20:15 6 January 2020
We have arrived in Kruger National Park and it is— B E A U T I F U L !! By the end of our first afternoon here we have already seen all of the "Big 5" on our game drives. What luck! Excellent sightings all around, including no less than nearly ten rhinos, and a pregnant lioness in the early stages of labor. Remarkable. I however, am fading fast as we've been traveling for, oh... thirty some hours now and I haven't slept at all. Also, the airport sushi isn't really agreeing with me. We'll just leave that there.
14:25 7 January 2020
After a light breakfast of rusks and coffee we loaded up the van and headed out of camp. We stayed in Berg-En Dal last night and bound for Biyamiti today. Let me tell you, this place is remote. It feels like we're about as far away from anything as you can get, which is perfect! Nothing but the sound of the bush all around us.
Currently I'm sitting in the camp bird blind looking at a very dry river bed with little activity. Who cares? Africa is amazing. Just being here is what matters. Life abounds everywhere you look. Everywhere you listen. Everywhere you smell. All of your senses are constantly engaged, scanning and fine tuning.
I have never been in a place where I feel so much at peace as I do here. Can I move here?? Bridgeman (our KNP guide) will be taking us out on game drive tonight. He feels confident we'll find the Painted Dogs. Fingers crossed! They're endangered and quite rare in Kruger.