Hello everyone! Sorry, again, that it's been so long between posts. University life is really picking up, as I'm putting together my thesis proposal and finishing up classes.
In mid-April, my brother Andy and sister-in-law Kasey came to visit me in South Africa, and we had such an amazing time together! It was so exciting to have my first visitors here; it was getting a little lonely being half a world away from my family. I waited anxiously for their arrival at the airport, and couldn't have been happier to see their faces emerge from baggage claim.
Once Andy and Kasey arrived, I took them in my lovely vehicle (a Mazda sedan that is older than I am) to their hotel in a very swanky part of the city. After getting set up at the hotel, we set off for our one day in Johannesburg together. We decided to go to one of the African craft markets first and grab some lunch, as well. After browsing the markets for a bit, we picked up my friend Adriann and headed to the Apartheid Museum. The museum was really interesting, but it turns out that it isn't the best place to take people who are jet-lagged. Everyone started getting really tired, so we though going somewhere a little more stimulating would be wise. So, we drove to the lion park to play with baby lions! But it was closed...
Kasey was crushed. She just loves cats - even big scary ones. :)
That night we ate at Moyo, the pan-African restaurant that I've written about before. We had a wonderful time catching up and enjoying delicious food. After that, we headed to bed in hopes of being refreshed for the first day of our safari!
The next morning, our safari guide (who we nicknamed Craig Safari) picked us up to take us on the three hour trip to the game reserve. Once we arrived in Pilannesburg, we had half a day left to see animals in the daylight, so we went on the hunt! We saw several animals, including Zebra, Wildebeest, Rhino, and Elephant. Actually, one of the most exciting stories from the trip is about our elephant encounter. We came across a small herd of elephant (about five) that were eating on some trees next to the road. We stopped quite near them to observe and take pictures. One of the females was crossing the road a mere three feet from our car, and a young male followed her. The two of them stopped right in front of the car, and the male was attempting to mate with the female. She was not willing to be woo-ed, however. She became very agitated, and was showing signs that she was also unhappy that we were so close. She moved forward, trying to push our vehicle away, and soon moved to the side of the vehicle in an attempt to get us to leave. All I could see out my window was a big elephant head, and I think her trunk even touched the car! We were so nervous, but luckily we were with a pretty knowledgeable guide who knew how to handle such a situation.
We went and settled into the chalet for the evening, and went to bed early in order to prepare for our 5 am wake-up call. The next morning we again set off with our guide. The day was pretty successful, especially since we were able to see a leopard, which are extremely difficult to find. That night we went on a night drive in an open-air safari vehicle and some other people from the camp. We spent several hours hunting lion, and were kindly rewarded for our search. We experienced an amazing encounter with a grown male lion. He was sitting in the open, just in front of our vehicle. He walked around the vehicle, just a few feet from our dangling arms. It was scary and amazing all at once! He eventually started roaring, and it was so loud. I never would have believed that it could have made such a powerful sound, if i had not heard it with my own ears. Needless to say, the roaring made everyone a bit nervous, but before long the lion walked away into the tall grasslands. How majestic! After that experience, we went back to the camp absolutely elated at our find.
The next day we left early again, in hopes of have more up-close encounters with these curious and awe-inspiring animals. We were again rather successful, and by the time our safari was complete we had seen four of the Big Five animals - Lion, Rhino, Leopard, and Elephant - along with many other animals. We only missed the Buffalo. That evening Andy and Kasey flew to Cape Town, and I headed back to Jo'burg to do some work.
Two days later, I hopped a flight to Cape Town to spend some more time with my family. We went to the winelands outside of Cape Town the first day there. It was so beautiful, even through all of the rain. We ate delicious, five-star food and shopped in little towns all afternoon. On the way back to town, we stopped at a cheetah park, to get an up-close view of these beautiful cats. It was near closing time, but we were able to see them for fifteen minutes or so. We could hear them purring and see them playing together; you almost forget they're dangerous! We drove to the ocean in an attempt to see the sunset, but had no luck due to the clouds. We ate dinner in the Cape that night, though, just in view of the ocean.
The next day we explored some of Cape Town, went to some Craft Markets, ate a delightful lunch. Robben Island, the place just off of the cape where political prisoners (like Nelson Mandela) were kept during apartheid in South Africa, was the focus of our day, however. We took a ferry to the island, where we had a guided tour through the island. An former prisoner took us through the actual prison, and he told his story, which was really interesting. After that we went to Victoria's Warf, and did some shopping before once again failing to see the sunset thanks to crazy sea fog. We had a truly amazing dining experience that night at a place just a short walk from our lodging. The following day I had to leave for Johannesburg, and Andy and Kasey finished out their time in Cape Town before going back to the States.
It was so great seeing those two...I just wish it could have been longer!
I can't wait for Mom and Dad to arrive - only three weeks!
