south africa

b and i just got back from a seriously fantastic adventure.  i knew that i would love it, but it was hands down one of the greatest experiences of my life.  it's hard to whittle down well over 1,000 pictures, so i'll definitely need to spread this out over a few posts.

welcome to dawn in the south african bush.

each morning we got up before the sun.  we bundled up (it's currently winter there, but locarno is in the same time zone!) and drove around looking and listening for any signs of animal life.  

our mobile protection.  animals are much less likely to charge a vehicle than a human.  note to self.

impalas were the most common sighting--because they are a popular menu item :(.  

while we were cruising along, this giraffe ran right in front of our moving truck.  we all jumped because we were so startled.  i think that he was also pretty startled because the second he got to the other side of the road he immediately went to the bathroom.  the feeling was certainly mutual.

he was beautiful, and partially thanks to his team of dedicated groomers.