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Hills of Africa — A Journey Into You

“We shall not cease from explo­ration. And the end of all our explor­ing will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” ~ T. S. Eliot

Explo­ration.  What does that word bring up for you? 

Today I’m sit­ting down to talk with some­one who has lived very much a life of explo­ration.  Please wel­come Sandy Salle here to this space.  Sandy, along with her sister-in-law Mered­ith Hill, oper­ate Hills of Africa Travel.  Sandy, who cur­rently lives in the United States, is a native of Zim­babwe.  Her many years in Africa have given her a deep love of the coun­try, the cul­ture, and the explo­ration of a very remote and untamed part of our world. 

Please read along as Sandy shares about her expe­ri­ence with this great part in our world…Africa.  And in that, feel her deep sense of love for this place, and for an explo­ration not only of another part of our world but also an explo­ration into self…

1. What is it about Africa that really touches your soul?
It’s pure energy.

Every­thing from the smell of the first rains to the melt­ing sun­sets, the bright col­ors to the strong aro­mas, and the mag­netic wildlife to the gen­uine peo­ple, Africa is a place where you leave with a new out­look on life and on yourself.

To me, there is no other place on earth where you can sit for hours on end in com­plete silence as you watch the story of nature unfold before you. And the peo­ple are so gen­uine in their hos­pi­tal­ity and joy that you can­not help but feel trans­formed by their energy.

Lance’s Com­men­tary:  Sandy, what a won­der­ful view of Africa!  And truly, what a mag­nif­i­cent expe­ri­ence to life.  Being able to expe­ri­ence the beauty of our world — both our nat­ural world and from the inhab­i­tants of that said world…in such grace…beautiful!

2. You have started your own com­pany, Hills of Africa. Tell us about the inspi­ra­tion behind that. And how long you have been doing this?
I was work­ing in NYC and had just had my first child when we took a trip to North Car­olina in March of 2002 to visit my brother and his wife. With the inten­tion of mak­ing a move, we put an offer on a house. Whilst talk­ing about life, my sister-in-law told me of her plans to start a travel com­pany. I didn’t think any­thing of it.

When we went on hol­i­day together a few months later, she asked me if I would like to join her in her com­pany. I eagerly said yes, not even think­ing that I didn’t have any expe­ri­ence in the travel indus­try, but know­ing that I had lots of expe­ri­ence trav­el­ing around Africa from hav­ing lived in Zim­babwe and trav­el­ing around Africa with my parents. So my part­ner is my sister-in-law, my maiden name is Hill—hence the cre­ation of Hills of Africa Travel. We have been in busi­ness since May 2002.

Lance’s Com­men­tary:  What I find so great about this is how you have really found some­thing that is deeply mean­ing­ful to you.  And in that, you are cre­at­ing amaz­ing expe­ri­ences for all of the trav­el­ers that come your way!  What a trip this must be!!  And, from our phone con­ver­sa­tions about this and the trips you plan — I have to say — this just sounds like an expe­ri­ence of a life­time!

3.  Tell us about one African adven­ture you have been on and what made it so mean­ing­ful for you.
I trav­eled to Zam­bia to do sev­eral site inspec­tions and ended the trip with spe­cial, one-on-one time with my dad, whom I hadn’t seen in two years. My dad is cur­rently liv­ing and work­ing in Zambia. I took him to the mag­i­cal Zam­bezi Val­ley, stay­ing in two of my favorite camps, Chi­awa Camp and Old Mon­doro on the Lower Zam­bezi River. It was very emo­tional for me (I am a crier!) as my fam­ily means the world to me. One day we were plan­ning to leave on a game drive and went back to our tents to get ready, when my dad came run­ning (or limp­ing as he has a bad knee) out to tell me that there was a fam­ily of ele­phants in front of his tent. So, instead of going on our game drive, we opted instead to walk and visit with the elephants. They even­tu­ally made their way across the river. 

