Due to some crazy circumstances, another PCV (Brad) ended up at the hotel with us the first night.
The drive from Jo'burg to St. Lucia
Near St. Lucia, there are lots of roadside stands selling pineapples
We took a few drives into the St. Lucia Wetland Park toward Cape Vidal
Waterbuck
Kudu
Their first time in the Indian Ocean!
Mission Rocks
Eating at Braza
Bushbuck
White rhinos
Jerry snapping photos at Cape Vidal
Buffalo
Waterbuck (in the rain)
Baboons
We were lucky enough to catch a hippo crossing the road in front of us
He literally had chunks ripped out of his skin!
Fish Eagle
Goliath Stork
That's a shrimp in the bird's mouth!
A couple of young hippos playing around
A roadside kiosk selling fresh fruits and crafts
Jerry taking some photos along the road in Swaziland
Roadside kiosks
The drive to Hazyview
One of the rooms at our place near Hazyview
Looking out at the lapa and braai area from the living room
The drive back to the lodge was about 15 minutes from the main road ... banana and macadamia trees the whole way
A helicopter tour above Mac Mac Falls
Mac Mac Falls near Sabie
Couldn't pass up lunch at Harrie's Pancakes
Berlin Falls near Graskop
God's Window near Graskop
The curios at God's Window
Sunset on the way back to the lodge (with banana trees in the foreground)
A coffee house on the drive to our lodge
Sunrise in Kruger National Park
Wildebeest
Elephant coming to drink from the dam
Yellow-billed Hornbill
Baby giraffe
Ground Hornbill
A couple of male impalas going at it
This guy literally walked across the road in front of us ... but by the time we got the cameras out the window, this was the best shot we could get
Warthog
Ginea fowl
Baby elephant
A group of about 25 elephants crossed the road in front of us on their way to the river
Our chalet at Longcrested Eagle Country Lodge near Hazyview
The property had some of the most beautiful landscaping we had ever seen
The steps up to the back of our chalet
Some local kids saying hi on the drive in
Emmanuel, the gate keeper
Our first braai ... lamb and squash
Sunrise, day #2 at Kruger
We sat and watched these guys go at it for about 15 minutes
This car had some guts to just sit there!
Can you see it? Look closely.
Can you see it now?
The first of four lions that we stalked!!
They walked right next to us on the bank of the river
There were two females and two young males
We sat and watched a group of impala as the lions closed in. There was a short chase, but the lionesses came up empty handed.
The males just sat and watched
Then it was nap time
Yeah, those are bats. And this is the pavilion where we ate lunch :)
Female bushbuck
Male bushbuck
The entrance to the lodge
Another braai
Passing through Groblersdal
The mountains just outside of Mokopane
Our neighbor Jack (drunk at the time) almost crushed Jerry's glasses that were hanging on his shirt collar :)
Sunset over Kgobagodimo
Rosy made table runners for Mma and Anna
Jerry giving Anna a few small gifts from his university
Matome and Lerato with their new t-shirts
Taking a walk to see the village
Phuti
Lerato
Mma put on a fashion show for us with three different traditional outfits
(The guy in the background is cutting the lawn by hand with shears)
Innocent
Fred
Measure and Rasta
The boys playing a game in the street
Some of the graves in our village
Brandon and Andries
Rosy doing some beading with the ladies
Jerry and Rosy with the Ditselas
Komotso and Tebogo Ditsela
Rosy seeing her penpal Khutso for the first time
We went over to Paul & Jess's house for dinner (but Jess wasn't there unfortunately)
Brandon with Safiri
Morning assembly at school
Jerry giving the teachers gifts from his university
Jerry & Rosy with our school's faculty
Brandon with his favorite neighbor boy
Rosy gave pencils to some of the classes
Jerry gave stocking hats and bandanas to the boys of the Palala Boys Club
The PBC boys with their new gear
Lining up for Palala Girls Club
Singing and dancing at the beginning of club
Rosy had enough prizes for all of the girls
Maam Ditsela doing the lesson
Rosy and Tebogo
Rosy brought t-shirts for all of the girls to decorate
The PGC logo was ironed onto each shirt and then the girls added glitter glue and other fun stuff
They ended the day by painting their nails
Rosy painting Khutso's nails
All of the girls with their new shirts!!
