Safaris, Scorpions, and Scars

Today was eventful to say the least. This morning we woke up at 4:15 am to go on a safari in Kruger National Park. We were given a packed lunch from the staff at Hippo Hollow for breakfast and were on our way. The drive wasn’t long but it felt longer because of how early it was. When we arrived we all got in three different safari jeeps and were off into the park.

The safari started out with seeing African deer and buffalo. The first section went on for about three hours. We saw more deer, buffalo, many elephants, giraffes from afar, and hippos! The hippos were absolutely incredible. There were about fifteen female hippos and one male hippo in the water. There were three safari trucks looking at the hippos when one truck got too close. The male hippo felt intimidated and almost started to charge towards the truck but then decided not to. We then stopped at a rest area to get a snack and coffee to help keep us awake. I also got a couple souvenirs on this stop. The second part of the safari was very slow, we only saw a couple elephants. Almost everyone in my jeep fell asleep during the second part. It was so hard to stay awake! At our next stop we ate chicken sandwiches with ice cream and a coke. Our last drive into the park was slow as well, not too many animals were out and we never saw the lions or cheetahs. Overall, the safari was such an incredible opportunity and I definitely enjoyed it.

After the safari, we made our way to Shewula Mountain Camp. The drive was very bumpy and lasted about two and a half hours. During the drive we had to physically cross the South Africa to Swaziland border, which was definitely a different experience. After we arrived at the camp, the ladies who are in charge of the camp made us dinner that consisted of chicken, rice, beans, spinach, and coleslaw. Due to there being no electricity, it was off to bed around 7 pm. Around midnight I woke up from a burning sensation on my arm. I looked down and a scorpion had just stung me in the bed I was sharing with Kasey. The experience of never being stung before and being about forty-five minutes away from civilization shared me tremendously. I had also never experienced a pain like that before. My arm went numb, was tingly and burned so bad. Kasey, Elizabeth and I had to go look for Professor Manley and accidentally woke up Musa and Sifiso in their hut. They took us to Professor Manley’s hut and he gave me Tylenol and a frozen water bottle to put on my arm. I got little sleep that night but I survived!!

#Scorpion #Africa #Safari