I have decided to write an online journal of my experiences in the bush. Check back daily for new additions. My journal will begin hopefully on May 21, which is the day I arrive in Africa!
May 21, 2000
Well, forget about sleeping on the plane! I found out that sleeping upright is not something I do well! LOL! We arrived in Johannesburg after 16 and 1/2 hours of flying, and we were completely exhausted. After meeting with Ilana from Africam, we boarded a very small aircraft which flew us to Djuma. Upon landing on the small, dirt airstrip, we were met by Henry, a Djuma ranger, who drove us here to the Vuyatela Lodge.
On the way here, I saw my first real live waterbucks! They are as fuzzy as they look on the vgd!! Shortly after that we saw some impalas, and a well hidden kudu ewe. Imagine my surprise when Henry stopped the landy and pointed out a male and female lion lying in the grass yards from us!!! They popped their heads up and looked right at me...right THROUGH me. It was one of the most awesome experiences I've ever had! I told Henry that I was nervous, but he told me not to worry. They were beautiful, staring at me with those awesome eyes!
This lodge is a paradise! Our room sits at the edge of Gowrie lake! I can see the Gowrie cam in the tree, and the crib with the funny tree next to it from the porch! I saw some very large lizard crawling up a tree here, AND I saw the reed comorant that I had seen before on the Gowrie cam!
My first game drive was awesome! It was like four-wheeling...bouncy and fun!! We traveled down very steep ravines into sandy creeks, and back up and out again. There are so many winding roads through the bush here - I was glad I wouldn't have to find our way back to the lodge through this puzzle! We saw some waterbucks, nyalas, antelope, and LIONS again!! These were a different pride, and also the ones you saw on the vgd.
Link was with us filming, and as you know, got a few shots of me, too! LOL! Later we saw a porcupine, a baby civet (absolutely adorable...It walked right up to the landy!), a magnificent spotted owl, and much more that I think I'm forgetting, due to my fatigue. What day is this anyway? LOL!
We finished up the evening with an exquisite braii dinner, cooked and eaten outside in the boma under the stars! Two hyenas smelled the cooking and stopped several yards outside the partition and stayed there long enough for us to get a good look at them. How exciting!! Imagine eating dinner and watching hyenas! This experience has been a totally awesome one so far. In the morning we are going on a bush walk with Henry, and of course then we're off on another game drive. Stay tuned!! I'll write more soon!
P.S. I knew I'd forget to mention having a glimpse at an african wildcat, and the adorable little flap necked chameleon that clung so tightly to my hand while I watched him! :)
May 22, 2000
I awoke this morning to a clattering on the roof which startled me, and upon opening the curtains, I saw three vervet monkeys playing in the trees above! They were still present at breakfast, having moved above us on the veranda, where Link playfully imitated one, moving his neck back and forth! What a sight to see Link and this little monkey swaying their heads like Egytians, in unison!
The morning game drive provided us with the opportunity to view impala, waterbucks, nyala, and more, while being jostled around in the landy (this is one of the best parts...being tossed around at times, and hanging on tight!!) up and down steep ravines and through sandy creek beds. The scenery is awesome, ranging from plains like areas, dotted with trees, to quite lush tropical looking places.
