Planet of the Apes..

So taking up where I ran out of steam yesterday (courtesy of jetlag, I was able to painstaking download these multiferous photos one by one-I wonder if they will cause servers to crash....)

ANYWAY eventually we were forced to leave the pool of kings/gods/yumminess and made our way back to abode across the Bridge of Time. (which dramatically shakes and steams on the hour-rather Disney)

We were chilling out, admiring the view...

When a tourist informed me that a monkey had my waterbottle.Nooooooo, it was just given to me by my dad that morning and I really liked it. It was much like A Dingo has my baby!

He scampered away (but not too fast-just to show us that he really did not fear us), and retreated to a shady nook where he dispensed with the lid, poured out all the water and commenced to chew..

Getting a little more comfy to chew..(that's him between the elephant's legs)

It was a very SA scenario, since while we were thus distracted by this shock and awe tactic, his friend was sneaking up behind us and attempting to steal our entire bag. When I turned around and caught him in the act, I started shouting at him half heartedly (since he is not that much smaller then me and a lot more strong/long/pointy of tooth) and he started to make threatening lunges towards me (I'm sure he was bored inside though). At this point Marc intervened (they respected Marc of course) and they took off without all our worldly goods. Little schysters.

I have good video of all of this including me panning wildly as I dropped the camera when I was warned that I was surrounded. It includes the baboons folowing us into the casino (despite me confidently saying that they would not, as they "knew their boundaries") and ripping the tablecloth off the convention table. Just to show us who was boss. Sort of like gang graffiti.  Also footage of the stupid tourist who kept trying to get the baby baboon to give him "five" until the mommy baboon finally decided to inform him how idiotic he was being. That night we crashed the wedding where Thalia had been maid of honour. (We got a late invite to the reception). Here are Thalia and Luke swing dancing. He is younger by 11 months. I still think of them as "the babies" it is so bizarre and cute to me that they can do things like write...

Day ? The next day: (day of 1000 pictures)

We had brunch here It is under a waterfall. So lovely.

This badorable baby entertained us.

The view from the outside.

After we were sufficiently overfed we travailled across the swinging rope bridge

It's swinginess aided by our menfolk jumping up and down on either side.

Saw some pretty stuff on the way back up to pool of gods/princesses/awesomeness...

Whereupon we situated ourselves and had Marc order us specialized umbrella drinks. Tough times.

After killing an hour happily in this fashion, Shona and I departed to have high tea at the palace:

A welcoming elephant

Ladies who lunch (or tea)

I am fascinated by small beautiful food. Actually I'm fascinated by all miniaturized things, but particularly by artistically rendered food. Do you see the elephant tusks and the bird's face?

After we had stuffed ourselves nigh unto incapacitation, we illicitly explored the palace. While we were staying on the grounds ,we only had a "pass" to have tea in the dining room of the Palace. Think royalty and serfs. We were the serfs.  We cleverly dispensed of our little green wrist-bands though (we should be spies, so devious are we). And wandered around, taking copious pictures (which clearly identified us as plebians we were),  waiting to be hauled out at any moment.

Part of a ceiling:

Closer up. If you look closely you can see my water bottle.

overlooking the "crystal dining room"

Another bit of ceiling

out on one of the balconies..

A light in the bathroom which pleased Shona very much.

Those flowers smelled divine.

See the "elephant tusks"

The bathroom. One day I may have a formal room half as nice as this bathroom. The towels stacked there were all egyptian cotton. We did not know what to do with them, so we put them in our handbags. KIDDING. There are little hampers....see

Shona doing her Princess Di at the Taj Mahal imprression.

Just one of the little canopies set up for people to randomly rest at

Foot of large bird resting on canopy

little waterfall and garden next to random canopy

Where the legitimate guests have cocktails I guess..

Haha "close up" of water lilies. Oh the things I could have done with my new baby (Nikon D40-it makes these photos look like Monets) Actually, these photos look like impressionistic renditions without being compared to anything. I am deeply ashamed. Not to worry.

Picture taken by us since we could not very well be asking a palace servant.

Waterfalls across from where we are sitting here..

Cool stone buck. Springbok?

Cool fountain

This is where we watched real guests arrive and leave and played "is he her daddy or her sugardaddy/is she is daughter or his trophy wife". It was here where I informed Shona that the only way I would ever marry in the case of Aaron's untimely demise would be if the guy was rich enough to bring me here on a regular basis. To this she kindly informed me that those guys only marry the pretty girls. (But she meant that in the nicest possible way.) And yet I still love her.

The doors (technically closed to us)

Palace starts lighting up at dusk and birds start roosting in trees

Tragically blurry shot of the palm tree as we walked into the sunset.

Away from all the opulence. All those people looked totally miserable anyway....yeah......

Comments

[Jen]

Aaaahhh, those summer-y pictures are a perfect way to brighten up a winter-y day.

Let's have a BG reunion in SA someday.

[Amy]

I am sooo enjoying your travelogue. Showed Lucas the baboon with your water bottle. He got a real kick out of that! (Me too, actually.) Missed you and so glad you are back but I can see why you are homesick for SA.

[Jessica]

What a seriously beautiful country. :) Completely laughing out loud at the water bottle...
Love reading/seeing about your trip....but, where, oh where is **my** Seth?

Anxiously awaiting part 3....