Cynthia says "good bye" to Sean |
Ready for our trip! |
Our reflection at SFO |
Good legroom on Virgin (exit row) |
South Africa at last!! |
And, waiting for our next flight ... at Joberg |
Finally: Windhoek International |
Ours is the little plane |
Enroute to our first safari camp |
The landscape near Windhoek |
Interesting formations on the way to the Namib desert |
And, the sand is getting RED! |
Landing in the Namib (notice Jim's full airsickness bag near the jeep) |
Our first camp: Little Kulala, in the Namib |
Fascinating architecture |
African AND "Southwestern" style |
Inside the great room |
Our chalet, from behind |
and our chalet, from the front |
Our view from bed |
Quite sumptuous! |
Our FIRST SUNDOWNERS, on our rooftop!! |
later, we could sleep under the stars! |
Looking down into our outdoor shower garden |
So nice, after a day in the desert! |
Jim is starting his beard (and got a nice new hat) |
With our guides and staff |
Getting ready for the balloon ride (MOON too!) |
Filling with hot air |
The view from our basket |
The flame burner |
Looking down on our camp, Little Kulala |
Watching the other balloon land in the desert! |
Machete flourish to open the champagne |
Our first solo WALK in Africa |
To the top of Black Mountain |
With a great view towards our camp |
Great Eagle Owl |
Sociable Weaver nest |
The "condo" doors in the Weaver's nest |
Amarula sundowners and Bushman grass |
The dunes of Sossusvlei in early morning light |
Such perfect shadows |
Hiking up Dune 45 |
View from the top |
Cynthia at the top of Dune 45 |
The dunes are really huge (see Cynthia) |
And running down! |
Dunescape |
More dunescape |
And more dunescape |
And yet more dunescape |
Dead vlei (or, "pan") (see the people) |
This was once a waterhole! |
Trees on Dead Vlei |
I love it here! |
Unfortunate Jim, sick, on the ground by the jeep |
Our first Ostrich! |
Flying over the Sossusvlei Dunes |
80 km of dunes, stretching to the ocean |
Arriving at the coast, in Swakopmund |
Flying up the Namibian coast (colony of seals!!) |
Just landed at Skeleton Coast (camp in the background) |
Looking back at our plane from camp |
The honeymoon cottage at Skeleton Coast! |
The inside of our honeymoon tent |
The view from our room |
Jim on the beautiful scree |
A gecko we found on our nature walk |
It's a bit cold and desolate |
But hauntingly beautiful |
King Albert, the local Gemsbok Oryx |
An empty summer settlement of the Himba |
One of the mud/dung huts |
Inside, room for a fire |
Arriving at the winter settlement of the Himba |
The babies just wear strings of beads! |
And, get carried by their mothers |
Showing us the ochre the Himba use on their skin and hair |
And it looks beautiful! |
The bonnet means she is married |
She made a metal bonnet, thinking it was pretty! |
Such beautiful women |
Looks like southern Utah ... with PALM trees!?! |
We found desert-adapted Elephants!! |
Coffee break on a game drive |
Jim in safari gear |
Cynthia loves the rocks! |
Jim does too |
Walking through eroded clay formations |
Along the Hourasib River |
Quick sand!! |
Relaxing on a sand dune |
Oryx against a dune |
So stately |
Love the sand dunes |
Elegant lunch |
Yvonne, our camp hostess |
Our chalet at our next camp, "Little Ongava" |
The place is a PALACE! (this is OUR "tent") |
A plunge pool on our deck |
The birds liked it too! |
Our "simple" bathroom |
Outdoor shower and reclining bed |
So nice to shower outdoors |
Sunset on our deck |
A baby Gemsbok Oryx! |
