Wyatt
August 21
Kalahari Desert, Botswana
9:47 PM
We made it to Africa! I’m so tired and loopy from all of the travel and jet lag. I keep thinking one thing, but when I go to talk, something crazy comes out of my mouth. I’ll take that as a sign to climb into my sleeping bag as soon as I take a few notes, here.
Did you know jet lag is medically recognized as a psychological condition caused by alterations to circadian rhythm? It results from rapid, long distance travel across many time zones.
I think I could easily sleep for three days—if it weren’t for the enormous spider Gannon just found in our tent. Seriously the biggest 8-legged creature I’ve ever seen. I have to admit, I freaked a little. Probably because I’m so tired. (I know Gannon is never going to let me live this one down.)
During dinner, I asked our guide, Chocs, if there are a lot of spiders here. He said No with a big, mischievous grin that did nothing to put me at ease. Then he proceeded to tell us to be sure to let him know if we were to see a straight horn tarantula.
“You’ll know if you see one,” Chocs said. “It’s a menacing, hairy creature with a horn coming out of its thorax.”
Great. And they’re also very fast and aggressive. (But luckily, that’s not the kind Gannon found in the tent.)
OK, I’m giving my sleeping bag one last, hard shake to make sure there aren’t any spiders in there. Good night.