Oct

Crystals In The Bush

Hi all,

It’s been an incredible week, being my first visit into the bush. Dad was on leave for the week, and Monday morning, after Opa arrived, and the car was packed, we headed north to Bakubung Game Lodge in the Pilansberg. It was a relatively short journey, of just over 2 hours. I slept for the initial part of the journey and then watched videos and the landscape whizzed by as the car ate away the kilometres. After crossing over the Haartebeespoort Dam I’d not seen such flat landscape before so I was quite intrigued.

We arrived at the Pilansberg mid afternoon and were astonished to see that the gate house had been razed to the ground by fire. Apparently a bush fire had gone out of control the prior week and its sparks set fire to the thatch on the gatehouse. We snaked up an amazing road to the next gatehouse, which was at Bakubung. The friendly staff saluted us and signed us in, and we headed down to reception. After checking in we said at the main terrace for some drinks while our chalet was being finalised. I ran around taking in the sights, staring with interest at the watering hole 100m from the buildings. I had a feeling I was going to love this holiday.

Our chalet was awesome – it looked over the dam and had a stunning patio. Opa had his own room and Mom, Dad and I shared the other room. Dad phoned for a braai to be delivered (gas) and shortly after that was setup we braai’ed some meat for dinner and sat on the patio taking in the sights.

Tuesday morning I woke up earlier than usual so I dragged Dad out of bed. We headed into the lounge to play until everyone else was up. As we entered the lounge it felt like we’d stepped into a fridge! A cold wind had blown over the dam overnight, and since all the windows were open it forced the temperature down in the chalet. We were all surprised at how cold the morning was, as we weren’t expecting that, and we also hadn’t packed for cooler weather.

Once we were all up and dressed we headed up to the restaurant at the terrace for breakfast. It was incredible – a massive buffet starting with fruit and cereal, hot goodies, pastries and cold meats and ended off with pancakes with various fillings. We had a feast, with coffee ‘on tap’ and food fit for a king. To end off breakfast I had a mini pancake covered in 100’s & 1000’s and chocolate vermicelli. Heaven.

To work off our breakfast we played on the jungle gym. I was discovered a new game – outdoor chess with pieces almost as tall as me. I made up my own rules, as I found the correct chess rules a little boring. My rules were to see how many pieces I could knock over in the shortest time possible! I played until it was time for my snooze, so we headed back to the chalet for my nap.

In the afternoon we headed into the Pilansberg Game Reserve for a game drive. The resort does offer game drives in high open vehicles, but sadly littley’s like me are not permitted on those vehicles. We therefore opted to go by car. The first half hour we saw lots of different types of buck, such as kudus, wildebeest, impalas, springbok, and some others we couldn’t correctly name. Zebras and warthog were also in abundance, and we named them Pumbas. Early on in the drive we also spotted a couple of hippos, but they were in a dam with only their ears, eyes and nostrils peering out above the water.

Sometime later we spotted two white rhinos grazing. Heading up into the hills the viewing seemed to thin out, until rounding a corner we came across 6 giraffe elegantly eating the top juicy leaves from some trees. As we reached the bottom of the hill, we came across 9 elephants! On the right of the road were six grazing and walking toward a nearby watering hole. To our surprise, 3 elephants popped out the bush on our left and crossed the road right in front of our car. It was a Mommy elephant in the lead, followed by a calf and a Daddy elephant taking in the rear. We were thrilled beyond words. Sadly Dad’s super-duper Canon camera is still in for repairs so we didn’t get any great shots of the animals. We did however video the elephants (see below for the links). Late in the afternoon, satisfied at the number of animals we’d seen, we headed back to our chalet.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the patio on Wednesday morning. Afterward we took a gentle stroll up to the terraces for some coffees and a newspaper for Opa. We lounged around in the bar area sipping coffees and a baby-chino for me, looking out at the watering hole trying to spot some game. The weather had now become very hot, despite the previous days’ cold spell; as a result the animals were keeping under cover to stay cool. Some play on the jungle gym ensued, and I was introduced to another new game – table tennis. I had a whale of a time while Mom, Dad and I played table tennis. Opa had to make some calls and read the newspaper while we played. All too soon it was snooze time for me again, and we all headed back to the chalet for a Team Snooze.

