Heading to Lesotho

This week has been quite a busy week.  We have spent most of the time here inside of the old prison.  It actually does not feel much like a prison, though I have never been to an active one so I do not have any frame of reference.  While we are here we did some sessions about the policies of MCC and how to do accounting for the items that we buy.  We also got to ride on the Combies, or the mini buses, we only took a short trip downtown then a quick ride back to the Prison.  We also went to the museum for the area so we had a better understanding of the local history.  

Then this afternoon we went on a Safari, not really we just walked around a game reserve.  It was awesome I saw over 10 new bird species, my total number for the trip is around 36.  We also saw a family of Giraffes.  It was amazing how cool it was to see them.  There was no fence in our way but we did stay a ways back because there was a small baby and we did not want to startle them.  There were also Impala, Wildebeest and Zebras there as well.  The birds we saw were quite a range, there was an eagle and many small birds flying around.  I am glad that I looked through my bird book before I came over here. 

The Giraffes when we first saw them.  There were Zebras in front of them and Wildebeests to the left.

Here you can see the younger Giraffes, they are on the right hand side.  The baby Giraffe is quite small and was running and playing around.

We are going to leave for Lesotho tomorrow morning.  It will be an early morning, leaving at 6am. The ride should be fun, there is a whole group of us going.  There is Abby and I who will be staying in Lesotho for SALT, and Festus and Hannah who will be coming with us and then heading back to South Africa to work/volunteer here.  We will be stopping for cool birds and apparently there is a section were monkeys like to eat the food that has been dropped from passing truck.  It should be fun


I should mention how the weather will be like when we arrive in Lesotho.  Now here in Pietermaritzburg the weather is wonderful.  It has been warm and sunny, though one day it was a little bit drizzly but not too bad.  In Maphutseng Valley it will be quite cold for the next few weeks, hopefully just a few.  According to the internet the temperature the first night we are there is going to be going down to -1C.  On the right hand side of my blog there should be a reading of the weather I am experiencing in Lesotho.  And with no central heating it will be quite cold, I am glad that I brought so many layers, I might have to wear them all on Thursday.