Black Rhino at the waterhole |
Eland -- magical antelope |
Jim finds a Stick Insect |
Rock Dassies (closely related to Elephants!) |
Chameleon |
Our guide, Sunday |
Our first Lion |
The King |
A bit of a yawn |
Or, is it a flemen? |
Friends |
A beautiful Zebra |
A bit of a fight |
More friends |
Pale Chanting Goshawk (PCG!) |
Bateleur taking off |
Bateleur, soaring |
Groundscraper Thrush |
African Hoopoe |
The waterhole at Okakuejo, Etosha National Park |
A line of Blue Wildebeest leaving |
The gang is all here |
Gemsbok Oryx |
Kudu |
A Zebra line up |
Nice noses |
and butts! |
Family of Giraffe |
Secretary Bird striding |
Secretary Bird flying! |
Ostrich in breeding plumage |
Black-backed Jackal |
Elephant intimacy! |
Elephant family |
Monitor Lizard |
A Springbok tussle |
Oryx staring towards a hidden Lion |
the tiny Steenbok |
Mother and child |
And the whole extended family! |
Lilac-breasted Roller |
Purple Roller |
It's been a long day! |
Trying to leave Etosha |
More friends |
Bushbaby at night |
Our last sunset in Namibia |
TAB! At Joberg airport |
Our candidate for "Mr. JLB Matekoni"! (our pilot) |
Arriving at Kutandala Camp, North Luangwa Park, Zambia |
Looking out our chalet towards the Mwaleshi River |
Our bush camp bathroom! |
View of the river from the shower |
On a walking safari |
Through the grasses |
Sometimes the grass was very tall |
Really loving it! |
Cynthia's favorite view in Africa! (Jim, not the Hippo) |
IN Hippo-infested waters!! |
A slight disagreement |
Cookson's Wildebeest |
Milling about on the shore |
Frantic stampede for the water! |
The most beautiful sight in Africa (according to Jim) |
The whirlpool we SWAM in!! |
Fish Eagle (our favorite bird) |
Majestic! |
Saddlebill Stork |
A Hippo yawn |
Zambian Zebra (with no brown stripes) |
Mother and child |
With a group of Oxpeckers on board |
A Warthog gang |
A huge Baobab |
Spotted Hyena |
Crowned Crane!! |
Franco, in the kitchen |
The "stove" and the garden |
Sundowners by the river |
A feast by torchlight |
Our last sunset in the North Luangwa |
A village near the South Luangwa Park |
Getting a tour of the batik factory |
Our bush camp chalet in the South Luangwa, Mwamba |
Our outdoor bathroom |
The outdoor dining room |
Kudu male |
And Puku females |
Hippos relaxing |
And staring at us |
Oxpecker on board (with typical gape) |
Sunset in the South Luangwa |
Amarula! |
Enjoying sundown by the Luangwa River |
Beautiful colors |
The chitenge at Kaingo Camp |
White-browed Coucal |
Pied Kingfisher with Squeaker Fish |
Jacana |
Yellow-billed Stork, fishing |
Lioness, by night |
Lioness, by day (with Impala leg) |
Ground Hornbill |
Female Giraffe (light in color) |
Male Giraffe (darker in color) |
Lovely eyelashes |
Leaping Baboons |
Baby on board! |
Nursing baby |
Nice tusks! |
Wallowing in the mud |
Vervet Monkey |
Mother and child |
Sunset over a termite mound |
Crocodile by night |
LEOPARD! |
stalking |
Civet |
Baboon finding things to eat in Hippo dung (eeew) |
Yellow-billed Storks |
Fish jumping to avoid crocs |
Stork lift off |
Saddlebill Stork and Hippo |
Cape Buffalo |
Lilac-breasted Rollers performing |
Baby Hippo fight! |
Yawn, side view |
Yawn, front view |
Lion track (in shadow) |
The famous photographer |
Little Bee-eaters |
Sundowners on the Luangwa |
Bushbuck male - posing |
Luangwa evening |
Honoring Kalpana |
Small-spotted Genet in a tree |
Pel's Fishing Owl |
Our last sunset |
We had a WONDERFUL time |
And have loved our Amarula! |
Back home (ready for next year's trip!) |