Two of my favorite travel memories involve staying in/near national parks in Africa. The first was in a "luxury tent" near a river where you could hear hippos throughout the night and the second was at a lodge called "Bushman's Baobabs." One night at Bushman's while sitting next to a fire, an elephant sauntered by....it was amazing.

Slow, meandering kayaking, intellectual conversations with a touch of immature humor, one part sci-fi geek mixed with one part tomboy.