From safaris to the mountains

Well it has been a bit since our last post and we have done so much!! I actually wrote a post yesterday that could have been a book of information and lost it all when I ran out of Internet time... So sad! So last time we checked in we were on our way to Kruger National Park. 
Well Kruger was simply amazing!! It started out slow with a night drive using spot lights to look for animals. Our guide told us that the private land we were driving through was a former hunting grounds which is why most animals would run  from the vehicle.. When asked why we were driving there he said the animals needed to be conditioned to not be afraid of vehicles any more... In other words we were part of a reconditioning program. Fun!
The next day things really got exciting when we drove into the national park for an all day safari!! We got to see hippos sunbathing and swimming, giraffes eating from the tops of trees, female lions with a cub lounging, elephants on the march, buffalo grazing, impalas everywhere, rhinos napping, baboons chillin, warthogs rooting in the scrub, vultures cleaning the leftovers of some lions, and waterbuck hanging out (I'm sure I forgot some animal but that's what I got). The next day was the same kind of trip but with a more relaxed atmosphere since we had seen all of the animals the first day. We did see 3 male lions at a water hole the second day and a rhino a whole lot closer. Also we saw some elephants tearing the bark off a tree right next to the road. What an experience!! The 3rd day we took a trip to an animal recovery center. They had some animals that had been raised since they were cubs/chicks and some that had been brought in as adults after being caught and injured in traps. The ones that had been raised there could not be released into the wild but the older ones that were caught in traps are released when healed. We got to pet a full grown cheetah that had been raised there and was such a beautiful animal! Also we pet an eagle. They had some really intelligent honey badgers that had at times escaped over there walls and attacked the lions there! They are some of the fiercest creatures in the wild! When poisonous snakes bite them they just fall asleep for a bit and are fine afterward! It was so cool to get so close to the lions with only the fence between us. The female even let out a growl that had me looking for the exit. There was a full grown leopard, baby cheetahs and a baby leopard, eagles, and vultures! We were going to feed the vultures with a thick leather glove but they didn't want to eat when we were there. A wild cheetah stalked a little kid as he walked along his cage and you could tell he was ready for a little German snack!
After our Kruger adventures we headed down to joburg to pick up a car and stayed at Shoestring backpackers near the joburg airport. It was a decent place and we watched the game between Ghana and Uruguay. It was a sad ending for the last African team in the tournament and I think south Africans are less interested in the tournament as European teams dominate the final four. Brazil losing to the Netherlands was also quite a shocker!
We headed south to the Drakensburg mountains which turned out to be a really good choice! It is so gorgeous with sharp peaks and rolling hills, creeks and grasslands. We stayed at a fun place near the Royal Natal park called Ampitheatre Backpackers. They had a jacuzzi in the bar, a sauna, a projector to show thr games, and amazing views of the Drakensburg from our room! We met lots of cool travelers there and will probably meet up with some of them at our next stop in Durban. We spent 3 nights there and had 2 day trips. Our first day we hiked through some valleys to a place called the blue pools along a creek coming out of the mountain passes. It was a sunny day and we brought a picnic lunch. It was a really cool hike and we had the place to ourselves. The next day we took a guided day trip to thr country of Lesotho. It is in the middle of south Africa and is the highest (and one of the poorest) country in the world. It's lowest point is higher then the lowest point of all other countries ( they do smoke a lot up there as well). Our guide took us to a village where we visited a school and played with some children. Camelia gave out some colored markers and pads of paper. Next we climbed up above the village into the mountains and looked at ancient cave paintings done by the San people during the stone age! Wow! After that we went back into town. We tried some of their local beer which was similar to what we tried in the Langa township near Capetown. Quite sour and it looked like milk.. An acquired taste no doubt. We ate some local food (they eat corn all 3 meals of the day) which was pap (corn grits) and spinach with a spicy sauce. Very tasty! Camelia is allergic to African spinach (her face swells up) but sampled a little bite :). 
We have had a great time in the Drakensburg and are sad to be driving away.. We are headed to Durban and will spend 3 nights there. Spain plays Germany In a semifinal clash tomorrow and we will most likely watch the game at the fan park on the beach. Tickets are very pricey and out of our budget unless we get miracled. It will be cool just to be in the city where thr game is happening. Durban is on the Indian ocean and had some of the best weather we have come across during our travels. Our last week before heading home we will explore the coast near Port Elizabeth known as the garden route and attending the 3rd place match in PE. This trip has been so much fun!! Much love J &C