A Flutter with a Few Firsts
Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:18 pm
Seeing as the Brat started before me, you’ll know everything here before it happens…I’ll just go into a little more detail! 
We had not had any plans to go away these holidays, but then the Brat reminded me that he had to do his school community service project and suggested that we could help out LVB and co. with the new Care for Wild Africa centre. I contacted LVB and he was more than happy to have some volunteers. Of course, the Brat had ulterior motives, because, according to him it would be just stupid to be so close to Kruger without staying over a few days.
So, we booked 3 nights in Kruger. At first, my dad was not going to come as he was not keen on having to camp while we were at the centre. He then had the “brilliant” idea of staying at a friend’s place in Waterval Boven, and driving through to the centre each day.
We left Jo-burg at 6am on Friday morning and soon arrived at Milly’s where we stopped for breakfast. It was just a short drive from there to Boven. Waterval Boven is an old mining town and has now become quite a popular spot for trout fishing. Our friend’s house is a very quaint old railway house that has been done up very nicely and overlooks the trout dams.
We unpacked and then gave LVB a call who was keen for us to get there. So we were back into the car and headed towards Nelspruit. I said that my dad had the “brilliant” idea of driving through to the centre each day because I thought it was a brilliant idea…until I had to do the drive…almost 2 hours each way!! I have never seen so many trucks on one stretch of road before!!
Anyway, we eventually arrived at the centre and LVB gave us a quick tour.
The lovely setting of the new centre.
My first firsts of the trip - Collared and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, but I could only get pics of the Scarlet-chested.
Then it was time to work. Enclosures had been set up already to house caracals but they were too small, so we first had to dismantle them and then start again. Progress was a bit slow as there were was only one set of pliers!
LVB hard at work.
My dad getting stuck in.
The Brat removing rocks from the new enclosure. Seeing the Brat doing some manual labour was another first!
The werkas after finishing the first enclosure!
That was it for day one and we made the long trek back to Boven…what a nightmare drive! The next morning we were up before dawn to get back to the centre by 7/7.30, but we had woken up to rain and between that and the trucks we only got there at about 7.45.
Penga and Mma had arrived the previous afternoon and camped at a nearby river with LVB and some of the centre volunteers. Penga took one look at our efforts of the previous day and decided they were somewhat lacking!!
PN telling us to redo what we had already done!!
It had been drizzling all morning but finally the heavens opened and we waited in the enclosure hoping it would clear, but we were also getting worried about the road – which was not great before the rain. We decided to make a run for it back to the cars and hit the road back to Boven. PN, Mma and LVB first had to pack up their campsite so the Brat, my dad and I braved the road on our own. I have never driven on sand roads (or rather, mud roads) in the rain before (another first) and we were slipping and sliding all over the place, and it wasn’t long before we found this in front of us!!
The driver was nowhere to be seen, and there was no way we could reverse out in that mud! 
I tried to phone LVB and PN but cell reception is very patchy there. After about 15 minutes the bedraggled driver appeared and said he’d tried a farm ahead but no-one was there. He then headed off in the other direction. Not long afterwards LVB and PN arrived. So now, there were four vehicles stuck with no way to get out!! Thankfully, someone soon arrived at the back of the queue in a 4 x 4. He wasted no time in towing LVB and PN’s vehicle back to a drier patch in the road where they could turn around. However, my car doesn’t have a tow bar, but he managed to turn it around so I could drive out. LVB sped off ahead of me and PN drove behind. My dad was guiding me on what gear to use and trying to keep me calm, but at one point I built up a bit too much speed and suddenly I had absolutely no control, and I was heading one way one second and the next we were heading in the opposite direction and careered off the road straight into a bush!! This was the pirouette PN was talking about in the Brat’s TT!! Thank goodness it was a ‘soft’ bush and I was able to reverse out and get onto the road again. Let me also just mention that I had to do this whole drive barefoot because when I had got out of the car where we were stuck my shoes were so covered in mud I had to take them off! Eventually we made it to the tar where we all got out so we could check the car for damage! 
Apart from a lot of shrubbery in the grill and on the bonnet everything was fine!! 
We said goodbye to LVB, PN and Mma and headed home. Whew…that was the most nerve-wracking drive of my life! Even once we were on the tar I kept expecting the car to leap out of control!!
