Day 35
I made it to the meeting on time. 0400, remember. They piled about 30 of us into vans to go to the airport. I've never seen an airport so disorganized. The line for security went from one end of the airport to the other, and the check-in line was parallel to it in the reverse direction.
We all sat in a spot on the floor because there were no chairs and waited for the travel agent to return with our boarding passes. The decorations in the airport cracked me up because they were all Native American theme, with buffalos and tepees. The gates were actually just desks spaced evenly in a big tent. We had to take a bus to get to the plane. It was the same at the Johannesburg airport. These aren't small airports, either. It was weird.
So, the change of plans had been that we would take two flights instead of a flight and a long drive. At the tiny airport in the middle of the bush, we clambered into two different vans to be transported to the Manyeleti Game Reserve. Even on the drive from the airport to the resort we saw giraffes, a warthog and zebra.
The place where we stayed was gorgeous. We were greeted at the lodge by the guides Georgie, Craig and Richard and the manager Garvie. The lodge had a relaxing seating area, a bar, three big picnic tables and a swimming pool and deck, all of which overlooked a watering hole. Two elephants were using the watering hole when we arrived. They weren't more than 40 feet away.
We had some free time before lunch and the evening game drive, so tent assignments were given, and we were set free. I had expected the tents to be army-style: up on platforms with roll-up sides, like what Riley stays in at camp. But these were swanky. We had a seating area with a leather couch and desk. The beds were inclosed in mosquito netting and had luxurious comforters on them. Oh, and the bathroom was in the tent. We had plumbing in a tent: two showers, a sunken bath, toilet and sink. The place was fabulous.
My roommate Sherine and I settled in until the meal drum sounded at 1400 for lunch. Lunch was a three course meal with soup, chicken with salad and custard, not to mention the soft bread with oil and balsamic. The chef, Nicolas even came around to each table to describe the meal before it was served.
We had more free time after lunch to relax before the evening game drive. I took a nap; I was exhausted. Sherine woke me up at 1600 for the drive, and we got in the buggy that Richard was driving. Richard had all the girls in his buggy. Devance was our spotter. He pointed out so many animals that I never would have seen: birds, small cats, antelope.
The first thing we saw was impala. They are the biggest population on the reserve. We also saw monkeys and birds before we drove right in between three male elephants. They were huge and tearing down trees left and right. Okay, so they were just eating grass and leaves off the branches, but they were still massive. So close to us, and they didn't even care.
Richard told us that the animals considered us to be one big animal as long as we were in the buggy. As soon as we got out, they would see us as a predator. That's because in nature the big animals are always herbivores and the small ones are carnivores.
We watched the elephants for a long time. There were only males in this group because the females kick them out of the herd when they reach a certain age. Females always stay with their mothers and the herd. The males will hang out together in small groups for protection.
We drove around for a little while longer before stopping for a sun-downer. Richard and Devance pulled out wine, beer, juice and water as well as little hors d'ouvrés for us to enjoy as we watched the sun set. We could hear a lion roaring over the ridge.
We didn't see any hunters that night. The lion was too far off. But dinner was calling us anyway.
Nicholas gave us two options for our main course at dinner every night. Always divine. We threatened to take him back on the ship with us. As much as everyone wanted to stay up and sit around the fire talking, we were all too tired. We had to have a guide take us back down to our tent in case there were any animals in camp.
The staff had rolled down an outer mosquito net and turned our beds down for us. I really don't know how I left that magical place.
We were woken up at 0530 the next morning to the beating drum, and tea and coffee with homemade scones were brought to us in our tent. Sweet treatment. Something I got used to real fast.
The first thing we saw on our morning drive was water buck. But the second thing was the most endangered predator in the bush: the wild dog. It has the same coloring as a calico cat with a white tip on its tail. The one we saw was on her way back to the den after a kill. She had blood all over her face. We drove over to the den and got to see all the pups.
Next we saw Cape Buffalo, Steer buck and zebra before stopping by another waterhole for coffee. The two other buggies were stopped there already when we got there. I had some mocha with Daniel and took some pictures before we went on a game walk.
Devance took the buggy while Richard led us on a walk around the dam. We got to examine all the different poops and see where an elephant had wallowed in mud. Richard showed us the buck dung spit game where you see who can spit water buck dung the farthest. Then we headed back to camp for breakfast.
