Heading to Africa, BRB.
 

Hello all, I will be leaving you for awhile. I have an opportunity to do research on guinea fowl in Swaziland for three months and I head out tomorrow. I will possibly have internet access and I may come back and update this thread with some photos I've taken over there. After my trip is complete I'll be back for about a month and then back in Swazi for another three.

I'll be in the Mlawula Nature Reserve mostly and all over South Africa. Hopefully I don't get eaten.

http://i.imgur.com/oiwE0nS.jpg

im sry to hear that, hope you make it out alive

its ok he's only going to white africa bro

while you're down there can you get me Dave Matthews' autograph?

Let's hope you don't get AIDS.

Buddy, that's awesome! I've been to Africa a couple of times now with my buddy (4 months total), and the experience is unforgettable. Have a great time!

Looking forward to the updates :)

Edit: And hilariously enough-- I made a similar statement when I left haha.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2zxs203.jpg

There's always that one guy who actually takes posts seriously on these forums.

*Takes a bow*

No, you can't go >:I

u should get those tumors looked at, that is not 'upper-body-day everyday' that's cancer.

I thought I was just born with pecs :[

Good luck :)

Lucky you :D

Awesome!

Hope that you'll have a good time!

he's not really your estranged billionaire prince uncle, you're wasting your time

Send pictures if you can! :D

!! D:

But what if he was just an eccentric middle class duke nephew?

Agreed, I would love to see some pictures.

Arrived in Joburgh safely. Didn't sleep really at all on the plane and was pretty exhausted when I got here. Driving around you could almost fool yourself into thinking it was Texas. Speaking of driving, I got several hours of practice today driving on the left side of the road. It freaked me out a little the first time I did it but got pretty comfortable at it. When we started to drive back to the airport to drop off a friends rental car, the guys at the rental place programmed the address into the navigation system for us. The other cars made it just fine. My car got sent to the wrong address and we ended up about an hour outside Joburgh at a private airstrip. It was a lovely drive and we had a good laugh about it. What else could we do? It's Africa. No use in getting upset.

We went to the Swazi Bush Fire Music and Arts Festival last night. Had some mopane worms (a delicacy!), danced to some reggae, and listened to a two man band named Tonik. They had keyboards, percussion, drums, and an electronic didgeridoo. It was pretty awesome. The worms...not so much. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and gritty throughout.

Will put up some pictures soon when I'm not exhausted. I don't have internet that often but I'll try!

That sounds really fun and different, yeah, they look like they'd be gritty (thanks google search!)

Please do post often.

I'm alive! I haven't had internet in awhile but since I've last posted I've seen some dancing ostriches, mountain hyraxes, dwarf mongoose, klipspringers, and crested guinea fowl (my research focus) out in Swaziland and Marakele National Park in South Africa.

We also went to the Apartheid Museum and walked around Soweto where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu both lived for awhile. The income gap from one street to the next is crazy. We saw very rich and the poorest of the poor. We went for a walk through one of the many shanty towns and it was absolutely heart breaking.

Our group also walked through the Cradle of Humankind where they found a half ape half human child and are currently excavating the bones. The museum was interesting, there was this weird boat ride you take that takes you through different eras and elements that reminded me of the Bund Tunnel in Shanghai a bit but with better production values.

I left our study abroad group for a bit and made my way to the Reserve where I'll be spending the next few months. As I got there I started feeling crappy and it turns out I got Tick Bite Fever. It feels like a hangover that just doesn't end. Every 12 hours you feel good and then back to crappy. I had to go to the local clinic which wasn't too bad. 140 rand (about $14) for a visit and all the meds you need. No insurance needed. Anyway, hopefully I can actually deliver some of the pictures I've taken but I never seem to have time to edit them together. We're exploring Blyde River Canyon the next few days and then off to Kruger National Park.

Sounds like you're having a wild time. Glad you're able to be doing something so adventurous and related to your interests. Had to assume Smirt would be someone who would get into a wacky voyage like this. Good luck on the rest of your stay. :blush:

I've learned quite a bit about Swazi since I've been here for about a month. Some of its a bit weird:

Witches may not fly over 150 meters or be forced to pay a hefty 500,000 rand fine.

There's belief in a dwarf that comes around and gives you wet dreams.

A brand of baked beans here has the trademark "It's the best you can do!"

A speeding ticket costs around $6 and you can just pay an officer who writes a receipt at the speed trap that caught you. No judges, no calling in, we caught you so pay up ( I didn't get the ticket).

The more I learn about the quirks the more I seem to like this place.

Africa :cool: :fro:

:fro:

:fro: