Never walk alone- Walk on - 33. Chapter 33

Their wake-up alarm came far too quickly for Andrew and Ryan. After the antics of the night before, they could quite easily have just stayed in bed and enjoyed a long, lazy lie-in in one another arms. But the reality was that they had four children, and themselves, the get bathed and dressed, and a plane to catch. All by 8am! The one small problem, or rather, four small problems was that their offspring were all less than thrilled to be awakened before the sum had even risen over the horizon. The one bonus was that breakfast would be served on the two and-a-half hour flight up north.
By some miracle, the Devlin-Majors were ready and waiting when Blue Bays familiar navy blue, burgundy, gold and cream liveried guest vehicle pulled into the driveway of the house. It took a while to get all the luggage loaded, including Rascal's bed, water and food bowls, kibble and tinned dog food, and toys, but eventually they were able to make the thirty minute drive to the Execujet FBO facility at Cape Town International Airport where the Majors and the Kentons were already waiting having opted to drive themselves.
The FBO had only recently reopened following a major refurbishment, and boasted state of the art systems and services that perfectly aligned with individuals who made use of private aircraft. And they had dedicated staff who took care of pet travel, even going so far as to have available special balanced meals for pets or to cater for any dietary requirement for any pet, which impressed the hell out of Andrew and Ryan.

On arrival, Dan and Joan were treated like royalty, the guest liaison being fully aware of who the owners of the jet were that was parked right outside the tarmac exit door. The welcome was extended to the rest of the group and they were ushered into the very plush departure lounge for champagne and orange juice, tea or coffee, breakfast pastries and a cold meat and cheese selection, while the luggage was being loaded and the final preparations made.
For the Devlin-Majors, the experience was now becoming very familiar, but Craig and Donna we wide-eyed with amazement and excitement. Craig was like a kid in a candy store, walking over to the big windows facing the apron multiple times with the biggest grin plastered on his face. When they were advised that they could board the jet, Andrew got the impression it was only with the utmost difficulty, that Craig allowed the Kinleys to lead the way, and stroll sedately out to the aircraft.

As usual, they were greeted and welcomed by the entire crew who all looked tanned and healthy after a few days of rest at The Cameron. Peter and Colin stood at the bottom of the boarding stairs while Michelle and Alison waited just inside the cabin to assist as they boarded. Dan stopped to chat to his pilots while everyone else followed Joan up the stairs into the cabin. Andrew couldn't prevent his grin as he watched Craig's reaction as he viewed the cabin. His eyes were as big as saucers and darted all over, not sure where to look first.

"Oh my God", he breathed in awe. "This is absolutely awesome! I can't believe I'm about to fly in a private jet. Am I gonna have fun with this when we get back to Johannesburg. My mates will be green with envy".

He sat down in one of the ultra comfortable Nuage seats with a self-satisfied grin plastered on his face.

"This is so going to to ruin flying commercial". He pulled out his mobile, took a selfie of Donna and himself and then posted a status update on X.

"Moving up in the world. Departing Cape Town on a private jet to a private game lodge, landing on a private landing strip." Less than twenty seconds later his mobile went crazy with reply after reply coming in.

They all found a seat in one of the seating areas - the children insisted on sitting in the entertainment area, so their dads sat with them, while the other three couples sat in the normal club seats in the forward section of the cabin. Once they were all settled Michelle dispensed drinks while Alison prepared the cabin for take off. Colin was the last to board, just as Peter began the engine start up, closing and securing the cabin door before moving into the cockpit to take his seat. A few minutes later the engines powered up and they moved away from the FBO towards the northern end of the runway, trundling past the commercial passenger terminals and the cargo section, before turning onto the runway and coming to a brief stop. Then the throttles were advanced, the engines howled behind them, and they sped down the runway before the nose lifted and the jet roared into the blue sky,rapidly gaining altitude like a homesick angel due to its relatively light fuel load. Their course took them south over the blue waters of False Bay before turning to port and pointing the nose north for the province of Mpumalanga and the game lodge two-and-a-half hours away.

Michelle and Alison began preparing for the breakfast service as soon as the seat belt sign was extinguished, although they still had about 10000 feet (3000 metres) to climb to reach their cruising altitude of 45000 feet (13700 meters). The entire travelling party was too big to be accommodated at the dining table, so tables were set up at the individual seats in the club seating area, while a table was set in the entertainment area for the children.

