Lions and Giraffes and Elephants, oh my!

My last full day with GVI was spent on a safari. The one thing I wanted to do most as a tourist on the African continent was to go on a safari. I am happy to have gone today and now I can leave on Sunday having fulfilled this dream.

Remi picked up Iris, Jodie and I from Kinrae at 9:30am. We drove for about an hour from Fish Hoek to Gordon's Bay to pick up Claire, Katrina and another girl we hadn't met before named Sarah. We then drove for two more hours to get to the safari. Remi took us on the scenic route over the mountains and occasionally we stopped to take pictures. Wild baboons were along the roads, hanging out in packs. At one point, not too far outside of Paarl, we stopped to take pictures of the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen.

The safari was at Fairy Glen in Werchester at a place called The Cape Big 5 Safari. They served us a huge buffet meal after we signed our lives away on the waiver forms. The safari started at 2:00pm and lasted for two and a half hours. We saw so many animals, not just the South African Big 5.

When we got in the jeep there were the six of us from GVI and a family of three. We passed through the gates and immediately on the right we were welcomed by water buffalo. They're nicknamed Black Death because of their incredible horns which are said to easily spear other animals. We drove out farther and saw rhinos and springbok. The guide told us a rather longwinded explanation about a tree and how it relates to giraffes hiding nests of food. The entire thing was a joke but we all kept our guards up for the rest of his stories. When we continued, we first had to wait for some giraffes to cross the road. Never thought I'd utter those words. We came up to a clearing and saw a bunch of zebras and a lone donkey in the mix. We headed over to a lion pen where three lions were being kept. There was a fence around these lions but the guide walked right up and put his hands through the fence and jingled the keys until the male lion came over to visit.

After we left that lion pen we drove through the wildebeests, zebras and donkey until we found where the giraffes were hanging out. The giraffes willingly came up pretty close to us. We drove towards a different lion pen and actually got to go right in. We didn't get too close, and the lions didn't come up like the other ones had, but it was still very neat to be in there.

When we left the second set of lions we headed back to lodge and passed by a group of ostriches on the way. Just before we got to the gate we had to stop and wait for a zebra and a bunch of antelopes to cross the road. We got out of the jeep back at the lodge and then walked over to the elephants. Because elephants like to eat absolutely everything in sight, they had to keep them in a different section. We got to walk right up to the elephants which was pretty cool.

The weather was rainy and surprisingly cold inland, even thought Remi had told us it's always warmer the farther you get away from Fish Hoek. Fortunately for us the animals were all out and being active since they weren't hiding from the heat.

The drive back to Fish Hoek took about three hours and we started right after we all had some tea at the lodge to warm up. Remi drove us back through a tunnel in the mountain rather than going over them again. It was pretty dark by the time we got back so it was nice to have done the scenic tour on our way out there in the daylight. By the time we got back to Fish Hoek, Shelly and Jane had already had their dinner so Jodie, Iris and I went to Valyland and got pizza instead of starting to cook so late. We all watched a movie together and I finished my packing.

With mixed emotions I leave tomorrow morning to fly to Germany to visit my cousin for a week before heading home. I will miss all the people here, both those at Masi and those with GVI. I will also miss the sense of purpose everyday and the beautiful scenery this country has to offer. However, I can leave knowing that the children learned many valuable lessons related to their health like exercising, how and when to wash their hands, and to cough into their sleeves. The carers have told me they feel empowered and have the confidence to teach others. So really, my job here is done.