Thoughts & Sayings (February 2014)

Here are some thoughts and sayings I posted on Twitter and/or Facebook in December 2013 and January 2014. To my knowledge, I made these up (for better or for worse). Sit back, relax, and enjoy the write!

Encouraging Words

1. You cannot deny destiny, but if you do nothing, destiny can deny you.

destiny

2. Doing two things at once takes half the time.

busy

Twisted Words

3. I score a goal every time I hit the coffee puck into the trash.

puck

In Its Own Write

4. I’m writing a book about a pair of normal Romans.

romans

Holidays & Events

5. A human in a polar vortex is like a polar bear in a zoo.

polar

6. ’13 was my lucky year. I made it to 2014.

2013

7. The Mayan calendar ended in 2012. It only took me a year to catch up.

mayan

8. The ring of the cash registers sounds like silver bells.

jingle

9. Before the advent of December 1, there was November 30.

advent

Random Musings

10. Sometimes what’s in the rear view is more interesting than what lies ahead.

rearview

11. Trains of thought don’t always run on schedule.

trains

Click here to visit the Thoughts & Sayings page, or click here to read the previous batch of Thoughts & Sayings.

Images courtesy of Microsoft except Roman Coliseum photo by M.G. Edwards.

You’re the Adventurer–South Africa

Welcome to an interactive online story. You’ve been a spectator reading my travelogues, but now it’s your turn to go on your own adventure! Immerse yourself in the story and make key decisions by choosing from among several options. Your selections could make the difference between a great trip or a travel disaster! Read and make your choice, and stay tuned as your travels unfold. If you haven’t read the story from the beginning, stop reading this post! Click here to begin your journey.

You’ve decided to take a trip to South Africa, a land of African and western cultures, scenic beauty, and wild safaris. Congratulations! Now the fun begins. You have to plan your visit.

You think of all the places in South Africa where you might want to go. Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, and Kruger National Park are the first ones to cross your mind, but there are many more you’d probably like to see if you had the time. You’re going to travel a long way to visit Africa, but you can only take a couple weeks off and have to plan your schedule carefully to make the most of your time. An Internet search of popular travel destinations reveals more potential sites, from the Drakensburg Mountains to Blyde River Canyon near Kruger. The long Garden Route that follows the Indian Ocean along the southern coast sounds gorgeous, but two weeks isn’t enough time to drive it and tour other parts of the country. You decide to focus on two locations where you’ll spend most of your vacation.

2010_10_26 South Africa Garden Route

You write down your travel preferences and think about how to fit them into your itinerary. You definitely want to experience the South African culture you saw on television during the 2010 World Cup and decide to visit a city for a taste of the local culture. Which one? Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria are the most obvious choices. You jot them down.

2010_10_25 South Africa Capetown

You also want to see some of the country’s natural beauty and draw up a list of some of South Africa’s natural wonders, including Blyde River Canyon, the Drakensburgs, and the Cape of Good Hope and Table Mountain near Cape Town. Poring over a map of the country, you see them scattered in different places. You can’t visit them all; you’re going to have to narrow them down and choose. Connecting the dots, you notice that many are clustered near Cape Town and Kruger.

2009_11_22 South Africa Blyde (2)

2009_11_23 South Africa Kruger (5)

2009_11_22 South Africa Blyde

2010_10_26 South Africa Cape

A safari is a must-do on your list. You enjoy watching wildlife programs on television and want to see African game animals for yourself. The thought of seeing lions, rhinos, elephants, and other wildlife is exciting. Observing animals in their natural habitat certainly beats visiting them in a zoo!

2009_11_23 South Africa Kruger (4)

2009_11_23 South Africa Kruger (6)

2009_11_23 South Africa Kruger

2009_11_28 Johannesburg

2009_11_23 South Africa Kruger (3)

2009_11_23 South Africa Kruger (2)

So you have to choose where you want to go. You don’t have enough time to see everything. You whittle your list down to three options:  Capetown; Johannesburg and Pretoria; and Kruger National Park. You can only visit two of them. Which ones do you choose? Choose your preferred destination.

After making your choice,  click here to continue the story.

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buythumb42M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories. His books are available as an e-book and in print on Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.