Since coming back from vacation, work has continued to keep me very busy. As I mentioned a few months back, I have been trying to help my friend Patrick find employment. This has been a fairly difficult task, as the unemployment rate is already extremely high, and discrimination against people with disabilities is also quite prevalent in this country. So we tried and tried, but it definitely doesn’t look promising. I am now investigating micro-finance agencies so that Patrick can get a start-up loan for a business idea of his. I’ve also been training him on how to use a computer in order to build up his capacity in that area.

Some books that I’ve read recently:
- Just Peacemaking by Glen Stassen: not as groundbreaking as I wanted it to be; too many case studies, not enough substance
- Space Trilogy books by CS Lewis: pure genius; Narnia for adults (not that Narnia doesn’t already appeal to adults, just that the Space Trilogy series is definitely too mature for children)

Some films that I’ve seen recently (I realize that most of them are old, but gimme a break, I’m in Africa for crying out loud):
- I Am Legend: pretty good; interesting plot but not as intriguing as Tom Hanks’ solo performance in Castaway
- Beowulf: cool visual effects; fairly entertaining but nothing spectacular
- No Country for Old Men: great movie but especially depressing; let’s just say that I definitely don’t want to watch it more than once; pay special attention to the final monologue which absolutely rocks my socks off (and should do the same for you)
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: beautiful stuff, much like the films of Terrance Malick; it will probably be boring to most people, but when you think about it, many people in this day and age need more boring stuff in their life
- Juno: from what I had heard about this movie, I was expecting to be blown away; instead, I just simply liked it; overall it’s a good film, but I agree with the review of Jeffrey Overstreet who just so happens to be the best critic alive now (and I just so happen to have the same tastes

This post is going to have quite a few pictures since it will be about our trip to Hlane Game Park. So prepare to be entertained!

Going on a safari was definitely the highlight of our vacation week. It was amazing. The small hut we stayed in was equally great, and inexpensive as well. It was also one of the few times we didn’t have to share a bed. This alone was worth the price of admission.

our awesome lodging, called a rondaval

We had our own private driving tour which I think made our guide more dangerous. He could tell that we were thrill-seekers, so he threw out the rule book and took us into the heart of darkness. The first big animal we came across was the rhinoceros. To our surprise, the guide asked if we wanted to get out on foot and see it closer. Of course we said yes. Probably not the smartest idea.

this is about when the rhino started charging towards us, which was the general reaction of most dangerous animals we saw

For some reason, we were not told how to evade a rhino until after the fact. Maybe being taught this beforehand would have saved me from soiling myself. Oh well. Man vs. Wild, baby. The next large animals that didn’t enjoy us interrupting their dinner were the elephants. While they were chasing us down the road, I asked the guide how fast they could run. He said, “Up to 40 km/hr.” I then asked how fast our Land Rover could go in reverse and he replied, “Not that fast.” Hmmm…not exactly the answer I was hoping for.

our guide told us that one of these was a female going through “that time of the month,” explaining the reason why she chased us in reverse about a quarter-mile

The finale to our death-defying game drive ended appropriately with the king of all safari animals, the lion. Not just one, but a pack of about seven. And not just sleeping, but on the hunt. We could see them sniffing the air, and our guide said it was the antelope up-wind. I still swear it was Steve’s body odor they were smelling. That’s really the only explanation why they didn’t eat us.

the other lions were running by our vehicle at this very moment

immediately when i took this picture i realized that using the flash might not be a good idea

We also saw a bunch of inconsequential animals along the way, but I won’t bore you with those details. When we left the game park the next morning, we had to walk a little bit to the main road to hitch a ride. On the way, we realized that a crazy ostrich was following us, trying to pick a fight. Luckily, we outsmarted it (which apparently isn’t very hard to do since ostriches are know to be incredibly stupid) by splitting up. It was a fitting end to our adventure at Hlane Game Park.

This is the deranged ostrich which chased us all the way to the road. We were lucky our heads weren’t on that totem pole.

