River House Lodge Malelane

... discuss our sighting that day with other guests who may have gone to a different area of the park with different Flora and fauna. We were able to savor the impression of being in a tree house, reinforced when you notice that the veranda and walkway to your air-conditioned room is at a level normally the sole ...

... some bat boxes and bats were flying around that night. We also heard hyenas several times throughout the night. This too like Skukuza is very popular camp for weekenders at it near to one of the main entrance gates and not too far from Nelspruit and other South African towns.

This was our last stop in Kruger National Park. We had really enjoyed our stay here, had seen animals/birds we didn’t see last year. Our ...

... window in one smooth action – only to bounce back from the glass and flop straight down onto the ground. Comedy! Not quite so cool now, eh, you cheeky monkey?!

Among other sightings we’ve enjoyed were a pair of beautiful bateleur eagles perched in a tree, close enough for photos and displaying their coats superbly, the slightly bizarre sight of a heron gliding across the water on the back of a hippo, a pack of hyenas ...

... see tin-roofed houses, people living without electricity as well as more advertisement for funeral homes and life insurance (due to the AIDS crisis) in this one city than I've seen in my entire life. However, I think there is another side of the story that needs to be told as well. A story of people that are making a better life for themselves and offering a glimmer of hope for the future. I gotta run ...

... I almost ended up in the river a few times when my muscle memory was having a tough time adjusting to the reverse controls. Apparently the guy that I flew with was the South African microlight champ, which I'm not sure what that means, but he let me fly the entire flight so he's all right in my book. SPECIAL NOTE: They do sell calamari burgers at the restaurant in Kruger park. How can you not try it? It's squidlicious!

Well we almost got locked down overnight in Swaziland, but they couldn't keep us down.  Road construction, detours and nightime driving hazards be damned!  As long as they keep the border open an extra hour for us we can do anything!  We will always have Swaziland.

... proceeded to look about the grounds of the Vineyard. There is a cheetah preserve located thereon, where for a small fee visitors can watch, and for a larger fee interact with, the cheetahs. We opted for the former and enjoyed watching the cats. We also met a young Minnesotan working in the program, and peppered her with questions about the animals. [LYNNE: The Minnesotan was probably a junior in college and was doing a 6 week internship with the cheetah program. She was ...

... to be photographed. The huge tent we stayed in was more than adequate for our modest needs and contained a fridge that was good for keeping all our beer and wine nice and cool. I've loved having the field guides in this park and it's great for spotting and identifying all the different ...

... is back. Well I came back from Pretoria on Tuesday, and there was no work on Wednesday because of elections, and yesterday I finally went on campaigns to schools, and today I have the day off. I am truly suffering. So I went on campaigns, it was great. The 8th-9th graders were so excited to hear me say hello! The group I was with was there talking about teenage pregnancy, so I told them ...

... Corps Volunteer as most people believe, and I do not have large sums of cash hidden away in America. I am poor just like everyone around me here in South Africa. Maybe poorer than most, but I would rather spend my money on transport and travel than fancy clothes and looking pretty. So my talk with my host family.... They would like me to pay half of their electricity and water bill. They pay 400 rand per month, and would like me to pay 200 rand per month. I have one room ...