is a bit daunting right now. I'm not sure i like it. It's also cold here......really,really cold. I'm not sure i like that either.
Everything is so expensive, so consumeristic and so commercial that my head is spinning. People here are also giants. I guess that's the Dutch blood for you. Dan's actually pretty good height wise here, must be his dutch blood. I'm an effing midget.
We are off to London to visit James and Lisa for a whirlwind trip. We are both pretty stoked to see them and where they are living now.
However, i think we both left a little part of us in Africa. Mine with everything and Dan's with Simon the monkey who loved him dearly and wouldn't talk back. Conversation was easy with Simon.
Hopefully we'll see everyone as soon as we can when we get home. You'll have to forgive me if i'm a bit quiet and sad. I've had a good two days of travelling to sit, think and take in everything that has happened. It's bittersweet.
ciao for now (our internet time is almost up here!)
aileen&dan
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Great White Wonders
Hi Everyone,
Today was incredible, so much so that I'm not sure it's quite sunk in yet as i write this post.
We were picked up from our hotel at 8:30 this morning and then went on a 2 hour drive to Ganaasbai where the cage diving was taking place. There were 11 other people with us, so it was a good sized group. We spent about 30 minutes getting ready, eating breakfast and learning about the area and then we headed out on the boat.
Due to the time of year (summer here), the odds of seeing great whites are only about 80% compared to the 96% rate they boast during the winter months. As a result of it being the summer here as well, they stay closer to the shore line and further away from Dyer Island where the sharks generally go in the winter time when the young seal pups are heading out to the island. As with most wild animals, they go where the food is, and right now, it's along the shoreline.
So, 15 minutes on the boat later, and we arrived at 'the spot'. We got another quick orientation about where we were, what was going to happen, and how the experience works. Contrary to what i said before we left, all diving operations here use chum and bait to get the sharks closer to the cages. The sharks are already in the area though, so it's not like they are chumming waters where sharks don't normally go in order to appease us tourists.
It took about 45 minutes of just sitting, rocking on the boat until the 1st shark showed up. She was just a little girl, about 3 meters in length and only about 400kg. Beautiful though. Her appearance cued the beginning of what turned out to be one of our divemaster's best days out at sea in the last 3 years. Her appearance also meant that divers could get into the cage.
I was the 4th person into the cage. The water was FREEZING, however i do credit my Canadian blood for allowing me to stay in the water for probably a combined time of about 1 hour vs. the other sissy's who only spent about 15 minutes. Dan ended up going into the cage shortly after me, but we did at one point end up in the cage together at the same time, which was nice. I was squealing with excitement as per usual and he just had a giant shit eating grin. you know, the usual.
We ended up seeing 4 sharks in total. All four where female and one was just over 4 meters long (about 13-14 feet) and weighed approximately 675kg or 1500 pounds give or take. She was magnificent and provided a lot of excellent entertainment and great photo opportunities. In fact, she breached out of the water a couple of times, both while i was in the cage and outside the cage on the boat.
We have a video, so be sure to ask us to show it to you if you are interested in seeing.
I can understand how there are shark attacks in the area (in fact, there was one in that area 2 weeks ago where a shark consumed a dude in his entirety), but I can also understand how they are completely misunderstood.
It was truly amazing and i'd highly recommend the experience to anyone who gets an opportunity to do it.
our travels home begin tomorrow, thus the blogging will likely stop until i post about us arriving home to the god awful -15 weather. So not excited.
see you all very soon!
ciao,
aileen&dan
Today was incredible, so much so that I'm not sure it's quite sunk in yet as i write this post.
We were picked up from our hotel at 8:30 this morning and then went on a 2 hour drive to Ganaasbai where the cage diving was taking place. There were 11 other people with us, so it was a good sized group. We spent about 30 minutes getting ready, eating breakfast and learning about the area and then we headed out on the boat.
Due to the time of year (summer here), the odds of seeing great whites are only about 80% compared to the 96% rate they boast during the winter months. As a result of it being the summer here as well, they stay closer to the shore line and further away from Dyer Island where the sharks generally go in the winter time when the young seal pups are heading out to the island. As with most wild animals, they go where the food is, and right now, it's along the shoreline.
