The airstrip, a short jeep ride away from the lodge, is essentially a wide dirt track for planes to land on. The lodge meanwhile doesn't look anything like shabbiness; our cottage ,which is basically a small house has its own small heated private pool, TV, (unused as yet) DVD player, zebra skins on the floor, two fireplaces, feather lampshades, and comfy furniture.

The full lodge has a health spa, three boutique stores, one big pool, one concrete tennis court, one clay tennis court, monkeys that come down from the roof and out of the trees to raid snd pillage your stuff, (at lunchtime one of the other tables had one quickly jump on and scamper off again).

At four o'clock (local time) we'll all go on a afternoon drive looking for animals that have woken up after their midday nap. In the single prop plane on the way here Georgia pointed out a herd of zebras milling about below us, I hope to see more.

Sam