Walking with lions

This past weekend we stayed at Ukutula Lodge which is a little over an hour from our home.  The lodge is best known for it's lion interactions.  Once arriving and checking into our own chalet we headed out to see the baby lion cubs first.  There were about 7 cubs ranging from 1-2 months old.  We spent 30 minutes playing, holding, petting and loving on these soft and friendly cubs.

 Just like cats they played with each other, jumped in the air to bat at toys and snuggled down for a nap together.  Adalyn treated them just like the cats we had back in the US.  I never felt any claws and the pads of their feet felt like a dogs'.  They loved to be played with and I could have spent hours with them.

Then we were off to see the next age group, those 3-6 months old.  Wow, what a difference a few months make in their size.

Adalyn was not old enough to go in with these guys so I ventured in to take some photos while she hung out with Mark.  But as we have noticed in all our animal visits here, the animals love her and even outside of the fence they follow her.  All 6 of them would pace the fence following her, one even put his paws up on the fence to see over at her.  Adalyn did not even notice and just ran around entertaining herself.

These cats would play a little harder with you, including biting at your clothes and try to wrestle with you.  They were not much for staying still so you could pet them, but you had to be quick and unafraid.

After our time was up, we went to see the big cats and other large animals they had.  Our guide informed us that often times they will find wild animals left on their door step.  Such as this beautiful cheetah that was left when she was 2 months old in a box at the front gate.  They did not know what happened to her but took her in and raised her.  She is not keen on other cheetahs, so mating is out of the question for now.  She was very friendly and came right up to the fence and would follow us as we walked along.

The lodge also had 2 bengal tigers that would be playful with the 2 lions in the cage next door.  It was interesting to see all the animals interact.

 But the interaction we saw with the tigers and lions did not compare to the interaction we saw between 2 lion prides.  As we ventured into the largest enclosure we were able to view a pride of 1 male lion and about 6 female lions all about 5-6 years old in their cage.  All of them were born on the premises by the pride right next to them.

The 2nd pride of lions consisted on 1 male and 5 females.  The male was about 13 years old and the females were a few years younger.  These lions are the parents to all the other lions on the farm, as the male lion is the father to 106 lions.  Interesting fact, the Lodge is doing research with 2 universities on the reproductive nature of lions and found that this particular male lion  has the highest sperm count of any lion in the world.

 Upon going in their enclosure they would mostly just walk around and lay there in the sun.  Though today was a little different as the two prides were attempting to establish who the top pride was.

As one male from a pride would roar all the other females would join in together, and as a group they would run to the fence between the lion prides and get even louder.  The second pride would follow in the same suits and you would hear this extremely loud roaring of about 14 lions.  (too bad our video won't upload to this blog, otherwise you could enjoy it as well.) The prides could not see each other as the fence had a barrier in between them but the lions definitely knew who was on the other side.  It was interesting as the lions were technically all family but their individual pride trumped any familial relations previously established.  In the 2nd and oldest pride of lions, one of the females had given birth a few weeks ago and had 2 baby cubs with her that she was cleaning.  The guide said that after 3 weeks with the mother they will go in and take the babies to raise them with the other cubs.  It was hard not to feel bad for this poor lion to have her cubs taken from her but the guide said if they did not take the cubs they would likely be eaten by another lion in the pride.

With all these cubs being born I had to wonder where they all were, which was our next stop.  We ventured into the enclosure that housed all the "teenage" lions, they ranged in age from 1-3 years old.  These lions had not established a pride yet and there were 20+ within each enclosure all playing and sleeping together.

Once again they were very interested in Adalyn but her interest in these animals was not as high as I would have expected.  This group of lions were being taught to do a "Lion Walk" with guests.  For an additional fee, you can go on a walk with the lions.  A guide and a trainer lead 3 lions down a trail as you follow along.

 For about an hour we were able to watch these lions run, play, jump, and enjoy some time out in the open.  The trainer carried a basket of dead chickens and would toss them into the air for the lions to catch.

The lions had done the walk so many times that they knew exactly where to go.  The trail lead to a pond and the lions enjoyed running in the water and catching more chickens in the air.  The guide said the lions would have themselves all licked clean within a few hours.

During the walk the lions would crotch down in the grass as they spotted an impala or other animal in the distance as they were ready to run but would always end up either rolling over and just coming back to the group.  Two of the lions were sister and they would wrestle and hide from each other then jump out and play together.  We even passed by a crocodile in a swap down a hill but the lions were not interested.

The guide said the lions are typically fed about 20 small chickens a day that are donated from a local chicken factory as these chickens were too small to be sold.  And since they fight each other for the chicken some of the lions would grab a chicken in it's mouth and bring it off to the side to eat.  One of the lions did just so passing right through our group of 10 people to sit down and enjoy his chicken.

