Most of you know that I am already "Out of Africa" and now in Scotland. For my own benefit (lousy memory), I wanted to jot down the following thoughts. The 500+ more photos that I have will have to come later. The street people of India remain the most poverty stricken people that I have ever seen in my life. The people of Africa (that I saw personally) sadly are the second most poverty stricken that I have seen in my travels. With that said, the feeling that I got when I visited Africa is far, far different than the disgusted, sad feeling that I had when I was in India. There are exceptions of course, but as a general statement, the people of Africa exude hope. I personally saw it in their eyes, in their smiles, and in their attitudes. They have nothing when compared to what we have in the West, yet they seem to project a positive energy with everything that they do. To me it is an amazing gift that I will do my best to learn from. Please don't get me wrong, the people are far from perfect. As we got closer to East Africa, I saw and heard far too many people with their hand out asking for money, but if I had to put myself into the shoes of either the person in Africa with his/her hand out or with the people that I saw on the outskirts of Edinburgh (who have a hopeless look in the eyes, in the body language, etc.), I would choose the person from Africa everytime. As I discussed with one of our drivers, they simply believe that things will not only get better for themselves but more importantly for their children. Call me "Little Jasper" but you have to be positive in life if you want to succeed. Now that the heart wrenching crap is over, here are some tips......... Go to Africa, but don't go on a group tour. Group tours are convenient, but you are not able to interact with the locals enough. Further, you are not able to set you own pace and as Dolly would say, "kick off your shoes and stay a while". With common sense and a necessary bribe or two, Africa is perfectly safe. If/When I return, I will either drive on my own or form a small group of 3-4 in a 4x4 and go it alone. Bring pens, crayons, pencils, balloons, ibuprofen, and tons of old clothes. In addition to helping the locals, ALL of these items can be bartered for some really cool stuff. Some of the girls on our trip did not spend a dime, but absolutely loaded up on cool African artcraft. In summary, I saw some cool stuff, and I met some cool people. I am very glad that I went because just as I had hope, it was just what the doctor ordered when I needed to get a break from Europe. I am off to hike the West Highland Way and possibly more while I am here in Scotland. Walking, camping, and ales..... ah heaven! Take care and keep the notes coming.... I have about five months left.....