iSimangalios Wetland Park

Hello Everyone,
Today we went to St. Lucia for an exciting boat ride. While we rode the boat down an esturary we saw so many animals including, hippos, crocodiles, eagles, king fishers, goliath herons, egrets, scared ibis, too many to list here! The town of St. Lucia is in the middle of a 1 million acre national park. Residents can awake to hippos in their pool or eating their lawn. The park is home to many leopards, elephants, buffalo, and others. After our boat ride we drove through the park looking at the changing landscape. At times we seemed to be in thick jungle. We also saw vervet monkeys, bushbuck, baboons, and red duiker. Here in Africa the sun is so bright! It seems so close to us. We saw a beautiful sunset and then watched the stars come out. From here you can see the plant Venus and the Milkyway. Amazing isn't it!

Wild Cats, School and Game Drive

Yesterday afternoon we went to a wild cat rehabilitation center. It was a good time to go as a rain came through. The center cares for cheetah, Africa wild cats, African lynx,and serval. If the cats are able they are released back into the wild. We got caught in the rain, but it did'nt matter. This morning we went to the village in Nampondo. Two guides walked us through the village to the school. The village has about 8,000 people in it. There is 70% unemployment in the village and 43% of the villagers have AIDS. There are four primary schools which feed into 1 highschool. The school we went to was a R-7th grade primary school. The 1st grade class has 50 students the 2nd grade class has 80. We visited a 4th grade classroom. The students practiced their English on us. We dropped off some of the supplies we brought and met with the head teacher. The principal was gonedue to a teacher's death. Once again a very sad situation. This school gets many visitors from Zulu Nyala. People are encouraged to stop at the local market to buy supplies or food for cooks to use for lunch. After visiting the school we stopped by a home belonging to a grandmother in the village. She cares for all of her grandchildren, as all of her children have died from AIDS. We learned about many traditions of the Zulu people.

Later in the day we went on our evening game drive. Our guide Kyle managed to find a mother cheetah and her 7 week old cubs (4). So cool! We sat and watched them for quite a while. We also went to a water hole and saw a white rhino and her 6 week old baby. So cute! The mother was trying to find a good place to drink from without getting stuck in the mud. A male rhino came along and made the mother nervous.. he was also thirsty. We then went on to see if we could see one of the leopards. We saw a male from a distance and a young one running into the bush.

Tomorrow we will be traveling to St. Lucia. We are having a great time! Everyone has been very friendly and helpful. We will write again tomorrow if possible. TTFN

Elephants

Now at Zulu Nyala!

Hello Everyone,
We went on our first safari ride this morning. Our guide Kyle is quite funny and knowlegable about the variety of plants and animals. We saw several animals including, warthogs, impala, nyalas, zebras, birds, two cheetah brothers, and three elepants! Kyle does not hesitate to get us up close and personal! We spent quite a bit of time with the elephants, very close! They smelled us, they were so close we could have touched them,but we didn't! Our room has a beautiful view overlooking the game perserve. Later today we are going to a cheetah recovery center and tomorrow morning (Friday) we will visit a zulu village and school. We are sure to have a great time here! TTFN Mary Jo and Karen

Last Day in Cape Town

We have had a lovely stay here in Cape Town. Today we will walk down into the city center. We plan on visiting some museums and the Castle of Good Hope. We also plan to see several govermental buildings and as much of the city as we can. We leave early tomorrow for our flight to Zulu Nayla. I am not sure when we will be able to blog again.