And we return to good old blighty.

 May 17th. Going Home

Groan...why do we do it to ourselves! Many a sore head today, thank goodness for pain killers! Thankfully, Ian felt okay; there were still 20 km to drive to get to BoBo campers.

The last convoy.

  I happened to notice what I thought was a mark on the window. It was actually a crack in the screen. Blast, 5 weeks without mishap, and we now bring it back with a cracked windscreen. It must have happened several days ago, during the drive along one of the many roads with potholes and roadworks, the lorry's wheels threw up stones, and we know we were hit a few times. The main stone chip was right at the top and in the middle of the screen.

Did we have windscreen insurance? Ian was pretty sure we did include that but only once we return the motorhome will we find out. The nearer to Johannesburg we got, the quieter roads disappeared and the mayhem of the motorway took over. 5 lanes of drivers overtaking on either side, some weaving in and out barely missing the vehicles in front. I feared for our lives and we definately didnt want to be crashed into  so close to BoBo campers.

 

An accident had occurred on one of the main roads; it's no wonder, the South Africans drivers are maniacs. Taxis ignore red traffic lights; how they don't get wiped out amazes me.

 

 

Either side of the road, markets lined the route. 

 

 

I, for one, was glad to arrive at BoBo's. On arrival, we were met by one of the staff. A walkthrough to make sure everything was present and correct, and clean. We did have to tell them about the toilet cassette. For the last three days,, any liquid has bypassed the seal, making for some unpleasant smells. Ian took to emptying the cassette every day; it was the only way lifting the toilet lid became bearable. With the motorhomes all going out again in two days, we made sure they were aware of the problem. As for the windscreen, yes, we were insured... phew

Now we had a three-hour wait until the bus arrived to take us all to the airport. It was during the wait that 2 couples got news they didn't want to hear. Flying with the airline BA, they were told the flight was delayed and would now take off at 01:30 am instead of 19.25pm, also the flight had been overbooked and wanted volunteers to give up their places and leave on the 20th instead. In fact, there was no guarantee that any of them would get on the plane, and they would have to queue at the BA desk to see. The compensation that was on offer was hotel accommodation, all-inclusive, and money back to be discussed. If that had been us, we would have taken that without hesitation, but Colin, Ann, Steve and Sheila all had commitments and had to get back and needed to be on that flight. Our flight was with Virgin, so once we arrived at the airport, goodbyes were said, and we really didn't expect to see any of them again. But as luck would have it, as we sailed through passport control and were on our way to the lounge, we met Steve waiting on one of the chairs for Sheila to return from trying to get into one of the three lounges on offer. The good news was they had managed to get on the flight, but was not looking forward to the delay. We had priority passes for the Aspire Lounge, and when Sheila returned, we offered to get them in as guests. 

 

Sheila and Steve

 

Our flight was called on time, so we left them enjoying the benefits of airport lounges and headed for the gate. We paid for economy delight tickets for more leg room and priority boarding, but I wish we had gone the extra mile and paid for Premium. Only two seats per row, champagne, wider seats, the seat backs went down further, and plenty of leg room. Meals were served first and could be ordered. Andy and Karen chose this option and put their photo on the group chat.
 

 

And we also heard that Colin and Ann had secured their seats on the BA flight and as celebration took this photo in another of the lounges.

 

 Eleven hours later, after hardly any sleep, we landed at Heathrow. The time was 6.30 am, our National Express coach wasn't until 9.30 so we had a while to wait. Still, what was a few more hours wait when you're exhausted! Once on the coach, it was another 4 hours before we reached Nottingham. It stopped at Luton, Milton Keynes, and Leicester before our stop, then we had to find a taxi to get us back to FS. We eventually stepped back on board a tad before 2.30 pm.

 

This has been a holiday of a lifetime, on our bucket list for ages and seeing what we came out to see, the big five, was a highlight for me. Our team leaders, Kobus and Dedrie, made this experience perfect, and without them, I doubt if we would have had half as much fun.

 

 And Ryan, the person who got so many of us out of trouble, rescuing when some were stuck and fixing things that needed fixing, including Ian and Vanassa's cassette!

