khaya la whaaat?

no sunrise for me this AM. didn't sleep well, so at one point justturned my alarm off. i'd seen enough sunrises. deb still got up, but it turns out they were there about 1.5 hrs early and were freezing. glad i stayed in bed! had the usual breakfast then packed up and shipped out. one last photo stop of coffee bay allowed us to see some dolphins off the coast. but then it was starting to drizzle, so i was thankful that we had the previous day of sunshine while at the beach.

the ride was only 200k but it seriously took forever - thanks to a combination of bumpy roads, construction and traffic thru towns. we were supposed to stop at another beach for a few hours but were running so behind that we didn't have time. so just pulled over the side of the road and quickly ate our lunch. i can't tell if their time estimates are just really off, or if they're unorganized. either way, after a 6 hr drive i was ready to just be somewhere.

we finally arrived at the cultural village khaya la bantu about an hour late. i felt really bad because they were obviously waiting for us for a while. they started singing and dancing as soon as we arrived (one little girl absolutely stole the show), and after an intro we were escorted into a central hut to be closer to the fire. the sun was quickly setting and the huts had no electricity, so we didn't get a great view of the village that evening. mama tofu was our host and gave us a talk about her culture and her people. the explanation about the various dresses - from the young child to the adolescent virgin to the "old middle girl" (unmarried adult) to the "old girl" (married adult). glad i don't have to dress a certain way to designate my social standing!

we split into groups of male and female - the guys entered a circle and we stayed on the outside as only females of that clan could enter. got a bit more history related to the importance of ancestors and superstition. then got to try some local beer - just about everyone made a face. it wasn't something i'd drink a lot of, but it wasn't awful either. next we continued our segregation and the females learned all about courtship. some things worth noting: there's no sex until marriage, and no "funny kissing" or else the guy will "wave his boat over you when you fall and you won't be a virgin". ha.

the steps to becoming married are quite simple: #1 when the guy says "i love you" you are not to smile or else he'll think you're easy. after several meetings where you ask him (1) what is your clan (2) your name (3) your job -- notice the clan name is more important than his first name -- then you hold hands and this shows commitment, which is step #2 in the courtship. finally step #3 is the actual marriage ceremony where you go into a sheltered hut and can't come out until your father or brother slaughters a cow. then you can emerge and start your duty of making babies.

one more funny part - i swear mama tofu was hilarious! but it was all true - was that they actually test you to see if you're still a virgin by making you squat up and down for 30 mins. if you can't do it then CLEARLY you wasted energy the previous night by having sex. once proved not a virgin, then you must point out the boy who violated you. then he gets in trouble and either must pay a cow (R900) or go to jo'burg for a year to pay off the fine. i'm very thankful i'm not a female in mama tofu's tribe; i couldn't squat up and down for a half hour - sex or no sex!

met up with the guys later in the dining hut, which also conveniently had a bar. turns out they got an earful about circumcision which happens between the ages of 18 and 21 - ouch. i guess the day before the ceremony they "drink a lot" of beer to "dull the mind" (and seemingly other things). the day of the ceremony the elders sit in a circle and poke your penis back into itself over and over to "stretch it". then the medicine man pulls it back out and spears it off, giving the foreskin back to the boy's father to put in a bible or to eat (barf). then the male must go out hunting for 6 weeks followed by an additional time where he cannot talk to anyone. i think the guys were equally glad not to be a member of the tribe, ha.

during dinner (a fantastic meal of lamb stew, mashed pumpkin, 2 corn dishes, chicken and bread) we were treated to another performance of dancing and singing, and they pulled several of us up to join. i'm pretty sure lisa and i were married off at one point. the same little girl once again stole the show. dessert was fried dough and bread pudding - all delicious. we sat around chatting for a bit and got into a debate about women's rights (and you know i get quite heated about that topic). turns out chris our driver felt women shouldn't have the same rights as men and that's basically why our world has gone to shit. uh huh.. definitely changed my opinion of him and made me thankful i have wonderfully supportive men like G in my life who admire and are attracted to strong, independent females.

coffee bay is beautiful

got to sleep in a bit, which was nice considering we had such an early start yesterday. although, despite being in an entirely different time zone than i'm used to, i still managed to wake up about 6:30. lounged in bed til about 8, then decided to sit outside and read until it was breakfast time since it looked so nice out.

