Day of Arrival

So, guess what, I have arrived! Both of my plane journeys were smooth with no issues which is always a good start.

My first flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg was an overnight flight with a total flight time of 10 hours 20 minutes, so I got served dinner, which was Mac 'n' Cheese, then also breakfast which was a surprisingly nice full English. Although I slept most of the way as I felt rough, I did manage to squeeze in watching Deadpool 2, which I rather enjoyed and found quite funny in places. I would recommend watching if you get the chance.

The second plane from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth only had a total flight time of 1 hour 40 minutes, so this was a lot more reasonable plus it was also quite empty, so I had my own space which is always a bonus.

When I arrived in Port Elizabeth everything ran much smoother than I expected; as soon as I was through Arrivals a man called Jeff was holding up a sign with 'Kwantu Private Game Reserve' on which was where I was headed.

At this point I was introduced to a girl called Amelia from England and a guy called Alex from Canada. We were then escorted to a minibus which we got in so he could take us to a local B&B called 'The Lodge' till everyone else's flights arrived. It was around 25 degrees Celsius at this time, so I opted to change into some shorts and enjoy the sun with a book. Within the next 2 hours, 4 more people arrived - a girl called Charlotte from New Zealand, a girl called Stine from Denmark, a girl called Marissa from Boston, a lady called Jo from Arizona, a guy called Hippo from France and finally a guy called Matt from Canada. We all got on really well and quickly started finding out facts about each other. A lot of the topics revolved around the differences in the English language and different pronunciations as well as continuously repeating each other's names, so we actually learned them which was a laugh.

At 16.00 we all got back in the bus and began the hours' drive up to the game reserve. Driving past the African scenery was stunning and just felt incredible; I never expected it to be so green!

When we arrived, dinner was already served which was rice, beef casserole and vegetables. It was surprisingly better tasting than

what it looked plus they had fruit juice which I was so pleased about - I am easily pleased though to be honest.

We were then shown to 'Cub Quarters' which was to be my home for the next two weeks. It was one big room with 16 beds in, although after every 2 beds there was a partition wall just to make it feel a little more private I guess. I was happy though to call it home for the time being.

Next on my to-do checklist was shower! After nearly 35 hours without a shower, plus 2 flights and a fever I was long overdue a shower and wow did it feel good!

So that brings us to the present time where I am sitting outside
with the girls all in pyjamas listening to the peace of the different African wildlife.