This trip has been an awesome experience, one that I would happily do again! It’s hard to pick a favorite memory, but I would say the first day of each safari lodge. When you see that vehicle pull up, you hop in. Your first reaction is a child like glee plastered on your face. The of course there’s Digler, the pet giraffe. Just too cool to see snacking outside of your room… just after you checked in! At Kariega, I felt like I was in Indiana Jones. Whipping through the mountainside in the land cruisers, hopping, bobbing, bouncing along, and hoping to experience a first glimpse at these wild animals. Then there’s the most wild animal of them all. I saw them at both parks, but more at Kariega, and that’s the wild tourist. See now, tourists aren’t your standard animal. They usually hunt in packs of 6-11 people, of all age ranges, one ranger is the leader. They tote the wild tourist throughout the park. Evidence of their existence can be heard in the snapping of cameras, radio communication, excitement; and seen in tire marks on the road. Typical lifespan of this creature is 75 years old, and they’re omnivores, so you’ll see them veggin and hunting. They’re more of a social animal, so you may not often see them out alone. Their natural predators are Darwinism, sugar, salt, and the couch. Quite a unique specimen. In fact, there was one tourist we saw on your second night at Kapama. While the rangers were speaking to each other in Afrikaans, he was translating the conversation to the following “buffalo, tiger, elephant, wild goose…” and so on. I was cracking up! Whomever he was, that made a lasting impression, that’s for sure.
My next favorite experience, was the first day at Kapama. We arrived in the afternoon at Hodespruit on a prop engine plane at what looked like was a hut in the middle of the park. Then we met Jo, where we drove through the park to our lodge seeing rhinos, giraffes, monkeys, and so much more. Our first game drive was looking for a leopard, which involved an off road experience that’s un-paralleled to anything we had ever done before. All while keeping us safe and secure… plus a few war wounds but who’s to say. That first day felt more authentic, and made my imagination run wild.
My favorite meal was, hands down, the dinner by the harbor in Cape Town. That food still resonates with me.
Favorite wine? Okay now, I tried quite a few of those… and I would have to say the La Motte cabernet sauvignon or the Tokara winery cab…. Either way, incredible!
I’ve learned quite a lot from this trip. Some of it was sage advice, from the seat of the airplane “always bring cushioning for long flights.” But more importantly, not to be afraid to try new things. I thought elephants would be my thing, apparently not… but at least I tried. Plus, who can say they had an elephant trunk in their face?
This trip has had a lifetime of memories packed into a 13 day adventure. Incredible can’t begin to describe it.
