It’s the penultimate day of the road trip and we have reached the third and final destination – Kwa-Maritane game lodge. Today has been the most relaxed (so there is much to report), but it didn’t start that way…
It started with three loud knocks on my Tshukudu lodge room door at 5.30am. It was the resident game ranger, Evan, who had promised at dinner that he would wake us up before the crack of dawn. So I put on as many layers of clothes I could and headed out to have some coffee before the drive.
As soon as we got into the ranger-mobile I knew this game drive would be as pleasant as yesterday’s because it is very cold out there in the Pilansberg Mountains. Even with the double layers, a hot water bottle and two blankets, I couldn’t stand the cold. When we stopped to do some bird watching at a watering hole, Philile and I both agreed that we should have brought balaclavas for this game drive. Our faces felt like they were about to fall off. The watering hole was wonderful though. We saw some beautiful birds, the kind you normally only see on channels such as National Geographic – and were treated to an amazing sunrise. It’s moments like this that makes me realise there is way more to life than what we normally experience daily.
Back into the freezing cold we went. I buried my head under the blankets and only chose to pop out whenever we encountered some game. We saw quite a few white rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras, huge kudus, a honey badger (which apparently is very rare sighting), and a lion from a great distance.
After the drive, I took a long hot shower and went up to the main building where we enjoyed a small yet delicious English breakfast. Thereafter, we said our goodbyes and were enroute to Kwa-Maritane.
It was a much shorter trip than all the others, taking us less than 30 minutes. We were so early we arrived before check-in time and our rooms weren’t even ready. After we eventually checked-in at 2pm, we were informed of a game drive at 3pm, and after the morning we had just had, that was the last thing on our minds. The other game drive would be at 8am the following morning, the gentleman said, but we decided against that one as well. I think we had seen enough wild animals for the week.
So it was a relaxing afternoon – one for catching up on work and sleep. Not to mention, TV. Kwa-Maritane has TVs, network, wi-fi and all the things a modern civilization requires to function. To say I was relieved would not be the half of it.
In the evening we went for dinner, and as soon as we got there I thought I had died and went to carnivore heaven. The buffet was riddled with a variety of meats. There were greens, pastas, cheeses and desserts as well, but I only had eyes for the meaty stuff. After a small starter, I packed my plate with a little of everything; chicken kebabs, chicken fillets, beef stew, lamb stew, a slice of roasted beef and a slice of roasted lamb. Suffice to say, I indulged. I couldn’t even finish my plate. I was too full to have dessert…or at least that’s what I thought until I saw the chocolate and strawberry ice-creams. It was delicious I tell you.
So now here I am, stuffed as a piñata, getting ready for bed. Tomorrow we head back to the concrete jungle that is Johannesburg.
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