genoa city

Had a wonderful weekend celebrating friends Justin and Max's wedding at Genoa City, Wisconsin. Who knew Wisconsin was so beautiful!

The Northwest Herald generations!

spice island

Up at dawn my last morning in Zanzibar to take advantage of the beach before catching an afternoon flight back to Arusha. Beautiful morning light, and the beach was all ours.

Octopus

Starfish!

Lone boat

Took a spice farm tour to learn about what was grown locally - basically every spice you could think of! Cloves, cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg being some of the more common. Rain came as we were driving and these Swahili girls were walking home from school. Most of Zanzibar's population is entirely Muslim.

Stopping to buy some African apples from this cutie

My friendly spice farm tour guide, who, like most people asked, "Is Trump really that close to being President?" and yearns to come to America for a better life.

Caught a flight back to Arusha via Dar Es Salaam for a night with friends before beginning our 36 hour journey back home. Asante sana, Tanzania! You were amazing.

indian ocean snorkeling

What else to do on a Monday morning in Zanzibar, besides a boat trip to an exotic island for some snorkeling?

A herd (?) flock (?) of dolphins!

Post-snorkel happiness

Sunset happy hour crew before a dinner under the stars on the beach...

zanzibar paradise

After an early morning cab ride to the airport (arranged through a friend of a friend) I made it to Nungwi beach in Zanzibar, off the coast of East Africa. Zanzibar is one of those magical places that is so beautiful it will make you cry - definitely one of the most stunning places on the planet!

 

ngorongoro crater and the big 5

Ngorongoro Crater formed two to three million years ago, when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself. On day three of safari we drove into what is considered to be the seat of humanity.

View driving down - cool and dusty just after dawn 

Approximately 25,000 large animals live in the crater, and in Africa, the big five game animals are the lion, elephant, cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. We saw them all! The term was coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot and the degree of danger involved, rather than their size.

Good morning from camp! Coming back later in the morning to pack up and go back out. Definitely heard growling during the night...

People of the Maasai tribe

Incredible morning light!

My money shot

Lions and their kill (what was a buffalo)

We startled this elephant as much as he startled us leaving the crater!

 Goodbye, crater, until next time!

serengeti magic & the milky way

View from the land cruiser

Wildebeest crossing

Elephants! A personal favorite.

Dining under the galaxy

Beautiful universe... I really need to start traveling with a tripod