Photos Available on Flickr

(TOM) I was literally "in a fog" the first few days last week, and it wasn't as much jet lag, as emotion lag. I really, really miss the places, people, and time with Miranda. The attached photo is of the sunset from Lions head on our last day.

But we're definitely back...

And, I'm through the photos. After some hard deleting (from over 2,200 to under 1,100), some basic editing, and slow uploading, there are some places you can see just a few (400 or so...) small, low-res photos of us and our trip.

Now, on to downloading and editing 6+ hours of HD video.

T

Our last day

(TOM) Well, I'm sitting with Miranda, feet kicked up, enjoying the niceties of the Air France Club Room compliments of Delta, waiting to board the flight home (it's delayed).

The photos attached to this are of the sunset yesterday from Lions Head. We made the climb and enjoyed the sun, the rain, the wind, the stillness, the quite, the activity of people jogging past, images of city and mountains and ocean - all of it. It was just right. Before we went up there we went to an African Restaurant for our last chance to try Ox tail or tripe or Mopane worms (we again passed on all three). While waiting, we had some fun taking pics of each other from across the table. Mo's is just her being her; chocolate shake from a straw, peace sign, an expression that belies whatever thoughts and emotions may be there. Me, I'm just taking advantage of an empty restaurant and a pretty loud sound system playing some Percy Sledge. Good times.

(Some of you have asked about video. Well, we're recording in HD and I didn't get the software needed to convert HD to digital, so we've lots of work to do on video editing over the next few weeks. We'll try to post a highlight reel here when we get it done).

We flew to Joberg from CT this morning on another Mango flight. The last time we were on Mango (from Durban to CT) it was our first chance to see any photos from Impendle. We sat there next to each other, each with one half of the iPod earphones, listening to U2 (Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own, Crumbs from Your Table, Where the Streets have No Name, One, Walk On, Grace, The SunCity version of Silver and Gold, 40, Bad, etc.). We sat there looking at those images of Impendle over and over, weeping like little children. It was a powerful moment. I'm sure we were a site.

Today we flew from CT to Joberg on Mango and were again crying a bit, but also laughing and joking, staring and thinking, sitting quitely, remembering, pondering, missing what we're leaving and what we're going towards. Like our emotions, the mix of music was more diverse as well; songs about coming home, about needing nothing but love, about little feet, about not taking things for granted, about two cute but ugly people, etc. I guess we were a bit like South Africa itself; a mixed up, highly energised, passionate, blend of a lot of diverse perspectives and emotions and experiences. Pretty good if you can just maintain enough control...

Next?
Well, Miranda and I have already discussed how we can stay connected to Impendle, continue to help the people there, and help facilitate others who want to help as well. There are a couple of options available. I don't know what it will be, but we keep coming back to the idea of "isipo", "gift", the name Amahle used to refer to Miranda, and the thing we received every minute of every day in Impendle and the rest of South Africa. Somewhere is an isipo that we need to share with the people of South Africa and the rest of the world. Please keep asking us about it. It is easy to get some balance and feel more connected to the world, and adjust priorities when on vacation. The day-to-day grind of the American lifestyle - of getting ahead before anything else - tends to get in the way of our better selves that thinks of others well being as much as our own. Please help us remember and act; don't let us off the hook. That can be your isipo to us. Stay tuned here to see what we decide to do.

Any time any of you want, we're happy to have you over to share some SA food and wine and photos and videos. Thanks for coming along with us on this trip of a lifetime.

Miranda blog last entree in SA

Mo
yeah, last 3 days have been quite interesting.... ive either been tired and sluggish, or barfing, or dehydrated, but during that time saw great whites, baboons, lions, and many other things, like WEASELS AND PENGUINS AND MOUNTAINS OH MY!!!. daddy did the paragliding, but i was really dehydrated, and took 2 Excedrin right after i had a cup of coffee, so i was overdosed on caffeine, on a stimulant, and was dehydrated. after and hour or two of bed rest and 15 glasses of water, i felt fine and went on a major shopping spree, so i could look fantastic for the african fashion show that we "went to".
we ended up not getting in, but our picture is on a website, we saw some seriously chic people, were in the background of a fashion TV show host's shot, and got some flippin sweet trendy clothes.

