A Turtle in the park

Ben and I are preparing to take another dream vacation...this time with our friends, the Gaspers. We are going to Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe in two days. We will also visit Botswana for a safari...I will get some more stamps in my passport! Woohoo! That said, we took it easy this past weekend. We opted for a "picnic" at Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens...though we didn't do the hike this time.

Our picnic was more of a quick bite to eat as we sat on a beach towel...I guess we just aren't the sort for a leisurely picnic! Unless we have more food and more company.... Not to mention the fact we packed very simple fair and there were lots of bugs. And you know how I feel about bugs.

Anyway, we ate our lunch in record pace and then strolled around the park. I was very excited to come upon some wildlife at the end of a path- a turtle! Ben approached it first, thinking it was just a rock, but sure enough, it was a real turtle! Of course I had to push my limits to see how close he would let me get! I believe he liked me, because he let me get quite close...I even sneaked a feel of his shell! Turtles are pretty fascinating creatures. They make such interesting noises while they eat (grass), it's almost human in sound. And they have such a cool ability to crawl into their shell when they feel the need! So cool! My little guy only retreated into his shell once. When Ben was finally able to pull me away from my perch, the turtle (Raphael) followed me for a bit! Aww, it felt so good to make a friend.

Honestly, I think Ben just wanted to find a place to sit. Lucky for him, we located a wooden viewing structure (with benches) overlooking a pond. That's where we watched a few birds work on nests and guard their designated branches. I suppose I never realized how much my husband likes birds. Maybe it's because we don't have much bird variety in Kansas...at least where we live.

Without much else to do, we eventually decided it was time to go on home (to the South Africa location). I wish I had more exciting stuff to share, but that is basically it for now. I am sure I will write up a storm when we return from Victoria Falls. Woohoo! That's one of the bonuses of living here in South Africa, we get to travel...although it was never something I before desired... I like my Kansas home.