Swakopmund, Namibia to Livingstone, Zambia

Cheesy picture of me in front of Victoria Falls - you get the idea, they are spectacular.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe - one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

This is how we went through the delta - all of our gear in the mokoro and our poler pushing us through the lagoons.

Amanda and I in our mokoro before starting our journey into the Okavanga Delta

A pose after our hike in the Waterburg Plateau, Namibia

The ultimate tourist on Thanksgiving Day - I realized that I had a head lamp on my head, binoculars around my neck, a folding backpackers cup, my backpack and my sunglasses on my head - all at the same time. Definitely worth a picture.

Etosha National Park, Namibia. All together we saw springbok (in the foregound), ostrich, zebra, elephants and oryx (not pictured here).

Etosha National Park, Namibia

It's been quite a while since I've had internet and time to write. The past couple of weeks have presented some amazing experiences. When I last wrote, I was getting ready to hit the sand dunes for some four-wheeling and sand-boarding but unfortunately, the wind was too strong and there was too much sand blowing around so the trip got canceled. I left Swakopmund regretting that I did not go sky diving - so I now I know that I must do it. We'll see when the opportunity presents itself again. After leaving Swakopmund, we headed to Etosha National Park for a few days of game driving and wildlife encounters. It proved to be a rewarding stop. We stayed in a campground within the park which had a waterhole that was floodlit all night long. You could just sit on the benches around the hole and watch the animals come in to drink. It was absolutely amazing. I spent Thanksgiving sitting on a bench with a bottle of wine as I watched a mother rhino nurser her baby and giraffes drinking from the hole. The giraffes looked just like what you would see on National Geographic - with their legs spread wide so that they could reach their long necks and head down to the water. It was interesting as we watched the rhino come in and chase the giraffes away before they would drink. They are very protective animals. The next night at the watering hole, a herd of elephants came in to drink and at one time, there were elephants, rhino, and zebras at the hole at the same time, with the silhouette of giraffes in the distance. I had to pinch myself to make sure that I was really there and not just dreaming. The most spectacular part of that experience was when the elephants came right up to the wall and were pulling grass ou of the ground. They were literally an arm's length away from us. The only thing separating us from them was a very thin fence and a stone wall that the elephants could easily get over if they wanted. At one point, an elephant with her baby between her legs reached out her trunk and took a big sniff of me. I was in complete awe as I sat three feet from a wild African elephant. On the first night, just after we went to bed, a lion came to the hole to drink and then the next night - a springbok got killed by a jackal and some hyenas at the hole. I missed both of them. During the days, we drove around the park and got to see so many animals. We watched a huge herd of elephants come to the water hole and bathe themselves alongside ostriches, oryx, and zebras ( I attached a picture). We even go to see a hyena - another highlight for me since I did not get to see any during my last trip to Africa. During our evening game drive, we saw a female lion just lying near the road - belly up and taking a nap. She was either completely full from a recent kill or pregnant. Either way - she looked just like Rambo (our cat) as she lay there on her back with her legs spread and basking in the sun. On the final day, as we left the park - we saw a lion and his lioness just chilling out underneath a tree in the shade. This made my day and the entire trip to the park - as all I really wanted to see was a male lion. He was so beautiful and majestic - he absolutely demanded respect. What powerful creatures they are. From Etosha, we headed to Botswana and to the Okavanga Delta. I took a scenic flight over the delta which was stunning. We saw lots of wildlife from the plane - it was really neat after just being on game drives to actually fly over the animals and see them from above. We saw giraffes, zebras, hippos and a large herd of wild buffalo form the plane. The pilot did some crazy tricks which I wasn't very fond of - such as turning the plane almost sideways and then going straight up and then leveling out the plane which made us drop a bit. I felt quite queasy after that ride. The next day, we made our way to the delta for our 2-day, 2-night canoe trip in the mokoros (traditional wooden carved canoes). Each boat had a poler - he stood in the back and used a very long stick to push the canoes along as we kicked back and enjoyed to trip throught the Delta. Our guide's name was Daze and we had lots of fun with him trying to sing songs together and tell each other jokes. We went a few hours into the delta and then set up camp in the bush for 2 nights. The bathroom consisted of a two-foot hole back in the woods and a shovel. The Okavanga Delta is a Big 5 game park