We only booked one night at the Protea Airport because we’d booked the other in Sandton online prior so Jon, Kristen, Bryan and I had to check out, but we’d made the plan to leave our bags in Marina and Jillian’s room so we didn’t have to drag them around to the lion sanctuary etc. It was an early morning as we had to be at the sanctuary a little over and hour a way by 8am, so our driver asked to pick us up at 6am. We’d find out later that meant up at 4am and a long taxi ride to get the car to meet us.

Lindsay and Amber decided they wanted to come too, though they had to be back at the hotel by 4pm, to get ready for their flight that night. They had booked another night at the hotel just so they didn’t have to check out and could take showers etc, which I don’t necessarily get, but they were headed to Egypt for more diving for another 10 days or so after this.

Our driver was a guy named Lawrence and he brought a good-sized van- and I decided to sit up front so I didn’t get ill. I also figured I’d get to ask questions and learn a bit more about him and or life around here. I asked if he had ever been to the lion sanctuary, and he said no but he knew Kevin (Richardson) they guy who started it…the guy known as the Lion Whisperer. I thought he meant he knew of him- but it soon became apparent that no, he knew him personally as he’d worked for him before! 

Turns out he used to be a caretaker for about 7 years where he bottle fed the cats and hyenas- so he knew many of the animals and other caretakers as well as Kevin. He had started working when they filmed the Kingdom of the White Lion- which is a documentary we have not yet seen (but certainly will soon). We’d seen another called (Some girl’s name that starts with N) and the White Lion- a made up story about a young girl who befriends a lion and is trying to save him from being hunted on a game farm…it was good, but certainly a documentary about the lion would be even better.

We talked quite a bit and I learned a bit more about life around the area, including that the township where Lawrence lives had not had power in 4 days. The (white) neighborhood just across the way never loses power, but his was out for who knows how long.

I’d mentioned the selective power outages which we also learned more about- which is called load shedding. Apparently despite all the nuclear power plants around the area, the 12 million residents of the area still didn’t have enough power, so in order to not overload the grid, each area needs to have their power off for certain hours of the day- it seems 4 hours during the day and at least 2 each night. Every area gets a different schedule- and it sounds like in some places they get power over the weekend (which I don’t totally understand), but this is a normal thing- and I’m not sure how long it’s been going on for.

As we were early on our drive, we got to see all the people going to work. There were tons of pickups filled (crammed) with people in the back- many of them wearing the blue outfits with the reflective stripes, which Lawrence said were construction jobs typically. The taxis were in full force and we found out they can stop wherever they want- and there are people lined up waiting on the highway just about everywhere. It is not uncommon to see people crossing all lanes of the highway or walking down the median between either. It is honestly pretty crazy and scary to see that. As we’d seen previously people have different hand signals for where they want to go, not just one for “I need a ride”- so the waving the hand with a limp wrist doesn’t necessarily mean I need a ride- it means I need a ride to (this specific town/ area).

We finally got off the highway and onto some side roads and finally a washboard red dirt road. The email was a bit cryptic and said drive to the gate and call this number and they will let you in- and then go down here to this gate…but nothing after.

We noticed there were quite a few other game reserves- and almost right off the bat we saw the Blesbok- the “purple’ antelope Mat had mentioned. The one that was nearly excinct and being brought back by hunters on their reserves- but not only were they inside a fence on one side but also in the road, so I’m not sure what that’s about- or I guess as we’d already passed through one fence, there must be a larger reserve that also contains the smaller ones.

When we got to the gate it had the Kevin Richardson logo on it- and a large monitor sitting atop the tall brick wall that contained the gate- but there was no button or cameras and we were not sure how to get in. Thankfully Lawrence was able to call the number provided in the email (he’d not had service for part of the drive as we approached) and we were told it’d be 6 minutes- which we guessed was about how long it took them to reach the gate from wherever they were.

Shortly a white Defender came by with two guys and we thought this was our ride- but it turns out they just happened to be going through the gate and were not authorized to let us in- but they radioed to whoever to confirm the plan and we were told the official greeting committee was on their way.

An open safari Land Rover truck came by with a guy driving and let us in, and we took off down some more dirt roads. As we approached another gate we saw there was a lion laying near the corner of that area- not in an enclosure…and we realized that this was indeed part of a larger reserve and this guy was not inside the KRF one but rather was a wild lion from the reserve just hanging out which was interesting- and explains why the sign on the gate said there were wild animals around and it wasn’t advised to get out of your truck!

