Modern Girl's Guide to Travel (Part 2)

Leaving Simbambili

We were so sad to leave our first game lodge, but excited to see what would come next. When telling fellow travellers that we were heading to Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, many told us how they'd heard it was fabulous. One guy offered to accompany us and carry our bags (we almost took him up on that).

When we first booked the trip, we didn't understand a lot of the notes in the intinerary. It might say "private transfer." We'd come to find that sometimes that meant a car, sometimes a plane, sometimes a car to a plane to another plane to another plane to a car.

Luckily, the lodge manager would usually sort it out for us while we were out stalking rhinos or sipping on pinotage.

After raiding the lodge curio for long-sleeved t-shirts, woolly caps, and (unsuccessfully) clean socks, we hopped into the waiting SUV to begin the three-hour drive to Sabi Sabi. It's still in the same overall game reserve (known as Sabi Sands) but further south. Sabi Sands borders the Kruger National Park and contains many safari lodges like the ones we stayed in.

Map of Sabi Sands Game Reserve

The World Outside

During the drive, we passed through the small towns of South Africa and for the first time got a glimpse of life outside the carefully planned world of the modern safari traveller.

We'd drive for miles and miles and not see a soul or structure. Then, in clusters, came the towns and the people. We passed modest homes, schools, and local businesses. Some were large and modern, some no more than tin shacks. Some businesses had professionally commissioned signs ("Stop/Shop!") others had hand-lettered placards that got right to the point ("Fruit"). Vendors sat on the side of the road in plastic chairs selling everything from apples to haircuts with optimism (Look Good! Salon!). One sign simply read: SURGERY, hand-written, lopsided, in red paint.

We stopped once for a bathroom break. The driver of course chose a place with a well-stocked curio. This was to become something of a given during our trip - one thing about Anne and me: we always make time for retail.