Namibia continued (multiple entries)

So this morning we woke up at sunrise, and I can't explain how nice it was to leave my tent with some light in the sky. We've been waking up so early the past 6 or so days that I have been accustomed to still seeing stars in the sky when I rise. We have a long drive today, about 9 hours into Swampkamond, a coastal town on the Atlantic Ocean in Namibia. The land that we're driving through is dry and arid, but there is still some vegetation and there are many mountain looming in the background while the immediate countryside is very hilly. Yesterday was a really good day. We took an hour break in a town where we could spend time at a coffee shop and on the internet, and I had a delicious meal of sausage pies, cappuccino, and apple strudel. It was so peaceful and a lovely break from the monotony of the truck. I was able to reclaim my phone from the rice yesterday, so while there are still water stains on the screen it is opera table and I am able to listen to music. I had missed my iPod over the last few days, since without it it's quite hard to withdraw into yourself on the truck and it gets very tiring constantly conversing with others for hours on end at days at a time.

We arrived at our campsite rather early yesterday in a blistering heat. The thermometer read 42• Celsius. I took advantage of the heat and did a quick load of laundry while we had lunch, then we set off to see the stone engravings done by bushmen and nomads in the region 6000 years ago. It was an incredible experience. Often the engravings relayed messages from shaman during their trances, but there were also navigational engravings used to direct others towards water. The engravings were made in bright red sandstone, and the area was unbelievably peaceful and stoically quiet. After exploring the stone engravings we all went to a hotel where we bought drinks from the bar and jumped into their pool. The pool was already cast into the shadow when we arrived, so the water was really cold, but after such a hot day it was a very pleasant treat. We had a beef stir fry for dinner, then enjoyed some of the campsite staff's songs for evening entertainment.

We just made a stop during our journey today at a Nemba craft shop in the middle of the desert. We had been saving all of our empty 5L water bottles from the entire journey, and we filled them up at etosha when the water was particularly good. When we got to the craft shop we unloaded all of the water bottles and carried them to their mud huts. We also have them the rubber soccer ball that we had picked up in Malawi, and the women were very joyous when we kicked it around with them. I gave them my blanket from Turkish airlines, and after realizing that it caused jealousy among the women because of how useful it was for keeping the children warm I went back to the truck to grab my towel (which I have not used once this entire trip because of the utility I have found in the shamy I packed) to trade with the other woman for a bracelet. Apparently I started a trend, and soon many of the travelers with us found blankets that we're not essential to their travel and gave them to the women. They were very happy, which was nice to see. Perhaps a picture would be more valuable, and in time I will be able to post one with this blog, but the women were incredibly uniquely dressed. They wore clay in their hair and on their skin, exposed bare breast decorated with necklaces and beaded designs, and just a small cloth around their wastes. They had about 20 anklets on each foot as well, and walked barefoot. The babies all wore necklaces as well, and only covered their front sides with cloth. Some of the children were really playful, and we played games jumping and high-fiving the kids, and some of the kids really took to Saskia and climbed all over her and she picked them up and spun them around. We're now back on the road and the air is getting colder as we approach the Atlantic coast. Oh yeah... The roads have been all gravel and dirt today, and are torn up with ruts so the travel has been pretty rough.

This is a bit of a side note, but one thing I've noticed since Zambia is te fact that all cell phone and satallite towers here are disguised to look like very tall trees. It's really interesting.

Written July 24 and posted when Internet is available

---

Since my last update we have traveled through swakopmund and are now in the Namib desert departing for Dune 45 and Sesriem canyon. Swakopmund was an adventure. The highlights include sand dune boarding and a township tour where we met women from different Namibian tribes and spent time in their homes. The worst part of the weekend there was the death of my camera due to sand grains. Sand is literally everywhere and it's difficult to protect against it.

The first thing we did when we arrived into the city was to check into our hostel. We had all been under the impression that we would be in rooms of 6-8 beds because of what the itinerary had lead us to believe, but instead our entire truckload of people was housed together in one massive 22 bed dorm room that had a total of 2 showers and 2 toilets and very few outlets. Luckily most of the couples opted to upgrade out of the dorm so we had a little more space. It was nice to finally have a bed nonetheless, my thin mattress that I sleep on while camping is starting to feel like it's as thick as a sheet of paper. After everyone settled in for a bit we reconvened together to load up for the township tour. We divided between two vans and two guides and drove out of the city 1 km to the "township" that was built as a result of apartheid. Our first stop was at a Herero woman's home. She wore the traditional dress, which is a very poufy dress and headgear shaped to look like a cow's horns because cows are the most valuable and sacred things in their culture. The Herero practice polygamy, and in the household the first wife has the ultimate power and even chooses the next wife for herself and her husband. Each of the woman bear children, but must treat all of their husband's kids as their own. The men work out on the farm with the cattle, which is about 800km away from Swakopmund. The women stay in town together, however, so that the children have the opportunity to go to a good school. Girls in their culture are married to their mother in laws at age 18, and for 3 years are taught all of the traditions and household necessities for her new home before she is married to her husband at age 21, the year a girl is considered a woman. Once a girl marries into a new family she is no longer a part of her old one, and her mother-in-law becomes her mother. Our host was very kind, and after a round of questions we departed for our next destination.

The next home we went to was a Nama woman's. She was a herbalist and although she didn't speak any English our female guide translated for her. She passed around all of her different plant specimens and explained what it was used for. After we all explored the natural remedies we were given a lesson in her language by our guide. The Nama speak with worlds and clicks. There are 4 different types of clicks: tongue at front teeth, a cheek squeak, clicking from the front part of the roof of the mouth, and clicking from the back part of the roof of the mouth. It was really difficult, but so exciting to learn a little of such an exotic language.

After her home we went to a craft shop where I couldn't help myself and bought a beautiful hand painted bag and handmade card for just $10. The art was beautiful, and the shop was formed as a cooperative of a bunch of different women. Following the craft shop we went to a bar where they let us try the local beer (which, of course we had all already tried....),  but the best was learning how to say cheers in the Nama language with a click. Our guides told us to take our glasses and go into another room just down the alley. It was a cozy dining room and we were all able to sit around a table. A woman entered after we were all settled and passed around a bowl full of food for us to try. Guess what it was? Caterpillars! They were baked with salt and seasoning so that they were crispy. I figured that I have already tried crocodile and different types of game this trip, so I picked a small on and chowed down. The flavor was fine, but the texture was something to reckon with. It got stuck in my throat twice as I tried to swallow, but luckily I still had a beer so after a third attempt I could get it down and wash it away. I'm hoping that will be the most exotic thing I will ever eat!

