We had no idea that the Serengeti was such a birding destination. Just like the diversity of adaptations among the mammals, the birds have evolved into a fascinating line-up of their own. Learning to spot and identify each species also adds another fun element to the endless game drives. And I couldn’t help wondering if they all taste like chicken; at least I know ostrich is on the menu at some restaurants in the states.

How’s a potpourri of pictures of animals that didn’t fit neatly into the prior categories, including a PG-13 picture at the very end.

Who knew there was such a variety of antelope? We remember getting excited just seeing deer roaming residential neighborhoods when we lived in Austin, so this was a delight for us. The big draw at this time of year is the 1.2 million strong wildebeest herd that arrives by January for the calving season. But we spied each of the antelope pictured below several times during our safari. To us, their horns exuded simplicity and elegance, which made...

I loved zoos growing up, and remember hassling my parents to take me whenever they could. To see these familiar animals in their native environments was a transcendent experience. They could roam and run without restriction, and the animals definitely enjoy the freedom. The other surprise was the sheer numbers. Ordinarily in a zoo there will only be a handful of representatives for each animal; here, we saw astonishing numbers (like the...

We are all spoiled by the outstanding footage captured by BBC Nature. Let’s just say we were hoping to watch a big cat stalk, chase, and ultimately catch one of its prey, but our safari company told us only about one in twenty trips are lucky enough to see a kill (we were one of the 95%). We learned quickly that most of the time, cats in the wild are like the cats in a zoo: they just laze around in the sun. The differences in the wild are...

Our six day, six night safari took us to five different areas of northern Tanzania. Here are some views and quick thoughts on each distinct landscape. Tarangire National Park Two things distinguish this park: trees and elephants. In one afternoon of game driving, we easily saw over 800 elephants. Tarangire also has the distinctive baobab tree, which inspired Disney’s “Tree of Life” in the Animal Kingdom. Lake Manyara National...

Where? The first question to ask when figuring out a safari. The three most popular options are Kruger National Park in South Africa, Okavango Delta in Botswana, and Serengeti/Masai Mara in Tanzania/Kenya. These are quick impressions of each from reading opinions online. We didn’t really research other options such as Zambia, Uganda, Namibia, or Zimbabwe. • Botswana: least crowded, but also most expensive. Unique boating and walking...

Hello friends! We’ve been silent on this blog for almost six months now, and just wanted to update on what’s been going on. As you can imagine, when you’re traveling full-time for a year, there’s ample time to reflect on life and the future. We became more sure that we wanted to build a family through adoption, and that realization hastened our return home. Our plans were to travel for two or three years but decided to...

On the return journey to Rome, our ship stopped at three different Greek islands: Rhodes, Mykonos, and Santorini. Here are our thoughts and pictures of each brief stopover. Rhodes While technically belonging to Greece, we found Rhodes to be much closer to Turkey, not just geographically, but culturally. Nothing is left of the Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue that straddled the entrance to the bay and one of the ancient seven wonders. But...

Our furthest point east was Kusadasi, Turkey where the ruins of Ephesus lie. This is New Testament country, and the first time we had really set foot in the lands of the sacred books. The seven churches of Revelation 2 are all located in this region of Turkey, and yet this cradle of Christianity is now 99% Muslim. Ephesus is not reachable by any public transportation, so signing up with a tour is necessary. We found the private tour option...