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African Road TripFeb 22, 2006
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Velma-Liscious
Surfin' Safari
Surfer Dude
We're sitting here in De Hoop Nature Reserve (on a vast semi-desert landscape) under the shade of a large leafy tree as the wind blows through a huge sky of wispy clouds and a beaming sun. We're admiring our collection of shells (like little jewels) that we collected at the beach for the past five hours. The beach is a unique eco zone surrounded by towering white sand dunes which were like a giant sandbox for the kids. The tide went our uncovering fascinating rock pools filled with a massive array of sea life including anemone of all colors, large and small fish, sea urchins, coral, starfish and a huge variety of shells. We spent hours simply picking through the rock pools and discovering new wonders, what a great learning experience for the boys. There were few tourists in the area which enhanced our feeling of being alone in a natural paradise, enjoying all of its pleasures.
In addition to a rich sea life, we are also surrounded by wildlife, African style. Herds of bontebok (an antelope-like animal with a white mask and rump), eland (the largest antelope in Africa), zebras and ostriches roam around our cottage, completely natural in their own domain. The boys are most mesmerized by a land tortoise which we can actually touch/pick up (don't tell the game warden) and observe up close.
We have arrived in the "real Africa" that one imagines from home. A land where wild animals abound and rich landscapes stretch on forever. We feel blessed to be fully experiencing this reality.
