The Serengeti National Park  is plain and simply breathtaking. Rolling plains of high grass surround us for what seems like eternity. This morning we awoke in our campsite, situated smack dab in the middle of the park with no fences, just before dawn. While I was brushing my teeth at the edge of the boundaries where we are allowed to go, I heard a snorting sound. I walked to check out what I thought would be an elephant and was surprised to see 3 male impala standing in the high grass. Just then, out of nowhere, I saw the silloute of a damn, dirty hyena jump and run through the grass less then 25 yards in front of me and less then 50 yards from where we were sleeping in our tents.

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This is an excerpt taken directly from my journal while on safari in Tanzania.

NOTES (Because, sometimes it is just easier to take notes):

> Donald, our driver, has a serious thirst for knowledge of American slang. So far we have taught him “whack”, “my bad”, “sweet”, and  ”number 1 and number 2″ (bathroom knowledge), and the safari jeep is now “his ride”.

> Marvin and I are finding great amusement in some of the clothes people are wearing in the villages here. Yesterday we saw a young kid wearing a Daunte Culpepper jersey from his days with the Minnesota Vikings. In addition, last night at our campsite one of the employees was wearing a 1994 Michael Bolton world tour t-shirt. I am pretty sure that if this dude actually knew who Michael Bolton was he would jump in front of a stampeding herd of elephants. At least it is reassuring to know that some of the clothes we give away to the Salvation Army are actually getting to Africa.

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Let me preface this post by saying that I am on a “five dollar per 15 minute” computer on the rim of the Ngorogoro crater. This is satellite internet. It will be a miracle of God if this actually gets published.

This expert is taken directly from my journal:

After a day or two mucking around organizing our safari and experiencing the trials and tribulations of jetlag, we find ourselves in the thralls of the animal kingdom. Marv and I are traveling with Las Tours, a good company with a solid communication problem. Either that, or maybe I should have bought an English/Swahili dictionary. Nonetheless, our guide (Donald) and cook (Abdul) are entertaining, relaxed, and seriously interested in our experience. We seemed to have lucked out with our safari compadres as well. Stina and Julie are from Denmark and I think are about 20 or 21 in age. The duo have been backpacking together through Tanzania and plan to be here three months in total. For the last month or so they have been teaching English and French in Zanzibar, the predominely Muslim island off of the coast of Tanzania.

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