Blogs from Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga , South Africa, Africa - page 27

So I realize that this may be a little late in the works as compared to a traditional blog but I will do my best to fill in the major issues covered over the last month as best I can. I plan to give a current description of what we are going through on the research project accompanied with a synopsis of different portions of the class that took place for the last four weeks. The group of about 22 students was on the move constantly with very little time to digest the information we were encountering. I plan to begin that digestion now by describing what we went through and reflecting on its significance. Now: To give you some perspective I am currently staying in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa just outside of Kruger ... read more

The image of Africa that I hold in my mind is one of grand wildernesses filled with strange and exotic animals. This image was formed mostly in my childhood with the help of the pages of National Geographic and the heavily abridged stories of Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley's adventures in Africa that could be found in my school textbooks. Later, the African wildlife documentaries and the grand stories from Hemingway, Conrad and Haggard, as well as the unabridged stories from Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley, filled in the gaps and brought life to my mental image. I knew when I stepped off of the Europa in Cape Town that my image did not match the reality of modern Africa, but I also knew, that with a little searching, the wilds of Africa could still be ... read more

Gina and I just wanted to let everyone know we're alive and having a blast with our trip. We're currently on safari in South Africa and would encourage anyone who has ever contemplated going on safari to DO IT! We have a ton of photos and look forward to sharing them with you once we write about this portion of the trip. We are currently running a few weeks behind on the blog but are trying to write entries with what little downtime we encounter -- so we beg everyone's forgiveness and patience. We love and miss you all. g&g... read more

ANIMAL SPOTTINGS Morning Tour:  Hippopotamus (Near waterhole)  Cheetah (In grassy area)  Elephant  Cape Buffalo herd  Southern Giraffes (Mother and baby in the distance)  Burchell’s Zebras  Blue Wildebeest  Warthogs  Impala  Side Striped Jackals  Slender Mongoose  Small Spotted Genet  Barn Owl (Flew out of water tank) Evening Tour:  Hyenas at den with babies  Cape Buffalo  Black Breasted Snake Eagle  Waterbuck  Lesser Bushbaby  Baboons  Warthogs  Slender Mongoose  Bush Buck  Impalas  Scrub Hares ... read more

Kruger national park is a world famous game reserve, dear reader, and this impressively run park is north east of Jo'Burg. It features a huge variety of wildlife, often at very close quarters. Game spotting is one of the most enjoyable experiences in life, and if our encounters in the park are an accurate guide you won't be disappointed! We spent three days in the Kruger park, which is South Africa's most famous tourist attraction, and we left one of the world's oldest wildlife parks exhilarated by our viewing experiences. There are an incredible number of animals to spot, and it's a wonderful privilege to be in their world as nature intended. To recap from the previous journal, my American friend and I went through the formalities at the border crossing in Swaziland, then headed north ... read more