These things only happen in dreams! ha ha, what a experience. Thanx to my mom and dad organising this awesome trip when I was back in Cape Town. It's been one of my dreams and I will defo be going back again. But this time I think miss Jacqui Brown needs to come with me. ;)It was my mom's 60th birthday, love you mom and by the by you are looking smashing!
I had such a great time on this trip, it was so different from a normal holiday and very hot! Did I say Hot! I ment boiling but amazing.
We did a 6 day trip stopping off in different places every 2 days and staying in different parks along the way. One night we were in huts on stilts right by a water hole. Quite scary ha ha.
Let me start from the beginning:
We suppose to leave at 5.00am in the morning, picture it, it's my brother Anton's birthday night the night before this and we go to Purple Turtle in Cape Town to go see some bands that night, a whole bunch of his friends are there to celebrate his 31st! Ant gets a lil hammered as he is a light weight when it comes to drinking (you are ;) Having a bit of rubble and fun with Robyn his ankle goes and then he cannot even talk he is in so much pain. Mish runs to get the car (aka Bakkie!) and drives to the rescue, gets the crew and racing to the Emergency walk in Durbanville. So now its about 3.00am, eeek much! I have to drive in 2 hours for another 9 hours to the Kgalari, oh the joy!
So Ant gets wheeled in by wheelchair, the whole crew are not sober except me, and waiting in the waiting room with anticipation to see if he has broken his ankle, cause let me tell you that thing looked the size of a golf ball! lol so what a experience. Ant goes for X-rays while I talk to the Dr, after another hour, phone the parents and wake them up, let them know the story and then get Ant home on Crutches. He falls asleep almost straight away. Doc thinks he has torn ligaments! not good and his downhill comp is like 4 weeks away, you can imagine the disappointment...
So now I'm packing the 2 bakkie's with dad, the sun is coming up and by the end of it all it's 7 bells and we finally head off. I'm utterly exhausted but really excited at the same time, Ant sleeps and then finally wakes up and puts some good old Foo Foo's on! And we drive and drive and drive for like 8 hrs with the vegetation slowly changing into desert shrubs. Believe me shrubs become well interesting when you driving on 1 straight road all the way.
We get there and go unpack, dad puts on the braai, mum's taking photo's of the birds, my parents are like bird experts now! its insane, every bird they can identify, obsessed much! It's great, it's like having your own spotting book all the time, ha ha
Ant and I go exploring to the most amazing waterfall I have ever seen! It's massive and just so amazing i can't stop smiling. Shame Ant had to struggle on his crutches all the way there, had blisters on his hands by the end of it, but it was all worth it in the end.
After a great braai, we chatted outside, so nice and hot, bugs everywhere though, and a bat that keeps swooping in on my head, naturally freaking out, Dad thinks this is quality entertainment, ha ha.
On the road again, next day while driving there we get to see alot of animals! We ended the day by driving to our next destination, to wonderful stilt huts near a waterhole. here you have to watch around you while you are unpacking cause you in the open until you close the gate to your hut, very exciting, he he. This was the best place we stayed at, had 2 nights here of great braaing and seeing Hyena, springbok, wildcat, mongoose,gemsbok. We were wishing for Leopard but no luck. Marius is the keeper of these 3 chalets and he stays a week at a time to look after the people staying there and to protect them just in case anything happens. What a great guy, knows so much about the animals and their habits, very interesting.
So eventually after a great day and evening, Ant and I go back to our chalet and try get some sleep, it's so hot so I put the fan on in the room. When I'm about to fall asleep all we hear is eeeeehhh eehhhh rrrrrh lick lick scratch scratch, oh my hell! Ant was laughing, I was shitting myself. Eventually get to sleep, next morning, run and tell the parents and Marius says to me it's prob a bat, I'm like ok cool, we did have the door open for a long time today.
So we head out on another great sunny HOT day at about 6.00am (best time to see the animals) We get to see: Hyena and cubs, Cheetah and cubs, Fox looking for food, Springbok, Gemsbok, Wilde beast, Giraffe, Lots of bird of prey and they are huge!!, Owls, snakes, Lions, brilliant!!
On this night, what happens, yes you guessed right, I hear the eeehhhh rrrhh eehh lick , scratch, but before this the hyena's are at the waterhole and making freaky noises, if you have ever heard a hyena then you know what I mean.
So try to ignore and go to sleep, as I'm falling asleep all I hear is eehh doff doff and then silence, so I'm like Ant what was that, he is like just go to sleep , you will see in the morning.
Next morning, Ant says let see what hit the fan, shame we found a little bat in the corner of the room and still a tuft of it's hair on the fan! LOL, felt so sorry for it. Was trying to get out the room and when it flew it hit the fan. boo hoo!
After we leave here to venture to our next destination, we see lots more animals, and did I mention its HOT! Ant and I play a bit of throw and catch with my softball and then with a baseball, then it's to hot, we chill, and braai again. Almost on the last day we come across the most amazing site I have seen, 2 lions lying in the dirt road where we are driving, literally 1 metre away from my window, I didn't know if I should be scared or excited. Ant grabs my video camera, I grab my camera, they just sitting looking at us, not fazed at all. Then we realise, they have just killed and eaten and the carcass is lying right next to them, ooh yum! This is most munificent animal I have ever seen and what a privilege to have seen him so close.
I want to thank my parents for a amazing trip of a life time and Ant for putting up with my shit, these times will always been in my memories. Love you guys x
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