So Fresh and So Clean Clean

For the first time in 4 and a half months I actually feel clean. Damn, real towels feel so good. And, I am also wearing clothes without holes.

Back to my American ways.

Land of the Free

Ok, I made it back home. Officially landed in today and have been sleeping since I got home for the most part. But before any sleeping, I did go to Costco with the fambam. Nothing like a $1.50 Polish with unlimited Coke to welcome me back Stateside. Of course, I also tried the Carne Asada Bake which is better than the Chicken Bake, but I would rather eat a burrito at that point.

Warning: Potentially long post.

Anyways, I really wasn't able to update as much as I wanted to in Africa due to slow and limited internet connections, but as I left off when I was in Zanzibar the only place I went to after was the Serengeti before heading into Kenya.

More thoughts on Zanzibar:

After relaxing for 2 days on the beach, it was time to head back to Dar Es Salaam. Before doing so, we were able to shop in Stonestown before catching the ferry. Stonestown is 95% Muslim and so being more covered up is highly recommended for the ladies. We went on a Spice Tour before we headed to the gorgeous beaches of the southern part of the island. Zanzibar was where they auctioned slaves that were heading to Americas and the Middle East. I went to the site where the kept the slaves before being auctioned. Then, we went on a plantation to check out all the spices. Tasted fruits and smelled delicious spices. Zanzibar is beautiful and if you are in Tanzania it shouldn't be missed.

The Serengeti:

Has a very special place in my heart. Do not get me wrong. I also loved Etosha National Park in Namibia and Chobe National Park in Botswana, but the Serengeti is what the Lion King is based off of. Well, there and the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Before heading into the Serengeti, we stopped at some photo spots and learned a bit about Olduvai Gorge which is where there is a bunch of excavating.

Ngorogoro Crater:

It is about 260 square kilometers and about 20,000 animals inhabit this small area. Needless to say, we saw a lot of outstanding things. My favorite was seeing a pride of lions stalk some buffalo. The prospect of seeing a kill made my heart beat faster. Exciting!!!!!! Unfortunately, the lions were not too serious, but I spent an hour observing these kings and hoping that they would just run at full speed and attack, but unfortunately fate did not have its way. The lions were really close and even sneaked around behind the truck. Awesome!

Animals are such lazy creatures for the most part. Well, cats that is. They just eat and sleep and mostly sleep and lounge around in a spot the whole day. Lucky to see it walking around. And yes, we were lucky enough to see a cheetah walk a few steps and drink some water. We were also slightly unlucky and about half an hour too late too see 3 male lions and 1 female lion in apride make a kill. We did see them chowing down though and the hyenas trying to take scraps of whatever food they can get. Amazing! Also, very odd to see 3 male lions and 1 female usually it is the opposite.

We also saw ostriches mate which was very interesting! Basically the female does a little dance and runs away and the male follows and does a little dance until they get closer and closer to each other. The female then sits down and the male does his thing from above.

It is so hard to describe everything I saw and felt because blahblahblah "you had to be there."

After the Serengeti, it was just a drive to Nairobi and the tour was over. Sad and relieved. Nairobi is not as dangerous as I heard and it was actually one of the better cities that we went to. We almost missed our flight, but I am officially in the States for the next month or 2. More thoughts on that later. For now, enjoy a current, haggard photo of me!!!!!!!!! yehahahhahahahah...Oh, the joys of fast internet connection and a new computer! Yes, my family has now entered the MacKingdom.

P.S. I have missed you and all I hope to hear your lovely voices soon. And if possible, see you in real life.

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!