Marist: Mother Africa--Safari and the great outdoors!

Hello all, today the group embarked on a journey from Durban to Hluhluwe National Park, where we had the opportunity to go on a safari. However, due to being out in Hluhluwe away from modern civilization, we will not be able to post many pictures until wednesday morning but we've compensate for not posting pictures today with a great deal of detail and humor about our adventures today. If anyone is offended in anyone we apologize-- this is not meant to offend anyone but to bring humor to the students adventures.

National Geographic has nothing compared to what our fresh safari eyes saw today. We did not see all of the “Big Five” (Elephant, Water Buffalo, Leopard, Rhino, Lion), but we were up close and personal to some pretty prolific life species. While some usually associate the Giraffe with the logo of ‘Toys R Us’, there is a fine line between being a company’s mascot from being in striking distance of your hunter green 4x4 sports utility vehicle. The day was hot in the African bush, but our heads were protected by a strong canvas covering our four wheel chariot. The rugged terrain that we conquered today in our journey sprawled an amazing 1800 hectares of land that held an abundance of luscious flora and fauna along with your occasional cacti. We set out on our expedition at 1400 hours with the almighty sun still baking the flaky red African soil. Can you picture it?

The trekkers made their way over the treacherous landscape avoiding deaths grasp at every turn in search of gold, diamonds, and adventure. They knew their time in the park would be brief so we took in the sights as if they were oxygen and we basked in the beauty that is Hluhluwe National Park. This convoy of fearless Americans from the prestigious higher educational institution known as Marist College started out traveling together where they first encountered some disgruntled Wart Hogs and their offspring. The journeymen later cautiously approached a gorge teeming with hungry, hungry Hippos. The girth of these giant beasts was comparable to a 2008 Ford F-150 and there was no doubt that these creatures had the strength of a Hemi engine.

At times the fearless were distracted not by impressive mammalian, but by the perilous pathways that they were forced to voyage through. Though they were equipped with Goodyear tires as pillows on the relentless terrain and the king size Sleepy’s Mattresses of off-road vehicles, their tour was anything but dreamy and at several times throughout the expedition they found themselves at the mercy of fresh African mud (the worst kind). A literal fork in the road led to the convoy parting paths and from this moment on the two vehicles would now have two different tales to pass down to future generations.

To the brave there was a minor disappointment with the lack of big cat predators and Mufasa. However, the various species of prey were certainly roaming the bush in great numbers. They were all impressed by the sheer speed and agility of the playful Impala and Nyala. One group of the heroic went toe to toe with one of nature’s “Big Five”. At what seemed to be an arms length away the group held their ground in the face of danger when confronted by a magnificent white Rhinoceros with an abnormally large horn. The great beast lingered in their presence for quite some time before growing bored with the awestruck group and their immeasurable amounts ‘Sony Cybershot 2100’ photos. Meanwhile over yonder, the other squadron was busy climbing Giraffe as if they were nothing more than a painter’s step stool. These were not the only beautiful beasts that were viewed on this momentous day with others making a cameo appearance such as the majestic Zebra, the bewildered Wildebeest, and Chuck Norris in the critically acclaimed film ‘Dodgeball.’

As the sun went down the brave men & women decided to head back after a long day on safari in Mother Africa. However, she did not want it to be such a simple ending for them and decided to entrap their trucks in mud as sticky as Maple syrup on your Sunday morning short-stack. While one group was able to maneuver their vehicle through a rough patch and escape imminent danger, the other group did not fair as well. They were forced to toss aside concern for their material possessions such as beloved denim stitching of Levi jeans and over priced earth toned UGZ boots while they pushed the rear of their immobilized 4x4 to relieve it of the earth’s kung fu grip. They rode back feeling fulfilled and overzealous with joy. A few philosophic passengers reminisced to themselves the old Sicilian proverb, “You can take the person out of the USA but you can’t take the USA out of the individual (we all bring parts of ourselves with us while learning and understanding different cultures).” This saying certainly applied to the day’s happenings and the mud that covered their exhausted bodies could never hide their elation for what Mother Nature had allowed them to witness.