After our little meal a singing group came into the room to perform. It was a group of 5 men and 1 woman, but they said that at full capacity they were 9 strong with 4 more females. They had some of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. I was brought to tears by their story of losing their 10th member to gender violence and their tribute to her. If you see me when I get home, ask me to play the cd for you! I purchased 2:)

The singing marked the end of our tour, so we returned back to the hostel and then organized a group dinner which lasted far too long. By the time I was back in bed I was ready to close my eyes for a long time. The next morning we woke up around 8 to get ready for our 9:30pick up for sand boarding. The vans that picked us up fit everyone in our group but me, so I made friends with travelers from different companies as I was passed from van to van before room was found to fit me in. The drive to the sand dunes was only about 10 minutes, and when we got there they already had the boards, helmets and boots laying around ready to be adopted by a person for the day. In order to get up to the top of the dune we had to hike up- which is way more difficult than it sounds. Because of the steepness of the dunes and the texture of the sand I was out of breath by the time I made it up. Once there we received brief instruction and were given wax for our boards. The boarding experience was a mixed bag. I haven't snowboarded all that much, so while I could get down the dune doing the falling leaf pattern without any trouble, I had a lot of difficulty linking turns from my toes to my heels and fell often. I was very ambitious to get better with practice, so I hiked back up and went back down as quickly as I could, which ended up with me hiking the dunes 10 times - enough to make my body utterly exhausted. On my fifth try I went off the jump with the help of one of the instructors and had marginal success with it. By the end of the day when we were all tired we got to try the lying down version of sandboarding. It was a blast! I went down the hill at 68 kph! I went a second time because the first was so much fun, but unfortunately the wind had picked up so my board took a different path and I ended up hitting the holes produced by the camera woman's footprints, and I went flying off the board and tumbling down the dune. No one but a couple of instructors really saw it because everyone was making their way back to the truck, and my injuries were minor - pretty much just trouble breathing for a second because I had the wind knocked out of me. After that I made it down the other face of the dune on the snowboard once more, chowed down on some sandwiches, and loaded back into the truck to return to the hostel. Oh, I forgot to mention.  I was COATED in sand, everywhere. My face was completely covered in it, it was in my socks, my pants, my mouth... Everything. It was a really fun experience, but I don't like sand that much and the exertion required to hike back up the dune each time took away from the fun of riding down a little bit.

That afternoon I went with Tim and Saskia to walk around the town and to put our feet in the Atlantic Ocean. We stepped into a German church to learn that literally everything in it was imported from Germany, and I met a really nice guy named Savior at the craft market. We talked about business and the responsibilities a business owner has to others when they decide what they want to start. It was a really special conversation, and I learned a lot from him. He said he had never been to school, but he spoke 5 languages and seemed to me one of the most intelligent people I've met.

I called it early that night for bed, as we were departing the next morning. We spent a good portion of the following day driving, and the landscapes changed so dramatically! We started with the white sand dunes, then drove through a beach area with seals and flamingos, then hit rocky hills called the lunar landscape and ended at a campsite that was nestled between hills and plateaus of red sand. We went on a hike at our campsite to appreciate the scenery and remoteness of where we were. It was a truly beautiful experience to be completely removed from man-made anything. Also, the stars last night were the best I have ever seen in my life. I witnessed 3 shooting stars and could see the Milky Way running from horizon to horizon. I could even see where it split a little bit into 3 different branches, and I found all of my new favorite constellations.

Today we are driving through the desert to reach dune 45. We just stopped at a little bakery in the middle of nowhere for some sweet treats, and now we're back on the road. My throat is sore and I'm not feeling that great, but my trip is almost over and I'm still excited by each passing day.

Written July 27 and posted when Internet is available.

------

The past two days have been really cool in terms of scenery, but also very challenging for travel, camping, and health. The cold that the other travelers have been suffering from has made it's way to almost everyone, including myself and my tent mate. The roads we have been traversing have consistently been gravel or dirt, and yesterday the truck suffered it's first flat tire in the middle of the desert amongst howling winds that we all had to stand in while it was changed by our driver, CEO, and some of the men in our group.

Before heading to dune 45 we stopped at Seserim canyon, a small 4km canyon that made for a really fun hike. The walls were pebbled, and it looked almost as if it was man made from stones and concrete. The texture of the walls made it really great for rock climbing, as the stones were great hand holds and the holes where the stones had fallen out made for sturdy foot holds. All across the canyon floor there were man made stone towers that I had seen all over Korea. After a bit I got bored and sat down to make my own, and I was really proud of its sturdiness and elegance. After the canyon we went a bit further for some dunes, but it was an optional activity that involved a hike, and since I was feeling ill I opted to stay on the truck to rest. The rest of the group was gone about 2 and a half hours, but when they returned we made our way to Dune 45, the most photographed sand dune in Namibia. When we got there I kicked off my hiking boots and left my socks on to climb up the face of the dune.

If you've ever looked at pictures of a dune you'll see that the face of it is the ridge where the winds converge. On either face of the dune each step you take will make you sink to your mid-calf, but on the ridge the sand is packed hard enough that you can manage to walk without sinking more than half a foot's height. Although it's much better walking on the ridge than the faces, traveling up a steep incline with the soft surface makes for a very challenging work out. Despite the hardship, we were able to climb all the way up the face to the highest point on the region of the dune we were on. The dune kind of looked like the Great Wall of China, because it continued as far as we could see and the ridge had the same twists and turns as the wall. The view from the top of the dune was fantastic. I literally felt like I was on top of the world, and I could easily picture dinosaurs and large mammals roaming the plains below me. It felt like I was a part of the prehistoric earth. Because I had killed my camera while sandboarding, I decided not to risk my phone, so this experience of mine was for my eyes only and wasn't recorded with pictures. When I think of how rarely I look back on pictures from past trips it puts me at ease knowing that I will have this experience better recorded in my memory than I would have if I had been looking through a viewfinder.

That night we camped in the desert, and we experienced the worst weather we've had yet. Luckily the desert environment almost guarantees that there will be no rain, but we did experience a sand storm and our tents were battered by the wind all night long. Sleep was very scattered as the tents kept flapping inwards and out again because of the wind, and the howls from the wind were more frightening than all of the animal sounds I've heard at night since arriving in Africa. Luckily (maybe?) we had an early morning, and we woke up at 4:45 in order to get on the road early for our long day of travel. Taking the tents down in the wind was really hard, and we had everything coated in red sand from the night because the wind blew so much sand in through the windows of the tent during the night. We hardly had breakfast as well since we couldn't put any food out without it being coated by sand immediately. As I already alluded to, while we were on the road driving yesterday we got a flat tire from one of the gravel roads, and we were forced back into the wind while we waited for it to be changed. Lunch was sandwiches again... For like the 12th day in a row. I think I'm going to avoid sandwiches for at least a month when I get home.