That after­noon we went for a canoe ride and took a detour as we saw a buf­falo in the reeds. Our guide told us that we might have to come back and head into the main chan­nel as he wasn’t sure our route would get us through. On the way back into camp, we saw our fam­ily of ele­phants start­ing to swim back across the river. 

The funny thing is that if we hadn’t taken this detour to see the buf­falo, we wouldn’t have been in our canoes right next to this fam­ily of ele­phants. This fam­ily of ele­phants swim­ming together was the most amaz­ing sight and really meant so much to me. They all had their trunks up in the air try­ing to fig­ure out where our scent was com­ing from. We man­aged to get so close to them; it was one of the most mean­ing­ful expe­ri­ences I have ever had in the bush. It was as if the ele­phants were speak­ing to me.

Lance’s Com­men­tary:  Wow!  Sandy, this story you’ve shared here really touches upon the beauty of the moment, and of let­ting that expe­ri­ence — within that moment — become a part of our being.  I sense that very much as I read this, and I also sense the true love you have for this place that you have called home. 

4.  Tell us a lit­tle about the Soul Safari trip you have com­ing up in 2011 (which just sounds like an amaz­ing trip, by the way).
Thank you! It is a truly amaz­ing expe­ri­ence. We hosted a Soul Safari in 2009, which was a great success.

The best way to explain the Soul Safari trip is to first, imag­ine your life with­out fear or uncer­tainty and with the abil­ity to con­trol your own des­tiny. A life where you have the con­trol to erad­i­cate both sub­lim­i­nal and obvi­ous fears, and as a result, you receive clar­ity on your life’s purpose.

We all have past-life fears that block and stall us in our lives, and many times, we are unaware of these fears.

This clar­ity of life is some­thing that the Soul Safari Trans­for­ma­tion with Ainslie MacLeod, a psy­chic and fea­tured author on Oprah’s Soul Series, will help you to achieve. Dur­ing the Soul Safari Trans­for­ma­tion, you’ll dis­cover the sim­ple, step-by-step sys­tem for under­stand­ing your soul’s pur­pose, while you uncover a sense of ful­fill­ment and joy you have never known—all in just 9 days while you enjoy a Zim­babwe safari tour, a Vic­to­ria Falls tour, a Hwange National Park safari, and a Zam­bezi River cruise.

Some of the high­lights that will be expe­ri­enced on the Soul Safari 2011 include 9 days of Trans­for­ma­tion lessons and guid­ance by Ainslie MacLeod, all activ­i­ties of a leisure trip to Zim­babwe, an exter­nal ener­getic boost of nature, and an inter­nal ener­getic boost of game viewing.

In these coach­ing talks and Trans­for­ma­tion lessons with Ainslie, you’ll learn how to iden­tify past life fears and find a moti­va­tion that will result in totally erad­i­cat­ing them. You’ll receive power in absolute clar­ity, you’ll have the abil­ity to embrace your authen­tic self and finally love who you are, you’ll dis­cover a free­dom you’ve never had before, and you’ll dis­cover what you were put here to do.

Lance’s Com­men­tary:  Sandy, this trip sounds so deeply mov­ing and con­nect­ing at a soul level.  What an expe­ri­ence this has to be — out away from the hus­tle and bus­tle of our daily lives…completely focused on that deeper con­nec­tion to self!  And doing all of this, while sur­rounded by the beau­ti­ful nat­ural ele­ments of the African countryside…so, so good.…

5. Are there any com­mon con­nec­tions between the types of trav­el­ers you have on your dif­fer­ent safaris?
I would say that our clients, no mat­ter the coun­tries they plan on vis­it­ing and no mat­ter the activ­i­ties they choose to take part in, have a curios­ity about life. They always want to learn more and expe­ri­ence new adven­tures, cul­tures, foods, sights, sounds, scents, and cus­toms. They come to Africa to gain per­spec­tive on the world and on them­selves. They leave Africa with a new energy and a new zest for life.

Lance’s Com­men­tary:  Our world is such an amaz­ing place!  That you have shared your deep love for one cor­ner of that…so awe­some! 

