Day 4 - Jane Goodall's Chimp Eden and Sudwala Cave

7:00 am

My FitBit watch battery died in the middle of the night, so my alarm didn't wake me an hour prior as planned. I am now officially without a watch (forgot the charger along with some other key supplies which will remain a secret....ask me later).

 David wakes me on the couch. I've opted for the living area so that both kids will sleep soundly in the bedroom. 

 Sidenote: If you ever drive when you travel overseas, I highly suggest you purchase a wireless hotspot. It is actually how I'm able to communicate with you now. I purchased mine on Amazon before I left, and I can't express how much it's helped keep us on the right road, avoiding traffic, and also able to reach out to friends and family back home. I opted for a super cheap one and it didn't function at all last night, but it has saved me enough to make it worth every penny. I connect my phone to it while we are on the road and most of the time will find enough connectivity here to get viable directions.

7:45 am

Water bottles, lunch accoutrements, sunscreen --the kids and I frantically gather our things to visit our two destinations today: Jane Goodall's Chimp Eden and Sudwala Caves. Both kids grab blankets from the room because they want to sleep on the way. (my daughter never sleeps on the way anywhere, but she did today) 


10:00 am

We arrive at Jane Goodall's Chimp Eden just in time for our 10am tour. There are two families of chimps that live here -- all of which have come from former "broken homes." Some come from circus acts, others were once pets, one was even chained to a tree outside a nightclub for 7 years and fed cigarettes and alcohol until he became dependent on both substances. 
The females are fitted with contraceptive devices (though two of them STILL got pregnant). They aren't in the business of making more chimps, but rather saving the ones that need a home. 

 Acclimating a new chimpanzee to a "family" requires so much work -- and may take up to years (one took 4 years) to successfully introduce them to the rest of the pack. 

 Before our arrival, I expect to hold a baby chimpanzee while I'm here, but once I learn about them and watch the display of behaviors and aggression, I decide I'm glad there are several fences to separate visitors from the chimps. The volunteers don't even get in the enclosures with these very wild animals. Cozy, the former performing chimp, picks up stones to throw at his human audience. He does this to get our reaction. Our guide intermittently warns us, "Duck down." Alas, no one is injured on the tour, and Cozy's other more amusing displays (tongue wagging, disco poses, and whooping) are pretty hilarious and heartwarming. 

1:00pm

After a short drive, we arrive at one of the oldest discovered caves on the planet. The Sudwala Cave existed when the continents were still just one land mass/supercontinent (what we call Pangaea). This cave also acted as a refuge for Swahili tribespeople during times of war. You can have your wedding reception here too if you want. It has a stone carved auditorium that seats 300 people and of course has the most incredible acoustics available. 


We eat lunch at the base of a 75-stair climb to the cave entrance. It's lunch meat wads and nuts for me today. 😎 Afterwards, we tour the much cooler cavernous innards of this historical place. Our guide reminds us the difference between stalactites (growing from the ceiling down) and stalagmites (growing from the ground up). (It's not until I type this blog that I actually learn how to spell stalactites and that makes me feel less informed. I am a spelling nerd). 

Like any cool historical place, the locals have colorful names for formations. There is the Weeping Madonna, The Screaming Monster, The Devil's [something or another], The Three Praying Nuns (there was a fourth "nun" stalagmite, but she fell over, so the joke is that she got tired of praying). 


The formations predate everything EXCEPT for when the only living thing on Earth was algae. I can't even being to describe how enormous they are and photos, though I will post them here, will do this place no justice at all. 

Lucky for everyone who has a sweet tooth in our family, there is a restaurant onsite that boasts about their Gourmet Milkshakes. So we (except me and Cathy) order one. Knowing I will be driving home, I order coffee instead. 


I happily drive the VW van every day. If it had more cup holders, I might say I would purchase one. I am thrilled to report that I have only driven on the WRONG side of the road on two occasions and luckily no cars or motorcycles were present to collide with us. 

Tonight we eat at home. Cathy makes a great Hamburger Helper. Eve prepares a spinach salad with strawberries. I eat the salad and some spicy sunflower seeds (and later a chicken breast, a Keto chocolate cup, and a glass of almond milk).

I announce to Cathy and David at dinner, "The kids and I have decided to take tomorrow off. You two go enjoy the Safari outing by yourselves." 

We are extremely exhausted and ready for a vacation from our vacation. Instead of viewing more animals in the wild, Eve, Landon, and I will be sitting poolside at the resort. After all, no one is fun when we are all tired, hungry, and grumpy. Monday is a rest/recuperation day. 

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