Although yesterday had it's challenges, in the afternoon we got to drive to the Fish River Canyon, which is the second largest canyon in the world behind the Grand Canyon. I was really surprised by how similar the two looked, although the Grand Canyon definitely is deeper. We got to walk a scenic path along the canyon at our own pace, and caught the sunset from a beautiful viewing point. The geographical diversity in Namibia is just outstanding, and I would argue that it may be the most majestic in the world.

I slept decently well last night, and enjoyed a night free of howling wind. My cold is still a big burden, but I feel better today than I did yesterday. We're driving now and will soon cross the border to South Africa. Tonightwe're staying at the Orange River, and then we only have 2 more campsites before arriving in Cape Town. It's kind of weird to think that I only have 3 more nights left in the tent. I'll be home in a week!




Sent from my iPhone

Namibia - Waterberg Plateau and Etosha National Park

Namibia continued

The Waterberg Plateau was phenomenal. After eating a quick lunch at camp, and destroying my iphone on accident when it fell out of my pocket and into the dishwash bin, we all set off for a hike up the hills with the goal of topping the cliff before sunset. A couple of the Germans left a little early, but our group was a good 8 people strong. The beginning of the hike was very mild, and we traversed over a very gradual incline through the  campgrounds, resort buildings, and up to the property's restaurant. Along the way we saw a little Dik Dik standing about 3 feet off the trail. It's a beautiful creature, and is the smallest of the antelope family. In Namibia they are very rare, and although we had seen some in the Serengeti, it was a real treat to see one so close and while on foot. After the restaurant the terrain began to get a little more rugged and steep, and we had to step up and along the red sandstone. Early in the hike we saw a family of black baboons ahead of us on the path, and decided to be a little weary of their presence. As we progressed through the trail we had the  opportunity every once in a while to climb up on top of a large rock to peep beyond the trees to see the view. It didn't feel like we were gaining much height, but every time we caught a glimpse off the trail we could see more and more of the plains laid out before us below. These little look outs served as good photo opportunities, but I was more excited about the physical exertion of the hike and so while everyone else was spending time getting the perfect shot I and another advanced ahead. At one turn I started seeing baboons again. There were about 4 sitting in the trees ahead of where I was going, so I was very careful to keep my eyes on them as I walked ahead. Unfortunately, because I was so focused on tracking the baboons in the trees, I almost had a heart attack when I took another step forward and realized that there was a baboon sitting on the rock RIGHT in front of me. Although I would like to say that I was calm and composed in this time of fright, I would be lying. I saw the baboon, screamed out, and immediately turned around to run, frightening the girl who was walking behind me and causing her to run in retreat as well. The baboon immediately took off to chase us, but as we ran backwards we met back up with our group and they calmed us and told us to stop running and to face the baboon. Being in a big group made it easier to have the confidence to do that, so we stood our ground while the baboon climbed up a tree and sat staring down at us. After about 2 minutes the baboon went its own way, and we continued on our hike with a nice spike of adrenaline.

The cliffs of the Waterberg plateau were just gorgeous. They were made of red sandstone and displayed brilliant colors from different mosses and funghi growing on the surface so that the stone was streaked with greens, yellows, and different reds. They also appeared to be extremely steep, so I was amazed that we were able to summit them without much of a climb. We managed to get up through a gorge, but from afar when looking at the cliffs they are invisible and the cliffs just look like an insurmountable wall. The view from the top was unreal - we could see miles and miles of plains of the Waterberg national park, and besides the buildings associated with the campsite and the resort at the base of the cliffs, there were no buildings in sight. The only manmade infrastructure were 5 long dirt roads that all seemed to converge at the same spot. We all spent some time taking in the beauty of the view and trying to capture it with our cameras (I don't try very hard, compared to others my camera is like a child's toy). After everyone was  satisfied with their shots and we began to fear the setting sun, we took off again to head back to camp. Getting home we took all sorts of different paths and ended up on a bird viewing loop (that rightfully earned its name), at a German Cemetery that housed the graves of German soldiers who were defending the post in 1904 against the Herero uprising, and past some old ruined buildings that were nothing more than a couple of stacks of red bricks. By the time we got back we had dinner served and I took an early night for sleep.

The next morning was our 3rd in a row to awake at 5:30, and we spent the entire day on the road with all sorts of things going wrong along the way. The most comical of them was going out of our way to a bakery to find that it was closed, then deciding to buy pizzas for lunch, waiting 30 minutes for them to be made, then finding that they were personal sized instead of large pizzas and utterly unable to feed our group of 20. The day was long and frustrating, but that evening we arrived at Etosha National Park and were able to get a very quick game drive in before the gates closed. We spotted some elephants, zebra and tons of giraffes before heading back for the night. We decided that we wanted to get up early the next morning to catch a morning game drive to see if we could see some leopards (the most elusive of all cats in Africa, yet also the most populous). We didn't see any leopards, but I was SO excited to see a Black Rhino. We did game drives all day long as we made our way to our next campsite about 100 km away in the park. We didn't see any cats, but we saw Jackals, more Rhinos, a lot of elephants, giraffes, Eland, Springbok, Kudu and more. When we made it to our next campsite we set up our tents, did an extremely fast round of laundry, then headed back for another game drive in which we saw some more rhino and a beautiful sunset. Probably the  highlight of my time in the Etosha National Park, however, was sitting at the watering hole that was at our campsite. The campsite management had built a fence separating us from the animals, but they lined our side of the fence with benches and set up lights to illuminate the watering hole. I spent hours sitting at the hole last night and saw the giraffe, elephants, rhinos, african cats, jackals, birds, and oryx drinking from the water. All of the animals were SO timid as they approached the watering hole, and they spoked at the smallest sound. Getting water was a 30-40 minute process for each animal because of the amount of time they spent surveying their surroundings to ensure safety. I witnessed some aggression between 2 rhinos, some flirting between 2 elephants, and tons of interaction among different herds of animals. It was just fascinating, and felt like I was watching a very slow motion drama. I didn't get any pictures of the watering hole, but I will cherish the experience.

