HOEDSPRUIT

I arrived in Hoedspruit, early in the morning. The flight from Jozi was only 45 minutes and I was already smiling when I got out of the plane. The airport was so tiny and exactly what I was expecting for the middle of the Savannah. The plane landed on a muddy runway, in-between the bushes. We got out, there, and had to walk about 10 minutes to reach the airport entrance. Someone brought our luggages by hand - there was no electric threadmill for it. My host was already waiting for me in the small arrival area, with my name on a looseleaf paper. His name was Zander. He had a very quiet voice but I would learn later during the week that he was an hilarious and very outgoing person. We drove for about 25 minutes to the Hoedspruit estate, where my lodge was located. On the way, I had the chance to see how South African people deal with construction -they put rocks and tree branches on the road to close it. When we arrived, I was introduce to all the staff. The vibe at the lodge was very cozy and famillial. There was only 5 rooms, with a total capacity of 12 guests at a time. I was about to take a nap but it was the middle of loadshedding and my room felt like a furnice. Zander showed me a map and told me I could go for a walk in the bush, on the estate. He said there was some cheetahs around but they were not going to go out during the day, so it was safe. I trusted him and started my walk. About 2 minutes in, I crossed path with a warthog (pumba). One thing I can tell you, is that they look more impressive than in the cartoon. I was a bit stressed thinking if he was going to charge me or not, but in the end it just went to a puddle of mud and rolled around in it. I was able to continue my walk without disturbing him. About 10 minutes later, I turned a corner and arrived straight in the middle of a group of giraffe and a group of zebras. They were two arm-length in distance and I was so impressed / kinda scared because man the only animal I ever deal with are cats and dogs -gimme a break. I stayed with them for a while and then decided I would continue my walk and do the full loop of the estate. This was going to take me roughly two hours. It was motherfucking hot and the sun was burning me, but I was just hopeful to see more wildlife around. About a third in my walk, I noticed some large cat print on the ground. That’s when I remembered that there was also cheetahs around. I was alone, in the bush, wondering what to do if I cross path with one of these cats. I continued the walk a bit more in a hurry and managed my way back to the lodge without catching glimpse at any other animals. At night, we had a braai (a BBQ on the firewood) planned with all the guests. I took a quick shower, a nap and then I went to the fire area to have a drink before the braai started. There was already Zander, two guys and one girl sitting by the fire. I forgot all their names (I usually note names in my phone as soon as someone introduce themselves) but they would become my absolute bff for the night. The two guys were working together. They were both locals, here for work, and they weren’t even sleeping at the lodge. They just came here several years ago and loved it so much that they befriended Zander and were now coming to see him every year. The girl was from the Neatherlands, but she just had bought a house nearby and was also in the same situation (not sleeping here but did years ago and befriended Zander, came back every years since). The two boys didn’t knew the girl, which made me think that this place was truely a special place. What were the chance that so many people came here once, felt in love and came back every year since. We were served drinks and we started to talk about who we were, introducing ourselves without any filters. In the first 5 minutes, I already knew I would end up drunk with these peeps. They were clever, sassy and their humour was so snappy -I kept laughing and making them laugh so hard that we could hardly breathe. I don’t know why, but one kind of humour that makes me die is when people are witty enough to bring back topics from the previous conversations -my new friends kept doing that and I legit made 6 abs that night from laughing so much. We had so much fun that Zander decided to invite them for dinner, placing them all at my table. There was a lightening storm in the distance and the loadshedding which was supposed to end at 21H30 would end up ending only during the night. From 7H30 to 11H, we laughed and drank under the candlelight. We kept saying that we all needed this kind of night so bad, between two cramps and laughing tears. The guys wanted to go out in a bar, but my safari was picking me up at 4H30 AM the next day, so I had to decline and go to bed. I thank them for the amazing night, we all hugged and said goodbye about 7 times before we finally part ways. I went to bed a bit tipsy, hoping that the 5 hours of sleep I was about to get would be enough for me to not fall asleep mid safari.

