Bellisima Elefante!

We were joined for our afternoon drive by a couple from Parma, Italy on their honeymoon. They were very excited to see the elephants. How do we tell these 'newbies' that the elephants are but a small part of everything they will encounter? Guess they will figure it out without is!

We found baboons with small babies and of course several groups of impala.

We had what Donald described as his best spotting of hippos. More than seeing just ears and a snout sticking out of the water, they were walking in the river reeds in the reeds on some sand.

As we moved closer to them another truck from Mala Mala also made its way down. Unfortunately the other truck quickly got stuck in the sand. The 6 passengers sat tight(one NEVER stands up or gets out of the Land Rover) as Donald and their driver worked together to pull them out. Again, we were struck by the professionalism, the friendship, the camaraderie that the rangers all share.

Leaving the hippos we turned a corner and right in front of us was a leopard. He is called Bicycle Crossing leopard. So named because as the workers at Mala Mala ride their bikes across the bridge to work they have often encountered this leopard.

While we had our sundowners there was word of a lioness nearby. We drove over to find her. There were impala very close to her and she went back and forth between being interested and just hanging out like a big 'ole cat. We watched her scratch her paws against a tree, groom herself and give a true lion roar calling the other lioness. When she did not get a response from the other lion she showed a bit of interest in the impala. Eventually she (and we) gave up and went back for dinner.

We were late getting back to camp so 2 showers and 20 minutes later we walked into the bar. Dinner was held in the boma with a nice fire and the weather was perfect for it. We ended the night in the bar with the Lia and Gabrielle (the Italian honeymooners) and our ranger Donald.

As we walked back to our khaya it struck us that we had one more drive left before we'd have to leave. Not a nice thought....

PS...now that we are in Capetown, there may be enough bandwidth to start uploading some pix. I took about 400 per day at Mala Mala.  Hopefully some of those came out. I'll add the Flickr link to future posts as I upload pix.

No Elephants on the Bridge!

After 4 or so hours of sleep, we were the first truck out this morning at about 6:15. We saw nyala, kudu and of course the ever present impala just outside the gates. There were two beautiful woodpeckers on a nearby tree.

The first truck unlocks the gate to the property and gates at either end of a bridge. The bridge was built as a way to get into the bush when the river is too high. We asked why there are gates at either end of the bridge. Well of course.......to keep the elephants off of it! The bridge will hold a maximum of 9 tons. An elephant parade could cause some big damage in a hurry!

As the first truck out, Ryan was relying on animal tracks to lead us to animals. His abilities paid off when we came across a pride of lions lounging in an open area. There were 7 females and 1 young male. They are part of a pride called the Styx Pride. There was evidence they had eaten recently as their stomachs were full. They were breathing heavily which we were told increases their metabolism to digest their food. They watched us for a bit and then one by one put their heads down. As another truck approached, most of them popped up again to check out the new arrivals. What a great start to the morning!

The excitement continued. On our way to a possible leopard sighting we came upon a 'dazzle' of zebras. There were 6 of them in an open area. Zebra are gassy, bloated animals (yes, add your own adjectives here) and their bottoms are always bloated. One zebra to another 'does my butt look big in these stripes?' The zebras are gorgeous animals and we stayed for quite awhile admiring them. Moving on we found more impala and a large herd of Cape Buffalo. We parked within the herd to watch them for awhile before heading back to breakfast.

We had company in the form of 3 monkeys on our patio yesterday. One brave enough to come up to the sliding door and look inside! The other two hung out on the railing behind him. We also watched 5 elephants on the property line. They started at the main house & gradually worked their way down toward our room. There was also a giraffe who made his way down the property line. We (somehow) did not see him! How do you see a monkey and miss a giraffe?

The afternoon was a bit cooler with threats of rain when we started out for our drive. We were joined by two Americans who had arrived a few hours earlier. A Bateleur eagle was one of the first spotting's by our guide. Almost immediately, mongoose ran across the path.

And then we found the elephants! We found ourselves almost surrounded by elephants. There were all ages and sizes of elephants - babies who were estimated to be a few months old, some young ones and older much larger ones. One of the younger ones was trying to keep up with his mom so he could nurse. Every so often he would get a drink. When he brought his trunk down you would see where it was wet from the milk. For about a half hour we sat and observed, followed them as they moved and were just mesmerized by their movements. Elephants all around us - amazing!

