Pesky little rascals

I had a few (3 to be specific) vervet monkeys come after me while walking from my bungalow to the main lodge. They were in the middle of tearing apart a tree when they started walking toward me. I made the mistake of running. Guess what they did- yup, they ran after me. Lesson learned: Never run in the bush. Just stand still (or clap your hands at the monkeys).

Lions, Tigers, and Bears

OK, maybe there aren't any tigers and bears in South Africa, but Jeff and I sure saw a lot of animals. Unfortunately, we came short of seeing the Big 5 by one- the leopard. A great time anyway. Surreal to be driving along and have an elephant walk right up to you. We also saw the most magical sunset and (Full) moonrise. Merry Christmas from Kruger National Park!

(BTW, that's a cheetah in the picture. Does anyone know the difference?)

Wobblers and Wigglers 8K

I ran my first race here in South Africa.  The Wobblers and Wigglers 8K Charity Hat Race was a fun race where beer is served at the water station.  Also, people dressed up, most in festive hats (think Bay to Breakers without the nudity and a bit calmer).  Considering I haven't run much since I sprained my ankle in early September, I'm pretty happy with my result.  Plus, it was just for fun.  And, no, I didn't have the beer- I actually wanted to finish the race! 

Cape Town

I visited Cape Town for exactly 24 hours, 9 of which was spent inside Vergelegen Heart Hospital.  However, I was able to sightsee around the V&A Waterfront and have dinner the night I arrived.  Here are some shots of Table Mountain (look hard, it's behind the big cloud) and the langoustines I tried at Baia- a really good seafood restaurant on the waterfront.

Comforts of home...

I received my air shipment yesterday- 5 weeks later.  Well, at least it arrived and it appears that nothing was taken (Thank you South African customs!).  I was told that customs goes through every shipment coming into the country so I expected a mess.  The shipment came gift wrapped in a cardboard box that obviously had been cut open.  And when untied, the boxes came falling out.  Interesting...  I'm just thankful that I have my things although living out of 2 suitcases was not too bad at all.  But, there is something comforting about having my own pillows and being surrounded by pictures of friends and family.

"This is Africa"

Apparently the power outage is intentional.  It's called load shedding where Eskom decides to shed the load of power from one area to another leaving some cities without power for 2-3 hours.  There is supposedly a schedule, but really, you don't know when it's going to happen and you just deal when it does.  The reaction of everyone around me- [shoulder shrug] and the comment "This is Africa."

Darkness...

Have you ever been at the gym and suddenly the lights go out.  Darkness and quiet.  Except, then you start seeing faint lights coming from the ellipticals and stationary bikes and people moving on them, still exercising, but it's still pitch black.  A weird sight.  (I tried to capture it in the picture but all you see is blackness.)  I am currently sitting in the midst of a blackout that ranges from at least the gym back to my apartment and probably further.  I've heard Joburg has frequent power outages because people try and steal copper lines.  I wonder if this is one of them.  Thank goodness for the big huge candle the previous tenant left in my apartment and the very nice security guy at my gate for lending me a match.  At least I have some light.  And, thank goodness for computers that run on batteries.  My entertainment for the night...

Lion King- Welcome Home

For those of you who haven't seen the Broadway production of Lion King, I highly recommend it.  I went to see it here at the Montecasino Theatre.  My first time seeing it was about 10 years ago.  The second time was sweeter, especially with a (South) African twist.

I recommend the Creme Soda...

So it was recommended to try the creme soda.  Sure, why not.  It was green.  Who ever heard of green creme soda?

 

Durban

I visited the lush city of Durban for work for a period of <24 hours.  Here is a view of some of the city from the Westville Hospital window.

George

I flew to George, SA to visit a friend and former coworker Steve Neumann who makes an annual trip from the US and brings hundreds of shoes for the kids in and around George.  I spent the weekend delivering bread to the low income neighborhoods- part of Life Community Services' weekly program to minister to the children in these impoverished communities.  This was also my first visit to the coast of South Africa.  Unfortunately, it rained most the weekend but I did make it to the beach accompanied by Neumann and 2 rambunctious girls- Nissi and Liezel.  LIFE is doing great things in George feeding bread for both physical and spiritual needs.  Here are a few pictures: (My favorite: Razor wire and roses- a paradox)

 

One month...

01Dec marked my one month anniversary here in South Africa. Man, has time just flown by! This is also officially World Aids Day and the major event around the country was Nelson Mandela's "4(double6)64" benefit concert. Tidbit: 46664 was Mandela's prison number. Fact: 68% of the world's AIDS cases are in sub-Saharan Africa. Fact: 2/5 people in the South African province of Kwa-Zulu Natal are infected- known to be the worst region in SA. It truly is a pandemic.