June 24 – 27 We had a lot of fun in South Africa, but our trip to Arathusa Safari Lodge in Mpumalanga province rates as one of the best vacation weeks of my life. We took a 1 1/2 hour flight from Johannesburg to a small thatched roof airpot in Nelspruitt. We had a driver waiting… Continue reading South Africa – Safari!

Thursday June 21 [BLOG TIP: You can click on any of the pictures in my blog to get a bigger and better blown up image] We left town mid morning and headed to Amanzingwe Lodge where the wedding was to be held. Amanzingwe translates to “where the leopard sleeps”. You may need to click on… Continue reading South Africa – Wedding and Amanzingwe Lodge

We hit 3 major areas of South Africa during our visit. We started in Johannesburg, went on safari farther east, headed down to Cape Town for some touring, and then headed back to Joburg before our flight home. The map might help give some context. Henriët’s Tannie (Auntie) Engela totally took care of us for… Continue reading Exploring Johannesburg and Pretoria

Travel If I was asked to sum up our South Africa vacation in one word, that word would be “hospitality”. Everyone, our new extended family, family friends, tour guides, and the staff at the various establishments we visited, were incredibly warm and welcoming. Our plane was due to take off from Portland early Saturday morning… Continue reading South Africa – First Days