Safrica Day 7

Waking up at 9am was such a challenge this morning. Despite it being two hours later than we were used to for the last few days, the work we have done left me pretty much exhausted. Even so, Buddy and I woke up and stepped out onto the balcony and took in the vast expanse of our new backyard. It was pretty surreal to stand on our balcony and watch the packs of warthogs run through the brush.

Breakfast was pretty much a flashback to the cafeteria. We were cooking a dozen eggs at a time on the stove and everyone else was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the table for the afternoon. It was scrambled eggs on toast for everyone, mainly because we didn’t have the foresight to realize our two plates were not going to be enough for fourteen people.

After breakfast, we headed to the main area to book our evening tour of the reserve. The evening tour sounded the sweetest because not only were we told we would see both day and night animals, but they also would feed us cheese and alcohol. So, you can pretty much see why we chose that tour. We had a couple of hours to waste before the guided tour started and decided that going though the park on our own would be fun. We set out in our van and drove through the park. It was pretty much a run-of-the-mill park tour. We drove around and saw some wildlife. I was astounded that most of the animals were wandering so close to the van except that we had driven for nearly two hours and had not seen an elephant. That is, until we started towards the gate and three elephants poked out from behind the bushes near the exit. It was truly awe-inspiring to see these elephants just a mere yard from the van window. Unfortunately, we were rushed to meet the tour bus so we had to take in as much as we could before speeding out toward the meeting point.

As we pulled up to the meeting point for the sunset tour, it was clear that the guide was less than pleased with our tardiness. That and there were two other people booked to this safari and they seemed to be in a rush to get into the park. After a great deal of complaining on their part, we left for the safari, nearly leaving Karysse behind. As we entered the gate, the same three elephants were still slowly enjoying their evening roadside meal. We pulled up next to them and were had ample time to take photographs and think about how surreal it was to be mere feet from one of nature’s largest creations.

The tour continued with more of the same safari-type events. We saw more wildlife and the guide imparted his sage wisdom as we passed each one. In addition to the wildlife, we were treated to a spectacular sunset. As the sun drifted beneath the chance clouds, the sky turned a brilliant orange and cast a rusty hue on the brush and wildlife. Just as sun passed the horizon, we drove into the midst of a herd of elephants. This was one of the most awesome experiences of the trip thus far. We were literally inches away from over twenty elephants. It was like the Discovery Channel in three dimensions. Two young elephants were playing behind the jeep. A small family was pulling leaves off of the trees to our left. In front of us, five elephants were releasing an unbelievable volume of urine. It was surreal to say the least.

After the herd dissipated, we drove onto the next watering hole. There we were able to step off the jeep and enjoy the snacks and wine. As we were chomping on some biltong and chips, we were amazed to see that the herd of elephants had actually followed us to the watering hole and were going to take a sunset bath. As this was happening, it began to get dark and a cold wind quickly gathered strength. Before long, it was time to get back onto the jeep and head back to the gate. It was only a short drive, but the biting chill wind made it seem like forever.

By the time we had exited the game area, most of us were frozen to the bone and ready for dinner. We all headed to the restaurant and sat down for what promised to be an excellent meal. In the spirit of adventure and trying the local culture, I had a Kudu steak which was absolutely delicious. I only had about half of it, but that was more than enough to fill my entire stomach. We all enjoyed our dinner and capped it off with coffee and copious amounts of Malva Pudding. After we paid our bill, we headed back to our cabin to relax and reflect on the days events.