2016-06-09 We made it to Kruger! (this was a few days ago but we just got internet)

Life’s interesting each day is different and today is no exception. We arrive in Johannesburg South Africa after an overnight 9hr flight with a 5hr time change. We are exhausted but excited about our stay at Kruger National Park. We immediately realized that we messed up a day of reservation (due to overnight flight-and poor reading of the arrival ticket) and were supposed to check in on the 6th (the day before we arrived). We lost a day at the park at $84 a night – UGH! We messed up car reservation – double UGH. We recovered and got our stick shift, left side of the road driving Chevy Spark – triple UGH! I survive the jitters and Beth keeps me in the left lane (I hadn’t driven a stick in almost 20 years). It’s nerve wracking to drive on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car and shift with the wrong hand. Next, our expected 2hr trip to Kruger turns into a 7hr drive due to our poor reading and Kruger’s mislabeling the correct gate to enter.

The small pleasure for the day is our 1.5hr drive through Kruger at dusk by ourselves. Zebras, elephants, water buffalos, antelope, wildebeest, dick dic all pop out of the brush along our drive. It was fascinating driving by ourselves on one of the world’s largest game preserves. We arrive in our camp at sunset, find our little unit (no plumbing-no toilet), shop, have dinner, unwind and go to bed early. The day was long but our 90-minute game drive saved the day. Bud