Pardon My Horse Vent

"You need to have contact with the horse's mouth."  

As I was giving my riding lesson this morning I was watching videos of horses going through their gaits.  It was an English rider instructing on how a horse's gaits work, and how to ride them in the "proper position".  "Maintain contact with the bit," was something that came out of the girl's mouth several times in all of her videos.  She also mentioned how her horse was foaming at the bit because he enjoyed it so much.  What about the rest of the body?  What about your leg contact? Back position? Shoulders?  Her horse was very stiff moving and I saw no fluidity in its movements (at any gait).  Unfortunately, this girl isn't the only person I have seen talking and riding like this.  Although I feel bits are completely unnecessary, and actually a great tool to interfere with a horse, I am not against people using them...as long as they use them properly (and if they use them properly they probably don't even need one!).

"It is important to remember that the bit is only a tool. A bit will not train your horse. Proper training takes time, patience, and repetition. And you need to have the correct tools to communicate what you are asking the horse to do – hands, legs, seat, voice and proper equipment.”

Too many people are stuck in the mind set that a bit will control a horse.  A bit will stop a horse from taking off.  A bit will keep the proper head position.  A bit will keep the horse from bucking.  None of that is true.  If a horse does not want to stop, he won't stop.  If a horse needs to keep his head in a certain position, it's probably not natural for the horse and will cause discomfort.  If a horse wants to buck with you on him, you probably shouldn't be riding him in the first place.  Bit or no bit, a horse that's typically 800 to 1300 pounds could put us in our grave at any minute if he so desired.  

Bit or no bit.

Here is a quote from Pat Parelli (back before he was a sell-out).  He says it perfectly.

“Bits are a mystery to most people. The most common misconception seems to be; the bigger the misbehavior, the bigger the bit you need to correct it. I, on the other hand, teach people why they really don’t even need a bit to control their horses. In most cases it’s a revelation for the person and a relief for the horse. Horses run off or bolt out of fear. Its starts in the mind, goes through the body and down the legs to the feet. Once the horse is this frightened the rider is essentially riding scared feet. Most of the time it doesn’t matter what bit is being used in the horse’s mouth he can’t be stopped. I’ve seen horses with huge shank bits, martingales and nosebands stick their chins on their chests and go! When prey animals get that emotional, and they need to save their lives, they will run through anything, painful or not.”

I think that says enough...

As a side note, a horse does not salivate when a bit is in its mouth because they like it.  They salivate and foam because it is a natural digestive response!  The horse is trying to digest the bit!  

"Riding bareback ruins a horse's spine!"

Does it now?  I can understand a rider who is unbalanced and flopping all over the horse's back on a consistent basis, but in general, is bareback riding really that bad for a horse?  I think it's safe to say saddles that don't fit the horse right cause more problems than someone riding bareback.  One would think that a horse would be able to move more freely and be able to communicate better with the rider bareback (because you can feel back, rump, and shoulder muscles relax and become tense).  It seems like common sense to me.  I won't go into detail about this, but it's interesting the things people come up with even though it's against common sense and basic horse knowledge.

I wish more people would experience what a horse is like naturally.  I think many people would be surprised how the body flexes, stretches, and syncs with the horse's rhythms all on its own, and how the horse responds positively to it.  The relationship that forms between horse and rider when the horse is able to be a horse is something you cannot create through artificial methods, bits and spurs, and unreasonable minds.

Grapefruit.

I've been wanting to write another blog since my last post.  I felt like I ended it on a rather negative note...but this post probably won't be must better.  

Life is stressful.  Simple enough.

I found out that my four year degree is actually going to be more like a five and half year degree.  The education program is stupid.  I have to take three prerequisite courses before I can even begin taking the block classes (There are four block classes.  It takes two years to complete those).  If I would have known I wanted to be an elementary teacher from my first semester in college I would have been on track, but now I have to spend year and a half just waiting to even be admitted into the program because of three courses.  I'm kind of frustrated.  I am currently looking at doing my education degree through Western Governor's University.  It's an all online school, which would be amazing.  No traveling, I could move wherever I wanted, and it's self paced.  After looking at what credits would transfer, however, only about 30 of my 96 credits would mean anything (and that's being optimistic).  It would probably end up taking just as long as if I went to Weber State.  The cost would be about the same, too.  So I'm not sure.  I think staying at Weber would be a bigger inconvenience, but it would be easier.  