6.  I love that we are talk­ing about Africa – and I can’t help but draw sim­i­lar­i­ties the idea of “jun­gle” that touches both you and I. Could you take a minute to describe what the term “Jun­gle of Life” might mean to you.
Being out in the bush—which isn’t a jun­gle, but draws on some similarities—is all about being clos­est to nature and expe­ri­enc­ing com­plete peace and spir­i­tual awak­en­ing. There is no one else around you, just the ani­mals and the sights and the sounds of nature. You can hear the birds singing and the wind rus­tle the grass, and smell the bold aroma of the earth. You couldn’t be closer to your true self than in the bush / plains, as this is where you really get to know yourself. You are able to con­tem­plate life and think about your future and what you really want out of life. 

Our every­day life is so tan­gled with what we have to get accom­plished, how we should work, and our every­day respon­si­bil­i­ties. Being in the bush, or the Jun­gle of Life, is about find­ing your true self again, dream­ing big, liv­ing big, and remem­ber­ing that we are all here for a big­ger purpose.

Lance’s Com­men­tary:  Find­ing that space of becom­ing closer to our true self…that’s what I really draw from what you have shared.  Life can seem like a “jun­gle” some­times. (or…like being out in the bush…)  When we begin that jour­ney of work­ing our way through it all (the “jun­gle”, the “bush”…life…)…really work­ing our way through it — very much this takes us toward that place of our “true self”.  Sandy, that’s what I love about all that you have shared, both here and through our con­ver­sa­tions.  I feel even more con­nected to self, just from hav­ing your words inter­sect with mine…

7. What do you love most about the work that you do?
Noth­ing is more reward­ing to me than shar­ing the beauty and mag­netic power of Africa with our clients. If I can make someone’s dream vaca­tion come true, I feel as though my dream has come true.

We also find it highly reward­ing to send clients on a life-changing jour­ney to Africa and to hear about their expe­ri­ence with the ani­mals and the peo­ple. It’s also amaz­ing to see the peo­ple of Africa get to know trav­el­ers and see how the African peo­ples’ lives are changed for­ever by hav­ing been given the chance of get­ting to know trav­el­ers and learn­ing about their fam­i­lies, their his­to­ries, and their cultures.

Lance’s Com­men­tary:  What I find so neat is how every­thing you offer can be cus­tomized and designed for the expe­ri­ence each trav­eler desires.  What a gift you give to all those who work with you!

Clos­ing Thoughts:  Sandy, the gift you give this world speaks loudly to the pas­sion you have for this remote and wild part of our world.  As in the words of T.S. Elliot, you have not ceased from explo­ration, and in help­ing oth­ers to explore more deeply them­selves.  And in that…we just get to know “us” so much more deeply.  Keep shar­ing this pas­sion you have with the world!

You can keep up with Sandy, and Hills of Africa Travel by fol­low­ing them on Twit­ter and Face­book.  For more infor­ma­tion about an African adven­ture, visit their web­site.   Just vis­it­ing their web­site is an expe­ri­ence into Africa!

Lance writes sto­ries from his heart, aim­ing to inspire and moti­vate, as you align more fully with YOUR true peak. When he’s not here, you can find him hang­ing out with his fam­ily, rid­ing a bike, or just gen­er­ally act­ing goofy.   Sign up for the Thoughts from the Tree­house newslet­ter and get addi­tional inspi­ra­tion in your email inbox!
Lance Ekum
View all posts by Lance Ekum
Filed Under: Inspiration, Interviews Tagged With: ,

Comments

  1. Mindful Mimi says:
    June 22, 2010 at 2:48 pm

    Lance,
    I looove Arica. I went to Kenya and it was the most amaz­ing of expe­ri­ences. I know I will back there.
    Thanks for shar­ing Sandy’s story and her com­pany with us.
    M
    Mind­ful Mimi´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..The first flamboyantMy Profile

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  2. Lynn says:
    June 22, 2010 at 2:49 pm

    What won­der­ful work indeed. Thank you for shar­ing this.
    Lynn´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Lan­guish­ing no more, mem­o­ries and sweetMy Profile

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  3. Audra Krell says:
    June 22, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    I find such beauty when peo­ple are pas­sion­ate about what they do. What a great ser­vice this is! You are chang­ing the world, one trip to Africa at a time!