As we drove up we saw a few enclosures with lions hanging out near the road and corners and we pulled up next to two black leopards- which I don’t know I would have known what they were but Lawrence knew. These turned out to be a sibling pair named Nikita and Cole who were absolutely gorgeous. Black leopards actually have spots, they are just more pigmented- almost like an albino throwback, the black is a genetic mutation…but I did ask if there were any white leopards and was told no (other than the clouded leopard), so no such thing as one without pigment entirely, only those with extra pigment.

There was a nice bathroom block in front of us that looked nicer than most people’s homes- and a lare safari tent that was made more permanent with a tile floor and expanding glass doors that opened the near width of two sides of the tent. Inside were some tables and chairs, a coffee maker, and souvenirs including the type of scarves I’ve collected on the trips- like the teal rhino one I picked up at Hlane after our amazing experience with the one male (and the mom and baby). There were some nice clothes, hats, socks, handmade bags and other things like kid’s toys etc too.

There were some nice glass bottles of water on the table for us to take on the ride (and they actually gave them to us)- but first we started with a walking tour of the nearest enclosures- starting with the black leopards. Both are only about half the size of leopards you’d see in the wild, because they’ve been raised in captivity and much like a goldfish, it wouldn’t be wise for them to grow bigger. Nikita was about 30kg as I recall and Cole about 60- but knowing that’s half of their usual size made a bit more sense as they seemed petite.

When they got them they were waiting to get Nikita spayed but she accidentally got pregnant- but thankfully the offspring were two brothers. Apparently leopards are usually solitary animals but will live in male/ female pairs or male/ male sibling pairs- so it worked out they got the right combo from the accident. But sadly, those boys will also never be releasable because of their inbreeding. By law you have to be able to show documented evidence of 3 generations of wild breeding before you can even consider applying for a permit- and those boys are already 2 generations inbred. It must have been a pretty tough situation to navigate when it happened- they could have spayed her even while pregnant but we didn’t go into why they made the decision to keep the cubs vs abort. I’m sure it’s the same situation like in shelters where some will just abort pregnancies and others will allow them to come to term. But in this instance it’s “condemning”a wild animal to an enclosure, which is a tough call. Definitely no judgment here. 

We saw a unique group of hyenas, as they are all males and hyenas are usually run by females. So the dynamic is a bit different where the males switch whose alpha kind of randomly- but the sad thing for the bottom of the group is he will always be the bottom and he gets picked on pretty badly. Hyenas will occasionally kill members of their clan when vying for something- and even eat them sometimes, which they said happened twice. It’s terribly upsetting for them, but there’s not a lot they can do. It’s not like you’d go capture a female and throw her in there- and I imagine if there was a way to get one or introduce one, they’d have tried. So this is how it is.

Kevin can go in with them and because they know him- and as long as you have the respect of the one in charge, then the rest will fall in line- and those underlings would never consider going after Kevin. I suppose the one in charge could but I think that ones sees Kevin as part of the clan so why would it go after him? Hyenas are definitely unusual and being less than 5 feet from one (through a fence of course) was pretty cool. The one that was out and about was indeed curious and came up to the fence to investigate us.

So Kevin started this organization 25 years ago when he realized the place he was working at (which we drove by on the way home) was actually breeding and selling lions for canned hunting. They were lying to the people who were raising the animals- and exploiting the animals by having people hold, pet and walk with them. But when the lion hits 1 year, it’s done there and goes to a canned hunting reserve. While obviously I am not a hunter, and don’t promote it, canned hunting is far worse than just hunting. They keep the lions in small enclosures- often 10x as many per sq ft as they should and they don’t give the animals any kind of fair advantage at all. It’s pretty much fishing with dynamite and the lion has no chance to get away or defend himself…then the little dick guy who paid upwards of $20,000 to kill that lion (of which 80% are from the US) can make up whatever story he wants about that lion head on his wall…knowing he cowardly shot that lion- and likely didn’t even kill it and a professional hunter had to come in and end the lion’s suffering.