 

 

 

What's next, we ask ourselves. Nothing on the cards at the moment, we need to recoup some cash before going on another adventure. 

Next week, we will dry dock FS, blacking her bottom, and maybe take the motorhome away for a week in June. So I'm putting the blog on hold for a while and will resume at a later date. 

 

Just Ian and me left alone underground!

 

May 16th. Country Park, Gauteng

Our very last site was but a mere 130km drive, nothing compared to the kilometres we have driven over the last 5 weeks. In fact, Ian totalled it up to just over the 5000km mark! 

Anyway, we were off to the Cradle of Humankind. To read about why it is called this, click HERE, but a brief history,  

Subterranean limestone caves have turned up a rich fossil record for human evolutionary studies. These findings have led to the 'Out of Africa' theory, theorising that most human ancestors originated from one general spot… Africa. 

A group photo was taken outside the dome.

From left to right; Tracy, Rob, Ian, me, Bob, Kathy, George, Maureen, Helen, Simon, Ann, Colin, George, (his wife Jill was unwell so not in the photo) Malcombe, Annette, Jayne, Martin, Steve and Sheila. At the front was Andy and his wife Karen was also unwell.

 

Entering the dome, we were taken down several flights of stairs to an underground area where interactive exhibits explained the evolution of humankind. 

 MRS PLES

 Unfortunately, we only had 2 hours here because at 2 pm a booking to see the Sterkfontein Caves. It's a fascinating archaeological site and cave, famous for yielding the first fossil remains of the first adult specimen of Australopithecus africanus. Also the primary minerals found at the site include:

• Calcite & Dolomite: Dolomite bedrock makes up the cave system, while calcite is the predominant secondary mineral responsible for forming speleothems (stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone) and cementing the fossil-bearing sediments known as breccia 

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• Quartz: Present in the form of chert and sand grains, quartz is particularly vital for scientific dating, as researchers measure rare cosmogenic isotopes within quartz to determine the burial age of the cave's fossils.

 

So what can I say about the cave...well, if I had known what we were in for, I would never have ventured down those steps!

In our younger days, we both did caving with hard hats and headlamps as our only source of light, negotiated cravasses and squeezed ourselves through some tight places, especially in New Zealand. Caves, therefore, worry us not, but with the old age of 73 and suppleness we no longer possess, what we experienced was most unpleasant.

It was explained by the guide that there would be some narrow bits, steep, uneven steps, and in some places, it could be claustrophobic. Whilst our group got kitted out with hard hats, more and more people joined the group until there must have been at least 50 people waiting to go in. Quite how this would work was something I did wonder about. 

The guide then called us seniors to the front, all 24 of our group, and said we would control the pace. I was quite impressed that he considered our ages, but that was all to change the further we got into the system.

 As more and more folk tried squeezing into a small space, the 'seniors first' idea went out of the window. Everyone was pushing to get to the front, and we soon found ourselves well behind. A small lake drew a lot of attention; it was down a series of steep steps, and so we could take photos, we were told to rejoin the group when we had finished. 

 

But this was where it went horribly wrong. Following the poorly lit path back to the main group, we were suddenly stopped in our tracks by a steep metal staircase rising up to a hole in the rock. Several people were in front, and I watched in horror as one by one they either crawled, bent over or sat on their bottoms to get through.

Oh eck...when it was my turn, I really was unsure as to how I was going to cope. I tried the 'lean forward' position, but the knees had to be bent, and even though my now decent right knee could cope, no way would my left knee be able to do that without a considerable lot of pain, and I couldn't risk crawling, so on the bottom it was! Got through okay and managed to stand up again, only to be greeted by yet another jagged hole, but bigger than the first.

This time I went through backwards, found that easier to do, and when I again straightened up,,,OMG there was another! Ian followed, but where was everyone when we finally emerged? 

 

Left alone, I was really peeved! What sort of guide would not stay until the last person had got through! He had led the rest back to the surface without even checking the numbers. And it was only because Deidrei, Kobus's wife, was concerned we weren't with the group that she came back to find us. Needless to say, no tip was given to the guide; Kobus was furious and said as much to those in charge.