    Reply
  4. Colleen says:
    June 22, 2010 at 4:09 pm

    “… there is no other place on earth where you can sit for hours on end in com­plete silence as you watch the story of nature unfold before you…”

    Wow, sign me up!

    We have friends that just adopted two boys from Zam­bia and like Sandy’s story, their sto­ries are won­der­ful.
    Colleen´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Full Dis­clo­sureMy Profile

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  5. Tess The Bold Life says:
    June 22, 2010 at 4:11 pm

    Hi and what a great inter­view. Africa is on my bucket list! This was so inspir­ing and inter­est­ing to me. Good for you find­ing your pas­sion and mak­ing it work. I’ll be there for a visit some­day and as I type this I’m think­ing I need to set a date or it won’t happen;)

    Reply
  6. HappinessandWisdom says:
    June 22, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    This is very inter­est­ing. Great story. I’m very happy I fol­low your blog. Africa is def­i­nitely on my to-do list, and this story pro­vides an inspir­ing look at a com­pany with whom I might want to travel. Thanks.
    HappinessandWisdom´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Quote About Hap­pi­ness: Hap­pi­ness Wis­dom from Abraham-HicksMy Profile

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  7. Evita says:
    June 22, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    Hi Lance

    Thank you so much for intro­duc­ing Sandy and her work — how incredible!

    Africa is a place that I would love to visit, if for noth­ing more, than the raw, nat­ural expe­ri­ence of the amaz­ing plant and ani­mal life. I can only imag­ine the adven­tures Sandy is par­tic­i­pat­ing in thanks to her life and busi­ness con­nected with this continent!

    And yes, how fit­ting was this inter­view for your site — the jun­gle!!! Beau­ti­ful com­men­tary from you as well.
    Evita´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..In the Class­room with Unity: Choos­ing the Chan­nel of Love & LightMy Profile

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  8. J.D. Meier says:
    June 22, 2010 at 9:41 pm

    Expe­ri­enc­ing the swim­ming fam­ily of Ele­phants must have been great. Actu­ally it all sounds like a great expe­ri­ence. There’s some­thing so raw and appeal­ing about Africa … like a call of the wild.
    J.D. Meier´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Lessons Learned from DadMy Profile

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  9. Hilary says:
    June 23, 2010 at 5:53 am

    Hi Sandy and Lance .. as some­one who’s lived in South Africa, had rel­a­tives in Zim and whose grand­fa­ther designed Vic­to­ria Falls Bridge .. I too have some con­nec­tions .. and your web­site .. with your video and talk wel­come is mag­nif­i­cent .. cer­tainly reminds me of loads.

    I’ve been lucky I did see quite a lot .. I was too late for Mozam­bique and never got to Kenya — as those were the apartheid days .. when Kenya didn’t accept SAns or vis­i­tors get­ting off the plane! I have been to the Oka­vango a few times, and a trip up the Skele­ton Coast .. as well as trav­el­ling a lot around SA — and see­ing a bit of Zim despite the army con­voys in the late 70s.

    It is an utterly beguil­ing coun­try .. and I seri­ously encour­age any­one who reads this post — to click over and see the Hills of Africa Travel web­site .. it is incred­i­bly evoca­tive and so true of Africa ..

    Enjoy — and con­grat­u­la­tions .. Sandy and Mered­ith .. a won­der­ful ven­ture .. and I feel cer­tain it will be suc­cess­ful .. one day I’d love to be on one of your adven­tures for the lux­ury, for the care you take and for the places you have on offer ..

    Lance as you say — the smell of the African earth .. is where you can just’be’ .. a calm place .. a blessed place ..