Decisions to be made!

My dad makes me sad.  I really want to be closer to him and get to know him more, but it's really difficult.  He seems to completely ignore my mom and I, while a lot of his attention is on Alice (the Chinese girl who lived with us over the summer).  For the first time since May he asked about what Buck and I have been doing.  I thought it was crazy and weird he was interested in it, but it was really nice.  He hasn't even wanted to watch the video I made or see us ride when I ask.  I feel bad for my mom, too.  He seems really distant and resistant to her.  He is just so caught up in himself it's like he's forgotten about his family.  I don't know what to do.  I kind of started not caring as much in March when he very deliberately took down the fence I put around Foxy's grave because, "I need to get over it and it looks bad."  Talk about heartless.  But now his attitude is affecting my mom more visibly and I hate it.  I know that if I tried bringing how I feel up it would only cause stress and probably more issues.  I'm hoping it's just going to work itself out in the best way possible, but it's up to my dad.  

I've decided to stop taking my melatonin supplement.  I started it about two weeks ago, and for the first three nights it really helped, but now it does nothing (again).  The last two nights I upped the dosage to 10 mg.  The first night was so good, but last night wasn't much better than when I was on 5 mg.  I think it's wrong though to have to take that much.  If I have to continually up my dosage, it isn't fixing the problem, it's just masking it.  I want to fix my sleeping issues, not just cover them up.  I'm going to try a natural herd supplement called valerian.  Valerian comes from a flower and it is supposed to aid in getting a restful night's sleep, reducing anxiety, and reducing headaches.  Sound perfect, right?!  Unfortunately there haven't been any significant studies done on Valerian.  Some evidence suggests it does help, while other evidence says it doesn't do anything.  It is supposed to take 6-8 weeks to begin working, too.  I might as well give it a shot.  If I don't try it and this thing is what works for me, I'd be missing out on some wonderful z's.  I'm also going to start taking baths before bed.  I used to do it in Cedar City and I think it helped.  I might as well try to do everything I can before I go to the doctor about it. 

It's interesting to reflect back on these recent days.  I've been on edge with a lot of people because they choose to be lazy and unproductive when there are obviously things they should be doing instead.  Or people who choose to be in a situation that causes them to feel terrible or something.  Truth of the matter is though, no matter how much what I say makes sense and they agree with me, no one will change their behavior and situation unless they want to.  I just hate seeing people put themselves through bad situations, when they could be so much happier if they just said, "Hey, I don't think this is working out." or, "I think I'll find a different job, and go to college like I've been wanting to."  It made me realize I need to do everything I can for myself to get through the emotions I am feeling.  I try to only complain on my blog, and never to my friends over text or in person.  I know it will pass, but on the other hand I think other people need to know that I'm not necessarily mad at them, I'm just upset about what I'm dealing with right now and I wish they would do something better for themselves.  I don't know if that's wishful thinking, but I need to let people make their own mistakes...even if I've seen it happen time and time again.

On a positive note, Buck and I continue to make a lot of progress.  I've now taught him to rotate on the front while I'm on him.  Rotating the back while I'm on him is pretty difficult though, so I think him and I are going to need to take a step back and work on it from the ground again.  I've been fortunate enough to have quite a bit of one-on-one with with Jennie.  It has helped a lot!  We will be participating in this weekend's and next weekend's group clinics over at Craig's with Jennie and Larry.  I'm excited to see everyone and see the progress they have made with their horses.

Here is the video I made from our progress starting in June till now.

Evan and I are doing well!  On Saturday we went to IKEA and bought him a bunch of new stuff for his room, and on Sunday we put it together.  It looks great, and it was fun to do together.  He is a really good guy.  I've wanted to get into wood whittling (old and nerdy, I know, but it's relaxing), so he actually bought me some knives to do it with.  I'm gonna get started on a piece today :)

I'm Not So Good After All.

So here is yet another blog about Logan and I. I thought I'd get some things out in the air to make him feel better and me maybe not look so good. Maybe it's my conscious, or maybe it's how little people respect what I wish to keep private and it's really freaking annoying. I'm not entirely sure. It could be both I suppose.