but no reading was to be had today. turns out deb couldn't find our room key. we literally took apart everything. dumped all our bags, coat pockets, you name it. just when we were about to crawl out of the window, deb happened to glance on the top of the bureau.. and alas - there was the key! thankfully she's tall b/c i never would have seen it. lesson learned: we're keeping the key inside the lock from now on.

grabbed some breakfast, which was again a yogurt & cereal combo, and made plans for the day. it was decided the group would generally head to "hole in the wall" and then disperse from there. most people just wanted to sunbathe, but, well. my skin is not a fan. so a few of us (me, deb, rob & fran) decided to hike around a bit. which suited me just fine. we followed the stream for a while and saw a bunch of wild roaming cattle. tried my best (and failed) at skipping stones, despite the other three's instructions. i've resigned myself to not being a runner, not being able to whistle, and not being able to skip stones. and i'm okay with that.

eventually the grasses got too high and we deemed it dangerous to go tramping around without good visuals. lots of creatures big and small could be lurking. so backtracked a bit and headed up a grassy hill. the scenery was just gorgeous. felt like i was in some exotic tropical place, which i guess technically we were. sat up at the top and soaked in the views and sunshine. finally made our way back down. we poked around some tide pools with teeny tiny starfish and snails. it was cool to see the tracks the snails had made through the sand. hung around there for a bit, then wandered back to the sunbathers.

again, pasty white skin doesn't appreciate static sitting. rob & i decided to keep hiking so off to the other cliffs we went. amy & jane also wanted to join, but they only had flip flops, so they went up the grassier hill while rob & i tackled the rockier one. probably not the wisest decision i've ever made. it was really steep, and there weren't many safe handholds. twice i almost turned around - i wasn't so worried about going up as getting down again. but the adrenaline and the views kept me going. and it was worth it. so so stunning. we made our way back down after some time. i let rob lead again. a few times i got a bit scared b/c would kick away some rocks and whatnot. but we made it, and man my legs were quivering! i think it was a combo of eccentric overuse, fear and hunger.

as we were coming down, deb, derek & theresa wanted to venture up - but they stuck to the grassy one. then deb & rob made a quick dash to swim thru the "hole in the wall". they didn't make it. by the time they reached the hole, the tide was coming in very quickly, and the waves were much stronger. they ended up getting bashed up on the rocks and when they finally emerged back onto the beach they were battered and bloodied. glad i didn't join! unfortunately by the time we made it back to camp, lunch was done. but annie & victoria pulled out some food and we made sandwiches, so at least we got something b/c i was starving.

after our meal, headed to the beach as there was a volleyball game going on. didn't feel like playing, so just kept my toes in the sand & soaked up the moment. it was so nice to be on a beach after the

cold of jo'burg. volleyball eventually turned into a soccer match, and a bunch of local little kids ended up joining. then out of nowhere 7 white south african guys showed up and started talking smack with some locals, and before we knew it, we were sitting right in the middle of their own match. thanks for asking us to move first! the white kids lost (ha) and then the locals continued playing on their own, although rob joined them. it was fun to watch.

the sun started setting, and it quickly got cold. so we headed back to our rooms to shower and clean up. deb tended to her cuts then headed back out. i stayed in for some alone time and journaling. eventually i emerged for dinner to find the white south africans had found their way to our camp, presumably to pick up some girls. they were all in their late teens/early 20s - babies! but friendly enough, though i felt so old haha. they left when we started eat.

annie had made a great stew. again, i could not do her job. deb & i opened the white wine, but it was super sweet, so i told her she could have the rest of it, and i'd take the red. which i promptly finished as we sat around chatting after cleaning up. two of the boys showed up again, and one was completely wasted. i could see where the evening was going, so while most headed off to the bar, i went to my room. early day tomorrow if we really get up to see the sunrise. i'll decide in the A.M.

here goes nothing

5 AM is early! but guessing we'll get used to it. breakfast was supposed to be at 5:30 and we were supposed to hit the road by 6, but there seemed to be a miscommunication as some were told they could sleep in til 7. those of us that didn't get the message were up for breakfast at the early time, so the decision was made to wake everyone else up, too. what a start, huh?

