Who needs sleep when you can have honey roasted peanuts?

Once upon a time, Mary, faced with a bleak and weary summer of studying for the Massachusetts bar exam, thought that the perfect way to celebrate the end of the test would be to spend a month overlanding through southern Africa. Thoughts of cheery cheetahs and elephants and giraffes waiting to befriend me overshadowed any preoccupations about time, money, or danger concerning the trip and I gladly made plans to meet friends overseas and embark on the adventures ahead. Neither the red-eye flight I had to take from Montana to make my Boston-Cape Town flight on time nor my mother's constant pleading with me not to die has dimmed my excitement and the last minute planning has all been worth it. Three sleepless nights, four advils, and eight immunizations later, I'm ready to go to Africa.

Here is my brother and Mike and I preparing to leave Montana after having a blast at our friends' wedding--(Congrats Kelly and Greg!). Little did I know I was about to spend the next eight hours in the Salt Lake City airport only to take a red eye flight back to Boston and arrive in time to take a cab to my apartment, pick up my suitcase, and take a cab back to the airport. I can always sleep later.

Check back here for more posts of pictures and updates from our tour. Because we will be overlanding in trucks, internet access will be sparse, but I will do my best to keep you all updated! If you'd like to follow along with our travel, check out our itinerary here.