A Trip of A Lifetime
In the spring of 2018, my family took a trip to South Africa to visit our Uncle Peter. We arrived in Johannesburg early in the morning and tried our best to stay awake from the jet lag. We went to Liliesleaf in Rivonia and walked around the museum learning about the police raid that occurred in 1963.
The next morning we got on a plane and flew to Zimbabwe. We stayed at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and were greeted by warthogs! It was our first wild animal siting on Safari and we were ecstatic! After we unpacked, we met each other for drinks on the balcony. The view was overlooking a watering hole and as the sun set into the horizon, 25 elephants came over to the watering hole to drink. For dinner I had some Warthog and it tasted like pork, but I felt guilty thinking of the warthogs that greeted us on the way in. The next day we went to Victoria Falls. I knew it was the world’s largest waterfall, but I didn’t realize exactly how vast the falls would be. The waterfall sits on the Zambezi River and crosses into Zambia and Zimbabwe. Once we realized how close we were to Zambia we decided that it would be worth walking across the border to experience a Zambezian passport office. It took about an hour but we got our stamp and spent a few minutes in Zambia admiring the monkeys outside of the office. We went on a river cruise on the Zambezi river and saw some hippopotamus and elephants. I even tried some Crocodile for dinner!
The next morning, we crossed the border into Botswana. We drove to Chobe National Park. We were fortunate to be staying at the Chobe Game Lodge the only lodge located inside of Chobe National park. The best part of Chobe Game Lodge is that they provide better employment opportunities for women in Botswana and only have a team of extremely talented females as your safari guides. You can read more about these amazing women in this New York Times article: The Wonder Women of Botswana Safari. While we were in Chobe National park we saw our first lion and giraffe and saw one of the most incredible sunrises I have ever seen. I also was introduced to my new favorite animal the Guinea Fowl!
After our time in Chobe National Park, we drove to Maun where we boarded a prop plane to the Okavango Delta. This was a very small plane and if it weren’t for the incredible view of Botswana below, I would have probably had a panic attack! We stayed at Belmond Eagle Island. This was by far one of the coolest places I have ever been. Each group slept in “Safari Tents” which were luxury tents filled with an indoor and outdoor shower, private balcony pools and the most amazing view of the Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta is like no place I have ever been before. It is a complex environment of grassy plains that flood seasonally and turn into a river delta. We had the experience of taking a boat ride on the Okavango Delta and saw some of the most beautiful birds and crocodiles. There is something so magical about an elephant gracefully crossing the delta. One of the most memorable moments happened at Belmond Eagle Island while we were enjoying a drink at the bar. It was dusk out and was pretty dark out when all of the sudden the sky lit up like it was morning and the animals started to make noise. I looked around at my sisters so confused as to what was happening. And then we saw it, a bright burst in the sky flashing by so quickly filling the sky with a green haze. We didn’t know it at the time, but we had witnessed an asteroid 2018 LA crash here is a link to a YouTube video showing the asteroid crash.
Our final Safari, after a quick stopover in Johannesburg for the best seafood I have ever had was in Kruger National Park. We took a quick plane ride to Kruger before driving to Inyati Game Lodge. From the moment we got out of our car at Inyati I could feel the family environment. The staff were so inviting, and they made us feel just at home. Our game ranger and tracker were extremely knowledgeable and helped us see lions and cubs, cheetahs and leopards. Our rangers and trackers Keith, Cliff and Gabe knew so much about Kruger National Park and shared so many stories with us.
Every moment and experience we had on the trip can never be replicated. It truly was a trip of a lifetime and I will be counting down the days until I can go back to South Africa.
In memory of Peter Ballinger
A year after our trip, Peter passed away very unexpectedly. Our trip to South Africa was the last time we were able to see him. I am so grateful for all the memories we shared together in South Africa and all of our family trips before that. We traveled the world as a family to visit Peter while he lived abroad. I feel so lucky to have had such an important person in my life and I am so thankful for all the amazing adventures we got to experience together.
Kelly Wolfram 