breakfast consisted of a mix of cereal, yogurt and bananas. tea/coffee if you wanted it. then everyone helped to clean and pack up. we all piled into the truck, which had been affectionately named "pumba" at some point in the journey. seems everyone already had "their seats" so us newcomers filled in the gaps where there were openings - which seemed to primarily be in the front of the bus. i sat across the aisle from deb, and sat next to lisa. she's from canada (north of toronto) and is traveling for 14 months - jealous! she's a teacher back home and told me she has plans to do another such trip in 5 years. so cool. anyway, deb sat next to rob (also new) from michigan. francoise (from paris but living in oz) and jane (also from oz) - our roommates last night - sat in front of them. paco (not new) had the one lone seat in front of us.

kinda glad to be in the 2nd row, b/c you could see out the side and the front. drove along the coast for a bit. saw a spectacular sun rise. passed the new durban stadium, which claims to be the best. what struck me the most was how quickly the landscape changed. you'd go over one hill and there would be a new environment on the other side. tried to get a few photos of the random markets and huts and people we drove by, but the shots weren't spectacular thanks to dirty windows and a bumpy ride. eventually it became harder and harder to keep my eyes open, so i let them close. i hated to not watch the scenery, but we were up so early.. plus we had 8 hours of driving ahead of us, and it helped to pass the time.

learning that some people on our tour have excessively small bladders. it seemed like we had to stop every hour for someone to pee. after several rest breaks, we eventually stopped for lunch at a gas station. normally i guess they'd cook lunch, but there was no place to set up the table and we were also running late. quickly learning the personalities on the tour as well. i guess you get all kinds with a group of 20 people.

the ride seemed to go on forever, and we were definitely taking longer than expected. it was dark by the time we arrived at coffee bay, so we didn't quite get the sunset as originally planned. oh well. we drove further and further down some crazy roads - one was half washed away and once we nearly tipped over. it was a bit scary. glad i wasn't in the window seat to see it. got lost 3 times trying to find the turn off for the lodge, but eventually found it. deb managed to get us a room with 2 double beds. ah, privacy. i already need it and it's only day 1. not sure if that's a good sign!

drank some wine and walked to the beach to do some star gazing, while annie (our tour director) made dinner. i can't believe how much she does! i don't think i could do her job. dinner was filling: rice, beef stew stuff and salad. plus hot chocolate, which helped as it was getting chilly. then i went back to the room to shower and relax and write in my journal. don't get me wrong - everyone is super nice. but i'm not a group traveler so 22 people (20 tourists and 2 guides) is a bit overwhelming. really missed G too, could use his company and a big hug.

debbie's here!

so glad showered the night before, as was totally running late, although it worked out in the end. while in the kitchen grabbing a quick breakfast, met anna & chris (a young couple from san diego) who were also on their way to kruger for 9 days. i told them all about my experience, and was pretty envious they were going to get over a full week there. i ended up giving them a ride to the airport - traffic was ridiculous due to rush hour - but we chatted and exchanged info, should i ever end up in the san diego area (which is a possibility). dropped my car off at europcar, and basically just handed over the keys. no paperwork, no inspection. i kept asking the guy - is that it? he was like "yes, you can go!" so different than in the US. kinda sketch, but whatever.

after going to 2 wrong airline counters.. yet another cultural difference - kept being directed "over there" with an apathetic hand wave. finally found the correct one and checked my bag. security was pretty lax, maybe b/c it was a domestic flight. found my gate and sat around for a while, then browsed some shops to pass the time. debra eventually found her way to the gate - reunion! it was so good to see her and it's good to begin phase 2 of my trip, thought i'm really not sure what to expect with this tour portion. we shall see soon enough.

boarded the short flight to durban - we got served sandwiches! seriously, it was like an hour long flight. you don't even get peanuts sometimes on a 5 hr long flight in the states. made our way to bag claim and thankfully everything arrived. we immediately felt the difference in temperature, much warmer, even borderline hot. ah, sunshine! after hitting up an ATM, found our way to the R30 shuttle mentioned in LP. thought if they could just take us to a close enough hotel to where we were staying, we could walk the rest of the way. the drivers weren't originally going to take us, but when we said we were staying at on the beach guesthouse, one of them recognized it and agreed to take us for R80. a bit more than anticipated, but still much more affordable than a taxicab.

