Soaking Up the Sun in Mozambique! Farewell from SAF 3A
July 24, 2024
Hi from South Africa for the last time!
The last few days of this trip were absolutely incredible! We spent 4 incredible days and nights in Mozambique, spending our time on the beach, swimming in the ocean, surfing, and taking a trip to the local markets to buy gifts for ourselves and our families.
On our first day, we woke up and had the morning ocean safari! We were all out on the boat when we saw a pod of humpback whales swimming next to us close by, which was such an amazing encounter! Then later that afternoon we went to the Mozambique markets to haggle and buy gifts for our loved ones. McCall, Hayes, Margaret, and Eliza loved haggling with the market workers to buy presents, Margaret putting in tons of care into buying her dad a birthday present. This trip to the markets was amazing, and. Everyone enjoyed looking at all of the amazing handmade items that the people there made. After this, we filled our free time playing games and enjoying the beach in front of our accommodations. Cash and I played a long and fun game of frisbee with a container lid that we found on the beach, getting better at throwing the difficult disc and enjoying the challenge.
The next day, we surfed in the morning! Shelby caught great waves, bringing so much energy and positivity to the group as always. Maggie also crushed it on this day, though at first she was not confident in her skills, she quickly became one of the best in the group and crushed it, catching waves all the way to the shore. Eloise had an amazing time at the beach, she loved being in the sun and enjoying the beautiful weather. Beau also especially loved the surfing, he was catching tons of waves and inspiring others in the group to push themselves and enjoy living in the moment. Then, later that afternoon after a delicious lunch at our outfitters restaurant, we went on our second and final ocean safari! Though overall the goal was to see a whale shark, we instead ended up having an incredible encounter with a manta ray! At first, we jumped in and swam with it from a distance for a short time. Then, we all got out of the water, expecting the amazing experience to be over, when our skipper brought the boat back around and we got to swim right up next to it! It was the best manta ray encounter anyone could have hoped for! Camilla got some incredible footage of it swimming with everyone with her again perfectly timed GoPro footage! After the ocean safari, we spent our free time at the pool hanging out, swimming, and playing chess together before our yummy dinner and moonup.
On our last full day in Mozambique we all woke up together to watch our last sunrise. Everyone enthusiastically woke before sunrise and walked down the long and wooden steps that led down to the beach. There we sat together, quietly enjoying the bright pink and blue sky as the last day began. For our morning activity we had our last surfing lesson! All of the kids could not get enough of being out in the water and catching the waves. It was a tiring and rewarding way to spend our last morning! After this, we had a coconut cooking class. Everyone got to see how the members of this local community make their meals, and shave coconut by hand, climb trees to retrieve them, and even taste fresh coconut! Everyone got to use the coconut dough to make their own bread rolls, and the shapes were hilarious and cute, with pizzas, Claude and I’s faces, pretzels, hearts, and more. We then got to enjoy these delicious rolls with pineapple, fish, and the matapa we had helped to make. After this we had the stunning Dow boat ride through the mangroves of the bay in Tofo beach. We slowly sailed through the lush plants and shallow clear blue water for a few hours, listening to music, laughing, taking pictures, watching the flamingos fly over the horizon. After three sessions, Claude and I had come to realize that this activity as the last of the trip was the best way to possibly end such an incredible 16 days together. We all enjoyed our fruit and coconut snacks, reminisced on our favorite memories from the trip, marveled at the view, and lived in the “be where your feet are” mentality. This group has been so special and fun to be around. They are always laughing, being silly, and appreciating the gift of being disconnected from the grid in a magical place.
The next day, we woke up early and left on the long car ride to the Mozambique airport. The kids filled the 6 hours with contemplation out the window, games, talking about memories, and taking in all that has happened over the past couple weeks. We safely flew back to Johannesburg and had a yummy banquet dinner of pizzas and milkshakes in the airport before everyone boarded the plane. We are now lifting off to return back home, and everyone is so excited to see the familiar faces and family they have missed so much.
With love and gratitude,
Claude and Anna
Checking in from Africa!
July 19, 2024
HI FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!