The main course, a choice of maple syrup pancakes with link sausages and bacon, or cheese omelette with sausage, bacon, grilled tomato and mushrooms was offered. The children all went for the pancakes as did the two older children - Ryan and Craig. The others all opted for the omelette. It was preceded by fresh fruit salad, as is or with yogurt, and a selection of fresh fruit juices. Warm pastries and muffins accompanied the tea, coffee or hot chocolate to finish. It was a fairly leisurely affair and afterwards they all just relaxed and enjoyed the very smooth flight. Craig, of course, was facinated by the fact that they were cruising between 5000 and 8000 feet higher than normal commercial flights and couldn't resist another tweet to that effect.
The two flight attendants had only just completed the clean up when Colin advised that they were beginning their, relatively long, descent. On arrival over the property that the lodge was located on they made a low pass over the building to trigger the dispatch of the vehicles to the airstrip, before doing the same thing over the airstrip to ensure that there were no animals in the runway, and shortly after that were making the final approach to the runway located on top of a plateau. The approach was unusual in that Peter kept the nose very high and their speed quite slow. Glancing out of his window, Andrew noticed that the flaps had been fully deployed. Colin explained later that this was to assist with lift at the slower speed which was necessary due to the length, or lack thereof, of the runway. They flew over the edge of the plateau, and almost immediately, Peter touched down, the deceleration markedly forceful as the engines howled in reverse thrust and the brakes were applied. The landing roll - out was completed on the small apron in front of a large corrugated hanger as Peter turned the jet to face back down the runway before shutting down the engines. As they spooled down, Alison opened the cabin door and lowered it for disembarking while Michelle gathered together all the bits and pieces that the children had removed from the cabin luggage. Stepping out of the cool air conditioning in the jet into the baking heat of the bushveld was like stepping into an oven.

Two canvas topped safari style Landrovers were parked close by and they were greeted by the two drivers and guides at the bottom of the stairs and then ushered to the first vehicle, where they were offered ice cold bottles of still or sparkling spring water. As they drove away, the second Landrover was being loaded with all the luggage. It would also bring the crew to the lodge.

The drive to the lodge took about ten minutes and wound down from the airstrip on top of the plateau, eventually emerging on a well graded dirt road bounded by thick bush and trees on either side. Even on that short trip they were thrilled to spot a small herd of elephants, two white rhino with their calf, a troop of monkeys and some antelope. The driver turned off the road onto a fairly rough track, the bush closing in on either side, before coming out into a circular clearing on one side of which was the entrance to the main lodge building which blended perfectly into its surroundings, being constructed almost entirely from local timber and rock. Four wide, shallow steps led up to a veranda, that wrapped around the sides of the building, with stout timber walkways, raised about two meters above the ground, on either side of the main building that disappeared into the surroun-ding bush almost completely camouflaged, and gave access to the accommodation tents.

A small group of six ladies and two men dressed in traditional African print dresses and shirts, waiting on the veranda were galvanised into action when the vehicle appeared and by the time they rolled to a stop, the staff had lined up on either side at the top of the steps, all smiling brightly in greeting. The first lady held a tray of tall glasses containing something very cold as evidenced by the moisture beading the outer surface, while the genteman opposite her held a tray with refreshingly cool, scented facecloths . The manageress, who introduced herself as Vivian welcomed them and ushered them into the surprisingly cool lobby, to a desk on which lay their room keys and information packs. As they were handed their keys, one of the ladies would lead them away to their rooms.
Although Andrew and Ryan had seen the rooms in the video, it had not conveyed the sense of tranquility and understated luxury of the room, considering that the room was essentially a tent. As with the walkways, the room was elevated above the ground on a stout timber base. The walls and roof were heavy duty canvas attached to an equally stout timber frame with a gleaming timber floor and ceiling.
On entering from the walkway, the room opened into a small lobby with a modern, yet rustic, bathroom on the left with a free standing claw footed bath, and walk-through indoor and outdoor shower. Stepping through the lobby, the the main room was revealed in an open plan arrangement. Directly ahead was a small lounge area with two plush couches and armchairs arranged around a polished coffee table fashioned from a solid piece of timber cut from the trunk of a large tree and a rock fireplace on which hung an abstract African bush inspired oil painting. Two similar, but much smaller side tables held lamps, and it was all positioned on a thick rug, also African inspired. On the left, the huge king bed covered in pristine white linen, pillows and duvet with a sky blue throw at the foot of the bed, stood against a matching blue buttoned headboard, and was positioned against wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom. It had a magnificent view of a watering hole, the surrounding bush and distant tree covered hills through the full length/ full width windows and sliding doors. A wide balcony spanned the entire width of the room and held six sunbeds, a small splash pool and an L-shaped wicker sofa.
A doorway on the right when entering the room accessed a smaller tent that held two double bunk beds and a small en-suite shower room and WC, and also opened onto the balcony via sliding doors. Both sliding doors had accompaning mesh screens that could be closed for security, mainly from the insect kingdom, but also from any members of the animal kingdom, particularly the mischievous ones playing in the trees, while leaving the main door open for fresh air and breezes. There was no air conditioning due to the use of solar power for the lodge, but two large fans spun slowly above their heads as did one in the second bedroom. Even in the midst of the hot summer weather, the room was surprisingly cool and they would later find out this was due to the layer of insu-lation that had been installed in the void on the timber ceiling and between thd double layers of the canvas that made up the roof of the tent.