So I broke up with Logan in May. At first I tried to be his friend but he made that difficult and then I made the decision to not speak to him for a month. Shortly after the month passed he told me about Africa. Of course I wanted to go--going to Africa has been my dream for years and years! We started seeing each other again and planning the trip.

I do admit that me trying to be friends with him may have come off as I was interested in a relationship again. That was never the case, but I can see how someone could look at it like that. My bad. I went through a confusing period that lasted about a month. Granted, I knew what I really wanted (to not be with Logan), but my brain and heart were telling me two different things. It kind of felt like tug-o-war. Soon enough Logan and I were doing the dirty again. I knew it was wrong, but I was fine with just having sex with no strings attached. I was dating other people and wasn't interested in him in a romantic sense (all the people I was dating were aware of what I was doing with Logan.) I told him that was the deal and he said he understood. Apparently not, however. I knew he wouldn't be able to separate the two like I could. I reminded him every time it meant nothing and I really was just using his body. Kind of rude, I know, but he was fully aware. I didn't mean to rag doll Logan around, but that's what happened. He wanted something completely different than what I did and I knew that from the beginning.

Logan kept pressuring me to date him. I thought it was a ridiculous idea, but at this point it was easier to say "okay" than no. He kept saying, "You're dating other people, so why not date me?" Geeze, I don't know! Maybe because I don't want a relationship with you?!? I guess this could all be described as a landslide, really. One thing led to another and before I knew it he thought we were dating and I just said yes to get him to shut up. I felt extremely uncomfortable with the entire arrangement and put and end to it rather quickly.

Oh, the drama continues...

About a week before him and I went to Africa I told him there was going to be no more of anything. I didn't want to date him or be in a relationship with him. We could either treat one another as friends or not and he can leave. We got into a huge argument about how I have been giving him mixed signals and using him (true, but not in the sense he thought so). I didn't use him to go to Africa or get free dinners, not at all. The mixed signals are a given, but I did disclose to him on a regular basis there was nothing there and I didn't want a relationship with him. I really was just being friendly. Being friendly is something the wrong thing to do, especially in a situation such as this.

We got back from Africa and well...read the previous blog if you haven't yet.

Moral of this wonderful life experience? Don't sleep with your ex-boyfriend and don't say "yes" just because it's easier to say at the time. In the long run you'll screw yourself over. Guaranteed. I should have broke contact with Logan much sooner in the summer, but the trip to Africa kind of hindered that process. Of course, I didn't help myself by choosing to do what I did with him, but I think everything turned out how it was supposed to. He still probably would have gone nuts and I still probably would have been as anxiety ridden as I am now.

YOLO!

If I missed anything, I apologize. I've done my best at moving past all this and that included me purposely forgetting a lot of parts in this story.  And Logan, if you read this, please comment saying things that I may have left out if you feel the need to do so.

Stress Overload

I hate complaining.  I hate posting personal drama on the internet.  I hate showing that my life isn't awesome all the time.  But today, I just say screw it and I'm finally going to spill all the crap that's been going on with Logan.  I may get criticism for posting this on the internet because it's about another person, but I don't really see why it's a problem. I don't mean for this to sound revengeful, but he did this to himself and I have every right to let people know what he's put me through.  I'm sick of people asking about it.

After Logan and I got back from Africa things were okay for about four days.  I wanted to start distancing myself from him for his sake, and mine.  It was time he moved on for good and I was so tired of having to deal with the emotional bullshit that radiated from him.  I didn't tell him anything new.  Everything I said I told him before we went to Africa.  "I want my space from you and I think you need it as well."  "If you won't distance yourself from me, I'll do it for you."  "I'm started to date other people and can see a relationship in the future."  "It's time you start focusing your energy on something other than me."  He had heard it from me about a dozen times before this point, but it really hit him like a ton of bricks this time for some reason.

I hit my breaking point when I told Logan I wanted the pictures from Africa off his computer, but I didn't want to see him because he was telling me he wanted to "talk."  Which means I end up yelling and he ends up crying.  I tried finding a way for him to just leave them on his door step and I could grab it, but he insisted on coming to my house and putting them on the porch.  I figure, "Okay, I just won't answer the door and he'll leave the pictures and go."  WRONG. BAD IDEA.  I told him I would not answer the door and it would be best if he just put them in the mailbox and left.  He didn't do that.  Instead he spent the next thirty minutes outside my house, calling and texting me over and over again. He started using the pictures as a pry to get me to see him and I eventually said to just forget about it and leave or I'd call the police.  He ended up leaving, but left the pictures (yay!).  I ran downstairs and locked all the doors after that.

