drop toilets really aren't my thing

Hello World!

I have just had another absolutely amazing, fantastic, breath taking, memory making week!

 Starting Nairobi, Kenya through to Tanzania where we crossed somewhere (?) close to Lake Victoria where we stayed at this sweet lake front campsite. It was soo hot - I Couldn't WAIT to go for a swim... then our guide (Jerry, so poa {cool}) lets us know that there is no swimming in this lake or we'll get worms... in our blood (shistosomiasis)... uhm, okay, 'nuff said. A bike ride instead through Musoma with the most interesting man - Riuconga or something like that. He worked us so hard but it was worth it. Cool to see a town from the inside on a bike instead of just driving through each one and waving at the children. As we rode through town children would appear, running, to shout "mzungu" which means white man/people. It was unbelievable, so cute they would chase us for as long as they could just shouting mzungu mzungu mzungu! What an interesting experience. We visited markets, a soccer game, a school classroom (hijacked is maybe more the word for this one), a local bar and our guides home. I am thankful that I was able to see into this world in Musoma for a short glimpse of everyday life there.

 these are sardines- whoa- smelly. yet very cool to see all the boats and the men and women standing inside of bags jumping on the little fish to make room for more inside, ha ha, like they don't smell bad enough already ;)

these fish were in the market... still alive - covered in flies. They would flip their heads once in a while (sick)

Next stop -SERENGETI!!!

This place is wild... literally. for the first hour i was keeping a list of different animals we saw - 21!!! Can you imagine? it was amazing. Hard to believe that we were in the Serengeti - the rest of my group will understand what i mean. I can't even tell you how many times we would be "game driving" or (driving to sit toilets) and I'd see a zebra nursing a young one and I'd start to giggle and think "wow, I'm in Africa". I felt like someone should pinch me because everything was so bazaar. I planned this trip for a year and here I was, watching giraffes scratching their big long necks on the trees in the Serengeti. Just thinking about it brings a smile to face - I really can't get over how blessed I am. wow. what an experience! Here are a few of my fave photos :)

leopard - wow.

 he is coming to get us! yikes!

 hungry hungry hippo

 the scavenger hyena. i wonder if this is the same one that broke into our camp kitchen and stole our garbage bin???

 check out this guys balls (above) he is a verdid monkey and the colour reminds me of blue chewing gum - ha ha.

 giraffes are cool.

 baby, ma & pa -- awwww

 beauty, eh?

 what a mess... they are so funny.

 my home...

 sunrise in the serengeti

 rar. wow.

With our two days up in the Serengeti we took off to Ngorogoro Crater - the whole reason of this part of my trip. From what I have read about this place - it is the place I wanted to be and experience the ultimate africa. it is a crater that is believed to have been a volcano that was bigger than kilimanjaro before it imploded and became this amazing place on earth. when you drive up to the rim of the crater and look down into the crater it reminded me of looking down on earth from outer space - there were lakes, plateaus, dry areas, lush areas, rivers, and this amazing mist that covers parts that makes me think it was something I read about in one of the lord of the rings books. "mist"ical... mystical? ha ha.

Our campsite was right on the edge of the crater and it was full of other overlander groups - but it was fun to listen to them all laughing and having fun and our group the most fun - because we are rad. There were these "snobby" elephants with GIANT tusks, like wooly mammoth tusks, that don't like drinking dirty river water so they come into the camp and drink out of the water tanks. ha ha. amazing! right through the camp. oh africa.

here are a few photos from the crater. i must say that this is the most incredible place on earth that brought me to tears with its beauty. ahhhh, i'm so happy that I was able to visit this special place.

 sunrise over the crater

 

 sooo excited!!

 cheetahhhhhhhh.... these are brothers (one of them) they are named the clintons because they were showing off a big kill in front of Bill and his bro when they were there last year (okay, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but they were incredibly beautiful no matter how they got their names)

 "when I was a young warthog... when he was a young wart hog!"

 can you see how long his tusks are? this is where old male elephants come to die. they like it here because elephants die of starvation after their last molars fall out because they can't eat anymore but her ein the crater the foliage is very soft and gentle so they can preserve their teeth for longer. We did see a few elephant skeletons but it isn't yet an elephant graveyard - but there is definite potential int he next 100-1000 years.....

 kisses

 dudes - wildebeests are so weird, i used to think they were really ugly but now i think they are super cool!

 see?

 

fight fight fight!

 rar! i'm a lioness hunting... ba ha ha. scary isn't it?

 baby baboon taking a ride on mommy

 GIANT bird - the ugliest as well - Maribou Stork

 Ngorogoro from the top

We made it! What an awesome group, what an awesome trip, what an awesome shot!
Thank You to my sweet group for everything.
Thank You Kenya and Tanzania for wowing me again and again.