WE'RE SAFELY HOME - UPDATE

We drove to Swaziland (not part of S.A. but an independent nation). We had to show our passport in S.A., walk to Swaziland and show our passports again.  This was well worth it.  We went to a chief's house and was entertained with dancing, songs, etc.   Everyone of them had a big smile on their faces from kids 2 yrs old up to the 72 yrs old chief (a woman) We had been given a sarong to wear that had the kings picture. He rules the nation.  We then walked to the school that Grand Circle supports.  It was so sad what we saw. Kids with no shoes, odor from most of them because they didn't have running water. Of the 450 kids there, 200 were orphans. Parents died of aids mostly.  Then we went to several of their homes. The three of us went to the same area. Imagine this!! They were living in groups/families in 6 cement block houses, tin roofs with blocks holding them on (lots of wind),  no electricity and collected their water from a spigot. Everyone else used the same spigot, carrying a large bowl on their heads home. We had lunch back at the school with the food we had brought them and the food the kids had grown. Even though we experienced  extreme poverty, we saw NOT one with a sad face/all had smiles on their faces.  Each one of us will never take for granted just how lucky we are!!!

We went to Zululand and stayed in beehive huts with thatched roofs.  These huts would have made up a typical village in the yrs. past.  Talk about dancing!! These men/women were dressed in their native garb and could really move.  

We drove to Durban, the largest port in S.A. It also had the largest Indian population outside of India.  It was on the Indian Ocean and just beautiful.  We caught a plane to Pt. Elizabeth, another coastal town.  We saw the Rich to the Poorest in both places.  From there we drove to Addo Elephant Park. It was unbelievable! We sat by watering holes and watched cape buffalo, zebras, warthogs and herds of elephants.  The matriarch of the elephant herds is followed by the babies, teenagers and then the older one.  They walk in a line everywhere they go.  Usually the adult males are loners, staying by themselves until mating time.  In all we saw about 45 elephants, 20 zebra, warthogs everywhere, and many cape buffaloes.  It was a successful day in the bush.  

On the way to Knsyna and Wilderness we stopped by the place that has the deepest bungee jumping from a bridge.  Those people have to be CRAZY!! 

This started the Garden Rte, a beautiful coastal drive along the Indian Ocean.  It had mts edging toward some of the best golden sand beaches. We went to the Cango Wildlife Ranch where they raise cheetahs, white lions, white tigers, and tigers we're use to seeing.  This is a conservation ranch.  We had never seen a white male tiger. He was magnifient!  Patty went into the cheetah part and petted a 1 yr. old one.  His hair was corse.  They are slick and fast and on the endangered list.  They are the only cat that purrs. Wow was that an experience!! Then we headed for a working ostrich farm.  We learned all about them, saw a race between two, and finally Barb and Nancy sat on one. We sat down to a delicious lunch with ostrich steak and lots of wine.  This was a really full day.

We drove to Knsyna, a place of beauty and is one of the most scenically impressive towns in all of S.A.  We took a boat in the lagoon, protected from the open water by 2 giant sandstone cliffs known as "the Heads" to the Featherbed Bay Nature Reserve.  To see the aquamarine seas and lagoon coming together, crashing on the mountains was breathtaking.  The other head had gorgeous homes planted everywhere on the mountain side.  We wondered how the people got to their homes.  

We drove to Cape Town along the Garden Route.  Table Mt. was our first stop.  Every morning it was up at 6 if not before, but this time it paid off.  We took the cable car up to the top and the sights overlooking all of Cape Town and the seas took your breath away.  There was not a cloud in the sky. By the time we got back down, crowds had forms as well as cloud cover.  Lucky again!!

We went to the wine-producing region of Stellenbosch. Wines were very good.....

Our last day of touring we spent driving down to Cape Point, a penisular.  The Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet near the point at Cape Agulhas. We drove down one side to Cape Point. The Cape of Good Hope is here.  The drive was magnifient!! The water is the color of our Caribbean waters.  We took the funicular to the lookout.  We were already way-up but of course we had to walk the steep stairs to to lighthouse. We then walked to an area where small penguins live.  There were many of them close enough to touch.  All but the babies were molting and looked strange. 

We drove back to Cape Town to our hotel only a block from the crashing waves of the ocean. We ate with different families that night. We found that they made us feel at home and they prided themselves on being hosts who will make you feel comfortable. The next morning we headed for the airport for our trip home.  We flew to JoBerg then to Atlanta (almost 19 hrs.) then after a two hour layover from there home.  We are all tired but thrilled that we experienced South Africa.  Highly recommend this trip!!