So, 15 minutes on the boat later, and we arrived at 'the spot'. We got another quick orientation about where we were, what was going to happen, and how the experience works. Contrary to what i said before we left, all diving operations here use chum and bait to get the sharks closer to the cages. The sharks are already in the area though, so it's not like they are chumming waters where sharks don't normally go in order to appease us tourists.
It took about 45 minutes of just sitting, rocking on the boat until the 1st shark showed up. She was just a little girl, about 3 meters in length and only about 400kg. Beautiful though. Her appearance cued the beginning of what turned out to be one of our divemaster's best days out at sea in the last 3 years. Her appearance also meant that divers could get into the cage.
I was the 4th person into the cage. The water was FREEZING, however i do credit my Canadian blood for allowing me to stay in the water for probably a combined time of about 1 hour vs. the other sissy's who only spent about 15 minutes. Dan ended up going into the cage shortly after me, but we did at one point end up in the cage together at the same time, which was nice. I was squealing with excitement as per usual and he just had a giant shit eating grin. you know, the usual.
We ended up seeing 4 sharks in total. All four where female and one was just over 4 meters long (about 13-14 feet) and weighed approximately 675kg or 1500 pounds give or take. She was magnificent and provided a lot of excellent entertainment and great photo opportunities. In fact, she breached out of the water a couple of times, both while i was in the cage and outside the cage on the boat.
We have a video, so be sure to ask us to show it to you if you are interested in seeing.
I can understand how there are shark attacks in the area (in fact, there was one in that area 2 weeks ago where a shark consumed a dude in his entirety), but I can also understand how they are completely misunderstood.
It was truly amazing and i'd highly recommend the experience to anyone who gets an opportunity to do it.
our travels home begin tomorrow, thus the blogging will likely stop until i post about us arriving home to the god awful -15 weather. So not excited.
see you all very soon!
ciao,
aileen&dan
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Touristy Thing
So today we did the tourist thing. We got up, had a delicious breakfast, grabbed a map of Cape Town and hit the streets. It was a beautiful day (about 32 degrees), sunny with little or no clouds in the sky. We decided to walk to the V&A Waterfront, do a little shopping, see some seals, grab some lunch and take in the Two Oceans Aquarium. As it turns out, the aquarium did little more than make me sad. I don't like seeing animals in spaces that are too small for them and it nearly broke my heart to watch the sting rays attempt to get out of their tanks. While I understand that they are doing their best to draw awareness about life under the sea, i still couldn't help but feel sad - thus, it was a less than stellar stop for me.
We then walked back to our hotel and grabbed a cab up to the Table Mountain cable car and went up to see what all the fuss was about. It was truly breath-taking. The view was awesome and the afternoon couldn't have been better. We did some walking around, took some amazing photos and then decided to have dinner at the restaurant on top of the mountain. It was heavenly.
We are now back at the hotel, full of food and looking forward to a quiet night. We are cage diving tomorrow, so we have an early morning ahead of us.
Looking forward to getting into the ocean.........hopefully we are still around to tell the story tomorrow!!!
have a good Tuesday everyone.
ciao,
aileen&dan
We then walked back to our hotel and grabbed a cab up to the Table Mountain cable car and went up to see what all the fuss was about. It was truly breath-taking. The view was awesome and the afternoon couldn't have been better. We did some walking around, took some amazing photos and then decided to have dinner at the restaurant on top of the mountain. It was heavenly.
We are now back at the hotel, full of food and looking forward to a quiet night. We are cage diving tomorrow, so we have an early morning ahead of us.
Looking forward to getting into the ocean.........hopefully we are still around to tell the story tomorrow!!!
have a good Tuesday everyone.
ciao,
aileen&dan
Monday, January 25, 2010
Back to Civilization
So, today was a rough day. Aileen is having a particularily difficult time, so this is Dan on the keyboard.
