Day 1: The Panoramic Route

​First, my apologies for a brief post tonight. My luggage has not yet arrived, so I am having to do this on my phone, while leaving time to wash out my clothes in the sink in preparation for a 4:00 am departure for Kruger tomorrow. 

Some highlights:

—Everybody loves the food and is eating well (for a certain worried parent…)

—Souvenir shopping is ongoing, and students are learning to haggle for prices. Expect some VERY full bags to arrive home!

—On our drive today, we dodged potholes, cattle, baboons, minibuses, tourists, and a line donkey wearing a bell.

—The program’s mascot puppy is already a favorite of everyone (except the resident cats!)

Sunrise on our way to the Panoramic Route. Scenery is spectacular, ranging from lichen-colored cliffs to citrus groves, valleys to canyons to lowveldt bush. 

Students overlooking Blyde River Canyon, 3rd largest in the world. 

Canyon formation called Drie Rondevels (Three traditional huts). 

One of the 3 rivers that converge to form the canyon. Follow evidence here shows some of the earliest Cyanobacteria that produced the oxygen necessary for the development of the earth as we know it.

Looking down into the Potholes at Bourke’s Luck. Flowing water has created these fantastic formations!

One of my favorite places! This is one of the rivers flowing into the canyon. Not very crowded, filled with unfamiliar birdsong and the sound of flowing water. Sweet herb scents swirl in the air and the sun feels clear in the cooler air.

Near the top of one of the mountains lies a tiny micro biome of rainforest! This footbridge through the foliage is where 3 vervet monkeys chose to greet me. This tiny glimpse of paradise is well-earned, with a hike of over 1 km essentially straight up!

View from the top! Notice how much nearer the clouds are!

Contemplating another view of the Blyde River Canyon

An immense world

Tomorrow we go to Kruger Park, and there will be about a million amazing photos. Hopefully my laptop will have arrived (along with some clothes—I’m getting a bit sick of these!) so I can do better justice to this blog.