Reluctantly we left the elephants and almost immediately ran across 3 giraffes. They were very skittish but we were able to see them trotting off. Monkeys in the trees were the next spotting and then 2 more giraffes. These were very calm giraffes who looked over at us inquisitively and then went on eating. They (like a lot of animals we have seen) had birds all over their bodies....up and down their manes, sometimes hanging on to their stomachs and in their ears. The birds are beneficial (and sometimes annoying) as they eat parasites on the animals. Sometimes you just see them shake their heads and a small bird comes out of their ear! As we watched the giraffes we also saw warthogs and kudu wandering around.

Next we found 2 male lions who were sound asleep. They seemed absolutely oblivious to our presence. We have been told that they are incredibly astute and absolutely aware of our presence. If there was a an abnormal movement or sound they would be on alert. These two just slept. One of them on his back like a big house cat!

Our 'sundowners' were against a cloudy, darkening sky. We were joined by Sally, Caroline and Donald for drinks. At Ryan's suggestion I took him up on hot chocolate with Amarula. It was an excellent idea and will be appearing at winter dinners when we return home! As we were having our drinks, there were lions roaring in the background. Again, those males calling the females asking when their dinner would be ready! At our guides suggestion, we did not stay long. There were lions nearby!

On our way to view the lions, Ryan spotted a bright (almost neon) chameleon hanging on to a tree. He stopped and took him off the tree to show us, even offering for us to hold him. Hmmm...I think NOT!

Off to see the lions. This was a fairly large pride of lions - males, females and cubs all lounging. When we arrived a lioness was sleeping on top of a large rock. Some of them started moving around although eventually they all seemed to settle down to sleep while we watched.

At about the time we would normally be making our way back for dinner there was another sighting. Lions were stalking impala nearby. We made our way to the area. It's hard to describe the feeling of being in the bush when it is so dark outside. Last night it was very dark with a cloud cover and no stars. It was also very quiet and still. We passed the group of impala and saw the lions moving. We saw two males and a female. There were a couple of trucks in the area. The rangers kept their lights out and were very still and quiet. They want to let nature take its course and not interfere. To my right as we came across the open area was a male lion. Maybe 3-5 feet away from the truck. When they are sleeping they look fairly small and thin. This one was puffed up because he was up and moving..... stalking. He looked HUGE! We were told later that the impala got away. We did not get to see the ending. Let's just say the only rude animals we've encountered are American humans. In this case, one of the passengers in our truck was tired and wanted to go back. Not that I wanted to see a killing but c'mon when do you ever have this opportunity. Anyway, back to camp we went.

Dinner was with our new friends Sally and Caroline and rangers Donald and Ryan. It was a fun evening followed by another late evening as we made our way to the bar to chat.

Every time I think I have seen 'the most amazing thing' there is something else around the corner. This place is truly magical and one of the most unique experiences of my life.

Monday will hopefully not have any interrupted drives. We ditched the rude couple after our drive.

Morning at Mala Mala

Up and out by 6:15 this morning with Donald as our guide. In the truck this morning, Caroline and Sally out for their last ride before moving on to their next destination. This morning was one of the coldest drives and I was happy there were blankets and extra jackets in the car. We have been so fortunate that we have not had rain on any of the drives.


Right outside the gate were elephants. Not as many as yesterday but probably 12-15 of them eating and moving around. One of them was pushing at a small tree trying to knock it down. We have seen many trees knocked down in the bush. The rangers tell us the destruction is mainly from the elephants. They are too lazy to reach up for the branches. They simply knock down the tree!

We saw a kudu eating at an acacia tree. The acacia tree has thorns. Donald told us the tree can sense when the animals are stripping it too much and it is threatened. It will release a bitter tannin taste in its leaves. Then the animals will not eat it and it will have a chance to regenerate.


There are less than 200 wild dogs in South Africa. There is a pack of 11 that has been living on Mala Mala property. This morning we were lucky enough to encounter 8 of them. We followed them for about 20 minutes as they made their way across the bush and then to the river for a drink.