THE BUSH WALK!!! Definitely one of the highlights of my stay here so far was the walk Henry, Ilana, Tim, and myself went on this afternoon. Sali the tracker drove us out past Gowrie dam near a creek bed, shaded by an amazing canopy of trees, and dropped us off to walk our way back to camp!! To be honest, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up, not being an expert hiker! After Sali drove off, we stood there in the bush with no vehicle, listening to Henry tell us what to do and how to act if we came across the leopard they had been tracking, or the lions who had been nearby which could have made their way down to where we were going!!!! EEEEEK!!! Suddenly I questioned myself...Maybe I shouldn't be here doing this!!! But, I trusted Henry implicitly. And besides...I was already there!!! Soon we were on our way down a steep hill to the creekbed, where I stood in awe of the beauty there, finally at the bottom, standing in the shade. A myriad of birds flew through the air above us, chattering and singing. Trees and bushes of every shape and size outlined our paths through the sand and water. Henry stopped often to let us taste berries and leaves, and explained the histories and lore of many of the plants. We trudged through the wet sand, water, and thick grasses which thrived at the bottom of the ravine. Henry pointed out a fresh leopard track in the sand, and I drew a heavy breath...tears almost welling up in my eyes, as I gazed upon this pawprint...My leopard had escaped me again, but left me a reminder that he is near!!! I took a picture of the print! Maybe tomorrow I'll see him!! After a long, but extremely satisfying and BEAUTIFUL walk back, we paused at Gowrie and took pictures of the cam set up in the tree, and of the small concrete crib there. Upon stepping back upon Vuyatela's deck, I felt so exhilirated that I had gone on a bush walk and kept up!!!! I had tred next to the spoor of lions, leopards, baboons, antelope, elephants, and more, my footprints lying beside theirs, for however long they may last!!! WHAT a feeling! :))))
The evening game drive was very interesting. We drove up to the Kruger park border and down along it, and though the animals were playing hide-and-seek, I really started watching Sali the tracker. This man sits on the front seat which jets out from the landy, and communicates with a combination of languages, both verbal and body language, consisting of several short, blunt words (which I don't understand, but Henry does) and hand motions. He can spot an animal from yards away that none of us would have seen! When the sun goes down, he shines the spotlight back and forth VERY quickly from side to side, and my eyes can't even keep up! Suddenly he will hold the spotlight still and viola!! There is a genet, or other animal! I was very happy tonight to see a genet for the first time...It's face was very slender, its tail striped, and it moved very gracefully through the grass! We also saw another civet, which hung around for quite a while, some distant buffalos, a few male waterbucks, and an elephant. My favorite sighting from this drive was a mother and young giraffe!! They swished their tails back and forth just like horses, swatting flies. (I never knew they did that!!!) They also had many oxpeckers fluttering up and down their necks! It was amazing to behold in real life! Just amazing!!!!
Although a lot more happened today (such as a beautiful indoor dinner next to the fireplace, and using the office computer, with Link and Jo situated on either side of me) I cannot write anymore tonight. This computer in the library is very temperamental, and I am having trouble emailing anyone, or keeping up with my journal. I can't walk to the office alone, since there has been a roving elephant, lions, and the hyenas we saw last night at dinner! I must have an escort, and I don't want to trouble anyone, although they'd gladly walk with me. Everyone is so friendly here! :))) Until tomorrow....byeeeee!!! :))) {{{hugs}}} everyone!
May 23, 2000
What a day this has been so far! Out on the game drive this morning, less than a mile from the camp, there was a male lion standing in the middle of the road. As he stood there considering which way to go, Henry the ranger told us that the lion would probably walk right past the vehicle and told us not to move if he did. My heart jumped into my throat!! I didn’t think I was ready for that yet! The lion crossed the road and went into the grass, and I let out a sigh of relief! LOL!
We drove on and had a most amazing experience. Far up the road from us was a single hyena walking down the middle of the road. For fear the animal would bolt and run, Henry turned off the engine, and as we drifted down the hill towards the hyena, he began swerving the landy from side to side. He said this way we would appear less of a threat to him. Henry sure accomplished what he was trying to do!! The hyena walked RIGHT UP to the landy, sniffed Sali’s (the tracker) boots, and then continued around looking at each and every one of us curiously, as we did the same to him! It was awesome!!!
This animal was so beautiful and inquisitive and “tame looking” that I felt I could have reached out and pet him! (Of course I’m not that stupid, but he just looked so innocent and curious!!) Henry explained that this was a rather bizarre occurrence , and did not happen very often.
Another mile or so up another road, we saw a pride of six beautiful lions lying on a giant, flat rock. The sun was illuminating them, and one couldn’t have planned a better photo opportunity!! There were four males and one female, and we sat clicking and wowing for quite some time! Later, I saw my first warthogs and male kudus!! Henry explained the way to tell a male kudu’s age…Each circling of the horns equals one and ˝ years.
