karen corby’s fabulous blog
Hope you rang in the new decade with gusto!
To celebrate in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (in the Kalahari), we had a 360 degree fireworks display courtesy of mother nature. That’s right. I go to a semi-arid African desert… and get thunderstorms. Still, the long lines of lightening where amazing to see! And the park after the rains was quite magical.
Happy New Year!
The allure of the Kalahari is the beauty of the land. However, the wildlife – while less dense than in other parts of south africa – is still amazing.
steenbok. these beautiful antelope almost look like they have make-up on.
african wildcat. a rare daytime sighting, as they normally are only active at night. long ago, the egyptions domesticated them. they’re related to our house cats!
i forget what these guys are called. 
a running family of gembok
The colors of the Kalahari are remarkably dynamic.
Depending on the time of day and the weather, the “redness” of the landscape shifts. Since there were scorching 100F heat waves and explosive thunderstorms during my stay, I got to experience the whole range.
early morning overcast
bright morning sun
sunny afternoon brief cloud cover
morning after thunderstorms
late morning after thunderstorms
After a tricky car rental process (turns out automatics aren’t common in south africa) and figuring out (sorta) how to drive on the left side of the road, I arrived at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
A few minutes into park, three wild ostriches appeared from behind a hill on the left side of the road… and ran across the road about 15 feet in front of me.
These giant 8 ft birds run with remarkable grace. And for a second, I had this “OMG – I’m in Jurassic Park” moment – i swear, those ostriches had a velociraptor aurora to them.
the ostriches, as they ambled off into the horizon
Tonight, I leave for South Africa!!
There are 3 major stops planned:
It’s my first trip to Africa. Super excited.
quick facts:
We ate REALLY REALLY well on this trip (and so inexpensively!).
Here are a few yummy examples…
first night in oaxaca: best enchiladas I ever had. and i wasn’t even hungry before i started eating.
the famed chapuines. turns out grasshoppers taste like…. crunchy insects.
mole negro!
vino tinto
salsa
pasta
steak!
mole negro we made in cooking class
sorbet we made in cooking class
photos for a quinceañera outside of santo domingo
selling outside of santo domingo
the afternoon’s batch of fresh tortillas
sauce cooling
streets of oaxaca
street performers
streets of oaxaca