About twenty unanswered phone calls later, I told him I was blocking his number.  He started contacting me on Facebook, so I blocked that as well.  Shortly after I hear a knock on my door.  I looked out the window and saw his car in my driveway.  I was seriously scared he was going to come into the house through the garage since he knew the pass code.  I didn't want to go downstairs for risk of him seeing me so I just stayed in the upstairs den and tried to focus on homework.  I heard his car storm off about fifteen minutes later.

He created a fake Facebook account, I blocked that as well.  I thought that he wouldn't have any other way of contacting me unless he showed up to my work, house, or school.  I was wrong.  He started e-mailing my phone from his numerous e-mail addresses.  He also started, as many of you have experienced firsthand, contacting my friends and anyone who knew me.  The lies he has been telling people are just outrageous.  Apparently I made him buy the engagement ring AND the trip to Africa.  I also used him for the trip and I'm a bitch.  Sounds like stuff I would do, right?  That's totally why I paid for my half of the expenses (minus the plane ticket because he wouldn't let me).  Yeah, no.  It's just BS.  Throughout this time Logan had tried contacting me via e-mail and blog.  At one point he even approached the building I was in while waiting for class at Weber State.  He wanted to talk and see me.  I just shook my head no a bunch of times and he eventually ended up leaving.  Seeing him made me feel sick to my stomach.  Keep in mind all of this has happened in two weeks.  

I gave Logan plenty of warnings to stop contacting me and leave my friends and family alone.  If this isn't harassment I don't know what else to call it. I have made it very clear I do not want his attention or any contact from him, and yet he continues to try harder and harder.  My dad finally had to intervene as of this morning when Logan apparently looked at my Facebook and a post I posted about having my friends not reply to him.  Logan wanted me to remove it.  The way I look at it is, maybe if he wasn't acting so bat shit crazy I wouldn't have had to post that warning to my friends in the first place.  I'm doing everything I can to control this situation, but the fact of the matter is, it's out of my control.  I can keep ignoring him, tell my friends to do the same and not tell me about it, and try to focus on what I need to do in school.  If he approaches me again, however, a protection order will be requested against him.  I know the impact a protection order would have on him (as far as employment and whatnot go), but I need to feel safe.  I shouldn't have to be scared to go to school, or wonder if he is sitting in my work parking lot, or Hell, if he is going to show up at my house again.  I shouldn't have to feel that way. 

As I mentioned in my previous blog I had met a guy named Evan.  Him and I are officially together now, despite the trouble we have had with Logan.  Logan was being absolutely ridiculous with Evan--offering to pay him to stay away from me, wanting to get involved in his and my business, telling him he is wasting his time.  Evan, bless his heart, had stayed cool and collected the entire time.  He has been nothing but supportive through this whole endeavor.  The fact that this hasn't scared him off says a lot about him too, I think.   Evan is a really great guy and keeps me down to Earth when I get into these moments of freaking out.  It takes a special kind of person to balance that out and make me breathe again.

I feel bad for Logan.  It's sad, really.  All the lies he has hidden behind and the emotions he has buried for so long while we were together is monumental.  I just don't think he could take it anymore and he snapped.  I really hope one day Logan will be able to have a good life with a family he loves and a good job to spoil them.  He deserves that.  I understand people go through rough moments in their life, and although this is incredibly extreme, it happened and it just needs to be dealt with day by day.  I wish him good luck in the present and in the future, and I hope this is his lowest point in life so he can only move forward from here.

On the bright side, here is a picture of me and a giraffe.  It was awesome.

 

So There Is Kind Of A Lot Going On Right Now

Well, here I am writing my blog back in my bed in good old Utah, USA.  It feels nice to be home after being in another country for ten days.  I miss South Africa though in special ways...like the people's hard-to-understand accents, the insane drivers, and sketchy hotels.  But really, the country was great.  I hope one day I'll be able to see all the animals again and spend a longer amount of time over there relaxing.  I miss my banana horn bill...If I could legally own one of those I would have taken one home with me.  They are so cool!  I love them.  Although lions are my favorite, I have gained so much appreciation for all the wildlife that surrounds us.  Every organism that walks this Earth is so unique to its surroundings I am in awe of it. 