This has been a trip of a lifetime for all of us.  We saw wildlife in their natural setting, the big five- leopard, elephant, cape buffalo, rhino, lion.  And many more. We found that the South Africans were a warm and friendly people. We saw unspoiled scenic beauty.  They are called the rainbow people because of the multi-cultural mix. The official language was English even though we had a difficult time sometimes understanding them because of the accent.  We saw many, many poor people with homes (tin houses, no electricity own by the government) but we saw gorgeous homes on the sides of the cliffs. Magical!!

We're Still Alive!!!

This is the leopard that our safari truck saw in Kruger National Park. We were the only group to see it. We were very lucky to see it as they are rare to see.

This is the scene from our hotel for the last two days in Pt. Elizabeth on the Indian Ocean.

In Addo Elephant Park we saw lots of elephants. Many babies and teenagers were following their moms.

Us when we stopped at a watering hole in Addo

Park.

This is one of the "Big Five". the Cape Buffalo. He was at the watering hole above.

See how the elephants follow each other. They walk in a straight line with the babies in between to protect them.

We're finally here!

After 9 hrs flying, plane being searched, sprayed, 9 more hrs. flying, 3 hrs. in the car, up this a.m. at 5:30 for our safari....as you can see it was well worth it. We saw even more animals than this. We're going back out at 4:00 for an evening safari. The bush lodge is fabulous!! and the food even better. As you can see by the first picture....we were tiredddd.

Pictures of our fiasco

The "bird" put a dent in the cockpit. Men looking at the remains of the bird. Us finally getting our "well deserved drink".

Still in the USA

Took off on time in Orlando but about 10 mins. into the flight we heard a loud thump and the cabin began filling up with this horrible smell. The captain told us that we had hit a bird (later he said that he thought it was a bald eagle) and it had gotten sucked into the engine. This was the engine right where Nancy and Patty were sitting. We had to return to OIA and as soon as we landed a fire truck met us to make sure we were okayed to return to the gate. A group of maintenance men/fire fighters met at the engine and went oh-aw as they pointed to the engine. The decision was made that the plane could no longer fly. All of the 300 passengers had wait in line (we had been on row 16 so we were some of the first ones in line thank heavens) to get rebooked. We thought they should have found another plane to take all of us...but they didn't. After an 1 1/2 hrs. in line we finally got to the delta counter. There were no flights to get us to Atlanta to make our connection to Joberg but we were able to get one to Atlanta at 5:10. That would be 10 hrs. at the airport before we even took off. She booked for the same flight the next day to Joberg (only one flight a day). We would miss our connection to Pilanesburg and our first safari. But we got a free room in Atlanta and 3 meal tickets each and would be flying first class to Atlanta. We headed to the bar as soon as this was settled. We were going to use one of the meal tickets for our drinks. Well...the meal ticket was for $7 and a vodka/tonic was $10. Barb had one but Patty and Nancy settled for a $5 beer. We had a successful flight to Atlanta but had to lug our carry-ons a ways to get a hotel shuttle. We haven't seen our big duffles but were told not to worry that they would be in S.A. when we get there. We're hoping we won't have to wear this same outfit for 23 days since we would have already had them on for 4 days. The flight will be 19 hrs from here in Atlanta. Our Grand Circle representative called this a.m. and told us we would each have to pay $100 to get us to Pilanesburg to meet the other 9 safari travelers. We're not happy about this since it wasn't our fault. We'll see if we can get some of our moneies back when we get home. We'll talk to you again from South Africa (here's hoping)

I CAN'T WAIT

Just got back from the beach and can't wait for our trip to Africa. We have to be really creative with our packing as we can only take 44 lbs. This should be interesting. Only 3 days till we go.

I'm getting ready!!!

I have been watching a lot of animal shows on the Animal Planet Channel trying to learn about the Big 5 in S. A. My favorite cat is the cheetah. We'll be able to have our pictures taken with tamed cheetahs. I'm so excited!! We'll be "up close and personal" to elephants and ostriches. I wanted to ride an ostrich but I weigh too much. My tough luck!

Prepping for our trip

Patty, Nancy and Barb are going with a tour group to South Africa. It will be a 3 week trip from Sept 21st-Oct 14th. We are leaving early to take advantage of a 4 day "pre-trip" to Pilanesberg National Park, the third-largest game preserve in the country. It is 2 hours from Johannesburg and is located on the rim of a rare alkaline volcanic crater and surrounded by concentric circles of hills. The park’s breathtaking geology provides a unique backdrop as we seek out the legendary "Big Five": buffalo, elephant, lion, rhino, and leopard. Patty and Nancy have already been "prepping" by experimenting with their new cameras taking pictures of the "Big Five" at several zoos. Below are several pictures they took of the zoo animals and that we hope to see on our safaris.

Meanwhile, until we leave, we are busy figuring out what suitcases, clothes, shoes and toiletries to take. And, oh yeah--which insect spray!!!!