Thursday, January 28, 2010

Another interesting day

January 28

We headed out to the Cango Ostrich Farm today to learn about these interesting birds.


It takes 42 days for an ostrich to hatch.  Here I am holding an "early bird" which hatched in 41 days.  It is only 1 day old!


This is Betsy who is 6 years old.


Emues from Australia...


This is Adam who is 27 years old.  Ostriches are the largest birds in the world.


I should have paid more attention to this sign!!!


Here I am trying to get on the ostrich to ride it bare back.  No one in our small group wanted to ride the ostrich but me.  I obviously had no idea what to expect!!


I still had no idea what I was in store for....


Still...no idea what was going to happen...


The ostrich takes off....notice my hair...luckily you can't hear the words coming out of my mouth!!!


The ostrich trainers running full speed along side of me....


A few facts that I wish I knew before I got on the ostrich:

1.  Ostriches are the fastest 2 footed runners IN THE WORLD!!!  They reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour and can maintain this speed for 30 minutes!

2.  Ostriches are between 6' and 10' in height and weigh as much as 340 pounds.

3.  Ostriches were occasionally used for riding in ancient Egypt however this practice never really took off because of their NASTY TEMPERMENT!!!




Peter, our guide....


Tom standing on ostrich eggs.  Ostrich eggs are incredibly strong since they have to support the weight of an ostrich (340 pounds) while it sits on them until they hatch.


Tom is holding an ostrich egg.  An ostrich egg is equal to 24 chicken eggs so you'd better be really hungry if you order an ostrich omelette!


After I recovered from my insane ostrich ride, we headed over to Cango Caves.


The Cango Caves were "discovered" in 1780.  However, the caves were used by the Bushman since the Early Stone Age.  Cango in Khoi means water between 2 mountains.  Tom at the entrance of the caves.




The caves are a consistant 19 degrees Celcius year round.



Our tour took us more than 1 kilometer into the caves.




On our way back to our hotel through the mountains...


Amazing views!!!



Coming down the mountain toward our hotel...

8 comments:

islandgirl4ever2 said...

OMG!!! Great shots!!

You TOTALLY outdid yourself on this one Dawn!! Better than the camel and bungie jumping put together!! OMG... An ostrich!!! WOW!! That's really something!!!!!

Did Tom ride one, too?

Your pics are FAB!!!

Andrea said...

OMG! That's hilarious! Where's the video of that??? Lulz!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Hi Dawn....What more can I add..? I agree with Leesa and Andrea...that is beyond belief..How can you beat that? x

Notes from Noël said...

Hi All !!
Tom and I assumed that the Ostrich would just slowly walk me around in a circle. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me) we didn't even think about making a video about it. The swear words coming out of my mouth were not pretty!! Of course, Tom is kicking himself for not recording it!!

Tom couldn't ride the ostrich because you have to be under 75kg. Lucky him!!

islandgirl4ever2 said...

Hey Dawn...

Too bad there was no video shooting involved! I'd PAY to see that!!!!
Too bad, Tom.. Somehow... I don't think he's sorry he missed out on this one! Was he cracking up histerically as you cussed your way around the ostrich ring??
I would have DIED!!!! Or peed in my pants!!

Kris said...

Hi Aunt Dawn,
Mom loves your pictures! Whoever thought you could ride an ostrich. I don't know if you got my email but we are going to go to Paris soon and need guidance. Let me know the best way to reach you. Mom's email is joanna246@gmail.com and I think you have mine. Hope to talk to you soon.
Kristin

Rowena said...

I hopped on over here via Anne's blog....and now all I can think of is adding another thing to my "to do" list before I move on to the next world -- I want to ride on an ostrich! Yeehaw!!!

Parag said...

Great photos.
Over the years improvements took place and today modern technology makes it possible that all the wonders of the Cango Caves are skillfully illuminated for the benefit of visitors.