A Belated Birthday in the Bush!

I'm sure there are some of you who can understand my general attitude about birthdays...at this stage in my life, I would be just as happy to simply stop counting them! Then again, some are truly worth noting and celebrating, and I would have to say that my birthday this year was such an occasion. I was at McCord Hospital last Tuesday, February 28th, and my day started out with a terrific surprise party at 8am, complete with a delicious chocolate cake (it's NEVER too early for chocolate in my book!), and 30 of the cutest, sweetest cards that were hand drawn by the children from Sinikithemba. It was a really special treat for me, and just part one of a birthday celebration that continued this past week in the African bush.

Early Sunday morning Gary and I began our own belated birthday celebration, as we made a 3 hour drive to a private game reserve in the Watersberg Mountains, called Shambala--a Tibetan word which means “paradise on earth”. I would have to say that is a pretty accurate description of this beautiful yet simple, natural styled lodge, which is fabricated from large tree trunks, which form the supporting "walls" for an enormous free formed thatched roof. Shambala is set on a 12,000 hectre farm which has been converted to a private game reserve, where Nelson Mandela was gifted a private home by the land owner, who is a close friend of the South African iconic hero.

As you make your way from the main gate, where you are greeted by your lodge host and ranger and a tall glass of sparkling cold bubbly, you proceed on a 30 minute drive in your open land rover to the main camp, where we would spend three nights. The scenery is truly beautiful, as you follow the richly clay colored sand roads which wind their way through an amazing and expansive landscape. At the start you pass wide open plains, where zebra, wildabeast and impala gently graze alongside one another. Soon the landscape becomes richer, covered with an endless number of lush, green wild syringa trees and tall golden grasses, still thick from the summer rains. The beautiful and graceful shape of these classic African trees looks stunning against the backdrop of the Watersberg mountain range and the crystal clear blue sky above. You are only a few hours from the hustle, bustle and traffic congestion of Joburg, and in that time and space you have been transported to a magical place which I have grown to love; the African bush!

Soon you arrive at the main lodge, passing by an open air fire pit, known as the boma, where we would warm ourselves at night, while we gazed into the endless maze of stars which fills the African sky. Just past the boma is an elevated common space--a large open sitting area covered by a thatched roof, filled with a comfy couch and 2 long dining room tables; a place for all of the lodge guests to break bread, share a hearty meal, and stories of their day in the bush. On the other side of the fireplace wall is a bar and open deck, with a small plunge pool and a few lounge chairs, all of which overlook the river which passes by in front of you. Just across the rivers edge is beautiful plant life of different textures, all growing out of a wall of natural rock outcroppings, which we are told periodically feature a local crocodile or hippo who has come to drink from its waters.

Surrounding the main area are a collection of 8 small Zulu style huts, which allows for a maximum of 16 guests at any one time, guaranteeing an intimate experience and excellent service. So imagine our surprise when we arrived at Shambala and learned that we would be enjoying three days at our own private “paradise on earth”! Yes…we were the ONLY guests at the lodge, and we were doted on by a staff of about 12 of the loveliest people, who quickly grew to feel like our friends. With warm smiles and attentive service, they went above and beyond to make sure every moment of our stay was special and as perfect as could be.

There was our gorgeous and very talented chef Neal, who made us the most exquisite meals to suit our every food fantasy, including a final 6 course dinner, complete with a hand decorated dark chocolate birthday cake! There was our lovely female ranger, Antoinette, who wanted desperately to please us and find that elusive singular cheetah that was on the reserve, and the pride of 5 lions who had been in hiding from view for the past several weeks. There was the wildlife manager, Louie, who went out before the sun came up each morning, searching deep in the bush, often on foot, in an effort to locate some of the harder to find game. And Antoinette's husband Clayton, who made a special run in his vehicle on our last morning, and tracked down the cheetah tucked deep in the bush under a tree. Thanks to their keen knowledge of their surroundings and animal behavior, coupled with the determination and courage of Antoinette to go off road, deep into the tall grasses where the vehicle could easily get stuck, we hit the jackpot on our last morning game drive...spotting both the pride of 5 lion, as well as the cheetah!

Once again we had good bush karma, making for a fantastic experience, mixed with some major adrenaline rushes! Perhaps the most thrilling moment (aka... think sheer fear!) was when we had pulled off road, turning and twisting through the tall grasses, until we found the pride of lions. About 20 feet away to the right of our vehicle were 2 male and 2 female lions, lying in the grass. As I quickly clicked my camera, trying to focus on the lion's mane through the blur of golden grass which camouflaged it, Gary glanced to our left and saw the 5th member of the pride, lying less than 10 feet from our vehicle. We were surrounded....off road....and unable to escape quickly should the "need" arise! As I sat and processed what was happening, it suddenly occurred to me that birthdays were wonderful things (no matter what your age!), and I hoped and prayed that this would not be the last one I celebrated! I'm not sure exactly when the momentt was that my heart started pounding... Was it when Charles, the tracker who went on our game drives, cocked the rifle he was carrying and aimed it straight at one of the lions, waiting to see if he would approach? Or was it the expression of quiet fear in Antoinette's face when she put the vehicle into first gear and struggled to make it move forward?! I'm not sure and at this point I am just glad that I can look back and joke about it! After a few tense moments, the lions thankfully got bored and laid down for a morning nap, giving us ample time to make our quick escape, without getting stuck! PHEW.....

Yes, we survived the weekend and enjoyed a little slice of paradise on earth at Shambala. Admittedly it's a bit light on game and a far cry from the game viewing experience of Kruger or Sabi Sands, but we still managed to see the big 5 in 3 days, not to mention other often overlooked but equally impressive and beautiful animals, like the striking zebra and the graceful impala. We enjoyed a spectacular African sunset from a sundowner boat ride on the damn, serenaded by hippos in the waters around us, and even had the thrill of an elephant back safari through the bush! And for those of you young at heart who still feel that a proper birthday celebration is not complete without a cast of Disney characters, we had a few of those as well!! The male bull leading the pack of elephants was named "Mickey", and the female we rode on behind him was named "Mouse" (you just can't make this stuff up!) And following close behind was Mouse's baby, who who would periodically slide underneath Mouse, stopping us on our trek, while she suckled at her mother and quenched her thirst. It was just adorable, and the whole experience one of the highlights of our stay.

Yes, another year has passed, and with it another fantastic African adventure to mark in our book of memories along our 2012 Journey of Hope. Now I can only hope that the next year will bring me the same sense of joy and adventure as this last one has, and that my birthday celebration will be as special as the one I've tried to share with all of you!