WHICH INCLUDE, BONNIE, THE AWESOME ARMY-MARY-POPPINS-VICTORIAN BOOT THINGS!!!!!!
and a fluffy blouse. (i used my streength to reep my blouuuuuse!!!! -- Nacho Libre)

Sorry for the random outburst.

Robben island was pretty cool. Our guide was in the prison for several years, and was tortured in the detention center.
I gotta go get on the plane. I love you all!
Mo

The Rainbow Nation

South Africa is a beautiful place because of its diversity; of topography, geography, climate, weather, plant and animal life, and mostly its people. There are problems for sure; people and parties governing who really have no history of governing nor mentors to follow, and too many with apparently pretty bad judgment and too much self-interest; crime and poverty and disease that are completely related and all too high for any society to maintain long-term. Etc. But I don't think there is another place with such promise and opportunity.

Today, our last day, we went to Robben Island. From there one can see some of the most dramatic images possible of the brutal past of oppression, images of the Cape city booming and yet also young and open and natural, images of hope and strength and the ability to be oppressed and overcome and also forgive. It was much more powerful than I can communicate. The pile of multi-colored rocks at the entry to the lime quary, which started on a post-aparthied reunion when Mandela walked there and placed a rock at the entrance representing all of the people who perished there and without word everyone else followed. The holding pens for the guard dogs, which were bigger than the cells for the prisoners. The diversity of prisoners, Indian, Coloured, and Black African, including those who were professors and did nothing more than speak eloquently against racism and were branded enemies of the state, to regular people who trained in urban warfare and were caught with weapons. The eerie familiar story of fear leading to the government edicts approving torture, and the recention of habeus corpus and the right of trial for those deemed "terrorists" in order to protect citizens from those who would take away their way of life. The impact of Mandela's and Tutu's (and other's) wishes that those responsible for Aparthied not be punished, but be encouraged to tell the truth as a part of a process of forgiveness and reconciliation - how the love and forgiveness of the oppressed overcame the fear and distrust of the oppressor, and gave this country the great chance it has today.

Mostly, though, I was impacted by one statement that I saw and heard several times in this stark, sad prison. So, along with one image of a lilly that has randomly began growing on the floor of the lime quary, I'm going to share the following quote:

"WHILE WE WILL NOT FORGET THE BRUTALITY OF APARTHIED, WE WILL NOT WANT ROBBEN ISLAND TO BE A MONUMENT TO OUR HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING. WE WOULD WANT IT TO BE A TRIUMPH OF WISDOM AND LARGNESS OF SPRIRIT AGAINST SMAL MINDS AND PETTINESS; A TRIUMPH OF COURAGE AND DETERMINATION OVER HUMAN FRAILTY AND WEAKNESS; A TRIUMPH OF NEW SOUTH AFRICA OVER THE OLD."
Ahmed Kathrada, prisoner 468/64

Thursday in Cape Town

visit




(TOM) Today we headed out to Paarl, about 40 minutes outside of Cape Town to a Lion park. Miranda really wanted to go after reading about it because of the way they rescue and care for lions. It was amazing to get so close to them and support them being cared for in such an open and perfect place for them.

All day on our way out there, we were calling around for paragliders, trying to find one that would take me and Miranda off Lions Head. But the weather conditions were not right. We finally were introduced to a guy named Manu who agreed to meet us there and see if things changed toward at the end of the day as they do sometimes. On our way, Miranda realized she would likely get sick and decided not to go. Anyway, it turns out Manu had it right, and we ended up taking off from the side of Lions Head on an amazing trip down to the beach. Manu is another one of those people we've met here; great talent, great attitude, really committed to making it easy for people to have a great time here. If you get to CT, and want a fantastic experience, check him out at paraglide.co.za (that is my knee and our shadow in the pic on the right). Thanks for a great ride Manu!

