game reserve time...
this is the day that I have been anticipating the entire trip. While applying for the study abroad program I read that we would be going to a safari and I was sold on the trip. I've always wanted to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity and I was so thankful that I was able to. I think it's safe to say that everyone has always dreamed about going to an African safari to just witness the animals in their natural habitat. The semester long Cape Town Study Abroad students are able to go to Kruger National Park but that is a two hour plane ride from Cape Town so we didn't have enough time, so in order to see animals we went to Aquila Game Reserve, which is only an hour and a half from Cape Town. Words cannot describe how incredibly beautiful this venue was. They had little hut like cottages with outdoor showers. They also had two beautiful pools, one which had a bar attached to it. There was the dining room, which served delicious meals, and a lounge area. I felt like I was at a five star resort, absolutely beautiful. The first day there we were off into the safari. The first animal we saw was a water buffalo, I had no clue what it was. It was so funny, because we were all shouting out different animals that it was and we were wrong. I think I called it a ram. Then we started seeing springbok and zebra. I love zebras. I think everything in my room has a little hint of zebra print, so to actually see them in person was incredible. They were so cute, I loved them! Then we encountered the mighty elephants. I have never seen an elephant up close in my entire life. They were humongous, but I felt a sense of peace within them. But that peaceful feeling quickly faded when one of them came charging at our truck. The elephant extended his trunk as if he wanted to grab one of us out of the truck. It was such a trill, I loved it. That's a moment that I will never forget. Then we moved along and saw hippos, rhinos, ostriches, more zebras, and then out of nowhere beautiful giraffe emerged. I was so excited! At that moment my initial reaction was to just snap hundreds of pictures of it, but I remembered what Ben said about actually just looking at the animal from your own eyes and taking in that moment. So that was exactly what I did and it was so worth it. Just watching the way he moved was surreal. I think that was the best moment for me. Then we went to the lion's dens. They had so many lions, both male and female. Surprisingly the lions were so calm, they weren't even phased that we were there. Th next day we got to see more of the animals that were rescued; one being a cheetah which I have officially named Max. I can't begin to describe how adorable he was. He was just laying down watching us watch him. If only I could have taken him home. My goal was to see 4 animals; zebras, giraffes, lions, and elephants; but my expectations were exceeded. Just watching all of the animals near the waterhole living among each other so peacefully is only what one can wish for the world. If the animals can do it, I would hope that humans could do it too. One thing that the driver said that stuck with me is that the animals view humans as mortal enemies, that saddens me. We shouldn't be harming such animals for such materialistic things. I think we should join the fight to protect these animals.
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