Jamas (sic) on Safari

If you don't like elephants then this might not be the blog for you.

Today, on our day off we were up just after 5am. James explains ....

It was a very early morning for us all! After a long week of work (and play) everybody was looking forward to a good night's sleep and a nice relaxing Sunday, however the reality was quite different. A 5:30 wake up call in order to allow time to ready ourselves for an incredible morning ahead was brutal, but well worth it, for the forthcoming events! The early start allowed everybody to wake up and wash before we were all collected by the open roofed trucks that would transport us to our next location, the safari park.

Leaving the comfort of our beds behind and setting off on the road was an experience in itself. Driving through the village without a roof was a pleasant sensation, allowing the cool air to rush through our hair. This being a fantastic way to recover from a drowsy start to the day so that we were all prepped for the morning ahead.

Upon arrival we were greeted with the stunning scenery of the national park. The excitement for this day had been building up to this point as many of the views had been previously gazed upon on the coach journey to and from the worksite, however entering through the gates towards the safari centre made the beloved views that much better. What had been hidden behind the vast wall of vegetation was now revealed : a spectacular area that spanned as far as the eye could see in every direction. It truly was hard to absorb the vast landscape that was presented before us but if anything, it made it that much better.

After a brief stop at the centre we finally set off on a truly mind expanding journey. The trucks led us through a labyrinth of mud tracks that made it almost impossible to maintain a comfortable position whilst also allowing us to see everything around us. Truly worth the bruised bottom If you ask me!

 

The steady journey over the varied terrain was slow and barely anything cold be seen towards the beginning of ride other than the occasional lizard that would scuttle into the brush when frightened by the roaring engine, or an eagle that would be battling the winds overhead, however after going around a tight corner we were confronted by an amazing sight. The first small herd of elephants that had been well hidden away behind a small cluster of trees were grazing peacefully and made for a fantastic sight and are responsible for some of the amazing photography throughout this post. In order not to disturb the peace our engines were turned off and we were able to simply roll downhill so as not to disturb this delicate situation.

The groups were fortunate enough to be able to see the elephants in great detail, as neither elephants or humans were shy, with some elephants approaching the trucks and coming within less than an arms length from us facilitating some stunning photography...

Such as this!

 

Thankfully our drivers had much keener eyes and were able to spot all kinds of wildlife from a very reasonable distance. A much greater feat than any of us could match.

An image of our resident film maker and photographer Ed, gazing dramatically into the distance.

Further examples of our driver's keen eyes. None of these would've been spotted without their help so thank you!

 

Finally we were able to stop for a quick breakfast. Many had been looking forward to this all morning and it was great to be able to sit and admire more stunning scenery!

After our breakfast stop we drove straight towards the centre of the park. We were lucky in that due to the lack of rainfall most of this area was solid land rather than covered by water. As shown the scenery was spectacular with the trees protruding just above the waters surface. Truly a sight to behold.

A quick 'snap' of a crocodile seen by the side of the river. There weren't all that many so we were very lucky to stumble across this but very worth while in the end. Unfortunately for one of the groups a truck broke down near to where this picture was taken ; not a situation I would have liked to be in. ( Don ' t worry the driver soon had that particular group on the road again - although they did start to ration their water!)

More elephants!

A definite highlight of the car journey was a HUGE gulley that we drove through, many of us struggling to stay on our feet at this point but at the end of the day, YOLO (you only live once)!

Finally to let all of our dedicated readers know that everything here is fine and it's days like today that make this trip that much more special for everyone.

One last note, I was christened James, but due to a printing error on one of our shirts, Jamas seems to have stuck with me for this trip!

Best wishes to all reading this and especially any family members. I'll see you soon!

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