In the afternoon we lounged around the pool. There we had some drinks and a splashed around in the water. Mom and Dad decided a cheese platter would be the perfect accompaniment to such an awesome afternoon, so Dad phoned reception to order a platter. The resort didn’t have platters on the menu per se, but what arrived was out of this world. It was a cheese platter of gastronomic proportions. We soon realised that the platter was too much for the four of us, so we invited our neighbours from the chalet next door to us, who were also at the pool, to join in the fun. Despite there now being six of us, we still didn’t do the cheese platter justice! We were truly impressed. Even the local birdlife arrived for a closer look!

Walking about to the chalet that afternoon I had a nasty fall on the paving and scrapped my knee open. Mommy took expert care of it; in addition to the scrapped knee I was also starting to develop a cold, probably from my numerous visits to see Opa at hospital the previous week. Although I did go to bed early, it wasn’t before we took a walk around the front of our chalet to discover a herd of wildebeest had settled there for the night. Dad shone his torch from one to the next and we were amazed at how many there were, and how close they were. If it weren’t for the electric fence separating us I could’ve reached out and touched them. They were magnificent up close.

Thursday was an auspicious day! It was Mommy and Daddy’s 15^th wedding anniversary. Dad and I were up early and we got our gifts ready for Mommy. Both of us had got Mommy some Swarovski jewellery, as 15 years is denoted as crystal. Mommy was thrilled with her pendant and ear-rings, and Dad received stunning crystal cuff-links from Mom. It was such a stunning morning to celebrate such a wonderful anniversary. We all headed up to the terrace to have breakfast at the restaurant. As previously, it was awesome! What made it great too, was that it was the last Thursday of the month, and as you will already know, the last Thursday of the month is family breakfast for us. So today it was family breakfast, it was Mommy and Daddy’s anniversary, and Opa was with us as an honorary guest at our family breakfast, which was a first!

After breakfast we played on the lawn in front of the restaurant. We made friends with some tourists from the UK, and offered to help them to get some maps of the Pilansberg, as the resort was sold out and they didn’t have a car. Mom and Dad are so awesome in that way – they are permanently trying to be ambassadors to our beautiful country and often help tourists in stores or other locations, to create a positive view of our country. Before doing some more playing that morning I discovered a stunning sliver set of the Big Five animals which Mom bought for me. I was thrilled with the Big Five animals that fitted snuggling in my pocket.

As I wasn’t feeling too well from my cold, I had a marathon snooze during the early part of the afternoon. When I woke up, Mom, Dad and Opa were already smartly dressed and ready to get going. I quickly donned my smartest outfit, and as I got dressed I remembered that we were heading off to the Palace of the Lost City, at Sun City, where High Tea was being served at the Crystal Room, which was very very fitting for Mom and Dad’s crystal anniversary.

After a short drive we arrived at Sun City. Dad explained to security that Opa had a weak heart, could we drive all the way there. The security was very fortunately obliging, as Opa would never have made the walk from the sky train Welcome Centre to the Palace of the Lost City, and he wasn’t keen on a wheelchair. It worked out brilliantly, as we drove right up to the reception at the Palace of the Lost City. As we hopped out the car it was whisked away by the valet parking, so no cars cluttered the beautiful surroundings. Everything around us looked absolutely amazing; it truly felt like we were in a jungle and had come across the ancient ruins of a palace. However, once inside, there was nothing to be considered a ruin.

