Africa - Day 2 & 3

4:45 wake up this morning, pick up at 5:15. What a difference a few hours sleep make! We pick up 3 Germans from the treehouse resort down the road and we're off for Krueger National Park for 14 hours of safari. Day breaks as we make the 45 min drive over in what is basically an extended jeep with sides and front that roll down. Pete and I take the first of about 1000 pictures of the clouds and sky - it's pretty vast and finally really starts feel like we're in Africa. The weather is perfect, the sun is shining, and thank goodness the jeep has a roof today.

Highlights of the day... Young elephants playing on the road, tussling with each other by ramming their heads together, giraffes and zebras (both my personal faves), lots of impalas, kudus, warthogs, lots and lots of birds, vultures. I was making fun of all the birdwatchers (seriously, staring at birds when a herd of zebras is passing in front of you?), but I realized by the end of the day, chances are good that I'll be one of them soon. So pretty, and a lot bigger and more varied than back home.

We had a late lunch - Pete didn't realize his kuduroll was basically a kudu sausage dog until after he got it - I couldn't take a bite (they've been so cute all day!), but Pete says it was pretty tasty. And then began the 4 hour search for a lion.

--Stef

The day did get a bit long after lunch. It took us the rest of the afternoon to find any lions and even then, we only saw them for a few seconds before they dashed off into the bush, so no pics. We finally got back to Thornhill around 7:30 PM, making it a very long 14 hour day. Thank goodness we were in a covered vehicle, and didn't get too much sun! At dinner, we met up with John and Leslie, who had just arrived from Johannesburg. We stayed up after dinner and had a few beers with them before heading to bed.

On Day 3, we finally had time to sleep in, though still lacked the ability (not sure what time zone we're adjusted to at this point). I was up around 6, and decided to finish reading "The Road". Really enjoyed the perspective its given me, my discomforts are minimal and my experiences are literally extra-ordinary.

After our first breakfast at the lodge, we headed over to the Maholoholo Rehab Center. Amazing place. They take injured or problem animals in and help house, heal, or relocate them. In the span of a few hours we managed to pet a cheetah, feed a vulture, and give a mud bath to a baby rhino. We also got within 2 feet of a pair of lions, some leopards, hyenas, a pack of wild dogs, and a pair honey badgers with escapist tendencies. The guides were really funny, though definitely scripted. It seems like there are a lot of problems living in such proximity to these dangerous animals, but no easy solutions. We also meta nice couple from Jerusalem (Israel). The man was wearing an '08 WS Champs t-shirt, so we asked him about it. Turns out he was originally from Bethlehem (PA)!

After a delicious plate of steak and chips for lunch, we took a little siesta before departing on our final game drive of the trip. The Israeli couple was on the drive, along with their guide, who managed to talk most of the time and lean his head into several of our photos. Other than that, it was a very pleasant afternoon. We didn't see any new / additional animals, but I think we got some better shots of the lions, rhinos, and elephants. We also got some video footage, so we'll see how that comes out.

Another early evening as we have a 5:30 AM wake up call for the bush-walk we are taking tomorrow.

--Pete

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