Ok so safari time...

Friday morning we woke real early as our driver was picking us up at 6.30am. It was a proper safari vehicle, and it was BASIC lol. No stereo, no air con, several seat belts didn't work, it sounded like it was going to fall apart with every bump... But it was cool. Our driver was called Joseph and he was very nice. If you had the windows open the breeze cooled the air in the car enough to keep it comfortable. Although Joseph was a pretty fast driver and so with every bump I wished more and more that I had worn a sports bra haha!! I know for next time!! So the traffic was quite bad when we left so that added about an hour more to our journey, it should have been 5 hours but ended up being 6 hours. At one point we were driving along and Joseph kept looking down at the gauges and we wondered what he was doing, then suddenly there was a puff of smoke and we stopped. Joseph popped the bonnet and came back with a belt. Turns out it was the power steering pump drive belt, so that was ok, he just drove back with no power steering. He stopped just before we got off the tar mac road to a small village to try and get a new belt for the car, but nobody had one, so he bought some fruit and we were on our way again, onto the dirt road for the last 100km of the journey. We took some snacks with us, crisps, water etc, for the journey there and the journey home. And luckily we remembered to take extra snacks and water as Joseph didn't have any so it was nice that we were able to give him some too! So I downed a full bottle of water, which I later discovered was a mistake as there are no toilet stops on the journey, so about 1/2 hour from Jimbiza lodge I had to get the driver to stop so I could go pee outside as I was in pain haha!!

One really good thing is that about half way into the journey there you completely lose signal on your phone so paul was completely cut off from work so he had no choice but to completely relax!

We got there at about half 12, went to the reception, each got a nice refreshing glass of freshly made passion fruit juice which was soooo nice!! We got shown to our tented bandas and were told lunch was to be served at 2pm. So Paul and I checked out our digs then had a snooze! I would say you need to take your own bug spray for the tented bandas as ours had a few small holes in it and there were a couple spiders and the tin of bug spray they supplied wasnt very full, and take your own toilet roll and hand sanitizer!!

We went for lunch, 1st course was a small plate of cucumber and tomatoes sliced, but with the salad dressing they gave us it was actually quite nice. The main was stewed beef (although they did ask when we arrived if anyone was a vegetarian), with carrots and chips. Then we got fruit for dessert. It was simple but nice.

So at 4pm we went on our river safari. It was a motor boat with a shade, and it was really cool, a nice breeze. We're chugging away nice and slow, seeing lots of birds, and I'm thinking there is no way were going to see anything interesting. Then in the distance we spotted some Hippos with their heads sticking out on the water. We slowly approached them, it was so cool. So it basically went like that, we saw lots of Hippo, 3 crocodile, loads of different interesting birds and other things. It lasted about 2 hours. We forgot to take money out with us to tip the guy, so that poor guy didn't get anything extra.

When we got back to the accommodation the fans were on, so we chilled on our balconies until supper time. Supper was veg soup for starter, grilled chicken with green beans and potatoes for main and fruit again for pudding.

Note: all drinks are charged at the end of the safari weekend so take money to pay for that and to cover tips.

We went back to our tents and chilled out some more, took some photos of the beautiful sun set, then went to bed. Breakfast on Saturday morning was a starter of fruit then a main of bacon and eggs with toast and honey and marmalade. Then we went off on our game drive...

Again I think a sports bra would have been very good for today but never mind. We saw loads of Impala (eventually they simply become part of the background), giraffe and Hippo (although they were all in the water so we didn't see any more than their heads and a few backs). It lasted till about half 1, then Joseph found a safe spot for us to eat our lunch, which they make before leaving and keep warm in special dishes. Lunch was tomato pasta and fruit. We also saw Elephant, zebra, wilderbeast, a couple lionesses and a few others. The rain stayed off for the most of it but we did have to stop a couple times to put the roof back on.

Selous was really amazing, it had lots of wooded areas, but equally it had lots of wide open areas, and several lakes. It had everything you could want in a safari.

The evening entertainment was watching the lightening flash over the hills in the distance and watching ghekko eating the Mosquitos. So if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, take a book or a game.

Ok Saturday nights supper was potato soup for starter, main was chicken casserole with rice and veg, and the pudding was called custard cream, but it was just a chocolate mousse type thing. One thing I can say for sure is that the service is 1st class!!

I would also suggest that face cloths and body wipes might be handy as you do get pretty dirty and sweaty. And the shower in the tents, although refreshing, it is like a trickling tap, and it takes a good 5 minutes to get warm.

Sunday morning mum and tony decided to stay in bed as they didn't think they would manage the walking safari. So Paul and I went on our own. I would recommend trainers for the walking safari as we were walking through the wooded areas. We met up with an actual bush man, wearing rope underwear (with real underwear underneath, phew). He took us for a walk through the trees, explaining lots of things to us, showing us things he would eat. He found a pile of elephant s***, broke it open, pulled a leaf of a nearby tree and made an elephant s*** cigarette haha. He said it is like a drug and helps his brain to function properly. He said it helps him walk without shoes, and without the elephant s*** cigarette he would hurt his feet. He found a Baobab tree and prayed to the gods whilst high up in this tree. He explained the story behind some monkeys we saw, and he showed us how he builds traps for animals. He told us how he used to be a poacher, but then he was taught to be better than that and now he only hunts for food. It was a really Interesting walk!

We got back to the camp and had our breakfast with mum and tony, which was the same as the day before.

Note: it's a long way in the car there and back, so if your not ok with peeing outside, don't drink too much during the whole journey. And if you want any chance of sleeping in the car ride there and back, take a pillow.