DECEMBER TRAVELS

Our December holiday here is like summer vacation. I took advantage of all the time off from school to travel around South Africa with some fellow volunteers. Here we are riding ponies.

The villages in this area are much smaller and less developed than the one I live in. They are groups of 50-60 people.

This waterfall was so beautiful, it's no wonder Tolkien based the setting for the Lord of The Rings off his experiences in South Africa.

This is a spot where the water has carved out little pools. We had a lot of fun swimming in the pools, and also quite an adventure finding them. We were guided by local children on and around some perilous cliffs.

This is Kosi Bay, just south of the border with Mozambique. You can't access this beach without a 4x4. They don't want to build roads because they are trying to preserve the natural environment of the area. The beach was sparsely populated, and fantastically beautiful. We snorkeled and saw a wide range of colorful saltwater fish.

We spent one evening tracking down maternal sea turtles venturing out of the ocean (something they do only for this occasion) to lay eggs in the sand.

We stayed on a nature and game reserve in Swaziland that didn't have any dangerous predators. We were able to walk around and mingle with the impala, zebra, wildebeest, springbok, warthogs, and the like. There was a good water spot for viewing hippos and looking for crocodiles as well.

It was a momentous occasion to see a lioness close up in Kruger National Park, where they animals roam free (and people stay in their cars). She crouched, and we waited breathlessly for her to take off after some unsuspecting impala. Suddenly, she laid down and decided to take a rest. But it was an amazing sighting none the less!