Theme for the Day:Sala Kahle
Word for the Day:Sala Kahle
Meaning:"Go Well"
We were up again bright and early in the morning. I had our first then second cup of coffee and then we were off to our final Safari.
For the last time "Masambene baantu!"
The only "little" problem that morning was the rain. Most of the animals were finding refuge deep in the bush. We did see a Wildebeest and a Turtle before the downpour came.
After the downpour we were just a "little" bit wet.
We headed back to the lodge to dry off and then we ate Breakfast. We saw a group of Impalas on the way back.
After Breakfast we went to pack up all of our stuff. When we were done with that we went to play another round of Apples to Apples. We love this game!!!
After we finished our game we went to Lunch. And then it was time to go. Sad face. Frikkie took one last photo at the Lodge with us before we left. Hopefully we'll be back someday.
On the way to the airport we saw a few more animals. By then the sun was shining and the rain had stopped. Figures!
At one point Craig was on the phone with Tina. We could hear him say "Oh that's too bad." He tried to tell us with a straight face that Tina had told him that there was a problem with the luggage and that we were going to have to drive from Hoedspruit to Jo-berg (3.5 hour drive). We called him on his April Fools joke!!!
We knew that our guides were going to try to pull an April Fool's joke on us. The night before we all had talked about it on the way back to the room and we had been watching for it the next day!!! So after the joke about the luggage we thought that we were done. Little did we know that this was the "shot across the bow."
A couple of minutes later Frikkie said that he saw a Cougar in the bush up ahead. He even pulled off of the road to give us a better look. Craig "saw" the Cougar as well. And well, yes, I thought I saw the Cougar too. But you guessed it there was no Cougar!!!!! I fell for it hook, line and sinker. April Fool's to Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice one guys!!!!
Shortly after the fake Cougar sighting we arrived at the Hoedspruit Airport. We said our goodbyes to the Game Guides and boarded our plane to Jo-berg.
We took one last Family Photo after picking up our luggage. Then we all said our goodbyes to Tina and Craig. Just like that the Disney "Bubble" was gone. We all went our separate ways.
We ate at a burger place in the Food Court. Our server's name was Antonio. After hearing us talk he said "You're not from here are you." He thought it was really cool that we were from the US. When John went to pay the bill I chatted with Antonio a bit more. He was admiring my Minne Safari Key Chain. I asked him if he wanted the key chain. His eyes got all big. He was really excited!!!! He told me exactly where he was going to display her. He was like a kid on Christmas morning!
I wasn't ready to leave South Africa at that point. You can say that by giving Antonio my Minnie key chain that I left a small piece of my heart in South Africa.
After eating the burgers we made our way to the Delta check in desk. A group of musicians were ahead of us in line. They checked in a lot of instruments. All told their check in took about forty five minutes. While waiting in line we watched the view boards above us. It was really cool to see all the International Flights listed!!! We really felt like global travelers at that moment.
Going back to the "real world" of waiting in line to get our plane tickets was a real eye opener. No more incredible Disney Bubble. By the time we got our boarding passes and went through customs our plane was boarding. No time to shop in the terminal. Bummer!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time we boarded the plane and sat down my darn headache that started in the morning was going strong. Good thing for migraine meds. That took care of it.
While boarding the plane the passengers were filling every nook and cranny of the overhead bins. Note to Tina: Rose and I saw two of the wood giraffes going through the airport. Our Cabin Captain remarked "Yes when you all go to South Africa you do not leave any shopping stone unturned." All I could reply to that was "Yes!!!"
I fell asleep about 11 PM and woke up for the served snack at 4 AM (South Africa time). After that I fell back asleep until 8:30 AM (2:30 AM Atlanta time). I was awake and really hungry. By that time while on Safari we would of already had our first breakfast. I got up to get a snack from the back and then tried to settle down to read and watch a movie.
But I could do neither. We had been planning and building up to the trip for months. The Adventure exceeded our expectations and was so much fun. Coming down off the high of the Adventure was not fun.
But then and there I decided that the Adventure did not have to end. This trip would last forever as beautiful memories. I took out my Adventure Guide book that Disney had given us. During the trip I had been jotting down info each day. I started to fill in all the details about the trip on each days page. Much of this went into this blog.
When I took out the Adventure Guide I found the mints that Tina had sent with us. The mints made a great second Breakfast!!!
We landed in Atlanta around 7 AM. In the customs baggage area all of the Adventurers (except Brenda and David) met up one last time. Right there, right in the middle of customs, we did a group hug. Kereth said "I love you all!!" We love you all too!!!! And with that we all scattered. As we exited customs we saw a sign with "Welcome Home" with the American Flag. This was the fourth time that I have reentered the US. Each time I get that special patriotic tug in my heart.
After a short layover John and I boarded our plane for Omaha. When the Stewardess came by with the beverage cart John asked for a Coke Light (the equivalent of a Diet Coke in South Africa). It's a small world. Our Stewardess knew exactly what he was asking for as she had been to South Africa the year prior.
She told us a sad story of an event that happened while she was on Safari. One day while on a game drive she sadly saw lightning fatally wound a giraffe. We commiserated with her that this would be an awful thing to watch.
We landed in Omaha and we headed for our home. It felt great to pull into our driveway. There is no place like home!!!!
About 7 PM that evening John and I were having a hard time staying awake. It was 2 AM South Africa time. We made ourselves stay up for a while longer so that we could start acclimating to our time zone. We slept until about 4 AM and then got up. As I was unpacking I listened to the Lion King CD. Since we had now been to South Africa it was like listening to the this CD for the first time.
One of the words that Craig had tried to teach us one our trip was Nkosi. Sorry but I know I am not spelling this word right. This means Thank You in the Khosa clicking language. Meaning that you say N-click-kosi.
While I was listening to the opening song I heard part of the Khosa clicking language!!! I had always thought before that the clicks were part of an anomaly of the CD. I was so excited to hear and know that the clicks are actually part of a beautiful language!!!!!
After the unpacking was finished I knew that the trip was over. I became sad again. But I knew that we had the pictures and video to look at. This trip had opened up the world to us. We were know truly global. Our global journey has not ended. It has only begun. It is not if we will go on another Disney Adventure it is when. Second star on the right, straight on until morning!!!
Disclaimer: This Blog is to be used for personal reasons only. This Blog can not be copied and sold for monetary gain. Our South Africa Adventure Family, Dis Board Friends and our Friends and Family at Large are welcome to read this site and also to copy photos (s)he sees fit for personal use. The pictures on this site may be used for personal reasons (such as scrapbooking, Facebook photo books, etc). Photos are not to be copied and then sold for monetary gain in any capacity. Please and Thank You!!! RMW
