Farewell, Zimbabwe, farewell...

It is with sadness that I note my time in Zimbabwe has come to an end and this will be my last post on the beautiful country.  In honor of the wonderful experience I've had living in Harare, this post is a collection of my favorite photos from my time wandering Harare and beyond.

Curious what my favorite photographs from living in Senegal were? Go here!

Curious what my favorite animal photographs were? Go here!!

In no particular order, my favorite photographs of Zimbabwe, chosen from well over 10,000 photographs (wow!):

Hwange National Park in the rainy season - Adios, Hwange!

A hippopotamus yawns at sunset over the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park - A Mana Pools Smorgasbord

As dusk approaches over Lake Kariba, fishermen take to the water - Sunset over a drowned forest

Victoria Falls at Christmas time, the height of the rainy season - A Victoria Falls Christmas (Part Deux)

Sunset in Hwange National Park - The Return to Hwange

I originally captioned this photo: "After seeing this view in Chimanimani, I knew I had fallen in love with Zimbabwe." - Au Revoir, Chimanimani, I will return...

Harare's jacarandas in bloom at sunrise - Harare in the bloom of the jacarandas

An elephant at sunset, Lake Kariba - Take my breath away: Drowned forest sunset

Sunrise over the pan in Hwange National Park - The Hwange smorgasbord

Victoria Falls at sunrise. Beyond amazing. - Take my breath away: The Victoria Falls sunrise and lunar rainbow edition

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A River Runs Through Gonarezhou

Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe is dominated by the lovely Save River.

Aren't these clouds beautiful?  Zimbabwe continues to astound me with some of the most wonderful clouds I've ever seen.

The sun setting over the Save River.

Sneaking in a view of the Runde River from Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge.

The Save River in Gonarezhou.

The remnants of the rainy season can be seen in the river bed.

Each day we were in Gonarezhou, we could visibly see the water lowering as we entered the dry season.


Oh, be still my heart, how I love Zimbabwe's clouds.

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Snapshots from the Zimbabwe roads...

While visiting Antelope Park near Gweru, Zimbabwe, this dog kept watch.

Leaving Antelope Park we managed to get stuck in this rainy season puddle.

See the paved road ahead?  Oh it was a tease..and quite embarrassing to fail so close to the road.

Kwekwe's welcome sign.  You may recognize Kwekwe if you are a watcher of The Colbert Report.

Stephen Colbert did a segment on Zimbabwe (Watch the spot here.)

The Air Zimbabwe museum...or if it's not a museum, it should be.  The airline's gone under way too many times. 

A mosque in Zimbabwe.  You don't see them remotely as much as you did in Senegal.

For some reason whenever I see the lights not working signs (and naturally they aren't working ever), 

I usually find it to be the funniest thing ever.

A street side market somewhere in Zimbabwe during the rainy season.

A storm's a coming!

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Till my soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.

Oh, be still my heart, why does the entire earth not look like this?

While on a visit to Archipelago Resort in Vilanculos, Mozambique, we visited this uninhabited gem.

with Indian Ocean water so clear, it's unbelievable.

Benguerra Island is just so tranquil, so beautiful.

The foot prints of my snorkeling shoes.

It seemed a pity, even to put my feet in the water,

to leave a mark about the deserted sand.

Inspiration for the blog's title:

The Secret of the Sea

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me

As I gaze upon the sea!

All the old romantic legends,

All my dreams, come back to me.

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,

Such as gleam in ancient lore;

And the singing of the sailors,

And the answer from the shore!

Most of all, the Spanish ballad

Haunts me oft, and tarries long,

Of the noble Count Arnaldos

And the sailor's mystic song.

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,

Where the sand as silver shines,

With a soft, monotonous cadence,

Flow its unrhymed lyric lines:--

Telling how the Count Arnaldos,

With his hawk upon his hand,

Saw a fair and stately galley,

Steering onward to the land;--

How he heard the ancient helmsman

Chant a song so wild and clear,

That the sailing sea-bird slowly

Poised upon the mast to hear,

Till his soul was full of longing,

And he cried, with impulse strong,--

"Helmsman! for the love of heaven, 

Teach me, too, that wondrous song!"

"Wouldst thou,"--so the helmsman answered,

"Learn the secret of the sea?

Only those who brave its dangers

Comprehend its mystery!"

In each sail that skims the horizon,

In each landward-blowing breeze,

I behold that stately galley,

Hear those mournful melodies;

Till my soul is full of longing

For the secret of the sea,

And the heart of the great ocean

Sends a thrilling pulse through me.

Text of the poem borrowed from here.

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Take my Breath Away: An Indian Ocean Sunrise

During a stay at the Archipelago Resort, we got up at 0430 to watch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean.

We weren't the only ones up as some Mozambicans began their day very early.

Vilanculos, Mozambique, continued to take my breath away for its beauty.

So, so, so beautiful.

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Victoria Falls: The Rainy Season Natural Wonder of the World

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, during the rainy season.

There is sooo much water, it's amazing.

Look at how different this same spot looks in the dry season.

No painting or photo I have seen of Victoria Falls has ever captured (in my opinion) the jaw dropping awesomeness of seeing it in person.

It literally takes your breath away.

This spot looks so different in the dry season!

The Falls need to be added to your bucket list of places to visit. Right now.  Actually it should have been done yesterday.

The Falls from town.

How insane is that amount of water?!  It is so cool.

You won't be disappointed in a visit.

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Adios, Hwange!

Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

After a wonderful stay at The Hide, we left early in the morning to return to Harare.

Only seeing the early rising impalas and this bird to send us off.

Although you'd see signs of life (and death all around): the remnants of a giraffe skull were so cleverly positioned as a dam.

Or skulls were used as fencing.

We left Hwange---it's almost easy not to realize if you've left the park.

It seemed fitting to run into traffic on the road as we left: a beautiful giraffe.

It's impossible not to love the beauty and serenity of Hwange.

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