They had granola, cereal, yogurt, fruit, toast, muffins, made-to-order eggs, potatoes, baked beans, bacon and sausage. A bush breakfast. These people gave us anything we wanted.
Breakfast was followed by the same routine as the first day: break until lunch at 1400, break until game drive at 1600, sun-downer, dinner.
On our afternoon drive we saw elephants playing in the water. They were fully submerged and having a ball. It was so cute. There was also a journey of giraffes, including a baby one. We got a great view of wildebeest and kudu. Wildebeest is a South African word meaning wild cow. Kudu is an antelope that I ate for dinner in Walvis Bay. We were also the first group to see a rhino. The collective noun for rhinoceros is a crash.
That night we were lucky enough to find a lion! He was an old guy, calling to his younger guy friend. There is no way I would have been able to spot him since the coloring of a lion is exactly the same shade of the dry grass.
The next morning, sadly our last, we saw more buffalo, impala, water buck and a tower of giraffe. There were two hippos looking at us from the water while we had coffee and muffins. They wouldn't come out though; we could only see their ears.
Richard was the best guide. He taught us so much about the animals. He told us the big five (elephant, cape buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino) aren't called the big five because they're the most dangerous. It's because they were the most desirable trophy animals for hunters.
He also didn't drive off the roads to find leopards. Craig, one of the other guides, took his buggy into the bush so that his guests would get to see a leopard, the most evasive of the big five. When they did see one, Craig didn't tell any of the other guides to come look. He couldn't because he was in a restricted area, and he could have lost his job if they had found out. So our buggy missed out on a leopard. But we could answer most questions for anyone else.
Before leaving for our last evening drive, there was an elephant in camp. Among the tents. We had to find new ways to reach our tents because the elephant would charge us if we got too close. He actually stood on the edge of the parking lot just eating some leaves. I got a picture of Josh in front of him, but when I went to stand for a picture, the elephant got defensive. I had to scoot back over by the buggy.
He started to walk around the edge of the parking lot towards the watering hole and the buggy where Josh was sitting in the spotter's seat. He must have been being ornery because he held out his ears and lifted his trunk (the warning signs of a charge). Josh looked like a prime target on the front of that buggy. He must have been panicking. Craig saved us all by walking towards the elephant, waving his arms and yelling. “He's just causing trouble because he knows he's not supposed to be in here,” Craig said in his South African accent.
Richard could also keep his cool. And he did when our buggy broke down. At night. With a lion 200km away. Because of all the jostling and bumping over rocks and ditches we did over the past few days, the universal, um...joint(?) came off. Richard was upset about not being able to get us to the lion. He called another rescue buggy to come get us, but the mechanic got there first.
He was cute. Of course our buggy full of girls started asking him questions, like “how old are you?” and “do you have a girlfriend?” One girl was being beyond obnoxious, though.
She had joined our buggy that day because she couldn't stand to be away from her roommate for a couple hours. Throughout the day she had repeatedly been rude and lewd to Richard. She criticized his driving, and at one point said, “I love how we make fun of Richard,” even though she was the only one doing so. The rest of us adored our guide.
So, when the buggy broke down, she caused a scene. She was being especially loud and yelling for Devance to get the wine out to calm her. When the mechanic arrived, she shouted, “are you circumcised?” To me, that crosses a line. Beyond being completely wonton, this girl is representing Semester at Sea, America and Jewish people. All of which are embarrassed by her question.
Thankfully another buggy showed up soon afterward, and we were on our way to see a lion. We found him a few km down the road with a buggy following him. The lion couldn't care less about the cars following him. He just kept walking down the road. Every once in a while he would roar, calling to his friend. We followed him all the way back to a neighboring camp. He went into the tent area. That could just as easily been my camp and tent area! Just like the elephant.
As he went down by the tents, we lost sight of him. So we called the camp to let them know, then headed back to get some dinner. It surpassed expectations as usual.
We were sad to have to go to sleep knowing that we would have to wake up at 0500 to leave. Manyeleti was one of the most magical places I've ever been. And I've been to Disneyworld. Mickey's got nothin on this. I've got plans to get back there.
