January 10th, 2006, I started my adventure by taking multiple planes (Chicago-London-Johannesburg-Maun-Sandibe Lodge) the total time it took to get to my first destination was 30 hours. The last plane was an 8 seated prop plane. By the way the plane looked I would be happy to arrive in one piece. It was leaking water on the inside of the plane. This is where I met my fellow travelers, two couples from Germany and 2 girls for Switzerland. One of which, Coni, spoke enough English to hold a conversation with during my safari. By the end of the vacation we would all learn other languages. We also met our guide Sam, who was a fantastic resource and had many years of experience in tracking animals. Once we arrived at Sandibe Lodge I was taken to my room which was a spacious, open air room. We were given instructions that we were not to leave the room at night, because the animals roamed freely around the lodge. If we had an emergency we needed to blow a whistle and security would come to our aid. At this lodge the electricity would be turned off one hour after dinner and turned on one hour before breakfast. At this point I knew I was in for an experience of a lifetime. The following morning I awoke to the beat of drums, this was our alarm clock. During the night I could hear hippos walking in the marsh in front of my cabin. After breakfast we started the game drives. This area of Botswana is a true oasis that is situated in the middle of the largest stretch of continuous sand in the world, the Kalahari basin. I visited four game reserves, Sandibe, Savute, Moremi and Chobe. My tour operator was CC Africa Expeditions. Several of the CC Africa Lodges have received international recognition for their work with local communities and in the restoration of degraded habitats.
I experienced/survived 6 nights of camping. The bucket showers and bathroom trips, second bush to the left, were a treat. Unexpected dinner guests included a hyena and an elephant. Our dinner, which consisted of pizza and homemade bread, even had extra protein: moths!!! It was amazing. My 4am wakeup call was an impala caught by a wild dog, as evidenced by the tracks outside my tent. Overnight we heard lions and a hippo. Our camps were at Moremi, Savute, and Chobe Games reserves. Moremi is one of Africa's most beautiful reserves. It has excellent game viewing all year-round. Savute and Chobe are well known for their large herds of animals. Despite being an almost semi-dessert like area, these parks offer an astounding game experience. Even at night, when it wasn't raining, we could see millions of stars, including the Milky Way. One rainy night we had a long wait for our meal, so we started drinking wine. We managed to drink 5 bottles of red wine while waiting for dinner. Needless to say, we all spoke the same language that night, "drunk". At least I slept well...
Crossing the border from Botswana to Zimbabwe was interesting. Zimbabwe is a country going through economic crisis. They do not accept their own currency, only US currency. They take no traveler checks but if they take credit cards they add zeros to the charge. I was charged $1.50 for a drink. When I attempted to pay with a $20 bill I was told they did not have change. I then gave them $1.50 US in change. I was told they did not accept US coins. I said, "If you don't want US coins don't charge US change." Victoria Falls is beautiful, spanning nearly 2 km and dropping 103 meters. This is the largest curtain of falling water and one of the greatest natural wonders in the world. The spray from the falls is so great that it appears to be raining all the time. We also enjoyed a boat ride down the Zambezi River. We got caught in a downpour in which we were soaked. After the rain stopped we continued down the river and were chased by an angry hippo. You would never believe it, but a hippo can run 30 miles per hour. This hippo rose up, opened his mouth, and started to run after us. We got away quickly thanks to the skill of our guide Sam. In Zimbabwe I took my elephant ride. This was truly a dream come true. My elephant, Tusk, was focused on eating the grass. While one of the others would charge into the trees breaking off branches with its tusks and then eat them. Boy, I was glad I wasn't on that one!

Hi Rhonda

Until Matt brings you to Barbados, your travel list will never be completed, great article it must be very fulfilling to share the kind of love you and Matt is experiencing, continued happiness to you both.

Matt I really love and look forward to your motivational Mondays and travel experience and the fact that you are not trying to sell products each time we get your emails you are doing a great job in getting people to reach beyond their limits.

Thank you so much for enriching my life over the years. Hope to see you in Barbados soon.

Blessings

Philippa

Hi Matt, just a comment to say that i got ooked on your videos until I saw this one where the background keeps on revolving while you are still in the camera which clearly shows that your image is being superimposed and placed on a video of the actual place. Silly, but enough to show me that I shouldn't have believed you in the first place.

LOL. Daniel, you give me far too much credit to think I can super-impose my image like that. If it were a satic image it could have been done on a green screen but not moving.

Hi Matt
Picked up your book today looks like a practical how to do book,well done.
Im living in sea point cape town good to see your shark adventure.
Looking forward to more good info.
Andre

this is fantastic!! life is about choice!i also choose to enjoy and started puting my bucket list!! will get there !!! thanks!!guys this is real we can make it!!

Great stuff Matt. I bet it was a gas to be there. I love the idea of the bucket list and have had one for years. I also have the bucket list board to keep the pictures as a reminder. Loved the book also. If you ever get to Chicago I would love to get you to sign my book.

Great blog you have here Matt.

I absolutely loved Success University and you are an expert.

Love your Unemployed Millionaire Book also.

Mark McCulloch

Awesome Matt!

One of my dreams was to dive with Great Whites as well....