We've left Enkosini, and are back in the big city (Capetown). Good-bye's this morning were very difficult, and we will miss everyone there very much. It has been a life-changing experience for Aileen, and one that neither of us will soon forget. I'm now sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Capetown having a beer. The city is beautiful. This quaint little hotel is beautiful. It should be wonderful, but it all feels so fake. There are no birds singing, or frogs croaking, or crickets chirping. Earlier I thought I heard a baboon, but it was just a dog barking. I already miss swinging in the hammock, or seeing Matt perched ontop of the wall listening to his music, or the dark walk back to our chalet searching the grass for snakes. I think the next few days will be difficult.
Last night we had an epic thunderstorm. I sat on the wall next to Matt, and took some wicked cool pictures of the lightening. While I was sitting there, a frog climbed over my right leg, across my lap, and off the other side. I got the same feeling with that frog that I get when Simon (the baby monkey) curls up on my chest, or when I see the baby warthogs running behind their mother. It is a feeling of extreme joy, and an appreciation for nature and animals. I will definitely take that away from this experience.
Tomorrow we're off to do some touristy stuff in what is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I'm just not that stoked about it, but I will take some good pictures.
Adios for now,
Dan&Aileen
We've left Enkosini, and are back in the big city (Capetown). Good-bye's this morning were very difficult, and we will miss everyone there very much. It has been a life-changing experience for Aileen, and one that neither of us will soon forget. I'm now sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Capetown having a beer. The city is beautiful. This quaint little hotel is beautiful. It should be wonderful, but it all feels so fake. There are no birds singing, or frogs croaking, or crickets chirping. Earlier I thought I heard a baboon, but it was just a dog barking. I already miss swinging in the hammock, or seeing Matt perched ontop of the wall listening to his music, or the dark walk back to our chalet searching the grass for snakes. I think the next few days will be difficult.
Last night we had an epic thunderstorm. I sat on the wall next to Matt, and took some wicked cool pictures of the lightening. While I was sitting there, a frog climbed over my right leg, across my lap, and off the other side. I got the same feeling with that frog that I get when Simon (the baby monkey) curls up on my chest, or when I see the baby warthogs running behind their mother. It is a feeling of extreme joy, and an appreciation for nature and animals. I will definitely take that away from this experience.
Tomorrow we're off to do some touristy stuff in what is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I'm just not that stoked about it, but I will take some good pictures.
Adios for now,
Dan&Aileen
Friday, January 22, 2010
Kopi School
Today we went into the little village just outside of North Gates here at Enkosini. The school has about 60 kids between the ages of 4 and 14 that go there and we brought them school supplies, games, toys and had a bbq. It was fantastic to hang out with all of them and a few even knew a little bit of english - so I actually had a little conversation with one girl.
It was a sweltering day - around 36 degrees - and the shade was scarce, but we stayed from about 10:30am until 1:30pm. I had my face painted by a couple of the girls and Dan played a great game of soccer with the guys. They have so little that it was incredible to watch as they got the new toys and spent hours and hours playing with them.
I have so many pictures, it will be great to show everyone all of them.
On another note, just the other day we saw one of the rarest birds in South Africa. It's called a Ross's Lourie and the only other one that's been sighted is near Mozambique. We are going to have to email the bird watching foundation to let them know we have seen them here so it can be added to new additions of the Birds of South Africa book.
We are off for a night drive tonight and then the waterfalls on saturday and i might go fishing on Sunday to finish off our time here, but who knows!?!
Also, as this will be the last time i write before we get to Cape Town, i'm going to give a shout out to my baby brother who turns 15 tomorrow. Happy Birthday Pete!!!!
ciao,
aileen & dan
It was a sweltering day - around 36 degrees - and the shade was scarce, but we stayed from about 10:30am until 1:30pm. I had my face painted by a couple of the girls and Dan played a great game of soccer with the guys. They have so little that it was incredible to watch as they got the new toys and spent hours and hours playing with them.
I have so many pictures, it will be great to show everyone all of them.
On another note, just the other day we saw one of the rarest birds in South Africa. It's called a Ross's Lourie and the only other one that's been sighted is near Mozambique. We are going to have to email the bird watching foundation to let them know we have seen them here so it can be added to new additions of the Birds of South Africa book.
We are off for a night drive tonight and then the waterfalls on saturday and i might go fishing on Sunday to finish off our time here, but who knows!?!
