OH MY GOODNESS!

So today we were going on our African safari! I was beyond excited and completely willing to wake up at 6 am to catch our flight to Durban. After a three-hour plane ride and a three and a half hour bus ride we had sufficiently reached the wilderness of Africa. We stopped off at our lodge, which consisted of small cabins smack in the middle of the woods, to drop off our belongs before going on a short nature hike. After another bus ride, we ended up at nature preserve housing an enormous lake filled with over 1000 crocodiles and 800 hippos. Unfortunately we didn’t see either of those animals, but we did see some nyala (South African antelopes), as well as various birds. While taking our tour dark clouds began moving in overhead and lightening was striking in the distance. Soon enough, rain started pouring down in sheets. We were about a half-mile from the vans, so as I’m sure you can imagine all of us were absolutely soaked by the time we made it to the cars. The rain hadn’t let up when we returned to the lodge and we were greeted with the news that the power and water were out. The braver ones, myself included, made a run for it through the narrow, pitch-black trail that led to the bar. Hey, there was nothing better to do. We sipped on beer in candlelight and watched the rain stream down. We chatted with our South African tour guides, learning about their life and hearing interesting safari stories (for example the owner of the lodge used to be an ecological mercenary for poachers, pretty cool). The owner of our lodge told us the rain we experienced was the most rain they had seen in two years and that it would supply them with enough fresh water for the next three months. After an hour or so the power came back on and we sat down to a delicious dinner. I went to bed early, ready to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go on a sunrise safari.


Cabins:

This trail is very scary to run through in the pitch black:

Lodge bar:

View from bar:

Rain-soaked:


We had a wake up call at 4:30am, and we were in the vans by 6 heading to the Hluhluwe Game Reserve (it’s pronounced ShluShluweee). When we arrived, trucks were waiting for us, equipped with stadium style seating for premium Big 5 game viewing. The Hluhluwe game reserve is the oldest reserve in all of Africa. It is also has the highest number of white rhinos out of any park in Africa, totaling over 1000. It is said to be home to all of the Big 5, which are elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard. Immediately upon entry into the park we came upon two giraffes grazing not 20 feet from our truck. A few yards down the road and we saw two white rhino in the distance. Next up, a herd of over 50 buffalo. To complete our first thirty minutes in the park, we ventured upon a herd of zebra and nyala grazing on a side of a mountain. Judging from the morning, I was pretty sure today was going to be a good day.



Adorable:






We stopped off for breakfast at a small park for breakfast and enjoyed our fruit and yogurt with a zebra family. Only in Africa is it normal for zebra to be typical sights during a picnic.



Cute little baby


After breakfast we spotted tons of beautiful birds and saw many more giraffes and zebras. By the time lunch rolled around we were anxious to get a sight of some new wildlife. After lunch, our truck began to play a game where points were distributed to those who spotted animals first and to whoever won, the truck would buy you a beer. With this type of prize at stake, obviously I won. One of my six spottings was our first glimpse of an elephant. It happened to be an adorable baby elephant. If I thought that was cool, I was blown away whenever we came smack dab in the middle of an entire herd of over fifty elephants. There were lots of baby elephants cuddling next to their moms, and many were throwing water on themselves to bathe. It was interesting to see how protective the mothers were of their babies though. As soon as we arrived all the mothers formed a semi-circle shielding their young from us. After about fifteen minutes of watching all of the elephants, a couple bulls came billowing down the road very heated. They were flapping their ears, the first sign of aggression in elephants, and were engaging in a standoff with us. Our driver didn’t want to disturb them anymore so we decided to turn around and head out. It was quite an experience being surrounded by fifty animals not ten feet away that had the capability of flinging you like a rag doll.



Unfortunately, we didn’t see any lions or leopards, but for the rest of the day we continued to get up close and personal with giraffes, zebras, nyalas, wart hogs, wildebeests and other various wildlife. We came pretty close to a rhino, but it sauntered away before we could get in some good viewing. As sunset came, we made our way out of the park. I had really enjoyed the safari and had gotten some great pictures, but I was a little disappointed I hadn’t gotten that good safari story. A mile outside of the gates however, I got my story. We turned a corner and came upon about five cars backed up in a line. We saw a giant, 4-ton bull elephant in the middle of the road acting very aggressively. He appeared extremely agitated, and was storming toward one of the trucks. The truck reversed backward to avoid the confrontation. I expected to just sit and watch the scenario play out, but for some crazy reason our driver decided to take the situation into his own hands. He bypassed the entire line of cars and began driving toward the bull. At this point I was mildly alarmed. The bull, seeing us coming, directed his attention to us and faced us head-on. Here, I would say I was at a fully alarmed state. Then, the bull began to charge at our car. Our driver, instead of reversing like a sane person, pressed down on the accelerator. It’s hard to put into words what driving toward a 4-ton charging animal is like, especially one who can flip a truck with one ram. I’ll just say I had progressed into complete panic mode. Luckily for us the elephant retreated a few steps as we got about a foot away. The game of chicken happened again, and finally the elephant left the road and went into the forest, after which he decided to bash his head into a tree and split it right down the middle. I’m pretty glad he didn’t take out that frustration on us.

Yep, this is our truck:


We made it back to the lodge, and fortunately this time the water was running and the lights were shining. We had a delicious dinner of roasted impala, which I must say was excellent. They had set up a campfire for us and we enjoyed sharing stories around it. Around ten, our guides took us on a search for scorpions. They have a flashlight equipped with a special light that makes scorpions glow green when it is shined on them. After seeing over forty scorpions in a matter of thirty feet, I had decided I was wrapping myself in plastic wrap before going to bed. This decision was further cemented when I recalled that one of our classmates had found a scorpion in his pants earlier that morning. I only got about two hours of sleep that night.

Sunset:



WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT BELOW. PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 OR EASILY OFFENDED.

Annecdote
4/3/2010: So I attempted to get my mother’s approval on whether or not to show this, and due to her lack of response I have decided go ahead with it. Please direct all complaints/criticisms to:

Ellen Wulf
804-752-6118

Here we go…
Recall from my earlier story the angry, charging elephant. I failed to mention in my description my initial outburst when I first saw the elephant. Upon first glance I immediately shouted “OH MY GOODNESS!”. This wasn’t due to the proximity of the animal to our truck nor it s 4-ton size. Now before you even begin your safari, the guides tell you never to make loud noises around animals. However, they did not warn us about what happens when a male elephant gets riled up. I think if you refer to the picture below you will understand my dramatic reaction.