    Great post — loved it .. as you can see Africa is call­ing ..!! Bye .. Hilary
    Hilary´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Nature in Bal­ance … and the Dark-Bellied Dew Lover!My Profile

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  10. Jannie Funster says:
    June 23, 2010 at 7:07 am

    Ahhh, I have always loved that Out Of Africa movie, and this brught back the majesty of such an amaz­ing place.

    Lance, are you going on the Soul Jour­ney next year? It does sound like an amaz­ing amaz­ing expe­ri­ence awaits.

    Going now to click over to The Hills Of Africa site!

    xo

    Reply
  11. Sandy Salle says:
    June 23, 2010 at 8:43 am

    Thank you so much Lance for this won­der­ful oppor­tu­nity. I had a blast being inter­viewed by you! Thanks again for the oppor­tu­nity and I hope to col­lab­o­rate with you and your blog read­ers more in the future!

    Best,

    Sandy

    Reply
  12. Sagan says:
    June 23, 2010 at 9:21 am

    Would love to go to Africa– now I’m really crav­ing some trav­el­ling!
    Sagan´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Prod­uct Review and Give­away: Trop­i­cal Tra­di­tions Coconut FlourMy Profile

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  13. Lauren says:
    June 23, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    Dear Sandy and Lance,

    First, Lance, you’ve done it again — taken us to the most beau­ti­ful place! Thank you for allow­ing us to expe­ri­ence such beauty.

    Sandy, your radi­ant face is a won­der to behold. It says it all.

    Africa has always been in my blood some­how. I’ve trav­eled a great deal, yet the one place I long to see more than any­where is Africa. It speaks to me for some unknown rea­son. How do we explain such things?

    One day I looked around my home and real­ized nearly all my art was African. There is a remark­able woman in Ojai, Ca. Leslie Clark, who also has devoted her life to Africa. I have many of her beau­ti­ful paint­ings. I’m not try­ing to sell her in any way but her art is so beau­ti­ful you may enjoy check­ing out her web­site: nomadgal.

    Thank you for re-kindling my desire with your beau­ti­ful, soul­ful sto­ries! I’ve book­marked your site! Who knows. Per­haps one day I shall make the trek I’ve dreamed of for so long.

    Warmest regards,
    Lauren

    Reply
  14. Lori Franklin says:
    June 23, 2010 at 3:22 pm

    Beau­ti­ful inter­view, Lance. Great to meet you, Sandy!
    I’m intrigued with your Soul Safari. What a lovely con­cept. I so much wish I could travel.
    Maybe the great­est gift is just know­ing what exists and where I can take my mind to the site from afar.
    Cheers to you both!
    ~xo
    Lori Franklin´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Liv­ing TidesMy Profile

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  15. Liara Covert says:
    June 23, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    This is won­der­ful shar­ing. As beau­ti­ful as Africa is, and as life-transforming as geo­graph­i­cal travel can be, this post also reminds peo­ple they can choose to savor the still­ness and pure joy wher­ever they are. The untamed world is not only some­thing expe­ri­enced in a per­cep­tion of lim­ited space. Wher­ever you are, you can recon­nect with the untamed part of inner self and awaken to the real­ity of authen­tic, unlim­ited power.
    Liara Covert´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Reflect on what sus­tains youMy Profile

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  16. Lance says:
    June 24, 2010 at 9:31 am

    @Mimi — That has to be such an experience…being in Africa!! Would love to hear more about your adven­tures sometime!!

    @Lynn — Hi Lynn! Yes, and it really is won­der­ful because this is some­thing that Sandy very much cares deeply about.

    @Audra — That’s exactly it, Audra! By con­nect­ing with some­thing that is so mean­ing­ful to her, Sandy really is chang­ing the world!

    @Colleen — I know, doesn’t that just sound like such a mov­ing expe­ri­ence! Sign me up, too!! And — how won­der­ful to hear the sto­ries that your friends two adopted boys have to share — that per­sonal expe­ri­ence can be so meaningful.