I literally spoke up and apologized for those people as it is embarrassing to know so many people from the US want to do that…but our guide Wesley said, “Well the South Africans set it up and take the money and allow it”…but he also did mention how when Obama was in office he banned the import of trophy animal parts to curb this disgusting practice- but I remember when we were in Botswana in 2017 seeing all the amazing animals in their glory, roaming free, that Trump reverted that rule and so anyone can bring exotic animal parts into the US. I don’t think the rule has changed with Biden- but I don’t know…I’d hope that’d have been the case, but that guy has had so much shit on his plate since the start- I wouldn’t be surprised if it was barely on the radar.

Some of the animals raised with kevin and his team can be seen on nature documentaries (Wild Earth)- like the 3 amigos cheetahs who were successfully released and hut together. We saw a similar “famous” group of 5 in the Maasai Mara who are well known for their collaborative efforts (when cheetahs are usually solitary).

They still have one of the 2 original lions (the other, Amy, died recently of lung cancer oddly). Amy and Meg were sold to a canned hunting reserve and Kevin found out and he made the place he worked for get them back and took them and never went back. I’m surprised they did get them back (and even gave the money back for the sale!?) but it’s a good thing because these girls stoked the fire to get this guy to work on this huge problem, especially in South Africa. 

Normally it’s not easy to introduce new “mates” to lion groups but when Amy died, they brought in Icarus, who they hoped could be paired with her so they’d be a “pride” even if modified. This is not for breeding purposes but rather to normalize their lives as they are used to being with someone. Apparently a woman from the US went there to study the effects of oxytocin (the bonding hormone) on animals and discovered that it greatly increased the success of introductions- and they decided to use it on Meg and Icarus and it worked! They still have their moments (Weseley said, “like an old married couple”) but the enjoy each other’s companionship and were laying next to each other when we approached.

I noticed Icarus did this thing where he kind of flashed his teeth and huffed and did that a few times. It was definitely a warning, which I’d never seen before, but I’d also never been mere feet from a lion before. After our initial approach he stopped and just looked at us and flopped over on his side to assume the position- since lions sleep 20 hours a day! It’s pretty amazing to see one moving at all haha.

We also met a few others, including Gandalf, a 25 year old male who is the oldest one there- and while he’s healthy and doing fine, he’s super skinny because of his arthritis, which they certainly medicate him for…but they asked not to post pictures of him, lest someone get the wrong idea and think he’s being starved. We’ve seen that before with dogs that have a thyroid issue or something and they are super skinny and hard to keep weight on and people think bad things about it. I remember someone brought us a stray dog that looked starved but when the people came to get him there were crying and told us about his medical condition- and since he’d been on the move, he’d not gotten his medication…so you can’t always judge the care by the animal’s weight.

We also went to an enclosure with 6 lions- including the two white males who were in the movie, Mia and the White Lion, I mentioned before (I was able to look it up now that I have internet). The actress girl had to some can spend time with them for months before they accepted her (they were young) and one was more cut out for acting than the other (would lose interest), but both were nice and did what they were supposed to. However one of them got playful and grabbed her hips and left a big gash and scar on her leg- which she still has. It was in play and not aggressive but they have knives for claws and it can happen so easily. Apparently the girl still comes to visit the lions and they recognize her- although I don’t think at this stage she goes in with them (but I don’t know). Lions seem to be the animals that remember people and if you got in with them when they were young, they will accept you when they are older- but that’s of course not to say that they couldn’t get pissy or accidentally hurt you (Sigfried and Roy).

Marina approached the fence to take a picture of one of the female lions and this lion sprung and scared the crap out of her. I wish we’d gotten it on film- as we can laugh at it now, even her…but the lioness was trying to punk her out and apparently she’s known for that. We think the guides knew she’d try it with someone and just were waiting for her to do it- not to be mean, just because “that’s what she does” as they said. For a while after that the lion was trying to intimidate Marina, but I saddled up to her and got pretty close. There was probably about 3 feet between me and her- close enough I could take a picture through the fence without the wires being in the way. I didn’t look her in the eye and I didn’t move fast. She thought about punking me out and made a small movement with her head but I didn’t flinch and she lost interest in the idea of scaring me. I am not at all saying I am a lion whisperer and Marina is not, but I have definitely learned not to flinch when animals come at me so it’s a definite advantage.

