Adventure Into South Africa

Eve has grown tired of African Fruit Loops for breakfast. They taste much like our Fruit Loops, except they're more colorful and (can you believe it) they might be even sweeter than ours. So, she convinces me to wake her up super early to try breakfast here at the resort restaurant. After making some effort to get dressed, Landon (in his infinite wisdom) decides to go back to sleep instead.  At 5:45 this morning Eve and I walk the lit pathway towards the reception building. We are both shivering. The temperatures climb to around 95 degrees most days, but in the morning it is in the mid-fifties/sixties. When we arrive at the restaurant, we see no lights on, absolutely no movement inside. The hours posted clearly state 6am, but a kind resort worker tells us that they don't open until 6:30. So Eve and I sit in an empty reception area staring blankly at each other and commenting about the incredibly horrific music selections (it's actually music from back home, just not t...

Today is a safari day -- specifically in search of the elusive animals we haven't seen yet. Though we have encountered many elephants, giraffes, hippos, and impalas -- we have yet to see any big cats. Safari-goers most often see leopards and cheetahs at dusk; so, unless we plan on staying until the park close ( which I secretly hope is not the case ), we probably won't see any on this trip. However, lions are not afraid of cars and are quite often in plain sight here at Kruger. ( this little tidbit you can interpret as foreshadowing for what is to come ) 5:45am I am usually the last one out the door as we head out to our daily adventure. Today is no different. I gather my camera, backpack full of snacks, a water bottle (or two), my sunglasses, hat, and of course, sunscreen.  As I approach the parking lot, I notice that the once white VW van is now more eggshell colored; each driver (myself included) has added a few bush scratches along the sides of its once clean ext...

7:55am The Elephant Sanctuary is just a 20 minute drive from our resort. There are two elephants at this location in Hazyview: Kasper and Kitso. Not far from the roadside is a little collection of wooden pathways that lead to a collection of straw huts. As we arrive, monkeys jump from the top of the trees and make their way down to the wooden walkways towards us. T here are monkeys everywhere -- this is common throughout South Africa. Signage exists in most public areas warning you not to feed the monkeys. After a few run-ins, I can see why.  Inside one of the straw huts is the sanctuary's reception area, where we sign our lives away ( in case we get trampled, thrown, squished, bludgeoned, run over -- you get the idea ). Since Grandpa D and Grandma C visited the Elephant Sanctuary on their 2017 visit and count it as one of their most memorable experiences, we decide it's worth accepting the risk.    Our guide gathers the two kids and me-- and we take a short ...

They kind of hate each other right now, so I'm posting this photo lol There isn't much to report on; the kids and I slept in and we enjoyed the amenities of the resort today.  We have our own kitchenette, so we prepare the majority of our food from supplies we buy at the grocery store located just 3 miles down the road. ( we can never seem to remember everything though ) We eat sandwiches so often that Eve is sick of them. She wants to eat in the resort's restaurant today, so I promise her lunch by the pool.  So at 11am, we lazily meander up to the main reception area, discussing our game plan: order lunch, eat, and swim. The pool is near reception, along with other activities like billiards and putt putt golf. Some of us skipped a large breakfast with the thought of eating an early lunch. As we approach the restaurant, we see the doors are closed, lights are off.  "It's okay," I comfort the two kids, "they said something about serving lunc...

7:00 am My FitBit watch battery died in the middle of the night, so my alarm didn't wake me an hour prior as planned. I am now officially without a watch ( forgot the charger along with some other key supplies which will remain a secret....ask me later ). David wakes me on the couch. I've opted for the living area so that both kids will sleep soundly in the bedroom.  Sidenote: If you ever drive when you travel overseas, I highly suggest you purchase a wireless hotspot. It is actually how I'm able to communicate with you now. I purchased mine on Amazon before I left, and I can't express how much it's helped keep us on the right road, avoiding traffic, and also able to reach out to friends and family back home. I opted for a super cheap one and it didn't function at all last night, but it has saved me enough to make it worth every penny. I connect my phone to it while we are on the road and most of the time will find enough connectivity here to get viable d...

After much deliberation and many rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Landon decides to sleep on the couch in the living room and Eve and I take the twin beds in our hotel. However, at 2am in the morning -- Landon emerges from the living room in tears; he can't sleep and wants allergy medicine.  His sister kindly swaps with him (sweet girl). Thus, our early morning start begins before the alarm clock. 4:45am My alarm sounds and I make my instant Starbucks coffee EXTRA strong this morning. We are attempting to make it to Kruger Safari Park before the sunrise. This is a very active point in the day for the animals we plan on observing.  Kruger National Park is South Africa's largest and most diverse reserves (it is also one of its oldest). It is almost the size of Israel, so there are many vast areas to explore over several days.  Going to Safari is kind of like fishing; you never know what you'll get. So, on little sleep and lots of caffeine, we load into the car for...