Throwback post- FAM VACAAAA!!! part 1, but really second half

I realized I never told you guys what I was doing for those two mysterious weeks between my departure from the ol USA and my program beginning. Aren’t you wondering what I was up to??? Well relax! I’m gonna let you know right now.

So I only have the pics from the second half of the trip, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Xigera, Botswana, on my comp cause card readers hate me and blah blah blah. But since a pic is worth a thousand words SEE BELOW!

Excuse the excessive solo shots and funny pics of Bessala and Grego cause we only had each other to entertain one another so we just did our thing.

Victoria Falls-

Well I am happy to say that I have been to one of the 7 wonders of the world.

It is truly incredible, almost too surreal to truly believe. It is not only the longest natural waterfall in the world, it is the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia

So here we are (Greg finally tallest- note the rock) smiley and adorable. Sorry for those who get our Christmas card and will see this photo again come December.

DON'T JUMP! just me and the rainbow

Zilly in Zimbabwe. Why I am the way I am...

Fast forward a night at the Victoria Falls Hotel, in which I stayed in alone, ordered room service and watched The Last Kiss on the only movie channel on the TV- Rachel Bilson follows me wherever I go, what can I say? Then a car ride with a lovely blond, Austrian family to the Botswana border, which you have to walk across and transfer cars, to another car to the airport where we boarded a 10 person plane to Xigera, our campsite for the next 3 nights. After landing, a bit of classic Brenna motion sickness on the landing strip (tmi? well then don't read my blog) and driving to the resort we met our guide Dennis...and the adventure in the middle of nowhere began.

Botswana was probably the part of the trip that I felt the most in "Africa"- in class we are learning a lot of what Americans think of Africa, a continent that we have summed up in a word to mean dirty, undeveloped, third world and the most rustic place on earth. We were not really allowed to drink running water, slept in, beautiful, huts where we locked our tent doors due to baboon break-ins and were isolated with no phone, internet or transportation for 3 nights. Although Greg began going a bit stir-crazy after the first 24 hours and was heavily craving a club med, activity packed vaca and just could not sit back and relax for the life of him, it was truly lovely and unlike anything I have ever done before. We were woken up early, fed a glorious breakfast consisting of oatmeal and fresh fruit and bread and taken out on the Okavanga Delta. One day we did a full day trip on the delta and had lunch in the bush and the next day just did a morning drive on land, and one day Greg decided to take a wack at pulling a Mokoro, but we'll get to that....don't you worry....friends, you thought that the Graduation Party was the most embarrassing it got....you have no idea

The best thing about the 72 hours was the people, everyone who works there is just so smiley and happy and interested in talking to all the guests about their lives, experiences in Africa and everything in between, including sharing their fascinating life stories. Although they work for 3 months at a time, with mail as their only form of communication with the outside world and only each other and the animals as company, they are all in such good spirits and generally high on life. And of course cocktail hour is a part of every day and basically mandatory. The bar is always open and is help yourself, which we decided would never work if more teenagers visited this place, but it was mostly older folks guzzling down gin and scotch. 

Here are the best of the best pics......

Bess was awake for sunrise and snapped this shot.
Annie Lebowitz in the making that one

     

  our gorgeous accomadations
Our guides, Dennis in the middle of Greg and I, having sundowners (drinks at sundown) in a field along the delta

Why yes! How did you know that is a 3 DAY OLD ELEPHANT.
I DIE I DIE I DIE I DIE I DIE I DIE

and just in case one pic wasn't enough

Frat Bro-ing it up at the bar. or Boozin in Bostwana
(both are acceptable, cliche, alliterated captions)

swim break on the delta, with drinks of course- who needs a glass? take it out of the shaker.

Oh and here we are trying to be locals. Potentially most embarrassing hour of my life and definitely of the trip.  As good as you think you're balance is.....

its not....

and yes they both got to try it...Greg was surprisingly better. We did lose a shoe, but fortunately not a hip, or life

sobonana