Andrew was amazed as he studied the accommodations, and kept a close eye on the children who were all standing at the balcony railing, Rascal in Cameron's arms, where clear toughened safety glass panels were snugly fitted between round timber uprights with a similar smaller pole stretching across the top of the glass acting as a handrail.

"Holy moley Ry. This takes glamping to a whole new level. I absolutely love it". Ryan grinned and nodded in agree-ment.

"Know exactly what you mean my love. It's magnificent. Very chic, but understated, just the way we like things to be. This is going to be a hit when it appears in the portfolio. Now we just need to get Dan and Joan to agree to our proposal"

They put that proposal to the Kinleys when they gathered for lunch on the deck in front of the lodge a bit later after settling in. And they need not have been concerned, as Dan and Joan immediately realised the positive aspect of having Devlin-Major on board as partners instead of just having a management contract. It naturally also spread the risk, although they were all convinced that the project was a solid one, but also gave them the peace of mind that the game lodge was being well cared for. So the deal was struck and Kinley Enterprises and Devlin-Major became business partners. They had a short meeting with Vivian to advise her of the change of ownership and to assure her that her position and those of the other staffwere secure, which she was grateful for.

After lunch they chilled until just after tea time, when they were all loaded onto the Land Rovers and driven into the bush for a late afternoon/evening game drive and sundowners. On their return after sunset, everyone dispersed into their tents to shower and change for dinner, which was a very informal BBQ, once again held on the front patio deck of the lodge overlooking the watering hole. They could watch the chefs cooking their meal over the fire in the fire pit below the deck and watch the game coming down to the watering hole at the same time, the lights of the fire pit just radiating far enough for the animals at the watering hole to be seen, although once the food had been cooked and the lights extinguished, the only evidence of anything at the watering hole was just a darker shadow or a pair of bright eyes in the darkness. But what was most noticeable was the complete absence of ambient noise. No traffic, no sounds of sirens, no sounds of air conditioning or chatter from tele-visions. Instead there was just the breeze, the chirps of the insects in the trees and grass around the lodge and the occasional huff or grunt in the darkness from some animal or another. Andrew sighed deeply as he stretched in his chair and turned to Ryan.

"This is just as good as being at sea on 'Belle Catherine' when she is under sail", he whispered to Ryan. "So incredibly quiet and tranquil"

Even the children, sitting at the other end of the table were affected by the atmosphere, talking quietly to
one another with Rascal curled up under Jamie's chair.

It had been a long, exciting day with an early start, with an early morning call ahead of them for a dawn game drive, and soon pillows were calling so they headed for bed after having a shower or bath as there would be no time in the morning. Andrew woke up when a little hand patted his face. The first words he registered were slightly frantic.

"Daddy, daddy! What is that? What's that noise?", Jamie whispered anxiously. Andrew reached out to peer at his mobile. 02.15 it showed him.

"What noise Jamie?", he asked his son quietly, as he swung his legs out of bed.

"That noise, daddy! Listen!" He replied insistently, waking Ryan up in the process.

