Don't Worry Be Happy

About 4 years ago, thanks to my friend Diane Katz, I became involved with an organization called Grannies a Gogo , which provides support to African grandmothers raising their Aids-orphaned grandchildren. I eventually became responsible for creating and maintaining their website. The group raises funds and makes a personal connection through letter writing. As it turns out, the group we support is in Sabie, located within 150 km of Kruger Park. I made the decision quite some time ago that I would include a visit to Sabie to meet my letter writing partner Martina Makua. Sabie is located in a beautiful valley where pine and eucalyptus plantations grow as far as the eye can see. It's obvious that forestry is an important part of the economy and it's what brought Susan Fenner, the founder of Grannies a Gogo, to Sabie in the first place. This view of Sabie is from the road high above as it winds down the valley. Although Sabie is a typical small, rural, African town, with ma...

I think it was probably more than 30 years ago that I first envisioned going on a safari and I was definitely looking forward to this part of our trip. So I was trying really hard not to have my expectations too high. Fortunately, our trip into Kruger Park didn't disappoint. This park is amazing; within a few kilometers of the Numbi Gate we happened upon this elephant just meandering by the side of the road. Of course, by our 4th day in the park we became quite blase towards the elephants - herds of elephants crossing the roads, lone ones bathing in a watering hole, and mother elephants protecting their babies like the one below. Sam was driving and became a bit nervous when the baby ran out in front of our car and the mother hurried to protect it. She made a move towards us, but then focused more on her baby to our relief. This baby baboon has a sensible way of travelling! Now I know where the African mothers get the idea of carrying their babies on their backs. After we arr...