12 April 2012

Basically, the Best Easter Ever.

Since we weren't able to be with either of our families, Jurg and I did something a little different for Easter this year and headed to Hartbeespoort for the day.  On the way we grabbed lunch at the strangest Chinese restaurant ever {they were blasting Bruce Springsteen and still had a ton of Christmas decorations up} since Jurgen thought it would be funny {weirdo!}, and then we headed into town to buy tickets for Bushbabies.

Bushbabies is a Monkey Sanctuary in Hartbeespoort that I've been wanting dying to visit for some time now.  They are home to about eight different species of monkeys and primates, all of which used to be household pets or were bred for the pet trade.  The aim is to offer these animals a chance to live in a natural environment which is similar to the one they would have encountered in the wild.

Because many of the monkeys used to be pets, some of them are extremely used to humans and enjoy interacting, observing, and even hitching a ride on people's shoulders.  We had a blast letting them crawl all over us and I think I'm still on a high from the tour even now.  It was such a great all around experience.  Looking through these photos puts the hugest smile on my face :)

Stunning view of Hartbeespoort
Waiting for the tour to begin, sort of felt like we were about to enter Jurassic Part ;)


Our tour guide - he was great, but unfortunately I was too busy looking for monkeys to catch his name #fail
Meet Sarah the Spider Monkey :)
aka my new best friend
And soul mate
Sarah also spent some time lounging on Jurgen's shoulder - he was secretly smitten with her :)
An adorable little squirrel monkey 
First glimpse of Apie {monkey in Afrikaans} -  a Capuchin Monkey - he's quite famous at Bushbabies
And a clever little thief!  Apparently this guy has stolen many a blackberry and iPhone!
Capuchin monkeys like Apie are typically the types you see in places like India and Brazil and are known for being very smart, very charming, and very easy to train.  They are also known for being kleptomaniacs and we were warned before the tour started that all phones, keys, wallets, etc. needed to be kept in a zipped purse or in the car.  

Once the tour began we immediately understood why as we watched Apie fervently check everyone's pockets for goodies.  At one point he even put his hand down my shirt to check if I wasn't hiding anything in my bra {the little perve!}.  When he realized that no one had anything worth while for him, he went for the tour guides water bottle.  We were amazed to see that he knew how to unscrew the cap and everything, who would have thought!?  

Apie loved Jurgen - he spent a good portion of the tour hitching a ride on his shoulders
Buddies
Bushbabies premises really is like monkey heaven - we were both very impressed
About to check another pocket
Doesn't get any better than this!
A baby Capuchin!

In the end our little excursion ended up making for one of the best Easter's ever and definitely one that I'll never forget.  I feel so lucky to have a boyfriend who's willing to do these types of things with me and indulge in my silly obsessions.  We always have such a fun time on our little adventures :)

{For more about Bushbabies see here}

33 comments:

  1. ...omg...MONKEYS!!!!! How cute!!! I love how it's crawling all over your head...so jealous :). So cool Jenna!

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  2. Wow what great photos!! Your easter was definately better than mine!! I would love to visit south africa one day- it looks so beautiful there !

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  3. !!

    What a COOL Easter! Those monkeys sound like a lot of fun ... except maybe the perv monkey :P That first one was the cutest.

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  4. That seriously looks like SO MUCH FUN! And here I was thinking that my Easter Egg Hunt was the best. Nope I think you beat me! :) And you got frisked by a monkey! What's better than that?! Ha!!

    Jenna
    (love your name btw)

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  5. How cool! Love that you make holidays away from home your own. It's the best way to avoid getting too homesick :)

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  6. That is awesome!!! I lived in Kenya this past summer and the monkey would walk right up to me, high five, then walk away. Brings back memories. Love it!

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  7. You know I love this. I don't even have to say how much, do I?? :)

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  8. These monkeys are hilarious!

    I love the last photo... you just walking around with a monkey on your shoulder so casually... no big deal... happens all the time. Hahaha! Awesome :)

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  9. oh my gosh! how fun! I am taking an anthropology class right now- and this just makes me jealous. ha. xo

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  10. These pictures are amazing Jenna! Makes me think of when Niel and I went to Monkey Town on our road trip lol. I'm not sure if that's what it was called but that's how I remember it :) I am soooo jealous of your pictures!!! Miss you! xx

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  11. What an amazing place! I've always dreamt of opening my own monkey sanctuary or even studying gorillas in the wild. AND THEN I moved from South Africa to New York! haha! I hope I get to visit this place one day in the future.

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  12. I think it's hilarious that the Capuchin monkeys are little kleptos. I would have really gotten into this. I'm a huge animal lover and I love getting out and doing stuff on the weekends.

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  13. So very very cool! Love the pictures!

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  14. Oh gosh! I'm so jealous! This looks and sounds like such an amazing experience! And I love all the pictures :) I'm glad you got to experience this and had a lovely Easter!!

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  15. Oh gosh! I'm so jealous! This looks and sounds like such an amazing experience! And I love all the pictures :) I'm glad you got to experience this and had a lovely Easter!!

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  16. OMG, how amaaazing to be able to interact with the monkeys like that! :) Looks like you had a wonderful time...love the photos pretty girl! :)

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  17. This totally looks like the best Easter EVER!!!

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  18. That Chinese restaurant sounds perfectly awesome to me. I love crazy places like that! And the MONKEYS, ohhh goodness, so cute!

    http://atallshipandastar.blogspot.com/

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  19. Going to the top of my To Do list now! Love the shot of the monkey looking into the camera from Jurgen's shoulder!

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  20. ok the "buddies" picture where the monkey is resting on jurgen's head is PRESH! this is so random but so cool! they really do crawl all over you! Amazing! This is definitely a unique and fun easter!

    and the Chinese restaurant with Bruce Springstein music and Christmas decorations - too funny!

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  21. OMG that is adorable! They looks like such adorable monkeys- when I was in Bali they have a "monkey forest" and those monkey would try and jump on you, but it was only to steal everything you were carrying!

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  22. I just stumbled across your blog and I have to admit, I envy you! I've already read a few older posts and wow, you've done it all!!! It makes me happy to see that someone took a risk & is loving (almost) every minute of it ;) I can't wait to hear about your trip to Rwanda~!!

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  23. Your hair is beautiful. What I wouldn't give to have long thick hair like that.

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  24. Wow! What a great experience!! How cool!

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  25. Oh wow what an amazing day! I sooo want to do that! You have such great adventures together :)

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  26. Ahhhhh, this is awesome!!! I love that there is a monkey sitting on top of your head! Haha!!

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  27. sounds like a wonderful easter to me! i once went to a baby sanctuary for small monkeys in costa rica and had them sitting all over me... such a fun experience :)

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  28. i love this!!!! especially how obsessed that monkey is with jurgen! you better watch out girl!!!! days like these are the ones you'll remember 20 years from now :) hope you had a nice weekend!

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  29. oh my gosh, how cute!!! i love monkeys~!! what a fun easter!!

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  30. Ah Jenna! If you knew how many times I've been wanting to go there! Every time we drove past it, I would nearly pull Flip's arm off!

    But he isn't a big fan of captive animals. I still haven't been able to get him to the zoo. But it looks like you guys had such a great time! Did any of them bite?

    That photo of Jurg and Apie is the sweetest, definitely something you should print and put in a frame!

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  31. We've driven past bushbabies a couple of times too but we always have another obligation so we can't stop. Now that i've seen your adorable photos, it is becoming a priority!

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Thanks for the love!