Miranda also had it right, as she would have been very sick. And one can't really be the prettiest girl at a fashion show when barfing...

Right across the street is the main fashon show for Cape Town Fashion Week, so we got as dressed up as we could (Mo much more than me) and we had a little fun.

One last day to go Friday.

Driving the Cape

(TOM) We slept in and were a bit lazy this morning. Much needed, I think. We had a great day. The drive around the Cape is supposed to be a full day deal, so we knew we likely wouldn't see it all, but we needed to have a mellow day, so we started at around 11:30.

We headed straight to Boulder Beach to see the penguins. They were great. We saw them in various stages, from egg to baby tucked under Mom or Dad (they both take care of little ones), larger ones molting, etc. They are really cute and funny, but also pretty. We ate there, then headed out for the Cape of Good Hope.

The geology and topography there is stunning. And, there were clouds rolling in, making it really dramatic. As we walked up the hill to the lighthouse, we turned around to see rain coming in, fast. It rained a bit, but stopped quickly and we took some cool pics before heading back down to the parking lot as the rain really set in (sorry about the blurry pic of us, a nice tourist agreed to do this in heavy wind and fast-approaching rain, and seems to have been a bit less than steady).

So, rather than drive along the Western part of the Cape for what is supposed to be among the most beautiful drives along steep cliffs, we took the little rental car on a safer route to Cape town as a rainy night came upon us. On the way out, we finally saw some of the famous baboons. They are very cool, though not very active due to the poor weather. Through it all, they were grooming, and even doing some territorial fighting at one point. Luckily we saw one of them running along with a baby holding on underneath as she went.

So, a seemingly boring, slightly disappointing day turns out to be just what we needed. Now off to bed so I can get up and run tomorrow for the first time since we got here. I am comfortable with a little route I got from the front desk here and will try to put in about 5 or 6 easy miles. Assuming the heavy rain stops...

Muscle and teeth

(TOM) OK, We slept in Wednesday morning and I'm catching up on posting. This is my last one as we're about to go to Boulder Beach to see penguins and Cape of Good Hope today. So, now for yesterday's main event...

I'm not sure of the legal limit for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in one vacation, but if we've not passed it, we're certainly very very close. Tuesday, we woke at 5AM again, giving us our 4th straight night of 4-6 hours of sleep. We drover for two hours to Gansbaai and went out on a boat to Dyer Island. The sunrise as we drove through the mountains was breathtaking, but it is our time on the water that was the real highlight.

Thanks to a great guy named Theunis Esterhuizen, owner of Shark Adventures, the great white shark diving folks, we went to Dyer Island rather than Seal island to see our great whites. Theunis had been emailing me info for a few weeks before we arrived, gave me his mobile to call when I arrived, and when I rang him, advised me I'd be better off going to Dyer island (Shark Alley) on another carrier's boat, due to recent limited activity near Seal Island. And, he arranged for our spot on the other boat, texted us very detailed directions, and followed up after to make sure we had a good time. It is guys like this that make vacations memorable. He is awesome, and if you're here, you've got to work with them (http://sharkadventures.co.za).

Anyway, we saw a bunch of great whites; likely about 10 in all. Mostly "little ones" according to our guides. They were mostly 6-8 feet long (though all were VERY thick), and one was at least 12 feet. They said the big ones usually get up to 18-20 feet. I was fine with the 12 foot one, especially when I heard the "bing, bing, bing, bing..." of his fin banging along the bars of the cage I was in. No, I didn't poop in my wetsuit, but it is only because all of my body functions ceased to work for a few moments.

