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Published: March 2nd 2008
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Last day in Rooi Els and a trip to Bakabung
On our last day in Greater Cape Town, Adam has a dental appointment as his temporary filling was lost somewhere during our journey and we needed to replace the hole in his head. After a few wrong turns, we make it to the dentist and 30 minutes and $30 later (gotta love that!), Adam is ready to continue. We head down to Cape Town for one more afternoon of sightseeing and shopping. We’ve out of the city by five and rushing back to Pat’s for our last sunset in Rooi Els. We make it back in perfect time and enjoy a lovely sunset from Pat’s property with a perfect view over the back side of Table Mountain. Another fabulous dinner compliments of Adam (cheesy scalloped potatoes) and Dan (whole Cape Salmon stuffed with mango) and we check our emails, pack and head to bed.
The next morning, we’re up and out the door off to the airport. We wave good-bye to the tranquility of our remote location and head into the bustle chaos of the airport. We have several baboon sightings on our journey down the mountain and learn
where the phrase “showing your ass” comes from - they have some ugly booties (we decided not to include that image). Our flights delayed, our lunch stinks but our flight is quite entertaining. We fly Kulula Air (their version of Southwest). They pride themselves on their humor and sitting through the pre-flight safety briefing really sets the stage.
“Welcome aboard Kalula airlines. Now that we have squeezed you through one entrance, we would like to point out that there are actually six doors for use primarily in the unlikely event that we survive an emergency. Please pretend to look at them now for the benefit of the nearest flight attendant.
“In case of a loss of cabin pressure, you will be provided with free oxygen. An airbag like this will deploy, and once you’ve stopped screaming, pull it over your nose and mouth and breath normally. Please secure your own mask before assisting children and adults acting like children.
“In case of a water landing, there is a life vest under your seat which you can put on before beginning to breast stroke. There is a flashlight attached to it but the battery will only last eight
hours so please use it sparingly. Please do not flash in public.”
Upon arriving in Johannesburg (or “Josie” as this crime capital of the world is called):
“Welcome to Zimbabwe (corrupt, murderous country to the north), I mean Josie. Although South African Law makes it illegal for you to carry weapons on board this aircraft, it requires you to carry them once you deplane. You will be issued an appropriate firearm as you exit the plane.
“We hope that if you left a vehicle here at the airport that it is still here. If so, we hope that it still has its wheels and that you are able to safely return home. It is Josie after all!”
It is a great airline that has exploded in popularity here. Our plane was done up in bright green camo patterns with the phase “camouflage, they never saw us coming” on the side.
A harrowing drive through Jo’burg traffic and pouring rain on a dark two lane and we finally arrive at our destination: Bakubung.
First Day in the Bush
We awake to the tranquility of the bush. It’s not the beach with waves crashing, it’s the
The Thin Line
Protecting us from slipping a notch on the food chain lazy sound of crickets and birds and the children in the cottage two doors down. Our day begins with the shrieks of “monkey, monkey” by said children and we are pleased to see the monkeys, like our troop, just want to get away from the noisy kids and they have left the potential of food to come to sit by our relatively quite group. Monkeys, birds, wildebeest just from our back porch. We are actually completely inside of the Pilanesburg Nation Park protected from the more dangerous inhabitants only by a 9,000 volt electric fence 15 feet from our porch. It is obviously the model for the camp in Jurassic Park. I half expect to see Jeff Goldbloom run screaming through the camp being chased by a velociraptor.
Afternoon bush drive along with 12 other tourist. Most interesting was the 55+plus year old man with 20 something Thai hottie plus two 20 year colored (appropriate term in SA meaning mixed race) male and female. Our gang tries to determine the dynamic of this group the entire ride and dinner that follows. Adam suggested daughters along with a boyfriend but the leg rubbing and snuggling eliminated at least the Asian
woman from being his kid. Dan finally concludes they are the older man’s sex slaves. Regardless, we learn they are cheap and stiff the driver out of the fare.
Bush drive includes zebras, white rhinos from various distances but only one angle (the backside), giraffe from a distance, hippos, crocs, a few birds.
Dinner is a bush braai which is the local term for grilling or barbeque. We’ve met a lovely German pair (colleagues rather than a couple) that is working in SA for a spell and they join our mangy crew for dinner and we have a great time.
Adam’s dental antibiotic bops into the air and we all look for it on the floor. Finally, Adam notices something white floating in Dan’s drink. He fishes it out and pops the bourbon-covered pill into his mouth. Adam points out that a little antibiotic couldn’t hurt Dan; Dan counters that Adam is drinking again.
Tomorrow is set for some swimming (in the pool not the hippo watering whole) and maybe a massage. Animals and a spa, doesn’t get much better than this.
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