durban must be a fairly wealthy place, the homes were just gorgeous. so could get used to it here. our ride dropped us off close enough, and we only had to walk 1/2 k to our lodge. it was super cute, and pretty well secured. checked in and dropped our stuff off. i asked about laundry and they had it fortunately. they even did it for me! at least i won't be smelly girl. while that was being taken care of, deb and i decided to walk around and at least see some of durban's beachfront since we only had this one day here.

we walked along the sand for a while, and i got to touch the indian ocean - very exciting! it was chilly, but not cold. the sound of the waves and smell of the ocean are two things i miss greatly living in seattle. after a while, our feet got tired from walking on the sand, so we made our way back to a road. came across a sign that indicated a restaurant/pub and decided to check it out. it was funny at first b/c it was part of a guesthouse, and i wasn't sure if you had to be a "guest" to use it. but they didn't seem to mind. so with a castle lager in hand, enjoyed a just stunning vista and caught up with deb. we eventually made our way back to the road and headed to the lighthouse. love lighthouses! we figured it was a good turn around point, as the sun sets quickly here, and we didn't want to walk in the dark.

back at the hostel, noticed a mega truck parked out in front. not that i was expecting luxury, but the thing was massive - which means there were going to be a lot of people traveling with us. great. met a few people on our way inside, and said the obligatory hellos and introductions. was already feeling overwhelmed by all the names. deb's all about socializing, so i kinda let her take the lead there and hung back a bit. also, checked on my laundry which was thankfully almost done. yay for clean clothes! back outside, met a few more people. it seems they had all been traveling for a while together, had inside jokes and had already bonded quite a bit. not sure how much we'll break into that - but there were 6 people leaving, and 6 joining, keeping the group at an even 20. read: large. i've never traveled in a group larger than 3, so this will be interesting.

around 18:30 we all - as in all 27 of us - went out for dinner. the first place couldn't accommodate such a big group, so we ended up at jimmy's killer prawns haha. it was decent food, but everyone was pretty well occupied with taking photos and saying their goodbyes that i really started to get a bit nervous. did we make the right decision? time will tell. we sat across from a young canadian couple, chad and kayla. super nice, but also pretty quiet. they'd been on the trip since it's start - 47 days. crazy! i think i'd be pretty quiet, too. back at the hostel, a lot of people chose to stay up, but with a 5:00 am start - it was bedtime for this girl. met some people in our room - victoria, who's been traveling for a while, and fran and jane - both newcomers like deb and myself. all seem nice. keeping an open mind about this group tour thing!

and there was one..

managed to get a good night's sleep, which only seems to occur on the rare occasion, but still woke up early. took a really long hotshower, since not sure when i'll be getting one of those again, then managed to snuggle back under the covers while jeff was getting ready. attempted to watch a cricket match and nearly poked my eyes out. found a rugby game instead and though i don't understand everything, it's a lot easier to follow. plus, will hopefully make it to the rugby world cup in new zealand in 2011 (fingers crossed!) so need to work on my knowledgeof the sport - go all blacks ;o)

checked out of our lodge and made our way to the border at oshoek. it was much more formal than what we had experienced at jeppe's reef; we still had to get out and stand in odd lines, but it seemed more official somehow. everything was going smoothly until a guard wanted to check our trunk. i wasn't sure if he was concerned we were trying to smuggle something in or out, or if he just wanted to check out the "nice car". he kept asking me about it, like how much it cost and whatnot. i was like - dude, i don't know, it's a rental. not in those exact terms, mind you. goodbye swaziland, and hello again south africa.

we were dumped onto the N17, which should have taken us directly back to jo'burg. what we didn't know was it was completely under construction, full of one lane closures, horrible pot holes and wild animals, all of which slowed us down considerably. the N17 also goes through a bunch of little towns, and fails to inform the driver it is turning. several times we found ourselves on the wrong road and had to completely backtrack. a 4 hr journey quickly turned into a 6 hr journey, which isn't awful, except when you anticipate 4 hrs and you go 6 and you have to pee really, really bad.

