South Africa

Hi chickadees,
    This week was a break from the norm......we took a little walk-about to South Africa - and boy, was it nice

 to have a moment to breathe. Monday, we flew out early in the A.M. to Maputo where I had an eye appt at an eye clinic

 based in India.  After waiting for over 2 hours, I finally saw the doctor who said that he wanted to dilate my 

eye to check the retina. Well, by then I'd been there 2 1/2 hours so I asked how long it would take and he 

said another 1 1/2 hours.  Oh Africa....sigh....  Dad had scheduled a dusk drive in Kreuger Park for us that 

day so we had to leave Maputo in 45 minutes to cross the border and make it in time, so we said we would come 

back on Saturday, which meant that we would have to get up super early on our last day but oh well, what do 

you do? So we took off. After the two border crossings, we got there with just enough time to check in to our

 guesthouse and head to the park. We hadn't eaten, so Dad ran off to buy us each a waffle from the only food

 place we saw, while I boarded the safari jeep. We were starving! I felt kind of stupid eating while everyone else 

was pulling out their binoculars and getting primed to leave, but when you gotta eat, you gotta eat....
    We didn't see as many animals as we saw when we went before and when it got dark it was kind of

hard to see the ones that we did find. We had to use spotlights to look for them. 

We decided that the day drives are better. 

 Here's Dad getting a picture of the giraffe before it got dark. 
 

An elephant with her baby - but so hard to see in the dark!

After the safari, we went to get dinner and could only find a little 7-11 type store open so we stopped and bought some stuff and headed back to the guesthouse. We ate and fell into bed because we had gotten up at 5:30 that morning and had been driving all day, and we had to get up at 5:00 AM for a day safari that was scheduled for the next day. 

At 5:00 am we rolled out of bed in super cold weather, got dressed, and stumbled outside to meet the safari jeep. It turned out to just be us and another couple from England who were really nice. It was freezing!!!

 I had on my North Face coat, gloves, and an ear band, and I was still so cold!! They gave us each a blanket and we all tried to bundle up which was hard when you're driving 50 mph in an open jeep. The guy from England wrapped it over his head. The guide said it was the coldest day of the year - yay!...... It was also super foggy and we didn't see hardly any animals. 

But here's a few....

Water buffalo with the 'cleaning bird' on its back.

Zebra!!

Dad watching the hippos at a rest stop

Impalas

Pumba!

We found out that the park does a 'burn' every June and July to clear the brush and it had just been done a couple of weeks before so the animals had migrated from that part of the park. Big bummer..... We had scheduled a full day's drive but the other couple had just booked a 1/2 day so when it was time for them to go back, the guide asked us if we wanted to continue or stop because the sightings were so poor and we were so cold. We opted to cut it short and go back.

 We called the Bed & Breakfast in Neilspruit - the next city that we were going to - to see if they had a opening for that night. They did! When we got to the guesthouse, we asked if we could check out that day because there wasn't any reason to stay on that night. She said we could if we paid for the full day safari, so we did and took off to Neilsprut - after a stop at the gift shop...

In Neilsprut, we stayed at a place that Ann Hobson - other Sr. Missionary in Maputo - had recommended called Utopia. Oh boy, did it live up to it's name!! It was one of the nicest, most eclectic places we have stayed in.

The couple that own it, built it as their home and then decided to turn it into a Bed & Breakfast. She is from England and he is Middle-Easteen and they met in Saudi Arabia and got married 15 years ago. They're like early 60's and so cute! She says things like "Well, let's just get you sorted out." and "How was your day? Was it lovely?" Their home is filled with antiques, paintings, and things from all over the world. And it borders on a forest, has a view on 3 sides, and beautiful gardens around it. Now granted, we have been surrounded by houses made of sticks and cinder block, garbage piles, feral dogs, and contaminated water, but I think I would still love it just as much pre-mission. But we enjoyed it 10 times more because of what we've been surrounded by for the last while. So relaxing - a word or state of being that hasn't been part of our vocabulary or lives for over a year. Ahhhh.....! It was WONDERFUL!!!

