Today we woke with another great sunrise over the Indian Ocean. We skipped the formal breakfast and ate granola bars on the rocks as the waves came in. A storm is coming, as the seas were awesome today. It looked much like the North Shore of Hawaii, with 10-15 foot swells repeatedly crashing the beach.
Today required a lengthy drive to Patensie. Wildlife viewing along the road included wildabeast, eagles, giraffe, and hornbill birds. Our drive also wasn't met without a stop at a gas station for the much beloved Mincemeat Pie. New Zealand has the best meat pies, but S.A. isn't far behind...
By the way, KFC is bigger than ever in S.A. Most all the small towns we drove through has one. It should be noted, I've seen a total of ONE McDonald's so far in a week in this country. Quite refreshing. That's not to say KFC is great. In fact, my advice is to avoid eating at KFC at all costs in S.A. It was barely edible, and the Colonel would not be proud.
After 7 hours of travel, we arrived to Patensie. Our lodge was a game reserve in the bush, called Shumba Lodge. This place was a definite highlight of the trip. We were met by Adolf, owner of Shumba. We all piled into 4x4 jeeps, as our bus couldn't make the 5 mile road up to the lodge itself. Upon arrival, we got our keys and walked a windy path to our accommodations. Perched on the edge of a cliff, Terri and I held the key to a tribal hut like the ones in Lesotho. Actually constructed in the Xhosa Tribe architecture, our mushroom-shaped hut had dried grass for walls in the interior, and a dung/clay mix enclosing the roof like some sort of space pod. We had a one-door entrance, and a wood-deck on the cliff that overlooked the game reserve. Unreal. It should be noted that it did have running water (although brown), electricity, and definitely the smallest, narrowest shower I've ever tried to use in my life. I think my elbows are still bruised.
So we dropped our bags and piled back into the jeeps for a sundown game drive. We drove for a couple hours and spotted some great wildlife: zebras, impala, sable antelope, wildabeest, monkeys, and steenbock antelope. Ultimately we watched the sun set over the plains from a high-point in the reserve. What a treat.
Adolf's wife Estelle was hard-at-work in the kitchen, preparing for us a very traditional Dutch/Afrikaan meal. It included bean and sausage soup, outside fire-cooked bread, chicken pie, yellow rice, pumpkin fritters, green beans, steenbock antelope patties, and dessert.
I forgot to mention that Shumba Lodge has the best bar I've ever seen. Including a snooker table and dart board, the lodge is home to the many beasts mounted by Adolf and his now deceased father (killed by lions, sadly). Along the walls were zebra, a full cheetah, a hippo, and more than 10 types of antelope.
Adolf has quite a few adventures of his own to tell. Although it was his wife Estelle that exlained the wounds on his neck and face. Adolf was attacked by 9 lions and lived to tell the story. After 3 months in ICU, he indeed did survive. As she stated, "It's kind of a big deal in this area."
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