South Africa Day 5

We were up bright and early - the earliest we've gotten up since arriving.  Perhaps the jet lag has finally passed.  We appreciated the heat in the rooms which made getting out of bed earlier a bit easier.  We made it to the lodge in time for coffee and hot chocolate before the drive and then met our guide and drove out into the game reserve.  It was freezing and we were given hot water bottles and lined ponchos to wear - those hot water bottles are the best thing ever!  The first animals we saw were the elephants.  There were 2 males that were playing in and around the watering hole.  The larger Silanti is about 3.5 tons (and still growing) and the smaller is Moya.  We learned that these elephants are not as large as some of the African elephants in Kenya which grow to 6-7 tons and it was hard to imagine a creature twice Silanti's size.  We then saw some zebra, water buffalos, giraffes, a cheetah (eating his morning meal), lions, hippos, eland, impala, and then on our way back we actually saw a springbok pronking.  We had seen this on Planet Earth and laughed at how funny they looked.  And sure enough one was running and then just leaped with all 4 feet in the air.  It was fantastic!

We arrived back hungry for breakfast and were greeted with a buffet of options including homemade omelettes and flapjacks.  We left full and happy and went the the reptile center to see the snakes.  We learned about the different ways snakes kill (constrictors vs venomous with 3 different kinds of venom - cytotoxin, neurotoxin, and hemotoxin) and everyone held the ball python and the corn snake (both constrictors).  We learned that the Black Mamba is the most deadly snake in Africa - huge (up to 15 meters), venomous (neurotoxin) and aggressive and considered the world's deadliest snake - but more people are actually killed by the boomslang which is a bit smaller and has a hemotoxin.  We also learned that after hippos crocodiles kill the most people and met a few crocodiles (we didn't hold those) and met a few tortoises.

Then the boys desperately wanted to go swimming.  Even after feeling the water.  So first Mr. 4, Mr. 7, and Mr. 11 and then Mr. 13 and even Dad joined in the fun and did a bit of polar bearing.  We warmed up, ate a bit of lunch, and the older boys and I headed off for the kids program - tracking.  We went back into the bush with our guide and saw zebra tracks.  We found a giraffe and followed him.  We didn't catch his track but we saw him getting down to drink.  And spotted a track later!

By the time we were back and refueled it was time to grab our jackets for the evening drive.  There was more driving to find the animals and it made me appreciated what a real safari must actually be like - and to know that there is no way our family is ready for that.  Two hours is more than enough for us.  Mr. 4 fell asleep for the first half and woke up as we found the lions.  Luckily we came back around to see the rhinos again so he didn't miss too much.  The drive ended with getting to meet Moya and Silanti and feed them a treat.

We finished our night off with another delicious dinner and another episode of Scooby Doo and Batman (the kids watched a bit of Tin Tin too so their cultural diversity was complete).  Another early morning tomorrow!