Back in South Africa

So Anna and I have survived our Overland trip through Southern Africa and we are now back in South Africa. We drove 20 hours straight yesterday to make it from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, through Botswana, to Johannesburg. Woke up early, got our rental car and are now sorting a few things out before we leave for Harrismith.

After Swakopmund we headed towards Etosha National Park, Namibia. On the way there we stopped off at a Cheetah farm where we got to pet tamed, full-grown cheetahs, then witness wild cheetah feeding! It was pretty cool, and a little scary, but well worth it all. We headed on to Etosha where we stayed for 2 nights. The first night we sat and watched the watering hole and got to see giraffes, elephants and a black rhino. Anna and I went to bed fairly early, and woke up early to the sound of lions! We got out of our tent and ran to the water hole, where we saw about 8 lionesses running past, towards the sound of what could have been the male. We think they probably got a kill and were meeting to devour it. We stayed for a while just listening....very cool. The next night we weren't quite as lucky, but the day game drives were fairly successful. We saw tons of zebras, springbok, kudu, wildebeast and giraffes among others. Our next stop was Rundu where we spent Friday morning at the local Church. What an experience. We were welcomed into the Church as guests by amazing gospel singing and dancing. It seriously brought tears to my eyes. Seeing people that are so poor, but so happy. We stayed for 2 hours singing and dancing, listening to them welcome us etc. Definitely the most valued experience to date. The social interaction was like no other! When we got back to our campsite we hung out for a while by the pool then headed on a sunset cruise along the Kavango river. We didn't see any wildlife (besides birds), but we got to see another amazing African sunset, AND we set foot on the banks of Angola! No stamp in the passport, but we were there! Our next stop was the Okavango Delta in Botswana. We packed light, and went on a 3 day excursion through the delta - a world heritage sight that may not be there in 30 years! We took speed boats through natural canals amongst overgrown papyrus plants and crocodiles. We stayed one night at the campsite there before heading deep into the delta. The next morning we took another speed boat ride to an island where we got on 2 man mackorels. We filled 7 of them with us and our stuff. The polers took us gently through the water to our bushcamping sight. We spent the evening on a nature walk as well as the next morning. The only animals we got to see were birds of course and baboons, but still very nice. We took the mackorels back in the heat of the day...where we had to stop part way for a swim. On the speed boat ride back to our first campsite we took time to find lots of crocodiles and where so lucky to find 10 hippos pretty close up. I was luckily unaware at the time of the danger, so thoroughly enjoyed the experience. After leaving the Delta we headed to yet another game park. We hit Chobe National park, Botswana and stayed there for 2 nights. The first morning there Anna and I went for a run, past the local prison and education centre, and checked out the Mowana Safari Lodge...pretty nice, but definitely not within our budget. After the run we sat by the pool for a good 5 hours before setting out on another sunset cruise (this is really the thing to do). This was a more amazing experience than I could have imagined. We saw tons of elephants. They seemed to be pretty used to the boats of the Chobe river, as we were able to get really close. There were 3-4 babies (which was the best) and probably around 20 others. We also got to see another hippo, and a sunbathing crocodile. Once again we saw another beautiful sunset, then headed back to camp. After Chobe it was to our final destination: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. We got there in the afternoon, set up our activities for the next day, checked out the curios market then headed out to Zambia for yet another sunset cruise. It was lots of fun, as it was the last night to spend with the friends we have met on this trip. The next morning Anna and I woke up early to White water raft the Zambezi river!!! What an experience. We capsized once (on rapid 16B), and it was pretty scary, but we all survived and it was well worth the adrenalin rush. Definitely something I will never forget! We went from rapid 11 to 23 and it took around 2 hours on the water. We rode some of the rapids hanging onto the outside of the boat, got to do a mini cliff jump (don't worry mom, the river is in excess of 60 meters deep!), and enjoyed the scenery during the slow rapids. At the very end we saw another crocodile, which wasn't too reassuring, but at least we were finished with the angry Zambezi river. We hiked up the 250 meter gorge, had lunch and got a ride back into the town. Anna and I hit the curio market again, actually bought some stuff this time, then headed to the Awesome Victoria Falls! Unfortunately the sunset was going to be on the wrong side of the falls (which was ok actually so we could walk back in daylight), but it was still amazing. The view is somewhat obstructed due to the fact that they have kept most of the jungle intact...really nice to see. We got some cheesy pictures in front of the falls, with a rainbow I might add - what a full day. We had a great dinner and went to bed as we had a big day ahead of us. We got up early, said our goodbyes to everyone from the trip (they got up early to see us off!), and headed to Johannesburg...5am saturday to 1am sunday.

We're now starting the 2nd leg of this trip. 2 weeks along the Garden Route back to Cape Town.
I'll derfinitely post pictures once we're back in Cape Town...keep me posted on everything back home. Just so you all know....I'm having an awesome time!