Only another 30km to go to get to The Country Park campsite. Waiting for us was a chef spit-roasting a whole lamb over a braai. it would be ready for us to eat at around 6 pm, so in the meantime, we spent the free time cleaning the inside of the motorhome and packing.

 

Kobus came to tell us drinks were laid out on a table, and to help ourselves, it was all included in the organised braai. No need to be told twice, we left what we were doing and joined everyone around the fire. We raised our glasses to Kobus, Deidrie and Ryan for making this such a memorable holiday and sorted out any problems we had. The drinks flowed and went late into the evening. Once the freebies of wine and beer were gone, we all brought out what we had left and continued the merriment. Food was served by the chef, we had lamb, chicken, vegetarian dishes, pasta, rice and salads. It all helped to soak up the booze. 

Right of the photo, Bob, Kathy (Americans) Simon and Helen.

Chap in black was another Ian with his wife, Vannessa. They were missing in the group photo above

Kobus with Ian

 Tomorrow we fly home. Motorhomes will be dropped back to BoBo campers at 11 am, and a bus will collect us to take us to the airport. Our flight isnt until 8.25 pm so it will be a long wait. Hopefully, we can get into one of the airport lounges.

Balloon flight and final Safari game drive

 At 5.45 am, we were picked up by an Airtracker balloon company. The day was cold, with hardly any wind and clear skies, perfect for flying. With it being dark, our driver had to be careful of wild animals, and wow, what luck when a sleeping lion was seen at the side of the road.

And then 10 minutes later a pride of lions lay right across the road stopping our progress. 

 

 

 We eventually reached the launch site by a lake with open ground. The balloon was nearly ready, and we all waited in anticipation for it to lift. Once the basket was upright, we all clambered in. Well, I tried to anyway. The task was difficult for the likes of me. Unless you are supple and your legs can reach almost above your head, being the geriatric I am, that was not possible.  It must have looked hilarious to those watching as the ground crew tried to get me in, there was no finesse about any of it.

 

Once everyone was in, our pilot, Te, gave a briefing on how to position ourselves for the landing, and before we knew it, the balloon took off into the air. Wow, how incredibly amazing was the feeling of slowly lifting off and watching the ground get smaller. Te was a superb pilot who took us high then low to see the animals and even had me wondering if the hill we were flying towards would be our undoing, so close did she take us. It was an incredible experience, and when finally the call came to get into landing position, Te brought the balloon down with the basket just dragging slightly and without it tipping. What a pilot.

Afterwards, we had champagne, as is the tradition all over the world. It was started in the 1780's to appease the farmers whose fields they landed in. To read the history, click HERE

Te, our pilot

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The ground crew on the now stored-away balloon. Chap with the gun was there in case of a wild animal attack

Included in the experience was breakfast at a very posh lodge. Full English with as much as you wanted to eat. On the way, elephants and an amorous wart hog were seen. 

The driver decided not to try to pass; lone bull elephants can be unpredictable. Instead, he stopped the vehicle and waited for it to pass.

By the time we arrived back at the site, 5 hours had passed, and as we had a permit to enter the park, having changed from cold weather gear to warm again, we set off on our own to explore. No track was inaccessible, but boy, did we go through some horrors! 

 

We found several dams with hippos and nearly got taken out by a rhino as it emerged from the scrub! Ian rapidly reversed, and we had to wait to see if it disappeared so we could pass. Luckily, it took no further notice and wandered off. 

Getting back to camp, a message came through from our WhatsApp group to say Annette and Malcolm were stuck in soft mud.  Our leader, Kobus, was on a game drive, and Ryan was in the shower, but Colin and Ann were close to reception at the time, got hold of a ranger who raced to their destination, attached a tow rope and dragged them out. 

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Photos courtesy of Annette

It had been a fabulous day, another to add to our memories of this holiday. With only two days left, nothing now can beat this experience for tomorrow we head to Gauteng and the Cradle of Humankind.

More photos from our self-drive.

The elephants playtime