We had not had any plans to go away these holidays, but then the Brat reminded me that he had to do his school community service project and suggested that we could help out LVB and co. with the new Care for Wild Africa centre. I contacted LVB and he was more than happy to have some volunteers. Of course, the Brat had ulterior motives, because, according to him it would be just stupid to be so close to Kruger without staying over a few days.
So, we booked 3 nights in Kruger. At first, my dad was not going to come as he was not keen on having to camp while we were at the centre. He then had the “brilliant” idea of staying at a friend’s place in Waterval Boven, and driving through to the centre each day.We left Jo-burg at 6am on Friday morning and soon arrived at Milly’s where we stopped for breakfast. It was just a short drive from there to Boven. Waterval Boven is an old mining town and has now become quite a popular spot for trout fishing. Our friend’s house is a very quaint old railway house that has been done up very nicely and overlooks the trout dams.
We unpacked and then gave LVB a call who was keen for us to get there. So we were back into the car and headed towards Nelspruit. I said that my dad had the “brilliant” idea of driving through to the centre each day because I thought it was a brilliant idea…until I had to do the drive…almost 2 hours each way!! I have never seen so many trucks on one stretch of road before!!
Anyway, we eventually arrived at the centre and LVB gave us a quick tour.
The lovely setting of the new centre.
My first firsts of the trip - Collared and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, but I could only get pics of the Scarlet-chested.
Then it was time to work. Enclosures had been set up already to house caracals but they were too small, so we first had to dismantle them and then start again. Progress was a bit slow as there were was only one set of pliers!
LVB hard at work.
My dad getting stuck in.
The Brat removing rocks from the new enclosure. Seeing the Brat doing some manual labour was another first!
The werkas after finishing the first enclosure!
That was it for day one and we made the long trek back to Boven…what a nightmare drive! The next morning we were up before dawn to get back to the centre by 7/7.30, but we had woken up to rain and between that and the trucks we only got there at about 7.45.
Penga and Mma had arrived the previous afternoon and camped at a nearby river with LVB and some of the centre volunteers. Penga took one look at our efforts of the previous day and decided they were somewhat lacking!!
PN telling us to redo what we had already done!!
It had been drizzling all morning but finally the heavens opened and we waited in the enclosure hoping it would clear, but we were also getting worried about the road – which was not great before the rain. We decided to make a run for it back to the cars and hit the road back to Boven. PN, Mma and LVB first had to pack up their campsite so the Brat, my dad and I braved the road on our own. I have never driven on sand roads (or rather, mud roads) in the rain before (another first) and we were slipping and sliding all over the place, and it wasn’t long before we found this in front of us!!
The driver was nowhere to be seen, and there was no way we could reverse out in that mud! I tried to phone LVB and PN but cell reception is very patchy there. After about 15 minutes the bedraggled driver appeared and said he’d tried a farm ahead but no-one was there. He then headed off in the other direction. Not long afterwards LVB and PN arrived. So now, there were four vehicles stuck with no way to get out!! Thankfully, someone soon arrived at the back of the queue in a 4 x 4. He wasted no time in towing LVB and PN’s vehicle back to a drier patch in the road where they could turn around. However, my car doesn’t have a tow bar, but he managed to turn it around so I could drive out. LVB sped off ahead of me
and PN drove behind. My dad was guiding me on what gear to use and trying to keep me calm, but at one point I built up a bit too much speed and suddenly I had absolutely no control, and I was heading one way one second and the next we were heading in the opposite direction and careered off the road straight into a bush!! This was the pirouette PN was talking about in the Brat’s TT!! Thank goodness it was a ‘soft’ bush and I was able to reverse out and get onto the road again. Let me also just mention that I had to do this whole drive barefoot because when I had got out of the car where we were stuck my shoes were so covered in mud I had to take them off! Eventually we made it to the tar where we all got out so we could check the car for damage! Apart from a lot of shrubbery in the grill and on the bonnet everything was fine!! We said goodbye to LVB, PN and Mma and headed home. Whew…that was the most nerve-wracking drive of my life! Even once we were on the tar I kept expecting the car to leap out of control!! 
Better to read it than to do it 
