Ugh, 3am does come early – but we all make it up, with our bags out and on the van in time.  The drive to the airport is, as expected, pretty quick since it is barely 4am!  We got breakfast bags from the hotel with tons and tons of stuff to eat, so we all are pretty loaded down as we get through security and find the gate area.  As Charl had told us, there are really no liquid  restrictions, or hand bag restrictions – so wine, water, back packs, you name it, it all comes with us!  Most of us sat in the gate area eating our breakfast, and basically cooling our heels until the flight is called.  Again, Charl, our unflappable leader tells us to wait in our seats, that we’ll just be standing in line forever if we get up now.

Pat, Ed and I and jumping out of our skins, this is so against our nature not to scrum the minute the flight is called, but we obediently listen to Charl and it does all work out fine.  Especially since we have to take a bus to the plane!  Michelle is sitting next to us in our row, and we spend most of the flight getting to know each other better and alternately snapping photos out the window!  It’s a gorgeous sunrise!

As we begin our descent into Durban, we can begin to see the destruction from the recent floods.  The rivers are so swollen, the banks carved out of mud as the water overflows.  So awful how the weather has changed so dramatically and dangerously. 

Landed, deplaned, luggaged and out to our new van to meet our new driver, Elon.  All our luggage is loaded into a trailer that will be with us our entire, journey, and we are off.  Fortunately, we don’t encounter too many issues with flooding on our 3 hour drive to Saint Lucia estuaries.  We are shunted over to one lane at a bridge that has been damaged by the waters, but otherwise, it is an uneventful ride through lush countryside and wandering cattle.

Arriving in Saint Lucia, we have time for lunch at one of the many restaurants lining the streets.  There seems to be some good options, but as we exit the bus the skies open up in a torrential downpour  making our restaurant choice for us!  The van is parked outside the Hippo Café, and well, since that is what we are here to see – and since we don’t want to be drenched wandering around looking for lunch – this is the place.  We have the run of the place, as it is completely empty, and snag a table right inside the open doors.  The menu has a ton of items, and we decide to share a chicken salad and burger – which are both excellent and huge.  The only snag comes when I order wine – she brings me red, and when I tell her I wanted white she confers with another waitress and comes back and says they have no white wine.  Well, bummer, but I have water, so who cares.

After a very pleasant lunch where Pat and Walt join us, we head to the washrooms and out to the grocery store across the street – and on the way to the WC I spy bottles of white in the cooler at the counter of the Hippo Café.  What?  They have white wine, but don’t have white wine?  Ah well, the food was good!

Shopping accomplished – snacks only – we hop back on the van for our boat ride around the estuary.  These are first boat outings since 2007 when the estuary was closed due to sediment build up.  The Lake was only opened 4 days before we arrived, after so much rain that the water came up over the sediment and filled the lakes again. Fabulous!

Jumping aboard the boat, we all snag seats downstairs, undercover and out of the rain.  From here we spend a lovely hour and a half just gliding through the lake, searching the coastline for hippos.  They are shy little (or I guess I should say big!) guys, but we manage to spot a few groups of them under the bushes that drape over the lake shores.  Totally fun!  Our first game sighting (penguins don’t count!!!).

Back on the van, another 2 hour ride takes us to the Anew Hotel near Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game park.  Here we check into our one night stay in a fabulously huge room with an excellent balcony overlooking the gardens.  Dinner is at the hotel tonight, with a stop first at the cool outdoor bar that sits at the end of the lighted pool.  What a fantastic property!

Its an early night for us as we have our first game drive tomorrow at 6:30 am, plus luggage out at 6.  So, no lollygagging tonight for us.  It’s a shame, since this place is so beautiful, we could easily stay a few days here!