See the Big 5 in Africa. Check.

I am going to have trouble describing in words the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. It is by far one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. If you ever plan a trip to Africa, you MUST go to these two places!

Ngorogoro means cowbell in Maasai. "I've got a fever, and the only cure is more ngorongoro." Just doesn't have the same ring to it! Formed from a volcanic mountain that collapsed into itself over 2 million years ago, the crater floor is now filled with herds of animals, a salt lake, a few ponds and lots of wide open savanna for the animals to graze. We saw a rhino here, albeit off in a distance. The highlight of the crater for me was watching a lion eat a wildebeest carcass that was still a fresh kill, likely from the night before. There were 3 other lions laying near the kill, all had blood around their mouths and chests. So cool! In all, we probably saw over 20 lions just on the crater floor alone.

Driving into the Serengeti brought tears to my eyes. It was such a moving experience to finally get to the park and to see the vast stretches of landscape - acacia trees, rock formations, golden reeds in the savanna. Just like I have always imagined. We spent the night at a bush camp in the Serengeti. Over night, we heard hyenas running through the camp and devouring the food scraps and trash. Also, heard lions roaring nearby! We weren't supposed to leave the tent unless it was an emergency. I had to leave twice during the night for a toilet run (more on that later!). Needless to say, it was a great adrenaline rush at 10:45 and 4:30 AM!

The game drive in the Serengeti the following morning was simply incredible. We were lucky enough to see well over 20 lions, including two male lions very close by. We saw a leopard eating fresh gazelle meat in a tree. When he was done eating, he just straddled the tree and hung out resting. So cool! We saw two cheetahs and a serval cat, in addition to tons of zebra, giraffe, gazelle, red bok, hippos, wildebeest, buffalo and elephants. The best part of the drive came on our way back to camp when we drove up on about 5 other jeeps watching a female lion stalk gazelle and zebras who were ignorantly drinking from a watering hole. Our driver, Kopa, sped past all of them and we got a front row seat. I was seated in the front (left-side of the jeep over here!) and standing up watching the female lion, let's call her Alice. Kopa started hitting my leg and I looked down wondering why on earth he was doing it. He said to look out of my window. There was Betty, another lion, walking right past our jeep. She literally was rubbing herself on my front door, and I realized that the lions were using the jeep as cover for the surprise attack on the zebra and gazelles. Betty broke off into a sprint and the zebras and gazelles rushed away from the watering hole with Betty in hot pursuit...they didn't make the kill, but it was awesome to watch. [Picture above] There was dust everywhere from the stampede of animals! On our way out of Serengeti I listened to the Circle of Life off the Lion King musical soundtrack. It brought more tears to my eyes because I had just witnessed the raw power that the song speaks of!

After the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater, we spent some time at the Olduvai gorge where the most significant finds in human evolution were found. Most of skeletons date over 2 million years ago). It was extremely interesting to see and read about all of the discoveries in the gorge and in nearby Laetoli, where fossils dating to 3.6 million years old have been unearthed. Very cool stuff.

Medical update: I thought that I would make it through my entire time in Africa without any major issues. Wrong! Sunday night, after returning to Dar es Salaam, I was up most of the night with a very high fever. We were camping right on the Indian Ocean. It was easily in the upper 80's and I was shivering in my 20 degree bag with my fleece blanket wrapped around my head. It was terrible. I felt awful the next day with aches all over and horrible stomach cramps. The diarrhea started (hope you aren't eating while reading this! Sorry if you are!) on Monday afternoon. The Cipro I was prescribed did nothing to stop it, neither did Imodium. The jeep ride from the Crater to the Serengeti was the bumpiest road I have ever been on...I somewhat regretted not packing adult diapers! It was horrible. When we got into Nairobi yesterday, the pharmacist told me it was likely from the water in Zanzibar (I didn't drink any, but likely from the food) and that I had infectious diarrhea. They prescribed Ercefuryl Nifroazide (Gayle - details are for you to help me figure this out!!). 30 minutes after taking it, I started having horrible pains in my chest that are still not 100% gone. My stomach is better now, but I am really nervous about flying to Bangkok tomorrow!

My camera surgery worked (yeah!!) so I think I will be okay. Mendy, I will let you know by Tuesday if not! We are going to dinner in Nairobi tonight, our last group dinner, to a place called Carnivore. It has been rated as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world twice. I really hope my stomach can handle it!

Africa is an amazing continent. The landscapes are so vastly different from one minute to the next. The people are incredibly helpful and happy. Despite the extreme poverty, health epidemics, political instability and depleting resources, one gets a sense that despite all of these negatives, there is a sense of hope. My time in Africa has by far been the most rewarding, amazing traveling I have ever done. I have made some great friends and will be in touch with them, hopefully, for the rest of my life!