the world and intended to bring those places to people who might not get to go to them. If you have the means, I'm positive he'd feel he'd done his job if people went to those places to see for themselves. Disney HAS inspired me to travel to the places the Imagineers present to us through the attractions and theming throughout the parks and movies. He loved cultures and nature... it's time to explore as Uncle Walt would want me to.
(*Did you know that he originally wanted live animals on that attraction?)
That said, I am going back to the continent of Africa which could mean a lot of things! (I also wrote a TR for my time in Sierra Leone). Here is what I might or might not be doing:
- There is the North where one could go to Egypt or Morocco or Tunisia. I hear all are absolutely wonderful!
- There is the West where I’ve traveled before and made some wonderful memories and friends.
- East Africa has plenty of tourist destinations and looks chock-full of things to do for tourists.
- The Center (Congo, Zimbabwe, etc…) has gorillas and chimps, and one could get lost following in the footsteps of Jane Goodall on a trek.
- South Africa could be full of adventure; I have met many South Africans, and it looks like an amazing destination.
- Let’s not count out Botswana and Madagascar either!
- This is by no means an exhaustive list; My destination may not even be any of those!
In short, the possibilities are endless when choosing an African vacation on this huge continent. However, I have chosen a couple and have been planning this trip for about a year. It’s taken me that long to save up and be able to pay for it!
There are a million details I could easily share with you, but I will save those, and all of the planning that has gone into this adventure, for the chapters to follow when I return. In the meantime, please, I beg you, introduce yourself, let me know you’re reading along as I write and post photos, be part of the conversation and community! This is a place to make new friends or spend some time with some old ones. Everyone here is welcoming and I’m so happy you are here!
**** In the meantime, I will continue to try and keep working on my Very Merrytime Land and Sea TR also in this forum, should you care to join in there!****
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I will try to make it educational and entertaining- kind of like EPCOT on a forum. 
And you were quick too! I am so anxious for this trip to get off the ground and am very hopeful that there will be so many photos and stories to share!