to make matters worse, the directions to the hostel weren't great (surprise surprise). they just said "exit the highway" but didn't indicate where or when. so we took a lucky guess and i pulled into a gas station to ask. no wasting time here. fortunately the attendant had an idea of where we were trying to go and gave us semi-cryptic but semi-useful directions, and we found our way to mbizi backpackers. at this point i was quite grumpy and irritable thanks to a ridiculously full bladder, so when i couldn't open the gate to the hostel, i nearly started to cry. jeff fortunately was in better spirits (well, he got to nap during the 6+ hrs of driving and did not have an exploding bladder) and was able to figure out the padlock to the gate. we walked into the hostel and didn't find anyone except for 2 guests who showed me where the toilet was. sweet relief!

made our dinner of pasta, and the owner showed up so i could settle the bill. he was confused at first by seeing jeff, but i explained i was taking him to the airport tonight and it was indeed just me staying. asked about laundry since it was advertised, but was told the dryer wasn't working well. desperately needed to do a wash before the next leg of my trip but also didn't want wet clothes for tomorrow's flight. keeping fingers crossed will have a chance at the next accommodation, otherwise i'll be very dirty girl. eventually it was time to take jeff to the airport. didn't want to have to take him so early, but also didn't want to drive by myself, in jo'burg, at night. despite our fights, it was still sad to see him go. managed to find my way successfully back to the hostel without getting lost. did some major reorganizing for tomorrow's flight, and though was invited to "the pub" (not sure which) to watch "the game" (also not sure which), called it an early night since had to be up so early the next day.

polygamy, jealousy and poisoning - oh my!

woke up to rain on the roof, but the gross weather wouldn't stopus from exploring swaziland. it was my one day of not driving, so a bit disappointed couldn't really get many great pictures thanks to rain and fog, but what can you do? made our way to swazi trails, as it was just up the road from our lodge, and browsed the shops while we waited for our guide to arrive. his name completely escapes me, which is unfortunate, but eventually he arrived and away we went. rather than taking ourselves around, i decided to book a full day drive so wecould not only see the sights, but alsolearn about swaziland from a local's perspective. it's almost always more informative and interesting than what you can read from a book.

our first stop was ngwenya glass factory. it was actually pretty neat, and though we didn't get to see anything being crafted as it was a sunday, the souvenir shop was open haha. the concept was a good one - everything they make is made from recycled glass. picked up a couple items and browsed some of the other shops. next up was a stop at ngwenya mine, now abandoned, home to the one of the oldest known mines in the world (lion cavern - dating to 40,000 BC whaaaat) as well as some of the oldest rocks in the world. they primarily mined iron ore as well as hematite, which people once used for makeup. the views were outstanding, though partially obstructed by the foggy weather.

onward to sibebe rock. made of granite, it's the largest exposed granite dome in the world, and 2nd largest rock in the world (ayers rock in oz has it beat). people can climb it on good days and look over the valley. we skipped that, obviously. along the drive, passed by several palaces and learned a little about the kings of swaziland. traditionally, he has several wives but also keeps a girlfriend to stay with so the wives don't get jealous of one another. HA. the current king has 40 wives and has fathered over 200 children. he's a busy guy. i couldn't help but ask about all the billboards along the highway promoting monogamy; i guess in swazi culture polygamy is expected, but as it becomes more exposed to the west, some of these ways are changing. our guide said his father had 3 wives, and he has 20 some odd siblings. he said all the siblings get along, but the wives don't talk to each other out of jealousy. interesting culture..

next up was mdzimpa mountain, one of the sacred mountains b/c its where the kings and queen mothers are buried. another interesting fact: the next king is not named until the current king dies. then the king's council looks among the candidates, and usually it is the most educated wife whose son is chosen, but not always. reason? to prevent jealousy and people from poisoning one another haha. drove by parliament and eludzidzini, where the queen mother lives. she actually rules with her son, which prevents the king's wives from becoming jealous of one another. noticing a theme?? the king also choses his prime minister and his cabinet, but the rest of parliament is elected, and the king has the final say. there are no political parties in swaziland, which means things actually get done in government (ha) but it's not all sunshine - there's a 25% unemployment rate and lots of illegal immigration from mozambique. guess every country has it's share of problems.