I made it to the meeting on time. 0400, remember. They piled about 30 of us into vans to go to the airport. I've never seen an airport so disorganized. The line for security went from one end of the airport to the other, and the check-in line was parallel to it in the reverse direction.
We all sat in a spot on the floor because there were no chairs and waited for the travel agent to return with our boarding passes. The decorations in the airport cracked me up because they were all Native American theme, with buffalos and tepees. The gates were actually just desks spaced evenly in a big tent. We had to take a bus to get to the plane. It was the same at the Johannesburg airport. These aren't small airports, either. It was weird.
So, the change of plans had been that we would take two flights instead of a flight and a long drive. At the tiny airport in the middle of the bush, we clambered into two different vans to be transported to the Manyeleti Game Reserve. Even on the drive from the airport to the resort we saw giraffes, a warthog and zebra.
The place where we stayed was gorgeous. We were greeted at the lodge by the guides Georgie, Craig and Richard and the manager Garvie. The lodge had a relaxing seating area, a bar, three big picnic tables and a swimming pool and deck, all of which overlooked a watering hole. Two elephants were using the watering hole when we arrived. They weren't more than 40 feet away.
We had some free time before lunch and the evening game drive, so tent assignments were given, and we were set free. I had expected the tents to be army-style: up on platforms with roll-up sides, like what Riley stays in at camp. But these were swanky. We had a seating area with a leather couch and desk. The beds were inclosed in mosquito netting and had luxurious comforters on them. Oh, and the bathroom was in the tent. We had plumbing in a tent: two showers, a sunken bath, toilet and sink. The place was fabulous.
My roommate Sherine and I settled in until the meal drum sounded at 1400 for lunch. Lunch was a three course meal with soup, chicken with salad and custard, not to mention the soft bread with oil and balsamic. The chef, Nicolas even came around to each table to describe the meal before it was served.
We had more free time after lunch to relax before the evening game drive. I took a nap; I was exhausted. Sherine woke me up at 1600 for the drive, and we got in the buggy that Richard was driving. Richard had all the girls in his buggy. Devance was our spotter. He pointed out so many animals that I never would have seen: birds, small cats, antelope.
The first thing we saw was impala. They are the biggest population on the reserve. We also saw monkeys and birds before we drove right in between three male elephants. They were huge and tearing down trees left and right. Okay, so they were just eating grass and leaves off the branches, but they were still massive. So close to us, and they didn't even care.
Richard told us that the animals considered us to be one big animal as long as we were in the buggy. As soon as we got out, they would see us as a predator. That's because in nature the big animals are always herbivores and the small ones are carnivores.
We watched the elephants for a long time. There were only males in this group because the females kick them out of the herd when they reach a certain age. Females always stay with their mothers and the herd. The males will hang out together in small groups for protection.
We drove around for a little while longer before stopping for a sun-downer. Richard and Devance pulled out wine, beer, juice and water as well as little hors d'ouvrés for us to enjoy as we watched the sun set. We could hear a lion roaring over the ridge.
We didn't see any hunters that night. The lion was too far off. But dinner was calling us anyway.
Nicholas gave us two options for our main course at dinner every night. Always divine. We threatened to take him back on the ship with us. As much as everyone wanted to stay up and sit around the fire talking, we were all too tired. We had to have a guide take us back down to our tent in case there were any animals in camp.
The staff had rolled down an outer mosquito net and turned our beds down for us. I really don't know how I left that magical place.
We were woken up at 0530 the next morning to the beating drum, and tea and coffee with homemade scones were brought to us in our tent. Sweet treatment. Something I got used to real fast.
The first thing we saw on our morning drive was water buck. But the second thing was the most endangered predator in the bush: the wild dog. It has the same coloring as a calico cat with a white tip on its tail. The one we saw was on her way back to the den after a kill. She had blood all over her face. We drove over to the den and got to see all the pups.
Next we saw Cape Buffalo, Steer buck and zebra before stopping by another waterhole for coffee. The two other buggies were stopped there already when we got there. I had some mocha with Daniel and took some pictures before we went on a game walk.
Devance took the buggy while Richard led us on a walk around the dam. We got to examine all the different poops and see where an elephant had wallowed in mud. Richard showed us the buck dung spit game where you see who can spit water buck dung the farthest. Then we headed back to camp for breakfast.