So I'll talk about my animals first just to get that out of the way.  Basically, before I left Puppy was really mad at me for a couple reasons.  When I came back, he realized how much he missed me.  He is still clinging onto me like I got home yesterday.  Same with Freckles.  She actually brought me a dead bird on Sunday.  Cute, right?  Buck was, to say the least, extremely pissed that I was gone.  Usually when you leave a horse alone for a couple days they tend to process information a little more thoroughly and when you come back they are even better than before.  This is the second time I've been gone for a while and Buck has came back at me with his full load of stubbornness, head throwing, and pushing.  Luckily we were able to change that in a relatively quick manner.  I took him for a walk down the road and let him eat some delicious weeds.  I could tell he forgave me almost instantly once I took him out of his dry lot.  On our way back to the house I rode him bridleless for a little while.  We worked on figure eights at a trot and stopping in the front yard.  I am glad I have my Bucket Boy back.

So I got home on Monday, August 26.  College had already started so I was behind from the get go as far as my online classes go.  I didn't get to bed until 11:00 PM, then had to wake up at 7:00 AM to go to my on campus classes.  On Wednesday I was so sleep deprived I actually slept for 14 hours straight.  I fell asleep at 5:30 PM and woke up at 7:30 AM.  I felt amazing once I woke up though.  But alas, I am once again sleep deprived.  I love sleeping, but at the same time it is incredibly frustrating because it is so hard for me to sleep well.  I can fall asleep just fine, but staying asleep and getting a deep sleep is nearly impossible.  I've thought about going into the doctors for some help, but I know what's making me sleep terribly (stress).  Once I get that under control I'll see if my sleeping patterns change.  If not, I'll go in and see what can be done.

There has been a lot of stress going on coming from all areas of my life at the moment.  Some good stress and some bad stress.  I guess I'll kind of just vent and give everyone the story!
Before Logan and I went to Africa, I could have sworn people were taking bets on if we were going to come back as a couple or not.  Being as that was the place we were supposed to be engaged, I can understand how a lot of people may have been extremely suspicious.  So here is what really happened in Africa with Logan and I: Absolutely nothing.  Tada!  We got in a couple arguments about personal space and stuff, but other than that he was very well behaved and didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all.  

As of now, however, Logan and I are at a stand still with our friendship.  I really need my space away from him, and he needs to distance himself from me so he can move on in a more productive manner.  I know he doesn't understand why I say the things I do, but I've never been wrong about them.  He really just needs to get a few girl's numbers, take them on some dates, and explore life a little more.  If we want to be friends in the future, he needs to get over me.  I can't keep up this constant fighting.  Since I've moved on it's been an uphill battle with his emotions and desires.  It has worn me thin.

School has been kicking my ass.  After having a long, stressful summer, I feel like I didn't really have time to unwind and prepare myself for the next eight months of course work.  Nonetheless, I'm keeping up with the assignments (not so much on the reading...).  I really wish I could just sleep normally so I didn't have to wake up feeling tired every day, then have to push through the wall of tiredness just to do a simple assignment.  Concentrating gets pretty hard!  I'll be okay once I get into the rhythm of things better.

My dad's job is in jeopardy.  That's pretty terrifying. I won't talk about it too much because a lot of things are up in the air about it, but yeah.  Just a little insecure about the future of my parents and my living situation in correlation to college.

I met a guy named Evan at a friend's party about a month back.  Out of all the guys I've spoken to over the summer he's actually the first one to spark my interest in a new relationship.  Unfortunately for us, however, there is a ton of drama going on between Evan's group of friends and Logan's group of friends.  Logan, Evan, and I are the hot topic it seems.  Although Logan and Evan aren't friends, people seem to have a huge problem with Evan and I dating.  Evan's the asshole, I'm a bitch, and Logan is the victim.  I guess that's what happens when people have nothing better in their lives to think and talk about.  It will be okay, it's just all really, really stupid.