This is the lounge area - the chandelier is made from bicycle rims with lights

Our bedroom overlooking the forest

The deck where we ate breakfast

Ok, y'all are probably bored by decor pics so here's what we did:
We ate - and ate - and ATE! And then we ate some more. Actually, we only ate twice a day because we had such a big breakfast, but our meals were so big and so good! When the only restaurant food you can buy is pizza and grilled chicken, and the food you prepare is limited by availability - which is hit and miss, of poor quality, and so labor intensive when you can get it, because it has to be bleached, rinsed, yada yada, then food loses a lot of its appeal. So being able to eat any kind of food and have it always be delicious is a novel experience. Oh, and it's about half the price in South Africa, and we can't eat salads in Mozambique because they are not sanitary so we had a salad with every meal!

And I got my hair cut so I look semi-normal. Hip, Hip, Hooray!!! The yucky water kills my hair and it was kind of a shapeless pile of straw. It was heaven sitting in a real salon!! (Crystal, my hair and I miss you!)

And we shopped. Well, I shopped after my appointment for a bit and then the next day, we went to a Costco type of store (but not as big) to buy mini DVD players for the mission. That was a blast! One, because I haven't seen so much merchandise in one place in forever, Two: because the stuff was all new with tags (in Beira, a lot of the stores sell used stuff that they've 'reconditioned'), Three: it was cheap - just like Costco -, and things cost a fortune in Beira. Dad and I each got a pair of jeans and I bought a new top because my clothes are starting to look shabby (the water....) plus, like maternity clothes, I'm sick of the same ten tops.
And we went to the dentist for the first time in over a year to get our teeth checked and cleaned but due to a misunderstanding, the cleaning appointments weren't scheduled so that was a bust.
And we went to a Jane Goodall chimpanzee preserve for abused chimps.

This guy used to be in the circus so he showed us where his ears are.

And how strong he is. ;)

We had an interesting incident there. We were with a Dutch couple and their younger teenage son for our tour. While we were listening to the girl explain about the monkeys, I started to feel kinda woozy and broke out into a cold-sweat. And I was so thirsty! I thought, "I better sit down. I'm gonna pass out." But I didn't want to make a fuss and thought I'd be fine until the end of the tour. I just leaned on the rail of the fence. The next thing I knew, Dad was saying, "Kim, are you ok?" It took me a minute to realize that I was laying prone on the concrete. I was so embarrassed! I started to pop up but everybody said to stay down because I had just fainted. Oh boy....
I had kind of forgotten to drink my electrolyte drink each day while we were traveling, and I guess the low blood sugar/low sodium got too low and Boom!, I bit the dust. The place got me a coke and some water to drink. I happened to have a drink packet with me - it's part of my purse 'if we get stuck tool-kit' so I mixed it up and drank it and started to feel better pretty quick. I asked Dad what happened and he said that he noticed that I started leaning into the teenage boy (poor kid!) but he thought I was just stretching. (Really???? I'm laughing even as I write that.) Then I just kind of slumped and went down. No, he didn't catch me. But he did think that maybe I was having a seizure so he was trying to figure how to keep me from biting my tongue. (Ok, now I'm laughing out loud as I write this. Oh Dad....) So, he thought my leaning into a stranger was 'stretching' and didn't catch me before I hit the concrete, but he did try to think of how to prevent me from biting my tongue. (I'll be smiling about that one for a long time...Bless his heart....;) To be fair, it's the first time in our 35 years of marriage that I've ever fainted. I told him that I wished he had taken a picture. The people would have been appalled, but it would have been such a good picture!
Dad was thinking that we ought to leave, but I thought I would be fine if I sat down, so we brought a chair over and I sat like an old lady for the tour. 

After the chimps, we went to the Sudwalla caves.

