Hello Internet

Hey Gang. Apologies for the downturn in communications over the past 50 days. Ingrid and I have successfully traversed 8 countries in Southern and Eastern Africa and in most of these communities the internet is a fishing device located inside the outer net.

We're glad to report that we have found our way safely to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and the promised land of high-speed internet.

In the days ahead we'll update the blog with all the adventures that have taken place along the way. Here are some highlights to get you going.....

- Welcomed a new nephew on October 2nd. Baby Nate was 21", 8 lbs, and immediately baptised into the order of the Power Rangers by his older brothers.

- Pet a Cheetah (Tip o' the hat to Katie for beating me to the punch on this one).

- Ate breakfast with an Elephant (Mind you, the Elephant was not invited; but you let those little details slide when they waltz into your camp - looking to share your oranges - Elephants and oranges, who knew? - More on this later).

- Visited Victoria (Vic) Falls and did "The Gorge Swing".

- Saw Lions.

- Drank Guiness Extra Stout just like my Dad. Course I drank it while taking in sunset on the beaches of Zanzibar, but I'm sure it tastes the same there as in snowy Rochester, New York.

- Grew a ridiculous amount of facial hair. (see earlier photos for progress - or - for effect - print out pictures of me through the trip then flip through them really fast, it will look like my beard is growing. I call it a moving picture, I think it's going to be big.)

- Survived Africa.