S.A. and Mozambique: The rest of the story

Although it was a short stop over, the trip was an unforgettable experience! We sadly left South Africa and drove to Maputo, Mozambique for a 3 day workshop. Now that on the otherhand...... something i'll never forget as well. Though it was more the frustration of being held up in customs for 3 hours, not being able to get anything accomplished, and knowing that you were being taken for every penny you had! I can't explain to you what it was like to go from a luxurious safari reserve to the Mozambique border crossing. Surreal. Luckily the workshop was a success and we were able to enjoy a few nice evenings out with our African colleagues- enjoying the Maputo Prawns!

"Roughin' it" on the evening drives with our ranger and tracker (note the nifty makeshift bar they arranged for us!)

Birthday breakfast (his) with my traveling partner Anders

Traditional song and dance from local villagers (this topped it off for me!)

One of my favorite things to do was capture shots of our wonderful meals

and then there was Maputo! just a shot while driving thru to our hotel.

with our colleagues from Maersk Mozambique

these were the Prawns!!!

S.A.: The Animals

Breathtaking! Courtesy of my new Nikon I was able to capture some amazing shots! My new favorite animal- the Zebra; their skin is sooo beautiful. The toughest tracking- the leopard; our guides were determined for us to find a leopard and even went off on foot to hunt it out of the bush. The reserve is known for sighting "The Big Five", and we were lucky to catch them all in the 2 days: Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, and Elephant. The Zebras and Giraffe's were our added bonus. and the Baboons wouldn't sit still long enough for a good shot. I have some nice bird photos as well- but they just didn't stack up against these beauties! Kruger park is roughly the size of Virginia, so while there are some fences keeping the animals out of the local villages, they have great freedom to roam around in the wilderness. (and no animals were harmed in the taking of these photos =)

South Africa: The Place

off to South Africa. We had a training in Mozambique the next week, so we took a diversion to spend a few days on a Safari. loved it. I cannot even explain how amazing the place was. and so thankful that I bought my new camera before the trip. We spent 2 nights- all inclusive with meals and drinks, morning safari (5:30am) and night safari (sunset), with guide and tracker. Awoke in the morning to the baboons running around the roof and terrace and led back by security in the evenings "just in case".

Ulusaba Safari Lodge: Sir Richard Branson's Private ReserveRock Lodge- the sister lodge where we enjoyed a nice lunch