Today we woke up at 5:30 again (it's been rather consistent). Sara and I broke down our tent in record time and took our breakfast to the watering hole to see if we could glimpse anything else. We saw some birds, jakals and a herd of zebra before having to return to the truck for our 7 a.m. departure. Today we're driving 7 hours into the middle of the desert for a stop over on our way to Swakopmund.

Written on July 23, 2014 and posted when internet is available.

Entering Namibia - Windhoek

First Few Days in Namibia

We crossed the border two days ago into Namibia, and it has been more than a whirlwind of activity. The border crossing went really smoothly - no hang ups, no visas to purchase, and good attitudes from all. We even had a bit of an impromptu dance party in the parking lot while we were waiting for everyone to finish up getting their stamps because a trucker had left his music blaring. My passport is quickly filling up... I still have many years left on it, but hardly any space left. Luckily the U.S. allows its citizens to get extra pages added into their passports, whereas other countries make their citizens purchase completely new passports once the allotted visa space is filled.

Our first night was spent in the Ghanzi desert. I alluded to our campsite in my last blog post without mentioning that we had crossed the border. The food from the campsite staff was wonderful, the fire pleasant, the stars bright and the air crisp and cold. After waking up at 5:30 we made a long haul into Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. I cannot explain how big of a shock it was for me when we rolled into the first real large city I have seen since leaving home. We made great time and arrived in the early afternoon so that by 3 p.m. after checking into our HOTEL rooms we were able to take taxis into the city square. Windhoek is home to a number of different malls, restaurants, coffee shops, exceptional and unique souvenir shops, parks, and government buildings. Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam had similar makings, but each seemed built around a haphazard grid without strong infrastructure for transportation or homogeny between buildings. Windhoek has smooth, wide roads, and strong city planning. Compared to a lot of what I've seen in the past 30 days the city was incredibly wealthy. When we went into town I was strangely surprised to find that almost every shop besides the very touristy souvenir shops were closed - including almost every restaurant and coffee shop. We found a small market that had some nice crafts, and went into one of the more touristy shops that was beautifully designed and structured. The shop sourced from local artists across the country and made a beautiful display of all of the crafts. Savannah and I explored the city a little longer before feeling a little uncomfortable at the emptiness of the town. We made our way back towards the meeting spot for our group and wandered through a park for a bit. I took a picture for a precious family, then we stopped at the park coffee shop for some hot chocolate. After meeting up with everyone else we returned to the hotel then quickly departed for a group dinner to celebrate the three members of our group who were leaving us. The dinner was held at Joe's Beerhouse, which was a German inspired restaurant that had an incredible selection of game meats and a decent draft list. Dinner was exceptional, but it lasted until past 10 p.m. so that everyone was about to drop over from fatigue having been awake since 5:30 that morning.

This morning Savannah, Matt and Ana said their final goodbyes after a great breakfast at the hotel. We drove for about 6 hours and are now in Waterburg, which is home to a beautiful plateau that we're going to hike this afternoon.

It's now evident that we're heading south, as almost all of the infrastructure has improved. The toilets are cleaner and almost always stocked with toilet paper (now considered a luxury after so much time without it), the camp showers have more water pressure and more hot water available, the bars have gotten nicer and the campsites now have clean pools, the roads are rarely bumpy and we can reach over 100 km whereas we hardly ever broke 80 in Kenya and Tanzania, and the number of supermarkets along our route are rapidly increasing. I do miss some of the local produce we had earlier in the trip, but its nice having the security of knowing that I can now get anything I need. Before Savannah came I had a list of things that I needed her to bring from the states since I couldn't find it anywhere, but now I can access all of those things. The people are more removed as well though. I met a great woman who is a shopkeeper of a small stall in a shanty market during one of our breaks today, but I was only able to gain access to her and her story by playing the role of a customer. She had a beautiful baby girl, and was extremely talented with her crafts. I'll cherish the bowl I purchased from her, but I enjoyed getting to hear about her life even more. There are many many more white people in Namibia than Botswana, and there had been more in Botswana than in Malawi or Tanzania (besides the tourists at the Serengeti). You can see the influence of South Africa much more - from the actual people to the presence of different South African restaurant and retail chains in all shopping centers. Most tour guides in the region seem to be South African as well. In about 7 days I will be crossing my last border in Africa to arrive in SA myself. That'll be fun, but it will also mean that my journey is coming to an end, and for the time being I'm rather happy to be here and among the other travelers. At the campsite that I'm writing this from there are meerkats running around everywhere, and daily I can see warthogs and baboons from the window of the truck. Most days I see more, and its just fascinating. I'm also pleased by the simplicity of life that I've been able to witness - I don't think mine will ever take such a path, but its nice to have the opportunity to appreciate the small things and the company of others.

Beautiful Botswana

Botswana

Botswana has been very interesting. Crossing the border was a long and process, but it was alright. Customs took a while, and we had to cross a river to get from Zambia to Botswana, and there was only one ferry running between the two countries. The ferry fit about 4 regular sized SUVs in a row, but it only fit one or two big trucks, and the line was long so we had to wait over an hour before getting the truck on board the ferry. Our campsite wasn't too far from the border, and we arrived around 2 to set up the tents, but we didn't fully unpack wince we were immediately leaving to go into town. In town I tried to exchange my Zambian Kwacha into Botswana Pula, but they said that the only place to exchange it was at the border. It was a frustrating position to be in because I had about $50 USD left over in Kwacha, and I wouldn't even be able to exchange it back once I got home because Zambian currency is circulated so narrowly. Luckily the next night at our campsite we ran into another G truck and their CEO was so so kind and exchanged my money for me into ZAR (South African Rand). While I was in town during the whole exchange affair I also picked up an extra jacket and pair of sweat pants, because we have begun our decent into Southern Africa where the nights drop below freezing - a difficult challenge for camping (at least for a Texas girl). I also had a moment to log onto the internet to catch up on some of the world news and the latests on the terrorism in Kenya. Unfortunately the attacks seem to be growing in frequency, and conflict is arising both internally and externally in the country in response to them.