Ilana (the AfriCam editor) left us today and went back to Johannesburg. We are really going to miss her, as she was a very nice person, well educated in wildlife (especially birds!!), and much fun to be with. I’m glad her last game drive here was so remarkable! She asked me to write a story for Afrinews, which I will certainly do! :)
After an exquisite breakfast (the food here is gourmet plus!!) Sali the tracker took us outside the Djuma compound to two Shangali villages. What an experience!! The housing was very unique, ranging from thatched roof huts to “mud houses,” made with dirt taken from termite mounds, formed into bricks and put together with concrete. Sometimes these houses had a coating of plaster on the outside, and were then painted in vibrant colors, completely concealing the brick work. (very lovely!) The plant life there was amazing, and I delighted seeing banana and paw paw trees, and pointsettia plants in bloom, up to 25 feet tall! Wow! There were many different fruit trees and flowers also. Sali took us to the school that Jurie had built (for preschoolers to age six), and the children sang several songs to us! It was marvelous! They were so adorable singing “Old McDonald,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider” (one of my favorites!! Hehehe LOL!), and more! It was a remarkable experience! When we got back to camp, there were 5 nyala females grazing in the yard! They are so beautiful, with their spotted coats and dainty legs!
I just finished an exquisite lunch on the veranda under a large tree with several sneaky little vervet monkeys parading above! They were trying to figure out how to get a bite to eat from us! A while later I heard the manager trying to chase them out of the kitchen! The sneaky things ran out one side and back in another way! LOL! I couldn’t have asked for a more entertaining lunch! I would look up while eating, and see one peering out from behind the bar at me! Oh, those little monkeys are just too cute and funny! My goodness…As if the day hasn’t been adventurous enough, there is another game drive coming up in a couple of hours! I am living on pure adrenaline and excitement! Tim is currently taking a nap! LOL! I can’t sleep though, just anticipating the excitement yet to come!!
Adios until next time!! I may write more about tonight’s upcoming drive later, if I’m not too tired after dinner. {{{Hugs, everyone!!}}}
May 24, 2000
I SAW MY LEOPARD!!!!!!!!!!!!
The game drive last night was rather slow for animals, but the drive was beautiful! We were in a place far from here, with steep hills, a beautiful river, and awesome views. We were trying to find a rhino which is known to frequent the area, but we had no luck with it! I did get to see my first vultures, sitting high up in a dead tree. It was a really neat sight! Also, I saw my first white-tailed mongoose, which made highlights, I see! He was really posing perfectly until the flash from my camera scared it away! I really got teased for that one! LOL!
We enjoyed an exquisite dinner later with Link, Jo, and Lianne (the manager), after which Link and Jo shared with us some of their amazing experiences in the bush!
Last night I was what you would call a “bad guest!” After everyone was asleep, I crept out into the night alone, to the computer, and played on the AfriCam boma with some friends until 3 a.m. This morning when I dragged my tired, hung over body to the boma for coffee, Henry pointed out lion tracks right there in the boma!!! I had only been to bed for three hours, and I had missed this lion by an hour or two, if that long!!! (I must pass the boma to get to this computer from my room and back again!!!) The thought that this creature was possibly silently lurking outside the whole time I was sitting here alone, playing in my pajamas, really gives me the shivers!! I learned my lesson, and will never do that again!! After they walk us to our room for the evening, I’m staying right there! LOL! (If anyone from Vuyatela reads this…I’m sorry, and it will never happen again!)
This morning’s drive really paid off for me, as not only did I finally run the game drive cam, but I also got to see my leopard!!!! The vgd signal was lost during this time however, so it did not get to be broadcast to the rest of you. We did take lots of photos though, and as soon as I am home and have them developed, I’ll put them up on my website.
The whole experience was surreal, since before we got to the leopard, we drove through a large grassy area, dimly lit with the sun, which was filtering through the clouds. Here there were several zebra and some giraffes. We got very close to the giraffes and I had to crick my neck and point my camera up very high to take pictures! We raced right by them, and I knew it was because we had bigger fish to fry!! Henry told us that there was a leopard sighting and we were on our way to see it, hopefully. My heart was racing with anticipation as we drove on…I wondered if I would miss him again, should he move on. The landy crept slowly into a small clearing surrounded by thick brush, and there in the clearing, sprawled out in all of his magnificent beauty, was my leopard! He did not look at me. He raised his head, profiled to us, and pointed his nose into the air! Everything was still, and the only sound to be heard was my sniffling, as the tears slowly dropped from my eyes. He lied there for a good 10 minutes, posing with his back towards us, before he got up and nonchalantly walked to another area, further away from us. Before he lied down again, he slowly lifted his head, and looked straight into my eyes!!!!!! My body felt as if it were on fire, as he paused there momentarily, his green eyes piercing straight down to the depths of my soul. I was filled with his spirit, and he with mine! He then lied down in some taller grass, hidden, except for parts of his face and the tips of his ears. After about 10 more minutes, we agreed to leave him, and when Henry started the landy, his head popped up to watch us leave. I blew him a kiss, and I think he knows that we will meet again!!!!!
