I had the opportunity to take a helicopter tour for the first time ever! It was expensive, costing $175 for only about 13 minutes in the air. It was definitely worth the money though. From the air, I could see Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana. The falls from above were stunning--I will never forget that view!
I got to take the week off from reading for class. I finally had time to choose a book to read for fun, so I started reading the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom. This book tells about the life of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa who spent 27 years in prison and fought for equality and a desegregated South Africa.
I enjoyed having some downtime on vacation with my friends. When we had extra time, we played card games---rummy, poker and Go Fish. My friend even showed me a magic trick, and I then spent the entire trip trying to figure out how to perform it.
In Kruger National Park in northern South Africa, I was fortunate to see the Big 5! "The Big 5" are the five most dangerous animals in southern Africa. This list includes the lion, water buffalo, leopard, elephant and rhino! We went on safari in the early morning and late at night to see these animals: they are more difficult to spot during the day, as they attempt to find shade from the intense sun during that time and are therefore less active.
