Ximongwe, Greater Kruger : Lockdown Day 182 - Thursday 24 September

Heritage Day in South Africa. We didn't dance "Jerusalema" although the deck with the bushveld backdrop would have made for an excellent video! We did braai through. The day was quiet and relaxed.

Hanli and Andrew arrived and pitched their caravan at the Safari Camp too. Seriously Good Glamping!

Ximongwe, Greater Kruger : Lockdown Day 181 - Wednesday 23 September

We spent the morning packing the car and caravan to move to Ximongwe Safari Camp from the River Camp. How sad to finally move on after 6 months. We set up the caravan at the bush camp and it took me ages to clean and sort things out. By sunset we were on the pool deck overlooking the water hole.

This bush camp is truly unique with the most awesome peaceful vibe. After our braai we had a relatively early night, nice to be in the caravan.

Lockdown Day 180 - Tuesday 22 September

Our last day at Ximongwe River Camp. Exactly 6 months ago we arrived here for Lockdown, thinking 3 weeks in 1 spot was going to be too long for us.

From our bubble in the African bush we have observed a "world gone mad." I don't know of anyone whose been in a better place than us for Lockdown. Thank-you Ronell and Johan.. for everything!

We had a little potjekos competition and drank too much wine - for old time's sake!

My ellie friend Skew Tusk came to say farewell and brought a friend. He turned the garden tap open with his trunk. Then he went up to the water tank behind the house and pulled the pipe out! So we didn't have water in the house until morning.

For the long weekend, we ar going to be camping at Ximongwe Bush Camp, so I'll keep blogging for a bit longer.

Lockdown Day 179 - Monday 21 September

We went to town to get a few things checked and fixed on the new vehicle. All evening we had a pretty strong wind storm but no rain. The animals and birds are disturbed by the wind and behave skitishly because they can't rely on their sense of smell or hearing. The Babblers were going mad in the tree above our pool which is usually a sign that the Wood Owls are there. Next thing the owl flew out of the tree in a panic and hit the lounge window and fell onto the steps,stunned. Ronell ran and fetched a towel to pick him up and for a few minutes we thought he might not make it.  She placed him in the earthenware firepit which has a grate on top. After a few minutes he started moving and seemed to make a good recovery. Johan released him about an hour later and he flew off into the night.

Now that we are moving on, Hippo Lodge at Ximongwe is available for booking again. If you have been following this Lockdown story, you will already know how awesome it is here. No further review needed.

This day last year we were in Tokyo, Japan for the RWC 2019. Springboks Vs Kiwis! An awesome experience and in the midst of a Pandemic nightmare everything about it seems like an impossible dream. Long haul flights, packed bullet trains, international sports events, crowded bars, busy streets, stadiums full of fans, freedom of movement, travel, hugging friends, sharing food.