Jonathan Field - Maker of Random Stuff

Sophie and I take a slower start and stop by a little coffee shop near the Pick & Pay for breakfast. It’s run by an Afrikaner lady and features a broad menu for such a small place. I get a “Tiger” breakfast, which is similar to the “Full English Breakfast” that is common here. Sophie gets an omelet. We also order cappuccinos. Everything is excellent.

We head over to the Siyabonga school to meet up with the rest of the team. Though I haven’t been there since very early on, I manage to find it without a problem thanks to some good directions. The dirt road leading in is, as we were warned, very bumpy. There are ruts that could swallow a child.

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We get up early so we can get a couple hours of wildlife viewing in before we head to Dundee for our last few days together. We encounter two cool things on our way out of the park.

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Our second day in the game park is just as much fun as the first. We spend the first hour with a family of warthogs. I find them amazingly ugly and cute at the same time.

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The Hluhluwe hotel reminds me just a bit of a Las Vegas theme hotel. It gets some credibility since it really is out in the bush, but the African themed wallpaper and bedsheets that were probably made in China give it away. It has a huge souvenir gift shop in the middle, and the artwork in the halls looks authentic. In any case, I like it: it’s comfy and clean and has good food. It’s certainly better than sleeping in a broken down car. But maybe not as cool as sharing a rondo with a local family.

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Today was an adventure.

Our last morning in Drakensberg is much like the others; relaxing and wonderful. The weather is perfect and breakfast is delicious. We check out at 9AM and head towards Dundee. Our goal today is to drive all the way across KwaZulu-Natal to the oldest game park in the country.

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Another beautiful morning in the park. We set an alarm because we’ve got the horseback ride today at 10, and we want plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. This morning is cool with a touch of fog so we put light fleece to be sure the ride is comfortable.

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Waking up in Drakensberg is just wonderful. The night was deathly quiet and we rested well for a long time. When I awake I hear doves cooing in the distance, a light wind, and nothing else. Sitting up in bed I can see the dramatic mountains through the sheer curtains of the floor to ceiling window like some glorious impressionist painting.

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I meet Sophie at the airport just before 7AM . We haven’t seen each other in well over a month, and last time we were working ourselves weary with my departure. I give her a big hug and kiss and a little stuffed leopard as soon as she makes her way through the crowd. I’m excited to show her around, though in fact the first six nights we won’t be anywhere I’ve been before myself.

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Today I am going to Johannesburg. Sophie arrives tomorrow at 6:20 AM, so I’ll be driving up today and staying the night there. Not in Johannesburg proper! Ha! No way! That would be suicide! Or so people often tell me. I’ll be in the nearby suburb of Kempton Park. It’s just a couple kilometers from the airport.

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Easter, unlike the other holidays that have passed since I got here, is celebrated by most. In the past day or two we’ve noticed the town clearing out as people go on vacation. When we meet folks they ask us about our Easter plans, which it turns out are not many. But we are going to a little non-Easter party today at a Hindu family’s house.

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