Leaving the dogs, we saw a Cape buffalo with a rhino standing next to it. Donald told us it is not unusual for rhino to travel with the buffalo. The rhino turned and walked off with the buffalo not too far behind. Moving on we encountered 6 more rhino. Some were older and laying down. A younger one, around 6 years old kept making a small whining noise. Donald said he was calling his mother. Another one was rubbing her nose on a big rock directly under her face. When I mentioned noticing large rocks in the middle of the pathways some mornings, Donald told us the rhino like to move the rocks around. Next up - soccer! Rhino vs. elephants!


We found 2 ostriches with babies in an open area. We were so busy watching the ostriches we paid very little attention to the wildebeest right next to the truck! Behind us we heard a screeching and saw a jackal. Three warthogs were amusing to watch as they dug with their snouts for grass roots. They bend their front legs so that it looks like they are on their knees while they root around. They even walk forward a few steps while on bended front legs.


Back for breakfast on the deck and to say good bye to Sally and Caroline.

McDonald's at Mala Mala?

The Impala are called the fast food of the animal world for a couple of reasons. They have a big 'M' like the McDonald's logo on their butts, they are the first to eat (actually easily caught and eaten) and you find them on every corner! Until two days ago, I had never seen an impala with tires. Now I find myself saying 'Oh it's just an impala!'


As I sit here trying to recapture yesterday, everything is running together in my mind. The animals are surreal and the drives have all been incredible. Beyond that is the sense of being in a different world. There are no airplane sounds, no cars. The sounds are the different birds singing or chirping, the baboons chattering while they are playing. Or the sound of nothing. I don't know that I would want to live in this world all the time but it certainly is a wonderful place to visit.


Saturday our wake up call came at 5:30. By 6:15 we'd had some coffee and we were on our way. Ryan pointed out several variety of birds along the way; helmeted guinea fowl, a lesser spotted eagle, a variety of Kingfisher and a saddlebill stork among others.

The first animal we found was the leopard perched on a river bank. This was followed by a herd of Cape Buffalo.



A new animal for us when we rounded a corner and came upon three zebras drinking. They were gorgeous. Ryan tried to trip us up by telling us that the females are black with white stripes and the males are white with black stripes. Yes he said, some tourists fall for that and ask serious questions related to the stripes. He did tell us that each set of stripes on a zebra is unique to that one zebra. Like our fingerprints.


We found kudu and of course more impala and duiker (looks like a small deer). A nyala was spotted eating. At some water we saw a crocodile reclining in some reeds. Didn't get to see a lot of him....fine with me! In an open area, more impala, a warthog (so ugly they are almost cute) and then a giraffe!



What a magnificent animal. So tall, so graceful. Just oblivious to us as she ate. Did you know that a giraffe must remain standing all the time? If they lay down, their blood pressure elevates to the point that they faint! An enemy of the giraffe is the lion. They approach from the back, knock them down at the knees and then kill them. Luckily we have not encountered a kill.


The rangers are very skilled at keeping each other informed when they find animals. I think my original impression of the animals was that we would see them from a distance. I also thought with trucks approaching they would run off. As I mentioned previously, they don't seem to care about us. The rangers wear headsets and speak very softly into hand held microphones directing each other to the animals. When one finds something, he sometimes asks (we've been told) for the other groups to hold off a few minutes before approaching.



That was how we came upon the leopard. They are just gorgeous and any chance we have to 'ooh and aah' over them, we love. The highlight of the morning was when we found a leopard on top of a giant (wait until you see the pictures for this one!) termite hill! She was just hanging out waiting for us to come take more pictures. We obliged!


After the morning drive, a leisurely breakfast on the deck overseeing the property. Monkeys, steenbok and various birds are easily spotted from here. A retreat to our room to download pictures, relax for awhile and then.....more food at lunchtime! At lunchtime a leopard was spotted from the deck. After lunch, a little more leisure time before the afternoon drive.


We headed out about 3:30, Ryan having procured our order for 'sundowners'. Having seen 4 of the big 5 we were searching for rhino! For the first 2-1/2 hours we literally saw nothing. It is hard to believe elephants, giraffes and even lions can be out of sight. It is awesome to see the animals but interestingly NOT seeing them makes this all very real. It isn't staged, it is the real bush and sometimes the animals oblige....other times they are busy! Eventually we spotted a wildebeest and them some blacked back jackal. We spent some time looking for their den and pups, said to be in the area. Never found them. Even the sunset which had been magnificent the night before failed to impress. The sun just dropped behind some clouds ad that was it! We stopped for our 'sundowner'..... gin and tonic in the bush on a table set with a checkered table cloth and snacks! Again, that slightly surreal feeling took over for me. Happy hour in the brush with impala around us!