After tea and coffee, we resumed the drive and the game drive cam signal was captured again, and I took my job very seriously!! Although there weren’t many animals about, I did manage to capture the silhouettes of a Gray Lourie at the top of a tree feeding her baby. (By the way...Now I know why they call it the go-away bird! It sounds like a woman yelling in a high pitched voice, “GO WAY!”) I also filmed some wildebeests, complete with a cute baby one, with mere spikes for horns! He was adorable!
Well, it’s time for tea and then the evening game drive. I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to write tonight after the drive, since dinner is right after that. Also…I would like to apologize for not emailing anyone, but every time I get to the Yahoo site, something goes wrong!! I’ve got mail in there I haven’t even been able to read yet. {{{Hugs everyone!}}} I miss you all, and think about you every day!
May 25, 2000
The ride to the Djuma gate was a long and sad one. Having said my goodbyes to people and places I'll certainly miss, the tears welled up in my eyes as we plodded along. "What is that?!" Tim and I both yelled as something large and spotted crossed the road in front of us. "A leopard!" Henry said. Our six eyes popped open in disbelief, as my leopard, having crossed the road in front of us, glanced at me briefly, and dissappeared into the grass. "He told me goodbye!" I said, and I couldn't help but cry the rest of the drive to the gate. Imagine that! My dreamy eyed leopard showed up for a last look before I left. He told me goodbye!
The drive to Sabi Sabi was an interesting one! The man drove like a bat out of hell! I prayed for several small children, as he would have plowed them over if they hadn't jumped out of the way! LOL! We passed many villages and small towns, rolling hills and flat land dotted with trees. Colorfully dressed women carried water jugs on their heads, goats and cows roamed freely, and well dressed children hung outside of schools laughing. After two hours of very interesting scenery, we arrived at Sabi.
This is quite a different place than Vuyatela. There are a lot more people here, and there are quite a few rooms. The porch of our room stares out at the famous Sabi cam, with the water pan glistening beneath the tree to the right. How neat to look outside at the same place I had previously only watched on the internet!! Oddly enough, the name of my room is "Ingwe," which is Shangan for leopard!
Odie is fabulous...very funny and pleasant! She was kind enough to lend me her computer to continue my journal. BigFrank was a pleasure to meet also! Tomorrow we will be on the same drives together, since Odie helped arrange it. :))
On tonight's drive, Tim and I completed seeing the big five, with a mother, baby, and father rhino! Although the male was much larger than the female, she snorted and lowered her head, and charged him to protect her baby! He was very subservient and let her chase him away. He stood there with his head down, looking pitiful, at having been chased away from the best patch of grass! LOL! The highlight of the evening though, was watching a leopard in a tree with his kill. It was absolutely awesome, watching and listening to this beauty crunching and enjoying his impala meal. A hyena was lurking below, and was lucky to pick up and run off with a bone that had fallen. When the leopard was finished, he climbed down a few branches and groomed himself, and then...He looked straight at me!!!
It was really an experience! This makes the second leopard now that has stared me straight in the eyes! I feel so fortunate...I think I have the Ingwe spirit. :) After a fabulous dinner in the boma, here we are enjoying the company of Odie and Frank, listening to Frank's cheetah sighting story from earlier.
It's time to get to bed, as I am exhausted again! Life in the bush is tiring, but worth every single minute of effort! Till next time...byeeee! :)))
May 26, 2000
Lions were the name of the day!! On the morning drive, we came across a pride of lions lazing around in the grass. We watched them for some time, bellies up in the sun, twitching slightly ever so often, and then we moved on. After breakfast, Odie asked us if we'd like to go with her to watch her move the mobile cam away from the tree where the leopard was. He had moved on and she wanted to focus on the lions we had seen earlier. What an interesting experience that was! When we reached the location, the lions were posing perfectly. Frank, myself, Tim, and two rangers were in a separate landy. Odie was in the mobile cam vehicle, which is also a landy, but an enclosed one. She pulled the vehicle into position and raised the antenna, started focusing, and the lions moved a few yards away. She moved the vehicle again, raised the antenna, cautious of the trees, and climbed out of the window straight onto our landy roof, and got into the tracker's seat. In a few seconds, the lions got up and walked away again!! Odie climbed back across the roof of our landy, and back into the window of the mobile vehicle and moved it again. Each move is tedious, as she must watch for clearance of the antenna through the trees, brush on the ground in front of the vehicle, etc. As she was moving the vehicle, we watched the lions grooming and bonding with one another. It was an amazing sight listening to them purring and grunting, carefully licking and nibbling one another in just the right places, with the most tender touches. After the third move of the mobile vehicle, the lions got up and walked away AGAIN, and this time, they were really on the move. We watched them rise up one by one, all following the dominant female, and they slowly dissappeared into the tall grass, tails flicking behind them. Obviously at this point, Odie was frustrated, as were we, watching her try so hard to accomplish getting the cam in just the right spot, with only dissappointment to show for it. She finally parked the cam in a field with some wildebeests, and had minimal trouble with that.
