Game reserve

See pictures on http://community.webshots.com/album/556724166PdZsde

The first 2 weeks have flown past here at the Inkwenkwezi game reserve. The work that we are performing is very fulfilling as you can see the changes that are happening with our efforts.

Currently we're a group of 7 volunteers, majority from the UK of which 5 ladies and 2 men. One of the guys comes from Germany and the rest from UK. The group are all very much younger than me, which makes a change of conversation topics. The group of people are vastly different from the previous trip I did as well. Here they seem more out to be on a holiday than wanting to do any work. The day usually starts around 9am and then by 12 we have lunch until 2pm. From 2pm till 5pm we work again. Generally it has been that in the morning we will some physical activity like ring barking, alien plantation removal or soil erosion or fence patrol. In the afternoons it would be more relaxed like game monitoring or track collection or spooring or quad biking. We still have not had a chance to do anything with the horses. I hoping that we will do that this week. The horses roam wild on the game reserve and are not stabled or paddocked at all. If a ride is happening then the horses need to be found and rounded up. We have been experiencing a fair amount of rain as well preventing us from doing any work. It has given us the chance to go to the lion park and play with 5 week old white lion cubs.

The game reserve is in the process of getting 4 cubs as soon as they are born in the next couple of weeks. Currently we are busy building the lion cub enclosure.

We have had some close encounters with the white rhino as he roams very close to the base camp. So walking around on your own is out of the question especially at night. The camp is situated in a valley in the middle of bush. The bird life is absolutely amazing and I have seen the Knysa lourie a couple of times. Trying to get a picture is a different story as they keep hiding in the trees and only when they are flying from one tree to the next do you see them again.

I spent xmas at the reserve and helping in the kitchen with the xmas lunches. It was a great experience and loads of fun working there. Afterwards we would all have lunch together with graham and Keith, the owners of the reserve. Because I was the only volunteer at the camp I was allowed to stay at the Lapa guest camp site, wow a really nice camp with amazing showers.

Base camp