    @Tess — Hi Tess! Africa is on my list, too!! Some­thing about the raw nature of this place is a real draw. Okay — and when you plan that trip…I want to hear all about it!!

    @HappinessandWisdom — Def­i­nitely Sandy and her com­pany, Hills of Africa, are an amaz­ing resource into Africa and travel to there. I hope it works out that you get there some day!!

    @Evita — Hi Evita. Yes, my thoughts exactly…the raw and very real nat­ural setting…so amaz­ing just in pic­tures. And think — to be there, in person…wow!! Crazy idea: Blog­gers Safari…(wouldn’t that be fun…and even more…wouldn’t that be an amaz­ing way to con­nect with like-minded souls…). Hmmm.…

    Reply
  17. Lance says:
    June 24, 2010 at 9:47 am

    @J.D. Meier — Yep, I agree! This ALL sounds like an amaz­ing expe­ri­ence!! That call to the wild…perhaps it’s instinc­tual in us…that desire to be “free”…

    @Hilary — Hi Hilary. Wow, I’m just so taken in by what you’ve shared…and the African expe­ri­ences you’ve had on this jour­ney of yours! Hilary, thank you so much for shar­ing all of this!! Africa is most cer­tainly calling…

    @Jannie — Hi Jan­nie!! The Soul Jour­ney trip is one that sounds so amaz­ing good! Am I going on that? Gosh, I would LOVE to!! Could all the pieces come together to make that hap­pen?? Hmmm.… Enjoy your visit at the Hills of Africa website…

    @Sandy — Sandy, thank you so much for shar­ing all that you have here! You are cre­at­ing some­thing very spe­cial in the pack­ages you put together…ones which just really feel like they come from your heart and soul…

    @Sagan — Hey, me too!! Africa sounds so wonderful…as does this whole idea of travel!

    @Lauren — Hi Lau­ren. Africa…perhaps because of it’s very nat­ural setting…it that draw. I believe that’s a big part of it, for me. And thank you so much for shar­ing about Leslie Clark (http://nomadgal.com/). Her art­work IS beautiful!

    @Lori — Hi Lori. Yes, that Soul Safari trip just really feels like a mov­ing expe­ri­ence. And — while some­times travel can take us phys­i­cally to other places…our mind (and heart) can do that right from where we are…and that truly is a great gift. Being able to expe­ri­ence this…within…so, so powerful…

    @Liara — Hi Liara. Such a great point (and really feels like it just con­tin­ues what Lori described above). Go within…such a won­der­ful place to venture…and that we can do on amaz­ing trips like these African adventures…or right where we are today.… Won­der­ful stuff!

    Reply
  18. Naomi Estment says:
    June 25, 2010 at 8:00 am

    What a delight to come across this inter­view on Twit­ter, and all the heart-felt com­ments. Thank you, Lance & Sandy! Liv­ing in Africa, we never tire of its wild­ness, nor of hear­ing how it touches oth­ers around the world.

    My hus­band Dave and I had the priv­i­lege of accom­pa­ny­ing Hills of Africa Travel on their Soul Safari last year, indeed a trip of a life­time. I have to say that we’d trust our travel dreams to them any day, with­out a heartbeat’s hes­i­ta­tion!
    Naomi Estment´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Unique­nessMy Profile

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  19. Karl Staib - Work Happy Now says:
    June 25, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    This inter­view made me want to book a trip today. Money is a lit­tle tight, but I will def­i­nitely keep this in mind for the future. I love how she explains the con­nec­tion to her inner self that Africa gives her. I can see how see­ing those beau­ti­ful crea­tures in their own set­ting would cre­ate this experience.

