the African Fish Monkeys

"What's with the title?" "What kind of title is that?" All good questions, but I'll tell you if you will stop asking questions. I'll start from the beginning. I woke up. What an epic start. We ate breakfast. It's crazy how much adrenaline is in the air. We went and drove to the aviary. We went to see a show. The first falcon wouldn't come back until after the show had ended. After a while came the African Fish Eagle, and when it landed, or came down to land it looked like a airplane. If you call my dad and ask him about it, you'll have to stay there for a while while he told of the greatest story of the trip. After the show, we got to hold the fastest bird in the world, a Peregrine Falcon. After we went home and ate. And after we were chilling, we saw monkeys, which my mom had always wanted to see. I thought 'Why be so excited if she sees monkeys every day when she wakes me up'. After we went to see a very nice waterfall. Overall it was a eventful day. 

By the way, a BIG shout out to Jack for turned 4!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Ariva Diechi

(Italian)      (I know I've used Italian before, but its like bye and farewell)

Benny

Our Days at Cathedral

Its been a while. I know I didn't blog yesterday, but that's because all we did was driving and driving and driving and picking up our cousins and driving and driving and going shopping for 5 hours and kept driving and driving and then we got to Cathedral Peak then had a Braai (a South African barbecue).  So today.... We woke up. Very exciting start. We then went to eat breakfast in the other Sollinger's house because we put all the food there because they had a bigger kitchen. After we went to go on a group hike to the Bushman Cave Paintings that left at 9:15. You think that if we got there at 9:16, then it would be fine, and that they left late, but folks this is not America. We got there and they had left. We left to try and hurry up. We got there to only find out that this wasn't a trip to the paintings, but a 3 hour hike to something called the Sphinx. It was all because of a 12 year old boy who's been here so many times you couldn't count it on your fingers and toes. There were 2 families. Us and another family. We both wanted to just go to the paintings, and finally convinced the boy to go there. After that, we found a huge chess board and played. Overall I played about 3 games, and got chased down by a knight, run down by a pawn, and tried to be beheaded by a queen. All because Sarah had some anger management issues. After we went into their house and ate lunch. I went in my house and heard that fateful knock. It was 2 kids both under the age of 8. Thanks to mom's thoughts and the things she said, I ended up playing with them and them following me like a shadow. I tried to get away, but failed almost every single time. After playing, we went on a hay ride. Which was fine, but uneventful. After we played more chess, then came back for another Braai. Now, I just finished my food, and I'm just chilling. 

Voetsak

(Afrikaans)               (Google it)

Benny

The 'Magical' Drive

It all started with a short drive to a small town, then the ball got rolling. In to morning, we went to eat breakfast at the restaurant at the lodge. After went to a very small town named Clarens. We got out of the car, and my dad went to go get money from an ATM, but he noticed that he didn't have his wallet. Luckily my mom did, and she also had her ATM card. Dad and Sarah went to the ATM, while me and my mom (sorry English teachers) went to an info center and got a lot of info, and by that I mean a LOT.  She answered every question my mom asked. She had told my mom about this blanket store, owned by 2 old women. She said it was worth the 2 minute drive. We got there, and went looking for blankets but not expecting to buy any. We started to get more invested. My mom had found a small blanket with colors that she said "would go great in the family room". She found a bigger blanket that was "so comfy". She couldn't choose, so we got both. As we were paying, my mom looked at the shawls hanging from the ceiling. She asked if she could try one. Now we own it.  

After our/her shopping spree, we drove to Lesotho. A little country in the middle of SA. We got information from the information lady that said we should go to Lesotho and go to a town called Oxbow. W went through both borders, and got into a city called Botha Bothe. It was amazing. It was pretty much a flea market and a market compiled. There were stores and shacks with items for sale in it everywhere. after that we kept on driving. It took a long time to get there, but we missed it. We kept going and going and going. On and on, until after 3 hours, we started to maybe think that we passed it. Even when the road ended, we still thought that Oxbow was ahead of us. After we FINALLY turned around and headed back, we passed the area where Oxbow should have been, and we all started cracking up because here was a sign that said Oxbow. But it was only facing one way, so on the way there we couldn't have seen it. 

The  information lady said that we should by Maize Meal to give to the people in Lesotho because the poverty was so high. And for all of you who don't know, Maize meal is pretty much Matzo Meal, so keep it away from all dogs. So on the way back we saw a bunch if shacks with people in front of them, so. Pulled over. Now let me tell you. Little backstory. We were told not to give to them directly, but to drop it on the ground, so people wouldn't feel left out. So we pulled over, but the people were already starting to run. Let me tell you, as soon as you pull over for 2 minutes, like 20 people will come out from anywhere and beg for food. So we had to give to them by hand. They were really happy, and so was I, but the one thing that bugged me was that my dad was taking pictures of everybody. It made me mad that he was invading other people's space. At one point he pulled over to take a picture of a kid who was herding cattle and was getting up in his face with his camera. I think that my dad shouldn't be able to do that. Please comment your answers, and please agree with me because as always I am right, and you don't want to be wrong.

