Mulibwangi!!!

That means "hello" in the national language of Malawi. Malawians are so nice! Such nice people and always waving and saying hi! Plus, the love the thumbs up. yehahhaha I haven't done thumbs up this many times since I was probably in 2nd grade. It is great and I am bringing it back to the States. yehahahhaha.

This is the Africa I was expecting in terms of housing, people, and the earth. People live in huts made from clay bricks. The people are ultra friendly. And the earth has a reddish tone.

Lake Malawi is huge and beautiful. Spent 3 days on the beaches and bought an awesome Malawian chair and table. Apparently there are amoebas or something funky in the lake. I hope I did not catch anything! eeek!

What else? What else? Malawi is a place I definitely want to come back to. Current status: I am in Zanzibar which is an island off Tanzania. The beach here is beautiful and rivals Boracay. The sand is soft and super white. That is all for now folks.

Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

Ever heard of it? I hadn't either until 3 days ago. Yes, my friends, I went bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls bridge which is an 111 meter plunge down to the Zambezi River. The river runs between the Zambian and Zimbabwean border. Let's just say I was terrified out of my mind to the point where I was screaming so much, shouting profain, vile words. To top it off, a blood vessel ruptured in my eye and should heal within 2-3 weeks. It was a 3 for 1 deal which included a bungee jump, zip line, and swing. The zip line was just a warm up, you guys all know bungee, and the swing is where you do a pencil jump off the bridge for about 60 meters and fall like you are jumping off to land in water, but then suddenly you are jerked, swinging around, and taking in the beautiful view of the gorge and the Zambezi River.

I can now check off bungee jumping off the bucket list. I highly doubt I would ever do it again. It is like you are committing suicide hoping that you aren't going to die. Looking down at the river, seeing how far of a drop, knowing that if the rope does not hold that death would be the next step is an unreal experience. My knees were literally shaking as I was pretty much pushed off the bridge.

I also went rafting down the river which is just absolutely gorgeous and highly recommended! Even capsizing is fun compared to bungee jumping. We capsized and I ended up underneath the raft. I emerge out and I am gasping for dear air. All I can hear the guide saying to me was "Don't panic!" Yes, I probably was on the verge of panicking if I didn't get hold of the rope and was able to breathe properly, but it was all good fun!

Now, I am in Lusaka, Zambia which is the capital. In a few days, I will be heading to Malawi.

I also had my first scenic flight a few days ago in Botswana overlooking the Okavango Delta. Scenic flights are amazing and also highly recommended! Just reminder to those who get motion sickness is to load up on that Dramamine even if it is a short flight!

And almost forgot, I completed seeing the Big 5 animals: elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo, and leopard. Finally saw the leopard at Chobe National Park in Botswana. The leopard was just chilling in a tree, crazy! Now, all I want to see is a cheetah. The cheetah isn't in the parks I will be going to, but I still have my fingers crossed to see one out in the wild.

One more thing, hippos are fantastic! yehahaha I love them. Don't know why, but when they open their mouths the commercial just come to my mind: "HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPO!"

In 3 weeks, I will be heading home. Insane. Well, let me rephrase, I have a plane ticket home. yehahahahhahaha

Halloween

Made it to Botswana and will be celebrating Halloween here. Those of you know how much I love to dress up and am quite sad that I will not make it to a proper Halloween party being that last year was so epic.

So, I am begging for you to send me your post Halloween shitshow stories.

Game Days and Desert Living

Yes, pride rock does exist! yehahahhaha...kidding. Well, partly. Every time I see some sort of rock formation, I look at it hoping that there is Simba roaring or something of that nature. I did have my first encounter with these kings just yesterday and it was AMAZING! Driving through the plains and looking, hoping to see something, anything. Hoping that you won't miss out on any of the action. Everything is just surreal. Part of me doesn't really believe that I am in Africa on a game drive stalking for animals. This is what Discovery channel people do, not normal folks. yehahahah.

There is more to it than the lions, but all of the animals are just so beautiful. To see them out in nature and observe them in their environment. Elephants. Giraffes. Springboks. Birds. Black Rhinos. Warthogs (Pumbas). Wildebeests. Kudus. Zebras. And all sorts of animals I have never heard of. All of them are so fabulous and breathtaking.

Luckily, it is still the dry season and so there hasn't been any rain recently. And so, all the animals can be found in waterholes. When it rains, they could find water in other pockets, but when there is no rain, the only water is really at these watering holes. I was able to see a ton of animals. Even witnessed my first stampede. Well, I called it a stampede when I saw a ton of wildebeests all running amok.

