adventure!

Hi everyone! I hope that you all are well. I just returned from a two day trip to the Drakensburg Mountains in Mpumulanga (which is easier to pronounce than it looks). It was so fun! I went with Rachel from my flat, and two other volunteers, Sam and Heather. We decided on Friday that we wanted to have an adventure during our next days off, so we "planned" a trip to Kruger National Park and the surrounding area! By planning, what I really mean is that we decided we wanted to go, got some maps, and said we would leave at 6:00 AM and drive east (we were right on the border of Mozambique, for those of you into geography).

I navigated and Sam drove for most of it, and we had a blast simply driving through the countryside and the mountains. I couldn't help but think that this was the "real Africa." Where I live is very suburban, and Johannesburg is very crowded and dangerous to walk around, so when I saw little huts, fields, and knew I was one of four white people for miles, I felt like I was really "in Africa." The mountains were gorgeous. I am convinced that the sky in Africa is bigger-like, hundreds of times bigger, bigger than I have ever seen in my life. Maybe it's just because a lot of Africa is flat, so you can see so much farther, but it is amazing.

During our adventure, we stumbled across beautiful waterfalls, scenic views of the mountains, monkeys scrambling across tunnels, and even a "crime zone." Don't worry-this "crime zone" was hilarious-a large strip of the shoulder of the road with "crime zone" spraypainted all across it. It was a ridiculous find! We also heard a lion roar through the forest. IT WAS SO LOUD!!!

We stayed at a little bed and breakfast that we found. Our hosts were Johann and Ina, a cute, parental couple who knocked off a few hundred rand off the price of the room for us. (We paid R100 each, about $12). They even let us use their kitchen so we could cook our own dinner rather than eating out! By the time we woke up and were ready to leave for Kruger National Park, Ina had made us a hot breakfast and packed it for us to take in the car with us. They were so kind and hospitable-things I have come to find in most South Africans.

Kruger was really cool! We saw so many animals, and I even saw monkeys and baboons!! Everything was really, really close to our car. As in, I could have probably reached out and touched the monkeys! We talked to the monkeys for a while and "played" with them from inside the car. They were definitely my favorite animal I saw, along with the baby hippo and the elephant!

We drove back on Tuesday afternoon/night. It was such a fun adventure! I felt like a true traveler, since all I brought with me was a backpack and some sneakers. Yes, this girl who loves clothes and shoes was able to pack everything she needed in one surprisingly light backpack. Miracles happen.

All to Him,
Emily