Safari Time

When my sister decided to come visit me in South Africa, I knew we had to go on a little safari and check out the wildlife that Africa is famous for.  I'd never been on a safari, so I was thrilled to have an excuse to climb in a Land Rover Defender and be driven throughout the bush looking to spot animals.

Alex was great and while Laura and I were in Cape Town he booked us a one night safari with two game drives through MTBeds.  (a website that gives discounts for last minute safari bookings)  We stayed at Black Rhino Game Lodge, which I highlighted in the last blog post, and we had a great time, and saw some fabulous animals.  Here are a few of the photos I took.

a male elephant (bull) approximately 25-30 years old.  We saw him again at the end of our first drive and on our second drive, too.

Mommy and Baby white rhinoceros.  Our guide, Hannes, said the baby is probably about six months old.  Baby rhinos stay with their mommas until they are about 18 months old; then, they are so spoiled that when it is time for them to go, they have to poke them with their horn to get them to leave and start their own life.

same momma and baby

Vervet monkeys.  So so so cute!

dung beetles on their ball of rhino dung.  Dung beetles are awesome.  This is a male dung beetle who was rolling his dung ball when along comes the female dung beetle and she thinks, 'my oh my what a nice ball of poo!  I want to date you!'  Then she hops on the ball and lays her eggs on the dirt covered ball of poo so that after they bury the ball, the eggs will have food for when the baby dung beetles hatch out!

Wildebeest!  African legend says that God made the wildebeest from the leftover parts of the other animals.  

this old female rhino had injured her horn early in life, so it now grows out straight rather than curving back.

Female kudu.  Sadly, we didn't get to see the male kudu, which has stunning spiral horns.

 zebras!

Zebras live in groups of 5-6, with one male and the rest females.  The females are called their harems, and males will fight to the death to take over anothers harem.  They then kill off all the baby zebras that aren't theirs.  So zebras may be super pretty and make a nice print for accent in outfits, but they are mean little dudes.

Leopard tortoise (female), one of the Little Five!

We were also able to see Cape Buffalo and giraffe from a distance, but too far away to get any pictures.  Safaris are so restful and serene, I hope that I get to go on several more before I die.  (I say before I die so that I give myself plenty of time to fulfill this wish, I hope.)

I still have more updates about Sister's visit, so keep checking back for more excitement. :)

Hotel Room Tour #3

My sister has been visiting, and we have been having so much fun cooking, shopping, laughing, singing Taylor Swift, walking Jozi, telling old stories, and driving Alex crazy with our weird sisterliness.  We also took two super fun trips away from JoBurg together.  The first being to Cape Town for four glorious days in the sun and on the beach, on Table Mountain, shopping in vintage shops, picnicking with penguins, wine tasting, and generally enjoying being reunited.

The second trip we took was to Black Rhino Game Lodge in Pilanesburg Park about 120 km outside of Johannesburg.  Alex had gone there in the winter with some of his French friends and really enjoyed it, so when Laura and I were looking for a quick one night safari experience to see some animals, we knew this would satisfy our wishes.

Here are some photos of the swanky little room/hut we stayed in.  I'll post more about the animals and our trip later!

 Immediately when walking in, there is a lovely little sitting area.  And a TV, complete with DSTV.  Pretty impressive for being in the wilderness.

 Super comfortable bed.  And the thatched roof...oh how I love thatched roofs.  Can you find them in the US?  Add that to my list of dream house qualifications.

 outdoor sitting area to enjoy the beauty and solitude of the bush

 two showers?!  what a tough decision!

vanity

outdoor shower, my favorite!  sadly, the trip was too quick to get to enjoy a shower in nature. :(

such a fabulous one night getaway in a great hotel!

Instagram Life Update

For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram, which I am pretty sure is 100% of my readership (HI MOM!) here is a brief update on life through some recent IG photos.

For Alex's 26th birthday, I attempted my first batch of cut out sugar cookies iced with royal  icing.  This is when they are halfway done...I'd say they were a success.  I have since made Rosh Hashanah cutout cookies, as well.

 Our lovely landlords left tomato plants in a pot on our master bedroom porch.  (they also left weird fish dishes, but that's neither here nor there)  These red babies got turned into bruschetta.  yum!

Mornings in the garden with my pup, my Kindle, (now, sadly, with school books), and a cup of tea are the best way to start the day.

 Friday mornings I volunteer at Witkoppen Health and Welfare Clinic in the immunization clinic.  It is a GREAT organization and I really enjoy working with the nurse in charge, Christina, and seeing all the sweet little kids and their kind, precious parents.

At the Freedom Charter Monument in Soweto.  The Freedom Charter was a statement of the principles by the ANC (African National Congress).  They literally sent people out into South Africa to ask them what they wanted in the government.  This was the document drawn from those surveys.  The Freedom Charter

 Nelson Mandela's home on Vilakazi Street in Soweto.  Vilakazi Street is home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners--Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  (I went to Soweto with Ralph and Alicia while they were visiting--sadly, Alex was working.)

Views from our amazing hotel in Namibia.

 My friend the oryx.  (also in Namibia)

Jozi is a MASTER at carrying sticks.  She will find one, of any size, at the beginning of the walk, and 99% of the time, she is still carrying it at the end.  She loves it so much, she doesn't care if they poke her in the eye.

 HUGE snail.  For some reason, snails flock to our house.  Every night we have seven or eight right outside our front door.

At our favorite dog park, Jozi met another girl weimaraner the same age as she.  Seeing double!

 Alex and I at Taste of JoBurg.  (I'm not wearing a party hat, that is one of the tents behind me)  We ate a lot of delicious food, found several new restaurants to try, and ended the afternoon with whiskey and fudge.  No complaints here.

These girls were tired after their morning run.

  Jozi sleeps in the weirdest positions.  Case in point.

There was a three day period my husband was so into The Hunger Games that I couldn't get him off the couch.  Jozi also made sure he didn't get off the couch by holding him down.

 My British friends, Anna and Emma, introduced me to the amazing, delicious glory that is Eton Mess.  I fantasize about it every day.  So unbelievably good.

My wonderful mother-in-law brought me enough chili powder to last a life time.  You can't buy it in South Africa, and the stock I brought with me was nearly gone.  Now, hot spaghetti and spicy chicken tacos will live on in JoBurg.

 At the Jozi Craft Beer Festival, Alex indulged in some pork ribs.  I went for the hamburger.  Both were quite satisfying.

Nothing like a late night at the Bain Johannesburg office so we can stream some Oklahoma football. This was the Red River Rivalry, so the night ended well.

 Before the start of my first 5K race.  The JoBurg Spar Women's 5K.

 and the end!  I survived!

Snout, no doubt.

 I've borrowed The Hummingbird Bakery cookbook from Debi, the boys' mom, three times now.  It's seriously one of the best cookbooks for baked goods I have found.  These oatmeal raisin cookies were phenomenal. 

If she doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning, you sure aren't either.

 Hate to break it to you, Jozi, but you aren't hidden as well as you think you are.

Our faces of excitement when we woke up an realized Sister is coming to visit in one week!  (countdown as of today: t-minus two days!!)

 More football at the Bain Johannesburg office.  2 AM South Africa kick-off time.  Sadly, this game didn't end up as well as the RRR.  

I just thought this is so cool.  It's on the wall at Alex's office.

 Cricket match!!!  More on this for another post.

 
I cleaned under the couch and found Jozi's hoard of water bottles, her Kong, and her pink ball.  That is twelve water bottles we gave her to play with at some point, and she succeeded in hiding them all under the couch.  (They were even hidden from herself.)

xoxo