Adios Amigos,

Benny

The Animals and Me

I just got home from the 'safari', and it was a blast!!! There were a lot of lions. In one area, the were feeding lions in a closed, smaller habitat. All the lions were just laying around and finishing the bits of horse and cow head, intestines, and everything in between.  They were watching us closely, like we were guinea pigs in a lab or lunch.  One lion in particular was staring at me. I felt so happy, yet freaked out because I had my first stalker. After a while, we went to go see tigers and leopards, but on the way we stopped at a adapting habitat. (This is where they keep the newly received lions until they can find a pride for them to join).  That's were it became very funny.

The new lion was an albino  lion named (insert name here). When my dad was walking up to take pics, the lion pounced at my dad,and although there were 2 electrical fences, my dad jumped and started to run from the animal that was  'chasing him'. Everybody started cracking up. We were joking that the lion didn't want to eat him, but be friends.  It turns out that she was from Johannesburg Zoo and had killed someone, and had gotten shipped off. She jumped at my dad twice.  After we went to the tigers. There was a tiger that in my mind, looked out of a video game. I don't know why, but it just did. His name was Koda. He was amazing. It was awesome. After we saw a leopard that was somewhat fat (she wasn't fat, but she wasn't not fat). It was amazing. Overall we had a lot of fun (except for my dad who got the bejeeberes scared out of him).

Tot Siens

(Afrikaans)

Benny

Day of the living (and quite ugly) Wildebeests

Today....

In theaters everywhere....

The greatest movie of all time!!!!

And I'm here to give you all the spoilers

That day was eventful. They landed after a hard flight that our star (me) couldn't sleep too well. No biggie. After we got out of the airport, they rented a car, it's small, but it can fit all of their luggage (barely). On the way to their next stop, he took a nap in the car, which everybody wouldn't have guessed, because just before he'd complained that he couldn't nap in a car. After his nap, we stopped and he had the greatest moment of the trip, Ben got his Chutney Chips and his Biltong. After his happiness, they went to Lion's Rock, where they are going to stay for 2 nights. It's a sanctuary for animals. They are about to go on a trip around the park with a ranger. On the way in they saw zebras, all kinds of buck, wildebeests, and water buffalo.  That's were the script ends because Ben got to go..

Ciao Ciao

(Italian)

Benny

Our Crazy Adventure

Today was an EVENTFUL day (more like the last 2 days). So I have a lot to write, so I will do it as a story.......

A long time ago (about 2 days ago), a family went of strange adventure,that took time and effort. But then once we got to Granny's, it was all easy. The airport was fine, no long lines (what do you expect at 10:00 at night, a line the size of a wooly mammoth). We flew Lufthansa, and boy, was that some mistake. The pilot was a good of a driver as the ones in front of my mom while she's driving, and thus teaching me how to swear.  It was moving like me in Grease. I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep, but then it got worse. We were about an hour out, when me and Sarah (sorry for all you English teachers. 'Wink, wink' mom. I meant Sarah and I) started to get sick. And not the good kind when you get to miss school with a cold, but we were hurling into bags every 20 minutes. And boy, did our row STINK!!! Finally, we got off the plane and went into Frankfurt, and it was pretty good put aside the nightmares that have happened there. We got ice cream (I'm fine), and walked around. After that we came back to the airport to get on a flight to South Africa. We got there early (shocker) and now I'm in the gate waiting and typing. Lets hope this story ends with a happily ever after and not a bunch of hurl bags.

Shalom Alyechem

(Hebrew)

Benny

P.S.

Grandpa Michael, I can't wait to see your new character.

Sorry

Sorry

Sorry I haven't been blogging. We have no coverage and I've been to busy. to busy you might ask with what. I'll tell you if didn't stop asking questions. Last time I blogged it was before (I think) rafting, so I'll catch you up but yin not a lot of details. Rafting was a blast!!! During the rapids I sat at the front so I got a face full of water while everybody on barely got wet. 

After rafting and Moab we went to Capitol Reef. We stayed in a place (in Capitol Reef)  called Friuta. We picked a lot of fruit (as you can guess). The apples were stupendous!!!  We then did a 6 mile hike, or new record. But it was extremely hard because it was in the water, it was called Sulfur Creek Trail. It was really beautiful. 

Next we went to Bryce Canyon. We stayed in the in the nearby Dixie National Forest. It was pretty hot in then day, but at night it was freezing temperatures dropped almost to 50 f!!!! We looked at a lot of views, did some hikes that I can't remember. But the highlight of Bryce was the rodeo. There was a rodeo in town with every thing from bull riding to cattle lassoing.  There were a group of like 3 yrs. old to 5 yrs. old all riding sheep. One was so young that his dad had to hold him on the sheep.

Next we ventured to Arizona to go to Lake Powell. We got on the houseboat and the best part, it has a slide!!! I have spent about 4 hrs. on it in the one day we got, it was in a span between 11:00 and  8:00. So it was pretty impressive. We're now on our second day on the house boat.  It gets pretty hot, but since when it gets hot, we just jump of the side. 

Now if you want more information contact my secretary (who is my mom)  for more info. Please call her every 5 minutes. She likes it, and if she says she doesn't, she's kidding.

Lake Powell out 

Peace!!