Rowan and Janey's wedding in Tarkastad!

We had an amazing time at their wedding, it was great to see Rowan and meet Janey. The S. Africa/Scottish traditions were fun to take part in, from the braai (bbq lamb - a whole lamb!), to the bagpiper and to the many many toasts. Rowan also busted out a country song that he sang to Janey, it was quite good - and interesting to see how quickly he has transitioned from a city slicker to a "country boy"!

Tsitsikamma National Park

Today we spent at Tsitsikamma National Park outside of Plettenberg Bay. We had a busy day, starting out with a hike to Storms Mouth, then a delicious cheese lunch at a small cheesemaker's house, followed by a canopy tour. We have never seen such high waves!

Hermanus - whale sightings!

Hermanus is a small town along the Garden Route towards Port Elizabeth. It is known for its whale watching. The whales are a different kind than we see in N. America - they travel to Antarctica after the S. Africa summer.

Cape Town!

Yesterday Brent and I toured around Cape Town. We went to Camps Bay for lunch, and I took a pic at the beach there. It is very beautiful here with the mountains and the water almost everywhere you look (that sounds a lot like Seattle, doesn't it!).

Whale Sharks, Mafia Island and Tree Houses

Last weekend we went to Mafia Island, a very underdeveloped island off the coast of Dar. It was absolutely beautiful. We stayed at a place that had NO electricity, NO running water and the accomodations were open air tree houses. It was amazing. Mafia is known for its whale sharks, which is not only the biggest shark, but also the biggest fish (great piece of trivia!). They are like whales in that they don't eat people, just plankton and little fish. Unfortunately, we didn't see one, but we had an amazing day snorkeling.

The Himalayas!

Saturday we hiked up to the top of "Gun Hill" in Musoorie to catch a glimpse of the Himalayas. They pronounce it as "ihm-ahl-yus" accent on the second syllable. After we reached the top we all had a breakfast picnic with chai tea - it was a pretty great morning!

A busy, but GREAT day!

Field visit in very rural area!

Today I had a busy, but great day! It started out with a field visit, followed by an impromptu stop at a sugar mill and a final stop at a monastary that was built by Tibetans that sought asylum in India. I am loving Mussoorie! Mussoorie is a hill station, situated in the foothills of the Himalaya ranges (at 7,000 feet!).

Mindrolling Monastery