May 20, 2011
May 20, 2011
Good morning, all,
Sorry this is the first time you’ve heard from me since I left on Tuesday. I feel like I’ve lost an entire week. Weird. I’ll fill you in on everything, although, it feels like I should have much more to share given the amount of time I’ve been away.
I slept 8 of the 9-hour-flight from Dallas to London. Then I had a 6-hour layover. I walked around, ate some breakfast, watched a DVD about being a better speaker, and read my book. Then, it was time to board my next flight. I slept 8 of the 10-hour-flight to Johannesburg. The girl in the seat next to me got airsick and threw up in her little bag a few times. Yummy. I arrived on Thursday morning.
Aldyth (the main conference lady) picked me up and we ate breakfast in the airport. (So far, the food isn’t very good. So grateful for nuts and protein bars.) She took me to the lodge where we’re staying. It is lovely. There are only ten rooms and it is more like a guest lodge than a hotel. I have a very pretty view of a deck and trees and grass. (Unfortunately, it is the home of a family of geese who like to throw parties in the middle of the night and in the early morning hours.)
Jennifer arrived the night before I got here so I had coffee with her and her traveling companion, Angela, as soon as I checked in. She got a new haircut and she looks adorable. After I took a very quick shower, we drove an hour to the elephant sanctuary. We spent five hours there, learning anything and everything you’d ever want to know about elephants. It was truly a hands-on experience. We got to feed them and then we got to touch them all over their bodies and then they held our hand (with their trunks) while we walked them around the park and then we got to ride them. It was a surprisingly smooth and comfortable ride. It was a wonderful experience and I took tons of pictures.
Alas, I got back to the lodge and discovered I left my camera battery charger at home!!!! So, now my camera is dead and my pictures are trapped inside and I have no way of taking any more pictures. I’m hoping to find a solution of some kind today. Please pray.
It was all I could do to stay awake on the drive back to the lodge. Thankfully, we didn’t have time for a nap once we arrived. It was off to dinner. (Again, not yummy.) Jennifer wanted to stay up and talk but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I came back to the room, dressed in my jammies and layered with a sweatshirt (it is cold here) and crawled in bed and slept 10 hours. I am now up and it is after midnight to you on Thursday night and it is Friday morning to me. Even though I got plenty of sleep, my body feels like it should still be in bed for another 6 or 8 hours.
I love you and miss you so much,
Mom Me
P.S. For pictures from today’s visit to the Elephant Sanctuary, click here. (This is my Facebook Page. While you’re visiting, please join the “Lisa Whelchel Community Page.)
Posted by weblion at 09:34 PM
