Hurray its the SA (South Africa)

Ok so I know its been a while since this has been updated. However I have many, many reasons some of them good and some of them bad but you don't really want to hear them. So instead I'll tell you about South Africa.

Getting back on a plane felt a bit weird, since I have been back its not like I ever left, as soon as I got on the plane its like I'd never been back to the UK.

I was meeting up with Lauren, my dad (Tony), brother (Addy) and his girlfriend (Fi), myself and Lauren had flown separately as I was originally going to be flying direct from Oz. I flew with Lufthansa... not too bad though no personal tv screen!! :(

Landed in Joburg or Jozi (as the natives *sic* call it) and was a little bit apprensive, whilst doing my travels you get to talk about your trip and everytime you talk about South Africa and Joburg you always hear crazy stories of muggings..

I landed on my 30th birthday which was cool and there were lauren and dad to meet me... we walked outside, no muggers came running over actually everyone was pretty friendly, didnt feel threatened in anyway... actually the people we spoke to were smiling and laughing.. it was great.

Ad/Fi arrived 3 hours later and we got in the VW MPV and started to head up to Kruger National Park..... lions, leopards and elephants - I couldn't wait.

4hours later ........... and a bit of back and forthing we found the Palace, the Impala Palace. Lol had managed to score a bargain, we had a whole house for 5 people over 3 days = 2000 Rand (approx 200 pounds). If you go live outside the park and drive in, living in the park could cost 15000 Rand for the same deal!

Fast Forward my birthday ..... and on to the park.... (by the way my birthday was good fun though a little tired after the flight and travelling! - so we decided to make the next day my bday too, did I say "we" sorry "I".)

4:30am - out of bed and in the car ... bit of a killer but we were hoping it'd be worth it...

The great thing about Kruger National Park is that you drive yourself round the park, you have to get there early as by 9 the animals have packed up for the day, lazy gits!

As we entered Kruger, I looked at the map... its a such a huge place and particularly because you have to drive slowly - getting around the place would take days. So off we drove with Lauren at the wheel.. we saw plenty of Buck, which are amazing, though you soon get bored. Eventually Addy spotted something in the distance...

One of the things that you have to do is to stop moving every once in a while, only then can you taken in the sights and sounds of the wasteland.... amazing all the noises of the birds squaking and the animals yapping.... in the distance two grey blobs..

So I got the camera out and in the distance.... something moving behind the bush..... is that an elephant.. no... a rhino, two rhino so we waited.....

Slowly, teasing us the two rhinos started walking towards us, a mother and calf and across they came.. across the road, fortunately noone else was about .. it was amazing. The mum stopped stared at us... smelt another rhinos escrement, took a sh*t and looked at us again and then wandered on..... amazing!

... end of part one