Well, after a bit of persuasion, our youngest, Autumn succeeded in
having us come and visit her in Madagascar. Really, that exotic and
remote island has never been on our bucket list, but we went
anyway! Had an amazing time! I left Nov 5th and returned home on Nov 30th...so it was quite the journey! Doyle drove from Tuba City to Phoenix and after a few days with friends and classes we left for the mysterious African wilds!
My part of the journey began with a "good buddies" reunion. Carol and I went to AZ to spend a week in the sun with our good friend Deanna! We went to ghost towns, had a tour of a local Olive Mill and enjoyed one of the biggest outdoor swap meets I have ever seen! Good times!
Carol, Jeanne and Deanna
Before we left Phoenix we were able to spend a day with our friends and
Japan Missionaries, John and Pat Jarvis. Gracious as always, we enjoyed
catching up with them!
After our week in Phoenix we headed to New York to see Dan and his sweet girlfriend,
Sandra, as well as Ammon and his lovely wife Ailene.
Sandra, as well as Ammon and his lovely wife Ailene.
They all seem to be doing well, and we are excited as Ammon and Ailene will be
increasing the family with a little boy in May. (Haven is due in March with a little girl)
So that will make 8 little grandbabies for us!
Ammon and Ailene's NY apt is small so they put us up at a nearby hotel...had a great view!
Flew across the great blue and landed in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Jacaranda
and Bougainvillea were everywhere and in full bloom...was warm and felt
like the beginning of a lovely summer!
Found a beautiful little guesthouse in the suburbs of the city and made
this our home base as we explored this lovely area.
Had to stop and get some pictures of the Johannesburg temple. Sadly, no time to attend!
Arranged for a private tour of the Pilansburg Game Preserve and enjoyed
our day seeing so many animals and learning so much about
the country, it's culture and wildlife from our excellent guide!
Loved watching these two youngsters playing in the waterhole!
There were about 12 in the herd and we kept our distance as there were
3 or 4 calves in the group.
Gnu's or wildebeests were seen in various areas of this 110,000 acre game park.
These zebras (and one Gnu) did not seem concerned as our
jeep pulled closer for a better picture.
jeep pulled closer for a better picture.
Mr Rhino was not delighted to see us so we moved on rather quickly!
This hippo was spending his day in the water to keep cool. Most people are
unaware that hippos are very dangerous and account for more human deaths
than any other herbivore! No petting the hippos!
Our flight was delayed so we had time to look up some folks from Doyle's resident days! Hans and Cynthia Pretorius dropped everything and spent the day showing us around the capital city, Pretoria. Such delightful hosts- we had a lovely day!
The Voertrekker Museum sits prominently on a hill in Pretoria and tells the story of the early Dutch settlers and their struggles with both the Zulu and the British and their trek to the North.
view from her 4th floor apartment.
center of the block out of Autumn's window. Tremendous poverty is rampant in this country.
There is a reason that CRS and other charities operate here to help these people!
After a day to catch our breath we flew to Nosy Be, a resort island northwest of Madagascar and enjoyed several days of relaxing on the beach, snorkeling and seeing the local sights.
The view through the sliding wooden doors of our bungalow was heavenly!
Lemurs are native to Madagascar and holding a banana will bring them
bounding out of the trees to eat out of your hand.
These large chameleons were a bit annoyed at our handling them,
but they are safe and colorful!
Oh the lovely sunsets over this forgotten land!
After the banana frenzy, I managed to photo this mom and her baby looking for more treats.
Bidding farewell to our island paradise and soon to our sweet Autumn!!!
After 37 hours, we arrive in Phoenix and our good friends Doug and Connie picked us up at the airport...thanks for the unwind time!! Here we are after a session at the beautiful Mesa Temple!
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