Also, as this will be the last time i write before we get to Cape Town, i'm going to give a shout out to my baby brother who turns 15 tomorrow. Happy Birthday Pete!!!!
ciao,
aileen & dan
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
so....
today i stabbed a horse with a needle. well, actually Nelis did and i just handed him the needle like a nurse. it was quite something to watch. The horse is Ice. He has an infection in his heel, so we've been giving him antibiotics to make him all better.
Be warned though, that horses are crazy when they get stuck in a corner.
The truck broke down today, so we weren't really able to do much work so i monkey sitted this morning. It was boring. I was the only one at the house. I planned my escape plan if any of the following situations happened (of which neither happened)
1. snakebite
2. wasp sting
3. rusty the warthog attacked me again
4. poachers came onto the property
They were good plans, but far to complex to explain on this post. Just know that the chances of me dying are really quite slim.
In other news, i threw a dart straight into the dead center of the bullseye today. it was awesome. Neils and Dan were both speechless. It was awesome.
We are off leopard tracking tonight. Wish us luck!!!
ciao,
aileen&dan
Be warned though, that horses are crazy when they get stuck in a corner.
The truck broke down today, so we weren't really able to do much work so i monkey sitted this morning. It was boring. I was the only one at the house. I planned my escape plan if any of the following situations happened (of which neither happened)
1. snakebite
2. wasp sting
3. rusty the warthog attacked me again
4. poachers came onto the property
They were good plans, but far to complex to explain on this post. Just know that the chances of me dying are really quite slim.
In other news, i threw a dart straight into the dead center of the bullseye today. it was awesome. Neils and Dan were both speechless. It was awesome.
We are off leopard tracking tonight. Wish us luck!!!
ciao,
aileen&dan
Monday, January 18, 2010
Blyde River Canyon and the Echo Caves
Well, a month into our trip, this is finally an update from the Dan part of the Aileen & Dan duo. Aileen has not been allowing me to write on the blog because she says I'm boring and nobody wants to hear what I have to say anyway.
She's off taking a shower in our wicked cool outdoor safari shower, so I've snuck onto the computer.
I have had fantastic time on the trip thus far. I've had monkeys piss and shit on me. I've coiled up a whole crap load of barbed wire. I've tried to kill the wasp nest at our chalet twice, and failed, so now I've just learned to live with it. Today I made a small gate to keep the warthog off the patio.
Last night I killed a centipede that we found under Aileen's shoe inside our chalet. Today we found another one in a pile of rocks and Tjart went berzerk stomping his boot on it until it was dead. Tjaart is a crazy old farmer that helps out with things around Enkosini. Everyone here says "Anything Tjaart doesn't know about nature is not worth knowing". He told me about how the dung beetle lays its eggs by rolling a piece of poo into a ball, and then burying it, digging out the insides, and planting its eggs in there so the larvae have something to feed on. Then there is a type of wasp that finds the poo, and puts its eggs inside as well, so that they can feed on the dung beetle larvae. So anyway, Tjaart killed the centipede, and then told us that if they bite you, "it burns like mad and then you start to rot from the inside". The only way to save yourself it to cut out all the rotting flesh around the bite.
So I guess I should be telling you about the highlight of the weekend, which was a trip yesterday to the Blyde river canyon. It's about an hour and a half drive from Lydenburg, and it is absolutely breathtaking. We'll have to post some pictures later. There are three huge circular mountain type things called the "Three Rondevals" in the canyon. Rondevals are the old circular mud/grass huts that early humans in the area lived in. The best part was a cave we stopped at on our way back. It was called the "Echo caves" because there are stalagtites deep in the cave that you can play like a xylophone. The sound magnifies through the caves and is quite loud coming out of the entrance. The guide told us all about the history of the caves, and how they were used as a hiding place by the swazi people when the zulus were attacking.
So anyway, the monday excursion back into town just arrived, so I should go help unload groceries and eat my pizza.
Guye Dag!
Dan&Aileen (see how I switched that?)
She's off taking a shower in our wicked cool outdoor safari shower, so I've snuck onto the computer.
I have had fantastic time on the trip thus far. I've had monkeys piss and shit on me. I've coiled up a whole crap load of barbed wire. I've tried to kill the wasp nest at our chalet twice, and failed, so now I've just learned to live with it. Today I made a small gate to keep the warthog off the patio.