The guides were very knowledgeable and handled the lions quite well.  I was not a bit afraid as they gave good instructions on how to act around the lions and the lions did not seem a bit interested in us anyway.  Adalyn did not get to enjoy this part of the experience as the lions would probably have thought she was a large chicken so she hung out with some volunteers and cuddled on the baby cubs some more.

After our time was up with the lions we headed back to our chalet but not before one stop to take a look at the baby ostriches and the Kudu (African deer).  The Kudu was very friendly and came right up to us to be petted.  It has much larger ears than an American deer and vertical white stripes on it's body.

 The baby ostriches took a bit longer to come over but then let us stroke their backs.  Their feathers were a little prickly on top and softer on the bottom if you scratched them.  They would also try to nibble your fingers and it felt very much like a bird.  I was surprised at how small they start out at as since when fully grown they are quite huge.

That night during dinner and early in the morning we would hear the lions roaring and it was magnificent. One of the best experiences we have had during our time in South Africa.

For your TV viewing pleasure

I am a big fan of TV and enjoy my evenings watching a little programming before heading to bed.  So of course before the move to South Africa I had to inquire about their tv programming.  I was pretty pleased with what I was told but knew there would be shows I would have to live without.

There are tv packages here much like in the US.  We have a package with 135 program channels and 70 music channels, I was pretty surprised South Africa had that many options.  Of those 135 channels, several are movie channels that play uninterrupted.  I would say about 90% of the programs are in English and are US programs, other than the news and sports.  Channels include: Discovery, Comedy Central, E!, Fox, MTV, CBS, TCM, AME, TLC, Style, Travel, NatGeo, Animal Planet, History, Disney, Disney Junior, Nickelodean, CNN, CNBC-Africa, and the weather channel.  There is a food network type channel and a HGTV type channel that play some of their programming but mixes in South Africa's own programming too.

Mark is a huge sports fan but sadly for him there are very few American football games on tv over here and they seem to come on only in the middle of the night.  But if he learns to love cricket, rugby or soccer then the choices are endless.

I was pretty sad to find out that the channel Bravo is not available over here.  And even more sad to figure out that www.Bravotv.com will not allow me to watch their full episodes as I don't have a US IP address.  This is true for many of the US tv networks.  I don't understand why they would not want people around the world to enjoy their programs.  So I find what I can get on Youtube and what re-runs there might be on another channel here, though the shows are all several seasons old.

Most of the programs on over here are a season or months behind.  For instance, we are now just finishing the last season of Keeping up with the Kardashians and Glee.  The E! news comes on a day behind and when the anchors talk about release dates for movies/albums/etc.  it will normally be blurred or muted as of course it will not come out on that date here in South Africa.

Most channels hardly have any commercials and are normally breaking up their programming by showing promos for upcoming programming.  I have seen George Clooney on a coffee commercial for Nescafe, depicting himself of course.  Most of the commercials are for products in SA but some are for US products that you can get over here.  I love not having many commercials and some shows are uninterrupted all together.

Some shows you will find on tv here include: The Bachelor, The Biggest Loser, The Simpsons, The Talk, The Ellen Degeneres Show, 30 Rock, The Mentalist, NCIS, Two and a Half Men, American Idol, Friends, Modern Family, Wipe Out, Fashion Star, Hawaii 5-0 and NYPD.  Some shows have regular air times but otherwise programming just seems to be sporadic in what is on and when.  I am thankful we have DVR capabilities and the devise hold quite a bit of shows.

South Africa also has it's own programs based on shows in the US.  Such as Top Chef SA, Idol SA, and Dancing with the Stars SA.  Some have different names but it is the same format.  Then there are US programs that come on in another language.  Some mornings we can catch Elmo's World in a tribal language, which Adalyn will watch just as intently as the US version.  I will have to say that Elmo's voice is much easier to take in another language, not as grating on the ears.

There are several news channels such as CNN and Bloomberg that will give quite a bit of US news, but turning to the internet is the best option I have found.  The local news is just as depressing over here as back in the US.  It is interesting to watch the international news channels as their point of views can be quite different on topics concerning the US.

Censorship is different in South Africa as well.  I have heard less cussing but seen more nudity.  I think when a movie comes on and there is a rated R version and an uncut version, it always seems to be the uncut version that is played.  The use of "God" or "Jesus" or any other religious reference will be muted if used in a derogatory way.  Children of celebrities will often have their faces blurred on programs such as E! News.  Quite often a warning will show up before a program starts warning those with epilepsy of flashing images for news channels.

I have been quite pleased with the tv programming in South Africa and find myself watching it less than I did back in the US since programming is irregular.  Probably a good habit to get into.  I am guessing that when we come back to the US my knowledge of what is going on in the country, news and pop culture will be lacking.  

