Adventures in Africa: Swaziland

It isn't often I get to go to a new country. One of the down sides of all the travel I've done in recent years is that for most destinations; I've been there, done that. But, I had never been to Swazi. It is within driving distance of our current home and we had to renew our visas to stay in the country. What does that mean? Road trip to Swazi with the Whitlocks. Hooray!

Swaziland is a small kingdom in southern Africa. Unfortunately, it is best known for having the highest HIV rates in the world. Currently, there is something like 40% of the population living with HIV at present. They are trying like mad to make treatment widely available in order to preserve life (and the stability of their nation). It is a ongoing struggle and a VERY expensive endeavor, especially for a developing kingdom.

We ate breakfast in the area behind the market, then took a gander at the handicrafts. What I can tell you that isn't apparent in the photo - it is cold, cold, cold. Winter has arrived in the southern hemisphere and we do NOT enough warm clothes. When we left America we were moving to the tropics where warm clothes weren't needed. We will be bringing back sweaters and jackets, yes, these are needed in Africa.

On our way out of the country after a fun day trip we decided to stop at the Royal game park for a potty break, then made a spontaneous decision to take a self guided tour. Immediately spotted an elephant. About a week later I touched an elephant in Kenya. In case you haven't touched an elephant before, I want to share with you that they have long, prickly hairs on their thick wrinkly skin. Rather disgusting to the touch, really.

Wart hog. Every time I see a wart hog I think of that song hakunamatata from the Lion King. This sighting was no exception. As we road along dirt roads, I thought hakuna-matata, hakuna-matata. Sets a certain atmosphere when on safari. Smile!

Due to my lack of camera battery I was not able to capture the most memorable part of our self-guided safari tour in the 13-passenger mini-van. While on the road we saw a baby elephant. We inched up closer. Where there is a baby, there is a momma. The momma emerged from the bush...and she wasn't happy. We backed up until she backed off. They quickly moved off the road, we decided to forge ahead in the direction we were previously going, knowing the elephants weren't far from the path. The momma renewed her disapproval by letting out a very loud, very scary trumpet sound. Now that we survived the experience it is fun to talk about.

The next morning, Kenyon did a youtube search of elephant attacks. There were many in vans like ours. He kept saying, "that could have been us!" I am so glad it wasn't. Over all, it was a great visit to a new destination.