Life is Like a Box of Chocolates
Trip Start
Nov 07, 2007
1
7
8
Trip End
Dec 11, 2007
Mlilwane, Swaziland
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
"Life is like a box of chocolates..." this is one of my favorite quotes. Because you really do not know what life will throw your way and I find that these unexpected events are sometimes the most memorable ones. Over the past few days I've covered a lot of ground... from the bush of South Africa to the beaches of Mozambique and now I'm in the beautiful Kingdom of Swaziland. I must admit that when I made the list of places that I wanted to visit this year Mozambique and Swaziland were not even remotely part of my plans. But when I found a tour that included these two countries, I said why not and decided to take a trip off the beaten path. So these are the surprises I found in my box of chocolates...
I had no idea how beautiful Mozambique would be (I know I sound like a broken record with all this "beautiful" stuff). It is located right on the Indian Ocean with palm trees and ocean waves that makes both beach bums and surfers happy. In order to get to our lodge in MZ we had to drive through rural areas with grazing cattle and thread-bare huts. The sand was too soft for our bus so we had to get out and climb into this big truck with wheels about 4 feet tall. On the way to the lodge I took in the scenery and all I could think was "I don't see any power lines - please let there be electricity" and "I don't see any water tanks - please let there be hot water". I'm all for nature and getting back to my roots, but sometimes seeing is enough for me :-). So you can imagine my amazement when our truck climbed over the hill
and below was a beautiful resort on the coast of the Indian Ocean.
The next wonderful surprise came in the Kindom of Swaziland. Here I go again...it's beautiful! Now, this is the Africa of my dreams...with lush green grass, animals wandering in the bush and beautiful grass huts. We are only staying here for 2 days but I could easily spend a week here. Right outside my window I can see impalas grazing...how wonderful. One of my favorite events so far happened this morning. We took a mountain bike ride through the bush. There is nothing separating you from the animals. How amazing it is to stand 10 feet from zebras and antelopes and stop your bike to let a turtle cross the road. I wish I could bottle up the sights, sounds, and smells and bring it home with me.
Now, let me tell y'all about my last surprise...a near death experience and how I almost didn't live to write this update. Right after the last e-mail I sent I went on a night game drive in South Africa. This was pretty cool because there are some animals that only come out at night. Earlier that day I had gone a day game driver in Kruger National Park. I know this is supposed to be one of the best game reserves in Africa but I prefer the smaller private game reserves. Kruger has paved roads and street signs. When I envisioned myself on safari I imaged traversing rugged terrain in a open-top land rover - no time did I envision street signs! Anyway, the night game drive was exactly what I envisioned, we had a rifle-carrying ranger in a 4x4 ready to take us on a "real" safari. The drive started out great, we spotted 2 buffalos roaming the bush, next a herd of impalas, then some wild birds. We then drove to a pond where there was about 7 hippos chillin in the water and then we spotted a leopard in the hills to the left. The ranger stopped the jeep and we sat there for about 20 minutes observing the hippos and the leopard. He had a high-powered flash light so we could see the animals in the dark. We all enjoyed watching the animials. So now it was time to go and the jeep would not start...I'm like what??...I know we are not stuck out here with the hungry hungry hippos and a leopard. For about 10 minutes the ranger tried to get the jeep to start. His assistant turned to us and said "If you see anything coming get under the seat." What?...I can't fit under the seat and of course I'm the only one wearing a white shirt, so who do you think is going to get eaten first?? Another couple of minutes go by and they do something with gears and the jeep starts moving forward right into the pond, I reach for my phone to call my mom and tell her I love her. The ranger jumps into the jeep and slams on the brakes...a few feet from the water. My friend Christy was holding my arm so tightly I think she stopped my blood circulation. Finally, the ranger gets the jeep started and we drive away from the pond. At this point I'm ready to head back to the lodge, don't you know they kept going on with the tour like nothing happened!
This last week has been full of wonderful surpises. I'm going to keep an open mind and bite into the next piece of chocolate...
Until next time....
Lori
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!