Today we arrived at our next campsite in South Africa for the service work section and continuation of our safari. When we arrived, everyone was amazed and excited to see how beautiful our new campsite was! Our tents were right on the banks of the lake, surrounded by beautiful brush and home to interesting wildlife, including hippos and alligators. The walk to the tents on the dirt path was filled with our footprints mixed with those of many other animals who walked freely through the camp, including, but not limited to, the beautiful roebuck and other small deer. Hayes was especially excited to learn that he could fish off the dock by the water and spent tons of time there! For this first afternoon activity, we had an incredible riverboat cruise! We took out a pontoon boat onto the water for a few hours to cruise and watch the sunset. We saw crocodiles sunbathing and enjoyed delicious snacks and the fresh air as we listened to music and relaxed alongside the crocodiles. After this, we had a yummy dinner before moonup and going to bed.
On our first full day, we had our first day of service work! We arrived at a local orphanage filled with young kids and walls that needed painting! The group quickly got to work painting the outside of the buildings with navy blue paint, with only a few paint fights starting that day. We then spent midday playing a big group soccer game and playing with the young kids on this gorgeous sunny day. Camilla and McCall crushed it in goal, and Margaret even scored four goals for her team! After heading back to camp for some free time before our afternoon game drive, we spent time hanging out by the water, fishing, talking, reading, and enjoying the beautiful day. Maggie and Camilla even joined me for some summer reading as we relaxed in the sun. Our afternoon game drive was filled with amazing animal encounters. We quickly found Marakele, the alpha male lion on the reserve, resting between confrontations with the new male lion who was released earlier that week. It was an amazing encounter, seeing them both napping under some trees. After this, we saw more elephants, and my safari car got the chance to see a white rhino mother with her two-week-old baby in the cutest encounter all summer! After this, we had our snack stop with the signature mango, jerky, and mixed nuts, and filled the time watching the sunset and improving our hacky sack skills. We then had a delicious dinner by the water before moonup and going to bed.
The next day, we had our second day of service work. We returned to the orphanage to finish up the painting work we had not completed the day before, now much more experienced and ready to finish our jobs. Eliza, Margaret, Shelby, Eloise, McCall, Camilla, and Maggie had a great time playing with the kids, spinning themselves and the kids around on the playground equipment, while Beau, Hayes, and Cash worked up a sweat pushing kids on the swings. Beau will always be one of the most humble, funny, inclusive, and open-hearted campers. He and Cash are always pulling everyone into the hacky sack games and are constantly practicing with the hacky sack or a soccer ball during all free moments, determined to improve their skills along with Claude and me. Eliza is always quick to make everyone laugh and throw herself into our activities. She can tell a story and captivate the whole group’s attention. McCall has the best sense of humor, always radiating positivity and kindness in all that she does. Shelby is one of the most outgoing and hilarious campers here, always supporting everyone and sporting a huge smile all the while. Eloise never fails to make everyone laugh, whether through her efforts in hacky sack, her quick wit, or funny stories from home. Camilla’s contagious laughter and kind heart are guiding forces in the group. Maggie’s kind presence also had a huge impact on the kids, her warmth always radiating love. We also had another rigorous game of hacky sack death sack at the village, never making it long enough to narrow down to the final two. Later that afternoon, we had another game drive! During this game drive, we had beautiful encounters with an entire herd of elephants. They came right up to our car, and we got the chance to see the gigantic bull elephant feeding with the herd, which he usually doesn’t do. We had our snack stop at another dock on the lake, appreciating the sunset over the water and watching the crocodiles lazily swim nearby. For dinner, we had an amazing South African barbeque and pudding dessert.
The next day was Nelson Mandela Day! For this special national holiday, instead of heading to the village to do our work there, all the elders came to our campsite, where we helped to set up and host the lunch and celebration of the important holiday! We set up all the tables and chairs, then got the opportunity to individually welcome all of the 190+ local visitors with sodas and greetings of “ashay” and shaking hands before serving them their lunches and handing out blankets to everyone. We then helped to clean up and say goodbye to everyone before our afternoon bush walk! We were headed out to do this walk when our guides came upon some lion tracks in the road. We all disembarked and began walking and tracking them, learning how to identify and read the many different kinds of tracks that can be found throughout the bush. We learned about the behavior of different animals and experienced the landscape we had been viewing from the comfort of our vehicles up close and personal. We watched our last South African sunset and enjoyed the beautiful land, having a peaceful and educational walk. After this, we had our dinner in the bush and a bush sleep-out where we all got to camp out under the stars! We had a delicious buffet dinner by the fire that we gathered around for the next few hours, sharing stories with our guides and each other, enjoying the warmth, and appreciating how amazing it was that we got to be there. This night was filled with laughs and warmth by the fire.
