{"id":765,"date":"2014-12-14T09:42:22","date_gmt":"2014-12-14T09:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.isibindi.co.za\/\/blog\/?p=765"},"modified":"2023-01-20T10:23:09","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T08:23:09","slug":"the-morning-after","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isibindifoundation.org\/2014\/12\/14\/the-morning-after\/","title":{"rendered":"The morning after …"},"content":{"rendered":"
At exactly 5.30am we get our wake-up call from Joey, our dedicated guide. The suite is so beautiful with the dawn light just coming in over the trees on the other side of the river bed, that it is difficult to break the mesmerising spell. But we feel responsible for everyone\u2019s early wake-up and force ourselves moving. It is a warm and clear morning.<\/p>\n
We head to the open bar and deck, meeting place and the \u201chappening spot\u201d at the lodge, as it is positioned to look directly out onto a watering hole. There is no life at the waterhole at this early house and we wonder about our choice to leave so early. The Chilean lawyer is already there, quieter than usual and clearly still waking up. The German fashion store manager is up, though in our tousled state we are pleased to see that she is not looking too glamorous. Her banker husband is ever calm and caring, worried about his wife having had to make such an early start when she is not a morning person. We ask if they are newlyweds in a second marriage, as they seem so in love, but we are surprised to learn that they have been married for 13 years, together for 19. They confess that they were unable to have children, despite many attempts, and they believe that this traumatic process bonded them deeply. We turn to check the waterhole to hide our misty eyes and sniff surreptitiously into our coffee.<\/p>\n
Everyone has arrived and we gulp down the last of our coffee and head out to the high, open game vehicle. There is the usual mental calculation from the foreigners about where to sit to maximise both safety and viewing and information from the guide. The shrewd Chilean lawyer, who is also the most nervous amongst us, seats herself squarely in the middle of the vehicle. Exactly on schedule at 6am we are off, faces full into the dawn breeze, the smell of dew and animal activity in our noses and our cheeks flushed with the excitement of what we may see.<\/p>\n