30 July 2013

{I'm Back!}: Bush Babies + A Life Update

Hello again, friends!

It has certainly been way too long since I've shown my face around these parts.  Over the past few months, I've really missed this little blog of mine and the wonderful community that comes with it.  Lucky for me, I'm officially back!  Life has eased up a bit over the past few weeks and it seems that it will stay this way throughout the rest of the year.  Needless to say, I cannot wait to catch up on all that I've missed and also fill all of you in on my own life and travels.  There is still lots to share from our month-long Nambia road-trip that we took at the beginning of the year as well as our trip to Greece just a few weeks ago.  Stay tuned!


As a way of easing back into things, I thought I'd share some photos from our most recent mini-adventure to Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary.  Because who doesn't love monkeys, right!?  But really, if you've been following this blog for any period of time, you probably already know that this corner of the world is my happy place {see previous posts here and here}.  I attempt to drag Jurgen to the little town of Hartbeespoort {about 45 minutes outside Jo'burg} to visit the sanctuary every chance I get.  

Admittedly, this is mostly because of Apie, who is pictured above.  Menace to some, nuisance to others, I absolutely love this little guy.  A capuchin monkey by birth and a thief by trade, I cannot get enough of him.  He is adorable.  As we were waiting for our tour to start on Saturday, Jurg and I overheard an American guy saying to his friends, "Well that was a pretty cool tour.  Apie sort of dominated the entire thing though."  We both just looked at each other and burst out in laughter.  Too great... and spot on!

Aside from Apie, however, the sanctuary is also home to eight other species of primates including bush babies, squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys and lemurs.  All of the sanctuary's inhabitants were previously either household pets or victims of the animal trade, with many of them having suffered previous abuse.  The aim of bush babies is to provide primates, like Apie, with a safe and secure natural environment where they can be rehabilitated and flourish as they would in the wild.  It's a really incredible initiative and one of only eight free-release monkey sanctuaries across the globe.  Needless to say, we will definitely be going back again soon and I would recommend this tour to anyone passing through the Gauteng area.


Bush Babies is open 7 days a week with tours operating between 9:00am and 4:00pm.  It's located in the stunning town of Hartbeespoort {about a 45 minute drive from Jo'burg}.  For any South Africans or tourists passing through the area, it's an absolute must!  Tickets are R195.00 per adult {about $25 per person} and tours are approximately 90 minutes long.  If possible, I would recommend visiting the sanctuary on a weekday, as the tours tend to be smaller and more intimate.  For more information visit their site here.