and this was our opportunity to camp completely in the wild with no fences with the animals roaming freely around us. All other camps were enclosed by fences. We went for a morning game walk in the delta to try and spot animals and then for an evening canoe in the mokoros but got cut short by a wicked lightning storm. The evenings were spent around the fire with the locals - they sung and danced for us and taught us some games. The women spent the day weaving palm leaves into bracelets and baskets. It was a unique experience. The days were extremely hot and I spent a good bit of it just hanging out in the river which gave me a nice sunburn on my shoulders and nose. The lightning was spectacular as were the sunsets. From there, we headed to Chobe National Park in Botswana. We stayed just on the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe, in a town called Kasane, which is near the Chobe River. We had a sunset river cruise on the Chobe River where we watched four elephants cross the river, along with loads of hippos - both in the water and out on the grass feeding. Hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa - killing more people than any other animal here. Their size is impressive - from a distance, you can mistake them for elephants. We also saw some crocodiles along the river banks but most were quite small. From there, we made our way into Zimbabwe and to Victoria Falls - which is where the overland trip ended. The falls were absolutely breathtaking. The second day, we went white-water rafting on the mighty Zambezi River, which separates Zimbabwe from Zambia. I was a bit reluctant to do it but since I chickened 0ut of the last white-water rafting trip in Alaska, I felt that I had to do it. When else would I get the chance to raft the Zambezi River? I knew it was pretty intense but I don't think I really knew what was in store. The thought of bailing out crossed my mind several times in the morning while they were giving us the briefing, especially when they told us that there were crocodiles in the river. I fought the fear, pushed it aside and got in the raft anyway. Having never rafted before, I opted for the "chicken" boat which was the boat where you didn't need to paddle - my only job was to hold on for dear life and shift my weight when necessary to keep the boat from flipping. There were 20 rapids to go through and at least 5 of them were Class 5 - a few of them were Class 5 plus. For those of you who aren't familiar with rafting - Class 5 is the highest ranking (with Class 6 being suicidal) in rapids and the hardes and most intense - recommended for experienced rafters. Me - none of the above. It all went well and I lucked out with having an amazing guide - Sean - who got us through all of the rapids without flipping the boat once. All of the other boats flippede AT LEAST once and it looked absolutely terrifying. I can't describe these rapids - one of them was an actual drop into a huge rapid and wall of water. There were many times that the boat was completely horizontal and we came very near flipping a few times. It's a bit unnerving when just before you're heading into the rapids, the guide says, "The name of this rapid is Devil's Toilet, it's a class five plus rapid, there's a good chance that we'll flip - if we do, you could be under the water for 10 seconds or more - which will feel like a really long time." Then you get in the "ready" position, which is squatting down and holding on with a death grip as you watch yourself head into the most deadly looking wall of wild and violent water you've ever seen. Another time, we were heading into one that he called the Washing Machine - I'll leave that to your imagination. He said, I will try to avoid it but if we are going in, I am going to tell you all to jump off the boat and you must jump. If you go into the washing machine, it's not good. YOu can get the idea of how terrified I was and the adrnalin that is pumping through your body. It was a great experience and good fun - I'm not sure I'd do it again but glad I did it. Being in Zimbabwe was interesting and very saddening - due to the political situation there. The inflation rate is like 15% and 85% unemployment. The people living there cannot even afford the most basic neccessities. It's a very sad situation - it was interesting to talk to our guides, both Zimbabweans, about the situation. However, as bad as the situation is, everyone has a smile on their face and they are such warm, welcoming people. If the situation were different there, I know that I would love to spend more time in Zimbabwe. Yesterday, I made my way across the border into Zambia - where I am now. I am in Livingstone and passing some time before I board a bus tonight to start making my way to Malawi. The journey shall be long - I'm guessing that it wil take 2 days minimum and many forms of transportation before I reach there. I am ready to get there and truly kick back for several days with no real big plans. Ready for a little rest and relaxation along Lake Malawi. We are planning to jump on the ferry boat which takes several days or more to go up the lake. From there, we will make our way to Tanzania. I look forward to updating you on the journey from Malawi - "the warm heart of Africa." Until next time.........