It was very warm this morning. After a leisurely breakfast we packed up our gear and set off on the short ride to Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary. The ride to the main gate took about 30 minutes where we paid our conservation fee and headed to Sondzela backpackers lodge. The sanctuary is a beautiful part of the Ezulwini valley and the short ride to the lodge was very nice, if quite steep and bumpy in places. Along the road we encountered warthogs, impala, wildebeest, a crocodile and a few other types of antelope. There are no big cats in the sanctuary so riding through is quite safe, although it still feels quite strange being so close to the wild animals.
Arriving at the lodge we were shown round and then went to pitch our tent in the very nice camp-site. As is to be expected by now, Nigel was already here. At some point we will arrive at a lodge or hostel and not find him there. Thankfully after we leave here, we are heading south and he is going north.
The camp-site and facilities are very good, or at least they will be when the quite extensive renovations have been completed. Self catering takes a bit more effort than usual as the workmen have currently removed the kitchen. There is a temporary gas cooker, but the whole area is a bit of a mess. Plus considering the very few people who are staying here it would be nice to know why the fridge is full.
Having got settled, we set off on our bikes to the Malandela complex to have a look round the 'House on Fire' music venue. The venue is about 3km from the sanctuary and is well worth a visit. The building walls, artwork and fixtures are very Gaudi-esque. Unfortunately the concert that we were interested in going to is sold out, which is a shame. Hope has come in the shape of an overheard conversation, where the manager said that more tickets are going to be released on Thursday morning. Having heard this, I chatted to the guy on the way out and he confirmed that there would definitely be 150 more tickets available.
Having had a nice lunch at the complex, we headed off to a nearby Shoprite to get some supplies for our stay here. The supermarket was further away than we had been led to believe, but soon we were heading back to the camp. With the day just getting hotter, there was nothing to do but spend some serious time in the pool.
Despite the less than ideal cooking conditions, we made a nice dinner and then settled in for an early night. Tomorrow we will go for a ride around the park and see what animals we can spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment