Here I am procrastinating writing this blog once again.  As I write this I am currently sitting at the backpackers in Johannesburg just after my trip to the cape with my Mom.  That blog will follow this one, don’t worry!  So where was I?  Oh yes, Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls.  Victoria Falls is an amazing natural wonder.  Never have I seen so much water pouring over hard rock before, not even Niagara Falls.  The most impressive section in my opinion was the first, the “Devil’s Cataract.”  The cataract is shaped almost like an hour glass.  This forces a massive amount of water into the middle, and then cascades it like a skirt down upon the exposed rocks all the way down the falls.   The roar of the water is really a sight (and sound) to behold.  Because the park around the falls has been left natural, it has quite a beautiful feeling about it.  We saw a subspecies of bush buck there, known as the Chobe bush buck and on the way out of the falls, we were seen off by a troop of vervet monkeys (with some very cute babies in tow).  After the falls we decided to go to a local posh hotel for lunch and cappuccinos.  The Victoria Falls hotel was a whole different experience, no longer were we in the depths of Africa, we were eating lunch on an English estate complete with rolling lawns and gardens with a view of the falls from our table.  Feeling a bit out of place (and a little underdressed) we quickly left after eating!  From Victoria Falls we headed south to Hwange National Park.  Along the way we were stunned with views of giant baobab trees and traditional villages with mud walls and thatched roofs.  Along the roads were people selling the fruits of the baobab which look like brown bulbous sausages.  Unfortunately before reaching Hwange, we got pulled over by the local police because apparently the speed limit (although not marked) is slower for those who are pulling a trailer.  Oldrich took it with a smile and we continued after the fine was paid.  Getting closer to Hwange we got very excited to see wild dog crossing signs.  Unfortunately we did not see said wild dogs, but we were glad to hear that just outside of the park there was a wild dog conservation and education center.  The parks of Zimbabwe are unlike the parks elsewhere in Africa.  They are quiet and people are scarce.  Fortunately though, the wildlife is just as amazing.  On our first game drive in Hwange, we saw both spotted hyena and giraffe.  The bird life is also very amazing!  We decided to split our time in Hwange between two different camps to experience more of the park.  Driving from one camp to another through the park took most of the day and it was one long game drive.  At one point we stopped the car realizing that there were elephants all around us in the bush.  Shortly after that we also realized that we were on the road in between the herd and then quickly drove on after one of the females shook her head at us in annoyance!  The second camp was located on top of a hill which overlooks the flat bush below, it was a gorgeous sight and we could even see elephants from above drinking and playing in the river.  The next morning we all woke up early to catch the sunrise.  The sun was huge and red and glorious.  While the sun was rising we realized that there was an elephant not too far away on the hill feeding amongst the trees just below our camp.  Unlike Kruger, there was no fence surrounding the camp so the elephants can roam free wherever they please.  The elephants in Hwange are a bit smaller than the ones in Kruger, but that is explained by their habitat.  A large elephant has no place in and amongst thick bush and trees, they belong to the open savannah lands.  From Hwange we drove to the more central area of Zimbabwe to another national park called Matobo.  This park is not renowned for its wildlife, instead for its beautiful rock formations.  There were also bushman paintings there which were far more intact than the paintings up on the mountain at Lajuma.  There were outlines of white rhinos and lines of hunters dancing around wildebeest paintings.  They were both amazing and sad to see, knowing that the San people are basically no longer in existence as they used to be.  Matobo has amazing history and it’s no wonder the San people came there, it is beautiful country with incredible rock formations sprouting from the earth each with their own names.  One of the more famous formations appears as a woman with a bundled baby on her back and an older child in front of her.  The park had a whole different feel to it than the other places we had visited, and it was a lovely place to end our journey.  The drive back home was basically uneventful.  No getting locked in a bathroom or being stared down by elephants!  Although we thought we were going to be late back to the border post, so Oldrich was driving like a bat out of hell.  We made it in time though, and it was a trip to remember!

    Okay, so I apologize for not writing this sooner, but I have been quite busy since getting back from the epic road trip!  The whole trip was fantastic and it went off without a hitch (mostly).  We were kind of worried about the border crossings, but in fact, we didn’t have any trouble at all.  All of the guide books said that Zimbabwe border patrol are just out to get your money, but luckily they didn’t milk us for all we had.  So let me start from the beginning.  I will spare you all of the driving details, as a road trip is a road trip no matter what country you are in, and traveling in a car is not the most fun mode of transportation.  Upon getting to our first stop though, all of that riding in the car didn’t really matter.  Our first stop was in Botswana at the famous salt pans.  These pans are renown for their huge flocks of flamingos and other water birds.  Being a birder, this was a particularly important stop for me because wild flamingos are a lifer for sure.  The first day we went to the bird sanctuary known as Nata for a sunset drive.  The sun position made the experience particularly dramatic as our first glimpse of flamingos was extremely striking with a red sun hitting pink birds.  It was a beautiful sight and the sunset was perfect because the land there is so flat.  As the sun was going down over the horizon, it seemed to double both in size and redness.  One couldn’t help but think of the lion king during a sunset like that.  The next morning we ventured back to the sanctuary to see more birds and wildlife.  We saw springbok and black-backed jackal and even a lone wildebeest.  However, it wasn’t until we actually walked out onto the pans toward another pool that we saw the other species of flamingo.  For those of you reading this who aren’t birders, I apologize, but this excitement cannot be contained!  To see both the Greater Flamingo and the Lesser Flamingo in a span of two days is exponentially awesome.  After our amazing pans experience, we headed northward to visit Chobe National Park.  Along the way we had some interesting ventures including a foot and mouth disease check point where we had to exit the vehicle and dip every pair of shoes we had in a foot bath.  The car and trailer also had to take a bath which was a huge pit on the side of the road with some sort of antiseptic pool at the bottom.  We also stopped for lunch on the way and got locked in the bathroom (hilarious only because no one around would actually help us).  When we finally did reach Chobe, we needed to first find a place to camp.  After stopping at three different campsites we chose accommodation further from the town of Kasane than the other places.  As for Chobe, I do have some mixed feelings about the experience.  Being a more informed tourist than most, it was difficult to deal with the problem of the overwhelming elephant population within the park.  Although Chobe boasts an extremely high elephant population, it is not necessarily a good thing.  Elephants are destructive animals to their habitat (and lets face it, they are so darned big they can’t help themselves).  Elephants in higher numbers are even more devastating and therefore high numbers of them in a confined space is not the best idea.  I got to experience this problem first hand and the habitat destruction I viewed was really quite dismal and disappointing.  All along the Chobe river where the elephants feed and cross was practically a waste land.  They have extremely bad soil erosion problems along the bank and because of that the trees are in danger of falling into the river only causing more erosion problems.  I understand now that population control plans are not only a good idea, but are important to the health of the ecosystem and the other organisms which rely upon it.  Some people may or may not agree with elephant culling, but when you have viewed the consequences of high elephant numbers for yourself, you may change your mind about it.  Anyway, this blog is not for such discussions, it is in place to tell you how things went.  So here I go!  Chobe was beautiful otherwise, the sunset boat cruise I took was breath-taking and magical.  We even got to see one of South Africa’s more endangered antelope (Roan antelope) and Oldrich got REALLY excited about it, as did we!  Camping at our site was a different story.  Apparently we decided to travel on a public holiday, so there was loud music playing from a nearby neighborhood until all hours of the evening.  On the second night however, the locals decided to switch it up a bit and we heard gunshots instead of music.  I’m sure it was all in good fun otherwise I probably wouldn’t be writing this memoir.  After Chobe was the border crossing to Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls.  Lucky for us, the border patrol there was quite nice and Judy definitely helped matters by trying to speak Shona to them.  It must have been hilarious because they got a good laugh out of it and sent us on our way.  Driving towards Victoria Falls is similar to driving towards Niagara Falls, minus the city.  Vic falls is twice as tall as Niagara and creates much more mist visible from far away.  The beauty of the falls not only is caused by the water, but the fact that the area surrounding has not been developed.  The only thing remotely developed along the walkway of the falls is the walkway itself.  The rest of the area has been left to jungle within the park.  We even got to see a subspecies of bush buck known as the Chobe bush buck!  The falls itself was gorgeous and huge and we got extremely wet from all the mist.  Also very exciting, I was fortunate enough to see a very rare bird only found in the Victoria Falls region; it is called Schalow’s Turaco.  Turacos in and of themselves are very beautiful and this one was no exception!  Okay, I am going to post as much as this now, the rest is to be continued because as I write this it is a beautiful day outside and I am not going to waste it!

