Kruger

(you can click on the photos to expand them)

I intend to post a lot about Kruger - but now I'm back in Cape Town, and just wrote out a to-do list with my collaborator, and I need to do some serious work :) It's funny to be back in heals and designer clothes, all focused-on work! I feel like a totally different person than I was yesterday... Fortunately I like work, otherwise I'd already be off on the next adventure.

I will work on posting pictures little by little! For now I wanted to post some highlights to share. The trip was AWESOME! LOVED IT! It was 5 days in Kruger, arriving late the first day, and leaving early the last, because it is a long drive from Joburg. The last day included a drive through the Blyde river canyon - the 3rd largest Canyon in the world - quite beautiful. I was exhausted by then though - we got up around 5am most days, and I was dead asleep by 9:30 pm! Dark falls fast there, and after a good meal cooked for you by the guide and a few glasses of wine, there's nothing better than a solid sleep! The accommodations were quite nice, though only mid-range for the camps (you can do everything from tent camping to luxury). I would recommend the company that did the tour:

http://www.outlook.co.za

I booked them, and the Joburg B&B and tour through EcoAfrica, but they can be booked directly. A better B&B was recommended than the one I used (which was good): Africa Sky - it seemed quite nice!

There were 3 other people on the tour - a nice couple mom's age from NW Canada. They were great! The other person was a young guy from Switzerland - very laid back. They made for great traveling companions! Our guide was very informative and took the time to learn what each of us was interested in and to make sure we each learned about new things along the way. He particularly quizzed me on tree-types... a new skill for me! I'm still working on it :) I learned a lot about birds, too.

We identified roughly 45 bird species, 25 mamels, 12 trees, and 3 reptiles. We saw 4 of the "big 5", all 3 big cats, 3 of the "small 5", 2 endangered birds (and countless other awesome ones), loads of young animals, individuals and large herds, and an elephant with HUGE tusks. Here are some highlights:

My companions: the Canadian couple bravely venturing from the car to read a plaque, and the Swiss and our guide spotting from the front seats











Endangered birds: the Ground Hornbill, and the SaddleBilled Stork











Moms and babies: Hyena, Hippo, Elephant and Baboon






















The "Big 3" cats: Lions, Leopards (yes, there is a leopard there!!), and Cheetahs






















An elephant with HUGE tusks:











Some great trees: Baobab, Marula, Sycamore Fig, and Umbrella Thorn Acacia























Blyde River Canyon: the Pinnacle, Berlyn falls, Lisbon falls, and Three Roundavels




























Accomidations: Mopani, Tamboti, and Skakuza (the first two are tree types, the third means "the one who clears" - the third camp is the biggest base, basically a town, and nearly 100 years old)

Update on the outreach high school day

I ran into one of the high school teachers from the LEAP school where I did outreach with my friends last Monday. I found out more about the school from him. He, himself, is an interesting person - an engineer who at ~45 (?) is doing a masters in physics, with a specialization in physics education research. He decided after a long industry career to go into teaching, and works at the school while doing his masters. A good guy.

The school is for people from the Townships (see my description in the Joburg post). They take youngsters who show promise in their schools, and send them on scholarship to summer camps. From the summer camps, they select the best in terms of doing well in school and leadership potential, and they offer scholarships to them for the LEAP high school.

It is a relatively new school, and funded by the government and by private agencies. Interestingly, the students at that school can no longer be considered "disadvantaged" for college like the ones I work with at UCT, because they have more money spent per person at the LEAP school. I wonder if in 4 years they can overcome the educational disadvantage they have from the Townships? They seem to be having success at the school, and the students were quite engaged in learning. It seemed they were all college-bound, at minimum. Some were even planning to go to UCT (the best school in southern africa if not beyond).

Pretty cool, huh?