WOW! Those are absolutely beautiful, powerful, intense hunting and eating machines. What wonderful creatures. I never really felt afraid or nervous, I just had a spine-tingling buzz the entire time I was in there. The way it works is this; they go to dyer Island and release some fish oil and blood, then put an 8x3 foot cage over the side and tie it to the boat. It floats with about 2 feet of it above the water and about 6 feet of it below. Four people get in, and they toss a Tuna head on a rope off the left side and a fake rubber seal-shaped decoy off the right side. When they see a shark coming, they yell "go down" and wither "bait" or "decoy" so you know which way to look. The entire time they are tossing these things out and pulling them back in toward the boat in the direction of the cage so the sharks come REALLY close to the cage, often with their mouths open (the fin of one banging as it hit against the bars one time). Really, really amazing.

Poor Mo was really close to feeding the sharks her breakfast, and after about 20 minutes of trying to hold it down insisted we call the rescue boat out to get her. Since she was green, I agreed even though I was told it would cost 350 Rand. Luckily there were about 10 other people who wanted to go back when it arrived so it ended up costing us about 50 Rand, or about $8. I felt bad for her, but she was really happy to trade the action for a bit of firm land under her feet.

I didn't get any video of them from above, nor any shots with my camera when i was below. Usually they video tape when you're in the water and you can buy the tape, but theirs was not working so I was left to borrow a water-proof camera from a nice British man who is going to email me the pics I took when he gets home. In the mean time, I've uploaded a couple of ones taken from the boat. The sharks are so fast and powerful I missed several amazing things like a breach by a 10 footer that took a Tuna head and was gone before anyone even saw him. Really beautiful and awe-inspiring animals. Jamie, you have to do this at least once in your life.

Photos - I did not use the zoom lense for any of these photos. The sharks were that close:
- "The fin". Jamie, I realized when I was in the tank that because they attack from below, so by the time you see the fin, it would already have you...
- One powering past the cage. Dorsal fin to tail fin on this one was about 6 feet.
- Going for the tuna head.
- Coming out of the water after the seal decoy (this was "a baby", only about 6 feet long).
- Yea. About 3 feet from the cage. You can clearly see how the decoy got so chewed up...

To Durban and Cape Town - excited and wiped out

(TOM) I don't even remember which day this was (Monday, I think, and I'm writing this late Tuesday night, but likely posting it Wednesday morning...), but we got to our hotel south of Durban, overlooking the Indian Ocean about 9 and completely exhausted from the previous few days' wedding ceremony. Up at 5AM to catch a flight to CT (we watched the sun rise over the Indian Ocean and watched it set over the Atlantic Ocean), we felt like death warmed over, until we got to CT. What an amazingly beautiful, energizing city.

We ended up shopping for several hours at everything from a colonial-era open market packed with goods from all over Africa, to a goth clothing and accessories shop (Mo bought a beautiful dress and I got picked up on by the gay owner), to a fantastic local CD shop to a mind-blowing bead shop. We had lunch at a Kurdish cafe overlooking the market and enjoyed the combination of Dutch and British and Art Deco architecture. All surrounded by Table Mountain and Lion's head and Signal Hill while enjoying almost perfect weather. We came back and Mo "modeled" her new dress and i took some pics. We were having a great, high-energy time. We were a buzz. Until we crashed, just about the time we were ready for dinner.

Mo and I had a bit of a blow-out right as Sheri called. The first time she hears from us in over a week and we're bickering... Mo and I have been on an emotionally and physically intense journey for over two weeks now and have been really great together. But the last two days we've had a couple of blow-outs. We're both wiped out and, honestly, the cumulative weight of 2+ weeks worth of little annoyances is getting a bit tiring. And there you have the essence of two partially-cranky days between us. We're sleeping in tomorrow, and I let her have the nice heavenly bed in our suite tonight, so hopefully we'll both be in a better place tomorrow (Wednesday, I think).

The photos:
- The Egg Man at the market. We found no walrus, but those are easier to find than egg men anyway.
- The entrance to the African music store.
- Mo overlooking the market from the cafe, with Table Mountain in the background.
- Mo spinning in her new dress in our room.
- Mo half hidden by curtains in our room.

