Advertisement
Published: December 28th 2006
Edit Blog Post
The title, that means Merry Christmas in the shona language, which is what all the guys we work with speak because they're all from Zimbabwe (or Zim as they say).
We spent Christmas eve just hanging out with a couple of the guys we work with, Cleytus and Sheldon, and we watched Christmas with the Kranks on sateliete tv! lol Sheldon made us "mealie pap" which is basically this bland sticky stuff... kinda tastes like rice but i'm pretty sure its made from maize (corn). Mealie is the staple here, its like the equivalent of rice in asia or bread in europe. And we brought over a cake and chocolates for christmas presents!
We woke up Christmas day, and wandered over to the Anglican church next door. It wasn't a fantastic service, but we did get to sing some Christmas caroles, which finally made it feel like the holidays! Then, we proceeded to sit around and complain about the heat (ha ha! no seriously though, it was HOT! 36 degrees in the shade) and we wandered over to the predator camp to take those pictures in my last posting, and then we had lunch and dinner at the Lodge,
and we laughed and smiled a lot. So even though it was different, it was a good Christmas.
Now, we're in Jeffreys Bay, surfers paradise (supposedly, but i haven't seen any good waves). We've frequented the Billabong factory store, the Roxy factory shop, and the Rip Curl discount store - yikes i need you to send me more money mom! LOL just kidding, but seriously, i love discount surf gear :oD
And this is the part where i make you all jealous - after i'm done this posting, i'm going to the beach! To lie in the sand! In my new Billabong bikini! By the ocean! And burn to a beautiful shade of lobster red :oD
I dont think we're doing anything fan-tabulous for New Years, just going to head to a club in PE and ring in the new year with an African beer (maybe a Savanna Dry?) in my hand!
Oh, and for those of you who would love to relieve me of feeling completely isolated from the real world - i got a south african cellphone! So my number is 078 535 1108 and i think you put 011 27 in front of
Anetti and Simba and Mufasa
On one of our Lion Walks, great picture eh?! :oD that to text me with your Canadian cellphone. I know Shona had some issues with Bell Canada not recieving south african texts, so if you dont hear back from me, call Bell and yell at them for me!
Thanks to everybody who sent me holiday wishes! Shout outs to my Aunt Mary, Mrs. Fenwick, Tony, the Lyman family, Alanna, Son Bon.... and Grace! Not that Grace sent me a message or anything, she just wanted a shout out on the blog :o)
Ah, here is an important thing to talk about.... I would like you all to do something for me..... Go into your laundry room, and kiss you washer and hug the dryer. I'm dead serious. I have a newfound respect for the spin cycle... i have blisters from trying to wring out my clothes! (Shona is really good at it, i have taken to calling her The Wringmaster) It's honestly an uphill battle trying to keep up on our laundry, and it just never feels entirely clean with handwashing..... *sigh*
Three weeks left at Kwantu, and i'm currently in the proces of trying to book some tours for my last 3 weeks in Africa. Here's
my tentative plan (tentative because i dont know if the tours are full or not):
Jan. 16th, fly from Capetown to Nairobi, Kenya.
Jan. 17th, start the Serengetti Experience tour, for six days, goes into Tanzania, and camps one night at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. I've thought about it alot, and honestly, i'm less active here than i was at home (which wasnt very active in the first place!) so i dont think i'm in any shape to actually climb that mountain. But at least i will get to see it!
The tour then goes into Serengetti National Park and around and back to Nairobi.
Jan. 23 to Jan. 27th, hang out in Nairobi!
Jan. 28th, start a second tour that goes into Uganda. I would get to visit local tribes, see Lake Victoria and the beginning of the Nile River, the Great Rift Valley (possibly the "motherland" of humanity), and into Bwindi National Park where.... prepare yourself.... we hike around for 3 days in the rainforest looking for, and sitting amongst, the mountain gorrillas. I'm not kidding. How COOL is that!!?? I really hope its not booked full!
After all that, i'll fly
Bengal Tiger
Seriously, i love these tigers, they are soooo cute! Here he's rolling around because its hot, and you should hear them moan! As Colin says, they sound like little old ladies moaning about the heat ;o) back to Capetown and have a couple days to relax before i fly home on Valentines day.
What do you guys think? :o) You can check out the tour group i want to book with, and the tours ("Serengetti Expereience" and "Masa Mara and Gorrillas") at www.nomadtours.co.za
Okay, i think it's time to go! I'm not sure that i'll be able to post about New Years until much later because we're heading back to Kwantu on the 2nd, so have a good new year everybody! And if the world explodes at midnight, i'll try to warn you before midnight reaches North America :oP
Byeeeeeeee!
Janine
Advertisement
Tot: 0.091s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 16; qc: 78; dbt: 0.0587s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Janis Cumin
non-member comment
Busy Girl!
Hi Janine, Well, you have certainly been busy with even MORE adventures to come! I'm very happy for you. It isn't everyone that has the opportunity to visit another country as wonderful as South Africa and the experiences are so magnificent they will last a life time. I enjoy your blogs and pictures very much and look forward to hearing what you have been doing. It makes me want to come back! Take care and try not to burn. Janis