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hi all melphs dad again i know that you all will agree with me that melphs trip report has been sensatiable ,and on reading the last day certinly brought tears to my eyes and i am certinly looking to 2015
kind wishes to all we will talk again soon
melphs dad

Hey Mel, yes, that last day is just so sad and what makes it worse is you people just arriving and they are so exited!

A HUGE Thank You for sharing your trippie with us and it was awesome to view Kruger through you and your Dad's eyes!

How sad when a wonderful trip to KNP comes to an end... Luckily it was a wonderful trip!

Looking forward to the rest of your trip through some of the other SANParks...

Thanks Mel
That was a really hard installment to write, but now I can move on to our next SANParks adventure

Hi MM

Yes, I don't suppose the last day in Kruger ever gets any easier

I do hope you and the gang might be able to squeeze a couple of Aussies in for a few nights when we return

Hi Pumbaa

Thanks for all your support along the way

It would be great to meet you and Timon in 2015
At this stage it's looking like we'll be there in either March or October

Hi Lionspoon
Yes, it sure was a sad day for us
But the saddest day of our trip is still to come, when we had to wave goodbye to our wonderful friends as they drove off in their little red fire engine...

I so appreciate you hanging in there for the last 11 months I've been writing this TR
Not too long to go and we will be in the Karoo

Hi Trrp-Trrrrrrrr

So glad you enjoyed our KNP adventures

Soon we will get to the Karoo NP for our next SANParks experience
Just got to get through a few more photos first though....

Hi Sharifa

I so appreciate your lovely comments always, despite how long it's taking me between installments

But hopefully now I have left the sadness of leaving KNP behind, I can get excited again about the next chapter of our adventures

Hi vinkie

Yes, if I didn't have a partner, kids, fulltime job etc. I would move to South Africa tomorrow!

And thanks for the encouragement to continue
Still sorting through hundreds of photos but getting there...

Hello my Daddy!!

How wonderful to see you on my TR again
I know both of us have been busy little bees lately

Lots more coming up, but first we've got to get from Orpen back to Joburg alive!

Hi Super Mongoose

So glad you enjoyed Kruger through our eyes

And if you don't mind sitting in the backseat for a while longer there are 2 more SANParks adventures ahead

Hi Bushbuddies

Indeed it was a wonderful trip
Although I would have liked to see as many leopards as you do on your visits to KNP

But now buckle up as Dad and I hit the outside world again

Orpen to Joburg

Once we left Orpen gate behind a whole new adventure started unfolding for us.
We now had to drive 5 hours back to Joburg and return our trusty Terios at the airport.

Again I asked myself, who was the idiot who thought this would be a good idea?
Oh yeah, that was me

The immediate thing we noticed outside the park was the speed at which people were driving
It felt soooooo fast after all that lovely cruising around Kruger.

Not far into the drive and the Drakensburg Mountains started rising up before us


Dad and I soaked up the images of South Africa along the way


The scenery was stunning



The colours in the rocks were amazing




We drove through the J.G. Strijdom Tunnel at the Abel Erasmus Pass on the R36


For a while there we forgot our Kruger sadness, enthralled by the landscape around us.

But once we got through the Pass the traffic really started picking up and all of a sudden we were in the stream of cars and hurtling towards Johannesburg

We hit a section of the R36 that had potholes bigger than the Terios!!
It was a very scary stretch of road.

On the N14 we stopped at a petrol station and swapped drivers for the last leg of our exhausting road journey.
Dad did an incredible job driving through Joburg to get us to the airport safe and sound

After the car was checked in we went to the Europcar desk to call the guest house we were staying at that night.
They told us that Henry would be there soon to collect us

While we were waiting for the bus we saw some familiar figures walking towards us.
OMG it was Karin (Magic Guarri), Stef and Maxi!!!

We could barely believe our sore eyes
Unfortunately the meeting was fleeting
They were having dinner with Shi, and we were being picked up.

Still it was a wonderful moment after a stressful drive and we promised to keep in touch and see each other again in 2015

Henry from Sunrock arrived soon after we waved goodbye to Karin, Stef and Maxi.
Arriving at the guest house was like going to the home of a close relative.
Finally we could start to relax.....

After showers and a change of clothes we headed to the lapa for a cold beer (or 3)
We were both exhausted and in a bit of a daze, trying to process what we had just experienced over the past 2 weeks in Kruger.
What a magical time it was…..

But only one more sleep and we would be in Cape Town, the next stop of our father and daughter adventure

Hi Mel and Mels Dad,

the journey continues....know that feeling all too well when exiting the park, you just can't pick up speed from all the slow traveling within the park.

The scenery is magnificent around that area and really breathtaking.

Very special to have a surprise meet with unexpected mites.

Sitting tight with lots of