13 hours on the bus!

We are now back in Johannesburg after a *long* busride from Kruger Park. We started on the bus this morning at 6:00 AM so we could try to catch the morning animals as we drove through the park on our way out. We drove south through the park, for six hours, into terrain that had more savannah grass and fewer scrub bushes. The grasslands are home to more of the large cats, which need large open spaces for hunting. Sadly, we didn't see any lions or leopards, although apparently both were spotted near where we were. We did see a number of other animals, though, including a hyena with new babies, and a mating pair of impala (interrupted in mid-mate by our busload of gaping students snapping photos, which, really, must have kind of killed the mood). We also saw our first Wildebeest today, and our first Jackal. And we saw more incredible birds, including some very endangered ones. Dylan is pretty certain he saw a Rhino, but no one else saw it, so I guess he gets solo bragging rights.

When we got to the Oliphants River, one of the main Kruger rivers, we stopped at one of the few park overlooks to see into the great wide river valley. Animals were all along the river, walking and drinking. The sand was filled with footprints, all made by animals. Again, we saw many different species mingling near each other, which seemed wild and strange and peaceful somehow. We also got distracted by a number of Vervet Monkeys who were playing and jumping and posing in several low trees near where we parked. As they distracted us by being so darn cute, one of them sneaked behind us and broke into the bus through a barely open window. Suddenly I heard our guide shout, and I turned to see a monkey inside the bus, jumping up and down from the luggage rack to the seats and back again. As the guide and I got to the bus, the monkey saw us, and leaped out with an apple in his mouth and raced back to his friends! It was so funny, and would you believe that that monkey not only broke into the bus, he managed to quickly find and break into a closed bag, dig under various objects, remove plastic wrap, and grab the largest reddest and ripest apple of the bunch!

We had, by this morning, seen so many elephants and giraffes and zebras and buffalo that we didn't even stop for them anymore. It is so strange to think that we had gotten so jaded so quickly. Being in this huge wild space filled with so many amazing wild animals was such a privilege and honor.

Last night, we went out after dark in a large open-sided safari jeep. We had hand-held spotlights and a few flashlights, and we barreled down the roads with a ranger driving, pointing the lights out into the bush looking for animals. We were laughing and pointing, the jeep was loud, and after we got away from the camp, we were literally the only non-natural light and sound around. As far as we could see in any direction, there was only the stars and us. The crickets were loud, and the bush was filled with the sounds of rustling smaller animals, which were admittedly hard to hear over our talk and laughter. We didn't see too much at first, until Damond spotted a Giraffe (Damond was the first to spot most of the Giraffes we saw in Kruger). Looking at the Giraffe at night was really interesting. We were careful not to shine the light in his face, but we did have 3 spotlights and several flashlights trained on him. He didn't seem the least concerned. He just kept chewing as he curiously gazed at us while we stared at him.

Later we saw a huge bull elephant standing under a tall leafy tree. Our ranger was a little cautious, and we were very careful with the lights. But the elephant was more interested in eating than in us. We watched as he pushed up from his back legs, arched his trunk in the air, and slowly launched himself up to an impossibly high leafy branch. He used his trunk to circle and grab the branch, broke off a small part, and then put the leaves in his mouth. Then he spit out the twiggy wood that had held the leaves. He was so agile with his trunk, and the whole thing was amazing to see!

Soon after, we got to our brai site. The Afrikaners use the word brai instead of barbecue, only I have to say that our brai was so much more than just a barbecue! We pulled into a small clearing in the woods. There was a roaring fire in a fire pit, and there were candles all around in the trees and on the 3 tables that were set with china and silverware (and tablecloths!). There was an electric fence, and then another rough wood fence around the perimeter. Between the two fences, just out of reach of the light, two armed rangers patrolled. There was a bar, a salad table, a grill with chicken kabobs, steaks, and warthog sausages. And in the fire pit, they had cooked a number of African dishes for us. It was just lovely! We sat out there, under the stars, listening to the sounds of the woods and the animals around us, talking, eating this amazing food, and having a wonderful experience. On the way home, we were a quieter bunch. At one point, the ranger stopped the jeep and turned off the engine. We sat there quietly in the complete dark and silence, with nothing human-made visible on any side of us. The stars were filling the sky, the Milky Way was visible, and we just breathed the air and felt the space. Wow.

Tomorrow, we fly to East London and have the rest of the day free. We are staying right on the Indian Ocean, so I suspect there may be some students heading out for the beach. After East London, we'll be staying for 2 nights in the Xhoxa King's Palace, literally, although it isn't a palace in the European sense. We'll be sleeping in traditional Rondevals, the round houses with thatched roofs. I doubt we'll have internet there, but if we do, we'll be sure to post. I'll also try to upload some more photos tomorrow before we leave for the Xhosa village.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms back home!