We had some 'ducking down' in places:

But mostly, we just relaxed and enjoyed some downtime (both rarities). We were long overdue and it was wonderful!! 

On Saturday, we got up super early to drive back to Maputo to be there in time for part 2 of my eye appt. Going to South Africa, it took 3 hours to cross the border into South Africa but coming back, we waited 5 hours to get across. It was a combination of bad timing and bad luck. We moved - and didn't move - at 5 mph max. The highway (I use that term loosely - it was a narrow, 2-lane road) was packed with semis, cars, trucks, and trailers stacked to the gills. When we finally inched up to the South Africa border, Dad got in one line for some required form and I got in the passport line. After 20 minutes, I saw him get out of line and leave the building - not a good sign. I made it to the front of the line, but still no Dad and I couldn't get out of line to check where/why he had gone. I had people go around me and he eventually came back. It turned out that the South Africa border hadn't given us a 'vehicle permit' when we entered the country and so they didn't want to let us out of the country without paying a penalty. Dad found an officer and that guy called the head of customs, who came over. After some negotiating, the guy stamped the paper and we got through.
At the Mozambique border, we got in line and then Dad left it to check on something and when I got to the front I had to explain to the people again - but this time in Portuguese - to go around me while I waited for my husband. The hang-up this time was that something wasn't stamped at the South African border when we left so unbeknownst to me, Dad jumped in the truck and drove back to that border, got the stamp, and drove back. The red-tape is endless here. Oh Africa.....
We cleared that border and headed into the country. Long story, short, the doctor's office was closed by the time we got there and the doctor was in the parking lot getting ready to leave. He told me to come back anytime but when you're 8 eight hours away, it's not going to happen. Maybe in Virginia......
We had planned to go to lunch with Tidwells and Hobsons so we headed over to the restaurant, Cafe de Sol. Mexican food - yummmmm!! It was so good! I got a burrito to take home with me (yes, I'm that desperate...).

There was a small craft fair going on there so we bought a few things.

Then we headed to a local marketplace.
Here's Ann playing checkers with a guy. They paint squares on a piece of cardboard and use drink lids for the pieces.

Here's an aisle in the craft part of the marketplace:

And us by the produce:

I have kind of wanted to buy a black wig to see what I would look like, so I tried one on. I don't think I'm a good brunette though. :)

When Dad got out the camera, the sales-girl grabbed a wig and posed with me.

 

After the market, we went back to the Hobsons apartment to hang-out and visit before our plane left. Maria, the cute girl that left Beira last week to start her mission in Maputo, happened (well, it was really a 'tender mercy') to come home with her companion for a few minutes. Ann called her over and when she walked in and saw me, she was so surprised! It was fun!! She's happy and doing so well on her mission. I really admire these kids that haven't had a lot of experience in the church or working with the public, or even been on a plane, being willing - even anxious - to serve a mission. They have a lot of faith! A lot.

When it was time to go, Dad and I drove to the church to meet the APs, who were taking us to the airport because they had some stuff for us to take back to Beira (our mission's pony-express service). Dad talks to the office several times a week because he's their 'point man' here in Beira. And it's been a running joke that we've never met the office elders, particularly an Elder Douglas who is the main problem-solver in Maputo and the one that calls Dad the most and visa versa. Dad mentioned something to that effect when we were talking to the Tidwells because they work in the office and Sandy mentioned that E. Douglas would like to meet Dad, so Dad called him and said, "Am I ever going to meet you or are you just a recording like the Wizard of Oz?" So he and his companions came to the church too to meet us, well, Dad mostly. They'll miss him - and his ability to "put out fires" - when we go. Elder Douglas is the line-backer on the far right.

Then we were on the plane and back to reality. Goodbye South Africa! Thanks for a lovely week!!
Sure love you guys lots & lots & lots!!!!! ~mom

P.S. Hope you're having a fun, relaxing anniversary get-away, Brooke and Josh! And hope you're having a great (and safe!!!) adventure in Belize, Chad and Chanelle!