Today we woke up in the bush, and on our way back to camp, we happened upon seven cheetahs running and playing across the road in front of us! We got to see all of them running around and playing with each other in the closest encounter we have had all summer, and it was an incredible way to start the last day we have in South Africa! We then had a yummy buffet breakfast at camp, packed up, and headed to the Johannesburg airport hotel where we will spend the night before going to Mozambique tomorrow for the last incredible section of this trip.
Everyone is so excited to get to the beach in Mozambique and begin our next activities and enjoy the last few days of the trip!
-Ann and Claude
Shoutouts:
Cash: hi mom and dad, im having am amazing time in South Africa, tell Marley and Sam I said hello. Love yall, cash
McCall: hey fam!! I’m having such a good time! I love my group so much! We are so close. Mom I need you to ship the clothes I rented… her instagram is rentmcloset. Maddie will help you. Tell C I say happy birthday and tell strobe I miss him! I love y’all and can’t wait to tell yall everything! Xoxo McCall
Shelby: hey mom and dad! I’m still alive and having a great time! Missing you! Love you see you soon (What’s up strobe!)
Eloise: hi fam! I’m having the best time ever! Love this place and people sooo much! Say hi to olive and poise! Xoxo eloise
Margaret: het mom and dad! I love and miss yall so much!! I am having such a fun time and loving my group! Happy early birthday dad hope you have a good day <3<3. Tell Webb and Eliza I say hi! Xoxo Margaret
Eliza: hey mom and dad! Africa is unreal! So far we have seen so many animals and culture. The sunsets here are insane! I miss y’all so much and I cant wait to tell yall about our adventures! Give holly a bug hug for me and tell Alexander I say hi! Love you guys! Aweh Aweh!! Xo Eliza (hey strobe!)
Camilla: hey fam! I miss you all so much but am having an amazing time here. The animals we have seen are sooo cool! Tell Bonner Riley Bay and Lula I say hi! Love yall so much, Camilla
Maggie: hey mom and dad! I’m having an amazing time! I’ve loved seeing all the amazing animals and I loved playing with the village children! I hope Russel is having a blast at camp! Thank you so so much for this amazing trip and opportunity! Love and miss yall! Maggie
Beau: hey y’all im having a great time here in Africa, tell everyone I said hi. Love yall see you soon!
Hayes: Hey mom and dad!
Greetings from South Africa: Our Epic Safari Adventure
July 14, 2024
HI FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!
The kids all landed in Johannesburg safely, and we began the trip at our airport hotel after a delicious dinner and fun first Moonup. The next day, after a yummy breakfast buffet and gathering our things together we headed off to our first campsite at the safari game reserve. We arrived after a short car ride where the kids all talked and played games together to pass the time. We arrived at our new accommodations, and everyone was amazed with how beautiful it all was and how close we were to all the nearby zebras, giraffes, and rhinos. We then had some lunch and began the afternoon with our first game drive where we got to see some zebras, wildebeest, and rhinos! Everyone felt so lucky to see so many animals on our first day, and by the time dinner came around and we reminisced on all of the cool things we saw, spirits were high for the next day.
The following morning began with a delicious breakfast before the rhino darting experience. Everyone got super involved with the medical aspects of the experience, making the most of this unique chance to get up close and personal with such an incredible animal in a way that not many get to do. McCall got to clean out the infected area of the rhino with Camilla, helping make sure that the treatment worked. Camilla also got to spray on an infected area, helping to make sure that the ticks left the rhino alone! Eliza got to remove and attach a new tracking collar to the ankle of the rhino so that the vets could continue to monitor it in the future. Eloise got to insert a gps microchip into the rhino horn and fill the hole with putty as a preventative measure against possible poaching. Cash got to insert an oxygen tube into the rhinos nose and continue to help with the important job of monitoring the oxygen intake and make sure that the rhino remained healthy during the sedation process. Margaret got to drill the hole into the rhino horn to insert the GPS chip and then collect the DNA of the shavings to be studied. Maggie got to draw blood from the rhino so that the vets could run bloodwork tests. Shelby helped with the rhino shots and medications that are necessary to help fight the infection and keep the rhino healthy. Beau assisted Maggie in the bloodwork and helped to push over the rhino and adjust its position throughout the entire procedure. Hayes got to administer antibiotics and measure the rhino horn and log the growth since the last darting.
