Blue Dot Explore

*Wow, a bit longer blog than usual. A LOT has happened in the last month and there were at least 3 stories that warranted sharing (Himba Love, A Busted Truck, and The Sand Road). The next couple of months should be a lot slower as we stay in one spot for prolonged periods of time. August 4, 2023, Spitzkoppe Rock Arch, Namibia This next leg of our trip would take a very different direction from what we have experienced so far.  It was decided that we would visit the rest of our Sub-Suharan Africa destinations via a camper truck. I was more prone to sign up for a tour to take me to see the dunes (the only thing I really knew about Namibia), but once Johnny started researching, he decided to take on the task of planning out a 6244 km trip (3880 miles) to take us across multiple borders (and that's not counting driving in the parks). No simple task. Equipped with a rooftop tent, it's a common way to explore this part of the world, the main difference being that most people plan it

July 17, 2023. The Otter Trail in Tsitsikamma National Park With Rachel still joining for a couple more weeks, we left Tanzania, headed to South Africa. This was a very special destination for me and Rachel, as it is where we had discussed having our girl's trip for our 40th birthdays. Life has other plans and, although our trip was not what we originally envisioned, it represented a promise made to a dear friend that we would look at the big skies of Africa together. Country #10 started with a quick stopover in Johannesburg and some very cold temperatures, including getting to experience the first snow the city has seen in over a decade. It even made  international coverage .  We stayed in the Maboneng area and had an afternoon out in the Melville neighborhood, but it was so cold it was difficult to explore much of the city. We did visit two art museums and the Apartide Museum. I really enjoyed the Apartide museum, but it was a lot to take in as it was yet another example of major

  July 1, 2023, Serengeti, Tanzania The transition from SE Asia to Africa was a big one for several reasons. The first was the change in seasons. Going from 6 months of the dry season in Asia (the rainy season was just starting as we left), coming into winter in Tanzania required a whole wardrobe changeover. These puffy jackets and long sleeves we had been lugging around for the past half a year were finally coming in handy! There is also a totally new type of cuisine for me to learn to navigate with my Celiac Disease. And not to mention a different set of cultural norms and safety know-how that come with a new continent.  Johnny arrived in Africa on his birthday, June 28, but I wouldn't see him until later that evening given the necessary re-bookings due to "Visa-gate". After an overnight layover in Mumbai and another all-day stopover in Nairobi, we were reunited near Ashura, in the town of Moshi at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  A starting point for many people hiking th