2 years ago I did so in the exact same place as you stood and filmed....

And when the Sharks finally turned up..Did the tour guide also say; "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat"?

:)

Thanks for reminding me to re-evaluate my dreams and goals Matt!!

Great message

Hey Anton,

LOL - no he didn't but that's funny! He kept re-iterating that if you want to go home with your limbs, keep them in the cage!

Its Just great,watching you through this is so inspiring.

The first thing on my list is to be able to earn enough to save and take my first holiday. And even if i will go to my neighbouring town it will be a first.

Anyone looking for a faithful employee let me know.( its not a joke, i mean just that am looking)

Rosemary

Great vid Matt, good to see a beautiful day in the Western Cape!

Top of my bucket list - to visit Antarctica. Snow, ice and mountains - what could be more beautiful?

Hey Clare, I'd love to do that as well. Nik Halik does a seminar called Cashflow on Ice going there. We'll have to do that!

An inspiring and motivating words indeed Matt. I hope you really enjoyed Botswana, its a lovely country, isn't it? My daughter passed CIPP, GREAT! One most important thing in my list is to get married and your words gives me hope.

It is beautiful. The only thing more lovely than the country is the people.

Wishing you all the best!

Hi, Matt,

Thanks for always being an inspiration. I, too, have always lived by a bucket list. I've seen too many people die and never do a thing, or say, "I'll do it when I retire," but then they never do because their either too old, too frail, or too broke.

I've lived out many bucket-list items, one just being fulfilled last week, going to the Panama Canal. I've been all over the Caribbean, London, Australia, Hawaii, Aruba, Columbia, Mexico, have been on numerous cruises, rode a motorcycle, took flying lessons on a Cessna, took a vacation on my own, went parasailing, started my own business, flew a glider plane, rode in a helicopter, and got to marry my best friend.

Life couldn't be better ... especially now that for the past 5 months, I've been introduced in how to "Make a Living...Living!"

Please remind me to get you to sign my book! I've had it with me the last 3 times I've seen you at HQ, and keep forgetting!

Thanks for all you do!
Andrea

Hey Andrea, too cool - love hearing your bucket list items!

I'll be back in Dallas next week so perhaps I'll see you then.
Thanks!

Hi Rhonda,

It is nice to hear from you as well. Your lives are truely an inpiration to me. One of the things on my Bucket List will be to have my family meet you guys one day. As you and Matt are like heroes for us. Keep up the good work and thanks again for all the inspiration.

Matt,

I wanna first thank you for allowing SuccessUniversity to come here to Singapore.

The training and exposure I received while I was a leader there really helped in my current career.

Being a public speaking trainer, I really needa learn not only the mental strength of network marketing, but also the skills needed to attract people to an offer. I credit most of my skills and ability to listening to yours, Tony Michael's and Johnny's audios.

Of course, without Stuart Tan's mentorship and believe in me where I didn't, nothing would have happened...

Again. I really appreciate the fact that you exist in my life Matt.

I want my son to learn from you too.


Perry
P.S. Rhonda, you are as energetic and sweet as a powerpuff girl! I am a head taller than my wife, and my wife can't forget the day we met you in Singapore coupla years ago. :)

Hey Perry,

Thanks so much and definitely wish you continued success. Hope to hang out in Singapore with you again soon. Tell Stuart I said hello - he is an amazing leader.

Di you know there is now a way to send our American Heroes, the current and retired military and their families, on great adventures too? Give back a little- check it our at www.AmericanHeroCard.com Mike

Great stuff Matt. Inspirational as always.

Thanks for sharing!

BTW I used to race Superbikes a few years ago and enev WON the Superbike EMRA Championship!

Great episode, sweetheart! It was fun watching The Bucket List with you and realizing we had already done most everything from the movie! We've had some amazing experiences, haven't we? We've been to the Great Pyramids, sailed the Nile River, done cruises all over the Caribbean and Europe, been to some of the most exotic places in the world (Tahiti, Hawaii, Bora Bora, the Polynesian Islands, Australia, New Zealand, all over the Middle East, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Morocco, Africa... I could go on and on!), went skydiving, scuba diving, parasailing in the Great Barrier Reef, base jumping in Auckland... we have done so many things people dream about but never do... and yet the #1 thing on my list I did not accomplish until January 15, 2009 and that was to become a Mommy! I'm so grateful we were able to take all those great adventures when we did, and now that I am your wife and Zara's mommy, life has never been more fulfilling! I can't wait to create Zara's bucket list with her when she gets a little older. We are going to have so much fun together! Life is so good... Thank you, God!

Lots more to come baby! Just checked into the Michelangelo here in Johannesburg and having sushi... it's about 5:45am in Dallas so hopefully you're sounds asleep. Love you!

Rhonda
So touching. I am so happy that you and Matt have fulfilled so many things in your life. Its like watching a movie. The two of you and now Zara have become an inspiration for me and I am sure for many others.
Life has also been very good to me. I am fulfilling my life's dreams as we speak. One of my biggest dreams is to travel the world. I have been to about 30 counties in my life. There are so many more to go....Oh how little time! That's why its so important to become financially free.
Thanks for the motivation. Its time to continue pursuing the dream.