South Africa comes to an end...

...but don't worry, I will do some post-mortems in the next few weeks. It was just far too busy a trip to find time to blog, let alone find a computer to blog on! I guess in this day and age, many people travel with their computers, and can use wifi, but that just defeats the whole purpose of traveling, and getting away, right? So I am at the Johannesburg Int'l Airport- OR Tambo - and am doing a little emailing before I clean up and check-in. My flight isn't until 7pm ( nearly 5 hours from now) but we got to the airport early.

The last 2 1/2 days were spent in heaven -- in the Timbavati Game Reserve, along the western edge of Kruger National Park. There are no fences between Timbavait and Kruger, so essentially, we are seeing the same wild animals! Of course, each parcel of land has different watering holes (man made and natural) and different fields and trees, but the animals are free to roam. And roam they do! A highlight of the animal spotting was following 3 male lions (mdodo, they are called) in the am, then tracking a female by foot later in the morning (mfazi) and then seeing the 3 males in the gorgeous sunset light, and then at 10pm at night, going back to see all 3 males plus 3 females, within a few feet of our jeep, and listening to them ROAR. And I mean, ROAR. I was awestruck ...you could feel your chest vibrate. The two males were just letting each other know about their territory...it wasn't a fight, but they bellowed back and forth for hours. The roars happened about every 10 minutes. Truly an experience to remember!

I will have to get into my travel diary when I get back, and list all the other awesome animals we saw, but basically: Giraffe, Elephants, Leopards (and we saw an impala killed by a leopard, that it had taken up into a tree for a midnight snack), and more...the warthogs were funny. Hyenas, porcupine, and tons of birds... will have to share more later. My time is running short and there are tons of people in line.

I am sad to come home, but at some point, you need to replenish the $ supply and get some rest in your own bed, eh? And above all, you need the love of your friends and family around you - I think that is something that I will cherish above all. When you are away, you realize how much the caring and friendship and support of your community really keep your spirits up and keep you going. I have made many new friends, and will enjoy keeping in touch with them (and having them visit the US), but I can't wait to squeeze my mom and dad, brothers Brent & Greg, and reconnect and catch up with my special peeps. Will make it home just in time to do a little 4th of July celebrating. More updates soon! Over and out from South Africa!

Freezing in Cape Town, but still enjoying a good time!

It may have been a little over 45 degrees today, but felt more like 40!! Raining with intermittent moments of sun...but that hasn't stopped Jen and I from enjoying the city and the surroundings. We have just had to shuffle our plans a bit...and that is what you do when you are traveling in winter in a SF-like location- you deal with unpredictable weather! We have started to feel more of the buzz, but actually, it has been tame, except in the actual fan locations. We will go watch the Italy/Paraguay game tonight at the Fan Village and see up close how crazy those italianos can be! Today, our Robben Island tour was cancelled for high seas, so instead we visited the District 6 Museum (reverberations of apartheid here in CPT) and learned more about how bad the situation was here until recent years. Mandela really has helped this country in ways we can never full comprehend. Then we drove about 30 mins south of Cape Town to the Constantia Uitsig wine farm (yes, this is what they call vineyards here) and enjoyed possibly the most delicious meal I have ever had. I had a started with langostines and veal sweetbreads (yep, love 'em) and then for my main course had springbok with foie gras. My cholesterol level just jumped a few notches, but I did get a run in yesterday, and aim to jump between the raindrops tomorrow for another jaunt in our lovely Oranjezicht neighborhood. Table Mountain also remains elusive (the cable car has been closed b/c of the crazy rain/fog/lack of safety) but the weather should clear up by Thursday, so Jen and I are front loading our trip with other activities, such as the Botanical Gardens, coastal drives, and neighborhood explorations.

Cape Town is gorgeous, and the people have been great - the buzz of the World Cup has not been so high, but last night we met with a old friend of mine from Princeton, Ugwunna, and had dinner with him and his soccer crazed younger brother Okozie (sp?) and started to really get excited about the matches. We have been watching them on TV at sports bars, and we will go to the Fan Village tonight to watch the Italy/Paraguay game. After dinner in town, Ugwunna, Okozie, Jen and myself met up with Ugwunna's friends down in Kalk Bay (40 min drive south) for some awesome live music, sung by a happy dude from Angola. The bar was literally on the water...it was great. It was great to see Ugwunna, too...it had been since the late 90's since we saw each other, I believe!

Back in Cape Town, our guest house is lovely, though the beds are even firmer than mine at home! Tomorrow, we are likely to drive down to Cape Point, the most southerly point in Africa - The Cape Of Good Hope. We will stop in Simon's Bay and Boulder Beach to see penguins and possibly ostriches... and we will drive up Chapman's Peak on the return, weather permitting. Should get some delicious seafood at some highly regarded seafood cafes along the day drive. I am doing pretty damn well driving on the other side of the road - no issues so far! And our rental car was brand spanking new when we picked it up from the CPT airport, (18km on it!!) so that was nice. It is a Chevy Aveo and drives just fine...I insisted we get a South African flag to fly on our window, like the locals. Now we just need a US and Brazilian one...tomorrow! Got to run, but all is well at the near close of Day 3. Peace and soccer!

And she's off!

Actually leaving on time for SFO, despite some last minute planning. My brother and Daniel's friend Justin is kindly hosting me in Dubai tomorrow night (and getting me at the airport!) so I am relieved. This will be the second time I spend the night in Dubai with friends...last time was with my good friend Isabell when she was working there.

Everything fit (barely) into my new pack...I like it, but damn, it is heavy! I am glad it has the backpack straps that are comfortable and stretchy. That and my Timbuktu bag and I am set! My roommate Avik is kindly driving me to the airport (in my other roommate Lindsey's car!) Team effort. I love it. It is going to be just that all along this trip, I think. People helping each other out and having fun together. Isn't that what the World Cup is all about? bringing people together.

So, my followers/readers/friends...keep checking in! First game I will attend is England v. Algeria in Cape Town on June 18th. See ya there (on ESPN!)

Hug

Michele

World Cup, South Africa 2010 - A Dream Come True

This is promising to be the adventure of a lifetime! I need to get some rest, but will write a little about the trip before embarking on my flight at 4:45pm, June 9th, 2010. SFO > Dubai, then Dubai > CPT Good thing I checked my flight times - I was off by a few hours on the departure time (to my favor!) but I completely overlooked a layover in Dubai. Sure, I have loads of friends just hanging out, waiting to host me in Dubai!! Actually, my friend Daniel and my brother Greg have a mutual friend (how they met) who lives there, so I am hoping to crash there before scooting on along to Cape Town. Nothing like a little surprise to jump start the trip! A simple test...and I will pass.