The one white male was so close to the fence his nose was like 1 inch from the electric fence wire and he kept laying down so it was hard to get a good pic of him without the wires, but it was still amazing to be arm’s length from such a huge and powerful animal. It was interesting as his eyes were white- like no colored iris part- just a slightly gray one with the pupil- very interesting, but has to do with why he is white. We spent quite a bit of time with these ones since they were so close to the fence and we had a lot of questions. Even Kristin got pretty close to these ones 🙂

We also saw some females who were so meaty/ bulky they looked like mainless males- and it’s because they’d been on contraception for a while which allowed a lot of testosterone to circulate (maybe they have to enhance that hormone so the males don’t want to mate with them, but it seemed different than human types) and eventually they decided to just spay them- which is always the choice. Neutering the males won’t really do anything useful because a female in estrus will still bring in male lions from all over and cause problems for everyone…so the females need to be the ones to stop their cycles and the males then can remain intact. Also neutering them would cause them to lose their manes. And did you know, the darker the mane, the more dominant the male?

There are a few lions Kevin cannot go in with or walk, or rather he doesn’t. He goes 50% and the lion has to come the other 50%- so during any interaction he never forces himself on them. If they don’t willingly approach then he will abort the plan to hang out with them. One of the lions, Bobcat, LOVES Kevin so much and will spend 20 minutes greeting him, kicking and nuzzling him- and he loves to be brushed! Can you imagine brushing a lion!? The female with Bobcat is named Gabby and only after Bobcat has done his fill of greeting Kevin can Gabby approach. So many times she has to wait a long time! Apparently she’s a bit mischievous and one time popped the record number 4 tires on a vehicle during one visit- she likes to pounce on them and destroy them as a game.

We met another pair of males who were pretty inbred- the signs being they loose their mane on their belly and they develop a dew claw on the back feet. They always have them on the front and it acts like a meathook to dig in and keep their prey in their claws, but the back one in normal breeding is not present, but inbreeding will bring it out. Genetics is so odd…but this explains too why we’ve done so much to dog breeds, breeding in often physical attributes humans find appealing vs health related ones for the betterment of the breed. Many times the “pretty” outcome come with serious health detriments- or behavior ones. For example they have found on the dog DNA genome that in Dachshunds the gene for short legs is right net to one for aggression- which could be why they are often pretty feisty, and good hunters, but also  even with people…nothing against doxies at all, but I don’t think we’ve ever had one in rescue that didn’t bite someone 😉 Anyway, that’s just an example of how one trait can have another brought along with it- one you want and the other you might not.

Wesley also told us that as the animals get older and die off they will be switching more from sanctuary to rehab center. They don’t want to simply house the animals for their entire lives if they don’t have to- and they’d rather be able to participate in more rescue, rehabilitation and release. This is funny because I understand the shift in priorities and direction all too well, having lost the dog daycare/ training center in Redmond and now moving toward a sanctuary property for animals that can’t be adopted (although we have a long way to go). Kevin won’t be taking in any more lions (unless they come with the approximate 1 million dollar cost of support per lion for a lifetime), and instead will sadly see his old friends move on- but know that he will be saving young ones and helping them be released back into the wild.

Also we were introduced to Felix the wild lion we’d seen at the front gate. Apparently he’d moved in about a year ago with his mom just before the mom died. Now he just hangs out there, watching the other lions, trying to make friend through the fence so he doesn’t feel so lonely. They are hoping that soon enough as he hits puberty, he will go off on his own to find a lioness to create his own pride. But until then, this lonely guy just lurks along the fenceline waiting. 

None of us wanted to leave the sanctuary but it was about that time- and we still wanted to try to fit in the elephant one which was at least another hour drive- kind of creating a triangle from where we needed to go back to and Lindsay and Amber had to be back by 4pm to get ready for their flight.

Thankfully Lawrence’s people arranged for us to do a tour there at 2pm which would last an hour and a half- so Lindsay and Amber would have to leave part way through, but they wanted to do that over the monkey sanctuary experience which was also there…and then Lawrence arranged for a car to come and meet them and take them back while he would stay with us. It was a bit of a fiasco, but we just kept thanking Lawrence for being such a rock star and making everything work out.