More impendle and Nzinga area photos

(TOM) The photos above are:
- Miranda playing an interesting ball game with the "OVC's" (a term so common they came up with an acronym for it - Orphans and Vulnerable Children") at the Nzinga Drop-in center.
- Mr Zuma cutting off pieces of the slaughtered cow at the wedding. This cow was on the floor in the family's "round" (traditional round floor). The dresser in the background was part of the couple's wedding present.
- One of the kids Miranda met and photographed at the Drop-in Center.
- Some of the dancers at the wedding, dressed in traditional Zulu attire. Even those not dressed traditionally were dancing traditionally. there are many aspects of the dance, but the main one consists of raising one leg as high as possible, then bringing it down with an earth-shaking impact (literally, as it was done barefoot on the ground or dirt floors) thud that has in incredible power to it, and sets the beat for the rhythmic chant-like songs they sing in Zulu.
- The Sangoma in Nzinga who spoke to my ancestors for me. About half of the Zulu have been converted to Christianity, but they see no conflict between the idea of a Christian God, and the God they always believed in and spoke to through their ancestors. So, in this case, the traditional Zulu Sangoma (similar to a Native American Shaman in training and role) lights candles at a Christian-type altar and prays to God for her to have the ability to speak with the ancestors. Then she lights traditional roots and herbs, calls to her ancestors, and asks them to fetch my ancestors and to translate. The ancestors are key to life, luck, sickness, etc., and they are the doorway to the spirit world for Zulu. So, this Sangoma is Christian (goes to a Methodist church on Sundays) and is the local Sangoma who practices Zulu ways of helping and healing members of her community through God and the ancestors.

Nzinga (Impendle) Summary

Our time in Nzinga and the broader Impendle area changed our lives. I was most moved by the poverty of basic goods and services and access and opportunity, and by the richness of warmth, openness, community, pride and culture. They have few of the material things we value so we think they are poor. They have many of the things we should value more, and I think they are very, very rich.
We literally cut and chopped wood every night that was brought to the main "round" in which it was burned in a small open pit to warm us, cook our food, warm our bath and dish washing water. Yet when two people got married multiple cows, goats, chickens were slaughtered, communally cooked and shared along with a literal feast of food for everyone who spend 30 hours or more at the groom's father's house singing, dancing, and eating. Not just family members, mind you, but friends, members of the village community, and even us Americans, "the first white people anyone can remember visiting their village". There are so many stories that I can't even begin without feeling like I'm leaving so much out, so just a few more highlights to go with some photos from above (The Zuma family home/farm, the fire, kettle, and bucket of hot bath water inside the "round", that day's primary school vocabulary words, planting potatoes, Miranda with Amahle):
- The Sangoma who invited my Irish ancestors to connect with her's, then spoke to them and learned they are very pleases that I've returned to my home and revived the stories and spirist of my ancestors.
- The slaughtered cow in pieces on the floor of the main Round (basically their living room floor) that was packed for 24 hours with an average of 40 people singing and dancing while special pieces of the cow were brought out to be cooked and shared. Tomorrow's sacrificial cow standing outside, tied to the fence post awaiting it's fate.
- The wonder with which dozens of children simply stared into the camera, empty of vanity yet full of curiosity about what would happen and the chance to see themselves instantly.
- The resigned matter-of-factness with which the Zulu speak of the bigotry they still face in their own country despite the end of official segregation.
- How, at 2:00AM I so certainly answered "sure. thanks" when passed a communal bucket of home-brewed Zulu beer made from fermented milk and grains (I think), the unforgettable taste, and the instant-too-late realization that I'd just drank after about 100+ people, some of who were certainly at least a little bit sick.
- The woman and her infant girl we picked up near sunset on the side of the road as we were leaving Nzinga for the last time. She was on her way to Impendle, about 20KM away and was walking with her child and a blanket. When we asked her where she was going, she said she was going to the clinic in Impendle for a few days for treatment. The main question she asked us was how to get a job in America since there aren't any around Impendle.
- The way Miranda went from being completely overwhelmed and unsure of her ability to stay the entire time, to crying as we left and promising we'd be back. That was a lot for a 13 year old, and she was absolutely fantastic in making a huge impression on the people she met, and in letting them make an impression on her.

