Going on Safari

After we left Kenya the ship went to Zanzibar, Tanzania.  I had a tour in the morning that took me to the Jozani Forest, a reserve where I walked around mahogany trees that were hundreds of years old and also saw monkeys.  The most interesting part of the tour was a walk through a bunch of mangrove trees.  I had never really learned what they were, but mangrove trees grow with their roots above ground in bog-like areas.  It was all very interesting, but not much to report about.  After that we sailed to Richard’s Bay, South Africa, a port in the middle of Zulu country.  This took 3 days, which may be my limit of time at sea.  This ship is only so big and after more than even 48 hours I start to go a little crazy.  The crossing of the Atlantic coming up is going to be a true test of patience!  Ha ha! 

On our first day in Richard’s Bay I decided to go out and inquire about a safari.  I knew this would be the last port that I could make this dream come true.  After having really wanted to go in Kenya and missing out, I was not about to let that happen!  I wandered outside and found a guide who was willing to take people on safari, but I would need to call her and gather people together for the day trip.  I went downstairs and spent the next hour desperately trying to gather people and convince them to spend their money on a safari!  I was ready to pay up, but most people were a little wary.  I finally convinced Brett, Rose, and Melanie to go with me and gave Lyn, our tour guide a call.  We were off to Hluhluwe-Ifozi (pronounced Shlew-shlew-way Oof-ohts-ee) Game Reserve!

On our drive Lyn began telling us about herself and the area.  She is of Indian descent, but was born and raised in South Africa and has broken into the tourism industry with her own company.  We soon learned she had overcome many obstacles as an Indian woman in this industry and had recently been named the Tour Guide of the Year for 2009, a major achievement.  I was so excited because I could tell it was going to be a great day.  She told us all about how the Zulu people live now in the area, still preserving many of their rituals and traditions, and an hour-long drive later we arrived at the game park. 

Lyn warned us that she would do her best to find anything and everything, but that we should not pray to her, but to God, because there were certainly no guarantees of seeing particular animals.  This is a 96,000 hectacre park where the animals are not controlled in anyway.  The land is not worked, the animals are not fed, and they are completely free to live as they do in any natural area.  We all kept our eyes peeled and began driving through the park on the edge of our seats, nervously keeping a lookout for animals.  After driving around for 5 minutes I was getting nervous until we ran into a warthog!  While it wasn’t any big animal, I was so PUMPED!!!  I told Lyn I would be super-easy to please and that I was already thrilled with the experience.  We soon after saw rhinos in the distance and a herd of buffalo on a far-off hill.  Our first close animal was a zebra who had a baby with her who was feeding off her mom’s milk.  It was amazing to see and I couldn’t have been happier! 

Throughout the day we ended up seeing so many animals!  We saw 15 animals, including zebra, lots of giraffes, tons of buffalo, elephants, dozens of rhinos, nyala, impala, bush pigs, and hyena.  There were some extra special moments including giraffes right by the car, watching a rhino mark its territory (different than urinating) and seeing lots of baby animals around the park!  We had lunch at the Hilltop Camp, which was absolutely gorgeous.  Lyn was such a champ the whole day, giving us lots of great information about the animals, searching diligently, and really opening up to us.  She said we were such a fun group and that it was so nice to feel like she could just be herself and have fun with us!  We ended up being with Lyn ALL DAY LONG and 8 hours after we started she dropped us back off at the ship.  We were pooped!

The next morning I woke up at the crack of dawn for a tour!  I headed to Dumazulu Cultural Heritage Center at 6:00 am with the guests.  I was so tired that it wasn’t the most thrilling tour I’ve ever done, but I did have a good time.  The closest thing I can relate this to is their version of a Colonial Williamsburg.  The people are all dressed in traditional clothes and living in huts, making pottery, spears, baskets, and beadwork.  It was fun seeing how the Zulu people would have operated in the villages years ago, but it all felt a little Disney to me!  Ha ha!  The highlight of the tour was seeing the people perform traditional dances to drumming.  It was a really exciting show that they put on while we tasted their local beer and cheered them on!  I felt like I got a really nice taste of everything Richard’s Bay had to offer, enjoying the safari and the Zulu culture.  For the past 2 days we have been sailing through rough seas to Cape Town, South Africa where, I’m happy to report, I will be meeting Ms. Laura Cochran!  Laura is going to be sailing with me on the last cruise of my contract and I am so pumped!  I can’t believe I will be flying home in 2 weeks!  I’m excited, but certainly sad to leave behind certain aspects like my crew members and the travel.  Ugh- that will have to be a whole different post.  Until then…miss you and see you soon!

Tripp