All around us there was plush furniture, stunning murals, statues, art works, etc. We stared in awe. A fellow named Anthony welcomed us and led us to the Crystal Room which left us speechless. All around there was crystal; in the banisters, the statues and a massive chandelier. High Tea was superb. Teas from all over the world were available, and the cakes, pastries and sandwiches which were laid out were incredible. Compliments of the Crystal Room, we received champagne, and the staff congratulated us on our anniversary and were most impressed that we chose the Crystal Room to celebrate Mom and Dad’s Crystal Anniversary! We felt like kings.

Once High Tea was over Anthony took us for a tour of the Palace; there was so much to remember! Things like that it took 5000 people to build the palace in 18 months, and that the budget of R1.2bn was not reached – it only cost +/- R800m to complete. That the art works all reached into the millions per piece. That the tapestries were hand crafted and took 5 women 12 months to complete. That the crystal chandelier in the Crystal Room was 3 tons, and consisted of 7000 crystals – originally it was supposed to be 10 000, but the weight was too much for the roof to bear! That the statue of Shawu the elephant, created by Danie de Jager, was on a 1:1 scale. Majestic! We were completely enthralled, and Anthony was the perfect host, helping with our bags and running after me when I went to explore somewhere. He even offered that we look at the rooms, but we opted not to be tempted, knowing full well we’d have to sell the car to afford the rooms for a few nights!

Anthony showered us in gifts and mementos from the Palace, including an elezela (vuvuzela shaped like an elephant tusk) for me. Before leaving we wandered through the gardens and took in the splendour of the water features and the gardens. We were truly amazed!

Before leaving Sun City we popped into the entertainment centre. I was amazed at all the lights and sounds from the casino. A brief walkabout followed and then it was time to head off home. By now I was starving and it was way past dinner time for me. Back at the chalet I quietly ate dinner while I processed all the amazing sights of the day. After I went to bed, Mom and Dad stayed up quite late, sitting on the patio and chatting. Just before midnight I heard major excitement from them outside. I was too tired and sleepy to go see what the commotion was about. The next morning I learnt from Mom and Dad that a hippo had come for a swim in the dam outside our chalet, just before midnight. Sadly, by the morning, he’d already left to rejoin his friends.

Friday it was time to leave again and head home. We spent the morning packing and then headed off to the terrace for breakfast at the restaurant. There we met up with our tourist friends who were ever grateful for their maps that Mom and Dad had got them at the temporary gatehouse. They insisted on paying for them; Mom and Dad declined, and instead I received a bunch of UK coins. I was thrilled and would put these in my collection of coins.

We checked out after breakfast and took one long walk around saying goodbye to the stunning resort. The drive home was uneventful, and Opa and I dozed for most of the journey.

At home Granny was waiting for us, with anniversary presents for Mom and Dad. I helped to open them and Mom and Dad were thrilled with their gifts. Soon after Opa and Granny had to leave again; Mom, Dad and I just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

Saturday morning some shopping ensued, and I noticed Mom and Dad bought me my Christmas present already. I wasn’t supposed to look, but it was so huge that Mom and Dad had to dismantle the back seat of the car to get it in. On the drive home I took a quick peep and spotted that it was a trampoline for me. Mom had spotted an awesome special on trampolines (1/4 of their usual price) and immediately galvanised Dad into action that we get it. I’m so excited, and cannot wait until Christmas now – I’m hoping that Mom and Dad will let me have it a little earlier.

In the afternoon Mom and Dad tended to the pool and also swam. I too got into the pool at the step and played and played. In the evening, after showering, we all took a walk down to Robin and Di’s place to celebrate Robin’s birthday. There, one of the couples had their three girls with them, who were all a lot older than me, but played with me until I fell asleep. It was such fun to meet some new people.

Sunday my cold started to get the better of me, so we all opted to stay home for the day and rest. We were all a little miserable at the fact that Dad had to go back to work the next day – it was so nice spending the past ten days with him full time!

Well, that’s it for this week.

Hugs,

Jay-Bee