ALASTAIR + LALEINIA

It is impossible to summarize our African experience and do it any justice with words, but we have to try. As we were creating this video, we were amazed and so appreciative of all the things we have been able to see and do in these last few months. What an experience! We have been able to see such an incredible range of things, from animals to cities, mountains, people, art, and culture. We have traveled in cars, on planes, boats, quad bikes, buses, cable cars, safari trucks, even elephants! We have slept in a beautiful house, nasty (and some nice) hostels, a rondavel, safari tent, cabin, and the back of a car. We have traveled almost constantly, and have even eaten crocodile on more than one occasion. We have had the time of our lives. Being in Africa has strengthened our desire to experience as much of the world as we can. We will definitely look back often with happiness at our time in Southern Africa! And we must say that we wouldn't have been able to enjoy all that we d...

Valentines day 2014 was definitely one of the best days of our almost three year marriage. Who knew that you could pack so much into twenty-four hours. While staying in Botswana, we stayed in safari tents a few miles outside of Kasane, a town that makes the most of its close proximity to one of the best national parks in the world. But we should repeat that. We stayed in safari tents, in the bush! Well, it was at a safari lodge, but either way, it was overgrown. Chobe has the highest concentration of elephants on the planet, with between seventy to eighty-thousand of Botswana’s one-hundred-and-twenty-thousand elephants supposed to be wandering the land. One interesting, and really cool thing about Chobe is that it has no fences, meaning the animals are free to come and go as they please. The lack of fences, along with the complete absence of paved road, made our experience really authentic. But as with any safari, there are no guarantees, and so we said our prayers and cro...

One of the great things about Johannesburg is its proximity to other countries. Since we were so close, we piled in the car (Laleinia, Alastair, McKee parents, and Connor), and drove over to South-Eastern Botswana for the weekend! One relatively long drive and a confusing border crossing later, we arrived in Lobatse. An unbelievable number of cows and goats, along with a few baboons, lined the roads as we left South Africa and traveled around in Botswana. While we were there, one of the main goals that we had was to play football with some local children. About five minutes after crossing the border, we were able to reach our goal. On the side of the road, we saw a very African football pitch, about eighty percent dust/sand/dirt, and twenty percent grass scattered in little patches across the dirt. The pitch was massive and pretty flat, but it also was home to some smashed glass and the occasional cow pat. After separating into Alastair's shirts and Connor's skins teams...