    I am writing this blog to simply tell you that I am traveling to Botswana and Zimbabwe in TWO days!  This is both a nerve wracking and exciting trip for me to be going on.  Botswana should be fantastic.  We are traveling first to Botswana, driving through the Martin’s Drift border crossing and up to the salt pans.  This is of particular interest to me, because the salt pans are home to thousands of flamingos.  They come in droves to feast upon the shrimp which makes their feathers the classic pink color.  After the pans, we drive up to Chobe National Park.  Chobe lies alongside of the chobe (go figure) river which brings many diverse species to its shores.  Included in the list are hippos, buffalo, and thousands of elephants.  I am particularly excited about the birds that flock to its shores.  The next stretch of the journey is where the fun really starts, because it begins with us trying to make it across the Zimbabwean border with most of our money intact.  Our destination is just across the border, Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  Unfortunately for us, the Zimbabwean government collapsed not too long ago, and now most of the officials are corrupt.  Because of this, regulations regarding vehicles are pretty ridiculous.  The border patrol people constantly think of new things to fine you for.  The car looks like a sticker mobile with all of the stickers required to cross the border.  Reflective stickers and trailer stickers (as if you don’t know it looks like a trailer when you see it) and ZA stickers.  It is all a ploy of the officials to fine you if you do not have the correct stickerage.  This only hurts Zimbabweans in the long run, because the money from the border goes into the official’s pockets and the tourism sector is suffering.  Regardless of all of the border bullcrap, we are going to Victoria Falls, and that is the end of it!  Once in Zimbabwe we are also going to visit Hwange National park.  After Hwange is Matobo national park just south of Bulawayo.  Apparently Matobo is known for its extremely aggressive population of black mambas…  Let us hope they are sleeping, as it is winter time!  Matobo is the end of our journey and after that we will be hiking it back to South Africa through Botswana again.  I hope to bring back lots of fabulous pictures and stories to write about for you all!  (I also hope to bring back all of my limbs as well :-D)

    Hello all!  Things here have been going well.  Just a few days ago, we hiked up farther than I’ve ever traveled in Lajuma thus far, and saw some bushman paintings!  The hike was quite beautiful in and of itself.  We had to drive to the trail head as it was quite far from the main camp.  I use ‘trail head’ only to talk about where we started hiking from because there was no trail!  Oldrich was at the front of the pack with a machete hacking away to make a path for us.  The first part of the hike was through a forested area.  Thorny trees and bushes were grabbing at my clothes as I walked by, it was enough to drive anyone crazy!  The second portion of the hike was walking uphill through thick fern like plants taller than myself.  The ground was covered in loose large rocks which made the going difficult without twisting an ankle or loosing my footing as the stones beneath me gave way.  Once the elevation got higher, the fern-like plants faded away and instead the ferns are replaced with extremely slippery grass which grows in patches amongst the rocks.  It is somewhat dry that high up in the mountains, and it almost looks like a hilly, rocky desert.  Once over the last rocky hill, there is a long grassy valley that extends far to the north western side of the mountain range.  It’s the kind of valley that reminds you of the lion king, with steep rocky slopes on either side of a flat grassy plain.  The bushman paintings were located on the underside of a gigantic rock.  The first things that were noticeable were hand prints far above where we were standing.  There were hand prints of yellow, white and a reddish color.  Upon closer inspection, images of women walking in a line and men with spears and bows appeared in the same red color as the hand prints.  There were also extremely faded pictures of animals like giraffe, elephant and eland.  It was very interesting to hear about the bushman people, who were here far before any white or black settlers and tribes.  It was a very similar story to that of American history.  The bushmen people were looked down upon and not seen as equal to settlers in the area.  They were seen as animals and actually almost hunted to extinction.  Although they no longer exist in South Africa, there is still a population living in Namibia to the north.  It was both aweing and sad to see the paintings in the mountains.  It is history, but a sad history as they are no longer living in the area. 

