09 November 2009 – Monday
It was a wonderful P-day for us. We were up at 4:45 and on our way to the RB chapel at 5:25. We thought that would give us plenty of time to get fuel and still be at the chapel before 6:00. Unfortunately while we were filling up I realized I did not have a tie and since we had told the elders we were to go in our whites, I had to run back to the boarding to grab a tie. Even with this set back, we made it on time and of course we had to wait for the last car of elders – Babeeyo and Kekana – to arrive 15 minutes late.
It looked like it might rain but other than a few drops on the way home the weather was perfect all the time we were gone. One of the reasons we were going was because Elder Wengert had never seen an elephant in the 21 months he has been in South Africa. We decided to go to the Umfolozi side and we were not 15 minutes into the park when we got to see … three lions. We got to see a male and female in a tree – they were within 30 feet of the car and another lioness walking through the brush. The female got down soon after we arrived, but we got great pictures of the male.
We then went to a look-out where at a distance we saw an elephant, six rhinos, and cape buffalo. So within a half hour of being in the part we had seen 4 of the big five. Before the day was out we got drive through a herd of cape buffalo, practically pet an elephant, and was within 50 yards of a very large rhino. Elder Wengert and the rest were in 7th heaven. Besides this we saw lots of zebras – one as close as 6 feet. Ditto on a wildebeest and of course impalas, nyalas, and even a small herd of waterbucks. We did find it strange that we only saw one giraffe and that was at a very long distance. It was not giraffe day.
Besides the elephant at a distance and one very close up and personal, we got to see four of them in the river. We have pictures of what looks like two of them kissing – which is not easy to do when you have long tusks in the way. All in all it was probably the best single game drive we been on since we came to South Africa.
By the time we got home I was beat and I was tempted to call President Vilane and change the date of our FHE visit but we realized that it was tonight or not this week and so off we went. We had a great time. Mary had a short lesson that I got to be part of, we sang songs, and then played a Book of Mormon match game that they loved to play. Their 5 year old son Khaye (Ki-U) loved the game and was very good at it. In fact he and a 15 year old beat all the older people who were playing. After prayer we shared some Chelsea buns we had brought, thanked them for letting us be part of their family home evening and came home. We did not want to stay too long because they had not eaten dinner.
When we got home Mary fixed us a taco salad and soon after eating I fell asleep in the chair before waking long enough to fall go to bed.