South African Adventures

We've been here in the Durban area now for four and a half months, waiting for work on the ship to be finished (which i'm happy to say is pretty close by now!) and it's been an interesting period. As most of you know, hopefully, the highlight of our time here was waaaaay back on the 14th Sept when Sharon and I got married; and as I think back over all that we have been up to since then, I begin to realise just how large of a blog this could become - so I am going to endeavor to make this as fun, informative and easy to read as possible! So hear goes........

SEPTEMBER:

Highlights; GETTING MARRIED, honeymoon in Zanzibar, 

Funny moments; Our first full day of married life I begin to feel even more under the weather than I had been the previous few days (no funny comments needed!). A few pivotal things happen that result in us deciding its probably best for us to visit the hospital. After a few quick tests they decide to keep me in over night - did I mention this was our first day of being married!? - run more tests and return the diagnosis as Malaria! A few simple drugs and within 48 hours and up and kicking again. However, nothing will top the moment that the Zulu and Indian nurses who are taking wonderful care of me realise that we got married the day before, look at sharon and exclaim in loud laughter....."what did you do to him????" 

OCTOBER:

Highlights: Visiting Morning Star HIV/AIDS day care centre and all of the wonderful people and children there. Going to a large cat breeding sanctuary and playing with the lion and tiger cubs. Staying with some old friends from back home who live in Johannesburg and hanging out with them, and to top it all off, going on Safari and seeing White and black rhino, buffalo, elephant, cheetahs, giraffe and many other animals!

Funny moment: As happens when animals are involved, funny moments are never far behind, but two really stick out. The first was on the safari when we saw two cheetahs - a young boy and a young girl - basking in the mid day heat. As we sat quietly and watched, it became quite clear that more was going on than initially met the eye. Our young female feline was trying, in vain, to arouse our romeo from his slumber - if you see where i am going!! However, young romeo was in no mood to play, and kept batting our eager little friend on the head in a very matter of fact way!

The second moment, which was not so much funny as intense, was when we by chance (as happens of safari) we came across two white rhinos in the midst of a territorial land disagreement. Nothing I say will quite capture the power and force that two large male rhinos exude when charging one another - especially when you are no more than 15 meters away.

November: 

Highlights: ......well I say highlight....november ushered in a new season of work, as we returned from our wonderfully long honeymoon. We returned to the base at Appelsbosch, which is where Mercy Ships has been housing the majority of the crew while the ship was in dry dock. I was working with the Land Rovers, as we took the opportunity to bring them up to tip top shape, as well as helping out in the Kitchen preparing the meals. We also had a few weekend trips away, to the beach, the mall, wine tasting and a very fun weekend away camping and hiking - with the odd cold beer and bbq steak thrown in there!

December: 

Highlights: December ushered in the Christmas period, with Sharon decorating our room with a little tree and things that she had made, the crew gearing up for our move back to the ship as well as getting excited making plans for the few days holiday that the crew got over christmas. We were lucky enough to go away to a World Heritage park called the Drakkensberg, which is listed for 2 reasons, 1) an area of outstanding natural beauty and 2) because the area holds over 1200 examples of cave art paintings that date back thousands of years. We also made it up to Lesotho, which for those of you who don't know, is a country the size of Belgium that is completely surrounded by south africa.

Funny Moment: Without doubt, one moment stands out. We were staying in this tiny middle of no-where back packers when we went away for our christmas holiday. The last night we are there a monumental rain storm comes thundering over the mountain that we are in the shadow of, which forces all of the campers to huddle like damp refugees in the small common room that we had been hanging out in. As all of these rain sodden people come pouring in - pun intended! - a see someone who i instantly recognise. I say to sharon, im sure i know that guy, and after a few awkward moments of trying to figure out who and from where i know him, I 'accidentally' bump into him and we quickly figure out that we went to University together! Random as always, and yet another example of how I am my mothers son!

So, all in all, its been a great few months and I am once again massively thankful for the opportunity to be hear with such wonderful friends!