South Africa 2012

For me the most worthwhile spot was Blyde River Canyon. I like to say that I have the “Peter Pan syndrome” where I never want to grow up, and this place looked exactly like Never Land.  To be honest I’m not even sure if this spot was on the itinerary, all I know is that our tour guide kept mentioning how this cliff would be worth the trip and he was completely right. From the second we walked off the bus through the grass path, I knew this place was different and when we got to the end, I instantly started to tear up. This place, this canyon, was the place that without knowing I was waiting for, my Never Land. It looked like an exact copy of Peter Pans Mermaid Lagoon, the spot that is shown in the cartoon when Peter and Wendy first come into Never Land. Here is where I thought of my grandmother and how this place would be somewhere she would have loved to see and I took it in not only for me but for her as well. Here is where I knew I could stay a kid forever and never have to grow up. On this canyon I knew that my biggest fear of growing up would never happen, here I would always be Peter Pan. As I looked around I saw the impact that Blyde River Canyon had on everyone else, everyone was at a loss for words. And as we gathered around and formed our “mini church,” I knew that this place would always stay their hearts, as it would stay in mine. You see, because at Blyde River Canyon not only did I find my Never Land but others let themselves go as well as the ones that they once loved go.