White rhinos aren't white

That's right folks, you heard it here first.
I kept trying to figure out why they looked the same as the black rhinos. Turns out that the name comes from the fact that their mouth is wide, not from the color (wit means wide in old Dutch). The term just got turned into white over the years. Other animal facts which I learned that I didn't know before are such things as:
Giraffes have the highest blood pressure of any animal to get the blood up the neck to the brain. They also have some extra valves in their neck for control of blood flow.
Leopards can carry more than their own weight in their jaws so that they can stash their kill in the trees away from the scavenging hyenas. Saw proof of this.
More people are killed by hippos in Africa than any other animal. They have big mouths and brutal teeth with a nasty disposition.
Baby zebras recognize their moms by the stripes not by smell. They all smell the same to me.
Elephants pee backwards. I can personally testify to this fact. Some people called it a water hose, looked more like a fire hose to me.

We have left Sabi Sabi but to wrap up that episode, here are some details of our days there. It boils down to game driving/walking, eating, and sleeping.
We got a wake up call at 5:30 a.m. for a 6:00 game drive with coffee/tea/juice and snacks before leaving. That took three hours, we were back for breakfast at 9:00, then at 10:30 we went for a game/plant walk, arriving back at camp at noon. A quick break brought us to lunch at 1:00, followed by high tea at 3:00, then a three hour afternoon/evening game drive with a gin and tonic/champagne and snacks break around 5:00. We returned to camp around 6:30 for a quick clean up and dinner in the boma ( a traditional safari campfire setting) at 7:30, then back to the room around 9:00 for some sleep and start the whole thing again at 5:30 the next morning.
Very little time for sitting around the lodge reading and relaxing. Very intense, but hey, that's what we came for.

On our last evening drive, we saw a lioness with two VERY little cubs. It could have been my old cat Frosty with one of her small litters; very loving mom, very frisky cubs, very adorable setting. The next morning we saw a leopard with two larger cubs, basking in the sunshine on a big rock. You can get very close, within 10-15 feet of them in the safari vehicle. They don't think of you as predators nor, thank goodness, prey, so you can get very close.
In all we saw all the "Big 5," lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and cape buffalo in multiple numbers, as well as a myriad of other animals that you have always associated with Africa: wildebeest, giraffes, impalas (nature's food plan for Africa since they are in such abundance and the most common kill.) and lots of others.

We all observed the rules stringently. Don't stand up in the vehicle (that makes a silhouette and makes you look like prey), don't take flash pictures after dark (it scares the animals, and a frightened elephant is not a happy thought) talk softly (screaming and loud noises bring unpleasant results, on the walks walk in a straight line behind the man with the big gun, stay close to him (good idea), and if an animal is encountered, don't run, even though every fiber in your body is screaming: "Get the hell out of here."

We left Sabi Sabi and drove to Swaziland and had a great two days there in this little kingdom which is one of the last absolute monarchies left in the world. It is simply a feudal fiefdom run for the pleasure of the king, who, the lack of economic progress in the country, notwithstanding, remains very popular.
Swaziland never got conquered by the Afrikaners or the Anglos, (it didn't have anything they wanted like gold, etc.) So they have remained independent, although totally surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique, which was controlled by the Portuguese. Hence a happy people who never suffered the apartheid system or the prejudice which saps the soul dry. It's not the most advanced industrial society, but the happiness and friendliness of the people are genuine and warm. It is 99% Shangaan and Zulu with only one percent European.
At breakfast in the little hotel we were staying, there was a little girl of 14 months who kept staring at us. Her father apologized by saying that she had never seen a .............., he stammered, we interjected "A white person?" yes, he said somewhat apologetically.

The Toyota vans which haul all the people around the country each have names like: Delta Force, Mother Trucker, Scorpion Heart, Cheese Boy, Sweet Choco, and my personal favorite, Oh S***t. No there's not an extra asterisk there, it does have three, which allows the mind to entertain many different options, several of which Carol and I entertained each other for many miles.

Hiv/Aids is a real problem here. We've heard for years about the epidemic in Africa, but when faced with it on a personal level, it is very overwhelming. For example, in Swaziland, over 33% of all adults are infected. Almost all families of whatever status, including the king's, have members who are HIV positive. Signs are everywhere stating such things as: "When you travel, stay faithful, help end Aids." At the border into South Africa from Swaziland there are multiple boxes of condoms free for taking. Packets of three are foiled lined and boxes of 144 sit there, take as many as you need, but take the right one. There is one box labeled, "Sugar Daddy special, small size, easy to wear," "Menthol taste, X Large for Sugar Mamas," and "Reuse for boyfriends, no time to change." Again, this makes for lots of conjecture as to the meaning, but you get the picture.

We have come to our next camp Mkuze Falls Safari camp, and I've lots of things to say about this fantastic place, but it's time for lunch followed by another game drive. Ho hum, just another boring day in paradise.
Check it out at:
mkuzefalls.com

Love to all I'll write again as I can.
j&c