    Today I got a glimpse of what my next few months will look like here in the mountains.  Judy took us to one of her schools which have volunteered their time and effort into becoming an “eco-school.”  Eco-schools begin their journey by wanting to be more eco-friendly and healthy on their property.  However, the true aim is to create well educated, healthy and environmentally conscious adults from the children they are teaching now.  They can choose certain themes to help promote these ideals for the “learners.”  Many schools choose healthy nutrition for their first theme because it means healthier and more awake students in the classrooms.  Other themes include conserving resources and also biodiversity.  In Africa, water is a most precious resource, especially during the winter or dry season.  Often times water spigots around the school yard are broken and constantly drip water.  Schools can create a grey water area under the spigot to save the leaking water to use on their gardens they grow.  Promoting biodiversity is also a theme in which the children can learn much from.  The school we visited today wants to build a rockery (a place which rocks are piled up and provide necessary habitat and living area for things like lizards and insects.  These tools are great to teach the children both what they can do to promote biodiversity as well as learn first hand what biodiversity is and the animals which form the food webs within the system they create. 
    For you gardeners out there, I want you to take some time and research permaculture.  I will explain it a bit to get the juices flowing.  Firstly, think about nature.  Nature is constantly in a checks and balances system.  Permaculture is a system of agriculture which mimics nature.  In the long run you actually spend less time maintaining your garden and more time enjoying it.  It aids in reducing soil erosion and retaining water.  It doesn’t require you to have to use pesticides or herbicides.  All plants in your garden are left (including what you would consider weeds).  Taking the weeds which naturally grow there and allowing only your fresh juicy veggies make your garden an easier target for pests to come in and just munch away.  Permaculture also uses interspersed planting which also aids in pest control as well.  Anyway, I’m going to stop trying to sell permaculture and just let you guys look it up for yourselves!

I must first apologize at the fact that I haven’t updated this blog more often. Things have been strangely busy but I couldn’t tell you what occupies my time! Time definitely moves slower here, and it is a pace I certainly enjoy. It seems that even menial things take most of the day to accomplish. Laundry is an interesting task. I will try to post a picture of the washing machine they have for us (which we can only use before 1300 hours because of the fact that our power source is by waterfall and the batteries are sufficiently charged throughout the night to run it only in the morning). Oh by the way, I am now moved to a building known as the “barn” because the other four girls and my old professor have left to go back to the states. So now it is just me and 3 other graduates living with other students in an old cattle barn fashioned into living quarters. The accomadations here aren’t 5 star but what can one expect living in the mountains in South Africa? The other people living here are nice enough, but I will say that we Americans certainly outnumber the others. We have one guy from the Netherlands, three people from the U.K. (four if you count Vivian who is doing research but also working here), and then if you count us, seven Americans. Today one of the students from the University of Venda (Chiefs we call her because her Venda name is probably too difficult for us silly white people to pronounce). Chiefs was here when the other Venda students were here as well, she left with them and then came back on her own to continue her master’s research. It seems like everyone here has their own stuff going on during the day with their research projects, but we usually all come together at night and sit around the fire (no kumbaya thank you). Speaking of around the fire, the other night was amazing because there was a full lunar eclipse!!! I got some (hopefully) great pictures of it; the moon was blood red! Sleeping has been interesting lately, I have been waking up very early with pounding headaches the last couple of mornings. Then, whilst in the midst of half sleeping and half awake, a giant nut from the tree directly above our roof falls and clatters on the tin jolting me awake and nearly causing a heart attack. I definitely miss the thatch of the old living quarters, but you take what you can get here! While everyone else works on their respective projects, our little group dabbles in all Lajuma has to offer. We really enjoy helping Oldrich and Judy with their work here. Oldrich needs all the help he can get with his leopard project sorting pictures from his camera traps. Judy could always use help with visiting her schools and doing conservation work with them. Also, we have been recently busy with planning a trip to Botswana and Zimbabwe for about twelve days. Our plan is to visit the famous flamingo laden salt pans and Chobe National Park in Botswana, then head over to Zimbabwe and see the majestic Victoria Falls (donations greatly appreciated, hah!). Well, I suppose that’s all for now. My next blog will most likely be either just before or after the big trip. It’s too bad the internet here is so slow, otherwise I would definitely post more pictures on here. Facebook has easier picture posting, so look there for more picture updates!

Yum!

