Thursday 9^th August 2012

by Eva Maria

Today it was our last day at Kruger Park so we decided to get up very early (5.30am) to see the sunrise. We went to our ‘viewing point’ and while we waited all we could see was the most amazing vast amount of land. The sun rose very quickly, in a straight line. It was so cold (about 6 degrees C) when we got up that some of us took our sleeping bags. On the way back to camp we saw 3 wild dogs by the road which was very special as there are only 330 in the entire park.

As we were leaving the park we saw different wild life such as giraffe but it still amazes us to see them so close to the cars. But, the most fascinating thing was that we saw the catch of a leopard up a tree. Some of us saw the leopard eating the impala. We stopped at a watering hole to have some lunch and spotted our last hippos. As we left the national park reality hit us, as rubbish was everywhere along the side of the road and we saw the contrast of the different conditions people live in. This wasn’t new for us (as we had seen this before in Siyabuswa) but during our time in Kruger we didn’t see it. As we drove south towards Nelspruit, we saw a humongous plantation of bananas protected by bags. The bright colours of the purple bougainvillea flowers contrasted with the darkness of the avocado trees.

After a few comfort breaks we reached our final destination. a Christian Retreat Centre called Ekukhanyeni, the most amazing place in the middle of nowhere surrounded by thickly wooded mountains. After a well deserved rest after hours of travelling, we had a traditional South Africa meal (Bobotie) which was delicious. After worship and a briefing we are enjoying the warmth of an open wood fire.