Quick update after the Kalahari

So much has happened since my last update, I'm not sure where to begin! If you've heard about the riots in Johannesburg and Cape Town, don't worry about them - it hasn't affected us and we won't be in the townships where they are happening.

Since Kruger National Park, we've been to Pilanesberg National Park, a beautiful place in an ancient, collapsed volcano, where we saw more amazing wildlife, including more than 40 white rhinos, lots of hippos, hartebeest, tsessebe, and lots of cool birds.


Then, we headed off to the Kalahari Desert, and on our first night, saw a huge thunderstorm that brought more than 1/4 of their average annual rainfall. We had some spectacular stargazing, and we watched the moon rise over Botswana - we also officially entered Botswana when we weaved through the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Our second night in the park, we were sitting in a wildlife blind/hide when the moon came up and a lion was roaring in the distance. We've been cooking for ourself in the Kalahari and managing to scrounge up some pretty good meals.

On the way out this morning, we stopped and bought some really neat things from a San bushman, including a bow and arrow, a carved ostrich egg, and a carved stone. The bow was probably a bad purchase, since it's a pain to get back, but one of my friends is taking it back for me, since he bought two himself. I've also managed to try lots of game meat, including eland, impala, ostrich, kudu, crocodile, gemsbok, and springbok.

Tomorrow, we head to Cape Town! Only about a week left in South Africa before I head to Tanzania. This trip has gone so fast! I can't believe this study abroad is nearly over. Our days have been jam-packed with activity, so maybe things will take a slower pace when I'm traveling on my own schedule and I have time to relax.

This internet cafe is expensive, and there are people waiting, so more updates later!