Our first two days back in South Africa have been a little surreal…
At first I felt a little disconnected by it all; the arrival at O.R. Tambo airport, the emotion of meeting my sister again; the drive through hectic traffic; meeting my business partner for just a few minutes; and then the long drive out to the Lowveld in the Mpumalanga to get to Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, a place that is very dear to my heart and which I have been visiting in one capacity or another, for the past dozen years….except the last three of course…!!
Seeing my sister Charmaine again, and watching her running towards me at the airport, was a special moment for me… She had long been my main contact back home, and had taken care of all my personal business while I was away… So happy were we to see each other again, that I completely forgot to take any photos of our arrival…!!
At the airport to meet us was also Kim, and Craig, as well as Riekie, an old family friend that I had not seen for more than 30 years…!! Thanks for being there guys…!! Much appreciated…!!
To Robert, thanks for arrangfing a car for us to use while we are here…!! We look forward to seeing you and spending some time together next week…
Here are a few photos of our first few days in Africa… I will attach captions and more detail when next I have an internet connection…
The first glimpse of our national carrier at JFK, stopped me in my tracks… I began to believe that I was really going home…
Ever the Princess…!! Patricia wore her “Facinator” on the plane…!! I can’t complain though, as it got us a free bottle of Moet Chandon Champagne…!!
Nearing the eastern parts of the country, I knew I was back in Africa….
As we turned on to the dirt road leading to Lion Sands, I was almost overcome with emotion…. This was the moment I truly felt that I had arrived home…
“Welcome back Mr. B….!! Where have you been…??”
Even the undertaker of the bush was there to greet us in the first few minutes of our arrival… He would go on to become rather annoying, chewing through a door to get to the trash, and scaring the blazes out of us by appearing out of the dark at close quarters from time to time…
Our room at 1933 Private Lodge… As beautiful as I remembered it… The building of this lodge was the last project I was involved in, before I left South Africa for Ghana in 2009…
After meeting Nick More for sun-downers out in the bush, we returned to the lodge for a quiet meal together… Patricia got to try one of many different South African wines… On the way back to the lodge, we encountered a female Leopard and followed here through the bush for a short while, as she set about her evening hunt… It was a wonderful moment for us both…
After dinner we went outside and discovered that our lodge was surrounded by a large breeding herd of elephant… Here Patricia gets close to a very young calf, whose curiosity seemed to overcome him as he came closer and closer… Mindful of his mother that was grazing nearby, we moved back from the edge of the deck…
The following morning, we encountered the same herd, and spent half an hour with them….
How close did we get to them… Very close, actually…!!
This was Patricia’s first glimpse of a Rhino in the wild… Here excitement was infectious…!!
Had we had more time available, a night in the Chalkley Tree House would have been amazing…!!
We passed these two Buffalo bulls on our way to find the last and fifth member of the Big Five….
After a long and hot search, we finally found them…!! A female and four young male cubs…. Africa was welcoming us back with a bang…!!
The Lion lay down next to our vehicle and posed as only the King of The Bush can…
The small pride was keen to get back into the shade and led us into a thicker part of the bush, where we eventually left them in peace…
Back at the lodge, Patricia figured that she had got the hang of the job as tracker…
My first African sunset since June 2010…. This one was exciting because it would be spent with a few of my closest friends…
After nearly three years apart, I am reunited with Guy, Jenny, Louis and Charlotte… Wonderful to see you all again, and to take up from where we left off early in 2010…!!
We enjoyed a Boma dinner later that night, and sat up talking until the early hours of the morning….as usual…!! Patricia was on top form and kept us all well entertained… !!
At 6.00 am this morning, I was up to watch the sun bloody the sky over the Sabie River…. A sight I will never get used to, and one that heralds the start of a bright new day in Africa…. This photo was taken from the deck of our villa…
On the way to breakfast, I captured this photo of a Bushbuck leaping over the decking….
Then it was a short drive back to the main lodge to hand back our Land Rover and prepare for the rife back to White River…
We will spend the evening with more friends and then head into Swaziland tomorrow for yet another reunion…
It’s hectic, but I am still very excited at the prospect of introducing Patricia to people and places that I know she will be as excited to see as I am…!!
Welcome home Ronnie & Patricia!
All the best
Ciao
mannie
Patricia, you got your wish – to see a lion and an elephant… and more………
Enjoy your honeymoon and like I said, 2 weeks in Africa, is definitely NOT enough time – I hope we can have a braai together and some champs, Pat!!!
You guys are so special and it was sooo good to meet you at the airport, I felt like my family had come home.
As always
BIG KISSES
K
Ronnie welcome Home, Patricia welcome to Africa hope you enjoy her magic and the warmth of her people…you were blessed from the start, I spend a whole week in the bush sometimes and dont see the big 5. Enjoy
Wow, you were definitely blessed with the Big 5 and so much more. Enjoy Nelspruit and Swaziland too. Mom and Dad are so looking forward to seeing you both, they very excited. Patti, let us know what you think of our South African wines….you will want to take a case or three back with you.
Drive safely, Ronnie have you mastered the car…lol
Ronnie, Patty…. welcome home! Seeing that SAA plane as the webpage scrolled choked me up.. I recall that feeling as you approach the gate at Heathrow and start to hear Afrikaans… I almost broke into a run.. and that after only 3 weeks away from PE.
Aah… what a wonderful treat from Mother Nature… sunrise, animals..
And all with your lovely at your side.
Welcome home.
Much love,
Rob
WoW! i thought i was done with my crying at the wedding and surrounding festivities….not so!! Thanks for this post, Ronnie, and the amazing photos. After all Patricia has seen and done, being so close to those beautiful creatures has got to top the list!
Much love to both of you on the remainder of your visit.
Hi Ronnie and Patricia
What an emotional roller-coaster. I felt the tears prickle behind my eyelids as I remembered all the beauty of Africa. I am not sure how I am going to cope in December when we visit, having not seen any of my family for five years. Glad you had such a great time at Lion Sands.
Enjoy your time in South Africa and look forward to catching up on your travels soon.
Hey Ronnie, let me know when in the area? Would love to hook up.
Welcome back! Really pleased that Africa put on such a magnificent show for you and your wife (!)
i know this is a long shot, but if you end up in KZN at any stage, please give me a shout – would be great to share a bottle of SA wine with you
Take care, and enjoy it all
Ronnie & Patricia, welcome home to SA. You have truely been blest with the beautiful wildlife that you have seen in such a short space of time. Wishing you guys a fantastic time while you are here and hope you continue to enjoy the your honeymoon. Travel safely xxxP
Wow you guys we are so jealous, wish we were there with you, what a privilege to see all the local wildlife I cant wait, I really hope that one day we can reunite in your homeland Ronnie,hugs to you both.
chenty