Elephants, Jacaranda, Mrs. Simpson, and Wallis the cat

I woke up at 4:30 this morning but I am slowly catching up to my current time zone. I am sitting here listening to the terrible 90's music on Jacaranda, drinking a cup of roiboos tea, and reminiscing about my time in South Africa.

We packed so much into our week-long trip but I feel changed by my experience and the different world in which we traveled. Should you find yourself planning a trip to South Africa, I highly recommend flying into Johannesburg and renting a car to drive up to Kruger National Park by way of Dullstroom. It's a gorgeous 5 hour drive and you can stop for lunch at Mrs. Simpson's Restaurant in the idyllic trout fishing town of Dullstroom.

Stepping into the restaurant, you are immediately transported back in time and into a shrine to Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor. The would-be King George of England, gave up his crown to marry her, this "big catch." There is a trout fishing fly named after Mrs.Simpson, and it's a lucky charm they say, for a similarly big catch. For lunch we warmed ourselves by the fireplace and enjoyed the signature dishes of Bushveld Impala Pie, Dullstroom Trout, and homemade Malva Pudding with Custard. The resident cat of the restaurant is named, quite appropriately, Wallis. The delicious food and superior service convinced us to come back for another lunch on our way back to the big city.

I'm rooting for the Bafana Bafana today! They need to win today by two goals in order to move on to the next round. Tomorrow the US plays Algeria - cheer hard for a win so they can move on to round two!