Our glasses of sherry were waiting for us.
Says it all.
We got to our tent, a one bedroom freestanding structure on a small platform completely covered in canvas with a zippered entrance and windows. The bathroom has its own flap to go through and contains a full bathtub, sink, and toilet. Another flap from the bathroom reveals an outside shower with an oversized head and tiled floor, all shielded from view with a bamboo wall. The only thing missing is a tv. :-)
The tents on the edge of the lake.
We settled ourselves and made our way back to the lodge bar and quickly made friends with the coloured bartenders. Keep in mind the word coloured is still an accepted and embrassed word for Africaaners who are neither Dutch in origin nor tribal African. They are a combination of tribal, Malay, and white people. They have a lighter skin tone than tribal Africans and are darker than what would be considered an anglo in the US.
Our bartenders names are Morne and Elton. We end up chatting with them at the bar until dinner time. During our bar time, two families of hippos got in the dam on the other side. Both have babies with them and they make very loud moaning noises as they frolic in the water. They are quite a ways away, maybe 1/2 mile but with binoculars provided by the lodge you can watch them play around. They are very large, lumbering creatures. We also see some springboek (antelope) playing on the slopes. Tomorrow we have booked a morning in an elephant park and the afternoon as a game drive through the park.
Currently I am laying bed in the tent with Forbes snoring and farting in the bed next to me. I told Johann that for any faults it may have, South Africa has the US beat with its cell coverage. Even in the remote areas that I've been to, I've always had full bars for mobile service and high-speed internet browsing on my phone.
Tomorrow should be a fun day full of elephants, ostriches, cave exploration, and big game watching.
Inside our tent.