When we got back to our first campsite in Botswana most of our group had gone on a sunset cruise so the remainder of us (pretty much the old crew that had started in Nairobi) were left to unpack everything and do all the cooking. Our new guide isn't as fluid and well prepared as our last one, so the amount of energy it has taken to get things done has increased greatly. The next morning was a similar story - most of the crew left for a morning game drive in Chobe National Park, and left the remaining 6 of us to break down everyones tents and get the breakfast going. I had hoped that by forgoing some of the activities that I would save some money and gain some rest, but instead I just got a lot of extra work on my plate. The day didn't really stop there with exciting work. Botswana is divided into a grid of sorts where they try and separate the domestic and agricultural areas from the wildlife areas. The country is very strong in its conservation of natural wildlife, but the government has set up a lot of checkpoints and regulations in order to adequately protect the civilizations. Botswana has also suffered from cases of Foot and Mouth disease, which has heightened the need for control measures between areas. On our way to our next campsite we stopped at one of the many veterinary checkpoints. We all had to get off the truck and step through this water basin that is full of salt and other chemicals to kill any of the bacteria we may have picked up in "the wild." At the same time a woman inspected our truck for any meat from the wild, and found instead our grocery store bought steaks. She said that she would have to confiscate them, and when our tour guide refused she said that the only way we could pass through was if we cooked the meat. So, we did. We set up camp on the side of the road, pulling out the tables, the stove, the propane gas, all of the dish washing bins and our knives and cutting boards to get to work. We chopped up the beautiful steaks so that we could boil it for a stew, and got the veggies out to do the same. Curiously, however, the woman said that we only had to cook the steaks, which made us a little suspicious of their intentions. It could have been the case that they had just hoped to confiscate them for themselves, but whether that had been true I will never know. While we were cooking we took a soccer ball out and kicked it around and everyone had a strange energy that came from such a bizarre occurrence. All in all I thought that the event was just hilarious. That day we stopped for a prepared lunch at one of the campgrounds (giving us a break from cooking), and then made it to our campgrounds at Planet Baobalb, a beautiful campsite that was originally set up as a missionary. The site had so many Baobalb trees that were all beautifully lit, and the stars were shining bright that night. Our dinner ran pretty late because of the mishap on the road with the steaks, but we eventually got to sleep and didn't have to wake up terribly early the next morning.

The most exciting part of my time in Botswana was at the Okovango Delta. We traveled from Planet Baobalb to a campsite called Island Safair Lodge that was located on one of the many river chanels of the delta. At four O'Clock, after we set up our tents and made camp, we departed again to head to the airport for an optional scenic flight over the delta in little 5-7 seater planes. We had a bit of a delay because our CEO forgot to mention that we needed our passports and the girl that held the second key to the safe had stayed at camp, but once we were in the air it was one of the most exceptional experiences of my life. The view was just incredible - and for as far as I could see there were absolutely no marks of human settlement except for an occasional small fence. The water seeped over everything so that it appeared that everything was enshrouded in it except for a couple of rare islands of dry land. From the air I saw many elephants trekking across the shallow waters, breaking all of the reeds in its path so that it created a trail behind it. The first elephant I saw was a single bull, and it was a majestic sight. Throughout the flight I saw families, herds, and more. I also saw massive crocodiles sitting on the river banks, as well as birds in flight parallel with our plane and herds of antelopes grazing through the grasses. The plane was flying pretty low so the air was rather turbulent. I thought that the bumps and drops were really fun at first, but by the time we landed everyone in the plane was suffering from motion sickness. It was totally worth it though. I would say that that experience probably sits as one of the top 5 coolest things I have ever done.

   

On board our flight over the delta - Sorry I didn't rotate the picture before uploading it. 

The next morning after the flight we departed the campsite to embark into the delta for a night of bush camping on one of the islands. Bush camping means that there are absolutely no facilities, and that everything you bring into the delta you must bring out. We loaded up a speedboat with all of our tents, our "mattresses," our kitchenware, and food for dinner and breakfast. After all of our necessities were secured we split ourselves between two speedboats and brought with us on board our daypacks, a 5L water bottle, and our sleeping bags. The boats took us through the main channels of the Delta. At times the channels made sharp turns and wide bends, and I was itching to be able to drive the boat through them - it looked like so much fun. Along the way we say fish eagles and other birds, and after about 30 minutes we docked the boats, unloaded all of our stuff, then met the leaders for the next part of our journey. The speedboats could only traverse the main channels, so to get to the island where we were going to camp we needed to board small canoe-like boats called makuros. We placed two people from our group to a makuro and then one local who was called a Pole who was responsible for powering and steering the vessel. They propelled the makuro forward using a stick that was about 15 feet in length. They placed the stick in the water besides them until it touched the floor of the waterbed, the pushed down and backwards so that the boat propelled forward and the stick angled down behind the makuro as it advanced forward. The Poles took us an hour and a half through the narrow channels of the delta. It was an incredibly peaceful experience. We heard nothing but the sound of moving water, buzzing bugs, and the rustling of reeds as we glided past. I fell asleep one or two times, and before long we arrived at the island where we unloaded all of our stuff and set up camp. The local guide showed us the holes he had dug for us to use as toilets, and we lit a fire immediately to burn through the night so as to warn off predators. Our tents were set up in a circular formation as well to enclose our little settlement. We had the afternoon free, which was great. I read a little bit, tried by hand at poling (that was fun! I can't really keep it that straight but after a while I got the hang of it), and played mafia as a group. At 4 o'clock we boarded the mukuros again to go further down the island for a nature walk. On the walk we learned about all sorts of plants and natural resources used by the delta people for survival, and we saw many birds and even some hippos. As we returned to the makuros the sun was setting the light highlighted all of the spiderwebs that ran between the long grasses, creating a shimmering gleam under the sun. Dinner that night was pretty bland, but I suppose we can't expect much from a bush camp - and everything had to be cooked over the fire and without stove. The beautiful part of the night, however, were the stars and the entertainment put on by our Poles. The stars were unbelievable - the Milky Way was as bright as I have ever seen it, and the stars reached the horizon because of how little light pollution there was. It was truly beautiful. The entertainment was wonderful as well, as the men and woman who took us into the delta sang group songs in their local language, Setswana. After the songs were over, a man came forth and recited a poem from memory. It recalled times of old and was my first time interacting with a community that used oral histories in this way. The night wasn't too cold, so sleep was nice. We had an early morning to break down tents and load the makuros with all of our gear and selves, and we made it back to the power boats by 9 a.m. On our way back to the the Island Safari Lodge we saw two baby crocodiles on the shore, and our boat driver shared with us how humans eat crocodiles' tails, but cut the head off and bury it because of the poisonous nature of the brain. He shared with us how many rival tribes will take the croc brain, dry it in the sun, then take a small bit of it in powder form to put in enemies drinks to poison them. Apparently it is rather lethal, as it takes only 30 minutes to achieve its full effect. I will be weary around crocodile from now on... I'm glad that I tried it before hearing about the brain. We made it back to Island Safari by 10:30 for lunch before a long drive towards the desert.

