M to M to M to M to M to M

     Some of you may be wondering why--after more than a five-month delay--I should suddenly complete the last two blogs from South Africa.

     The answer is simple:  I'm going back to Africa!  After much agonizing about whether I should go, whether Scott would like to go too, and where the destination should be, all indecision is now officially resolved:

     Scott is NOT going, but I am.  I am going to Modisa, near Maun, in Botswana, leaving March 5.
The title of this blog?  McNaughton to Mondulkiri to McNaughton to Moholoholo to McNaughton to MODISA (and with any kind of luck, back to McNaughton).  This time, it's LIONS!  Click here for more info from Modisa.

layover at Joburg

     My flight from Huidspruit arrived in Johannesburg more than five hours before my flight to Paris was scheduled to leave. Lots of time, and no relatives to share it with. So I decided to have a nice leisurely lunch. 

     The airport at Johannesburg is large and modern--lots of fast food restaurants. But I was looking for one where I could enjoy a sit-down and a drink. I found a place called Kegs and Aviators--sounded just fine.

     When I walked in, a loud roar arose from a crowd. Obviously, I was startled, not expecting quite so enthusiastic a greeting.  The guys at the door laughed and explained that two of the most popular football teams in South Africa were playing each other, and one of them had just scored a goal. 

     The patrons at the bar seemed to be pretty much equally divided among the two teams, and the histrionics of both the staff and the patrons was exciting. I was confused by this drone going on while the game was on. Sounded like distant mosquitoes--and lots of them--but I gathered it's some sort of horn that is blown pretty much continuously during African football games.

     Well, it was by the far the happeningest place I've ever seen in an airport! Maybe people are not restricted from entering airport bars like they are in the US, but these were undoubtedly FANS, certainly little different from Packer fans at their most rabid.

     Scott often scoffs at my method of ordering at a restaurant. By habit I always ask, "Could I have a xxxxxx, please?" Scott thinks that is ridiculously deferential; it is, after all, an establishment that is the business of serving its customers FOOD!   

     But when I ordered at this restaurant, the waitress firmly said "no." I smiled and said something to the effect, "Oh, you're out of that?" And she said "No, it's not NICE." When I looked puzzled, she repeated, more firmly this time, "It's not nice!" I relented and ordered what she agreed I could have. She was right-- it WAS nice!

Last Day in Limpopo (and Mpumalanga)

     After we reluctantly left Hlokamela, Mona took me back to the Otters Den to get my luggage and get ready for my long flight home.  I felt genuinely sad to leave Otters Den for--probably--the last time.  I will always savor the memory of that fabulous bridge swaying precariously under my feet and the lovely Blyde River flowing beneath.   Here I am, re-enacting the concluding scene of one of my favorite movies of all time, The Man Who Would Be King.  Be grateful that there is no soundtrack to MY photo, but take the time to enjoy this fabulous scene.  Click here to see it  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apfaDqcf2FA

      My farewell to the Otters Den was somewhat friendlier and less dramatic--PLUS, unlike poor Sean Connery, I lived to tell the story myself!

     Mona had one more place to show me before we went to the airport in Hoedspruit.  Knowing how much I admired the Blyde (pronounced BLI-duh) River, she thought I'd like to see the Blyde River Canyon, one of the biggest canyons on earth and the largest "green" canyon--green because it has lush tropical vegetation throughout. I simply had no idea there was anything so extraordinarily beautiful just a couple of miles from Moholoholo.  





    

       Mona and I walked up a trail following a small tributary to the Blyde where there was a pool.  A local family was picnicking there, and they had two of the most fetching little children ever.  The girls were trying to catch minnows in their swim goggles, and the parents kindly permitted me to take their  photos.  The setting was so idyllic--why, it reminded me of a shampoo commercial!





This photo is, I think, the best one I took the whole trip.  I love how the sunlight is reflected in the girl's face.

    

On the way back, I irrevocably broke one of my faithful sandals which had served me so well throughout my travels.  There was no point in hauling them home, so I threw them in the nearest garbage can, but not before taking a commemorative snapshot.

      And that was that!  Mona rushed me to the Hoedspruit airport barely in time for my flight to Johannesburg, we hugged good-bye, and I was on my way home.