We mainly went to St Lucia to see the hippos that the Bartholomews told us about. We got to see them in the water and resting on a sandbar but we missed them walking around and playing with each other. We will go earlier next time. Between the two shots we had a nice walk on a boardwalk that ran along the beach for a couple of kilometers or so.

Among the vast green jungle were small spots of color – I especially liked the rich golden orange colors of this leaf, the bright yellow of a flowering bush, and the bright blue of a small delicate flower that occasionally could be seen along the side of the boardwalk.

At the start of the boardwalk was a notice that tended to keep people from wandering off the walk and at the end was a broad white beach leading to the Indian Ocean. We did see some crocs near the sign but they were too far away to get a decent picture. However when we went on our game drive we found this little guy at a hippo pool.

Binoculars are a must when looking for animals and birds. The wind replaced the rain that was falling earlier in the trip. This picture can not really show the strength of the gusts that at times threatened to move us off another boardwalk. For some reason Mary insisted that I take a picture of this tree because it fascinated her. I am not sure why she did not take the picture with her camera but here is my shot.

Along the way we stopped at a view point on Catalina bay and I found this camping spot among the trees. I love the part of the sign that suggests campers do not walk outside the borders of the camp after dark. Since there is no fence or anyother barrier between the camp and the jungle, I am not sure why being inside the borders of the camp is that much safer. The last sign is a marker that must correspond to some map. Why I took the picture is this plane seems to have been ‘bombed’ by a number of birds and rather looks like it is going down in flames.

Here are some other pictures taken along the way. When we first saw the sign we thought they had put a speed bump sign upside down but then we saw the lower part explaining the top – and I must say the warning was timely. We discussed why they did not just fix the pots holes instead of putting up a sign and Mary suggested it was cheaper and easier to put up one sign than to continually fix the pot holes.

The road to St Lucia includes a number of artists who carve animals and other things and sell them along the road. This man specializes in digging up tree roots and polishing them. We bought a small one for R50 but would love to have one of the large ones that sell for R600 or about $70. It would be great to have in our yard in Utah…or perhaps as a base for an amazing dinning table. But the cost of getting it crated and shipped would probably be prohibitive – besides they might not let it into the states due to insects that might be included.

The last picture is just an unusal birds nest that I found in a bush along the sea shore.

02 November 2009 – Monday

I am once more repenting of not doing my journal daily and will try to keep it current by writing each day.

Today was P-day and we originally were going to get up and go to St Lucia by 6:00 a.m. regardless of the weather. Although it looked like rain – and it did later – we did go to St Lucia but we did not leave until 8:00 a.m. The drive there went quickly – it turns out to be about 85 K from our driveway to the entrance to the gates of the Estuary game park.

Before we went into the park we went to see the hippos that the Bs said were along the river outside the city. When we got there, a small herd was already in the water and as usual we could not get any really good shots. We did take a very nice board walk out to another beach. When we got there we decided it really was too far a walk in the sand to the ocean – especially since it had started to rain. On the way back I took some pictures of small flowers that grew along side the walk. We did get to see a number of crocodiles resting along the river bank. The signs that said beware of them really meant it.

We spent the next 3 hours inside the park looking for animals but also just enjoying the day out in the world. We saw a nice herd of nyala, impala, a single wildebeest, a nice group of three large rhinos, a small herd of zebras, one small crocodile at fairly close range and another group of hippos. We also saw a couple of species of antelope that we could not identify at the time.

After a pleasant time in the park we went back to see if the hippos had come out of the water and they had. Unfortunately the last one was just starting to lie down when we got there. So we only got pictures of 9 large hippos resting on the sandbar. The next time we go to St Lucia we will leave so we can be at the park at 6:00 and hopefully the hippos will be standing along the banks instead of being in the water or resting on the sandbar.

On the way home we stopped at a number of places and bought things. We now have two new carvings of guinea fowl and a polished tree root that Mary says is going to be our Christmas tree. It is about 2 feet tall and I am trying to figure out how to get it home. The one I really want to take home is about 6 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter. It only costs about $70 but I would guess it would cost $500 to have it packed and sent home on a slow boat.

On the way home we stopped at the mall to have a late lunch – early dinner at Mug and Bean. I had an excellent omelet and Mary tried their beef pot pie. I also had to get some money from the ATM because it has been an expensive 4 days since the last trip. At least the dollar is growing stronger against the rand so it is costing less to get the R3000 I take out each time.

For the last few days, I have been reading in the D&C. I have come to love D&C 1 which is so filled with great gospel lessons. The command in verse one for all to “listen together” is first given to ‘ye people of my church’ and then everyone else. He says ‘there are none to escape’ and then in verse 4, as Parley Pratt’s tract points out, it is ‘the voice of warning’ to all people.

I try to imagine what it was like to be in that small gathering of priesthood holders as they met just over 18 months after the founding of the church and were given such a wonderful revelation. Verse 23 tells of today as we the ‘weak and simple’ are out proclaiming the fulness of the gospel unto the ends of the world. I also was prompted to read the statements of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Of the 11 who signed those statements the great majority later left the church but never denied what they saw.

It was a good p-day!

01 November 2009 – Sunday

Because elders Wengert and Maremela were visiting Kosi Bay, we were up and out of the house by 6:30 so we had time to get to Empangeni and pick up elders Musemare and Dhijon. We dropped them at the chapel and picked up President Nyawo so we could hold PEC. After the PEC meeting we drove to Port Durnford for sacrament meeting.

It was a different from most Fast and Testimony meetings we have been to because after one of the brothers gave his testimony in Zulu a couple of other members did the same. When they share their testimony in English, they tend to keep them short. But in Zulu they speak for a long time. I asked one of the young men to translate some of what was being said and he did a good job – better than anyone we had in Indonesia. He gave the idea of what was said instead of a word for word translation.

After the meeting we hurried over to the Richards Bay chapel so that I could talk to Calwyn Baldwin but he was not there. However I was able to interview Steven Klicck as a counselor in the Elders Quorum and then sustain and set him apart. It was something that needed to be done but I did not expect to do it until next week.

From there we went to Enseleni and helped set up for their meeting. I was happy to find that President Vilane came prepared with the agenda and the meeting started just 5 minutes late instead of the usual 15 to 25 minutes. However since many of the members were use to it starting late, there were not a many there when the meeting started and they just kept coming until there was a fair number – 52 or so by the time the meeting was over.

I went attended the PH class and Mary visited the Primary and RS meetings. She felt that the Primary teachers needed some training and we are going to talk to sister de Klerk about perhaps spending some time with them.

I was happy to find out that on the first Sunday of each month they hold Branch Council meeting. I chose not to attend because I wanted President Vilane to do it without any outside help except from the Elders. I told him I would be happy to help him if he thought he needed help but that I was sure he was capable of doing it himself. I did suggest that he might want to plan a Christmas social for the branch and I think he will do that.

While they were holding that meeting I spent some time teaching a brother about the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. He is working with President Vilane on clearing up something in his life so he can receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. We had a good discussion and I think he will make a good priesthood holder when he is ready.

We came home, ate a late lunch and took short naps. In the evening the Mickelsens came over and share dinner with us. Mary made chicken enchiladas using the green enchiladas sauce we bought on Wednesday. As usual we had a lovely time with our two friends. They filled us in on how things were going in Swaziland and we talked about some of the experiences we have had in our years in the church. I must confess that we were sorry to see them leave for Meernsee and then tomorrow for their home in Durban.

To be posted ….