Can’t Wait for the Pool

[insert machete photos]

We cleared roads today and I think it’s my own personal version of hell. Blistering 100 degree sun, sandy dirt sticking to you, hundreds of flies buzzing around your head, twisting your body around inch-long thorns to hack away at the treecore….the saving grace is that we laugh alot while working and they only keep us out there for maybe 2 hours at a time. G’s always very thoughtful of our comfort so if it’s too hot, we’ll all go back for a swim or picnic under a shepard tree. It’s uncanny how the space under a shepard tree is so much cooler than the outside air…it doesn’t even provide very good shade, there’s just something about the bark or leaves that repel heat if that makes any sense.

Just suffice it to say, everyday we see tons of wildlife. While at camp, in the truck, or at work, there’s baboons, zebras, ostriches, impala, kudu, elephants everywhere. The other day at the watering hole, we saw elephants, zebras, impala, warthogs, and kudu emerge from the bush together and I wanted to start singing The Circle of Life. At one point, the baby warthog jumped into the water then stumbled while coming out and sent a nearby flock of birds soaring in alarm. Immediately, all the other animals started to retreat. The elephants stampeded off and when the dust cloud finally settled, there wasn’t an animal in sight.

[insert stampede photos]

Summer’s coming so every passing day brings the air up a few degrees. Suddenly, the bugs are popping up so we put up mosquito nets this afternoon. We also checked the cameras around the reserve to see what they captured and took some runs down the zipline. It’s a kick-ass zipline that runs down a mountain, across the Limpopo River, and lands on an island in the middle of the river. You have to really keep a lookout because there are dead trees and branches sticking up from the ground ready to impale you if you’re caught unawares. Then the bank inclines suddenly so you need to start running in the air onto the land in order to make a clean landing.

[insert zipline photo]

I really like all the company here. They’re so laidback, interesting, well-traveled…just great. Margaret is from New Zealand and has been literally everywhere in the world. She’s a true backpacker who always eats at vendors, packs only 2 outfits each time, and laughs off broken bones and hangovers equally with Kiwi chuckles. Harry is quite entertaining, inserting his cheeky British humor wherever possible. He’s extremely quick-witted and well-spoken given his age and tells a story impressively.  He has the face of an angel but there’s something in his smirk that reveals the devil inside.  Gerrit is of noble conservatist heart. You can hear his love for the bush when he speaks of elephants, leopards, and his desire to keep this reserve as pure as possible. Coming from the corporate world, it’s inspiring and reassuring to interact with people who truly have no desire for money or a lavish lifestyle but to do some good with their time here on earth. Lauren is very nice but I have difficulty communicating with her because she is most fluent in French. I love listening to her accent and gesturing in hand signals. David is the most cultured 18-year-old I’ve ever met and thank god not everyone from that generation was infected with the Paris Hilton epidemic. Luc is so kind and helpful. He looks alot like someone in movies, but can’t put my finger on it. We’re going to get a soccerball tomorrow so once again, soccer — or football, rather — we’ll prove to be the most international sport in the world.