On Friday I gave Steve the authentic Swazi experience. We went to my homestead so he could meet my host family and eat real Swazi food. Then we joined my buddy Mancoba for the extreme hike up the mountain in my back yard (see Topic 21 for a recap of the first time I climbed it). Check out some pictures below.

preparing to be exhausted

Steve doing his best impression of Rocky

After we made it down from the mountain alive, we hung out with good ‘ole Percy Maphanga for the rest of the day. I told Steve that he was the coolest guy on earth, and I’m pretty sure he agrees.

The next morning we traveled to Maputo which is the capital of Mozambique. I won’t say much about this excursion, since it’s better left forgotten. Problems ranged from transportation, visas, lodging, and the occasional stealing of my money. But we did manage to eat some terrific seafood which was the primary reason for going. The secondary reason was the beach, but we couldn’t swim in the water due to football-sized jellyfish. They were definitely cool to look at though.

On Tuesday morning, Steve and I left for Durban in South Africa, commencing the second part of our vacation, . This city is one of the biggest tourist destinations on the continent, primarily because of its beaches. It is also known for having the largest Indian population in the world outside of India. Our plan was to leave in the morning from Swaziland and arrive mid-day, but since we were taking public transport, it turned out that we left mid-day and arrived in the early evening. Don’t ask why. So the only option we had once we got there was to visit the largest mall in the southern hemisphere, appropriately named Gateway. The reason why this was on my to-do list was because they were showing U23D at the movie theater. I was excited to say the least; Steve not so much. The concert film was incredible of course; 3D films like this are obviously the future of cinema.

So after getting lost in the giant mall numerous times, we decided that it was time to go back to our luxurious accommodation near the beach. Banana Backpackers gets a 5-star ranking for mosquitoes, no sheets, and broken everything. We were even fortunate enough to have a morning alarm-system comprised of screaming children at 5AM. Pure bliss if I say so myself.

As you can see, Steve’s camera had quality problems just like this room we stayed in.

Luckily the weather on Wednesday was pretty good, so we spent the day at the uShaka Marine World (seeing many exotic fish) and then the beach. Both of us were excited about swimming in the Indian Ocean. The water temperature was nice and the waves were good. Overall it was an excellent day, except for the instance when some big dude on the street tried to convince us that he was an African soccer star while his buddies simultaneously schemed about how they would mug us. Great fun. The next day was mostly spent traveling back to Swaziland and then recuperating from the traveling. Let’s just say public transportation in Africa would be discouraged by any chiropractor in the world.

some crazy lookin’ fish

It was Easter morning. Rain on the horizon. My cousin Steve was scheduled to arrive that evening. My plan was to go to church with my host mother and then get everything ready before Steve¡¦s plane was to land. Let¡¦s just say that I didn¡¦t particularly enjoy the Easter service at JC Worship Center (see Topic 9 from long ago which details some of the reasons for my dislike of this place). Then the rain started pouring. Since I wanted to make sure Steve¡¦s plane was still on schedule, I tried calling the airport numerous times but received no answer. I¡¦ve come to expect this type of thing here, which makes me think I will probably be a more patient person once I get back to the States. So off to the airport I go, driving at night for the first time in Swaziland. Steve arrived on time, and the only thing we did that night was eat and plan out our jam-packed vacation for the next week. Probably not the best Easter holiday for either of us, but I was definitely happy to see a familiar face from back home.

The first day of our vacation was spent in Swaziland at one of my favorite spots, Mantenga Nature Reserve. We first headed to the waterfall for swimming, even though it was freezing and muddy because of the previous day¡¦s rainfall. We then hiked up to get a better view of the surroundings, which is shown in the picture below.

I’m pretty sure we were the only ones who swam in the water that day

After our thorough mud bath, we checked out the cultural village nearby. Saw some wild monkeys. Talked to a bunch of Swazi girls who thought we were the greatest thing since sliced bread (and of course asking the inevitable questions about marriage). Participated in a traditional dance marathon. So all in all, nothing too unusual. ƒº We ended the day at a nice Chinese restaurant. Yep, that¡¦s right. Chinese food in Africa. Tastes pretty much the same as Chinese food in America. Go figure.

Steve excited about being in Africa