Off to Paris then on to South Africa!

Ahhhhh!  Where's this?  You got that?  How about the...?  It's scramble time as we pack our bags for our South African wildlife conservation tour.  It's off to the airport in a couple of hours where three cute little grandkids will wave good bye (can do that at the Jacksonville NC airport).  Our cat, Weasel, is staying with our daughter and everything else is safely stored.... we're about good to go then!

Long, wonderful layover in PARIS FRANCE!  How awesome is that?  There I was skimming over the reservation options, looking at the layover times... 11 hours!  We won't do that one... but wait, where is this layover?  PARIS!  Now that's another story.  What an unexpected surprise gift for this trip!

Russ layed out a whirlwind bus tour around this romantic city, along with time for strolling beside the river Seine and of course a stop of to experience the Notre Dame.  You bet we'll be posting photos and sharing the experience.

Then it's on to Jo'burg... 

I Chatted with a Real Hero Today!

On any given day you'll find Christo in the trenches fighting to save yet another rhino from a deadly poacher.

In 2005 Christo co-founded the South African Wildlife Conservation Foundation with the primary objective to preserve South Africa's beautiful wildlife.  Today he is almost obsessed to save the rhino.  For five years  he has sought NPO status without success.  For five years many rhino owe their very lives to Christo and his small group of wildlife warriors.

  

The Endangered Sable Antelope

Today I learned that more than once his hopes for sustainable funding has been dashed. Not too long ago he spent hours providing information, participating in meetings and visits with an outfit professing to help.  Fortunately for all, he discovered just in time that they wanted to turn his safe haven into a hunting ranch!  Then on another occasion, again with hopes for substantial funding on the horizon, it turned out the people only wanted his wildlife to sell off at auction!

With funds low and time elusive Christo hasn't budged from his goal to save the South African wildlife... he is a true warrior who stands firm against the "enemy" no matter how tempting the "mess of pottage" may appear.

Christo is a real hero for South African wildlife.  Thank you Christo!  And I'm sure I speak for many others and especially the hosts of wildlife who owe their existence to you.

Video Contest Finalists!

Awesome videos! Here is one of the great kid's wildlife videos...

[Watch the rest on YouTube.]

So Many New Friends Are Helping Out!

Thanks to all our new friends on Face Book and followers on Twitter! What a grand way to share our adventure with people like you from all over the world.

Here is a rough map of the places we'll be talking to wildlife conservationists and advocates:

We're looking to have many wonderful conversations as we make our visits like...

The Daktari Bush School and meeting Michele and Ian. This dedicated couple gives their time and money to create wildlife advocates out of local children and their families.

The African Bird of Prey Sanctuary is of course also on the list and we look forward to watching Shannon perform her magic with her free flights. Ben and Shannon devote their lives to reverse the trends toward raptor extinction.

Meeting with Will who owns and operates both a TV show and Leopard Rescue (the latter on a shoe string) will be another highlight of this trip. Protecting the leopard and other big cats are Will's passion.

Chatting with Tony who after 22 years finally was ready to fulfill his commitment when he created Monkeyland.

Then there’s Christo who started his own wildlife conservation foundation and is working tirelessly to stem the ever increasing horror of rhino dehorning by poachers.

These folk are a sampling of the diverse wildlife conservationists and advocates working in various parts of South Africa and with diverse endangered or threatened species that are included in this year’s tour.

Since April of 2010 we've devoted our time and resources to develop NIKELA to link people who care with those dedicated to saving the wildlife in South Africa.

Any help to defray the expense of this wildlife conservation tour (around $10,000 for airfare, car rental, accomodations, meals, etc.) is greatly appreciated.

Via PayPal

If you prefer to give offline

Send Checks or Money Orders to:

NIKELA

100 Commons Rd Ste 7-417

Dripping Springs, TX 78620

Extension... Too Much Family Fun!

What a blast we've had today!  Fun at the beach with our daughter and family on Hammock Beach in North Carolina.

Grandpa (Russ) built sandcastles for trucks and swimming pools for mermaids, not to mention the old "bury him alive" tradition.

Because we've had so much fun and no time to work this weekend the VIDEO CONTEST deadline is extended to September 10th at midnight.  All entries will be posted on the Nikela YouTube channel by Saturday night (September 11th) and ready for viewing, voting and donating.

Kids and families can enter the VIDEO CONTEST to help save South African wildlife.  Simply get creative using drawings, stuffed animals, toys, music, photos... you name it (just no violent or offensive images) and make a short (between 1 and 3 minute) video to get viewers to fall in love with your favorite South African wild animal or bird.  (Is it the giraffe?  Maybe the elephant?  Or is it the leopard or lion?)

I know... it's gotta be the rhino.  Did you know that of about the 4,000 that are left nearly 200 have been killed by poachers for their horns this year?  So helping people understand the life and death situation of the rhino would be a good choice.

Send your video to us via email or by going to Streamfile.com to upload it.  Need more information?  Click on the CONTEST tab.  We look forward to enjoying your video too if you care to join in the fun.

Our Journey has Begun!

After getting everything secured, getting fed tasty homemade spring rolls for leaving our Volvo with our son (fair trade wouldn't you agree?), our cat Weasel, Russ and I left for North Carolina late yesterday afternoon.  Today we drove thru New Orleans... a thriving city with definite remnants of the ravages of Katrina very visible.  On the east side whole apartment complexes and office parks lie unclaimed.  And many well kept neighborhoods can't shake the harsh reminder with at least one home peeling and empty.

The hi-way across Louisiana and Mississippi are masterpieces of engineering over endless water and cut through lush forests with (I should have counted) umpteen huge bridges to allow for river traffic.  As an engineer Russ was fascinated by the structures while I marveled at the trees.

Now it's time to catch some zzzz just outside Atlanta.  Oh yes, although not the best of travellers our cat did really well today and enjoys her freedom to explore every inch of the motel room.

No Plastic Wild Animals?

Yesterday while picking up a few things at the local store I ran through the toy section.  Our grandson needed some small wild animals for his wildlife video (for the Nikela Video Contest).

To my surprise I found Legos, Barbie, all kinds of Action Figures, space and alien stuff and of course dinosaurs.  However, not one REAL plastic animal!  No zebra.  No giraffe or elephant.  Not even a lion or a leopard!

I had to stop by the local zoo to pick some up, and even there, the selection was limited.  What's happening?  We're getting so caught up in the sur-real that we're missing the beauty we have and don't even realize that it is slipping through our fingers?

There's nothing quite like the real thing.  As I write this four humming birds are chattering away as they joust for a turn at my bird feeder.  Such amazing little things all dressed in fluorescent green using their tiny long beaks to drink up the life giving sugar water (when they're not using it as a jousting lance).

In Just a few weeks Russ and I will take wing to South Africa and walk with some of the most magnificent creatures on earth... the South African wildlife.  You can join the adventure if you like by following us here.