June 27, 2024
Hi from South Africa!!
The kids all landed safely in Johannesburg, and the trip began! From the start, this group was so special, immediately bonding and wanting to spend time together, even watching soccer on the hotel TVs as a group on our first night. They were all excited to hand over their phones and get the trip started, gathering together by the hotel pool, hanging out and getting to know each other before our first moonup began. Our first leaders of the day were Molly and Wham, who got the next day off to a great start, leading the morning huddle with a positive attitude. We began the day traveling to our first game lodge, where the kids were amazed by the beautiful accommodations! We then had an afternoon game drive, where we saw our first animals—mostly wildebeest and zebra—along with the stunning South African bush landscape, filled with tall pale grasses and dry air characteristic of the chilly winter months. We enjoyed our first delicious dinner and had moonup. During our free time, the group loved playing games together, especially Wavelength and a game where everyone picks a famous person and tries to guess who the others chose. Will Blair, nicknamed early on “Giraffe Cheese” for his belief and desire to find such a thing that may not exist, often dominates this game, picking random celebrities he has heard his sisters discuss.
The next day, led by our leaders Alessi and Will Litton, we had our morning cheetah walk! After a delicious breakfast and morning huddle, we set out. The guides tracked the cheetahs in the bush, and we walked outside of our safari vehicles to find them. We found two adult male cheetahs sleeping under a tree in the middle of a muddy red rocky plain, about 30 feet away. After this activity, we played a rigorous game of Death Sack, where we juggled a soccer ball three times before someone catches it and throws it at someone else while everyone scatters. Zach was especially good at this game, hitting me with impressive precision and getting me out in round one. While the game continued, the rest of us sat by the small pool next to our dining area, talking and getting to know one another better. Later, Zach even played a game of One Touch with our outfitter Vincent, bringing him back to his soccer-playing days! The rest of the day brought an amazing surprise! We usually only get one opportunity to do a rhino darting, but due to an injury around the eye of one of the female rhinos during a confrontation with a huge Cape buffalo, they had to use a helicopter to dart the rhino, and we got to join! We watched as the helicopter whipped around the sky, darting the rhino. We then witnessed the treatment and examination of the rhino! The procedure was quick but so amazing to see! After this, we continued to the scheduled lion safari, where we found the pride of lions—two females, one alpha male, and seven adorable cubs—all sleeping and eating together. We were the closest we’ve ever been to the lions, just 10 feet away, watching them. It was incredible! One baby lion was especially full, laying on his back and rolling around. After this, we had another delicious dinner and moonup before going to bed. The kids all stayed up this night, playing group pranks on each other and getting to know one another better.
The next day, it was Claude’s birthday! The day began with all the kids wishing him a happy birthday and a yummy breakfast with peaches. In the morning, we had the ground hornbill learning experience, where we saw some hornbills in their nest and learned all about this beautiful endangered species. The experience ended with a surprise pop quiz that every kid aced, making us very proud. This taught us a lot about how interesting these animals are, despite their habit of breaking people’s windows with their large beaks.
After this, we had some free time out in the bush after our beautiful picnic brunch by a gorgeous lake, sitting by the water and enjoying the unique view, knowing that there were hippos out there too. Trudy and Zach taught the group about properly layering clothes and proper expedition behavior, both lessons taught incredibly well. While we were appreciating the view, a huge herd of sables slowly began to creep closer to us. Eventually, they, along with two adorable babies, came right up to us. It was incredible to see them so close and realize that by being patient and appreciating where we were, such an amazing experience was possible. Throughout the trip, Molly has especially stood out with her kindness and positive attitude, along with Lee and his way of making every moment fun with his amazing sense of humor.
After this, we had a picnic lunch in the bush and played some games together! We had an intense game of “Don’t Touch My Rock,” where we balance a rock on our hands while trying to knock off other people’s rocks. We also played a few rounds of Ninja, where strategy really comes into play. Our guide Makayla suggested a South African game they used to play as kids, where you put a small piece of impala poop in your mouth and see who can spit it the furthest (the poop is totally sanitary and clean!). Both Trudy and Wham played! Wham spat his poop the furthest, beating even Makayla to everyone’s amusement.
To end this amazing day where spirits were high and everyone was especially goofy, we went to a beautiful new spot to watch the sunset with a mountain view and a beautiful enormous fig tree. We listened to music, danced, talked, took pictures, and enjoyed the view. After dinner, for Claude’s birthday, we had a delicious strawberry cheesecake before moonup. After moonup, the group continued their tradition of staying up and hanging out together before going to bed, never getting enough of being together and making the most of every single moment on this amazing trip.
Today, we started the morning with our scheduled rhino darting! This time, we got to spend more time during the actual procedure, truly taking in how amazing it was. All the kids got to touch the rhino and help flip it over. Wham even administered medications. Trudy helped attach the collar to the ankle. Will Blair helped draw blood, while Will Litton helped measure the rhino’s oxygen levels to ensure it remained healthy during the procedure. Harper helped spray tick spray on the rhino to help get rid of them. Harper is a calm and kind presence in the group, always quick with a witty joke. After this, every kid got to take an individual picture with the rhino before it regained consciousness. We then went to an AMAZING lunch picnic spot! We went to a stunning cliff that overlooked the reserve, with mountains in the background and green landscape below. We enjoyed talking, appreciating the view, exploring the area, and our yummy fruit kabobs and mini steak and veggie wraps. After this, we went back to camp and enjoyed some free time where everyone played games again. In the afternoon, we went to a beautiful spot called Christmas Hill to watch the deep pink sunset over the bush and rolling mountains. We enjoyed our usual snacks of mango, peanuts, and beef jerky while playing another intense round of “Don’t Touch My Rock” and throwing peanuts into each other’s mouths from impressive distances. After this, we had our delicious final meal at our camp, with an impressive South African feast prepared for us by a beautiful fire under the bright stars and the Milky Way. We finished the meal with a yummy chocolate cake before having moonup, led by our leaders of the day, Lee and Reese. Reese had an especially good day today, leading with enthusiasm and volunteering to help all day, especially during the rhino darting.
After dinner and moonup, we had a karaoke competition where everyone sang songs together! Lila sang a beautiful rendition of an Amy Winehouse song. Wham and Trudy performed “Hideaway” with tons of enthusiasm. Lee and Alessi performed a soulful rendition of “Wagon Wheel.” Harper and Zach gave a compelling performance of “California Girls.” Will Blair and Molly performed an incredible version of “Party in the USA.” Will Litton and Reese beautifully sang “Call Me Maybe.” Claude and I tried our best to sing “What a Wonderful World,” a song picked by the kids.
Our time in South Africa so far has been wonderful! This group works so well together; everyone would rather be together than apart, and we love to play as many games as we can come up with! The group even asked Claude and me today to come up with more games for them to play, and we had to reference the staff manual! We are looking forward to transferring to our next campsite and reserve tomorrow and beginning the cultural immersion section of our trip, where we will be for the next few days.
With love,
Anna and Claude