Getting back in the truck, the whispers on the radio picked up and just after dark we saw the 2 male lions we had encountered the day before. They were just hanging out for everyone to admire them. As we watched, they rolled over, stood up and wandered close to some of the trucks and then they roared! We were told they were calling the lioness who was off hunting (apparently the women do the shopping and cooking in the lion world too!). The roars were not extremely loud but they made their point!



After the lions we found a leopard and were able to follow him for quite awhile. He was marking his territory and quite active moving around the bush.



Our last stop for the night was the big one! Rhinos were spotted on the air strip! We headed over and there were 4 incredibly large rhinos just hanging out for us to look at! Or maybe they were the non revs who didn't make the weight restricted flight earlier in the day! It was very dark so pictures were limited. Hopefully we will get another chance to see them.



Back at camp, we showered and dressed for dinner. After gathering in the bar, we moved to the buma for dinner. The buma is a large area encircled by reeds that act as the walls. There was a fire in the firepit and the weather was perfect for being outside. As always, the staff was incredibly gracious. Some of them entertained with some songs after dinner. We ended the evening in the bar with some of the staff and Sally and Caroline who have been with us since we left Jo'burg. Sally is from Atlanta, Caroline from Jacksonville. Bedtime was shortly after midnight with a 5:30 wake up call this morning!

Welcome to Mala Mala

Our brief flight to Mala Mala was delayed yesterday by a couple of hours. There were only 6 of us on the 30 seat airplane. One of the engines wasn't starting. Off the plane, bus back to the terminal. It was around lunchtime so we ventured upstairs and got sandwiches to wait the estimated hour and forty minutes.
As I was trying to read the last few pages of my book (Cross Country by James Patterson.....highly recommend it) Bob nudged me. An urgent announcement (we had heard these urgent announcements all morning) requesting 'Mr. and Mrs. Kilian return to the gate for immediate departure to Mala Mala.' As we were walking back, we saw two of the other passengers and told them the flight was ready to go. They had not heard the announcement and were just sitting down in a restaurant with their lunches. Back to the plane & we were off!

I'm not sure how to describe the feeling of finally being here. It's like Disneyland, Christmas, my birthday.....all rolled up into one big ball of anticipation. And of course, because it's me, when I saw Mala Mala written on the air strip I did get a little teary!

We landed and were greeted by staff members. Four of the six of us were headed to Rattray's Mala Mala. Ryan, our 'host' for the stay took our bags and we were off to the 'camp', about a 10 minute ride from the airstrip. Several staff members, one with cool wash cloths greeted us when we pulled into the main area. After being shown the facilities, we declined lunch and headed to our room to settle in. We had about an hour before the first drive. I thought I'd take advantage of the pool by our room. The air was very warm (the summer has just started here and they are easing into the heat....a couple of warm days and then some cooler ones with rain). The water was very cold! I opted to sit on the patio and watch the scenery around me. I was immediately rewarded - two elephants in the distance! We got involved with elephant watching and before we knew it, it was time for our first drive.

We met Ryan and headed out. We are his only guests until tomorrow so we have had his undivided attention. Ryan is probably in his late twenties. His family is of German descent, in South Africa for about 4 generations. His family owns and runs a dairy farm. That farm will be his destiny after he does some travelling. He said he would like to work here about 3 more years and then work at a ski resort in Colorado for a year or so. By the way, there are apparently a lot of southerners who visit. He does a pretty great job of imitating a southern accent! As in 'When do y'all think we're gonna see the tigers?' Uh....this is Africa, there aren't any tigers here, they are in Asia.

The rangers all wear headsets and keep in touch with each other. When one spots an animal, several trucks make their way to the area to see it. The Land Rover is open with bench seating. It can apparently go anywhere and over anything. We've gone through sand, partially up a termite hill, through water and we have crushed small trees that were in our path.

Within a few minutes of starting out, mongoose ran in front of us and then.... we saw the elephants! Ryan maneuvered the truck so that they were all around us. Did you know that the adult elephants do not ever lay down? They are so large that if they lay down their lungs will be crushed. Instead they lift or cross one leg over the other to give it a rest. They eat constantly -
consuming about 500 pounds of vegetation a day.