After this we had a delicious lunch by a gorgeous pond where hippos floated nearby. We listened to some music and enjoyed the stunning view on this sunny day by the water, where reeds blew in the wind and the kids took amazing pictures. Later this afternoon, we all did some yoga stretching together during our free time and played cards before our afternoon game drive where we got to feed Cape buffalo, rhinos, and sables from the back of a truck with supplementary alfalfa that they need during the winter months in order to stay healthy. The kids got to throw the feed from the back of a truck as these amazing animals followed us closely behind, getting up close and personal with them. After this, we finished our game drive and had a sunset snack stop with some delicious fruit snacks and sodas, appreciating the beautiful orange skies over the expansive bush. We then had dinner and a delicious special dessert to celebrate Eliza’s birthday! We all sang happy birthday and celebrated her on this day, and she was so happy to be in such a wonderful place on this awesome day.
The next day after breakfast we had our morning cheetah walk! We got the chance to walk out into the bush and found two male cheetahs getting some much needed shade during the hot morning, relaxing after hunting earlier that morning. The common sentiment among the kids was that they wanted to go and pet and cuddle the adorable looking cheetahs. After this we had some free time and lunch before our afternoon lion game drive! On the way to the lions, we happened to see a rare grass owl, which amazed our guides since they are not often seen. Eloise even got an amazing action shot of it flying! Then, we got to see the entire pride of lions that live on the reserve, including the alpha male, the two adult females, and the seven baby lion cubs, all resting after a big wildebeest meal, rolling on their backs, playing, and napping together in the shade. We were within 10 feet of them, and we even got the chance to go back for a second sighting after the first one! After this we had a snack stop at Claude and I’s favorite spot for an amazing view. This spot was out in the middle of the bush with a gigantic fig tree that sits in the middle of an open plain in front of a stunning mountain. We all enjoyed our snacks, played games, listened to music, and appreciated the view. Meanwhile, an entire troop of over 100 of baboons, with babies and adults, did a perimeter sweep around us before climbing the tree we had been admiring. After this, we headed back to camp for dinner and Moonup led by our leaders of the day Eloise and Beau.
We woke up and had the ground hornbill educational experience. During this, we all got the chance to learn more about this not well known endangered species, persecuted for their love of breaking any surface they can see their reflection in and terrorizing towns. The kids all got the chance to see their nests, learn about them, and understand why protecting these animals is so important and why they are so interesting. After this, we had a delicious picnic brunch overlooking the bush on top of a cliff. We had fun conversations, took some amazing pictures, and ate yummy food while we sat on this elevated rock face and got some sun.
After this we had free time where the kids read, played card games, and talked while enjoying the amazing weather that we are lucky enough to have. A lot of summer reading was done today after this, we had our elephant game drive! We had an incredible sighting of the elephants today. We saw the entire group out in the open, with one female laying on the ground, the rest surrounding her spraying dust on their backs and cooling off. One female even approached us, swaying calmly back and forth and giving us a warning to stay back, protecting her family. This sighting was so incredible and everyone had an amazing experience seeing them.
After this we headed to another favorite spot with an insanely beautiful view overlooking the bush at Christmas hill! Here we watched the sunset slowly, Claude and I teaching the kids about how to track how much time is left in the sunset before the sun dips below the horizon by using your fingers to measure the time in 15 minute increments. Beau even balanced a hockey sack on his head for 45 of those minutes impressively, and during the other time the hockey sack was occupied by Cash practicing his skills. Here, we enjoyed the sunset, played games like don’t touch my rock, made each other laugh, and lived in the moment in the true Moondance spirit. Once we finished here and arrived back at camp, we had a crazy delicious final African feast prepared by the amazing staff at our campsite with a yummy chocolate cake dessert before having Moonup and hanging out around the bonfire together and trying to scare off the local bush pig who frequents us every night.
So far, this group has been absolutely amazing! Every kid here truly knows how to emulate the Moondance spirit, living in the moment with gratitude and knowing how to love one another to make this trip the best it possibly can be. We cannot wait to begin the next section of the trip where we will be doing our cultural immersion and service work section and then have some more incredible safari experiences!
With love and gratitude,
Anna and Claude
Safe Arrival in South Africa!
July 11, 2024
Hello South Africa 3A Families!
We have heard from our leaders that the group is all safely in South Africa and the trip is off to a great start. We can’t wait to hear more about their adventures!
Moondance HQ