They had granola, cereal, yogurt, fruit, toast, muffins, made-to-order eggs, potatoes, baked beans, bacon and sausage. A bush breakfast. These people gave us anything we wanted.
Breakfast was followed by the same routine as the first day: break until lunch at 1400, break until game drive at 1600, sun-downer, dinner.
On our afternoon drive we saw elephants playing in the water. They were fully submerged and having a ball. It was so cute. There was also a journey of giraffes, including a baby one. We got a great view of wildebeest and kudu. Wildebeest is a South African word meaning wild cow. Kudu is an antelope that I ate for dinner in Walvis Bay. We were also the first group to see a rhino. The collective noun for rhinoceros is a crash.
That night we were lucky enough to find a lion! He was an old guy, calling to his younger guy friend. There is no way I would have been able to spot him since the coloring of a lion is exactly the same shade of the dry grass.
The next morning, sadly our last, we saw more buffalo, impala, water buck and a tower of giraffe. There were two hippos looking at us from the water while we had coffee and muffins. They wouldn't come out though; we could only see their ears.
Richard was the best guide. He taught us so much about the animals. He told us the big five (elephant, cape buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino) aren't called the big five because they're the most dangerous. It's because they were the most desirable trophy animals for hunters.
He also didn't drive off the roads to find leopards. Craig, one of the other guides, took his buggy into the bush so that his guests would get to see a leopard, the most evasive of the big five. When they did see one, Craig didn't tell any of the other guides to come look. He couldn't because he was in a restricted area, and he could have lost his job if they had found out. So our buggy missed out on a leopard. But we could answer most questions for anyone else.
Before leaving for our last evening drive, there was an elephant in camp. Among the tents. We had to find new ways to reach our tents because the elephant would charge us if we got too close. He actually stood on the edge of the parking lot just eating some leaves. I got a picture of Josh in front of him, but when I went to stand for a picture, the elephant got defensive. I had to scoot back over by the buggy.
He started to walk around the edge of the parking lot towards the watering hole and the buggy where Josh was sitting in the spotter's seat. He must have been being ornery because he held out his ears and lifted his trunk (the warning signs of a charge). Josh looked like a prime target on the front of that buggy. He must have been panicking. Craig saved us all by walking towards the elephant, waving his arms and yelling. “He's just causing trouble because he knows he's not supposed to be in here,” Craig said in his South African accent.
Richard could also keep his cool. And he did when our buggy broke down. At night. With a lion 200km away. Because of all the jostling and bumping over rocks and ditches we did over the past few days, the universal, um...joint(?) came off. Richard was upset about not being able to get us to the lion. He called another rescue buggy to come get us, but the mechanic got there first.
He was cute. Of course our buggy full of girls started asking him questions, like “how old are you?” and “do you have a girlfriend?” One girl was being beyond obnoxious, though.
She had joined our buggy that day because she couldn't stand to be away from her roommate for a couple hours. Throughout the day she had repeatedly been rude and lewd to Richard. She criticized his driving, and at one point said, “I love how we make fun of Richard,” even though she was the only one doing so. The rest of us adored our guide.
So, when the buggy broke down, she caused a scene. She was being especially loud and yelling for Devance to get the wine out to calm her. When the mechanic arrived, she shouted, “are you circumcised?” To me, that crosses a line. Beyond being completely wonton, this girl is representing Semester at Sea, America and Jewish people. All of which are embarrassed by her question.
Thankfully another buggy showed up soon afterward, and we were on our way to see a lion. We found him a few km down the road with a buggy following him. The lion couldn't care less about the cars following him. He just kept walking down the road. Every once in a while he would roar, calling to his friend. We followed him all the way back to a neighboring camp. He went into the tent area. That could just as easily been my camp and tent area! Just like the elephant.
As he went down by the tents, we lost sight of him. So we called the camp to let them know, then headed back to get some dinner. It surpassed expectations as usual.
We were sad to have to go to sleep knowing that we would have to wake up at 0500 to leave. Manyeleti was one of the most magical places I've ever been. And I've been to Disneyworld. Mickey's got nothin on this. I've got plans to get back there.
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