It's like Eastern Washington -- except with monkeys

One day into this crazy adventure and it is already an overwhelming success.  I touched down in Johannesburg in the middle of a beautiful sunset.  I quickly jumped on another flight (after picking up my tickets and realizing I may have lost one of my games) to Durban.  I was picked at the airport by Trevor Francis who drove me an hour and a half to his beautiful home in Shelly Beach.

We had much great conversation.  He shared with me how he courted his wife Cindy (who was my contact) despite her being a South African that had lived in Seattle for 9 years.  It was a very moving story and showed how God had been working in their lives to make an unlikely marriage happen.

He was also very candid with me about the history of South Africa.  He and his wife are both white South Africans and he spoke of the bigoted racism of the Apartheid Government in South Africa.  He explained how there was still significant racism by both whites and blacks although progress is slowly be made.  There is much goodwill with the World Cup, but who knows what will happen after the Cup.  The whites are still the most well off and best educated although a black middle class is beginning to emerge.  There is corruption in the current government and there is a need for strong black leaders like Mandela and Tutu.  We also talked of the Church's role in both the Apartheid Government and in a new South Africa.

Cindy and Trevor have been the most amazing and gracious of hosts!  There was an amazing variety of South African treats waiting on my bed and I was a served a warm cup of Milo, which can only be described as a sort of chocolate malt drink.  I stared at the clear stars and learned of constellations that are only visible in the Southern Hemisphere.  It was interesting to learn of the Southern Cross which can be used to point to true South, certainly a little backwards for someone used to the Big Dipper and the North Star.

This morning Cindy cooked us up a delicious breakfast.  We then took off to a stunning game farm where we saw the likes of zebras and antelopes roaming free.  The scenery reminded me of Eastern Washington and Oregon -- except with monkeys which are apparently as common here as squirrels in the States.  I saw some gorgeous views of a gorge off a high suspension bridge and we wrapped up our tour with a nice outdoor lunch at the lodge.

As I write this, I just witnessed a breathtaking sunset from the house.  I have a sloppy and physical Chile / Switzerland match on in the background and I am savoring at the prospect of this evening's braai!  More to come on that later :)