Last night I killed a centipede that we found under Aileen's shoe inside our chalet. Today we found another one in a pile of rocks and Tjart went berzerk stomping his boot on it until it was dead. Tjaart is a crazy old farmer that helps out with things around Enkosini. Everyone here says "Anything Tjaart doesn't know about nature is not worth knowing". He told me about how the dung beetle lays its eggs by rolling a piece of poo into a ball, and then burying it, digging out the insides, and planting its eggs in there so the larvae have something to feed on. Then there is a type of wasp that finds the poo, and puts its eggs inside as well, so that they can feed on the dung beetle larvae. So anyway, Tjaart killed the centipede, and then told us that if they bite you, "it burns like mad and then you start to rot from the inside". The only way to save yourself it to cut out all the rotting flesh around the bite.
So I guess I should be telling you about the highlight of the weekend, which was a trip yesterday to the Blyde river canyon. It's about an hour and a half drive from Lydenburg, and it is absolutely breathtaking. We'll have to post some pictures later. There are three huge circular mountain type things called the "Three Rondevals" in the canyon. Rondevals are the old circular mud/grass huts that early humans in the area lived in. The best part was a cave we stopped at on our way back. It was called the "Echo caves" because there are stalagtites deep in the cave that you can play like a xylophone. The sound magnifies through the caves and is quite loud coming out of the entrance. The guide told us all about the history of the caves, and how they were used as a hiding place by the swazi people when the zulus were attacking.
So anyway, the monday excursion back into town just arrived, so I should go help unload groceries and eat my pizza.
Guye Dag!
Dan&Aileen (see how I switched that?)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
An Update
Hi Everyone!!
Sorry for the long lapse in posts, but we are trying our best to get the full experience here and not go on the internet that often!! However, so much has happened that I figured an update was in order.
I love it here. I would pack my bags, sell everything and move here in an instant. I, of course, can't speak for Dan, but i'm completely intoxicated with this place. It's so simple and relaxing and perfect that I'm struggling with the idea of coming home. For those who know me well, most know that i freak out when anything that buzzes come near me, i need my tv and the majority of the time i'm living with a serious stomach ache. I've learned to love the bugs, even the ones that buzz. In fact, we have a rat that is living with us in the chalet right now and i'm not that bothered by him. I don't want my tv anymore. If anyone wants it, they are more then welcome to take it. I've yet to have a stomach ache. I've eaten cheese, drank milk, ate very rare steak and i've loved it all. It's a different feeling - something i'm not used to.
Nelis is a mans man. He is the volunteer coordinator and an absolute wealth of knowledge. If i have a question, he knows the answer. Right now we are in the middle of Afrikaans lessons, and grass/trees/and plant lessons. I'm learning, but there is so much to take in it's unreal! Dan enjoys having him around as well. He's learning from him as well.
We took on another orphaned monkey on Sunday. His name is Simone. He's about 4 weeks old and he is completely in love with Dan. Fiona is still a girls girl, but she's learning quickly that she can climb trees with the best of them. It's always a treat to monkey-sit with them. You never know when you are going to get peed on!!
We have been taking old fencing down during the days. It's really, really hard work. It's also hot as hell here, so we start at 7am and usually finish that part of the day by noon. The tans are coming along nicely and we'll be working on them even more this weekend when we head back to the waterfalls!
I'll do my best to get some pictures up, but the internet connection is slow and i don't really want to wait around for them all to upload. I will upload pictures related to all of the posts when we arrive in Cape Town for sure and the internet is more reliable.
Sorry for the long update, it's been nice to 'connect'. Miss everyone, even though i'd pack up and leave in a heartbeat.
ciao,
aileen & dan
Sorry for the long lapse in posts, but we are trying our best to get the full experience here and not go on the internet that often!! However, so much has happened that I figured an update was in order.