It was a pretty long drive though and even I was getting a bit nervous about the timing- especially when we hit some major traffic in Haritisbeersport (I could not get the pronunciation right and Lawrence thought it was the funniest thing)- which was a bit like Leavenworth, WA. It was definitely tourist spot where people would go on the weekend to do some family fun things. There was a water park and a reservoir with a dam, all nestled in this valley in the beautiful red rock mountains. Of course sadly too, this is where people still go to hold and pet lion cubs, probably not knowing the horrors those poor lions go through…but you know some people will never care enough even if they know and getting a picture holding a cub would still be a priority…

We are very concerned about the places we go to as we’d never want to support an unscrupulous operation. The elephant one didn’t say much about it which was a tad concerning however one of the other people on our trip (Richelle) had been there and said there were 4 adults there only. That’s a good sign because it means that likely that they are not trying to exploit them- like if there were a bunch of babies it might be concerning…although the Sheldrick Trust in Nairobi is a well known one for rehabilitation…but any place that has a lot of babies and people get to touch and interact with them would be a red flag in general. Since this place had 4 adults we felt it was more likely legit than not…but we will be making a suggestion to them about their website that they explain better where the elephants come from and what the experience entails- as it was pretty vague. 

I hadn’t really thought about eating but we were all getting hungry. I’d mentioned stopping somewhere on the way since the elephant sanctuary was closed between 12-2 so getting there early would not yield any extra time with the animals, but there wasn’t much to choose from. It seemed we were on some country roads where there were bed and breakfasts and ranches/ reserves but no restaurants or gas stations either- until just before we got to Hartisbeersport. We passed a farm animal/ dog rescue sanctuary- which I wish we could have stopped at but there was no time. We also passed a sign that said “High hijacking Risk” or something of the sort- which made Lindsay squirm a bit. I’m sure she was starting to get a bit worried about how she and Amber would get back, who the driver would be and whether they’d be back on time…so I understood for sure…but I thought it would work out. I knew Lawrence would make sure not only were they on time, but safe.

I asked Lawrence to stop when we saw a large gas station with a mini mart and while I figured we’d just be eating chips and candy bars for lunch there was a really cute cafe that turned out to be a total score. It had a nice outdoor covered patio with “shabby chic” decor where they grew and sold succulents in pots. There was also an attached bakery/ kitchen were we ordered cheese and tomato toasties (grilled cheese) which are always good no matter where you go. Except now that we were back in South Africa I wasn’t hesitant to eat them- but I think that the tomato (being washed in dirty water) was what made me sick on the 2019 trip…but apparently South Africa has the 3rd cleanest/ pure water in the world. Switzerland is first- and the US is like 10th! So yeah, not scared for ice or eating fresh fruits and veggies here.

We had to eat somewhat quickly as despite the relatively short distance to our destination there was a lot of traffic and the roads were windy and slow- but we were all quite satisfied with actually getting a real meal (and some of them, lattes). There are not many chances to get lattes in many of the towns and resorts we visit, and Jon and Kristin, Amber and Lindsay pretty much relished one any chance they got. Bryan and I only drink coffee in the morning and we can stand “instant” coffee even if we’d prefer something fancier, so we did not partake.

We were back on the road and finally pulling into the sanctuary just before 2pm. There were not too many people there at the time. Lindsay was also worried as she’d looked at the website which said there were no tickets left, but I knew they’d been told we were coming, so hoped that we were why it was sold out)…but we got our tickets just fine thankfully- and the rest of us also signed up for the monkey visit afterward. We had not seen many monkeys and only one brief glimpse of baboons (which is crazy because usually baboons are everywhere), so Bryan was really excited as he LOVES monkeys. There were also some lemurs so I was keen on this visit also.

There were about 15 people on the elephant experience which involved first walking up to (fence separating us) and putting a handful of pellets into the elephants’ trunks. Then we go to take them for a “walk” which was only really exciting for the people in the back of the line as sometimes we couldn’t see them around the corners of the trail we walked. Then we stopped at a small amphitheater where our guide James, very animatedly told us about elephants biology and habits.

For example, elephants only have 4 teeth!? But they have 6 sets during their lifespan. their last set comes in when they are in their 60’s and eventually wear down to the point where they can’t eat and they starve to death! That’s really horrible to know that any elephant that lives that long will starve, but if they can’t chew they can’t eat…so that was sad. Also if the tusk is damaged in the upper ⅓ (which is under the skin) the tusk will break off, often with a life threatening infection. So fighting, digging etc can cause them to break- and it’s very unfortunately it it’s not down lower in the exposed/ visible section.

Also, elephants are right or left tuskers- like humans are right and left handed! One tusk id dominant- and you can tell because it will be shorter than the other. So pretty much all elephants have pretty uneven tusks, but it’s not necessarily from damage- it’s just from extra use on that side.

