DEPARTURE LOUNGE // SPRING 2019
How I
2 | VUVUZELA
My vuvuzela always comes with me. It re-
minds me all the time that I have a home
and I’m proudly South African. It’s really
my mascot. I have blown this vuvuzela on
Aconcagua and at Everest Camp II. It’s also
one of the ways people look at me when
I’m travelling and know I’m South African,
even when I don’t have a flag on me.
Travel
with Saray Khumalo
Saray Khumalo wears many
“adventure” hats: she’s a business
executive, mother of two – and
the first black African woman to
summit Mount Everest (surviving
a deadly earthquake and avalanche
in the process). Recently, the
48-year-old decided to tackle
another challenge: the Grand
Slam (climbing the highest
summits on each of the
seven continents and
trekking to the North
and South Poles). Her
goal? To inspire a new
generation of African
girls to dream big.
3 | THULE BACKPACK
This is a smaller backpack than I used to
summit Everest, but it’s one I typically
travel with before I start a trek. I keep my
sunglasses in one pouch and my laptop
and a few other things in it. And I’m able
to hang my vuvuzela on it.
4
4 | JULBO POLARISED SUNGLASSES
I can’t travel or climb without these.
When you’re climbing, the sun hits
you from the top, reflects off the
ice and hits you back in the eyes, so
these helped with that glare. They also
have little leather coverings on the
side that make sure you’re protected
– not only from sun but also the wind.
5
5 | MACBOOK
What would I do without my laptop? It
keeps me sane. I’ve used it to keep in
touch while travelling and to watch movies
at Base Camp when it’s boring. It’s quite
a good companion – with all my work and
personal emails and a lot of my pictures.
1 | Garmin inReach
It’s a satellite tracker, but it’s also used
to send messages – literally a lifesaver at
Everest Base Camp and beyond. It went all
the way to the summit with me and helped
me keep in touch with family … I absolutely
love it. It was able to endure
the cold and the
battery lasted.
6 | SOUTH AFRICAN FLAG
As I stood on top of the world – after tak-
ing it all in and feeling really overwhelmed
and humbled by the experience – I had
to find my flag. It was small enough to fit
in my pocket and not slow me down or
affect my climb, but I was proud to bring it
out and raise it up for everyone to see.
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3
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PHOTO BY DOMINIC BARNARDT
16 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
7
7 | JOURNAL
I always travel with a journal. I like taking
notes about my surroundings and what’s
going on, and it helps me reflect at the
end of the day. Whether it’s been a hard
or a fun day, or a day filled with amazing
experiences, I jot it all down. Who knows,
maybe one day I’ll turn it into a book.