Day 6 (Friday)

Morning drive

A very rare tsessebe

He finally got up, for a brief stretch

Termite mound

Afternoon drive

No pictures -BUT did see the rarely, almost never seen leopard 1/2 a mile away.  Didn't have a good enough zoom.

Day 5 (Thursday)

We got to sleep in a whole half hour longer, wake up call at 4:00

We got in the van and headed to Kruger National Park

We arrived promptly at 5:30 as the gates opened

1st stop to check out the sighting board which pretty much means nothing since who knows what time the sightings took place

One of the few times we could get out of the van

 Finally!!

Pretty intimidating!

If you zoom in, you can see a 3-month old, very adorable 

(there are 4 on the right side, its tucked in between the 2nd and 4th one)

Themba, our guide, cooking breakfast

Baboon

Little critters - leopard tortoise, chameleon and a baby millipede  

Cape buffalo

Waterbuck

We still have not seen a leopard

But one was nearby!!  If you look closely, on the right branch you will see a freshly killed zebra.  You can see 2 legs hanging down

This chameleon did not win the fight

(fyi it's the same breed of snake as the one out our window, obviously much smaller)

We finally arrived back to the lodge at 7:00, with very sore bums, and a bottle of bubbly chilling for us

Day 4

We started the morning out in search of elephants

 but found this guy instead and the driver took off into the bush

 parked me right IN a tree!!

 and then broke the steering rod thinga majiggy

waiting for a tow LOL

Impala

Today's view out the window

I've enlisted this one's help, he's on snake patrol

Pumba

Day 3

Tuesday's wake up call was 3:30!! But we did not go on the game drive.

 Instead we went hot air ballooning 

This was Larry's idea/gift and I was very apprehensive but I decided to step out of my comfort zone

We are in the balloon above

Gorgeous sunrise

Mid-flight selfie

 Skimming the tree tops

Above the river

Back on solid ground

Time to celebrate!!

Thanks Larry!!

Afternoon drive

Male kudu - love his horns!!

Two cheetah

Getting a close up

They couldn't have cared less that we were there

2 zebra

The girls

Moving on

Snake update

So I decided to go the main lodge to find out about this fella.  I'll admit I was pretty freaked out since I had to walk under this tree to get to the path.  The chef was the first person I could ask, he wanted to come see where it was.  Of course, it was gone.  From my pictures he said it was a boomslang, venomous but not aggressive.

By now, I've got to get a shower

I don't like to be watched while I'm showering!!!

(look above the shower head on the beam)

Day 2 - safari - Monday

We were woken up at 5:00 for the morning game drive

We spent a good chunk of time tracking a white rhino

 Found him!!

Larry spent the afternoon here

 And I enjoyed the shade from the deck above

From our night drive, a jackal 

We are not allowed to walk to or from our hut when it is dark.  We have to have a "guard" with us.  I always laugh because he is armed only with a flashlight so I'm not sure how he is going to protect us. This morning, Kim, one of our hosts, told us that yesterday as she had just got to the bottom of a set of stairs, a cobra tried to strike her but luckily she had on a long skirt and it got that instead.  She said she has been here 2 years and this was the first time she has seen a snake.

As I sit here typing, something caught my eye

I've been here 2 days, I think I have her beat.

Now trying to figure out how to tell Larry who is at the pool.

I think I'd like the guard during the day and the night!!