The Battle of Kruger

Hello there folks!!

Been a while again hasn't it? I promise you, this will not disappoint. Although if you ARE disappoiuted by this post... well... i guess i just broke my promise to you... sorry!

SO SO much has been done in the past few days. Some of it planned, some of it very unplanned, but wow - what a ride nevertheless! Speaking of rides... no, not in that way you sex crazed pest! No, more of a ride in a car from Swaziland to Johannesburg - let's kick off there!

Now, normally, this wouldn't be a point of note would it? It's a car journey in our hired taxi. In the end we travelled for 6 hours in a taxi for a measily 30 pounds each! Bargain! All was well for most of the journey - our driver knew the way to Jo'burg fine, but once we got here - we got LOST baby, REALLY lost. In the end we drove around the city for about 2 hours going all over the place. One point that sticks in my mind is when we were asking for directions to our lodge for the night - our driver rolled down the window (NB: he's Swazi, and therefore black) and spoke to a (white) woman to ask for directions and she totally ignored him. Quite shocking. In the end he asked me to ask the "white guys" for directions. Now, i'm going to linger back onto this topic in my wrap up of my trip (which is sadly encroaching fast), but it really highlights the ever-present divides in South Africa... but this isn't my serious post, so let's get back on with it!

Yes, we were lost, and our driver's patience fell and fell. Note the fact that he'd driven us about 400km from Swaziland and had to drive back the same day! I can understand his irateness, but to be fair, he shouldn't offer what he can't deliver on right? But we made it to our lodge eventually - Nkanga Lodge, which is quite literally luxury. They had 11 acres of land and a chef called GuGu who'd cook up anything you want. How amazing is that?! Naturally, i stole the bath robe as i'm a thieving pikey - i think they expect it no? Was an awesome rest break though, especially following the debacle that was our hostel in Swaziland!

So, let's skip onto the fun stuff - the safari!! It was, quite literally, amazing. Not just because of the animals, but the company we had. First of all our driver, Daan, was a legend. A real top lad and he made the trip really cool. Thus, Vijay and myself are using him to guide us for the next two days to our next few destinations. Also, we knew we had three other people accompanying us on safari... and we were hoping for 3 blonde Australians (or any girls), and NOT for two German grandparents and a 7 year old grandson. Which did we get?? Well, tune in next week for the answer...

Or just read the next paragraph, both are fine with me! We got neither, but we DID get three totally awesome Brits - Michael, BJ (Big James) and Eileen. They were top, TOP folks and really made the safari that much better than it would have been otherwise. They're off on a year long sojourn now, and i'm sure they'll have an awesome time - i really intend to keep in touch with them all. Legends.

Ok, but what of the wildlife? Well, it was quite literally amazing. We saw almost everything Kruger had to offer us - lions, elephants, rhino, buffalo, bison, copious amounts of deer, giraffe etc. Simply i can't do it justice in writing, but you'll all have to check our my Facebook page when i'm back and i'll upload them. No zoo is ever going to seem enough anymore. Zoos do tend to get me depressed, as much as i acknowledge the need for them, but now i really think that they'll never be the same! Was truly fantastic though, and i emplore you all to go somewhere where the animals are truly wild! Oh, and the temperatures? A cosey 34oC - literally baking in my skin, as were the animals. Although Daan says that it hits 44oC in the summer down here - Christ on a bike!!

Although it seems like i'm writing very little on Kruger, i just don't feel words can do it justice - wait for the photos, believe me, they'll be worth it. Oh, and our housing for each night was sublime. I can't gush enough about these past few days. For those of you familiar with my US exploits, i'd compare these few days to those that i spent in Hollywood and Vegas with Hannerz, Sarah, Alex, Sarah B and Louise. The banter was fantastic and the company REALLY made it special for us out here. It really wouldn't have been the same with zie Germans. So, if you're reading this guys - thank you, and you've not heard the last from me... poor, poor you!

So, what next for our intrepid adventurers? Well, we're currently holed up in a nice little place in Pretoria, which is north of Jo'burg (and a lot safer so we hear!), and we're planning on heading out to a cheetah sanctuary tomorrow, which is meant to be amazing. Hell, you can go running with them! My fitness has dropped a bit since leaving... but i don't even think full fitness Aaron could own a Cheetah. Sure, i could out-box it, but running? Maybe not. We shall see!! I'm just sad this whole trip is coming to an end. Speaking of which, so too is my time on the internet, so i'll have to love you and leave you. Me love you long time!

Take care folks, and i'll update daily until i leave now, so stay wired to the blog, and enjoy what follows!

Much love,

Aaron x