We saw Nyala, a kind of antelope (never heard of them before last night I don't think) and then the baboons! Lots of baboons.....a big one who was in charge, lots of babies jumping around. Did you know that the baboon and the leopard are enemies? A baboon can take down a leopard. The baboon is more afraid of the leopard than the lion because a leopard can climb a tree. The lion cannot. We saw more elephants....this group included a baby who thought it might like to get playful until the mother discouraged it!

The sunset last night was an incredible red with white clouds trimmed in pink. As we watched the sunset, Ryan drove us quickly to another area where lions were spotted. Two males, two females - just laying right in front of us in a sandy area off the river. They were gorgeous. To one side of us was a group of elephants. All slightly surreal!
As it got darker, the drivers would shine a spotlight on an animal so we could see it better in the dark. One of the male lions heard another lion off in a distance and he was off to defend his territory. We followed in hot pursuit. The animals are very used to the trucks and the noise of the people. You can talk, ask questions, take pictures. They tune it all out. We are not on their radar.

By far, my favorite sight of the first drive was the leopard. It was dark when we drove up to an area where she was laying down and eating a bird called a Francolin. It's a fairly small bird that looks similar to a quail. We could hear the crunching (she eats the whole thing but was 'spitting' out feathers when she could) of small bones....not my favorite. But whatcha gonna do (OK, not look maybe!!!)....it's the circle of life!
We watched the leopard for quite awhile. All of the sudden she jumped up and ran. A hyena came into the thicket. A hyena, by Ryan's description is opportunistic in nature. They wait and watch and then take the prey that the other animals have worked so hard to catch. And the hyena was significantly larger than the leopard and could have taken her down.
And that was the first drive!

Back to camp where we were greeted by the very loud sounds of toads, frogs and crickets around a water feature at the front of the property and a bush baby on top of the roof!
A quick change of rooms (the air conditioning was not working in the first room and this is AFRICA for goodness sakes...YES, we need our air conditioning!) and even quicker showers.
Then off to meet the rest of the guests for dinner. We arrived at the end of happy hour & then were escorted by Ryan and Etiene (a former guide, I think he works more in an administrative role now) to a candle light dinner on the terrace. By about 10:30 I was ready for bed. A quick golf cart ride back to our room and I was in bed very soon after. Could not even stay awake to see the pictures Bob was editing.

By the way - We won't be posting pictures from here. Will get them uploaded to Flickr from Cape Town or AMS and advise when they are there. I took 140 on last night's drive and 180 on this morning's drive. All of course are not worth viewing, but there a few good ones.

Gelato in Johannesburg

Good evening from Johannesburg, South Africa!

The last two days have been busy and a lot of fun! Left our apartment in Amsterdam about 9:00 a.m. yesterday. Because we were carrying rather large, heavy bags, we opted for the bus to the Central Station. Once we arrived at Central Station there was a brief wait in line to buy a train ticket to the airport and we were on our way.

At the airport we checked in for our flight and nervously checked our bags all the way through to Johannesburg.

The one hour flight to Heathrow was uneventful. As it was Business Class, they served almost a full meal in 45 minutes. One of the items on the plate was roasted chick peas. I told Bob to pretend they were 'pre-hummus' and eat them. It just didn't work for him! We ignored most of the meal as we were meeting Mike and Vanessa for lunch upon arrival.

Terminal 5 at Heathrow, newly opened within the last year for British Airways is an amazing place. It does not feel like you are at Heathrow by any stretch of the imagination. In some ways I missed the Heathrow we knew.

Mike and Vanessa live fairly close to the airport so lunch was at a place close to their house. After, we were able to spend a few hours at their house catching up. We had not been there for 9 years. Mike has done an amazing amount of renovation and remodelling. We loved seeing all the changes. As always, we picked up where we last left off in our conversations as good friends do. The topics roamed between politics, economics, health care reform, retirement, jobs, kids....you name it. Good times, good friends!

The flight to Jo'burg left at 7:00 pm. We were back at Heathrow in time to sit for awhile in the BA business class club for awhile before boarding. The 10 hour flight, with seats facing to the rear of the airplane, went very quickly and we both felt like we got a little bit of sleep. The service and crew were excellent and made for a very enjoyable flight.

