I have arrived here in the Limpopo Province to stay in the town of Thouyandou for the month of December. As we drove north from Jo'berg everything began to get greener and greener, the houses and Jo-Jo's (water tanks) were disappearing between the lush trees and then the mango trees began to appear. There are mango trees everywhere here- along with banana trees and leechie trees- the soil is so red and fertile that vegetables and fruit is grown in every yard. The fruit tastes so sweet- like it have been soaked in sugar!
December is the school holidays for the kids and I am staying at a home for orphans that is run by one grandmother who saw a need- a need for children to have a safe place where they can attend school and have dreams. Her community was not doing anything about these children so she took them into her home. Today there are about 23 children from newborn to mid 20's that live with her- they are each eager to learn and have many dreams! Some of the girls want to be lawyers- so they can help protect people. Or they want to be Doctors so that they can help people who are sick from AIDS- their dreams will come true because of the love and support that Mama Lydia is giving them.
Today I watched the older guys help pack a truck full of supplies to take to Zimbabwe- each of the kids went through their clothes to give them away and they have collected food, fuel and other items to send over the boarder as they know how much the people there are suffering. Although the Zim boarder is only 1.5 away from here it is like a world away- Here in Thouyandou we have clean water, the streets are safe, our super markets are full of food and we are safe. What is happening in Zim is a crime and people have suffered for too long.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Photos of Safari Animals
Saturday November 22 2008
Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!! Rather it was Elephants, Warthogs, Springbok, Water Buffalo, Hippos, Rhinos and.... many many more! Here are just a few photos of some of my favorite ones. Stories to come!
We met this white rhino as we were leaving the Kharma Rhino Sanctuary in Botswana- if I put my hand out the window I could of pet him... BUT we kept all hands in the truck.
The resident Elephant at the Oddballs Camp in the Okavanga Delta.
This became a common sight- many Zebra's grazing!
After searching and searching (along with getting up each day at 5am) for lions and giving up, one walk out in front of the truck!
Mama and baby having a drink at the river front in Chobe National Park, Botswana
I think we interrupted his snack.
This was my first EVER sighting of wild Elephants! It was in Daramaland Namibia, the camp had build this watering hole for the herd of 30 elephants otherwise during the dry season they would pull up the piping- so they decided to make them their own water source!
Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!! Rather it was Elephants, Warthogs, Springbok, Water Buffalo, Hippos, Rhinos and.... many many more! Here are just a few photos of some of my favorite ones. Stories to come!
We met this white rhino as we were leaving the Kharma Rhino Sanctuary in Botswana- if I put my hand out the window I could of pet him... BUT we kept all hands in the truck. The resident Elephant at the Oddballs Camp in the Okavanga Delta. This became a common sight- many Zebra's grazing!After searching and searching (along with getting up each day at 5am) for lions and giving up, one walk out in front of the truck!
Mama and baby having a drink at the river front in Chobe National Park, BotswanaI think we interrupted his snack.
This was my first EVER sighting of wild Elephants! It was in Daramaland Namibia, the camp had build this watering hole for the herd of 30 elephants otherwise during the dry season they would pull up the piping- so they decided to make them their own water source! More to come- now that I've figured out how to upload!
Enjoy :)
Cheetahs
Saturday Nov 22, 2008
It is time for me to let everyone know what I have been up to since I departed! I must apologise for not keeping this blog continually updated but it is now my plan to start doing so :) This afternoon I sat down to go through my photos to pick a 'few' to post and 2 hours later I realised how much I have seen and done in only a few weeks- I've visited South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe (for 1 day) and am now relaxing in Mauritius. But the best piece of all of this has been my 2 traveling amigos- BG and Val, they have literally saved me from large-large bugs, ensured that I know what food I am eating and made me feel right at home in our tent on the roof of the truck where any number of baboons, crocodiles, hippos or elephants were roaming around while we slept and most of all reminded me of how lucky I am to have this amazing travel adventure with them!
Our trip to the Cheetah Conservation Fund http://www.cheetah.org/ has been a highlight! It is located in Namibia and is currently home to over 50 orphaned Cheetahs. The photos were not taken with a zoom lens as we were in their pen with them as they did their morning 'run'. Cheetah babies are brought there from all over Namibia and depending on their age they are hand feed until they are old enough to eat on their own. None of them can be released back into the wild as it is only their mother who can teach them how to hunt. If they are released they would die of starvation. They are amazing animals as they can run up to 110 km/hr! What CCF is doing with the orphaned Cheetah's , the local farmers and the community has meant that Cheetahs are no longer endangered. It has been through listening to the local farmers who usually kill the Cheetah mother's who are attacking their livestock; that they are now using dogs to guard their herds which chase off the cheetahs. Through combined education of the local school children who go to the centre to learn about the Cheetah, they get to interact with the animals and learn about the importance of the survival of the Cheetah. 
It is time for me to let everyone know what I have been up to since I departed! I must apologise for not keeping this blog continually updated but it is now my plan to start doing so :) This afternoon I sat down to go through my photos to pick a 'few' to post and 2 hours later I realised how much I have seen and done in only a few weeks- I've visited South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe (for 1 day) and am now relaxing in Mauritius. But the best piece of all of this has been my 2 traveling amigos- BG and Val, they have literally saved me from large-large bugs, ensured that I know what food I am eating and made me feel right at home in our tent on the roof of the truck where any number of baboons, crocodiles, hippos or elephants were roaming around while we slept and most of all reminded me of how lucky I am to have this amazing travel adventure with them!
