lions and hippos and elephants, oh my!

As I mentioned in the last post, my mum was not too keen on me going to Johannesburg. Well, I survived the first night! Granted, I went through my first (and second, and third...) gun checkpoint which was an eye-opening experience, but of course I wasn't packing so I got the all-clear.

The next day we flew to Richards Bay in KwaZulu Natal (KZN), which is the state up in the North West of South Africa, near Swaziland and Mozambique. The flight itself was nice and bumpy, made more so by the fact we were in such a small aircraft - another first for a few of us. From the airport we drove to a lovely town named St Lucia, which was the perfect jumping off point for some game drives in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park and hippo viewing at iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Everyone asks me, “did you go to Kruger?” I answer No. The look of disappointment is obvious in whoever asked. But there are so many different parks and possibilities for game drives – Kruger isn’t the only one. Not only that, but where I went is the best spot for viewing hippos. In fact, on our second night in St Lucia, we walked out into the street after dinner, and were told to stop and stay still because there was a hippo across the road. She had wandered into town for dinner and was helping herself to some grass in the playground!

From St Lucia we made our way to the magnificent Phinda Mountain Lodge, which is a private game lodge in KZN. The difference between a private game reserve and a National Park is that you stay within the grounds of the park, you are assigned a driver and a spotter (who know their stuff inside out) and the animals are closely monitored giving you an increased chance of encountering them.

From here on, I will let the photos speak for themselves. I am a terrible photographer, but I hope you get the idea. Enjoy!

Hippos at iSimilangaliso

A quick safety warning...

The savannah

Unfortunate fact: this guy is really not that nice. Thanks for getting my hopes up, Lion King.

Phinda Mountain Lodge

The view over Phinda

The bathroom of my suite at Phinda... pretty nice!

My balcony at Phinda, complete with dipping pool and outdoor shower

Bones

Our view from the hill where we enjoyed our Sundowners

The safari vehicle, driver/guide and spotter (they were amazing)

In Adelaide, we’re lucky to have two zoos with Giraffe populations, so I see them quite regularly. However, the thrill of driving around in the bush and seeing one poking is head over a tree way in the distance and edging closer and closer to say ‘hello’ is something else entirely!

Speaking of experiences that are “something else” – this guy followed us for about a mile, keen to see what we were up to.

Down at the waterhole...

Juvenile lions

Hanging out...

out of africa

I was so nervous I kind of didn't even want to go. It seems like a strange sentiment really, considering I've been to crazier places before and I like to push the boundaries. I like to go to places that make my mum say "please just stay here!"

South Africa definitely met this requirement. In fact, she called me up the day before and said "you're not going to JOHANNESBURG are you?!" That probably didn't help. However, I actually have quite a few lovely South African clients who helped get me excited. I think, above all, I knew just how much I was going to miss Boyfriend.

Fighting jetlag, we touched down in Johannesburg (OR Tambo Intenational) and I started to realise just how non-scary the place is, and not only that, but how at home I felt right away. Sure there were a few differences, such as the airport signs directing you to "Customs", "Baggage Claim" and the ominous "Firearms Import/Export"! I clutched onto my handbag for dear life fairly sure it would be snatched (I'd heard the stories) and kept an eye on everyone. Of course, I walked away completely unscathed.

Dinner on the first night was at Tribes, an African themed restaurant, and hosted by the lovely Erik from South African Tourism. If there's one thing I can say about South African cuisine... they love their meat! Jeff had the "mixed grill": 4 steaks - Ostrich, Kudu, Impala and Warthog. I stuck to the beef.

One thing that really struck me was the scenery. Eucalypts everywhere! I felt so at home. Eucalypts are a pest over there but it definitely helped me realise that sometimes one side of the world isn't really all that different from the other. The people were just as friendly, the food was just as tasty, and the views were just as beautiful. There are some cultural differences though, and for me (an ironing freak) I found it extremely hard to handle the idea that I had to call someone to come and do my ironing for me. Apparently, South Africans find it just as strange that I would do my own ironing!

I came to love Johannesburg in the very small amount of time I spent there. It has this big, bad reputation but there are so many beautiful spots and interesting people. All I can say about this eclectic city comes from my book of cliches: "don't judge a book by it's cover" and "don't knock it 'til you try it!"

Love xx

Rebirth

Simba, it is time.

The previous blog had been neglected because, honestly, my motivations for starting it no longer existed and most of the time I had no idea what to say.

This time, it's different. I am sitting in an airport lounge about to head home after an African escapade and I have two thoughts in mind. The first: this world is an incredible place and I can't believe I somehow managed to forget this; and two: I am incredibly blessed to have some amazing people in my life who keep me going day after day and who make my life wonderful.

I am starting from scratch today, acknowledging the past and moving on. I am dedicating this new set of thoughts and posts to the beautiful people I have been lucky enough to meet on my journeys, and to my wonderful man and incredible family who support me all the way.

Love!