Back on American soil

I land in the United States sick and miserable. I’m covered in bites (flea? rodent? I may never know for sure) that will take nearly six weeks to fully heal. I’ve lost at least 15 pounds. I have heat rash and a wicked sunburn; I definitely look like I’ve just spent weeks in a third world country. It feels like I’ve been gone much longer and I can’t wait to gorge myself on every American thing I can find- cheeseburgers, pizza, air conditioning, really long showers.

You might think I wouldn’t be in a big hurry to take another trip, but you’d be wrong. As soon as I get home, shower, and relax on the couch with a cup of tea, I fire up the Random Bucket List Picker again- I’m already itching to go on another adventure.

#152- Watch silverback gorillas in the wild.

Shit. I’m actually really nervous about this one. I think about drawing a new number, but don’t. I can’t even remember when I added this entry to the list. Probably while watching a special on National Geographic. Where am I going to have to go for this? (East Africa, as it turns out.) Are gorillas dangerous? (Nope. They’re peaceful vegetarians.) What’s a trip like this going to cost? (Not as much as you might think.) It takes less than 30 minutes of Googling to turn my initial apprehension to excitement. I order a new Lonely Planet guide from Amazon and start planning my next adventure.