Made it!!

We arrived at Johannesburg airport about 10am, after a seven hour overnight flight (we both slept a bit) and were relieved and delighted to be met by Paul, who drove us to the lodge. It was rather a long drive - more like 7 hours than the 5/6 hours we thought it would be. But we stopped a couple of times. Once for a coffee with rhinos, elephants etc at a nearby waterhole, and another time in a quaint wee town for the best pancakes ever (I had lemon meringue pie pancake, JR had peanut butter, banana and chocolate, both with ice cream).

The drive was quite boring - about three hours motorway, the scenic part is right at the end. We were pretty glad to arrive and be greeted with a hot hand towel and a cold drink. Most of the seven hour journey, I had been dreaming of a nice long shower (we had been travelling in the same clothes for days!) followed by a beer. Or perhaps the other way round. Or even, both at the same time. As we sat with our drinks by the pool, smelling newly fresh, a great big beast quietly crunched by in the undergrowth, just in the darkness. I knew it wasn't a carnivore, so didn't panic, and I now know it was a kudu, and it hung about all evening, and he was a huge thing.

All the other residents were still out on an evening drive and they came back full of excitement about what sights they had seen. We were then escorted to dinner round a long boardwalk.

The meal was very nice, with convivial company and wine on tap. Everyone had different stories and recommendations for activities. When we walked back, there was a porcupine stomping around in the undergrowth. He was about a metre long, and you don't want to get him annoyed!

We slept like the proverbial logs.