Sawubona

(INJA EDALA) Just back to the Internet from Impendle (Inzinga, actually. A village within the municipality of Impeldle about 30km from Impendle city). One night I wrote four pages in my journal. We've cried several times since leaving. Zulu are absolutely beautiful people. I can't even being to share things right now. Thanks to Mrs and Mr Zuma, Nonjabulo, Nontobako, Nomnekelo, and pretty little Amahle for being such wonderful hosts and becoming wonderful new friends we will definitely see again. We both got new nik-names. Amahle, age 3, began calling miranda Isipho, which means "gift" in Zulu (see why we've been crying so much). And, as Miranda picked up new Zulu words about 5x faster than me, and I told them about the American saying about teaching old dogs new tricks, they began calling me Inja Endala, "old dog". I've got to sign off, but to give you a small sense of our days, below is a list of topics from just one day's journal:
- Snothando Creche ("We have love" preschool)
- Miranda and the kids shouting their ABC's
- Planting potatoes
- Primary school vocabulary words (that day's vocabulary words included words like immunity, AIDS, HIV, pamphlet, etc.)
- Ukhululekile (written on the wall of the orphan's "drop in center", means "to be free")
- Planting more potatoes
- My "wife" (the chief thought Miranda was my wife)
- Miranda's new name (Isipho, as noted above)
- Nonjabulo's dream (over breakfast she told us she dreamed the night before that we told her we were going to stay longer).
- Mo's dog attack (Mo was very upset when she saw two dogs attack another and tear it to pieces)
- Dinner (we caught, killed, de-feathered and cooked a chicken)
- Bucket bath #2 (much more effective than my first bucket bath)
- Going to a Zulu wedding (we found we were invited to the non-stop 36 hours of dancing and sacrificing cows and goats and dancing and singing and dancing that lead up to a Zulu wedding)
- Learning Zulu (as noted, easier for Mo than me).
- Sleep (slept better than ever in a small room with no heat, a thatched roof, and a few blankets in a very cold place)

All of that in just one day. Every day was just like it. I'm still overwhelmed. We got and gave a lot of U2's "Miracle Drug". And now we're hooked and having withdrawl symptoms. Gota go blow my nose and wipe my eyes.
Much, much more soon.

Thank you

(miranda)
I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR COMMENTING!!!! I LOVE HEARING FROM ALL OF YOU!!!!!
Especially about all of the pictures, and what you thought, and, Tricia, that was a whale. :)
And Michelle (the snorting one) (well, Michelle Lyle, about 4 out of 5 of the Michelles snort, MAXWELL!!!!!!!!!!!)
I had to try really hard to keep from crying when dinner ended tonight. I had to say bye to our first friends in South Africa. Pen, Danny, Lisa, and Jessie. I miss them soooooo much already!!! And, of course, Lisa cried, which almost made me cry.
But, we are now going to go on the most wonderful, scary, thrilling journey to Impendle, where, we will have absolutely no internet access for 5 or more days, so tonight is the last post.
I love you all!
"see" you in 6 days!!!!!!!!