THE EVENING DRIVE!!! After witnessing the gentle carefree lions from the morning and afternoon, we came upon two male lions, one eating an impala. We were told that two females had made the kill and the males had stolen it. The crunching was very loud, and only one of the males was eating. We watched them for a moment and moved on to two females, who were eating on a second impala they had killed and were enjoying for themselves. The trackers (there were two vehicles there) shone the light on the lions and we could see them clearly. Odie was sitting next to me, BigFrank was in front of me, and Tim was behind Odie on the landy. Suddenly, one of the lionesses jumped up and snarled loudly, a large chunk of impala still in her mouth, bloody faced, while glaring at our vehicle!!!!
I totally freaked out!!! I slid as fast as I could across the seat and GRABBED onto Odie and whispered an obscenity or two, staring wide-eyed at her!!! "Oh, my God," I said aloud! She looked at me calmly and said, "Carol...Sit still!" Shortly after, Frank glanced back at me and said, "Chicken!!" LOL! The lioness jumped up again a little while later, and before I could panic, Odie firmly stated again, in her sweet delicate voice, "Carol...Sit still!" I just looked at her and smiled! This was the first time I had seen lions eating, and they were very protective of their food from one another. I took the growling personally, I guess...but...I was a rookie! LOL! I don't know if I can really ever get used to a giant lioness growling and snarling, looking wild-eyed around the darkness, clutching a large chunk of meat in her mouth, glaring at me. I don't know if I ever be comfortable with that! Until next time!!! byeeeee!!! :)) There will be a sing-along-tomorrow at the Sabi Sounds!! Stay tuned! hehehehe byeeeee!
May 27, 2000
What a morning! We saw some wildes, giraffes, and zebra lit by the morning sun. The highlight though was following a female leopard for over an hour!!! She was posing so beautifully and we took tons of photos. She walked right beside the vehicle several times and looked me in the eyes. I have the Ingwe spirit; I am sure of it! She even crossed a river, deep in a ravine, gingerly stepping and jumping from rock to rock. She has two cubs that are 6 weeks old, but she didn't bring them out for us to see. BigFrank was lucky a few days ago and got to see them though.
ENCOUNTER WITH AN ELE!!! After we left the beautiful leopard, we drove up really close to an elephant that was munching peacefully on some trees. It was really incredible to be so close to one and hear the noise they make. Branches crackle, and the ele snorts occasionally while munching loudly. I never realized it before, but their eyelashes are at least 3 or 4 inches long! The elephant walked towards the landy and threw its ears forward suddenly! It snorted loudly as well, as a threat to us. Once again I slid across the seat, but this time my husband was the unlucky recipient of my tight grasp! LOL! Of course BigFrank had to say it again..."CHICKEN!" ROTFL!
