The travel day was a long, hard adventure to Johannesburg. It started off with us taking a stop to the Bourke’s Luck Potholes carved into the rock by water. During the drive to the potholes, the view was beautiful. There were many rocky mountains with towns and people.
When we arrived at Bourke’s Luck we saw many interesting potholes that were huge. We climbed on rocks next to waterfalls, and it was a beautiful adventure.
After that the bus ride was straight to Johannesburg. We had a few stops at gas stations, but we decided to stop going to them and drive without stops.
During the drive we say many towns. We saw some houses that look similar to some in the United States.
When we arrived the city looked different but also similar in some ways to some in the United States. It was warmer than the other places we went to during the trip.
Overall the travel day on the bus was long and boring. The potholes were cool, and Johannesburg is too.
While this travel day was not very eventful, we said goodbye to Cape Town and the amazing Chartfield Guesthouse. With the 4 am wake-up, the guys were extremely tired on the bus ride to the airport, and we slugged around until we found our gate and boarded the plane.
Personally, I do not remember the flight as I was asleep the entire time, but the short flight was not too bad. Next, the bus ride to Kruger National Park was really dreaded and a tad bit brutal. With some untimely stops for bathrooms and snacks, the ride ended up taking about 7.5 hours instead of the discussed 5 hours.
While the drive was long and we were all grumpy, we finally arrived at our lodge right next to the park. Immediately we were briefed on the danger of some of the animals that were known to come into the property. We got to our rooms and had some downtime before dinner. With the ceremonial drums and voice call of one of the workers at the lodge, a great steak dinner was served.
Although we were exhausted and groggy from the trip, we entered a completely new part of South Africa. We were excited for a new culture and a great day on safari the next day.
Following a long day of travel, we were finally rested and prepared to venture into Kruger National Park. Before dawn, most of the guys were up and ready to go. We were split into two safari groups and with some stragglers packed into large cars. My group was led by Delight. He had been born in the park and knew it like the back of his hand. We neared the entrance, and the cold breeze bit at our faces as we sped down the highway. Delight filled up car with gas, and we were off. Those of us that were awake could barely see the road in front of us.
We were cold, miserably cold, and at first it seemed the animals felt the same. We kept driving but our eyes only met the tall savanna grass. But lucky for us, a small spotted hyena crossed the road and laid perfectly still in the grass. We then came across a large bull elephant knocking down large trees. Delight told us that male elephants behave this way in order to eat the leaves on the trees or just flex their muscles. As Delight said, “Elephants do what elephants do.” We all took photos and kept going through the park. We then came across a herd of impala or what Delight called “the McDonalds” of Kruger. These guys were everywhere and became an eye sore after a while. Then we encountered this massive herd of elephants. We watched as the babies played and the older members ate at the Earth. We kept on through the park when we came within five feet of a giraffe. It’s hard to appreciate the size of a giraffe until you’re right below it, but it was huge. It was definitely my favorite animal we saw.
Driving further we were met with more elephants, impalas, waterbuck, kudus, wildebeest, water-buffalo, zebras, and giraffes, but my group was determined to find a lion. Venturing toward the back of the park we found a lone lion sitting underneath a tree. He sat there and basked in the shade. He began to sleep during the hot afternoon. Delight explained that the lion was a bachelor of sorts. He needed to mature a little more before he would have his own pride. We were all star struck by seeing a lion. It was so cool to see the actual king of beasts in the wild. Driving further we eventually ran into a water hole where 10 hippos all basked in the sun. Delight explained how hippos were actually fast animals being able to swim 15 km/h and run 45 km/h. We then went to a lookout where we looked over a dried river and could see across the park. The view was breathtaking and gave us a nice break in the day.
Tired, we returned to the lodge after the safari. There, we were treated with a delicious steak broth for dinner. Later that night, we were all shocked to see a group of Zebras in our campsite, and they got very close; so close that from my door I could take three steps and touch them. For me, it was a little scary to have such a big animal right outside your bedroom, but I bet people here get used to it. Overall, it was an experience I will never forget and cherish for a lifetime.
Hardy: On June 19, we split into two groups to work in the township of Masiphumelele. My group went to a man’s home to replace his roof. His neighborhood is made up of very small houses built from wood framing and corrugated steel sheets with no running water and only one room with a half-room loft above it.
The work itself was not incredibly difficult. The real challenge was the poverty that we stood in. I remember climbing up on the roof and seeing a sea of small shanty shacks housing many families. Even worse, about a hundred yards to eat left across a field was a community of noticeable wealth.
The room I stood in housed a 19-year-old cyclist named Sphatela. He told me about his travels and achievements across South Africa on his old rusty bike. He did this all while sleeping in a room about the length of my bathroom. However, he held a smile on his face as we rebuilt his roof. Meeting Sphatela was an incredible experience that I’ll never forget.
Gavin: On June 19, we had a service day in Cape Town. I was part of the group that went and played with the young school kids around the community called “Masi.” The kids were taught in a small room where they all were basically cramped together. I was so shocked when I walked in and realized how little space they had to play in. But that did not affect their happiness and excitement because from the moment we walked in each room all the kids had smiles on their faces and were jumping up and down. That moment made me realize how special the South African people were because although most of them were very poor they were always very friendly and happy when meeting them.
We entertained the kids and got them moving by first doing a warm up dance with the music played from Ms. Sharon’s speaker. She is the founder of Kidz Africa, an organization that works to bring hope through sports and activity. The first dance with the kids showed me how much energy and joy they had for us just being there, which meant a lot to me. I had made their day better, which was a good feeling. After the warm up dance we played Simon Says along with freeze dance, which personally was my favorite to play with them. Finally, we ended each visit with a cool down stretch.
My favorite part of the visit was when we were leaving and all of the kids came up to give us fist bumps and high fives, which let us know how much our visit meant to them. This day with the kids helped me realize how much we as people can help make other people’s days better.
Our last non-service day in Cape Town was one that did not disappoint. After a delicious breakfast at the Chartfield Guesthouse, we began our drive towards Cape Point. We all took a quick picture at a “Cape Point” sign and then proceeded to hike up to the lighthouse. The views were breathtaking. Some daredevils also sat on some ledges to grab a picture.
We then drove to another location (with baboon sightings on the way) and took a group photo at the iconic “Cape of Good Hope” sign, situated right near the sea. Some of us also ran up a cliff next to it to get some pictures. After a, quite literally, windy morning, we had lunch in a small town, where we celebrated Michael Ikejiani’s 18th birthday with two cakes.
