SOUTH AFRICA

I know the world is a VERY BIG place, but for me it feels just a little bit smaller. I have been to a part of the world where I have been moved in ways I can't describe. To walk in the city of Sandton would seem no different than being say in Minneapolis. Of course not as cosmopolitan, but similar in so many ways. That is just a sliver of what we experienced. The first part of the trip was spent in Johannesburg in the Sandton area. The weather, like a cool Fall day in the Midwest, a sunny cool day in an Arizona Winter. The people were special...very friendly to us. It is obvious right away that crime is an issue everywhere. The gates that surround EVERTHING with barbwire and electric fences give you a sense of needing to be aware of your surroundings. It was intimidating at times, but we felt quite safe in the places we stayed. We walked each morning to a restaurant in the Sandton Center, about 6 blocks away for a delicious breakfast at the Mugg and Bean. They got to know us quite well. We enjoyed a day out to see Seweto, downtown Johannesburg,Hillbro and Melville.

I was amazed at all the shanty towns and poverty right in the heart of Joburg. We visited a church on the day South African's were paying tribute to the young students who lost their lives in the riots during the apartheid...there was a choir singing...their voices and the music was unforgettable! We ate lunch in Mandala's old neighborhood at "Wandy's"...Curry beef and mashed sweet potatoes. You would just eat what she makes that day. We visited the town of Seweto where they had a market set up to sell their goods. You will see a picture of a man playing a recorder...his specialty was through his nose. The kids thought that was pretty cool. I was moved at how excited these sweet people were to meet us and see the pictures I had taken of them. They had never seen pictures of themselves before.

To go downtown Joburg and into Hillbro, you are advised not to go without a local. It is NOT safe to be there without them. I did not take pictures, as I did not want anyone thinking I was looking down on them in any way. So many men without jobs...so many people living in old empty buildings...the companies and businesses have been driven out by high crime, people then moved in and took over the buildings. Literally big huge buildings in the city taken over...women doing their laundry on the roofs of a high rise.

Melville is an artsy college town area. Little shops, cafes and pubs. I loved it. It set in the heart of a neighborhood and University...surrounded by fences and barbwire.

We eventually left Sandton and headed for Sun City, where we stayed at the Cascades. This is a resort near Rustenburg about two hours from Sandton. With the exception of one area outside of Johannesburg, I never really saw anything other than shanty towns all along the way. At one point we passed a lake that had BIG beautiful homes around it...possible vacation homes for the wealthy. Sun City was very kid friendly and had a lot of different things to do. We took advantage of the crocodile farm (home of 7000 crocodiles), held and fed the lion cubs, rode out on a safari...we saw Zebras, Giraffes, Rhinos, warthogs, hippos, elephants, lions and impalas. I think we all would agree the most exciting was when we rode on the elephants. I am not one to have real high expectations going into something, but to ride on a mama elephant with her little baby following along, was for me one of the most amazing experiences. They eat big chunks of trees at a time with sharp thorns on the branches...baby would stop and feed often...giraffes and zebras would run around and play around us and they all got along. It was unreal.

We traveled with another family that had three boys. All the kids played great together, enjoying the animals, military museum, and every opportunity they had to play tag. Great memories were made!

The baboon above is Harry, we named after one of the burglers from "Home Alone". Within minutes of us getting in to our hotel room, Harry was half way in our room until Tim yelled at him to "Git". We locked the window and that silly thing came right back and tried to open the window, with BOTH hands! I could not believe it. I ran screaming into the bathroom when I saw the very big baboon charging the window the first time. Baboons were everywhere around this place and getting pooped on was a strong possibility.

The unique bark on the tree trunk above is from the African"kapoke"tree.

I love people...meeting them, getting to know them...I really do. I felt like I met some very special people in South Africa. I'm thankful for our driver, Prosper, from Zimbabwe. Intelligent, educated, very nice and willing to put up with all of our questions. I think he was shocked to find out he was driving around such a "conservative American"(me)...he knows there are not too many of "those" anymore. We hope we will see him again when we return. There were many others...I am so thankful to know them!

The trip was amazing and we are so grateful to Tim for this opportunity!