TamWarner

The diving and surface interval have been exciting and unexpected in Cozumel this last month! As I have already blogged, a couple of days ago we saw False Killer Whales on our dive at Yucab reef, today we had the incredible good luck to run into Pilot Whales during our surface interval! One of them swam right under the bow as I leaned over and took photos. I wish I had had my little GOPRO Hero2...a video would have been better than photos. Of course, you never have what you need handy, right? zuWe saw Pilot Whales last year at this exact time, and apparently the False Killer whales have been seen this time of year for 4 years, so it appears a migration is taking place. No complaints here! It is so exciting to see ... read more

Ah, I sit at London Heathrow waiting for the plane taking me home to Dallas. I have some thoughts to share regarding travelling in Africa, or any developing nation. The developing countries are truly a different world for the western traveler. Know what to expect when you go! 1. Expect all services to be S L O W. Customer service has never been considered or taught in these countries. You will feel as though you are inconveniencing them at times just to ask a question or order a drink! 2. Plumbing, buildings, streets, etc will not be similar to conditions in the west. Be prepared. I still haven’t figured out the women’s bathrooms where one stall has a seat in the ground…I mean, what am I supposed to do? Not sure I even want an answer. ... read more

Serengeti: THIS IS AFRICA! The Serengeti is what you picture when you think “African Safari”. The Savannah (Swahili for “endless plain”) with its umbrella acacia trees, waving golden grass as far as you can see, and HERDS of animals. I have never seen so many animals! It is the “Great Migration”, and Wildebeast and Zebras in thousands and thousands dot the landscape. THIS is Africa. We have seen just everything here, from herds of elephants touching our car with their trunks to giraffes looking at us curiously from the side of the road, baboons in the trees, herds of zebra and wildebeest (they are almost always together, they apparently get along fine, and there is safety in numbers.) We have seen bat eared foxes (they are adorable), hyenas who were 5 feet away in the dark ... read more

Lake Manyara is a lovely area, and the perfect place to start serious safari. There is plenty to see in this lake region! Tanzania's national animal is the giraffe, and they are EVERYWHERE, which suits me fine since they are my very favorite. I've seen them in zoos, but nothing compares to giraffes in the wild. The Maasai giraffe is the national symbol of Tanzania and it is much darker than the other subspecies. The pattern is also a bit different, almost more geometrical than spotted. They are the epitome of gracefulness, and they seem gracious about allowing one close to take photos. Ah. So beautiful! Lake Manyara has its share of elephants! They, too, are everywhere. Some of them have incredibly huge tusks. Unlike the Indian elephant, the African elephants, male and female, have tusks. ... read more

So, after a nice few days together in Tofo, it was time to move on to new adventures in Tanzania. (*Tahn Zahn ya). We left Inhambane for Joburg, then the next morning we boarded a Kenya Airways flight for Kiliminjaro with a connection in Nairobi. Kenya Airways was quite nice, it is on the approved European list of African airlines. We landed in Nairobi and headed for the connecting gate to Kiliminjaro, where I quickly learned my passport was missing. I am always very paranoid about making sure I have my passport, so Randy and I were both in shock. And so the saga begins…. First, I retraced all of my steps from gate 9 to gate 5. No passport. We suggested they check the plane we came in on. That plane, we were informed, has ... read more