Andrew obeyed and listened. It took a few seconds before he became aware of a sound he was not familiar with. After listening for a while there was a flapping sound accompanied the rustling of leaves, and the penny dropped. He stood up , padded to the windows on the right side of the room, and peered out into the surrounding bush. There, just visible in the moonlight, stood a family of white rhinos, mom, dad and a small calf, grazing on the sweet grass under the trees next to the lodge. He turned to find Jamie standing in the middle of the room, looking at him with big round eyes and waved him closer.

"Shhh, come look! Don't make any noise". Jamie moved warily closer as Ryan left the bed to come closer as well. Andrew stealthily slid the window open and picked Jamie up into his arms.

"Look! There under that tree!", he instructed his son quietly, pointing in the direction of the tree. The moonlight brightened as the moon moved out from behind a cloud and the rhino family could be seen quite clearly, grazing contentedly, the calf protected between mom and dad. Jamie was enthralled and grinned.

"Daddy, they are so close! Aren't they scared?", he whispered. Andrew hugged him tightly.

"It doesn't look like it, Jay. Otherwise they would not be here. I think you were more scared that they are". He looked round as Ryan slipped his arm around them.

"Wow,that is amazing. So beautiful", he said. "I had no idea we would see game so close to the buildings. The watering hole is great, but to see this so close up is just awesome".

They stood watching as the family munched at the grass under the trees before eventually sauntering back into the darkness of the bush leaving them feeling slightly emotional.

"This place is magical, Ry! I feel like when we see dolphins when we're at sea. This is the land equivalent of that. Utterly mind blowing!", he remarked softly. He felt Ryan's body moving as he nodded.
"I agree, my love. That was very special".

Reluctantly, Andrew slid the window closed again, then turned and carried Jamie back to his bed, tucking him in and checking on the others who were all still sleeping soundly. He kissed Jamie softly o the forehead.

"Okay, back to sleep young man. We have another early start later today"

"Okay daddy. Night daddy. Thank you daddy", the little boy replied quietly.. "Love you!" He turned onto his side and got settled.

"Sleep tight, my angel. Love you too". He turned and looked up to find Ryan leaning against the doorframe with eyes as moist as his own. Ryan grinned at him.

"We really are very blessed, aren't we, my love?, Ryan said gently as he slipped an arm around Andrew's waist. Andrew nodded.

"That we are, babe, That we are!"

They managed another short two and a half hours of sleep before they were woken by tea, coffee and hot choco-late being served by Sharon, one of the waiters. She knocked on the door before using her pass key to enter the room and place the tray on the coffee table, before turning to the bed.

"Mr Andrew, Mr Ryan. Are you awake?. Good morning. I brought some hot beverages. The game drive leaves at 6.30 and there will be tea, coffee and rusks available in the dining room before you leave. Also, it might still be cool in the game vehicles, so it might be advisable to wear something warm. You can always take it off once it gets warmer", she advised them.

"Thank you, Sharon", Ryan replied. "We'll do that".

Once she had shut the door behind her, Ryan went through to the children and gently woke them up. There was some grumpiness, but when Jamie told them about the visit they had during the night they all rushed out onto the balcony to see if the rhinos were still around. To their delight, they were - now standing at the edge of the watering hole lazily lapping water. It took some patience to pull them away to get dressed, but somehow they got going and arrived at the main lodge building in time to have some rusks and coffee before the game drive vehicles arrived.

As they drove away the hills to the east were silhouetted by the dawn colouring the sky. It was not long before they were stopped again, this time my a pride of lions that had decided to use the dirt road as a resting place. There were four adults and seven cubs that lay blocking the road, so they stopped until the pride decided they had had enough of being gawked at and decided to move off the road. They padded back towards the vehicles, glancing at them as they passed before disappearing into the tall grass and bush at the roadside. A bit further on they saw some two leopard resting under a tree close to the road and a bit further they had to stop again to allow a herd of elephant to cross the road. They eventually ended up at a waterfall in the very northern part of the reserve where they stopped for refreshments and then made their way south again toward the lodge and breakfast.
So it came as a surprise when they turned off the road onto a track that led deeper into the bush. After ten
minutes on the track they came out of the bush into grassland and where the track ran along the top of a cliff overlooking the ravine in which the river flowed. The track eventually ended in a clearing and they were delighted to see tables and chairs set up under a massive tree with the lodge staff in attendance. As they rolled to a stop, it was Craig who first cottoned on that this was where they would be having breakfast.