The alarm woke me up in panic, but I quickly realize what it was and my emotion flipped to excitement. I was about to go for my first real wild safari, in the Krueger National Park. I got escorted to a safari vehicle that was waiting for me outside. That is where I met Johnny, my driver and guide, who would become a friend in the following days. Johnny gave me a blanket and told me we were only picking up one couple at another lodge before making our way to the park. After about 10 minutes driving, we arrived at the second lodge. An old couple made their appearance and we all introduced ourselves, briefly. It was still very early in the morning so we opted for a straight to the point conversation, before all slowly zoning out while Johnny was driving us to the Orpen gate (the gate we would use to enter the park). After a bit more than an hour, we finally arrived to the entrance. Johnny stopped the car to show some papers to the ranger, and told us we were about 10 minutes drive to the reception, where we would be able to use toilets. I was glad, because I needed to pee (and so did Lois, the older woman). We entered the park and 5 minutes after, we stopped on the side for our first sight of the day. To our complete surprise (Johnny’s too), we were now in front (and very close) of a Lion just chilling on the side of the road. The view of the sun rising on the king of the jungle was something out of this world. We stayed there for about half an hour, just admiring the creature and all the surroundings. I even forgot I needed to pee. We then had to leave to give space for other cars that were coming in the hope of catching a glimpse at the animal. A few more minutes and we were at the reception. We went for a pee and then sat down at a picnic table to enjoy a light breakfast. That is where we got to know eachother a bit better. Lois and Paul were a couple in SA for about two weeks. They just arrived from Botswana where they had to work for a week. I asked what they were doing for living and was met with a response I didn’t saw coming. They were both working as missionaries (they were sent to teach the bible in all these countries). So, hear me out, I am an atheist and I was always quite judgy toward christian/catholic people. Because I don’t believe in it, but also because I do not like the fact that they go from place to place trying to convert people. That being said, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to meet them with an open mind, ask tons of questions and try to be as open as I could possibly be. After all, I have learned several times during this trip, that there is absolutely no point of having prejudice and putting everyone in the same boat. Every single person does what they do because they think they are doing good, and not a single person has the same story. The very nice thing about this encounter is that I told them straight away that I was an atheist and they haven’t tried once to convert me to anything. They were talking about their work only when asked about it and I was talking about my views only when they asked me, too. After breakfast, we jumped back in the safari car and started our drive in the park. For the next several hours, we drove in the park and got to see impalas, zebras, giraffes, elephants, wildebeests, waterbucks, hippos, one crocodile and a migration of hundreds buffalos. We were on our way back to the gate, to call it a night, when we were stop dead in our tracks by a text Johnny received. Someone had spotted a Leopard. Leopard are the most difficult animal to spot in the wild. Some people live in South Africa and don’t get the chance to see them even once in their life. We arrived to the spot only to realize the leopard was very very far away. We had to look through binoculars to see it. We still felt very blessed. We watched it until it disappeared in the high grass, and then we were on our way back to the lodges. The couple told me they were going on the scenic road the next day -I was also suppose to do that but I wasn’t sure if it would be on the same tour. I asked Johnny to verified. He asked his boss but we didn’t get an answer very fast, so I said goodbye to Lois and Paul, like if this was the last time we saw eachother. Johnny drove me back to my estate, but made a stop at a convenient store because I wanted to get money out from an ATM to give him a good tip. When I put my card in the machine, the whole power went down. Fucking hell, I completely forgot about loadshedding. My card was now in the machine, that was off until 21H30. I was in panic. A member of the staff saw my concern and came to the rescue. They had a trick, which they performed in front of me and got my card back. I thank them a thousand time and then managed to get some cash out with their help. I arrived at my lodge, thanked Johnny who gave me the good news I was with them again the next day -gave him a tip and we part ways with a smile on our faces. I ate dinner and went to bed very early. The next day, Johnny was picking me up around 8AM.

