safari sistas

Alas, it is the last night of our adventure!!  And we are many days behind on our blogging as we have been on safari in the bush.  But, we’ll try to at least give an update to close out our travel blog….

So, after recovering from our adrenaline rush on Bloukrans Bridge (by the way, check out the new link for Face Adrenaline to get a good idea of our experience – as if the 5 pages weren’t enough) and after purchasing proof of our feat, we were back in the car on our way to Bushman Sands Game Reserve where we were to be hosted by Kevin and Karen, South African friends from Jaimi’s very first African Adventure.  It was about a 2.5 hour drive, with a stop in PE en route for lunch and purchases (new memory card for cameras, snacks, pharmaceuticals, and wine – of course).  Unfortunately, after our break in PE, the trip was unintentionally extended when we made a wrong turn onto the wrong highway (1 of us blamed the navigator, 1 of us blamed the driver).  But in an attempt to correct our mistake, we turned onto a regional road which would take only 10km to put us back on track.  With the sun fading, and with our hosts waiting, we learned that regional road isn’t far off from off-road.  A grumpy and blind driver cursed as our rental car not so deftly navigated potholes, ruts, and the occasional lake.  A solemn navigator kept insisting that we were getting close.  And blessedly, the frog was asleep in the back. 

Eventually we did get there and were graciously welcomed by Kevin and Karen with a braai dinner at their home on the game reserve.  The pleasant evening, however, turned into a maddening night, when we were awoken at 3 am by a deafeningly loud chirping noise.  Jaimi turned into a lunatic, moving clothes, luggage, bags trying to find the source, and finally revealed 1 cricket.  Before we could get at it, it escaped under the bed, and we had to endure the rest of the night yelling at it to be quiet.  We certainly were happy to be greeted by South Africa Kevin the next morning with coffee and a promise to exterminate for us.

As if being awake all night wasn’t bad enough, however, the morning coffee arrived at 6 in the morning – why oh why did we agree to the early morning game drive?  But we made it out of bed and into the land rover, and it was worth it!  Kevin laughed his head off and sang songs about the bumpy roads. Jill was pretty shocked by some of the roads (okay, a 20 degree grade over stones is not an easy feat!), but not nearly as shocked as she looked during the coffee break, and when pouring from the thermos out came water!  have we mentioned yet that there are approximately 3 coffee machines in all of south africa, and the rest is instant!?  Tough living conditions for a couple of Seattle-ites.

Our ranger for the day was good, driving straight across fields (and over bushes and small trees) to get us within 2 meters of 3 white rhino.  We also saw a herd of elephants, complete with baby.  About midday, winter hit south africa.  It became cold and rainy, meaning itinerary was modified and we mostly hung out and then cooked as a team a gourmet dinner at Kevin and Karen’s place. So made the most of it anyway.

The next day started out bleak with downpour and everyone bundling up in layers of clothes. But we stuck to the itinerary and headed to Shamwari, hoping for the best. We got it! Our South Africa Kevin guided safari started out cold. But like a true ranger, Kev came prepared to ensure his guests get what they need – including blankets and large ponchos – and then topped it all off with fantastic sightings!

It was just like you thought, Tracy! We saw a whole pride of lions munching on a warthog carcass. Little Kevin took it amazingly well, and after watching for a while said “I wish those three eating would get out of the way. I want to see how much of the warthog is gone!”  We also did some major hunting, including major off roading in search of a leopard.  Which we finally found, dragging her kill into a tree.  At that point, we agreed the champagne would be opened – Jill and little Kevin had successfully seen the big 5. 

We spent the evening and night at a guest cottage on Shamwari, and then did (oh horror!) another early morning game drive today.  Since the day before was so successful, big Kevin was easy on us and only required a 6:30 wake up (and he once again delivered coffee to help!).  The best thing about our last day in Africa is that winter gave us a reprieve before settling in – we had blazing sunshine and clear skies!  What a great last safari day! Black rhino, white rhino and close up elephants were the “catch” of the day. Watching the rhino run most impressive – would you believe these huge creatures literally bounce along, light as a feather on their feet?

We came back to PE in the afternoon, and booked a very nice hotel room for our last night before the long trip home.  A short pool visit (how to get 2 weeks’ worth of tan in 45 minutes?!), and now blogging before dinner.

It has been a great adventure.  South Africa is magical and we hate to leave, but we look forward to returning to our homes and loved ones. And to ease the pain, we made a pact that in 2 years, we’ll hit Kenya and climb Kilamanjaro (jaim’s long time dream, since jill got the bungy jump this time).  Sista #1, we are counting on you to join for that one, so it is truly complete!!!  Thanks to all of you for sharing in our adventure – we hope you’ve had some fun, too!

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 9th, 2006 at 9:54 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.