we made a stop for lunch, and got a couple pots of tea b/c it was so cold. we were literally shivering. got a pita with grilled veggies. then walked around the shops, including the swazi candle factory. didn't get anything though, but made our way to the mantenga swazi cultural village. b/c it was still raining and so cold, they didn't perform outside but instead inside the restaurant. i felt so sorry for them, but i guess they are used to it. it was interesting to watch, they even pulled me up to dance at one point haha. gave them a R20 tip, which wasn't much at all, but all we had. then we got a tour of the village, and all the huts and areas were explained. each wife had 3 huts to herself; there was a men's only and women's only area; a medicine man hut; a grandparents hut. i think that's all. it was interesting, plus the little monkeys jumping around and warming themselves on the huts were adorable.

back to the car and the craft center. said our goodbyes and thanks to our tour guide and browsed the shops a bit more. definitely been spending way too much money this trip, but whatever. i'll deal with that later. back to our room to warm up and rest before dinner at the lodge's restaurant again. got a grilled ham and cheese sandwich as wasn't particularly hungry. missed G a lot this day, don't think he'd really enjoy all the touristy stuff but still just wanted to be able to talk to him. it's been so long! not sure where the relationship will go, but determined not to make the same mistakes i made in the past and have to live with the regret. lessons have been learned, and that is a good thing.

goodbye kruger, hello swaziland

another early morning. but instead of the game drive, we did a morning walk. talk about a thrilling experience! i mean, theadvantage of the drive is that you cover more ground, therefore are more likely to see the coveted animals. BUT. walking thru the bush was way cooler, even if you don't see as much. it's more about the journey than the destination, so to speak.

we arrived early (again, what's with us?) and our guides were jan from yesterday's night drive and another ranger, evan. at first i thought it would be just jeff and myself, which would be awkward, but fortunately a couple from the netherlands showed up. the man spoke very good english, but his wife did not and so the man had to translate nearly everything for her. the rangers, both being white south african from dutch (rather than british) decent, also spoke some crude dutch, so tried to include her as much as could. overall, it was a good group. jan noted that he wished more visitors would come on the walks, but b/c most people just care about seeing the big 5, it's rather unpopular. stinks for them, i think. jan also told us about some of the longer wilderness trails as well as the backpacking trail through kruger. i'm sensing my next adventure...

anyway, we loaded into the smaller safari truck and drove out of the camp. jan and evan consulted the maps and researched where game had been observed in the previous few days before deciding our ultimate destination. once we arrived, we sat in the truck while they loaded their rifles. those were some big guns! once they were done, we were allowed to get out and stretch, but they were still waiting on the sun to rise a bit more before heading out. though it appeared to be bright to my adjusted eyes, our rangers insisted that animals could still be hiding in the unseasonably tall grasses and we needed to wait until it was lighter out. jan left to scout the area with his binoculars while evan gave us the "rules". no quick sudden movements. walk in a single file line. no talking while walking. no taking photos until given the go-ahead, and even then - no taking too many b/c the sound can be distracting. crouch while walking if told to. "tip toe" walk if told to. switch order in line every time we stop so the same person isn't in the back every time. and most importantly, get ready for a good time. got it? good.

we headed out, and i wondered what in the world i had gotten myself into. i'll admit, i was a bit nervous, but felt jan and evan were pretty competent people and would protect us as best they could should something happen. we walked with both rangers in front. to the unskilled person, it seems like it would be best to have one in front and one in back. but after they explained how quickly things can happen (lions run at 22 m/sec!), and most charges and attacks occur from the front, it made sense they'd both be ahead of us.

we didn't have to walk far before we came across a large bull elephant, and in a few mins they spotted another in the distance. we stayed very still so they could determine if there might be more than we were initially aware of, which could be dangerous. one elephant eventually moved on, but one lingered. we watched him for a long while. it was really neat to listen to all the birds, as well as the impalas snorting, which was their way of letting "the predator" (us) know they see us and so can't surprise them. unfortunately it also alerts the elephant that something is not right. waited a long time before they stopped and we moved on to the next tree so we could follow the elephant. amazing how close we were to such an enormous animal, with no protection. such a different experience compared to the drive!

after about 45 mins we moved on. came across a massive spider web thing, and while jan again scouted, evan explained all about them. he poke at the web to agitate the spiders so we could see them. of course that was before mentioning they could jump 3 meters. yikes! i nearly had a heart attack. moving on. saw a huge herd of impalas in the distance, and a male and female elands amongst them. they were massive! next were some buffalo tracks - one had stomped on its own poop to mark territory.