Last day at Zulu Nyala

(TOM) Today was our last day at Zulu Nyala. So, of course, we spent most of it at Hluhluwe (shloo-shloo-ee), a major game reserve nearby, just to see another experience. Wow was that a mistake. Not only is Zulu Nyala, I think, much more beautiful, and has a higher concentration of animals, but it really made us realize just how amazing Pen is. Not only is he very knowledgable of all the animals and plants, their scientific names and history and growth and life cycles, their relationship to other plants and animals, but he also knows and loves the folklore around many of the loacl plants and animals. About the way Hippos swish their tails like windshield wipers on highest speed when they poop because they made a deal with God to not eat the fish in the waterholes they stay in and God wanted proof so made them spread their poop around to prove there are no fish bones in their poop. On top of all that, he is a genuine and warm person. He is very thoughtful, works very hard to be better at his craft, and is just a pleasure to be around. Pen is only 33, but he is a very old soul; very grounded, very focused on things that matter, and very wise for his age. We will miss him very much. We will also miss the Mays; Danny, Lisa, and Jess (ie) (ica) (you can pick which you want to call her). They were at our table the first night and have been on every game drive with us at Zulu Nyala and every dinner since. They have also come along to every day trip we've taken. Like most people, I suppose, they are very different in some ways (i.e. I'm sure Danny will get a "NoBomma" bumper sticker for his car as soon as he gets home), and in other ways very similar (humor, relatives, etc.). Mostly they are just fun folks. They live in Florida and in North Carolina. I'm sure we'll see them again after tomorrow. So, our last day. We went to Hluhluwe and saw nothing while with the ranger, then as soon as we got in our car (a tiny Toyota) we saw two rhinos only about 5 meters from our car, crossing the street. Really, I couldn't use my zoom lens. It was a little tense, especially considering how anxious Pen gets whenever we've been near the dominant bull at Zulu Nyala. But I'm glad to say I won't need to use the very expensive extra car insurance I am paying for. Then, we came back to Zulu Nyala for one last drive with Pen. He had been out all day tracking the elephants, finding fresh poop (he is really quite smart about poop and tracking), etc. and getting their general location. He also got some appetizers and a bottle of wine, and was ready to show us the elephants and an amazing sunset. Needless to say he tracked down both. It was perfect. At the end, he even let us all get out of the truck for one group Photo. We're about to go to dinner, and Pen is going to join us, which he has not done yet because he likes going home to his family every night (and his soccer matches as well). As we leave tomorrow for our time volunteering in the Zulu village of Impendle, his insights and tips have been helpful. He promised to tell me more this evening. he is very proud of his heritage, religion, and culture. Not in an arrogant way, but in the quite way that immediately demands respect. He reminds me of my father-in-law, Fred in that way. So, we may have time to post once more in the morning, but honestly, this is likely the last post we will make for 6 days while we are in Impendle, as there is very little electricity, and no Internet access. Our next phase is about to start, and it is going to be a major shift from private game reserve resort, to living in a traditional Zulu village home and working very hard. It has been an amazing time at Zulu Nyala. It has been more full, more awe inspiring, and more beautiful than I thought possible. My time with Miranda has been terrific. She's a great kid, and so smart and worldly. But even for her, Impendle is going to be a challenge. I think I'll let her have 2 desserts tonight...

The big things...

(TOM) In KwaZulu Natal they talk about The Big 7 because right off the coast, often less than a mile away from the land-based Big 5, are great whales and great white sharks. Well, today we went on an ocean safari looking for humpback whales. We had pretty good luck...

Thanks to everyone who commented after Mo's little impassioned request (sometimes it is really apparent that little apple didn't fall far from the tree)

COMMENT, PEOPLE!!!!!!!

(miranda) I would like to add that you can post comments on this website, which will make it more interactive. I know that dad and i would love to hear individually from you all! Plus, we can reply, so if you have any questions, or want to tell your own story, or anything like that, please feel free to comment!! All you have to do is scroll down to the end of the post that you want to comment on, and click on the "comment" button. Also, here are some pictures that i mentioned in my previous post!
The first one is of me and the buffalo that got REALLY close to the truck!!! It was really awesome, and sort of scary.

The next one is of me, daddy, and Penuel (Pen), our amazing, awesome, crazy smart guide. Hes sooooooo cool! we love him. We would definitely argue that he is the best game driver/guide in the area!!
Love you all!!
AND COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY WARTHOG, COMMENT!!!!!!!