We landed about 6:15 this morning, a few minutes early. Both of our bags got here - yeah and we were met by a pre-arranged driver who took us to our hotel. The room wasn't quite ready but there was a lounge area with newspapers and  internet access available to pass the time.

I think it may have been Brian, who mentioned that South Africa was hosting the World Cup in 2010. Everywhere you look there are billboard reminders, countdowns till day1 for what must the biggest event here since Mandela.

The foliage in Johannesburg took me be surprise. The trees and plants reminded me very much of Southern California. There are palm trees, bottle brush, row and rows of jacaranda trees and multiple colors of bougainvillea everywhere. Very pretty. Not surprisingly, the people are incredibly gracious and friendly.

After a brief nap and showers, we headed out.

We are staying in a area called Sandton, the Beverly Hills and financial centre of Jo'Burg. Sandton City  is an all inclusive area with a mall, restaurants and hotels all together. As this city can be dangerous, it is apparently the preferred area to stay. It is also the area Bob knows as he stayed here for 3 months when he worked here 7 years ago. We had a light lunch in the area and then took a cab to the Rosebank Mall. Another area nearby that Bob had been to while he was working here. The mall has typical shops and restaurants but also a very nice African Arts and Crafts area. We spent a little time in there, talking to the local stall owners, buying a few trinkets and enjoying the atmosphere. Every vendor trying to entice Bob into his stall called him 'Papa' (I wasn't Papa 7 yrs ago, aging gracelessly I imagine). They all had the best deal for him and  the most unique items(almost as unique as the adjacent stall). Dinner was at a restaurant by our hotel. Afterward, chocolate gelato from a stand inside the mall. It was wonderful!

Tomorrow is when the next adventure begins! We are being picked up shortly after 9:00 am and heading to the airport. Our first game drive will be the tomorrow evening. Very exciting!

The link to pics is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14356799@N06/collections/72157622432557149/

Enchanting Edam

We keep thinking we have seen it all, done it all - in and around Amsterdam. And then we found the enchanting village of Edam.

Edam (yes, as in the cheese and to pronounce it correctly, it is Ay-dahm) is in the province of Noord-Holland. It is about a 15 minute bus ride from the Central Station, if you are on the fast bus. If you are on a bus that stops every 45 seconds or so, it takes a bit longer. Not a problem, the countryside is beautiful to admire.

Although it is fall and temperatures remain in the 50's during the day, the wind is mild and the sun has been shining for most of the last week. The leaves are beginning to change and the remnants of beautiful summer gardens were still apparent as we took a leisurely walk through the village. In addition to the gardens, there were many windows dressed with plants and small objects. We peeked into open curtains for a look at the daily lives of the locals. (Actually Nancy is the voyeur, I didn't peek)

Edam's claim to fame is, of course their cheese. This small village does not appear to cater to tourists or play up the cheese angle. There are cheese stores, a cheese museum and the cheese market. We wandered into the store but did not bother with the museum.

On the recommendation of the tourist center we went to De Fortuna

http://www.fortuna-edam.nl/ for a late, leisurely lunch. We sat by a window, next to a canal. While we were enjoying our lunch there was a brief rain shower. A guy came down the street to raise the drawbridges to let a large boat pass.

A walk around the town took us to Groete Kerk (Big Church). We wandered the grounds, through the cemetery. Some of the headstones dated back 100 years.

The bus on the way back to the Central Station was the SnelDienst (fast route) and did not make many stops. We were back 'home' by about 7:00 pm. Allen, the apartment manager and a South African native stopped by for some last minute travel advice for Cape Town and a visit.

Tomorrow morning, the day that I've been waiting 7 years for finally arrives! We head to South Africa! A brief (7 hour) stop in London, lunch with Uncle Mikey and Auntie V and then we are off!

If we do not post often while we are gone, it is for lack of time and bandwidth. I'm sure we will have a lot to say when we return!

A brief aside....thought I was being so smart this morning making my oatmeal (havermout). I read the directions 250ml - water or melk, add 6 eetlepels (tablespoons) of havermout. So far, so good. It cooked, it looked like oatmeal. I added some brown sugar to the top but wait....that wasn't brown sugar, it was uncooked rice. Nope, didn't misread, just grabbed the wrong package. MMMMM.....crunchy rice on top of my hot cereal. Good thing the Senseo coffee machine & I are getting along well!

As always - pictures are posted at this link -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14356799@N06/collections/72157622432557149