So, three and a bit weeks in to my big trip, and I decided to have a night in on my computer. 

I have spent the first three weeks at the game reserve called Shamwari, which is about an hour in from the coast on the Eastern Cape.  The nearest town is called Port Elizabeth, and is known rightly so as 'the windy city,' where you can experience four seasons in one day.

I was met at the airport, and taken along the Indian Ocean coastline through salt pans, deep into the African bush.  The reserve, privately owned, is 23,000 hectares of wilderness.  It is divided into two parts, the main reserve, which is where all the guests stay, which is home to lion, cheeter, leopard, giraffe, elephant, hyena, antelope and many other animals.

The other part of the reserve is known as the breeding reserve, and is home to zebra and antelope. It is predator free, and home to the students, which has and will again include me!  The facilities are divided into the kitchen and 'chill out area',  and then in another building, the rooms. 

This area is called Potes, and is accessed by driving about 20 minutes through dirt track bumpy roads into the middle of the African bush.  All I see from there is open grassland.  We do have electricity, although the path between the two buildings is unlit and very uneven. 

We have been advised not to go walking around after dark because, although this area is predator free, leopards get everywhere, and it has been thought that a leopard may have been seen around those parts.  In addition to the leopard, there are the snakes and scorpions which come out to play more now that the weather is getting warmer. 

The zebra and antelope come up and sniff around our rooms at night too, so I tend not to wander around too much after it gets dark, which means that our evenings consist of a few games of table tennis, and then conversations about which boy likes which girl and vice versa!  It reminds in very much of my student days and student accomodation!

Depending on the activity of the day, we get up and are on the move any time beween 5am and 9am.  On my first day, we released some eland antelope into another game reserve that had been captured the day before.   After that, we tried to spray some other antelope with an anti-tic potion as they ran past us through what the vet called the gauntlet... the paint sprayers missed all the antelope, so another plan was thought about but, to the best of my knowledge has not yet been carried out. 

We go on many game drives, which,, to make them sound more professional, we call monitoring.  The ranger's favourite animal to watch is the elephant, and I can understand why.  There are three groups of elephants, as well the single bull elephants.  The youngest elephant shares my birthday, and is therefore only about 4 weeks old.  Compared to the rest she is tiny!  I have seen them feed, bath, and help each other  out of mud patches. 

I think the most terrifying elephant experience we have had so far, is when we went out on an early morning game drive, and bumped into the biggest elephant on the reserve, who has been named Jumbulani.  He was in must, which means that his whole body was teeming with testosterone as he gets reasy to mate.  He was definitely not happy with us, as he charged our car.  The gae ranger spefd up only to find ourselves stuck behind the rest of th group, who were enjoying the mud bath ahead of them.  We could not go right or left as we were surrounded by dense bush, and even the game ranger looked worried.  One of the other volunteers filmed the event, and I'll put it on facebook when I get it. 

They really are huge animals, and are apparently never to be approached on foot because they can be so dangerous.  Another encounter was when we had gone a trainnee rangers game drive.  We had stopped in the reserve and got out of the car to have a drink, when another bull elephant came rather unexpectedlty round the corner.  Needless to say, we friend and I made a hasty retreat back to the car!!

In additione to being chased by elephants, I have had the privilege of watching both prides of lions hunting.  The second hunt was amazing to watch, because the whole bush was involved.  The giraffe, at least 15 of them line up to watch, the zebra are uneasily swishing their tails, and the lions are crouching almost completely camouflaged in the bush.  Their hunting attemptnw was thwarted by a young rhinosouras and her nmother who flushed the lions out of their hiding place!  It all happens over such a small area of land that it doesnt quite relate to what you see when you watch the national geographic channel, which makes it look like it happens over a very large area. 

Lions breed very well, so I've been told, so to make sure they dont breed themselves out of food supply, the vet gives them contraception.  This means that he has to dart the one he wants to work on with a tranquiliser, and then shoo away the rest of the pride so he can work on her.  This is what we did last monday.  We found the largest lionness, (200kgs approx), darted her, flushed out the other lions by driving close to them to make them go away, waited til she fell asleep, and with men with guns watching for other lions return the vet got out and did what he had to do.  He then invited us to come and see her and touch if we wanted.  So there I was, in the middle of the african bush, with wild animals all around me, and men with guns standing guard, and I got to touch, through a glove, so as not to contract worms, a wild sleeping lion, who would have no doubt killed us had she been awake!!! 