This is when Amber and Lindsay started getting antsy because their time was running out and they wanted to do the part where you get to touch the elephants and interact with them. Thankfully that was next and the guides knew they had to leave early so let them go first. 

The handlers entertain them with food while you move around their body, touching different parts of the elephant- which is part of their training. So no food, no touching! But the elephants know that letting people approach them means they will get treats so they are more motivated. We had the HUGE bull elephant who is 25yrs old and the oldest female who is 36- and the difference in their size was shocking. He seemed to be another 50% bigger than her!

Jon and Kristin got to meet the female (named “memory” in Zulu which was Kemba or Temba) but she started to lose some interest so the caretaker had to remind her (nicely) that she had a job to do at that moment and that she’d be rewarded with the food. Some people could say this too is exploiting the elephants but then this leads to a bigger more in depth argument I don’t desire to have with anyone. You can either believe conservation is dependent on such encounters and interaction to garner more support and awareness, or not- but we also know that if these animals (and any others we saw on safari) did not have a value within the economy, they would not exist. 

Tourism is a huge resource for many countries- and if people didn’t visit, the animals would disappear. Instead of hunting them, the locals become guides to make a living…this was true for our guide in the Serengeti, Spear, who used to drive people on hunting tours- and switched to photographic ones because that made more sense as things changed in their culture/ economy. The gorillas were the same- many of the guides had formerly hunted and sold (or eaten) gorilla parts, but instead they were now guiding people through the jungle to visit them…and even if you didn’t want a porter, it was proper to hire someone so they continued to want to do guided tours instead of hunting. Similarly, visiting Maasai villages and such acts similarly. So maybe the people put on a show and share traditions of their culture for curious visitors, but the funds they earn also support their communities including sending kids to school…so, there can be good and bad sides to all of it, but ultimately we support conservation, rehabilitation and programs that decrease the likelihood any species will go extinct (which includes breeding programs in zoos)…although we do not like seeing elephants in zoos as that is not enough for them…and these elephants get to roam freely in a large area when they are not at the center for meals and tours.

When it was our turn I was pretty glad we got to be with the bull, but either would have been exciting. We got to touch his truck, toss pellets into his mouth and see his teeth, touch his ears, knees, foot pads and tail. I was surprised to see how the hair on the end of their tail is like 1/16” thick and more like wire than hair! 

We also got to take pics and vids with them, and as a group between the two which was really fun. Sadly Amber and Lindsay missed the group picture but they got the experience, which was good. Everyone had fun with this and it was shocking to be so close to something so huge. I always say horses are like cars without brakes- but even more so with an elephant! They are the size of a bus and have a mind of their own- and there really is no controlling them if they make up their mind to do something.

We wrapped up the tour and we were so thirsty, but thankfully the gift shop has some cold drinks which we chugged as our guide (I never did catch what his name was) for the monkeys came out and asked if we were ready. We weren’t quite but we finished up and went into the enclosure.

Immediately we were greeted by a ton of capuchins who jumped right onto a few of us (not me) especially the one holding the bucket of food (peanuts, bananas, apples). One little one named Whiteface was quite a character- he was just 6 months old and recently become independent. He wanted a lot of attention (and food). Another was hilarious as he was dancing and doing cartwheels when he got fed (which could perhaps be a remnant of his history, I realize now). All the monkeys here were rescued from their plights, usually being pets who get too big and mature and aren’t the fun toys people want them to be. Some were actually abused in their situations, but all were actually really nice and friendly especially considering. We did meet one guy named Scarface though who was shooed away as he’d apparently grabbed a guy’s crotch earlier in the day! But never did we feel like they would be aggressive or hurtful. Some were still pretty shy and others wanted to sit on your shoulder and wrap their tails around our necks…which Bryan was over the moon about! The look on his face was pure joy.

There was also a spider monkey named Sarah who was super sweet and she’d raise her arm so you’d give her belly rubs, as well as some of the tiny brown squirrel monkeys who were totally adorable, but in general pretty shy. 

