The first 9 days

I arrived in South Africa safe and well- at 5:00am about 9 days ago! Getting hugs from BG and Val was exactly what I needed after traveling for over 26 hours.

As I sit here on the coast of Namibia and think back to what we've done in the last 9 days I'm amazed- I visited SANCOOB penguin hospital where I held a Rockhopper penguin, drove on roads where I was convinced that we'd fall right into the ocean, slept on top of a truck (still doing so), took a boat as a boarder crossing, watched the landscape change from dresert to trees, to bushes, to desert in the span of about 1 hour then arrive at a lushish river, I've eaten wild game, climbed sand dunes, and seen the largest canyon in the world! South Africa and Namibia have SO much to offer that our 5 week trek is just not enough.

Today while quadbiking I saw my first snake..... and have surivied to tell about it!It wiggled sideways and continued to head in the direction away from me- then it burried itself into the sand. It was a little surreal- and I'm very glad that I was riding a larger 4x4 bike!

We are moving into the area that will have the Big 5 in the next few days, but we have already seen many Springbok, Ostrich, Worthogs, Geokos, Leamer-type things, pelicans, and numerous birds so I'm easing into seeing the large animals. So far nothing has decided to make my shoes or my bags their new home :)

I hope to post some pictures soon as I have already take about 1000- just they don't do the places we've seen justice- it is beautiful here!