I love it here. I would pack my bags, sell everything and move here in an instant. I, of course, can't speak for Dan, but i'm completely intoxicated with this place. It's so simple and relaxing and perfect that I'm struggling with the idea of coming home. For those who know me well, most know that i freak out when anything that buzzes come near me, i need my tv and the majority of the time i'm living with a serious stomach ache. I've learned to love the bugs, even the ones that buzz. In fact, we have a rat that is living with us in the chalet right now and i'm not that bothered by him. I don't want my tv anymore. If anyone wants it, they are more then welcome to take it. I've yet to have a stomach ache. I've eaten cheese, drank milk, ate very rare steak and i've loved it all. It's a different feeling - something i'm not used to.
Nelis is a mans man. He is the volunteer coordinator and an absolute wealth of knowledge. If i have a question, he knows the answer. Right now we are in the middle of Afrikaans lessons, and grass/trees/and plant lessons. I'm learning, but there is so much to take in it's unreal! Dan enjoys having him around as well. He's learning from him as well.
We took on another orphaned monkey on Sunday. His name is Simone. He's about 4 weeks old and he is completely in love with Dan. Fiona is still a girls girl, but she's learning quickly that she can climb trees with the best of them. It's always a treat to monkey-sit with them. You never know when you are going to get peed on!!
We have been taking old fencing down during the days. It's really, really hard work. It's also hot as hell here, so we start at 7am and usually finish that part of the day by noon. The tans are coming along nicely and we'll be working on them even more this weekend when we head back to the waterfalls!
I'll do my best to get some pictures up, but the internet connection is slow and i don't really want to wait around for them all to upload. I will upload pictures related to all of the posts when we arrive in Cape Town for sure and the internet is more reliable.
Sorry for the long update, it's been nice to 'connect'. Miss everyone, even though i'd pack up and leave in a heartbeat.
ciao,
aileen & dan
Friday, January 8, 2010
Monkey sitting & Day 2 in Kruger
So i forgot to mention Fiona in my last post. She is a monkey. A verveet monkey. She likes grapes, green beans, and boobs and has a nasty habit of crawling down your shirt and hanging out for a while. Fiona and I had a day of bonding on Wednesday. Yes, that's right - i was monkey sitting.
Fiona is 10 weeks old. Her mom was shot and she was brought to Enkosini by the local vet to look after until she can either be re-released or sent to another sanctuary in the general area.
The local monkeys want her, so looking after her is quite a big deal. It took us about 3 hours to warm up to each other, but now we are best of friends. In fact, she slept in my shirt for about 30 minutes while everyone was away working. It was cute. I'll make sure Dan gets a picture of the two of us together at some point.
Today we spent the entire day looking for animals. We saw everything except the elusive lions which we are hoping to see tomorrow morning on our way back to Enkosini. We saw a leopard - stunning and super stealthy, a lot of giraffes, a lot of hippos, a couple of crocodiles, a three week old elephant and thousands of impala and hundreds of zebras. It was a great day for viewing and hot once again.
Downloading pictures is a pain right now. The internet connection is slow, so we are going to wait until we are in cape town to add pictures. Sorry!!!
Hope everyone is having a good week - we sure are!
Off to have a shower and Braii (bbq)......mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
ciao,
aileen & dan
Fiona is 10 weeks old. Her mom was shot and she was brought to Enkosini by the local vet to look after until she can either be re-released or sent to another sanctuary in the general area.
The local monkeys want her, so looking after her is quite a big deal. It took us about 3 hours to warm up to each other, but now we are best of friends. In fact, she slept in my shirt for about 30 minutes while everyone was away working. It was cute. I'll make sure Dan gets a picture of the two of us together at some point.
Today we spent the entire day looking for animals. We saw everything except the elusive lions which we are hoping to see tomorrow morning on our way back to Enkosini. We saw a leopard - stunning and super stealthy, a lot of giraffes, a lot of hippos, a couple of crocodiles, a three week old elephant and thousands of impala and hundreds of zebras. It was a great day for viewing and hot once again.
Downloading pictures is a pain right now. The internet connection is slow, so we are going to wait until we are in cape town to add pictures. Sorry!!!
Hope everyone is having a good week - we sure are!
Off to have a shower and Braii (bbq)......mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
ciao,
aileen & dan
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Enkosini and Day 1 in Kruger
So.....we love it here. it's hot (really,really, really hot), we are both sunburnt, and for some odd reason we are having a very easy time going to bed at 9pm and waking up around 5am. weird.