One of the monkeys actually pickpocketed Bryan- and he didn’t think he had anything in his pockets but the monkey pulled out a receipt and wrapper for a granola bar- which we were horrified to see, and glad it happened in the 10 second the guide had walked away. We felt really bad, but also know it’s not the first time…Marina also set her camera down for a second and one ran off with it- but the guide got it back. Definitely can’t have anything loose or they will get it faster than you can blink. But again it’s not mean or aggressive or scratchy, grabby, just fast. Most of them would gently pry open our hands to get the food inside and none were mean.

We could have spent all day there, but we had to move along a bit and came across the brown lemurs. These are pretty plain looking and make the oddest little snorting noises like a pig…like a toy that makes a pig noise actually it almost seems so fakely pig like. They came down but they don’t usually jump on you, but I got to feed some while they snorted in my ear.

The guide was getting ready for us to leave but Bryan saw the ringtails coming and he was like nope, we have to wait…not that I think the guide wasn’t going to allow us to interact with them but maybe they don’t often come out? But when I saw them I couldn’t help it and was like “OMG OMG OMG” kind of hyperventilating like one would when they see their favorite celebrity! They are definitely a little shy and don’t really jump on people, but I did get some fun interaction with them which I always appreciate.

The tour concluded with a walk over a very wiggly suspension bridge and then back to the lodge- which, by the way, was the coolest building. It was concrete but had the tree branches growing into it, round organic shaped windows, really cool metal and wood work..it was one of the coolest buildings I’ve seen actually. There was also a huge metal sculpture of a chimp hand which was very impressive, made with panels riveted together, almost like a knights armor.

Lawrence met us in the gift shop and he’d switched vans with his colleague but knew to take any items out and move them to the new vehicle which included Jon’s meds, so for a second Kristin panicked but Lawrence assured him he’d checked for everything…and then we were off again. 

We had reservations at the Protea in Sandton (which we’d find out later was like the rich, white area) but we figured it was too confusing to take the 4 of us there but Marina and Jillain to the airport one- so we opted to just lose the reservation and eat the cost and go back to the airport Protea and get another room there. The room was surprisingly only $60 each (especially for how fancy they were) and the airport ones were just $100, so Jon, Kristin, Bryan and I agreed to just adapt and keep it simple- but it turned out my attempt to cancel the booking while on the road back to Joberg, (using Jillian’s hot spot) actually worked and it appears we did not get charged.

It was about an hour’s drive back- this time a different way. There were a ton of light poles laying on the ground and Lawrence said they were cut down and the copper wires stripped out of them…ALL the light poles for miles. It made me wonder too, when light poles still exist, and when they are doing the load sharing power outages, who does pay for the streetlights, and frankly, why bother? It seems like such a ridiculous luxury considering- and when power is so limited, just unnecessary too.

We joked with Lawrence that we’d like to have him as our driver the next day- which we decided we’d do a township tour…but he said he didn’t think he’d be the driver. I joked he needed to tell his boss we were the coolest and most fun and we requested him…but I think he was afraid to tell us that he doesn’t usually do those tours, it’s a different group of drivers. I think Lawrence is maybe a little shy for that too- as he was quiet and talked to me but didn’t yell things out loudly for the entire van to hear. But if he said something I thought they’d be interested in, I’d repeat it loudly.

All we had left were US dollars and most of us big bills, so we gave him a $100 tip (from all of us) which is really 3x the typical 10% suggested rate. Hopefully he can exchange it somewhere, but it’s all we all had left. But he came in briefly to show us the bulletin board with the tour and that he’d gte us signed up for the following day.

We were all starting to get hungry and I didn’t want to dawdle too much before dinner, but did want to drop off my bag in the room and freshen up a bit, while Marina and Jillian went down and placed orders for us…because it takes a while in Africa. Thankfully they’d gotten more rum so we could have mojitos, but this time they were out of regular coke (go figure) for the guys’ Jack and cokes…this time Kristin and I got the veggie burger Jon had gotten the night before and it was huge?! They actually used 2 pattied and a ton of guacamole, which I assume is cheap here since avocados are everywhere…it came with fried AND onion rings too and I just did my best to make a dent. Kristin took one of her patties off right away which probably made it easier to eat, but I just got through as much as I could…but we were all pretty hungry. We sat around for a bit after, chatting and drinking some wine but we were all getting tired too. We set up the township tour for 9am the next day, so we had a little time to sleep in!

We followed Marina and Jillian to their room to get our bags (which we’d stashed there for the day since we didn’t have a room and were maybe going to the other hotel) and make quick work of getting ready and climbing into bed.