Take My Breath Away: Drowned Forest Sunset

While visiting Lake Kariba, we watched a stunning sunset from a boat in the middle of the lake.

It reminded me of this absolutely take-my-breath-away sunset in Senegal.

An elephant at sunset.

The tease of the sunset, the wake of our houseboat welcoming it.

Oh! Be still my heart, Zimbabwe, you have once more delivered amazing.

Hello, elephant!  Hello, sunset!

The sun creeping down for the night.

Africa's sun is always so amazingly large, so bright, and so just...perfect.

Remnants of the drowned forest at sunset.

I love sunset, it may be my favorite time of the day.

The start of our sunset houseboat adventure, leaving harbor.

One of Lake Kariba's harbors, the houseboats moored.

Take My Breath Away: Baby Mountain Gorillas!!

While trekking through Volcanoes National Park, we found these beautiful, beautiful animals.

Why, hello, you handsome fellow!

Rwanda is home to the stunning Sabyinyo Family of mountain gorillas.

The family had several juveniles that were just so adorable!

This little guy was about two years old.

And let me tell you, they were out playing!  Trying to figure out swinging on the bamboo.

Climbing up things, annoying the adults, wrestling. It was adorable.

Check out the guy above playing with the baby who was only a few months old:

(That whole bamboo swinging thing? Definitely not gotten down yet!)

Basking in the morning sun.

Here's another short clip, it makes me laugh because his somersault? All it makes me think of is an Ewok!

I was absolutely amazed to see how stunningly orange the gorillas' eyes were.
These photos don't remotely do the color justice.

A few months old---just too adorable!

If given the chance to go mountain gorilla trekking, go, go, GO.
It is an absolutely amazing, almost spiritual experience.
I want to go again.  More than once again.

Take My Breath Away: The Victoria Falls Sun Rise and Lunar Rainbow Edition

Recently I visited Victoria Falls to watch the sun rise.

Zimbabwe's Natural Wonder of the world did not disappoint.
It always leaves me in awe.

The sun rose slowly behind the water, changing the mist from a deep, dark black,

to a cloud of white mist

that began to light up the sky in shades of pink, white, orange, and black.

At 0600, there is no one in the park. It's amazing to have one of the world's most beautiful places to yourself.

The mist from the Falls.

The sun trying to emerge.

Then BAM! It's like a blast of colors that are stunning from the sun rising on the Zambian side,
enveloped in mist when viewed from Zimbabwe.

Amazing, just amazing.  No photo I've seen ever captures the wonder of the Falls.
See that? That's the sun.  That's right, a huge massive African sun and that's all you see through a wall of mist.

One of the few places in the world where lunar rainbows exist: Victoria Falls at full moon.
Here's a photo of the 'super moon'...all I have is my memory of the lunar rainbow (no photos!):
one of the most stunning experiences of my life, to see double rainbows at night, illuminated by the moon,
falling gracefully over the falls while the water seemed to glow.

Here's an idea of what the lunar rainbow looks like:

Photo credit.

Go, go, go, if you ever have the chance.  Go at dawn; go at a full moon. Just go.

Take my Breath Away: An Indian Ocean Sunrise

During a stay at the Archipelago Resort, we got up at 0430 to watch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean.

We weren't the only ones up as some Mozambicans began their day very early.

Vilanculos, Mozambique, continued to take my breath away for its beauty.

So, so, so beautiful.

Take My Breath Away: The Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

The view of the Cape of Good Hope and Dias Beach from Cape Point.

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The Cape of Good Hope is the most south western tip of Africa.

(I've also been to Africa's most western tip!)

The Cape is absolutely a take-your-breath-away moment of stunning beauty.

The first "modern" rounding of the Cape happened in 1488 by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias.

Dias called the cape the Cape of Storms but John II later renamed it because of the optimism the opening of the

sea route to India and the East was so great.

It was fitting that a ship--albeit a small sailboat--sailed past as we watched the Cape's crashing waves.

The Cape of Good Hope is the home of The Flying Dutchman, a ship that never returned to port.
Legend is it's crewed by tormented and damned ghosts who forever try to round the cape but never succeed.

Another view of the Cape.

With its stunning beauty, the Cape of Good Hope, after traveling the Skeleton Coast of Namibia,
was extremely dangerous for ships---wrecks line Africa's south western coast.

More information on the Cape of Good Hope.