Buffalo, although one of  the big five, are not predators.  But they graze like cows, but can be lethal to humans.  Last week, we helped the vets load 15 of these animals, which actually have quite nice faces, into a truck, so they could be taken to Potes, where the student accomodation is... another very strong reason not to go out after dark! 

I was invited to climb onto the roof of the truck, while the animals were still in it, so that I could watch them be released, which I did.  they were not happy in that truck, and at times, those of sitting on the roof thought the truck would tip up..luckily it didnt, and I have not yet bumped into a buffalo while going to bed!

Last wednesday night, we decided that it would be fun to sleep in the bush.  We took turns to keep watch for animals... although some are afraid of fire and stay away, others lik rhinosouras are very curious and come closer to have a look... the only animal who we thought might pay us a visit was the male lion, called Kalahari, who uses the route through the camping ground to move between the north and south of the reserve.  He passed by with out incident, but the rain didnt.  It absolutely poured with rain... I have never been so wet... we got completely soaked through, so by 4am, we gave up and returned to proper shelter. 

In addition to all this, I have also cut down three beefwood trees, which are alien vegetation and are taking all the water away from the indigenous plants.  I  used a panga, that's machete to us english folk, and i must say that its quite satisfying to knock down a tree, as is the complete ache across the shoulders and back the next day!  I have lugged heavy rocks around to repair roads on the main reserve, and I have helped build a fence.

I am now enjoying a few days of civilisation in cape town, before I move on again...

Although I am currently not immediately surrounded by wild animals, the bush lifestyle lives on, and as it is most definitiely after dark here and as I had a busy day, I am most decidedly in need of my bed....

so good night folks,  i'll try and write more before I head back into the bush! x                            

T minus 3 days

A shocking three days to go before I embark on the adventure I have been dreaming of for over ten years. 

Today is my birthday... The first in 24 years without said sibling, who for peace within the family will remain even gender anonymous! Let me say... sibling, I miss you.. and thank you for my presents and card!!!! May we share in their light for many years to come!

What I am suddenly aware of, is that I have spent most of my adult life trying to destroy the stereotype that I am a 'jewish princess.'  But, as I see the large pile of clothes on the bed, the high heeled shoes on the floor and the hair straighteners in the bathroom cupboard, I am aware that I want to take everything with me.  Then I look at the tiny, (well in my eyes, tiny) case that I have bought for my voyage and realise that there really is no space for the 10 pairs of stiletto heels, the little black dresses, or even the hair dryer and I begin to wonder... am I Jewish Princess? 

I'm off to work on a game reserve so the combat trousers, hiking shoes, and water bottle are the first to go in the case...

I have heard it said that changing our clothes can change the way we see ourselves, so as I leave the straighteners, the high heels and the dresses behind, I wonder who I will become....


          

T mius 1 week and counting

With one week to go Selina is getting nervous, so nervous in fact that this blog was brought to you by a sibling of hers. its me posting now, shes right here now watching me write under her name, id better make the most of it as she cleverly didnt give me her password. so here goes.....

Selina is heading into the great dark beyond, leaving civilization behind for 5 months as she travels the southern hemisphere on what is most certainly NOT a gap year! just in case any of you out there think it is, which of course it isn't, remember shes on a career break, not a career gap. back in the seat of the civilized world we will all miss her, except her yelling at me stop singing, humming, shaking my leg, and having my toes to far apart. (yes its true my toes really are too far apart, must be all of half a centimetre between my big toe and the next one). She will be mist most of all as now our parents will have only me to focus on and moan at......oh dear!

soon she will be playing with baby lions, and bears and tigers oh my! but she will im sure enjoy it more than dorothy did, she has after all chose to go to deepest darkest africa and wasnt swept there by a tornado. she will also be doing conservation (she defines this as playing with lions, tigers and bears, and whales and dolphins to) none of that pickiting outside evil multinationals for her.

but ofcourse she would not leave without some parting orders for what to do in her abscense, i for one am not to become a business man. nor are any of the dogs to get ill, i would list the others but i dont think anyone would be interested in the full 12476 word document she provided each household member with to learn 2 weeks ago.

so thats me signing off on selina's first blog post, as i said i dont have the password, so all other posts from here on in will be from selina

so without further adieu i bid you farewell selina