we finally came to a lake/pond area. our rangers spotted some hippos in the distance, so evan had us stay back while he threw some rocks into the water to see if there were any closer - which would be incredibly dangerous. they were worried b/c there was a lot of moss covering the water and obstructing their view. but after some time, they came to the conclusion that the hippos were not a threat, and we had our picnic breakfast of dried jerky, crackers, cheese, nuts, cookies and juice boxes. yum. moved on, and came across some rhino tracks so learned all about them. finally, it was time to head back to the truck. did not want it to end, but i guess all things must eventually come to an end. back at the camp, said our thanks to jan and evan - really great people - checked out of our bungalow, and said our goodbyes to kruger.

made our way to swaziland, and thankfully the roads were very well marked. crossed the border at jeppe's reef. what a funny immigration process! went thru a gate where a guard wrote down our license plate number and gave us a ticket. then he told us to park and go into 1st building. we poked our heads in b/c weren't sure if it was the right place. it was. started to give our passports and ticket to one of the officers, but she only wanted car info and to declare any valuables. gave what car info i knew, and she filled in rest. okay.. all the while she was like "i love usa, usa my country." she was all smiles, which was in direct contrast to her partner officer who was all ms. grumpy pouty face. the nice lady wished us a good journey and told us to go to the 2nd building. so we crossed the street, and that's where they checked our passports. got them stamped and our ticket stamped. back in the car, where we encountered another gate and another guard. gave him our stamped ticket - and then it was into no man's land.

onto the next gate, where a guard directed us into "light vehicles" parking, whatever that means. repeated process of parking, getting out of car, going into immigration line and getting stamped, then into customs line. we didn't have to declare anything, but we did have to pay R50 to enter the country. maybe it was b/c we had a car? didn't ask, b/c we made it to swaziland!

there was only one way to go, so we went that way. all of the roads were dirt roads, and knew we would be driving on a highway, so didn't bother turning onto any of them even though there weren't signs initially. we did eventually see a sign for the MR1 which would take us to mbabane, so knew we were going the right way. then saw signs for MR3 towards ezulwini valley, so took that. the landscape was just gorgeous. didn't realize it would be so hilly. it was interesting to see such nice houses right alongside huts and shacks. the funniest (and scariest) part was the cattle and goats and chickens roaming the roads all willy-nilly. and the people drive so fast! i know they're familiar with the roads, but all i needed was to hit a cow and kill the car and be stranded in swaziland. no, thank you. it took us about 2 hrs to reach the MR103 from the border, b/c even though the distance wasn't long, the roads were so windy it really slowed us down. but we weren't in any particular rush. eventually found the cutoff for mantenga lodge, checked in and were shown to our room. a quick dinner (beef burger this time) before heading out again.

what a crazy night it turned out to be. we were headed to the bushfire festival. so random it happened to be going on the same weekend we were there - couldn't have planned it better. the lady at reception said we should take a taxi, but our waitress said we'd be fine driving ourselves and gave us the usual cryptic directions. parking ended up being a disaster, which we found out too late. as we slowly crept up the unmarked and unlit road (ahem, safety in numbers?), most were just giving up and parking on the side of the road. i wasn't keen on that as it was unsecured and an undetermined distance from the festival, so onward we moved. we eventually came to the parking lot and were directed into a slot. crossed the street, got our tickets and wristbands. bushfire 2010, we have arrived.

it was a bit overwhelming at first, there were so many people. and, of course, we were the minority as white folks. i'm sure it was all over our faces, but tried our best to act chill. game plan was to make our way around the perimeter and check out what was there - lots of different craft stands and food stalls. ended up purchasing a bushfire t-shirt and a handmade clutch which i loved. jeff also picked up a few things, including a CD of one of the bands we heard - freshly ground. they were a lot of fun. saw some fire dancers and some more music acts. would have liked to have stayed longer, but we were pretty zonked from the full day of activity, and were worried that leaving would be more of a problem than getting in. we were right. it took about 45 mins just to make it out of the parking lot, then another 30 mins to get home. there were officers attempting to direct traffic, but it didn't help much.. people were parked in the driving lanes, and others were driving the wrong directions up the street - which made it even more difficult to navigate the very crowded streets. ah well. we eventually made it home. what a great day!