Botswana to Joburg

---

Hello,
Well its been about a week since my last post. We have been back in Johannesburg for a few days now. I am at a public terminal now so no pix for now but I will post them later to this blog.

So we spent about a week outside of Mokolodi Nature reserve at a backpackers campground. We had a hut for a few nights and a tent for the others. I loved that in the evening the servants bring a plastic waterbottle filled with hot water for us to put at the end of our beds. It warms your feet during the cold nights which are just above freezing by the way. I didnt think it would be so cold here. We are bundled up anyhow.

After a few rest days at the camp we went up to the Nature Reserve and saw the high prices and were turned off. So we asked if they needed any extra help. So Laura and I painted a childrens playground, went on game drives with the kids (school groups come each day), did some weeding, and gardening. In return we got free lunch each day as well as we went on the game drives and even got to feed the cheetahs giant donkey legs. The cheetahs were abandoned by their mother at 10 weeks so they have only been around humans and cannot be released into the wild. They made me miss our cat Shlomo. When we went in they purred like a loud purr and rubbed up against us, just like Shlomo but 20 times bigger and heavier. Then we gave them their leg of donkey and they were busy with that for a while. We also fed the hyenas. They were like giant dogs strangely enough. We fed them chickens. We also saw giraffes and rhinos and the like. It was a nice use of our time.

Here in Johannesburg we went the other day to the fan fest. Its like a free giant concert ground with a screen probably 100 feet large or more to watch the soccar matches. Last night we went to our first game, Korea DPR versus Brazil. The Koreans would have tied at one if it werent for a freek shot. Anyhow they lost 2-1 to Brazil which is a cup favourite anyhow. Today is "youth day" a National Holiday. It used to be "anti-aparteid day" commemorating the 1976 massacre at the Soweto township uprising. Also South Africa's team (Bafana Bafana) plays Uruaguay so we are going to the fan fest to watch in the holiday atmosphere. The vuvuzelas (trumpet like instruments) add to the cup flavor. 60000 of them blown together sound like a swarm of bees. We also go to the game on Friday of the USA versus Slovenia. The US must draw or win to be in good shape to move on. If they loose and England wins that would give Slovenia and England 4 points and the US just 1 going into the final round of matches. It would be hard to recover.

Over the weekend we are going to the Aparteid Museum and a Soweto tour and then on to Mozambique Monday. I may generate one more blog from SA but otherwise it will be see you in Mozambique!

---