Nkomazi

After Swaziland we moved north back into South Africa to another Game Reserve called Nkomazi. This was a fairly new reserve with amazing scenery and about 30 times the size of the first one. We could drive for miles and miles looking for wildlife.

We found a herd of elephants which came right up to the vehicle. Here we also saw zebra, lions, and all kinds of antelope. Our guide Kilmon was great at tracking the animals, had a wonderful sense of humor and taught us about the land. He was very knowledgable in astronomy and ancient rock paintings. He took us out star gazing one night where "we saw the southern cross for the first time and now we understand why we came this way (Name that tune...)."

During the morning game drives we stopped to have tea/coffee and in the evenings we stopped to indulge in appetizers. Spoiled!

One morning we were eating breakfast on the deck when a herd of elephants slowly walked just a few hundred feet from us on the opposite side of the river. It was a beautiful day and watching them file by made it incredible. Little did we know they were retreating into the bush so one of the females could give birth. The next day they came out with the tiniest little elephant you've ever seen. They went in as a herd of 11 and came out as 12, of course we didn't have the camera to get a picture of the baby!

Interesting Fact: Women don't drink beer in Swaziland

I found out the hard way that women in Swaziland don't drink beer. We had been told by several people that the local beer was a nice lager called Sibebe and we had to try it! After ordering this local refreshment at a few restaurants in Swaziland, my husband Caleb and I acknowledged to each other that I seemed to be having trouble with some of the wait staff understanding my order and that I needed to be more precise and learn the proper pronunciation. Everyone we met was incredibly nice and spoke far more English than I did Swazi so I wondered why I was struggling.

We weren't quick to realize why the staff would look at me like I was crazy and then would ask Caleb what I wanted to drink. He of course would repeat the exact same thing I just said. It might seem obvious in retrospect however neither of us understood. At dinner we made friends with a wonderful restaurant owner and a local Swazi couple. Later they asked me why I was drinking beer and why my husband would allow that. Ah ha!! I then learned, beer is a "man's drink" in Swaziland and the bar staff was truly asking Caleb his permission for them to serve it to me. Oops!

Swaziland, Africa

In between our two safari lodges, we ventured through Swaziland. We spent two days there and found it is a beautiful country with some of the most friendly people and we quickly found out that two days wasn't enough!

We hiked to the Swazi culture center where we got to see traditional celebration and dance and the famed Mantenga waterfalls.

KwaZulu (Zulu Land)

Since posting pictures last, we flew to Durban, SA and drove three hours north to the Zulu Nyala Game Reserve. We are staying at a lodge on the property and have been on several safari's since arriving.

The area is native to the Zulu people who now share their land with several large game reserves. Many of the people working in the reserves are Zulu including the rangers who guide the safaris.

Random Insurance Pictures

Over my travels so far there have been a few things that have caught my eye..... Whether it be from an insurance perspective or not!

Franschhoek, South Africa

After a few days in Cape Town, we retreated inland to Franschhoek, which is where a large concentration of vineyards are. We are staying on a winery estate right on a vineyard so it has been quite an experience!
It's late fall in South Africa right now so the colors on the vines are starting to change. It's very beautiful.