Day 27, 12/20/2011:
With time pressing in on us, we chose to explore Ngorongoro Crater, spending a bit more than half a day driving through. It's a highly popular tourist/traffic hot spot, so lingering in this ancient caldera wasn't recommended. It was truly a safari in miniature, and while we didn't see any hippo, we did see lion and elephant. Crater Lodge was a bit pricey, even for a vacation where price was no object, but we enjoyed this green land very much.
Day 34, 12/22/2011:
Surprisingly, Botswana was infinitely more peaceful than Egypt. We were running short of time, so we negotiated our way out of our 10 night safari (including Victoria Falls, Chobe, Okavango Delta and the Kalahari), and chose a 5 night package instead, spending time visiting the elephants in Chobe National Park, and then reveling in the gorgeous and unspoiled landscapes of Okavango Delta. Staying on Safari has far more options than we expected; you don't have to rough it. We stayed for three nights at the Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane, walking down the Zambian side of the river, and also chose a full day's game drive. Then we spent two nights at Pom Pom Camp in the Delta. Our accommodations may have been "tents" but they were far more luxurious than some of the hotels we'd stayed at. We went birding the first day, and spent the second on a game drive. Note to fellow travelers: "Open ablution facilities" means "outdoor showers" - but the rest was so amazing that it was just another bit of fun. It was a very Merry Christmas out in the middle of Safari like that!
Day 35, 12/27/2011:
Well. we're back home as of midnight. A full 35 day jaunt around the world. It was amazing, fun, educational and exhausting. I think I', going to sleep now until I have to go back to work after the first of the year. Good night!
