A Dissertation in 60 Days?

I had planned to take a day to rest and relax…I would sleep in, take a short trip to the Manzini Market, sit outside in the sun to read a book, go for a walk around town, and maybe even take a nap. It was certainly a day off, but not the lazy one I had planned. I woke up at 7:15 and felt the urge to do some transcribing. By 10, I was headed for the Manzini Market, where I bought a bunch of earrings and a 3 foot tall giraffe…this is going to be fun to try to get on the plane. Then I headed to meet some of my fellow guesthouse-mates for a bike ride through the Mlilwane Wilderness Reserve.

I pictured a short leisurely ride through the park. Instead, we hopped on our mountain bikes and started our 55km bike ride…35km of which was just getting to and from the park. I was completely unprepared for this to say the least. No sunscreen, no pack, no way to put my hair in a ponytail, no spare camera battery, and perhaps most importantly, no skills on a bike whatsoever. It was well worth it though. Biking is a great way to safari…you move too slow while walking and you miss too much while driving. The only tricky bit is taking pictures while also trying to control your bike, but you quickly figure out how to do this. The zebras were my favorite part, but we also saw a crocodile, hippos, and plenty of wildebeests, springboks, and impalas. And this was just a wilderness reserve…can’t wait for the big game parks!