I wokeup still tired, but I knew it was going to be a good day. Johnny picked me up on time, I sat in the front next to him. We chatted and laughed on the way to pick up Lois and Paul. Their lodge was absolutely beautiful -we were able to sit in the restaurant while waiting for them to be ready. It was an open-space with a view on the mountain and the game reserve. They finally arrived and we jumped in the car and started driving in direction of the scenic route. The whole journey would take roughly 7 hours -with several stops- through mountains, canyon and rivers. It was absolutely beautiful and we got to get closer to eachother as there was several stop to hike, walk and just admire the landscape. Johnny was absolutely amazing and he became my friend during this day. We had such a blast, laughing about everything and also just learning about eachothers. His passion for being a guide was transcendent. He was very knowledgeable and had so many anecdotes about different clients he had over his 18 years of experience. When he learned that I was working in films, he shared a few anecdotes about some clients he had in the entertainment industry (several people from all over the world, including very recently: Tom Cruise!). We were back at our lodges, end of afternoon. We all exchanged whatsapp, to keep in touch. I promised to go visit Lois and Paul in the upcoming year, as they were staying in Pennsylvania (not too too far from Montreal). They would also come visit, excited to have a guide to show them around when they do. If you had told me before this trip, that I would end up friends with two missionaries, I would have said no, thank you. But they were  not only their work. They were two positive and bubbly human being, that found their purpose in life through religion. Not once have I felt like they were trying to convince me it had to be my purpose too. They respected me as an atheist, and I respected them back as christians. I thought to myself that if everyone was like this -just respectful of eachothers beliefs- there would be way less hate and wars. There would just be more fun, more love and more peace everywhere. I hugged Johnny good night -thanking him again for his amazing guidance through the last days. I had dinner and then went to bed, exhausted but happy that my life cross path with these three amazing humans.

I wokeup refreshed, later than I had woken up every day of this trip, so far. I needed that, for sure. I planned to do nothing of my morning and was very successful at it. At lunch, Zander told me that there was the possibility to the one last afternoon safari. I agreed immediately. It was going to be in the game reserve where Lois and Paul were staying. I was happy at the chance to maybe see them one last time. Zander drove me and a couple from the Neatherlands to the lodge and we met a few other people that were going to be on the safari too. Lois and Paul were there! We said hi back, with a lot of smile in our faces. There were going to be two cars for this safari, and we tried to get in the same one but were not able to, in the end. I hopped on my safari van, sitting next to the Neatherland people and we started the drive. I did not liked it for the first hour or so. The vegetation was very dense in that game reserve, so it made it very hard to see any animals at all. It was also end of afternoon- so very very hot with the sun blasting directly in our eyes. The animals do not like that, they hide from the heat. We didn’t saw shit for the first two hours. Then, there was a call in the walkie-talkie telling us there was a lion sighting somewhere close to one of the fence. When we arrived, we were ecstatic. There was nine lions, just lying there in the middle of one of the road. They just ate two zebras the day before, so they were still full from the feast. Because of it, we were able to get very close to them without fearing for our lives. After a while watching them, we had to leave to go have a drink while watching the sunset. We crossed path with rhinos on our way there and were all super happy about the surprised. We were allowed to go out of the safari van, to get the drinks. It felt weird to do that only a few meters away from rhinos and lions. We could hear the lions roaring in the distance, while the night was slowly setting in. We then hopped back on the van, and made our way back to the lodge. About 15 minutes into the drive, we crossed path with a leopard who was generous enough to stay several minutes very close to us. We were all able to get great footage of it. It was an amazing experience to see this cat so close. We then learned that to finish their ranger training, the students needed to encounter the big 5 on foot (and survived it). This seemed like quite drastic, but it is so they could be prepared if ever something bad happenned during a game drive. They needed to not be afraid. One of our ranger told us that in the past, rangers couldn’t become one unless they shot an elephant charging them. Fortunately, that barbaric prerequisite had stopped years ago. We watched the leopard until he left and then drove back, under the stars, to the lobby. Zander was waiting for us there. He drove us back to our lodge, where we had another braail and I went bed straight after. The next morning, I was leaving for the airport to my 9th destination.