"What the. ..? Holy hell, we're going to have breakfast out here?. In the bush!. Wow, this little trip just keeps getting cooler. Private jets, private game lodge, private game drives!. Now a private breakfast in the middle of the bush-veld". He grabbed Donna in his arms, lifted her off the ground and spun around., then set her gently back on her feet. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

"Thank you for marrying me babe. I would never have guessed that getting married to you would include all this", he told her earnestly, kissing her again as the others all observed his boyish antics with amusement.
Vivian approached them with a smile.

"Welcome to the bush breakfast. Make yourselves comfortable and enjoy an experience that we try to give our guests at least once during their stay with us, weather permitting"

"This is amazing", Andrew replied. " How do you get this organised so quickly? I mean, apart from the catering aspect, you've had to move all the furniture out here as well. And get it so beautifully set up".
Vivian grinned as she replied,

"Lots of trial and error, but I think we got it now. And we're not that far from home , as it were", she told them turning around and pointing. "The lodge is only about a kilometre away. Even closer as the crow flies". There, almost perfectly camouflaged in the trees, they could just discern the lodge building, mainly due to the chimney from the fireplace in the main lounge just poking out above the trees.

"Even so", Dan added, "It is still very impressive. Thank you for arranging this Vivian"

"It's our pleasure Dan, and all part of the service and experience. The staff enjoy it as well because it gets them out of the lodge as well, and it's a break from the usual routine".

On closer inspection, a buffet had been set up with all the usual cold items with charcuterie, cheese, fresh and preserved fruit, yogurt, cereals, pastries and several jugs of fresh fruit juices.
Two chefs stood over open fires cooking hot items in several pans and placing them in chafing dishes on a second buffet table with gel burners to keep it all hot. The entire setup was simply stunning and the new owners were suitably impressed. They were invited to make their selections from the cold buffet and once seated,the waiters came round to take orders for eggs. A small chafing dish with scrambled eggs was readily available but fried and poached eggs, as well as omelettes, were on offer as well. The entire breakfast service that was normally served at the lodge had been shifted into the bush.
The whole set up was rustic but retained the look and feeling of luxury. The folding wooden slatted tables were surrounded by wood framed canvas directors chairs, each with a thick, loose seat cushion in traditionally patterned fabric and a throw over the back in the event of it being chilly. There was even a chair for Rascal, which impressed Andrew even more.
Woven grass placemats were placed on the tables at every chair, all perfect for easy transportation. Faux ivory handled cutlery and white crockery with an African pattern around the edge, with matching salt and pepper cellars, sugar bowls and milk jugs completed the setting, along with citronella candlelamps to keep the bugs at bay.
As they sat down after selecting what they wanted from the cold buffet, and helping the children, Vivian
brought over a bowl of kibble and some tasty, meaty tinned dog food for Rascal. He would, naturally, be
getting some titbits from the table as well! Ryan nudged Andrew and indicated with his chin and Andrew glanced in that direction. The two drivers and guides were now armed with rifles and had taken up positions a short distance from the clearing, all scanning the bush expertly. They were, after all, on a wildlife reserve.
Shortly after the hot main meals had been served, there was some chatter between the guides, accompanied by pointing. They all turned to see what the excitement was about but could not see what the guides were discussing. It was only when one of them approached the table and pointed into the bush that they saw a small herd of rhino approaching the clearing. Rhinos are not known for their great eyesight, but when they realised that the clearing was already occupied, they stopped and warily studied the situation, raising their snouts and sniffing the air. Eventually deciding that whatever was happening in the clearing was of no danger to them, they moved a short distance away and began grazing in the shadows under the trees, occasionally lifting their heads just to check on the situation in the clearing. The drivers and guides also remained on high alert
Somehow, despite the major distraction just a short distance away, breakfast as enjoyed by all, and as the sun rose higher and the temperature rose as well, it was time to get back to the lodge to relax. As they boarded the Land Rovers for the drive back, the staff were already starting to break down the setting and loading it into vehicles that had been discreetly hidden in the bush.