I'm concerned I am not dedicating enough time to Buck now that school has started and I'm working part-time.  He doesn't seem to mind, but for my own enjoyment and our relationship I'm actually beating myself up quite a lot for it.  I want to dedicate so much time to him it isn't even funny.  I almost feel guilty about it.  Luckily, starting next Monday, I am beginning lessons with a four year old girl.  We will mostly be working with books and small tangible objects, but every now and then we will go out with Bucket and I'll make her feel like she has magical powers.  So that will be every Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 to 10:30 AM.  I am hoping this will allow me more time to just be around Buck.  As a side note, a bit nervous to work with such a young child.  It will be a learning experience for me, as well as for her and her mother.

I keep coming down with stress induced headaches and colds.  Talk about annoying!  They will just appear out of nowhere when I get stressed, and then once I'm able to relax for a day or two they just magically go away!  I hate it, but am trying to do my best at managing it.  I feel bad I haven't been meditating.  I've became very out of practice and need to get back into it for my emotional, mental, and physical health.

So there you have it.  Everything that has gone on in one week.  Life is pretty crazy, isn't it?  I'll be okay in the end, it's just difficult right now.  I hope everyone else's lives are going well, though! Goodnight homies!  PEACE!

Ice Cold Bodies.

I have seen some pretty neat (neat as in weird/interesting) things during my stay in Africa that I didn't have time to mention in my previous blog post.

I saw a semi-truck driving down the interstate, and on the back it said "Ice Cold Bodies" and there were pictures of cut up meat on the side.  I thought it was kind of weird.  I've also seen some "unique" slogans on business vehicles.  For example, one said, "We know how to turn you on."  It was a TV company.  Another one said, "We remove your shorts."  That one was an electrical company.  I found them a little amusing!

Driving in South Africa has been...well, terrifying, to say the least.  Thank God Logan was behind the wheel the whole time because I would have certainly gotten us killed.  The drivers here have no regard for the safety of other people on the road.  They literally cut you off with no warning, weave in and out of traffic, run red lights (nearly got us into an accident), and are just over all rude.  The tour buses and shuttle vehicles are the worst.  You cannot trust anyone either.  Nearly everyone we spoke to told us to never ask a stranger for directions, as they will most likely send us to a place where we would get robbed and have our lives threatened.  Google Maps really disappointed us on this trip.  Nearly all of the maps were inaccurate and we ended up having to ask for directions to most everywhere we went (we were safe about it).

Durban was a really fun city to visit.  People say that all cities are the same, no matter where you go, but I beg to differ.  JoBurg is an incredibly dangerous city and you would be foolish to walk outside alone or without some form of protection.  It is also very dirty.  There is trash everywhere.  Durban, on the other hand, is a very well rounded city and people are actually nice to each other for the most part.  There is still a large amount of poverty and lower class citizens but they tend to keep their distance (besides the occasional begger who stands in the middle of the road asking for money when you stop at a traffic light).  The city is much cleaner and you can see people managing it at all hours.  The Indian Ocean was beautiful.  We stayed in a hotel that was right on the edge of North Beach.  We thought the water was warm, although the locals thought it was freezing (it is winter here, after all).  

The first night we arrived in Durban we ate dinner at Beluga.  We had ostrich and Springbok.  And no, neither of them tasted like chicken.  They were both delicious!  The ostrich is similar to a steak and the Springbok is a unique meat of its own.  Beluga is a very high class restaurant.  The manager came over to our table and spoke to us for a while.  In the end he ended up giving us a white chocolate shot on the house as a welcome from Durban.

 






 The next day we went down to the ocean and took a nice stroll.  We were supposed to go horse riding, but we ended up getting lost (thanks, Google) and then it turned out the wind was too strong to go riding on the beach when we finally got there.  We eventually made it to the people's horse facility and they let me ride a horse called the Basuto Pony bareback.  It is a horse native to South Africa.  Its gaits were so weird, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  We rescheduled for the next morning instead.  That night we went to the huge ass mall they have in Durban.  I got to spend time with some baby African Grey parrots and then Logan and I ate at the Cape Town Fish Market.  We ate deep fried baby squid (SO GOOD), real calamari, amazing fish, and even better endless fresh sushi.  It was worth every penny.

We arrived back at the horse facility a nine and got the horses ready.  Logan's horse was named Moon and I rode Jet.  Jet was a seven year old anglo-arab.  We rode passed a huge oil refinery before we got to the ocean, but once we got there, WOW!  