Enkosini is a very basic sanctuary. Water is solar heated, there is no electricity and the accommodations are rustic. It's nice. We saw Ostrich, Warthogs, Red Hardebeest, Kudu and other miscellaneous antelopey animals yesterday on our first official work day. We then had a siesta and then went for a walk to see some sweet waterfalls and pictographs. It was a tough day.haha
Today, we left at 6am for Kruger. It was a beautiful drive, the scenery and landscape here are AMAZING! We got to the park at 11am and just arrived in camp now. Our animal count so far is
10 hippos
6 giraffes
1 black rhino
1 elephant
2 troops of baboons
hundreds of impala and kudu
3 warthogs
3 water buffalo
3 zebras
Hope everyone is having a great time in the -23 degree weather....suckers.
hope to update again tomorrow!
ciao,
aileen & dan
Enkosini is a very basic sanctuary. Water is solar heated, there is no electricity and the accommodations are rustic. It's nice. We saw Ostrich, Warthogs, Red Hardebeest, Kudu and other miscellaneous antelopey animals yesterday on our first official work day. We then had a siesta and then went for a walk to see some sweet waterfalls and pictographs. It was a tough day.haha
Today, we left at 6am for Kruger. It was a beautiful drive, the scenery and landscape here are AMAZING! We got to the park at 11am and just arrived in camp now. Our animal count so far is10 hippos
6 giraffes
1 black rhino
1 elephant
2 troops of baboons
hundreds of impala and kudu
3 warthogs
3 water buffalo
3 zebras
We have another full day of viewing tomorrow, so i expect the numbers will jump a great deal. We are heading north, where all the elephants and cats roam. We can't wait.
Hope everyone is having a great time in the -23 degree weather....suckers.
hope to update again tomorrow!
ciao,
aileen & dan
Monday, January 4, 2010
AFRICA!!
We made it. Safe and sound. It's beautiful here. It's hot here. We love it here.
Right now we are in Lyndberg, South Africa waiting for our ride out to Enkosini. We've had pretty decent luck so far with regards to travel, food and people.
Our taxi to the airport in Glasgow broke down, so we had to wait for a new one to come and by the time we got to the airport, we were faced with a very, very long line. But, we managed to get through it and onto the flight.
Our connection in Amsterdam was seamless and the 11.5 hour flight to South Africa was a breeze. You have NOT seen desert until you've flown over Africa. It was INCREDIBLE!
Our hotels have been great, the food has been good and the people are very, very nice so far. The accent is taking a bit of getting used to, but we seem to have picked up a few words along the way.
I'm suffering through a major cold right now...which made flying a bit painful, but i've picked up some amazing cough syrup and hopefully i'll only be coughing for a few more days and then i'll be back to normal.
New years was great. We stayed up until 7am and had a great time partying with the cousins. We miss them already.
We'll post some picture when we can - although i'm not sure when that will be. It looks like we might be doing Kruger park this week, but again, who knows!?!
we hope everyone is doing well back home. We miss you all!!!
aileen & dan
Right now we are in Lyndberg, South Africa waiting for our ride out to Enkosini. We've had pretty decent luck so far with regards to travel, food and people.
Our taxi to the airport in Glasgow broke down, so we had to wait for a new one to come and by the time we got to the airport, we were faced with a very, very long line. But, we managed to get through it and onto the flight.
Our connection in Amsterdam was seamless and the 11.5 hour flight to South Africa was a breeze. You have NOT seen desert until you've flown over Africa. It was INCREDIBLE!
Our hotels have been great, the food has been good and the people are very, very nice so far. The accent is taking a bit of getting used to, but we seem to have picked up a few words along the way.
I'm suffering through a major cold right now...which made flying a bit painful, but i've picked up some amazing cough syrup and hopefully i'll only be coughing for a few more days and then i'll be back to normal.
New years was great. We stayed up until 7am and had a great time partying with the cousins. We miss them already.
We'll post some picture when we can - although i'm not sure when that will be. It looks like we might be doing Kruger park this week, but again, who knows!?!
we hope everyone is doing well back home. We miss you all!!!
aileen & dan
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