Adventures at Addo

Yesterday I got the chance to play tourist in my own country when Kel, Ange, Cath and I went on a mini road-trip to Addo, an elephant park just outside the town that I live in. We planned a day of no studying, no work, no distractions; just friends, food, fun times and the beautiful outdoors.

Kelina, Angela, Carissa, Catherine: forget duck faces, here are our roaring lion faces!

We spent the day driving around ticking animals off our check list as we spotted them. One of the biggest misconceptions about South Africa is that lions and elephants roam around freely and that we keep them as pets. This is obviously far from reality and so it was exciting for me to have these animals so close. I particularly enjoyed being about 2m away from this elephant's bum as we drove past.

On numerous occasions, Kel would point to something excitedly and we would all crane our necks to see what it was. Much laughter ensued as every spotting of Kel's turned out to be a false alarm as she spotted a log, a stone, some bricks, a heap of sand and a leaf. Time for new glasses perhaps?

At this point, Kel is most likely pointing at a tree which she thinks is a giraffe.

No sightings of lions and leopards unfortunately, but lots of elephants, zebras, warthogs, kudu, dung beetles (and LOTS of dung), mongoose, a Blue Crane (our national bird), ostriches, and a few other birds and animals. At times it felt like we were viewing a typical scene from a movie set in Africa, especially with the zebras running around and the warthogs hanging around a waterhole. There were many lone elephants walking around, but seeing an entire herd walking together was quite a magical moment.

We stopped at a few picnic spots throughout the park to take in the amazing views of the place. My love for the beauty of SA was reaffirmed, as well as the knowledge that I have some pretty damn awesome friends!

Marshmallows over the fire

There’s something I have to say and it’s not something I’m very proud of. Here goes... I’ve never been camping. Ever. Really. I’ve never properly slept in a tent, cooked meals over a fire, done whatever people who go camping do when they need the loo, all that jazz.

Don’t get me wrong, I have tried. My very first attempt was when my little sister and I hung bed sheets over the tables and chairs in our lounge to make a tent. Everything was going well until it was time to switch the lights off and go to sleep. Let’s just say that suddenly the dark became VERY dark and very scary and we eventually retreated back to our room.

Attempt number two was when my primary school hosted a fundraising camp. It was my first time in a proper tent. It wasn't so bad, until it began to rain and the rather flimsy tent collapsed on me. I woke up soaking wet, wearing a tent. Needless to say, I was not impressed and didn't stay the whole camp.

Third time lucky is what I thought when some friends and I decided to spend the Easter weekend of our first year of university at a backpackers in Jeffreys Bay. I won’t lie, this was possibly one of the best holidays of my life and yes, it did involve a tent. But alas, this doesn't count because we spent more time drunk on Black Label, talking shit and sleeping on a deck overlooking the beach. When I did crawl into the tent in an attempt to actually sleep in it, I got fined. That was one shot for trying to sleep in a tent when camping. How silly of me. I mean who actually does that?

Since then, I have not made another attempt at camping. Sure, I've been on many weekends away with friends but those were in comfy dorms or cottages that did not provide the ‘real’ camping experience. One of my goals for this year is to go camping. I want to braai marshmallows over a fire and sing silly songs with people I like. I want to go hiking and get 10 shades darker. I want to spend time in the outdoors admiring the beauty around me. And more than anything, I want to properly sleep inside a (sturdy) tent, preferably with a guy to snuggle up against when it gets cold and dark (if that’s not asking for too much).

Last week I went to Assegaai Trails in the Eastern Cape for the weekend. Not quite the camping experience as I stayed in a dorm, had proper showers and electricity, but I did braai marshmallows over the fire until the marshmallows were burnt and we smelled like smoke. The venue is usually used for weddings so it was all pretty and shit (note to self. stop saying "and shit" so much) so we just chilled and absorbed the prettiness. There was even a quaint chapel on the premises as well as an outdoor church on a deck overlooking a valley. Be-you-tee-ful! Most importantly, I was surrounded by some pretty amazing people - some of them were old friends and some I had just met. It was great!. Here are some photos of that weekend...