Selati Wildlife Experience 2023

 Despite the length of the journey, our travels home were much smoother than those going to Africa. Flights were on time, luggage arrived, and there was a welcome lack of vomiting or in-flight medical emergencies. Although we really hated to leave South Africa, the nearer we got to home, the more eager we were to reach it.  It is always odd, though, that after a major trip or adventure, the familiarity of home seems, somehow, unfamiliar for a time. Home was our given, our everyday reality. But we come back changed. Home is the same; it is we who are different than we were when we left. The world is both bigger and smaller; we have met people, cultures and customs that make us see our own in a different light. We have done and achieved things that were beyond our wildest dreams. What remains is to enrich our lives, and our interactions with others, with the revelations of our adventure.  So in a way, our adventure, although seemingly over, is just beginning. Students go ba...

 One more early morning: 5:15 departure with all of our luggage to visit the elephants on the way to the airport. I LOVE the elephant interaction at Hoedspruit Elephant Rescue (HERD)! We saw one last stunning African sunrise… I hope to use these colors on my pottery pieces! The females of the herd going out for the day. They are free in an enormous reserve, but their handlers remain with them as they roam, to ensure their safety and that they don’t break fences or disturb humans. This is Sebakwe. He is the oldest and most famous elephant on the reserve. He has appeared in multiple ads, and on television and in movies! Kailey feeds Sebakwe alfalfa pellets Eleanor drops pellets into the end of his trunk And Lucia And Ivy And Cecilie And me Zebras And warthogs want their share, too! Feeding Molopane, a younger bull Jabulani  is the youngest of the 3 elephants we interacted with. He is quite playful, but always careful of us small creatures. Then off to breakfast, and to the airpo...

 After our late night being stood up by the hyena, we had our latest start of the trip: 9:00 am full breakfast of eggs, potatoes, pancakes, sausages, bacon….mmmm!  I was WIDE awake by then, due to a little issue with my intention to take a shower. Somehow, our plumbing system had become electrified somehow late the previous night, unknown to us. Carli got a jolt when adjusting the water that night, but assumed it was an anomaly. I turned the shower on when I was dry, stepped in, and reached for the handle to adjust the temperature, now wet and standing in water. Snap! Sizzle. ZING! I got one major jolt, through my hand, up my arm and right down through my feet! It left a light burn mark on my fingers! Naturally, I jumped out of the shower, and swatted the handle with a dry towel to turn off the water. So I texted Carli, got dressed, and went over to the main lodge a few minutes early. There I discovered that Surprise, our chef, had just had a similar experience with the kitche...

 Some days, it’s all about finding your patients.  After a luxuriously late 7:30 start, we headed to a farm to dart and transport sable antelope. We were met by the same guy who drove the golden wildebeest truck yesterday—he reported that all arrived in good condition.  Into the back of another little white pickup! By now, the students are pros at maintaining their balance in the bouncing truck while dodging overhanging limbs and searching for animals. We drove up through citrus groves to a series of steep hillsides and began looking for sable. For 2 hours, we drove every track in the reserve. Uphill and down, winding around, all eyes scanning for sable. Not a trace. We saw plenty of other animals: Impala, including 2 black Impala, which are gorgeously black and shiny, nyala, a duiker, and a fish eagle. Fish eagle overlooking a dam. Shortly after I snapped this photo, he took off and flew and soared above us for several minutes. Next, we made a short bathroom/provisions s...