On Safari!

Managed a quick nap this afternoon then headed off on safari! Off into the wilderness! Comfortable in our 4WD. Within a few kms of the lodge. Roughing it. Not.

There were only a dozen of us in the 22 seater vehicle; we four sat up the back like all the cool kids do. I was able to keep moving from side to side to take pics.

We saw 18 different kind of animals, some multiple times - zebra, elephant, rhino, giraffe, puff adder, chameleon, kudu, water buck, baboon, vervet monkey, eqyptian goose, springbok, crocodile, steenbok, gnu, impala, tsesebe - and the pick of the day - LEOPARD!! We weren't close enough to photograph everything (giraffe, baboon), some moved too quickly (monkey, she was in a real hurry) and the leopard was in the dark (blurry).

At the waterhole.

We saw the leopard twice; she was just walking along the road towards us. She crossed in front and wandered off into the bush. Suddenly, 3 other nearby safari trucks descended; there were 4 spotlights searching for her. After a short while our driver saw her just nonchalantly walking along the road again. She wasn't scared or bothered by our presence.

Chameleon, another night shot.

We Made It!!

After 24 long hours we've made it to South Africa and our lodge at the game park. Last night's flight left Singapore at 1.30am; again, I had an empty seat on one side. I watched two more movies - Birdman (quirky, a bit dark, well acted) and The Imitation Game (really like this one). That's 4 movies total - more than I usually watch in a whole year.

I managed to fold myself up in the two seats and have a bit of a nap. When I woke up and looked out the window into the dark night I thought, "oh, how cool, there's a big storm happening out there. Look at that lightning; there's so much of it. It's quite regular. Actually it's very regular." Then I realised it wasn't a storm at all - it was the flashing lights on the wings! Then I crawled over Gibbo and went to the toilet and had a moment of panic when I thought I'd locked myself in. Clearly, I need to get out more.

Our bags were the last two to come onto the carousel (of course). Our friends were waiting for us and we drove from Johannesburg, through Pretoria and then on to Bakubung Lodge in Pilanesberg National Park. This is my very first African Animal.

From Reception we could see these elephants having a mid-morning dip.

Maria, Brian and Gibbo.

Our room is in the complex on the left, about a minute's walk from Reception.

I love a big bathtub!

Beautiful

Airport Farewell

We made the airport in good time; it was very quiet at Departures. Drew turned around and drove home again after taking a heap of photos!

Filling in time.

We're now in Singapore (11.30pm) for a 5 hour layover then off to Johannesburg.

Farmer Drew

Drew has come home to look after the farm while we're away. We took him all over the farm showing him the jobs he needs to complete each day. Here he is getting a crash course in starting the pump. Yes, he was paying attention - he's actually taking notes!

He and I managed a quick trip to P&C for a coffee, cold drink and piece of slice! Later, G and I went to the office one last time to cover off on some emails. He packed this morning; I left mine until tonight.

This is my team shirt.

Chloe couldn't care less. Do not disturb.

I'm still in two minds about blogging on the iPad. Even photos taken on the Canon and downloaded to the iPad don't come up very well via the Blogger app. Guess I need to decide pretty soon. We leave here in just over 8 hours.

Meg's Away Again

Meg came home on Thursday for an overnight visit then continued on to Twba and Bris to complete some last minute jobs before flying out to India today. Today! She flew out this morning. We had a quick message from Singapore. She should land in Dehli just after midnight.

Bye bye Megey; miss you, love you!