Our trip to the Cheetah Conservation Fund http://www.cheetah.org/ has been a highlight! It is located in Namibia and is currently home to over 50 orphaned Cheetahs. The photos were not taken with a zoom lens as we were in their pen with them as they did their morning 'run'. Cheetah babies are brought there from all over Namibia and depending on their age they are hand feed until they are old enough to eat on their own. None of them can be released back into the wild as it is only their mother who can teach them how to hunt. If they are released they would die of starvation. They are amazing animals as they can run up to 110 km/hr! What CCF is doing with the orphaned Cheetah's , the local farmers and the community has meant that Cheetahs are no longer endangered. It has been through listening to the local farmers who usually kill the Cheetah mother's who are attacking their livestock; that they are now using dogs to guard their herds which chase off the cheetahs. Through combined education of the local school children who go to the centre to learn about the Cheetah, they get to interact with the animals and learn about the importance of the survival of the Cheetah.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The first 9 days
I arrived in South Africa safe and well- at 5:00am about 9 days ago! Getting hugs from BG and Val was exactly what I needed after traveling for over 26 hours.
As I sit here on the coast of Namibia and think back to what we've done in the last 9 days I'm amazed- I visited SANCOOB penguin hospital where I held a Rockhopper penguin, drove on roads where I was convinced that we'd fall right into the ocean, slept on top of a truck (still doing so), took a boat as a boarder crossing, watched the landscape change from dresert to trees, to bushes, to desert in the span of about 1 hour then arrive at a lushish river, I've eaten wild game, climbed sand dunes, and seen the largest canyon in the world! South Africa and Namibia have SO much to offer that our 5 week trek is just not enough.
Today while quadbiking I saw my first snake..... and have surivied to tell about it!It wiggled sideways and continued to head in the direction away from me- then it burried itself into the sand. It was a little surreal- and I'm very glad that I was riding a larger 4x4 bike!
We are moving into the area that will have the Big 5 in the next few days, but we have already seen many Springbok, Ostrich, Worthogs, Geokos, Leamer-type things, pelicans, and numerous birds so I'm easing into seeing the large animals. So far nothing has decided to make my shoes or my bags their new home :)
I hope to post some pictures soon as I have already take about 1000- just they don't do the places we've seen justice- it is beautiful here!
As I sit here on the coast of Namibia and think back to what we've done in the last 9 days I'm amazed- I visited SANCOOB penguin hospital where I held a Rockhopper penguin, drove on roads where I was convinced that we'd fall right into the ocean, slept on top of a truck (still doing so), took a boat as a boarder crossing, watched the landscape change from dresert to trees, to bushes, to desert in the span of about 1 hour then arrive at a lushish river, I've eaten wild game, climbed sand dunes, and seen the largest canyon in the world! South Africa and Namibia have SO much to offer that our 5 week trek is just not enough.
Today while quadbiking I saw my first snake..... and have surivied to tell about it!It wiggled sideways and continued to head in the direction away from me- then it burried itself into the sand. It was a little surreal- and I'm very glad that I was riding a larger 4x4 bike!
We are moving into the area that will have the Big 5 in the next few days, but we have already seen many Springbok, Ostrich, Worthogs, Geokos, Leamer-type things, pelicans, and numerous birds so I'm easing into seeing the large animals. So far nothing has decided to make my shoes or my bags their new home :)
I hope to post some pictures soon as I have already take about 1000- just they don't do the places we've seen justice- it is beautiful here!
Monday, September 29, 2008
It's here- I am getting on the Plane
The day has actually arrived- I get onto the plane and in 2 days at 5:00am I will step off and be in Cape Town South Africa! Not only am I going to place that I have dreamed about and talked about but I will be seeing my brother and sister-in-law for the first time in 1 year (to the date!)- it is as if this is like a dream- I'm going, I'm really really going.......
I want to send out many, many thanks to everyone who have encouraged me and supported me to get here (Don't worry my Mom will make sure I don't get lost in the airport and get on the right plane!). In the past few weeks I have attempted to say my thanks, wishes and good-byes but a good friend said to me yesterday when we were doing our good-byes"I'm not sure how to do this!" and I agreed.
I know there is lots for me to say but at the moment I hear the clock ticking and I'm wondering "What I am going to forget?!?!"
In a few days I'll post my itinerary and a map so you can see our travels (or find me if I get lost!).
The generosity, kindness and support that I have been shown have been overwhelming- Thank you to each of you for that.
Love lots,
Cat
I want to send out many, many thanks to everyone who have encouraged me and supported me to get here (Don't worry my Mom will make sure I don't get lost in the airport and get on the right plane!). In the past few weeks I have attempted to say my thanks, wishes and good-byes but a good friend said to me yesterday when we were doing our good-byes"I'm not sure how to do this!" and I agreed.
I know there is lots for me to say but at the moment I hear the clock ticking and I'm wondering "What I am going to forget?!?!"
In a few days I'll post my itinerary and a map so you can see our travels (or find me if I get lost!).
The generosity, kindness and support that I have been shown have been overwhelming- Thank you to each of you for that.
Love lots,
Cat
Friday, September 12, 2008
This is the start....
So this is the beginning of my journey to Africa- South Africa to be specific. It is something that I've always dreamed about, talked about and went to school for and now it is here- rather I will be there in just under 3 weeks. How quickly I leave was only realised tonight when I saw that the sour cream expires on October 9th and I thought "I won't be here!?!".......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
