Well! We’ve been here for about a day and, so far, only to a remote safari location, so I am obviously not able to make any meaningful declarations about the country, or even the limited experience we’ve had… but “so far” the contrasts with India and other parts of Asia couldn’t be more dramatic: calm vs. chaos, temperate winter (here) vs. hell-like summer temperatures (in India)… plus, not having to avoid tap water, vegetables, and anything uncooked is nice.
Hodespruit Airport: We flew from Johannesburg to Hodespruit airport this morning. The pilot parked the plane in a lot the size of a middle-school parking lot, and the airport was the size of one of Indiana’s highway rest-stops. (Pics below):
Plane parking 
The Airport 
Literally ALL arrivals and departures today
Thornybush Waterside Lodge (aka, a slice of heaven): The lodge where we are staying is, umm, very nice… it really doesn’t compare to anywhere we’ve been or stayed so far. The creature comforts are a welcome break from some of the places we’ve stayed along the way. (pics below)
our room 
Thornybush watering hole
Thornybush gets its name, I assume, from the multiplicity of these nasty bushes throughout the game preserve:
Safari: There is a pattern to the days when on safari (at least where we are). It begins pretty early each day, with a 5:30 AM wake up call so we can have a civilized coffee/tea/biscuit and then head out while its still dark for safari (when you are more likely to see active hunting/feeding by the animals). After returning to camp, breakfast and a rest for later in the day, when there is an afternoon safari… complete with a picnic stop on the savannah for a drink and snacks. Each safari is 3 hrs, give or take, followed in the evening by a fantastic dinner of local cuisine. Today was our first safari, and it was memorable, to say the least. Below are a handful of pics and videos of just a few of the more remarkable wildlife we saw — VERY up close — including 5 lions, a leopard near its kill, an elephant digging a water hole, water buffalo, giraffe, and more:
Feast to end the evening! At the end of each day, following the afternoon safari and rest, the camp gathers for a feast – each night in a different part of the camp!
Not a bad first day in the bush!