At the campsite we are at in Etosha National Park in Namibia, there is a watering hole nearby that at night has floodlights. We are able to sit and observe black rhinos, giraffes, and other animals that may go to the waterhole. The other night I heard a lion make some grumbling sound and other scuffles, but I wish I could hear the roar!

The desert is super dusty and Namibia claims to have the best gravel roads in the world! There is also a salt flat here, but not as big as the one in Bolivia. Tomorrow, I head into Botswana.

On a Tour

My days of figuring out where to go is over. My days now consist of being on the open road in a huge truck. It is more like a mini-semi truck with Greyhound style seats. And yes, I am camping. About 39 days of camping in total. The longest camping trip in my life thus far.

I am currently in Namibia. Camping in places where there isn't another group for kilometers. Sleeping in tents and waking up around 6 to hit the open road. The Namib desert is what you see in the Discovery channel. The S-like sand dunes and the red color of the sand is absolutely beautiful. Saw the sunrise from Dune 45. Went on a walking tour with a bushman who taught us the ways of the desert. The plants. The food. The animals.

Went fishing today. Caught a shark and some other goodies. Will update when I can and try to make it more interesting than this entry. yehahahha. Cheers!

Series of Mishaps and One Glorious Day

South Africa is a lot more expensive than expected. Johannesburg is a horrible city and not what was expected. I will give you a day by day breakdown of South Africa and its surroundings.

Day 1:
Sleep and go around the neighborhood.

Day 2:
First attempt to tour the city which is advisable to only tour Johannesburg with the sun. By 4pm, it started to get dodgy and time to go back to the hostel before sundown. (Sidenote: The hostel seemed a bit sketchy at first and, well, I still kind of do think it is a bit sketchy).

Day 3:
Got tricked to pay to tour the ghetto. And had to give even more money to look into people's houses. Went to the Apartheid museum which is the only thing worthwhile to go to while around the Joburg area.

Day 4:
Decided to rent a car. Last minute decision to drive to Mozambique based on what someone in the hostel told us. Our original plan was to go to Durban. Almost got arrested and the car almost broke down. Policeman said it was an early Christmas present. I think he just wanted bribe money. I saw my life flash before my eyes. Spent a night by Kruger Park.

Day 5:
Drove into Mozambique and paid $82 for a visa. Also had to pay $110 to drive the car into another country. Got into the capital, Maputo, which is absolutely crazy to drive into. So many pedestrians. Ridiculous amounts of pedestrians. Couldn't find our hostel. Asked 2 random guys on the street and he offered to show us.

Day 6:
Goal was to drive to the beach. TomTom was leading the way to Ponto do Ouro (this mystical place where lobster and prawns come cheap). Low and behold, I end up driving to the border of Swaziland (a kingdom within South Africa) and another border crossing. At this point, this whole border crossing was getting old. The guard tells us that we can't drive to Ponto do Ouro with our car and we need a 4x4. We think and decide to go to Durban.

Well, from there we get to Durban and have delicious curry in bread bowls (called a bunny). Spent a couple of days there and went back to Johannesburg area to catch a flight to Cape Town. After sights of a sushi buffet for about $12, we believe that our luck has finally started to change.

Finally in Cape Town and tomorrow I start the tour and head to Namibia in the next couple of days.

The Glorious Day:
So, as many of you may know, I am absolutely petrified of sharks. And a few days ago, yes, I went into a cage to observe these beasts. They are actually quite graceful and are so quiet in the water. Saw some Discovery like channel action and determined that it was one fabulous day.

Goodbye and Hello

Goodbye for now South America. I am definitely not ready to leave this continent. My time here was too short. Too much to see and too much to do. And lots of awesome people to meet. I have to come back soon.

I actually made my flight to Buenos Aires and am now in South Africa. While in South America, for the most part, everything was pretty smooth. No real hassels. No legit death scares. Lots ofpeople traveling and easy to meet people. Well, my short time in Africa has been quite different.

First off, if you ever go to South Africa, skip Johannesburg. It is the worst city I have ever been to. And once the sun goes down, it is time for bed. Johannesburg is huge and there is nothing to do there. We rented a car and am now in Durban which is along the coast. Hopefully, the luck will change and it will be smooth sailing until we start our overland tour in Capetown. Flight leaves Wednesday. Wish me luck.