Talking the Talk

South Africa has 11 official languages, Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.  Most people speak English along with one other language.  If you are a white African you likely speak English and Afrikaans which is derived from Dutch.  If you are a black African you likely speak English and a tribal language such as one listed above.  But even if you speak English the culture here uses different words than Americans are used to.  Such as:

Robots are traffic lights.  The word "robot" will be painted on the road with an arrow pointing ahead but no need to get excited it is likely just a green/yellow/red light.

Nappies are diapers.  Even if the package is Pampers or Huggies which are US brands and everything else on the package is in English it will also say Nappie.

Boot is what they call the car's trunk.  When pulling into an estate one time the security guard asked me to open my boot, luckily I had been informed otherwise that would be difficult to figure out.

They refer to your last name as your surname.  When I spell mine out for them, locals always want to put an "S" on the end as "Snyders" is a local Afrikaans name.

Black Africans are referred to as Africans.

White Africans are referred to as Afrikaans.

Mom is Mum.

A garage truck is a rubbish lorry and a trash can is a bin.

A to go box from a restaurant is called a take away.  Strangely enough if you say "to go box" the servers usually have no idea what you are talking about even though it seems fairly similar.

Signs on the side of the roads which would say "to rent' in the US say "to let" here.

French fries are called chips and ketchup is called tomato sauce

A stroller is called a pram.

Clothes pins are called pegs.

Napkins are referred to as serviettes, and female hygiene pads are napkins.  You can imagine what strange looks you can get at a restaurant when asking for a napkin.  When we first arrived we went to dinner and had nachos, I told the male server, "We are going to need lots of napkins" he looked pretty puzzled but then brought out wet wipes.  That was my first clue that napkin may not mean the same to them. 

Gas for your car, stove, etc... is called petrol and a gas station is referred to as a garage.  I have been lost a time or two when calling for directions and they tell me to turn at the garage.  

A pick up truck is called a bakkie and a minivan is called a kombi.

A BBQ is called a Braai.

Pancakes are called crumpets and crepes are called pancakes. 

Tennis shoes/sneakers are called tekkies.

Band-Aids are called plasters.

The lawn/yard is referred to as a garden.  When I spoke with the owners of our home about the "yard" they would look at me as if I was insulting it.  

Your boss is referred to as baas. 

Spicy sausage is called boerewors.

Instead of advertising "tree trimming" they call it "tree felling"

A hot water heater is called a geyser.

A light bulb is a globe.

A text message is an SMS

An orange is a naartijie

A dishcloth is a lapppie 

They call a cookie a biscuit.

A grilled cheese sandwich is a snackwich.

A cantaloupe is called a spanspek.

A popsicle is called a frozen sucker.

The word "shame" is used non stop over here to show sympathy.  Instead of saying "I'm sorry", "that's too bad", or "oh no" they say "shame".  

I love to listen to the locals speak, as every language I have heard is very beautiful.  When speaking English I think they sound like a mixture between someone from England and Australia.  When meeting people for the first time, if I don't speak first they will always speak to me in Afrikaans if they are causacian otherwise they will speak to me in English.  I have found it is easier to understand people in person versus over the phone as their accent comes across more pronounced.  

It has been very interesting learning new aspects of languages while living here. I am sure Adalyn will pick up some different words as well.  Especially since all the toys here have an accent too, it's pretty cute to hear.      

Celebrating 3 years

3 years ago we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, named Adalyn.  Each year has been better than the last and it's amazing to see what an independent, sassy, and loving little or shall I say "big" girl she has grown into.  Adalyn loves animals, baby dolls, Barbies, singing and dancing and all things girly.  A new love for dressing herself that is never complete without a bow or headband that usually has to be pink to satisfy her.

It is amazing to watch her grown into a little person with her own ideas and she is never afraid to express them.  Telling Mark and I what to do, along with our dog Dolly, she has perfected.  She has an amazing imagination bringing all sorts of inanimate objects to life like cereal boxes, utensils, and shoes.  Of course there is a determination and "I do it" attitude that seems to come with all activities.  Adalyn tends to be shy in new places and with new people but makes friends easily.  So lucky for us we have made several friends in the short time we have been here to help us celebrate her 3rd birthday.

Since we only arrived in June and finding all the things you need to throw a great party is quite the task in Africa, I figured it would be better to celebrate her day at a place where they have everything covered.  Last Saturday morning we enjoyed celebrating with a bounce house, play houses, trampoline, bike track, swing sets, a sand pit and even some bunnies with our friends.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is Adalyn's favorite show so we decided to have it as our party's theme.  The party planners at Kinderland did a fabulous job putting together all things Mickey and Minnie to help us celebrate

Sitting under the trees the Mickey and Minnie table was adorable. 

Adalyn had to check everything out before the party started. But really she was just trying to taste test everything first. 

