Last Post From South Africa
So it’s been awhile. Sorry about that. Things got really busy around here for the past two weeks. The internet was down and then the computer broke (but they just put in a laptop for us to use). So we finished soil erosion, which pretty much consisted of us throwing barrels of hay into a big hole and then putting pounds and pounds of rocks on top of them. So that when the hay breaks down the rocks will hold them in place. We also did some fence work, where we had to finish building the fences by attaching the big poles to the wire with a handy little peice of metal that warped the wire around it. It was quite nifty. Last weekend was the long weekend so Kate and I went to the markets (which were kind of lame and not very markety) and the Lion and Rhino reserve (which was AWESOME!). We got there expecting to be driven around by a guide in the reserve, but it turned out that we had to drive ourselves in the rickety little Uno that we rented for the day. So that was an experiance all of its own. Then we drove into the predator camp where all they told us to do was to keep the windows rolled up and if a lion came up to the car we were supposed to get the heck out of there (drive away really fast). So we got to watch these HUGE lions eat and hang out around the car, there were White Loins there too so that was really cool. Then we went to the best part. The Creche. There you pay 20 Rand and you get to play with either baby lions or baby tigers. We chose the lions and they were so cute. There a lot stronger then you think and one bit me (but not in a painful way, it was just playing, although it hurt a bit). When we were driving we saw a brand new baby Zebra (pictures to come) and a baby Rhino with its mom. They were both so adorable and little. Later that week we went back to work and walked the fence line around the reserve looking for holes in the fence or traps for people to catch the birds or little animals. We walked about 5 to 6 miles that day. THEN the next day we went on a game count. Which consists of us walking around the entire reserve looking for the different animals and literally standing there and counting them. It seemed silly because the animals moved and we could have been counting the same group twice, but I figure they know what they are doing. That walk was about 10 miles. So I had some wicked blisters by the end of that one. This past weekend Kate, my Australian roommate, left for her trip to the states and I leave tomorrow to go home. It’s been really cool here and different then I thought but a experiance all the same. I am looking forward to warmth and a nice long shower but I will miss the Zebra’s waking me up outside my window in the middle of the night. Thanks so much for caring about what I have been doing and taking the time to read my silly blog. I hope that everything is good back in the states (although we got word that Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, and Billy Mayes died… depressing). Alrighty, thanks again for keeping up with me and I will see you soon (hopefully).
