Troy...do you know where the reserve is?

I'm iOur first full day in SA started with breakfast in Johannesburg.  Kari need to help me withdraw cash from the cash machine as I failed on the first 2 attempts.  We then took a 4 1/2 hour transit bus ride to the Madikwe Game Preserve on the border of SA and Botswana.  I felt like the trip was going OK until our driver turned and ask Troy if we were close.  I is al little disconcerting when your driver ask his Swiss passenger for the GPS coordinates and ETA for the park.

Troy trying to escape the van.  

 

Luckily, Troy's google maps didn't let us down.

The crew at Impodimo main lodge.

View near the lodge

We stored our gear in time for high tea.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out high tea included sweet and savory treats.  You are also permitted to substitute beer for tea, so that is awesome.

After high tea we departed for our first Safari.  Our ranger Cornell and our tracker Sam tucked us into our Range Rover and off we went.

Here is a brief list of our animal encounters from our first Safari:  elephants, giraffes, zebras, white rhinoceros, female lion with cubs, two male lions and a green chameleon.

White rhinoceros 

Elephant eating their greens

Zebra

Lioness deciding if it likes strawberry blondes or not

Lion cub

Two male lions out for a drink

These are not the Ghost and the Darkness

After our return we ate a fabulous dinner of braised lamb shank and creme brûlée for dessert.  Then it was bed cause 5 AM comes early in the bush.