South Africa Wrap
You know what? I usually post a wrap up of our trip from both my own and thatcurioustwo’s POV, but Drew has summed up our experience perfectly. I can’t add a thing to his account. Please enjoy.
I think that there are very few things I will do in my life that will compare to what I have just experienced. I know for a fact that I will never be able to look at animals in a zoo the same way. There is nothing manmade that can compare to the life these animals are able to live in the relatively safe game reserve. I know that I will likely never be as close to a rhinoceros as I was on this trip, I will likely never be close enough to feel the vibrations of the of a lion roaring in my chest, in my breath and through my whole body. That is not a bad thing… quite the opposite. It really helps to sum up just how magical of an experience this trip was. Once again, I reiterate, I think that there are very few things I will do in my life that will compare to what I have just experienced.
As an aside, little airplanes suck, but are so necessary! Especially as someone who is still coming to terms with their own anxieties with flying. Flying at 3850ft with significant wind sheer rocking the plane from right to left is a great way to overcome any concerns over turbulence on a large passenger plane.
I got to experience part of the African Animal Kingdom up close and personal. I saw 4 out of the Big 5 hardest animals to hunt – lions, buffalos, elephants & rhinoceros (sadly no leopards) and have some wonderful photos to remind me of this. I saw baby zebra, giraffes, elephants and warthogs in the wild, supported by their mothers. I had so much fun finding warthogs! The way they use their little elbows to help them forage for roots is so bizarre. Didn’t get a photo of a giraffe drinking from a waterhole but managed to see it happening, poor things.
Had an absolute blast learning about tracking animals, identifying different species by their tracks, and attempting to follow them. Spending 2 hours trekking through the bush, with armed trackers to protect us as we tracked a single white rhino. Really just spending as much time as possible asking questions, learning about this fascinating continent from people who love animals and love what they do. The passion was always infectious.
Almost everyone we met were amazing people! Titi from Athol Place, Nathasha our driver, Steph our Marataba game driver, Camp Dani the Marataba manager, Eve the lodge manager, Emile our Morukuru game driver, Gummy our Morukuru tracker, Rochaan the Morukurk manager and Lucky the Morukuru butler. I want to write down these names so when I read back through this I can remember them and remember the experiences they provided.
Special shout outs to Dani for being there with me throughout this experience and helping keep the wonder and awe alive. Shout outs to Jed and Maria for providing their expert commentary from the peanut gallery. Shout out to Sharyn for coming in and so easily fitting into our little family unit and finally one MASSIVE shout out to Mum, because if it wasn’t for her, none of this would have happened. Thank you Mum for enabling this experience to happen, it will be a memory I cherish so dearly for the rest of my life.
A few things to remember:
• It is better to spot the rock than miss the lion
• Life isn’t hard for these animals, life just is
• You can still function on two hours of sleep, even after celebrating South Africa beating New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final *cough* Stef *cough*
• There is a difference between now and now, now
Actually I have one more shout out… Shout out to the Banded Mongoose who look VERY similar to Meerkats even though they actually are NOT meerkats. Whoever would make that mistake??
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