I wake up from one of the Economy class flights and glance at the map on the TV screen in front of me. We had traveled over the Atlantic Ocean from the Amazon-tropical environs of Brazil to the Sub-Saharian wonderland of Africa! I felt like an excited child and felt my cramps melt away as I hugged Aditi with joy. We were about to start our world travel together, a trip we both had been planning and looking forward to for a long time.
As I gazed out of the airplane window, the crackling sun rays brought to light the endless golden fields of the HighVeld - the dry, grassland type of vegetation that made up most of north parts of South Africa, popularly known as the Rainbow Nation.
In a few minutes we touch down at O.R Tambo International Airprot. After clearing immigration and picking our bags, we met our tour guide from 'Viva Safaris' who was to transfer us from the airport directly to the Kruger National Park. Yiheoo! Africa - here we come!
The first day of our 8 month journey is somewhat boring. A long drive to Kruger NP, in which I felt very sick due to the side effects of the Typhoid vaccine I had taken 2 days ago in a travel clinic in Brazil. But I managed to hang on for most part of the 7 hour drive with the support of Aditi and other mini-van fellow-travellers...who waited around with a good sense of humor as I struggled in the rest stops bathrooms ;-) Also, along the way,we had a good lunch in a village famous for its trout fly-fishing.
We finally arrived at our destination lodge - Marcs Treehouse which is amazing because it is, well, a lodge of ‘tree-houses’. It took me back to my childhood days of summer-camp days, as I climbed the wooden stairs into our treehouse, perched within the heart of a big tree and had huge trunks cutting through the room. It was suspended about 5 metres above the ground, right above a lovely creek which played a relaxing lullaby for us all night. And of course, we were cautioned by a sign inside the tree-house, “Please be aware when you climb down the tree-house. There might be an animal sitting under the tree!’ Obviously, we are intruders in these wild animals habitat who are the king of their homes and the best we can do is to respect their rights to move around freely and not disturb their natural lifestyle!
On our first night in the Treehouse, we also sighted an African Impala crossing right in front of us, as we walked to the campfire for some dinner.
Time to call it off a night! After a delicious dinner cooked by the locals and some African beer(Black Label was my favorite) & wine (so cheap - only $1) around the campfire, we retired into our native house!
Good Night! Sweet dreams about the next day's exciting and adventure-filled activities...oops! Don't forget to put the musquito net on me, Aditi!