Hey guys (Miranda)

(miranda)
Hey dudes.
Amazing last 2 days. Saw Lisa (new friend) make a fool out of herself dancing with the zulu singers. Then we saw a baby giraffe, which was only about 30 something hours old. then a baby rhino charged our car. It wasn't much bigger than a little styrofoam cooler. when it got close to the jeep thingy, it flipped out and ran back to the momma rhino. It did that about 100 times. it was the most spastic little rhino EVER. it was amazing.
I had so much fun, oh, and i saw like 4 bush-babys on the night drive last night. We saw leopard tracks. they were awesome. We saw hippos yawning, and stuffms. Pen, our driver is really cool. He's really smart. He has a great eye, too, and can see elephants on the side of distant mountains while driving through the african savannah.
We have these awesome friends. Lisa, Jessie, and Danny. Jessie is the daughter, goesw to SCAD (Savannah) and is pretty neat. Shes 19 i think, and we have a lot in common: we LOVE JOHNNY DEPP, FOR ONE!!!! We just taught Lisa, Jessies mom, how to pop, lock, and drop it, or, as dad likes to call it, stop, drop, and roll. she was pretty good, and Lisa, well, when you read this, just know i loved your exceedingly scary and embarassing dance moves............. they were pretty flipping sweet. Danny's pretty cool, and we all get along really well. we are "jeep partners" meaning that the five of us do pretty much everything together, including the safaris. We offered to drive them to places like the cheetah rehab center, and now we all go together all over the place. Tomorrow we are going to St. Lucia together.
Yikes, i just looked over what I wrote. Pretty chunky format, huh?
yeah, ive got skills.
Last night, when the gang and i were coming back from the cheetah rehab center, we saw a bunny (wabby :)) and 2 porcupines. they were so cute! Then, farther up the road, we were just driving along, when out of nowhere, in the light of the headlights i saw this baby elephant. by the time i saidsomething, it was outside my dads window. everyone started kindof yelling, and going, "aw!!!oh!!!!!wow!!!!!" It was so cute! it trumpeted and started running around. dad slammed on the gas pedal and zoomed off. we all yelled at him to go back, but he then wisely stated that the mom was nearby, and the baby had just called out. he was getting out of there as fast as he could.
I love you all, and those of who who i dont know all too well, i love you too.
Bonnie, we have to watch sleepy hollow together when im back in the states. random thought.

Two Amazing Photos

The little things...

(TOM) My buddy Steve & I joke about the little things being the ones that really aggravate. The last 24 hours has been full of so many little things that have had quite the opposite effect:
- The Ant Lion. One of "The Little 5", it creates small cone shaped holes in soft soil, then waits at the bottom for ants to fall in and eats them. It is the largest spot in the photo of Pen's hand.
- Smiles. The wonderfully surprised smiles that break across the faces of the staff here when we greet them or say thank you in Zulu. Apparently few take the time to learn this difficult language. We certainly don't know much, but apparently, even just a little can mean a lot.
- Bush Babies. Tiny nocturnal tree-dwelling animals with huge eyes. We spotted one last night on our night drive.
- A baby giraffe. Born just yesterday, today we saw this already running baby, umbilical cord still hanging from it's belly, being protected and caresses by its mother.
- The tiny beads and threads. The local Zulu craftswomen and men create the most intricate and beautiful patterns out of the simplest little materials.
- A little Serval infant. Yesterday at the Cheetah Rehabilitation Center Miranda got to hold one. Both were exhilarated and terrified, and it showed in their eyes.
- The tiny thorns of the Buffalo Thorn tree. Pen showed us the tree this morning and told us how Zulus use that branch if the relative dies somewhere away, to fetch the spirits of their relatives and bring them home, where they belong.
- The unimaginable number of tiny stars visible in the night sky here. In their tiny reflections of light they silently scream a reminder of how tiny we all are in the time and space we take up. Maybe, if we live and love well while we are here, if we're lucky, when our time is done here someone will want to fetch our spirit and take it home with them.