It was almost 11am when the arrived back at the lodge and everyone headed for their rooms after arranging to meet on the main building terrace where the main swimming pool was located. It was the perfect place for the adults to chat while sitting on the tree shaded patio sipping something long and cold, keeping an eye on the children cavorting in the pool below the patio and game-watching at the same time. Yeah, it was tough but some-one had to do it!
As it turned out, after lunch David and Janice decided to return in their tent for a siesta, while Craig and Donna joined the kids in the pool which left the Devlin-Majors and the Kinleys who thought it may be a good opportunity to discuss the lodge.
It was unanimously decided that they actually wanted very little to change. Vivian and her entire staff were staying in place, so there would not be any major upheaval on that front., and Andrew was quite happy with what he had seen as far as the actual operation was concerned.
As the lodge was fairly remote, access was always a problem, especially during the summer when thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain was commonplace. It made the gravel road from the main road extremely difficult and dangerous to navigate. Vivian had related an experience she had while travelling to the nearest town to do some shopping when she was caught in a downpour. The road became very slick and resulted in her flipping her vehicle, careening down an embankment and ending up in the river. Fortunately, she was not injured apart from a few bruises and a stiff neck, and managed to get out of the wrecked vehicle which was washed away in the flash-flood that followed only minutes later. So getting to and from the lodge in summer was always a gamble, although according to Vivian, roughly half of the guests arrived by road, the others arriving the way they had, by plane. According to Vivian it had been a particularly dry summer with very little rain.

Andrew was very keen to promote Fly-In safaris and then the discussion turned to whether chartered or wholly owned aircraft would be more advantageous. Dan was obviously the expert on that front and after listening to what he had to say, a decision was taken to investigate the purchase of a suitable aircraft that would fly guests in and out of the reserve, especially as Andrew wanted to offer three packages as opposed to the existing options of guests arriving and departing randomly - a 3 night weekend arriving Friday and departing early on Monday for those guests needing to be in the office, a 4 night midweek arriving on Monday and departing in Friday morning, and a full 7 day package from Friday to Friday. All meals, morning and afternoon tea, and game drives would be included in the package. It would streamline the operation and make Vivian's job much easier as far as planning and logistics was concerned.

The remainder of their stay followed a similar pattern of two game drives per day, one before breakfast returning to the lodge for breakfast and lunch, the other before sunset and back to the lodge for dinner with lots of relaxation and naps in between.
On their last full day, there was no game drives arranged. Instead, they slept in, had a late breakfast on the patio, and then Vivian took them on a tour of the other facilities around the main lodge. Although the aircraft crew were invited to join them, they often did not take up the invitation, especially the early morning game drive, instead preferring to sleep late, have breakfast at leisure and just enjoy the time off. It was during this tour that they discovered the complete tented staff village located in a copse of trees a short walk from the main lodge which also included two tents specifically set aside for use by any pilots and crew who flew in with the guests. Only four crew members could be accommodated at any one time, but it was very rare that more had to be accommodated and if so they were provided with rooms at the main compound where the remainder of the reserve staff lived, about ten minutes drive from the lodge.
Both tents were situated at the far end of the staff camp and comprised of large twin double bedded room with a small lounge area, en-suite bathroom and small patio with a table and two chairs from which they also had a view of the watering hole that could be seen from the main lodge. What surprised Andrew was the level of comfort that the tents provided, being only slightly less opulent than the guest tents. The staff tents were far more basic, but remained comfortable and more than adequate for their purpose. The staff shared the twin bedded tents and each bed had its own cupboard, dresser with drawers and small working area with desk and chair. All the tents had en-suite shower rooms. The whole set up was very impressive. Vivian also took them to the solar farm and to the water pumping station and treatment plant.
The new owners also had a short meeting with the staff to advise them of all the new developments, where Andrew showed them pictures of the other lodges and the yacbts and explained the company incentive scheme that the owned properties and most of the managed properties were using, which resulted in a buzz of excitement and beaming faces.