Last night we slept in the Ghanzi Desert. The campsite had hot showers, which was so welcome after the bush camping. We had a great dinner prepared by the woman from the campsite, and all shared jokes and stories around the campfire before heading to bed. Although it was really hot during the day, the night was absolutely freezing and I slept in two layers of pants and two jackets over my shirt. This morning we woke up at 5:30 while the stars were still bright and the air still crisp. It was a hard task breaking down the tent when the cold stung our fingers and the sleep still clouded our heads. We're now on the truck heading to the border of Namibia. I'll be sad to depart this country, but I'm excited for the next! Savannah ends her trip tomorrow and will head back home to Dallas, so we're going to have a fun night in town tonight before sending her off. I'm so glad that she came, it was so nice to have a friend from home on a part of this journey, and her kindness and positivity made camp a better place for all.

Written on July 19, 2014 and posted when internet is available.

White Water Rafting on the Zambezi

Final Day in Zambia

Today was unreal. I woke up REALLY early to make sure that I was able to do my laundry before departing at 8 a.m. for white water rafting on the Zambezi River - one of the most famous rafting rivers in the world. I caught a beautiful sunrise over the camp as I did my washing, and was able to get all of my stuff on the line with enough time to have breakfast and get dressed for the day's adventure.

Our meeting for the rafting was hilarious. The safety instructor described the line around the raft as the "Oh Shit" line, and told us that we were pretty much guaranteed to flip at least once. We had 5 people from our G tour going rafting, so together we made a boat with our guide and one extra guide who sat in the front of our boat to give us a little bit of extra power. To get to the river we all loaded up in a open truck with five rows of benches that squeezed 5 people in each row and drove about 20 minutes outside of Livingstone and through a couple of different villages to get to rapid #10 on the Zambezi (because it is high water right now, rapids 1-10 are too dangerous to raft). The truck dropped us off at the top of a gorge, but in order to get down to the river we had to hike down about 200m. The path was pretty steep, so the locals had constructed a makeshift ladder made out of long skinny tree branches laid in cross ties. At times the ladder was more like a bridge and it wasn't too hard to keep balance on it, but at other times it was incredibly steep and almost like walking on 2 inch stairs that had a foot gap between each one. It was a bit of an adrenaline rush in itself. My chacos held up well though, and Sara and I were the first two from our group down to the water. She set an awesome pace, and I was just happy to be able to keep up! We waited by the river for about 10 minutes before the rest of the group made it down, but as soon as our guide arrived we loaded into our boat. He spent a bit of time teaching us the paddle instructions and testing our strength while we were in a cove of water that was off of the main stream of rapids, and then he issued some of the more serious safety warnings. Rapids 10-14 were all a variety of different classes (ranging from class 2 to class 5), but they each had various whirlpools at the end of them and were really dangerous if you fell out of the raft. We saw whirlpools all over the river, and we would often get caught in them as a full raft and get spun all the way around in a 360 as the water swished in circles.

The view in the canyon was beautiful. The cliffs were jagged, covered in leafless trees and the river rested under a gorgeous blue sky. While we were in the canyon we saw a crocodile on the river bank, as well as a fish eagle and a black eagle flying among the rocks. I was so happy and at peace in the serenity of the nature, but at the beginning of our adventure I was really nervous about the waters - I've rafted 3 times before in Tennessee, Costa Rica and Slovenia, but I had never seen rapids like these. The waters really looked angry.

We survived the first couple of rapids without too much duress. There were a couple of the really big ones that we had to drop into the raft and duck so as not to fall out, but we kept our balance well and continued through the rapids cleanly. Some of the waves were SO much fun. I couldn't believe how big they were as we approached them, and it was a true thrill to approach them and be dwarfed by their size. It wasn't until rapid #19 that we encountered some trouble. The rapid was a class 5, and the guide was anxious to let us "Go Big" and experience a flip. We were all comfortable on the waters by this point and were excited for a challenge. We paddled head first into the rapid, but it just swallowed us and flipped the raft with a big force. I held on to the "Oh Shit" line for a couple of seconds, but it wasn't long before I was thrown off the raft and into the rapids. I was able to get a couple full breaths of air, and our guide grabbed my vest quickly to return me to the raft. He climbed on top of it, did a head count (noting that one of our girls had drifted so far off that one of the kayaks had to go rescue her), and flipped our raft back right side up. When he did it, we all had to dunk under water again and pop back up on the other side of it. It was REALLY cold when we got back into the raft, but the experience was awesome and we were all safe. One of our guys was a bit off balance, however, and fell back out of the raft after about a minute in a really inopportune spot. Our guide was a complete champ, however, and pulled him back in without much trouble, but it was a dramatic experience before the rescue was completed.

We made it through the last couple of rapids without too much fanfare, and got to be lifted out of the gorge by a cable car, saving us a rather steep hike. When we got back to the campsite we were given lunch and had the opportunity to watch our video and see pictures from the event. I didn't purchase any, so I technically don't have proof that any of this happened, but you'll have to take my word for it. Once all of the excitement was wrapped up I went back to my tent to check on my laundry and settled some things before heading back out to town for dinner at Cafe Zambezi. I took a pretty big personal risk and ordered crocodile for an appetizer. It was surprisingly really good. I'm not sure I'll choose to order it ever again just because of the principle of it but if it was ever on the table I wouldn't have a problem taking a bite. The dinner was a great way to get to know some of the new members of our tour. Since we're in Livingstone we lost 3 of our members and picked up 11 new ones. Four of them joined us at dinner and one other girl went rafting with us, so I'm slowly getting to know the new group. I think that they're going to be a lot of fun. Right now we're watching the World Cup final - half of our tour group is German, so it's a pretty dedicated crowd. We won't depart until 8 a.m. or so tomorrow, so I'll still get a little bit of sleep tonight. I surprised myself and didn't get much access to internet while here - but I'm glad that I was just having so much fun that I didn't have time to sit down and spend time on the web. Tomorrow we head to Botswana and experience our first day on the truck with the new crew. I'm hoping that we'll have a smooth day of travel.

This blog was written on July 13, 2014 but may not be posted until a later date when internet becomes available.

Victoria Falls and Bungee Jumping

Zambia and Zimbabwe

We arrived in Zambia after one last night at Senga Bay in Malawi. Crossing the boarder brought us our first tribulations, as the customs agent decided to take his lunch break just as we went through immigration, so we were stuck at the boarder for about an hour just kind of hanging around. We had some fun while we were waiting though - I tried to do a couple of standing back flips (which are quite hard in hiking boots), and Mayumi and Saori, the two girls on our trip from Japan, taught me the traditional Japanese stretching routine that kids from all over the country do together every morning of summer break. I'm fond of the routine - it's energetic and accomplishes the goal of stretching everything out.

