So, yesterday we got back from our safari and it was absolutely amazing We got to see all of the big five, including three female lions that were literally less than 5 feet away from our car, all roaming free in their natural habitat. We rode in two open-air safari vehicles (basically modified land rovers), waking up at 5am to get to the gates as soon as they open, riding all day (with a few restroom/lunch breaks) and then coming back for a fantastic dinner prepared by Crazy Dave (yes, he refers to himself as Crazy Dave; no, I did not make that up). We had two full days on safari and on the second day we went on a night drive (very exciting, but we didn't get to see as much as I'd hoped). We stayed in the park itself in small huts that were actually really comfortable (they had beds and sinks). There are quite a few rest stops/cafes/gift shops scattered throughout the park and a few camps ranging from tents to basic accommodations (like ours) to fairly nice rooms. The entire thing has plumbing and electricity so even though it maintains a natural environment for the animals, it keeps some of the necessities for us humans. The Kruger park is approximately the size of Israel or the state of New York. While Yellowstone used to be the largest national park, a few years ago the government of South Africa extended Kruger into Mozambique, making it the largest national park in the world. The entire thing is fenced in, but none of the wildlife is interfered with by humans, so that the animals do truly live in their natural environments. Because the animals grow up with vehicles always being there, they are simply used to them and more or less ignore them. However, you are not allowed to get out of the vehicle at any time, because as soon as the silhouette of the vehicle is broken, an animal may think it is trying to harm it and then attack the vehicle. There are 3000km of road in the Kruger park (some paved, but mostly dirt), but even if you drove down every single road in the park, you would still only see 5% of the park's land. This allows for plenty of free space for the animals to roam freely and live as they normally would. I will be sure to put pictures up in the next few days!
After leaving Kruger, we went to Soweto, the oldest township in Johannesburg. We stayed at a backpackers (hostel) and we got to do a bike tour of the township (for more on that, read my upcoming post on [sidenotes]).
After returning to Cape Town (about a two hour flight from Jo'Burg), we moved into our permanent IES housing. Eight of us, including myself, are living in a house and the other 6 are living in apartments a block away. I'm slightly concerned as to how everything will work out simply due to some of the housing arrangements, but I'm sure it will all be fine, if not a simple test of patience (which most know is not something I handle easily). So, I may just end up spending a lot of time in the apartments. The house is really nice, especially for Cape Town, and we're only a block away from campus and a few minute's walk from grocery stores, restaurants, etc. We have a washing machine, but no dryer, so line-drying would seem ideal if Cape Town didn't have the most unpredictable weather known to man (it's actually worse than St. Louis, if that was ever possible). I can definitely foresee some drama going down, both in the house and the apartments, so only time will tell. All I'm saying is that MTV should get some camera's over here because it may get a little crazy. Well, I'll keep you updated should any excitement occur, and I promise I'll get some photos up soon!
Till then,
Jason
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