Talk about a dream come true.  Galloping on the beach so freely made me have to catch my breath.  Jet loved the beach and he seemed to love running just as much.  I think the pictures say it all, however.  I could talk all day about it, but I won't bore you!

We left South Beach in Durban around 1:00 PM to head back to JoBurg.  We didn't want to leave :(  

 





When we got to our "hotel" that changed.  This place is just...incredible.  This is a resort, no doubt about it.  It is also a botanical garden.  The room we are staying in is called a Budget Room, and yet it is better than any five star hotel I've seen in America.  Africans know how to do lodging and food the right way.  We could learn a thing or two from them!  Today we had a splendid breakfast before leaving to the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve. 

I was very disappointed with this "nature reserve."  The herbivores (Blue/Black gnu, rhinos, several kinds of gazelle, etc.) were all fed hay right by the road so seeing them was no problem, but they definitely weren't having to take care of themselves.  They had all their carnivores in separate fenced areas as well and were all fed pre-killed meat.  We did see African Wild Dogs, the "rare" white lion (which is total bull shit because in the wild these animals would not survive), and cheetahs (which were penned in separate enclosures in another enclosure.  Basically, there were a ton of fences.  It was far from a reserve.  Logan and I did get to hang out with a giraffe for a good while though.  We got to pet her and look at her with just a small fence separating us (pictures to be posted later!).  

Around 2:00 I took an amazing nap out by the pool on a swinging bed (literally a bed that is hanging from the ceiling).  It was nice to catch up on some sleep.  Tonight we ate at the famous Carnivore restaurant that is located on the Misty Hills Country Hotel property.  Just to give you an idea of this place, the chefs bring exotic meats out to your table on a spear and slice off the meat onto your plate in front of you.  We ate so much meat...so...much...meat.  Crocodile, kudu, impala, pork, chicken, beef, and lamb were a few of the things we tried.  Again, nothing tasted like chicken besides the chicken.  Now we are back in our room.  Logan is "watching" (more like making fun of) rugby and I am writing this blog.  Tomorrow we are going to sleep in, have a late breakfast and check out around 10 AM.  We were going to go to the lion park, but after today's adventure at the Rhino and Lion Reserve we have no desire to go.  We will have the opportunity to pet listless baby lions and see a bunch of adult white lions in a row of cars.  Not something of interest to us.  We gained so much appreciation for the wild animals in Kruger that everything else is just plain sad.  I guess it's a good thing though.

Tomorrow we are leaving JoBurg at 5:30 PM.  We will fly to Washington DC and have a 12 hour layover from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM.  We are going to see the Smithsonian Museum and possibly some of the other attractions in the area.  We should be back in Utah at 8:40 PM...then school the next morning at 9:00 AM.  I am going to be tired I think.  I can't wait to see my kitties though :)

South Africa (Day 1-5)

Greetings from Durban, South Africa!

So there is a lot to write about!  Logan and I have been in Africa for five days now.  To make this easier and less like a novel I'm going to break it down into sections...

Arriving

Holy wow.  I hate flying.  At 5:00 AM we left to the SLC Airport to catch our 7:15 AM flight to Washington DC.  The flight was four hours long, and we had a three hour layover once we got there.  We met a lovely older couple named Polly and Allen.  They live in Florida, but Polly had a relative in Durban they were going to visit for two weeks.  She gave us their contact information in case we got into any trouble or needed help.  It was nice to have a contact in S. Africa.  We boarded the plane at 5:30 PM on Friday.  This is where the fun began!  At first Logan and I were very impressed with everything on the plane.  TV (with good movies playing), excellent food, and awesome customer service.  But that quickly died down after four or five hours of flying over the cloud covered ocean.  It was impossible to get any sort of sleep, I felt pretty nauseous for most of the flight, and Logan had a pretty nasty headache.  Luckily, however, we didn't have to sit next to any stinky or overweight travelers!  The flight was about 18 hours long overall.  By the time we got off the plane it was 5:30 PM in Johannesburg, S. Africa on a Saturday.  
We were driven to our lodge for the night at 7:00 PM.  We were under the impression that we would be staying at MoAfrika, but for some reason we were upgraded to stay at its sister lodge named Safari Club (it was much nicer).  We had a nice dinner and went to bed shorter after.  In the morning we were picked up at 8:00 AM to begin our three day safari in Kruger National Park.