Odie is currently out in the field, and Tim decided that the Sabi mobile cam needed to be moved. He touched either the right or left pan button on the control here in the office, and now the controls won't work at all! LOL! Currently Sabi fans are enjoying a close up of the side of the mobile cam vehicle! ROTFLOL!! Frank is sitting here next to me trying to fix it...using a series of highly technical movements, such as banging on it, knocking on it, and repeatedly presssing the buttons! LOL! We are in hysterics here...Poor Tim retired to our room feeling so terrible! To his benefit, Odie has been having trouble with the control box, as it has a short in it. :)
May 28, 2000
I didn't think I'd have time to write today, but I have another hour on my hands before our driver comes to collect us for the airport. Last night's drive was rather slow, but we managed to see a mother and baby rhino, and another elephant frightened me to death again! LOL! This one actually trumpeted at us while shaking his head, ears flared! Imagine that in the dark, dimly lit by the spotlight! Eeeek! LOL! Dinner was exquisite, cooked far out in the bush over coals. Our tables were set very beautifully as usual, so we didn't really have to "rough it." We heard crackling in the bushes behind us, and when the rangers shined a light there, there were two hyenas really closeby hoping for scraps. When we finished dinner, we were sitting there talking and star gazing, when we were alarmed suddenly by an elephant trumpeting nearby. It was a very eerie sound, as the creature was obviously upset over something. It did this several times, and the hair was raising up on the back of my neck! Big Frank was laughing at me, noticing my eyes had become twice their normal size! LOL! I was truly frightened though, as I thought the creature would come barrelling out of the bushes and trample us. Finally we boarded the landy and headed back to camp.
This morning's drive had a definite first for me! We went down to the beautiful Sabi river and saw 5 hippos in the water. They were making their famous hippo vocals and it was really something to hear! Of course I was scared and told the ranger there was NO WAY I was walking down to the shore!! LOL! I finally did though, after much razzing from everyone, and was glad I did. A while later we saw a mother and baby elephant. The baby was so cute and barely had control of his little trunk, and he was swaying it in every direction! He flapped his little ears at us and walked on quickly after a while. His mother was very relaxed and stood eating very close to us.
BigFrank is gone now, on his way to Kruger and then Djuma. I will really miss him calling me a chicken and laughing at me. He is a very humourous person, and we had a lot of fun together. :)) Our first flight is leaving at 2:00 pm this afternoon, and we'll be home on the 29th sometime. I miss my son John, and can't wait to tell him about and let him see our adventures. (Tim camcorded almost EVERYTHING!!) Needless to say I will miss Africa greatly, but I'm not going to say I'll never be back. I already know I will! The drums of Africa are beating in my heart now, and I'll have to quiet them down somehow! And besides that...I have a leopard waiting for me at Djuma! :))
May 30, 2000
My father died on this day in 1975. He was only 42 years old. Happy (or sad) Memorial Day to everyone, and God Bless the United States of America, its Veterans and people from all walks of life! :))
I cried all the way to and out of Skukuza, a very small airstrip a few miles outside of Sabi Sabi, as we rose, painfully and slowly, watching the beautiful scenery grow smaller and smaller as the little plane lifted higher and higher into the sky and away from the bush. Tim ran to the bathroom for some kleenex for me, since I was sobbing uncontrollably, watching the bush dissappear. Once in Johannesburg, we boarded the 747 that would take us to Atlanta, Georgia. Once airborn, we looked out of the window, and witnessed the last, and most beautiful, orange and pink African sunset that I was fortunate enough to behold through my crying eyes! Orange and pink sparkled through all of the windows of the airplane! It was brilliant! I was sipping my new favorite African drink at the time, Amarula, which made it all the more difficult for me! Who would have known that my last "sundowner" would have been on an airplane on the way home?! Tim was crying too, watching me fall apart. He was truly a dear for me, as he always is.
16 and 1/2 hours later we arrived in Atlanta. After an aggressive customs search (myself being "patted," as Tim calls it, and Tim having to remove his usual belt buckle and watch LOL!!), we seemed to walk on for miles in that fricking place!!!! Our flight to Austin was delayed, we found out, and we went to have some eats and drinks in the nearby Chili's bar and grill. I was feeling pretty good after three Bloody Marys! hehehe It turned out that our flight was delayed for THREE hours!!
I became a total b**ch! I strode through the airport with no makeup, having cried it all off earlier, circles under my eyes, no shoes, (yes, I went barefoot, finally!!!!), and messy hair from so many hours of traveling! My language hit rock bottom, and I eventually appeared as if a transient with no home, daring anyone and everyone to just cross my path! LOL!! I was a sight to behold! Still, I managed to meet a very nice woman from Austin who was stalled along with us, and we shared stories of wanting to go home, and of our children. :)
So, if I must summize the whole trip right here, and I will...I will say this...
Red, orange, pink, blue, gray, purple, black, gray, brown, green, yellow, brown!! Help!! Yikes!! Oh, God!! Eeek!
Thank you, God, thank you AfriCam, and thank you everyone, who were so eager to read my journal. I have enjoyed sharing this with you all just as much as you have enjoyed reading it. :))
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