Take My Breath Away: A Namibian Sunset

From the moment I touched down in Namibia, I fell in love.  Hard.

Especially when this sunset, somewhere between Windhoek and Swakopmund welcomed me to the country.

It was one of the most stunning sunsets I've ever seen.

I'm not exaggerating that it literally took my breath away.

Queue bad 80s music and Top Gun references.

That sunset took me down this road across the desert...

...to the wonderful seaside city of Swakopmund, Namibia.

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Toodling Around Harare

A father carries his little girl in the Borrowdale area of Harare, Zimbabwe.

(This is one of my favorite photos I have taken while living in Zimbabwe.)

Zimbabweans advertising their services on Churchill Ave near Mt. Pleasant in Harare.

Two men walk past street vendors selling their wares.

So many restaurants and cafes grow their own vegetables.  This is The Plot's garden.  

Not too bad a place to sit by for brunch, eh?

One of the many, many newpapers in Zimbabwe ready to be sold in the Avenues area of Harare.

Hanging out in Harare.

I love Harare's tendency to put a bazillion signs close together, in a row, hoping you spot the one for which you're looking.

This is the Borrowdale neighborhood and for the parking lot of a Spar grocery store, the Total gas station, and I'm still not sure what the arrow is for...

Seriously, this little girl was so ridiculously adorable that she required a second photo--look at those cheek and hair! So cute!

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Snapshots from the River: Pontoon Safari Style

Hippos chilling at sunset in the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe.

Hello, hippo!

An African Fish Eagle, the national bird of Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi.

The beautiful sunset from the middle the Zambezi River.

Love, love, love the roots on this tree.  Made me think of this awesome tree in Senegal.

Our sweet ride: the pontoon.

On the return to Ruckomechi Safari Lodge, we did a night time safari.

They shine the light on the animals, searching for a reflection of eyes, resulting in a strange psychedelic effect like on this impala.

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Elephants on Parade

An elephant in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe.

(They get close. Sometimes so close I start to squirm a little.)

When elephants meet, they greet each other by wrapping their trunks around each other's trunk.

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Reading and minding my own business....

During a visit to Ruckomechi Safari Camp in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, I was minding my own business,

soaking up the warmth of the sun at my tent and enjoying some reading.

When who should visit me?  This beautiful elephant. 

At first, he stayed away, eating near the beautiful Zambezi River.

Then he came closer and sauntered past.

I never thought I'd say an elephant's tush is my favorite photo in a post..but this is.

And he stopped to eat some more and I realized quickly he was so much more interesting than my book.

And then perfectly across the river, a hippo yawned.

I felt incredibly blessed to find such solitude and such beauty around me.

That's my tent on the left, as seen from the Zambezi, where I was minding my own business.

A vulture!  This really has nothing to do with the post, I just thought it was a cool photo from my walking safari....

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The mighty crocodile of the Zambezi

A crocodile on the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park -- Zimbabwe.

There were many, many, many crocodiles in the Zambezi.

None to which I wanted to get any closer.

Warthogs may be some of the cutest animals ever.  I had no idea. 

Here a mama leads her two babies away--when they run, their tails go straight up in the air like antennas.

And their hair reminds me of some serious old-school side burns.

A waterbuck next to the Zambezi.  They're easy to pick out because of the bulls eye on their tushes.

A waterbuck and a zebra.

Baboons.  Kind of an unnerving shot with its human-like quality, eh?

A hippopotamus stares me down from his perch in the Zambezi.

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Three of the Big Five

While on safari in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, I was lucky enough to see three of the big five!

One: this impressive male lion.

Two: this huge hippopotamus in the Zambezi River.

Three: this huge herd of African Buffalo.

So amazing...and my heart beat a bit faster the closer they got to us.

Even with their beauty, you can see how they are the kings.

We didn't see a leopard sadly..but one was spotted while we were there. So close!

(African Buffalo skull...)

Two hippos on a small island in the middle of the Zambezi River.

We weren't lucky enough to see the fifth of the big five: the rhino.  

They apparently don't come to that part of Zimbabwe anymore and those that used to had been poached.

(Why are these the big five?  They are the most dangerous animals to hunt.  

In particular, they are the ones that will charge you vice run from you when threatened.)

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