Nikela is on a mission of helping people saving wildlife in Africa.
“Your flight is cancelled!” Said the attendant as we stepped up to the check in counter. Not something you want to hear when this is the only daily flight from the Washington DC Dulles airport to Johannesburg South Africa.
After 22 hours, of being rerouted to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, arriving too late in Johannesburg to be picked up by our friend Sheila Upton Bath with Dance to be Wild, spending the night in a hotel, catching the train the next morning, we finally make it to pick up our Landy.
Now we are settled in for two weeks at our first camp with no where to go. You see, after pulling everything out of the Land Rover and organizing it in our ground tent we dropped her off to get her backend rekitted. The fridge and drawers are being rearranged for easier access and more storage.
What does this have to do with helping people saving wildlife?
Plenty. You see, the Landy is our home while we live in Africa. For the next ten months we are travelling and living in our Landy looking for people doing good for wildlife. We search out the little guys and gals on the ground saving wildlife. People like Baye with Free to be Wild (we donated $1,000 last week towards the construction of a new predator enclosure for two recently rescued Serval cats.) People like Silke with Bambelela wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center (we’re gearing up to raise $5,000 for their next monkey troop release.)
Who pays for our travel?
We totally fund our travel and living expenses. 100% of all donations made to Nikela go directly to helping people saving wildlife. (Take a look at what you’ve accomplished.)
“Must be nice to be so rich!” This is a common question. Well, we are not.
We live on a very strict budget while in Africa and in the USA. We have no brick and mortar home. The 10 year old RV (fifth wheel trailer) we call home in the USA and the 2002 truck we use to pull it are paid for, as is our old Land Rover.
How do we do it?
We keep living expenses to a minimum. We’ve learned that much of what we think we need are only things businesses want us to buy so they will make money.
As I write I’m sitting next to the tent with a weaver bird making a nest overhead (I think his female has accepted it as she came to inspect it last night and he is building on it again today.)
Really, it took us far too long to find that the good life is the simple life.
What are our plans for the next ten months?
That’s a great question. We’ve already participated in a marvelous gathering at a local church to promote awareness for protecting Africa’s beautiful wildlife and what everyone can do to get involved. As far as details go, we don’t have any yet, only a long list of people to meet from South Africa up to Kenya.
Ride along and join the adventure as it unfolds… because in Africa the ordinary is anything but ordinary. (Our weekly eNews is for people who love adventure and helping.)
Helping is easy.
[100% of your charitable gift goes to help wildlife]
[We cover all our travel expenses]
Interesting journey in the wildlife!