Advertisement
Published: July 16th 2006
Edit Blog Post
Good Morning Africa
We've come to look all inspiring like at you. Hello all,
Well I believe this is it for us. Tomorrow we take the long trek back to Johannesburg (6-7 hours) followed by the long flight to London (11 hours) followed by a brief layover and scramble through customs (2 hours) followed by the long flight to Los Angeles (11 hours) followed by a coma.
I can't afford to stay on long so here's what's happened. Our hostel in Hazyview was the shadiest place ever and the staff was entirely drunk and the guy in charge (Darrel) didn't change his clothes once during our three night stay. We actually saw him once at the Kruger park gate just as we were embarking for a night drive but he ignored all of us (this was odd as he had addressed me by name that morning and had been very, drunkenly kind). Later that evening, when we got back to the pit of despair and debauchery, Daniel asked him casually if he'd been at the park. Darrel immediately and very shadily denied having been there at all (emphatically gesturing too). "Wasn't me. I haven't been there. I have a friend uh... that does business... But no wasn't me at all."
It
This is why the Kruger is amazing.
Right outside this frame are like 20 more elephants. was Darrel. The next morning we wanted to leave at 5 am to get into the park as it opened (and to get the hell out of that hostel). When we got to the car though, the passenger side window was smashed in. Daniel pointed out that maybe we shouldn't have asked Darrel about where he'd been. In anycase, nothing was stolen and it didn't cost too much to replace the window.
On another note, I have discovered and Stacey, Devan and Daniel have backed me up on this, that the Maribou Stork (look it up) is probably the scariest bird on the planet. We theorize that as you lay on your deathbed, it's not a skeleton in a cloak that comes to get you, but what we now affectionately call, the Death bird (also, it craps on its own legs to keep away bugs). Now that we've had some time to think about it (and also spend hours a day staring at brush while trying to spot animals and slowly, ever so slowly, losing our minds) that maybe Darrel was a servant of the Death bird. This theory has grown in leaps and bounds to include a cosmic
How cool is this?
By the way, 3 seconds before this picture was taken, that window was down. battle between the Death bird and his crew (Darrel and our less enthusiastic tour guides) and Mohammed (our savior at the service station) for our immortal souls. Needless to say, its probably good that we're all coming home soon.
As for the Kruger. I am in love with this place, Stacey loves the place but has been forced to blacken her heart in order to cope with the three of us in a confined space (her tutelage in cruelty is progressing nicely), Devan is more or less through with it and won't stop talking about mexican food and as for Daniel... the malaria pills seem to have dropped him into a vast sea of delerium and we can't go five minutes without hearing about the sasquatch he dreamed about that smacked the back of his head and scampered off, flailing it's arms in the air. It's fun. We've seen almost everything this park has to offer with the exception of Cheetah, Hyena and Wild Dog. I for one hold out hope that we will see them tomorrow on the way out. I'd love to sit here and tell you all about it, but I'm informed that I tend to
Lazy zebra...
You see zebra, this is why you never get anywhere in life. stray into some extreme nerdiness and you'll probably all get bored and log out. Just know that it's been cool and when I see you in person, there will be no escape.
As for tonight, we will all go out and try to eat without spending what's left of our money, after which we may sit on the riverbank and watch the southern sky (the stars are pretty amazing here and almost none of them are visible at home). Tomorrow morning it's back in the car for the last time.
At this point, I should write something profound and sad about how this is my final blog of this amazing adventure and to thank all of you for your vicarious following. So please take a few minutes to imagine that you're reading something like that, maybe tear up a little if you can manage it, and know that while you're doing that, we're probably watching hippos fight. Suckers.
Peace out.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.079s; Tpl: 0.02s; cc: 6; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0439s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Lyndsay
non-member comment
Fully informed...
Mental note: the next time I run out of bug spray for the kids and myself, I can teach the children to spread the crap evenly. As for Stacey, do pay close attention to her over the next few days...over exposure may cause frothing of the mouth and fear of water. ps. don't forget to bring me something from somewhere...please, no african children. my hands are full all ready. maybe a death bird. p.s.s you guys obviously haven't seen the film, Hostel. don't go poking your nose into "local" business...