June 24 Madikwe to Pretoria

Our last game drive. We were on a quest to find leopards for one of the guests. All we did was run around and we didn't see much.

But the really fun time started as we left the lodge. First, the elephant came back and drank from the pool.


Elephant

Then on the ride out to the airport we saw tons of animals: a ton of wildebeest, zebra and impala crossed in a line in front of the jeep. Then we saw our first jackal.

But the real fun was at the "airport" itself. The plane was nearly an hour late, and I have posted a very jumpy video of that.

When we got in the plane, we had two aborted take offs because giraffe kept getting on the runway. Finally the pilot hopped out with the prop still rotating and the plane slowly moving forward. He ran into the bush to chase away the giraffes! He jumped back in, turned the plane around again and we did take off.




In coming plane video

On the Plane


Giraffe on runway

Landing in Johannesburg was also interesting to be so close to the ground for so long.

We checked into the Pebble Fountain guest house. To get to our room we went through the kitchen! Judith Bishop gave a dinner party for us in her lovely little home in Brooklyn, Pretoria. Guests included Hermi Boraine from NACI and her husband, and Cheryl de la Ray from SET4W. We had lamb with lavender and wonderful wines.