Hello all!  So apparently the internet situation here isn’t that great…  I will try to keep updating as much as I can but I am not making you any promises :-) !!  Kruger national park was amazing!  The first day we were there was my birthday (the big 25!) and we saw the big 5 (lion, leopard, rhinocerous, elephant and buffalo)!!!  It was a fantastic birthday and I have more pictures than I know what to do with!  Oldrich and his wife Judy were our guides during the 5 days we were there, and luckily for me (being the bird lover that I am) Oldrich was an amazing birder!  As of today that I am writing this (6/5/11) we have 115 birds on our list, and 41 mammals!  The Kruger experience was something unlike anything I’ve ever done.  Our first day (which again was also my birthday) we got to see a newly killed buffalo with a pride of lions feeding from it, bloody faces and all!!  Shortly after that we got to witness a leopard and her juvenile cub feeding on an impala up in a tree!  The night of my birthday, we cooked food and celebrated.  Judy and Oldrich came over and celebrated with us as well.  Judy informed me that the birthday girl needed to eat a Mpani worm as tradition.  Let me just explain that mpani worms are exactly what they sound like.  Caterpillar-like large worms which are giant and greenish in color.  The only thing going for them is that they are dead and dried.  I will admit to you now that I did eat some, and they taste like gross triscuit crackers.  Needless to say I will not be eating them anymore, not at least for a nighttime snack!

    To merely say that South Africa is amazing is clearly an understatement.  Truth be told, I haven’t even traveled outside of the Soutpansburg Mountains yet and I’ve already had the time of my life.  To go hiking every day in the most beautiful scenic mountainous areas I’ve ever been is a dream come true; and that doesn’t even factor in all of the wildlife I have already seen.  On our first day at Lajuma, we saw vervet monkeys and bush buck (and that was just the drive up the mountain!!).  Since Wednesday when we arrived, we have seen various birds and mammals, including a pair of nesting Verreaux’s eagles and a whole troop of samango monkeys!  Our accomodations at Wilderness camp are situated right near the edge of the cliffs so the view is amazing, especially at sunrise.  During our first few days, there were some other students there as well from the local University at Venda just a few hours away.  It was quite an experience talking with them.  Their last night at camp was spent with them teaching us how to make a local staple (called Pop, made from maize, YUMMY!), singing songs from each of our cultures and dancing local dances.  Camp has been quite quiet since their departure, but we do have the whole kitchen to ourselves (still kind of liked it busy and crowded though).
    Our hikes with Oldrich (one of Lajuma’s employees and researchers) have been most instructive and wonderful.  He is extremely well versed in all things South African.  I could literally listen to him for hours talking about local wildlife, ecology and local culture.    Our hike on Sunday with Oldrich was breathtaking (both from the strenuous activity and the views, ha ha).  We took what is called the “Leopard Trail” at Lajuma which goes up and over the mountains.  We were helping to take down camera traps along the trail which aid Oldrich in his research on the local predator population at Lajuma (in particular leopards).  The scenery alone was worth the hike.  The sandstone rock here is beautiful and makes for some fun trail climbing (I should have brought my climbing shoes with me, this rock has some AWESOME holds).  Oldrich also took us to some archaeological sites along the way as well.  They belonged to the old lbushmen tribes and some of the sites were as old as 500 years.  There were old artifacts there too such as clay pottery and glass beads traded with Indians coming to the east coast of Africa from across the Indian Ocean.
    The country here is so rich and diverse in both wildlife and culture.  I’m afraid that I’ve already become attached.  It will truly be my second home by the time I come home to the states.
    Until that time though, you can read about all my adventures to come!
    Tomorrow we go to Kruger National Park for 5 days with Oldrich as a guide.  This is going to be fabulous, not only because he is a wonderful guide, but because he also used to work at Kruger and knows his way around the park.
    Farewell fellow travelers and wellwishers, love you all!

Hello friends and fellow travelers!  I don’t have much to report, other than I have made it safe and sound to Johannesburg, South Africa (and long Delta flights have a really good movie selection!!).  Surprisingly, other than the people and different languages, I don’t even feel like I’m in a different country.  Johannesburg is similar to any other large city anywhere in the world.  The hotel we are staying in is nice, it has a cool theme and some really awesome furniture in the lobby.  The chairs are lined with airplane metal on the outside, and the theme is aviation.  Dinner was delicious as well, the pesto sauce was fantastic on my linguini! 

Tomorrow is the start of something new.  We are off to the bus station at 7:30am to hitch a ride to Louis-Trichardt also known as Makhado.  Once in Makhado, we’ll do grocery shopping for the rest of the week and then continue on the rest of the journey to the Lajuma research camp about 1.5 hours from town.  It takes such a long time to get from Makhado to Lajuma because we have to travel up the mountain and over rough terrain with 4-wheel drive vehicles.  Should be adventurous and fun!

After this it’s internet only once a week, so good bye for now!