Our bus trip between Johannesburg and into Botswana.  A wheel is NOT supposed to look like this.  

When our wheel popped off its axel, the bus slid for at least 100 yards before finally screeching to a halt.  Pretty scary.  When the bus did stop, someone from the back yelled: "Amen!"

We waited, in the middle of nowhere Africa, for 4 hours for a replacement bus.

Again, 4 hours of waiting.  And over that fence is an animal reserve so it was vital we got out before nightfall because of the lions.  Seriously.

Busted Tire, Maasai Mara

It's not all bad

It was a VERY bumpy and long trip, and we kept picking up more and more people.  At one point, we picked up a mother and her baby.  The mother handed the baby to the first person she saw, then she climbed on board and to the very back of the bench where there was a small amount of space.  Everyone passed the baby back, one-by-one, until it met back up with its mother.

Sunrise driving.  Yes, sunrise.

Our 3-day train ride across Africa, which ran from the heart of Zambia to the coast of Tanzania.  No running water, limited electricity, a whole lotta locals, and us.

Before boarding, we knew it would be rough so we brought some provisions.  And we sometimes covered our backpacks with grey duffel bags.  Do you think we fit in?

And we tried to keep our smiles.

The window view was gorgeous, and most of the villages we went through weren't accessible by road, so the train was their only contact with the outside world.

Even so, we ate lots of peanut butter sandwiches.  

And we got lots of pictures...

The kids all sprint out to wave at the train

Love the sass and the colors.

The villagers would come out to sell food and drinks. 

The wave is universal.

This isn't a cry picture, just a very low moment.  Traveling is tough sometimes, and we don't want to only show the pretty moments.

"I just...I just can't talk right now.  I...I need a minute."
-What Blakely said every time she came back from the bathroom on the train.