While, enjoying a salad lunch on the main patio they were thrilled to see their family of rhino of white rhino coming to the watering hole and were then treated to a bit of drama in the wild!
While dad, mom and baby rhino were standing in the cool water easing their thirst, a lone male black rhino lumbered out of the bush beading for the watering hole. As soon as mom and dad became aware of the new arrival they emitted a series of grunts and snorts and splashed out of the water, warily eyeing the intruder. All the observers on the lodge patio were stunned as the two white adult parents positioned themselves on either side of their calf and then moved their heads together with the baby protected in the V of their bodies as they faced the black rhino male. He stopped about seven or eight meters from the family and for a minute or two they faced off, just looking at one another. Then the black rhino snorted loudly and tossed his head. The male white rhino tossed his head as well, but stayed silent. Black rhino snorted again and pawed the ground while rocking forward and backward. Receiving disdainful reaction from the two white rhinos, he suddenly rushed forward in a mock charge, sliding to a stop only a meter or so from the family group as both white rhinos lowered their horns. A series of snorts and grunts were exchanged with both groups pawing at the ground, raising a cloud of red dust around them. The facinated observers on the patio, and in the swimming pool, that had suddenly got very quiet, held their collective breath. Then the white rhinos shuffled backwards, all the while protecting their calf, then turned and sauntered into the bush. The black rhino snorted one last time and pawed the earth watching them go before moving to the edge of the watering hole to drink, glancing every now and then at the bush that the family had disappeared into. He drank his fill, then returned the way he had come and peaceful calm returned to the watering hole.

"That was incredible!", Dan said as he lowered his video camera. "The way they protected their calf was amazing".
Everyone was in agreement and it was yet another treasured memory from moments in the wild, whether on land or at sea.
After lunch, Andrew and Ryan joined the children in the pool for a while, until Andrew noticed that they were all getting too much sun, especially Jamie and Fiona with their fairer complexions. He cajoled them out of the water, with vehement complaints from all, with a promise to ask Aunty Vivian to get them some ice cream, which did the trick. What remained of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the shade as the temperature rose into the high thirties Celsius, on the patios of their tents.. As the afternoon wore on, thick, fluffy cumulus nimbus clouds began forming behind the hills in the far distance and gradually drew closer to the reserve as sunset approached. By the time they gathered for dinner, lightning flickered on the horizon accompanied by the rumble of thunder shortly after. As a precaution, Vivian had arranged for dinner in the dining room, which proved to be a wise decision when, just as their entrées were being served, the wind suddenly picked up, a bolt of lightning stuck somewhere close followed by a massive thunder lap and the heavens opened over the lodge. Lighting and thunder crashed around them as the storm raged for almost twenty minutes, the rain falling in an almost solid sheet of water. And just as suddenly, as if turned off, it became just a pitter patter before stopping completely, although thunder still rumbled not far away and the dark night was lit by the occasional flash of lightning.
When the lodge staff slid open the sliding doors of the dining room, the cool fresh air that washed into the room smelled of rain washed grass and earth. It was, however, not over and they received another good drenching during the night resulting in the dads having to share their bed with four slightly frightened children.

The morning, however, dawned in all its glory!. Clear blue skies with not a cloud in sight. The air smelled clean and fresh, but the humidity as definitely on the up. And it promised to be hot once again!
Their departure was planned for after breakfast, but was somewhat delayed until after lunch as Peter deemed the runway to be too wet for a safe take off and wanted the runway to dry out under the baking sun for a while. Fortunately, due to the lack of rain the area had received in the previous weeks, the ground soaked up the overnight downpours with ease, so departure was rescheduled after a early light lunch. The one concern he had was that the later departure meant the temperature would be higher which in turn meant a slightly longer take off run.

The trip to the airstrip was interesting as the track from the lodge to the road was very muddy and four wheel drive was engaged on the Land Rovers to get them through. The jet had been pre-positioned at the far end of the runway due to the prevailing wind and Peter wanted to have the full length of the runway available for the take off. Once they were all on board on settled, the engines were started and they just sat there while the pilots made their final checks. . Then with a howl from behind them Peter advanced the throttles and for a few moments he and Colin stood on the brakes to allow the engines to settle at full power. The entire plane vibrated and shook, the howl from the engines increased and they catapulted forward. Andrew was reminded of a somewhat similar take off from the Drakensberg Resort as the roared down the runway. The hanger at the opposite end seemed to approach awfully quickly and when almost at the hanger, the nose lifted and the jet rocketed into the sky. Their heading took them a most directly over the lodge and the ravine where the river was clearly running far stronger than it had previously, with white water clearly visible, due to the overnight downpours. The flight back to Cape Town was a non-event and they were all in their respective hotels and homes by 4pm . It had been a thoroughly enjoyable, relaxing and enlightening trip.