Update from Zanzibar

So, here's the deal. A lot has happened since my last blog - sorry for the lack of updates, but interestingly enough, it was hard to find an Internet connection in Johannesburg - that I could use for an extended period of time. Weird, but true. Let's do a recap:

We (Mina, Laura and I) arrived in Jo-berg on June 10 and ran a bunch of errands the first day - I mailed a bunch of stuff home (gifts, sleeping bag, etc) and then on the second day, we toured Soweto, which is the biggest township in South Africa and then went to the Apartheid Museum. The Apartheid Museum is amazing, we spent about 4 hours there, and we could have been there longer if necessary. What happened in South Africa is unbelievable and then learning about the end of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela etc, was really emotional. And we also saw where Desmond Tutu and Mandela lived. I actually stayed in a guest house 4 blocks from Mandela's house - we were in a pretty cushy area, but better to be safe than sorry!

We arrived in Tanzania on June 13 and did 4 days of game drives in the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. The Serengeti is amazing! I would highly recommend a visit soon - it is getting very touristy and I think that affects the animals as well. We saw a ton of everything - it is currently in the middle of the migration - where zebras, wildebeest, and gazelles go north to Kenya to follow the rain, so we saw thousands of these animals. We also saw lots of big cats - lions and leopards! That was very exciting. And we saw a cheetah - from really far away, through binoculars. I'm not sure if that really counts. Anyways, the landscape of the Serengeti is great too - it changes so often, from flat open plains, to lush trees and grass, to hills and mountains. Besides Etosha National Park in Namibia, I would rank the Serengeti as my favorite part so far. And Etosha only ranks up there b/c it was the first game drive, we saw tons of stuff, and we had the watering holes to watch at night.

Now, we have arrived in Zanzibar, and this is my last destination for the next 9 or 10 days before I head back to the States - how sad is that? This trip has been great - I've seen so many different things - animals, various tribes, landscapes, and now I'm on the Indian Ocean.

Sorry there haven't been pictures lately - I can't seem to find any Internet connection that is remotely of normal speed, of course I'm in Africa, I realize that. Hopefully, I can get it uploaded sometime in Zanzibar, but otherwise, it will have to wait until I get back to NY.

Until next time!