🙂 The BEST birthday a girl could have wished for…. thank you one and all for joining me and making this so special. Amazing Videos! Thank you Adam for bringing your guitar and creating my songlist! The wine arrived!
🙁 The WINE debacle – Never use Bottleshop SA!!! I lost my digital pics so copied from the books that I made!
Djuma – link to the webcam – this is the waterhole that the property overlooks.
My lovely friends made some fab videos of our fantastic trip here. Thank you Tony & Adam! I appreciate this more than words can ever express.
We all met at Skukuza airport and Piet van der Merwe had prepared a champagne reception – what a welcome!
The flight was mostly taken up by our crowd! Sue and Paul nearly missed it as Paul had left his passport at the hotel – luckily a taxi mid way between the two resolved the issue with minutes to spare! Emergency alcohol purchased in case the wine did not arrive!
Jaco had arranged a game drive via Kruger to Djuma where we were welcomed by the team..
That evening Paul had created a quiz as an ice breaker so we broke everyone up into teams- Mary and Warren stuck together though, and they won! 🙂 What fun!
The next morning I turned 50!! 🙂 Coffee and rusks and on our way to a game drive…
The team had created the most wonderful champagne celebration in the bush – so special!
After drinking copious amounts of bubbly we headed back to camp for a champagne breakfast … amazing. Luzile and staff sand for me – so lovely ….and a cake … I felt so spoilt.
We lazed by the pool and chatted.
We enjoyed a stunning game drive (wild dog and rhinos and black mamba AND a stunning sighting of Hosana drinking – what a birthday treat – pics at the end) …
We returned for more champagne and Speeches and a rendition of the Lion Sleeps Tonight! Jaco and Laurika had arrived to celebrate with us. It was pretty scary to see so many of me! LOL.
We then headed over for the MOST MAGNIFICENT dancing I have ever seen in my life – it was stupendous. The Sangoma also told Paul and Sue’s and Yvonne and Al’s fortune.
What a fantastic day. We ended by sitting around the boma with Adam playing some tunes on his guitar and Nick enjoying a cigar … splendid.
The next morning we were not quite as sharp as usual …some of us were more hungover than others! 🙂
Lunch and a nap was enjoyed by all back at camp. Then time for our next (wet ) game drive!
That evening it was time for more partying around the Boma in our outrageous African shirts competition!
The next day we visited the HQ of Safari Live and met Jamie Paterson and Brent Leo Smith -an informative visit.
Jaco gave an informative and moving talk on rhino poaching. We miss this man so much – may he RIP.
More fun, fun, fun that evening!
Our final day arrived far too soon … and with rain to add to the gloom felt by all of us…although we were so exhausted that we may not have surviced another day! LOL.
WILDLIFE PHOTOS:
We had the most amazing sightings!
7 Dec 2018: AM Drive
7 Dec 2018: PM Drive
Incredibly lucky to see a pack of wild dogs!! Then a crash of rhino … and for all the ladies who are afraid of snakes, there was a black mamba at the top of a tree! Spectacular. Another highlight is the star of Safari Live: Hosana! Mother: Karula, Father: Tingana; Sister: Xongile thought to have been killed by her sister from another litter. Born: 2 Feb 2016 and Died: May 2022 in a tragic incident by an anti-poaching patrol who did not recognise him 🙁 What a loss for Sabi Sands.
8 December: AM Drive:
Phenomenal! Not one leopard, not two …but three…Father Tingana stole the kill from Thandi and their daughter / cub, Tlalamba. Crazy stuff. Tingana tolerated Hosana and even allowed him to feed – we have learnt so much from these leopards whom we thought were completely solitary. Thandi was born to Karula in 2006. She was small but had a large stature of fierce will. She successfully raised Tlalamba, also seen here. She raised 6 cubs from 7 litters to independence (a good Momma just like her Momma!). On a game drive in early April 2022 she was seen with a large gaping chest wound – she climbed a tree and was left in peace and the area was cordoned off from driving to give her space. An on foot investigation found her lifeless body the following morning. Tingana, known as the 5:5 male. Estimated to have been born in 2007. Parents: Uknown. Last seen August 2021. What a privilege to have see all these amazing characters in the flesh doing what they do best.
We found lions on a freshly killed zebra, which is what Jaco had predicted.
It rained quite hard and Jaco said that with this change in conditions the lions will have taken advantage and taken a zebra from one of the herds that we had spotted nearby … not long after we spotted a lonely female and tracked her.
More videos followed to remind us of what fun we had all enjoyed together!
Thank you Tony for this lovely video – so appreciated.
Over and Out!