The big hit to the party was the candy buffet.  When I spoke to the party planner about it I did not ask what kind of candy as she just said an assortment.  But in Africa they don't shy away from large portions so each kid was sure to be stuffed.  

I thought they did a great job of coordinating everything into something Mickey or Minnie.  

Above are little boxes filled with African M&Ms (pastel colors and a flatter shape), and to the left are bags of popcorn.  Also included are little bottled filled with some sort of colored sugar mixture that I have not yet figured out what exactly it is or if you are just suppose to dump it into your mouth like a pixie stick.  The little boxes are filled with Nerds on the right.

I have learned that  in Africa, a cupcake is part of a candy buffet as if that is going to fit into a treat bag with the Mickey suckers behind them.

  

Since I have a fondness for all thing marshmallow I was thrilled to see marshmallow lollipops.  Candies apples are more common here, but pretty difficult to eat so not many kids tried them.  I took them home and my domestic, Joyce was excited so I gave her all that we had left.  There were also 2 jars full of gummy candies but I am pretty sure Adalyn demolished those before anyone arrived.  I guess having a candy buffet at eye level to a 3 year old makes for easy access when Mom and Dad aren't looking.  Maybe this sugar high is why she did not take a nap. 

I had originally planned for Kinderland to make Adalyn's birthday cakes but at over $100 for each cake, I thought I would then try out a store bought cake.  Well here in Africa the cakes are dry and don't taste as sweet so I figured if I am going to spend money on a cake I at least want it to taste good.  I reached out to my good friend Amy as she is a cake extraordinaire for direction from the US.  Plus with a little Pinterest inspiration I decided to tackle cake baking myself.  

The #3 cake is chocolate made out of a bunt pan that has been cut in half and turned into the #3 and I topped it with crackle eggs.  The Minnie cake is 2 layers of white almond cake topped with a Minnie head and ears made out of Rice Krispie treats.  I found the little circles of Minnie and Mickey at the baking store.  The cake mixes here are also not as sweet so I had to find cake mixes that were imported from the US and even then they only had vanilla flavored ones so I had to turn one box into chocolate.  I over bought on supplies just in case I screwed it all up.  But lucky for me there is a website just for that.  I was pretty relieved that they turned out well and even more thankful they tasted good.

Prior to eating lunch Adalyn opened her gifts.  The wrapping paper did not stand a chance.  It is wonderful to see your child's eyes light up with each gift and want to immediately play with all of them.  Some friends and family back in the US even made sure she had gifts from them to open on her birthday, what a treat.   

A huge THANK YOU to all our friends here in South Africa and back home for wonderful gifts.    

I guess it was time to burn off some energy before lunch. 

 I think it is such a brilliant idea that they put the trampolines in the ground here 

with a big hole underneath the tarp. 

 

Time to eat and sticking to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme, the kids of course had to have hot dogs.   

When I working with the party planner on food she kept insisting that we needed to have quiche.  I was not so sure since that is not as typical for a crowd at a kid's party but she said "oh, Americans love my quiches" so I said okay.  Well, she was right, they were yummy.  

It was pretty cute to see them all sitting down eating together.  There were also some party favors on the table and the kid's enjoyed these noise makers that also blew up a balloon at the same time.

    

I thought Adalyn would for sure put on her Minnie ears since it's a headband of her favorite character, especially since some of the boys were even sporting them, but she passed.  

They looked so festive I'm glad I got a picture.    

Time to raid the candy buffet!    

Adalyn was so proud of her cake, she stood there and let me take about 10 pictures.  She did get a little shy when everyone started singing "Happy Birthday", hiding her face towards me.  

But she was not shy about gobbling up the cake. 

As you can see she enjoyed it. 

Of course an African birthday party is not complete without an animal interaction.  The kids could feed the bunnies carrots and by feeding them obviously Adalyn was shoving the carrot into the bunnies mouth, even holding onto it's head to make sure it took a bite. 

I am pretty sure every animal is trying to find their own "happy place" like the starfish does in "Finding Nemo" when Adalyn comes around. But she loves them so and they are very cute.

All the kids helped each other get a bunny to feed.  Like all animals, these bunnies would run but the kids were much faster and would sweep them up.

Adalyn even found a basket to hold her bunny also filled with carrots.  It was pretty cute to watch her walk around so proud of her bunny. 

 Then she went into their "home" and in no time at all came out with a basket full of 4 bunnies.  

She thought it was hilarious and tried to lug them all around.  

I was impressed at how she could just snatch them right up, they never stood a chance.  

The bunnies were so sweet they stayed in that basket the whole time, not even trying to escape once. 

We ended the fun filled day with a family picture in front of the Minnie and Mickey mural.  We are very blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives to celebrate with.  

We have fond memories of Adalyn's 3rd birthday in Africa. 

Adalyn and Mason even give the day an "A" for awesome!