The Safari

We could not have asked for a better safari!  The drive took about five hours to reach Kruger National Park.  We saw a lot of interesting things on the way there such as a huge cactus farm, a lot of poverty, and beautiful scenery.  When we arrived we were again told we would not be staying where we thought we were going to say (Mark's Camp).  Instead we would be upgraded to stay at the resort because they camp did not have room for Logan and I due to a group of 45 that arrived two days prior.  We didn't complain!  The facility was AMAZING!  

That's my hand!!!

At 5:00 PM we went on a sunset game drive.  We saw the following animals: elephants, zebra, giraffe, impala, kudu, a chameleon, a helicopter bird, and...a leopard.  It was really neat :)  We got fortunate to see a leopard.  Not a lot of people get to see one.  

We had an African dinner and went to bed shortly after.  Needless to say we were still recovering from the flight the previous day.

The following morning we left for a full day in Kruger National Park.  We saw so many animals!  It was also really nice because it was just Logan and I, as well as two other people (who really didn't care to be there it seemed).  We saw a pride of lions (with cubs), many elephants (at a very close distance), giraffe, zebra, impala, kudu, water buck, many different species of birds, warthogs, springbok (which taste delicious!), ostrich (also very tasty), hippopotamus, Cape buffalo, Gnu, and crocodile.  I may have missed a few, but you get the point.  We saw A LOT and at an incredibly close range.  One of my favorite moments was when we approached a medium sized elephant herd and a three year old calf started rushing towards our jeep with his ears out and was trumpeting all over the place!  He was trying to be so big but he was still very small and had barely started growing his tusks.  

There was also a bird named the Banana horn bill that is quite common.  They are my new favorite!  I love their personality and how they look.  On our drive out I looked perfection in the face.  The African sun was beginning to set over the umbrella thorn trees.  The sky was blue and orange and dotted with puffy white clouds.  Three birds flew over my view out of the open jeep.  I started smiling and actually laughed at how perfect that moment was.  My description doesn't do it justice, but it is something that will stay with me for a very long time.

We got back to the lodge around 6:00 PM.  That night we had the option of going to Mark's Camp or stay at the resort.  We decided to go the camp because we wanted to experience the tent camping we originally signed up for.  When we got there, we were, yet again, upgraded to sleep in their highest and most highly booked tree house because the tents were not ready.  Again, we didn't argue!  The tree house was flippin' awesome!  Views to die for and a beautiful room were just a few of the fabulous things at this camp.

A male and female Nyala

At 3:00 AM Logan and I got up to make our way to the bathroom which was a short walk down and out from our tree house.  On our way back we saw a Nyala (a small, striped deer).  We got within five feet of it and it didn't even care as it continued eating in front of us.  We woke up at 5:30 AM to go on a nature walk where we learned about the rocks, trees, termites, and anteaters in the area.  It was quite educational :)  We left at 8:00 AM after finishing a light breakfast.  On our way back to Joburg, we stopped at Blyde River Canyon--the third largest canyon in the world, and the greenest!  Unfortunately it was covered in a thick fog and we couldn't see a thing (quite disappointing!).  So instead Logan and I went shopping and I bought a wooden rhino.  He bought a very cool ostrich egg that was painted.

We were dropped off at Safari Club and learned that we were actually having to stay at MoAfrika for that night.  We began getting a bit frustrated because no one had communicated to us, or our driver, that we were staying somewhere else.  So every night that we had been in S. Africa at this point, we had no idea where we were actually going to be sleeping.  We got our luggage back in the vehicle and went to MoAfrika where we had a terrible experience...I had to take the coldest shower of my life because the water heater broke in our room (and they didn't do anything about it even after we complained), they failed to give us directions on how to order dinner, and we needed to confirm a reservation for Thursday by telephone and was so much more difficult than it had to be thanks to the employee working there, not to mention the breakfast sucked.  We were VERY happy to leave this morning!

Although we arrived in Durban today, I'm going to save that part for next time.  It's 1:00 AM here now and we have another full day planned.  It's been a blast, and I really don't want to leave!

Goodnight America!

 

PS)  I do apologize for any typos or errors in this post.  I'm too tired (and lazy) to proofread it a million times before hitting the publish button.