When we finally made it through the boarder we stopped in a small town just past a very large bridge where there were all sorts of hand woven items. Two of the people on our truck picked up straw woven hats, and I played a little bit of one-on-one soccer with a little local boy and taught a group of kids volleyball. The stop was short, but I definitely got my heat beat up while playing with all the kiddos. We continued to journey on, and stayed two nights at camp sites. Before our first night we stopped for lunch on the side of the road and while we were pulling out the tables and all of the food, a man and a woman who were riding bikes down the street pulled over to say hello. They were a New Zealand couple that was biking from Cape Town up to Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), and they had been on the road since May 16. I was fascinated by their attitude and perspective on life, and was so pleased when they joined us for lunch. It made me realize that I never have to stop adventuring, even though I'm approaching all of my travels at the moment with the mindset that this may be the last time that I'll have the opportunity to go.

The first camp site we stayed at was fine, but unremarkable. The next night (we drove pretty much all day to get there as well), was pretty cool. There were probably 10 different overland trucks on the property, and the entrance to the camp grounds was a game reserve that had water bucks, zebras and giraffes on the grounds. I walked through the park and got pretty close to the water buck, but the giraffes and zebras were no where to be seen once I was on foot.

After departing from Eureka rest camp we made our final leg of travel before arriving in Livingstone. The road conditions were average for African roads, and we made it to Livingstone by about 3:30 in the afternoon to our campsite. The campsite here is awesome - it's huge, has an incredible waterfront restaurant and bar that's on the Zambezi river, and it is infested with monkeys that jump above you from tree to tree. After getting out of the truck we were walking to the registration area when we saw a couple of monkeys climbing into a person's tent. I ran closer to get a better look because I thought it was hilarious, and the monkeys popped back out of the tent and ran after me! I started jogging away and one decided to swat at my leg to give me a good slap. It wasn't too hard and it didn't scratch, so I thought it was a rather awesome encounter. That night we had a group dinner at the restaurant by the water and went to bed decently early - because the next day was packed full of adventure.

We woke up on Friday to have breakfast at 8 a.m., and departed the campsite via taxis by 9 a.m. to make our journey to Zimbabwe. When we arrived in Zambia most of the members of our group purchased double entry visas (sold for a $30 premium over the single entry one) so that we would be able to leave Zambia and return. We left Zambia and walked across the Victoria Falls Bridge on our way to Zimbabwe. The view of the falls from the bridge was breathtaking, and we saw a guy bungee jump off of the bridge while we passed! Midway through the bridge there is a painted line that marks the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is positioned such that the Zambezi river is equally shared by the two countries. It was fun to stand over the line and be in both countries at the same time. Once we made it to the other side of the bridge we reached the Zimbabwe customs, where we had to purchase an entry visa. After making it through a quick immigration we went in to the Victoria Falls Park, and embarked on an extremely epic adventure. We walked as far upstream as we could to the end of the park before allowing ourselves to look at the falls. There were about 11 different viewing points along the path, and each one was remarkable in its own way. I was quite literally blown away by the beauty and majestic power of the falls, and in awe of the size and sound. At some points along the path we felt like it was literally raining torrents on us because the mist that was produced as the water fell was so strong that it would hit us in massive waves. My favorite moment was at the end. There was a site called "Danger's Point" that you had to walk directly into one of the mist clouds that was guaranteed to soak you through. At the ledge there were a couple of rocks that you could climb up on, so that the view and feeling was as if you were actually a part of the falls. The best part, however, was the double rainbow that was produced from the mist and light. I couldn't help but recall that old YouTube where the guy freaks out about seeing a double rainbow, but I must say I shared his sentiment - it was just awesome.

When I left the park my pants and shoes were soaked through, but my rain coat had done a miraculous job at keeping my body and my bag dry. North Face, I salute you. We walked up the street a bit towards the town in Zimbabwe and explored around. Along the way we saw an elephant by the side of the road, and a really sad piece of architecture at a casino where they placed tusks to create a crowing dome for the building. The art in Zimbabwe was really good, and they had a focus of stone carvings that I haven't seen anywhere else yet. There were restaurants that served all types of local game as well - including crocodile! I didn't try any of it.... go figures. We crossed back into Zambia, caught a cab, and returned to our campsite just in time to board a sunset dinner cruise on the Zambezi. While I was waiting, someone jumped on my back from behind, and as I turned around I realized that it was Savannah, my friend from Tri Delt who was going to travel with me. I knew that she would be arriving soon, but I was expecting her to come the next day so it was a wonderful surprise. It was an even better surprise to hear that she had already purchased her ticket for the sunset cruise and that she was on board with friends from Germany that she had met at the airport who were also doing G Adventures tours. The cruise was great. We saw hippos, enjoyed some drinks, and had an OK buffet dinner. Pranks were being played on everyone by Matt, Mike and Massivu, and we met all sorts of different travelers on board. The biggest shock, however, was seeing Olivia Arena and a group of 4 other UT students on board! I had seen her Facebook status about studying abroad in Botswana, but I was SHOCKED to discover how small of a world it was for us to end up on the same sunset cruise in Livingstone, Zambia.

The rest of the night was a blast at the bar, and everyone was in bed by 9:30. This morning we woke up for breakfast at 8 and we made our way to the border again, but this time it was for a completely different adventure - Savannah and I were bungee jumping off of the Victoria Falls Bridge. We registered and went to station, very excited, nervous and eager for our jump. It turned out that we had to wait about an hour and a half before our turn, during which the electricity cut off to the bridge for about a 10 minute period putting a halt in operations. By the time we were finally in harnesses we could hardly contain our excitement. Savannah jumped first, and went down with gorgeous form (and her horns up). I jumped after her, and while I didn't have too many nerves (I was more determined to do it rather than nervous about the experience), I really wanted to jump far out so I swung my arms pretty hard on the launch, which ended up causing me to flap around in the air on my first decent - which also put me into a pretty fast spin. The feeling was UNREAL. It was absolutely terrifying hurling through the air towards the water - I felt like I was accelerating down SO fast and I had absolutely no grip or control. When my bungee caught the first time I brought my arms in, which caused me to spin even more, but I straightened out when I extended my arms back out again. The scariest part of my jump was on one of my rebounds - I swung back up and somehow managed to be right side up again (head above my feet). I was so confused as to how I had rotated, and so freaked to know that I was going to fall right back to my head below my feet. It was actually a really awesome feeling, but it was the same worry of not having any control as I had in my initial jump. By the time I steadied myself on the bottom I had some of the deepest breaths of my entire life, and I felt an extreme peace that is  very hard to describe. The view was gorgeous, and I could see a rainbow, Victoria Falls, and the rushing Zambezi. It was surreal.

