[Big yawn]…It’s been one long day. Iggy gave us a wake-up call at 6.30am, reminding us to be at breakfast by seven. I got up, took a luxurious bath and got ready only to check the time and find out it was only 6 o’clock! It turns out I had actually dreamt about receiving a wake-up from Iggy. Would you believe it?
We eventually made it to breakfast, and with the standards having been set so high the previous evening, I went to the dining room with devouring intent. And I was not disappointed. There was a breakfast buffet with something for everyone, from Maltabela porridge to omelettes. The fruit salad even had de-shelled litchi and peeled kiwi in it. “When was the last time I had kiwi?” I thought.
An hour later, we boarded the ranger-mobile (Sorry, I don’t know what the official term for game drive vehicle is). Given that it was only Philile and I taking the tour, we snatched up blankets and braced ourselves for a cold morning adventure. The game drive was awesome – we saw elephants that were having their breakfast less than 10 metres away, giraffes, guinea fowls (which I do not count as wild animals), Impalas, Kudus and a pair of lioness sisters with their cubs. All I was thinking this morning was: “My colleagues back in Jozi are probably stuck in morning traffic right now.” Oh what joy!
After the drive, we got back on the road and headed towards our next destination, Tshukudu Game Lodge. Two hours or so later we arrived at Bakubung Lodge, the sister lodge. We were greeted by a lady called Shawn, who took us to Tshukudu in her ranger-mobile. After we got there, we still had to climb 132 steps to get to the lodge. And, if I didn’t know how unfit I am even before this trip, I do now.
The lodge itself is awesome. The view from the main building is majestic, not unlike the view from the patio of each room. The rooms here are big! They come complete with an outdoor patio, a sitting area with a fireplace, and chandeliers, which I thought were very nice touch. According to Shawn, this lodge is much more intimate. It only has 12 rooms, and the meals have much less variety than other more commercial lodges. I was so impressed by the room that barely realised the apparent downgrade of the forthcoming culinary treat. There was one thing I did notice though…no mobile network coverage – the stresses of a proper city dweller!
“We don’t have TV, radio or cellphones up here,” said Shawn. I didn’t particularly mind, but I had work to do. So, if any of you are wondering why you’re reading this post a day late, that is why.
Dinner was good. We had an avocado and crème cheese ensemble first, and leek soup for starters; a choice between oxtail poitjie and some fish (I forget what kind of fish it was. And that’s doesn’t say much for me because that’s what I had – but it was very good nonetheless); and the dessert, well it was simply delicious.
Without even waiting for the meal to digest, we all retreated to our rooms to get some sleep. We are going for a 6 o’clock game drive tomorrow morning. Eish!
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