On a lighter note than yesterday, Michelle and I couldn’t find Mandla so we couldn’t go back to Soweto, so instead we decided to go to the Lion Park outside Johannesburg. Lots of lions, hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes, antelopes, wildebeest, zebras, ostriches, etc., etc. It was great to see them up so close (our driver just drove around the park and stopped whenever we saw an animal) and they seemed happier than animals in zoos in cages. But the best part was at the end, when we got to play with lion cubs. I was completely in heaven, lion cubs are adorable huge cats, and OMG I love cats. They were also very stinky, but fortunately the park provided massive amounts of soap to clean up with afterwards. Then on the ride back Michelle and I, in true fashion, slept the entire time.
I never made it out to the internet café, instead we sat in the jacuzzi with a few beers and then went to a restaurant about 45 minutes away called Carnivore, where they serve all-you-can-eat, every kind of meat in Africa. That’s right (vegetarians cover your eyes), tonight we dined on many of the same animals we saw running around today. I had warthog, wildebeest, ostrich, kulu (antelope I think), and I’m sure a few others that I don’t remember. Dinner was a very international affair, it was us two Americans, an Irish couple, a couple from New Zealand, and a French guy.
So, plans for tomorrow, we are getting on the Baz Bus (South African backpackers bus) at 8am and riding for 7 hours into Swaziland, where we’re meeting Michelle’s friend Eli, who’s stationed in the Peace Corp. He’s going to take us to his site where hopefully we’ll stay for a few nights. And at his site…there is no running water or electricity! SO, I probably won’t be able to write in this here blog for a few days. I hope you understand. Don’t miss me too much.
