I have had an unexpected surprise today as Richard (man in charge of Lions) has invited us for a last walk with the lion programme as our flight (by coincidence Hayden is on the same flight) is not until 1ish. We both jumped at the chance and so we headed out to the lodge and gave all the crew a big surprise when we turned up unannounced. As it really was our last walk we were given the opportunity to choose which lions we wanted to walk with, so I chose the 2L's, Loma and Leya, and Toka (my favourite). This was a fun walk and we were also able to pass alongside the Zambezi which is my favourite part of the park. What is slightly annoying is that I have been told on numerous occasions how dangerous the Zambezi is with all the crocs and hippos that are there and yet in all my time here I haven't seen one, but that's just life I suppose. In any event the lions were well behaved and the guys were all on good form so I can't really complain. When we returned them to the cage we said our goodbyes and headed for breakfast.
When you walk with Lions you are always given a stick, which acts as an extension of your arm, so that you can distract the lion if required and not have to use your hand. During my time here I have made 3, the first two have been eaten away, mainly by Toka, but the last one, being only a couple of days old, is still in pretty good shape. Cliff suggested that everyone should sign it and I should keep it as a memento which I thought was a great idea and so my last moments here were getting everybody's signatures. Silly I know but I am pleased I have done it.
The flight to Jo'burg was uneventful apart from the fact that when I arrived at Oliver Tambo International I tried to see if I could change my flight from Dar back to London to Jo'burg to London. Unsurprisingly I failed, something to do with agents or something, so I called the lodge that I was booked in with and went there for the night. It s also funny that the 2 times I have been at this airport the media have been here in big numbers for the return of one of their sporting sides or on this occasion the arrival of the Aussie cricket team, which was really strange because I thought they just got beat by the Proteas 2 weeks ago? Or maybe just maybe my exploits have travelled beyond the confines of this blog.
On arrival at the Lodge my first priority was to sort out flights from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam and overnight accommodation in order to make my flight home on the 18th and amazingly, with proper internet connections, I managed to do it. I then just wondered why I had wasted so much time in trying to achieve this Zambia. Never mind.
My recommendation to anyone who is in Jo'burg for a stopover is the Safari Lodge. It is a great place to stay, is excellent value, has good food, and is very comfortable and situated just 5 minutes from the airport. For me it was better than for most of the other guests as I managed to have my first proper shower in over 6 weeks and got to sleep in a very comfortable bed which I had almost forgotten what that was like. It was heaven.
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