It's zany zebra Monday and I'll start with a question. Are zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes? Turns out that in the womb, teeny tiny zebra embryos are in fact brown. Their white stripes develop a little later on and their brown stripes turn black as they mature after birth. Another big zebra question is - Why? Why the stripes? Scientists have been puzzling over this one for many decades. A recent scientific breakthrough shows that it could be a way to ward off biting insects. Does this mean that our safari khakis should really be a more racy black and white outfit? Because I've had plenty of tsetse fly bites ruin a game drive, and a simple striped solution would suit me just fine. I'd also love to see game rangers sport some stripey shorts.

Without further ado, here are ten fun facts about zebras to help chase away the Monday blues.

Zany Zebra Facts

1. Zebras are black with white stripes
2. A zebra's stripes help ward off biting insects (source)
3. Zebra's sleep standing up
4. Zebras live in harems (usually one male with up to six females)
5. Zebras can kick hard, they've been known to kill hyenas
6. Zebra belong to the Equus genus (along with horses and donkeys)
7. There are 3 species of zebra: Grevy's, Burchell's, and Mountain zebra
8. Zebras live up to 25 years
9. No two zebras are alike, their stripe patterns are unique like our finger prints
10. Zebras always look healthy (a personal and completely unscientific observation)

More About Zebras: Witness the Great Migration l Visit Serengeti National Park l Zebra and Wildebeest - BFF's

There are some fine cultural festivals going on in Africa in March 2012. South Africa ends its summer with a bang, Cape Town is the venue for two major cultural festivals. There's the International Jazz festival, the Cape Town Festival, and the Cape Town Pride festival, a flamboyant affair that's lots of fun and fills the nightclubs. Mauritians will be getting splattered with colorful dyes during the Holi festival, as will other Hindu communities in Africa. And the Tunisians will be strumming on their guitars to welcome the spring.

More Details About: March Festivals in Africa l February Festivals in Africa l April Festivals in Africa

_{Image © Getty Images -- Holi Ammunition}

A major expense of any trip to Africa is the cost of the flight, this is especially the case if you are traveling from the US. Direct flights are few and far between which means competition (that can lower fares) is almost non-existent. It therefore seems like a really great idea to use your earned airline miles or reward points to fly to Africa. But in my experience the dates, times or route that my miles qualify for, rarely work in my favor. I end up spending twice as long getting there by having to fly via Europe or the Middle East. Or I have to change my entire itinerary around to accommodate the few seats that qualify for a saver pass.

Given the size of the continent, getting "close" to your destination is not good enough. If you are planning to be on safari in Tanzania's Serengeti, you really don't want to arrive in the capital Dar es Salaam, it's 440 miles away. Regional flights can be expensive to add on and hopping on a long distance bus is only a good option if you have oodles of time (and a sense of adventure).

All in all, using miles is a frustrating business. But there's no denying that if you get lucky and follow some basic guidelines, you can save yourself a lot of money. Find out more by reading my tips: How to use Airline Miles to Fly to Africa...

More About: Cheap Flights to Africa l Direct Flights from the US to Africa l African Airlines

If you happen to be traveling in Africa over Valentine's day, there are plenty of ways to say "I love you".  In fact you could declare your love every day in a different language for several years, and still not be done.  Because more than 2000 languages are spoken around the continent, Africans have their pick of loving words to use. I've narrowed the list of "I love you's" down to some of the more common language groups. Of course Je t'aime works for a number of countries, as does Nakupenda, and Ana Behibak (to a male) or Ana Behibek (to a female). If you can't find the right language, you can always give a bouquet of fresh cut flowers or a box of chocolates.

More About: Romantic Destinations in Africa l African Languages l Valentine's Day, A Blooming Business for Africa

_{Image © Getty Images/David Malan}