    Reply
  20. Lance says:
    June 26, 2010 at 6:04 am

    @Naomi — Hi Naomi. Liv­ing in this place — Africa — this really has to be a spe­cial expe­ri­ence! I can feel that both in your words and in Sandy’s words. Your LOVE for this wild and untamed place is so won­der­ful to hear about! The Soul Safari trip that Hills of Africa is cre­at­ing — this espe­cially sounds like such a mov­ing expe­ri­ence. Naomi, thank you so much for your visit here, and for shar­ing your per­sonal expe­ri­ence you’ve had with Hills of Africa!!

    @Karl — Hi Karl. Doesn’t this trip sound fan­tas­tic! That expe­ri­ence — being in the wild — I believe this really does take us back to a place within ourselves…so, so good…

    Reply
  21. Elyse says:
    June 28, 2010 at 4:53 am

    Africa is in my heart. My heart is in Africa. I grew up in Africa and have been to many coun­tries (I live now on the Med Sea). But NOTHING com­pares to an African sun­set, to African majes­tic beauty, to African rhythm and to African peo­ple. Africa is the “cra­dle of human­ity” and deserves our sup­port, love and respect, not our garbage, pol­lu­tion and ignorance.

    Reply
  22. Elyse says:
    June 28, 2010 at 4:57 am

    Naomi, you’re doing a such won­der­ful ser­vice to human­ity and to Africa in a small big way.

    Reply
  23. Elyse says:
    June 28, 2010 at 4:59 am

    uhh, Sandy… (sorry, my 1 yr old is crawl­ing all over me and my computer)

    Reply
  24. Lance says:
    June 28, 2010 at 5:32 am

    Elyse,
    Thank you so much for your beau­ti­ful com­ment. While I’ve never been to Africa, I just imag­ine the won­der and beauty of this place. How won­der­ful that you have lived there! The “cra­dle of humanity”.…how sweet and caring.

    Reply
  25. Amy MacLeod says:
    June 29, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    Hi Lance… and Hi to Sandy and Mered­ith,
    Life offers incred­i­ble oppor­tu­ni­ties; the key is to respond. I was the first per­son to sign up for Soul Safari 2009. While I had no plans for a trip to South Africa, but when the invi­ta­tion for a Soul Safari came to me, the thrill of com­bin­ing my spir­i­tual con­nec­tion with the energy of Africa meant only one response. I was in!

    Hills of Africa handed me an immer­sion into the spirit, the life, the essence of an old soul coun­try as though it was effort­less. Each day, every sense was touched. Seamlessly.

    I have returned to my home in Canada tri­umphant. I went expect­ing adven­ture and insight. I returned with a promise to breathe life into a life-changing aware­ness that would not sim­ply sit in my soul like mem­o­ra­bilia. The expe­ri­ence has trans­formed my life. Its vital­ity cre­ated an inner intent that can­not, and will not, return to its for­mer self.

    Any­one who feels my words needs to give their a soul a chance to respond.

    Amy

    PS. I am soooo sorry that I’ve missed the Smile dead­line!! Maybe I’ll catch another project.
    Amy MacLeod´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Writ­ing – A Lonely AffairMy Profile

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  26. Lance says:
    June 30, 2010 at 5:39 am

    Hi Amy!!
    Read­ing this today is so mov­ing and inspir­ing! And it really has me think­ing more about the Soul Safari 2011. That word — “trans­form­ing” — is one that really jumps out for me. Amy, this is so mean­ing­ful for me to read. Thank you for shar­ing your own per­sonal expe­ri­ence from this amaz­ing journey…

    Reply
  27. Amy MacLeod says:
    June 30, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    Hi Lance,

    If you decide to go, it will make me grin all over inside! Hope you have a seat belt for your soul! It’s a ride!

    Thanks for let­ting me know I could still give you a SMILE. It’s likely in your email as I write.

    - Many bless­ings on your decid­ing, Amy
    Amy MacLeod´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Strangers Who LoveMy Profile

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  28. Sandy Salle says:
    July 1, 2010 at 11:41 am

    I’ve come back to this post time after time to read the won­der­ful com­ments you’ve all pro­vided and I am truly touched every time. Thank you so much for your gen­er­ous words and I hope to con­nect with you all in the future!!

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