After the jump we went to the Zambia side of the Victoria Falls Park, and enjoyed some new views of the falls. I was just as amazed by the falls from this perspective, but the park was smaller, and didn't have quite the same variety of views as the Zimbabwe side did. Nevertheless, it was wonderful to marvel in the power of the falls a second time. After the park Savannah and I ran to town for some internet, food, and groceries before returning to camp for our welcome meeting with the new group. Tomorrow starts the first day of the new tour, so we lost 3 members of our last tour group as well as our driver and CEO, and gained 11 new people and a new CEO and driver - even though we're staying in our tents and truck. Most of the new people are Germans (actually all but 3, one being Savannah and the other two being Austrian), but everyone seems nice. It will be a hard transition going from having 11 people in the truck to having 19. We won't have our own rows any more, and it will be a lot tighter of a squeeze to get everyone's bags under the truck each morning when we pack up camp. I anticipate the next couple of days to be a little tough, but I think that once we have a little bit of time adjusting we'll be working efficiently again. Tomorrow I'm going white water rafting in the morning, and we depart the next day for Botswana!

Written on July 12, 2014 and posted when internet is available.

Final Day in Zanzibar (and final update for 10 days)!

Stone Town and the Spice Plantation Tour

Day 9 in Africa was a wonderful one. It was very sad to have to say goodbye to the beach, and our early wake up call at 6:30 wasn't the most enjoyable thing in the world, but it turned out to be a fabulous day full of a new kind of adventure.

The first major adventure of the day was our tour of a Spice Plantation in Zanzibar on the central part of the Island. I really wasn't looking too much forward to the tour, but it ended up exceeding my expectations by a huge amount. We had two guides - the man who was responsible for showing us around  Zanzibar through G adventures, and another local that introduced himself as "Spice Boy." Ali, our guide, gave us descriptions of all of the different types of plants while Spice Boy would cut samples of it and distribute it to everyone in the group to eat or smell. We tried SO many things: Chili, clove, aloe vera, nutmeg, cinnamon, tangerines, allspice, ginger, cardamon, green pepper, vanilla, coffee, Tanzanian lipstick, Iodine, lychee, lemongrass, coconut and so much more. The flavors were incredible, but they didn't mix together all that well. We also chewed on some bark that is known to have many medicinal properties like treating malaria and yellow fever.

When we got around to the coconuts we were given a real treat. A new guide was there chopping the coconuts with his machete. He handed around 4 different coconuts for everyone to drink the water from, then cut out the flesh for us to eat. He then demonstrated how to climb a coconut tree, and stopped halfway up to sing a Zanzibar song of greeting. The tree was probably 50 feet tall, and the guy's voice was very strong. We were all very impressed by him! The other fun thing about this stop was the fact that everyone got a woven hat made of the coconut tree leaves. We all looked like goobers. At this point I had also been marked by "Spice Boy" with the "Tanzanian Lipstick" on my forehead and cheeks. He made me giggle by saying "Simba" as he painted my face with it. I must say, the face markings plus the goofy hat made for quite the attractive arrangement.

The end of our tour was probably the best part - we got to taste all of the local fruits from the surrounding area farms. It was, hands down, the best fruit I have ever eaten. We had 2 different types of oranges - one used to make English marmalade and another regular one, a grapefruit that was the sweetest I've ever had (or heard of), a banana, mango, and pineapple. It was literally heaven because everything tasted SO good. After the tour ended they had some of their spices on sale. I purchased a bar of aloe vera soap and two packs of coffee beans grown on the farm.

After the tour we arrived in Stone Town, the most historical city in Tanzania. Stone Town was a central hub for the African Slave Trade in the 1800s, and has been influenced by the English, Portuguese, and other trade powers. The guide told us that the best was to get to know Stone Town was to get lost in it. We had a group lunch at a small and secluded restaurant (Stone Town is predominantly muslim and is observing the Holy month of Ramadan, which requires that its citizens fast from sunrise until sunset for the duration of the month. Tourists are allowed to eat, but we are advised not to do so in public as respect for their culture), and then set out to shop and get lost in the alleyways of the town. Everyone we passed said "jambo" or "mambo" (hello), "Karibu" (welcome) and other kind things. The shops allowed for bargaining, and the selection of goods was very fun - crafts, paintings, soaps, spices, jewelry, leather works and more. Since I have 30 more days and only a backpack to carry all of my possessions in I didn't pick up much, but I had a blast exploring anyways. After we exhausted a lot of our remaining money as a group we set out to get lost in the town. We came across the "House of Wonder," the "Africa House," countless mosques, the port, and more. My favorite part, however, was when we found our way into a part of town that was more like a neighborhood where kids were playing in the streets and everyone was interacting with one another as a community. The people were so kind and welcoming, and getting to see behind the scenes of their crafts was incredible. I saw people making furniture, painting, baking, and more.

After exploring we stopped back at the hotel to rehydrate then set a plan for the night. We started by catching the sunset on the rooftop of Africa House, and finished it up by going to the late night food market by the water. At the food market I had Zanzibar Pizza (a nutella and banana crepe that was fried), and a vegetable samosa. Both were delicious. There were countless other stands as well selling seafood, meat kebabs, and tacos. Speaking of tacos, my swahili is getting better... I learned today that taco means "bum" or "bottom", and I also learned that it means "octopus" in Japanese. I could see how that confusing may cause trouble... especially when ordering food!  I now know about 5 terms in Japanese and at least double in Swahili by learning from the other travelers and locals.

I won't have internet for the next 10 days as we spend 2 more days in Tanzania then cross the border into Malawi. Apparently the next good internet is in Livingstone, Zambia, so I'll be off the grid until then. If you want to follow my itinerary, you can find it at http://www.gadventures.com/trips/nairobi-to-cape-town-adventure/DKNC/2014/itinerary/. Wish me luck over the next few days, we have a lot of long travel ahead of us. I'm preparing myself to keep a good attitude and to enjoy the journeys even when the conditions aren't the best. I'll catch y'all on the flipside in Livingstone with many new adventures to tell.