Christmas Came Late to the Swaz!

I don't know why the pictures came out like this, but they're there and that's what matters. December 30th we left our house at 5:15am and headed to Manzini to catch a bus to Johannasburg in order to meet up with Kevin and Fiona. We couldn't wait! We spent the afternoon kicking around Joburg and finding our way to the airport. We spent a night near the airport after picking them up. They came off the plan laden with bag after bag filled with amazing goodies for US! We were most excited to get our technology back: camera, computer and a brand new iPad! We're connected again. It feels good.

The next morning we headed off in our little rental car towards Hazyview. We were booked to stay at the Kruger Park Lodge for six nights, giving us ample time to explore Kruger and relax by the pool. And our week consisted of exactly that. It was perfect. I will have to make a separate post designated solely to Kruger. Yes, it was that awesome! We had such a successful day on our first try we decided to leave it at that and explore other things in the area instead of going back.

We explored Sabie Valley Coffee, Pilgrims Rest, a number of waterfalls, Blyde River Canyon, ate delicious food, relaxed at our timeshare, played golf, etc etc. It was the perfect week and we were only half way through our trip. Friday we headed back to Swaziland through the nearest border post. This decision seemed sensible. It turned into a rush to the border that turned out to be closing at 4:00pm, on a low gas tank, and rental papers that didn't match the car we were driving (that's another story!). We were nervous we wouldn't make it for one and that they would scrutinize our papers and not let us in. Those set backs turned out to be the least of our worries. We crossed the border with ease and headed off through a little remote village that used to be a asbestos mine. Within a kilometer we realized that we might not end up making it due to the condition of the road. We quickly discovered we were going to have to make it 20k's on a mountainous, rocky, dirt road with little signage and massive ditches across the road at every turn. But we made it! We made it in a KIA Cerato with 3inches of clearance. Eeek!

We made it home just before dark. We were all anxious to get out of the car and just BE in Swaziland. It felt good to be home.

The next day was filled with visiting our community, it's members, our host family and of course the garden! Kevin and I went running that morning. Everyone was excited to see that we were back and hadn't disappeared back to the states. If people don't see us for a week or so they all think we moved back to the USA. EEEK! Battery is running out. I am going to just post so you all can at least see the pics! Basically, they Kiker's love Swaziland. They have already received a chicken in a bag and two grass mats from our community. Everyone loved meeting our family!

Tonight we are staying at a beautiful place called Forester Arms Hotel. Delicious food, beautiful grounds and an amazingly serene setting. We will definitely have to come back.

We have two days left and a lot to see.

Enjoy the pics :) back again soon with more from our trip around South Africa and the Swaz!