Cheetahs!

Everyone knows the cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. It can run 70 miles per hour!!!! So when we found out that we could see the cheetahs run at the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, I quickly added it to my MUST DO list.

The Centre is a breeding and research facility that was started by Ann van Dyk in 1971. Some of the cheetahs were rescued and others were born there. The Centre also has hyenas, wild dogs, carcals, honey badgers, vultures, among others. It was a highly impressive experience and we learned a lot.

Here are some cheetah facts you may not know:

- They are endangered. Only an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 remain in the wild

- After a cheetah makes a kill, they must eat very quickly before another predator takes it. Often the cheetah is so exhausted after the kill that they cannot eat before it is taken. This is a big threat to their survival.

- It takes a cheetah 3 strides to accelerate from 0 to 40 mph, and only a few more seconds to reach 70 mph

- They cannot retract their claws

- Cheetahs do not need to drink water, they get all they need from their prey

- The tail acts as a powerful rudder and also a stabilizer

- They are more active during the day than night

- The call of the cheetah is known as a “chirp” and sounds like sparrow

And, finally, here are photos from our adventure.

Has this convinced you to come visit so you can see the cheetahs?! :-)

Love,
Jess & Mat

limited edition chips

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We decided to celebrate the holiday today (Friday) because Mom and I returned from safari too late yesterday evening to cook a proper feast. Also, Mat had to work. Why, you ask? Because South Africa does not celebrate Thanksgiving. Most locals have heard of the holiday but don't know what it is. 

I came across a new limited edition chip flavor: Monkey Gland Sauce. I knew I had to share it with you guys immediately! What do you think? Would you try it? We did and it was actually pretty tasty. Don't worry, monkey glands are not on the ingredients list :-)  

Be back later today with another post.

Love,

Mat & Jess

Cradle of Humankind

Mom arrived last week and I think we have done a pretty good job of showing her South Africa. I will be uploading a lot of photos soon so you guys can see what we’ve been up to. I will start with her first adventure to the Cradle of Humankind.

The Cradle of Humankind is a World Heritage Site where the infamous skull of Mrs. Ples was found. In case you have forgotten your world history (like me!), Mrs. Ples is the most complete skull of early humankind ever found. She is approximately 2.3 MILLION years old! We actually learned that there is no way to determine if Mrs. Ples is actually a “Mrs.” and could, in fact, be a “Mr.”

The Cradle of Humankind is a two-part experience: museum and cave walk. The museum contained replicas of many fossils and a lot of information related to evolution and early humankind.

Mat did not accompany us on this adventure, and I gotta say he picked a good one to sit out. The whole place was a bit lackluster and kind of disappointing. If you ever travel to South Africa, I would probably avoid the place unless you are an avid museum-goer.

Here are a few photos of the day.

Love,

Jess & Mat

Daylight Savings & Spring Storms

Hello! Sorry things have been a bit quiet around the blog, but we have been laying low for the past couple of weeks. Jessica’s Mom is coming to visit this Sunday (for 3 weeks!), so I will have many new adventures for you to see very soon. The highlight of the trip will be a week in Cape Town and the surrounding areas. Yay! 

While many of you are waking up to a wonderful Daylight Saving Time Monday morning, I thought I’d share a little known fact: South Africa does not have daylight saving time. The time never changes here! I believe only 5 African countries observe DST. So, Eastern timezoners, we are now 7 hours ahead of you.

In other news, we have been enjoying the impressive Spring thunderstorms that have been happening a couple times a week. The storms come out of nowhere and usually include hail and a post-storm rainbow. Our house has some leaks, so we are usually running around putting buckets throughout the house to catch the overflow! 

Thanks for reading and remember to check back in a week or so for another round of adventures.

Love,

Jess & Mat