After our training session we all went home to celebrate Christmas 1968 and New Years 1969. In January we gathered together, I believe it was in Atlanta, to board the KLM flight across the Atlantic Ocean. We had a long layover in Amsterdam, enough time for some of us to visit the Rijks Museum. We then boarded the flight to Africa. I remember getting some kind of certificate recognizing that I had crossed the Equator. I also remember all the passengers getting a tour of the cockpit, which of course would not happen today. We had a refueling stop at Brazzaville, Congo. Below is a photo of our airplane and the Brazzaville terminal.
Below is a photo of us in either the Brazzaville or the Johannesburg terminal, I don't know which.
Our next stop was Johannesburg. I remember filling out paperwork, which I didn't understand because we were just changing planes. I put "human" in the blank for "race". We boarded a smaller prop plane for the flight to Swaziland. Below are photos taken through the plane window, our first view of Swaziland.
After arriving in Swaziland we were taken to a reception with the Prime Minister. If I remember correctly, his name was Makhosini. We were warned not to get involved in Swazi politics. I don'taken remember where our group stayed, but I have this photo of a hotel, so maybe it was there.
We were taken on a tour of the Mliwani Game Preserve, the only one in Swaziland. I don't remember what kind of transportation was used, maybe like shown below.
Pictures of the Mliwani Game Preserve.
I was told that the rhinos were black rhinos, not as dangerous as white rhinos. Later we were taken on a tour of the open pit iron mine in northen Swaziland, near Piggs Peak.