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Carien (our Camp hostess) arranged for us to do an elephant-back safari in the morning. We drove for about an hour down very rough roads to get there... even past a sign that said '4x4s Only' and had a little addendum below it saying 'Don't worry, your rental car will be fine.'
The main building at the elephant safari place (which was thatched!) is very high to accommodate getting on and off the elephants' backs - quite ingenious. We waited a bit for our turn and then got to ride a teenage-ish make (about 20 years old) called Moku (which means '4x4').
The ride was amazing! Bumpy and rocky - kind of like being in a small boat - but it was incredible to think that we were on this huge animal. We rode Moku for about a half hour and had a great guide to explained all kind of interesting things about elephants.
After the ride, we posed with the elephants for a bit and then walked through the bush to a watering hole, where all three elephants got in for a swim. The elephants played in the water while we had lunch with two couples from Scotland. One couple was back in South Africa to visit family (he's South African, she's Scotish) and told us about a game park in Port Elizabeth where you get to play with lion cubs!
After lunch the trainers coaxed the elephants out of the water and we got to feed them. Their trunks have so much suction! And it's incredible how the elephants would lift their trunks to allow people to put the food directly in their mouths.
We fed Moku - who's the greediest of the bunch.
We returned to the Camp and went down to the pool. It was very hot (upper 30s) and it was lovely not to be so hot for a bit - although the pool was very tiny. We sat out on loungers and read for a while before getting ready for dinner. While at the pool we spoke briefly to a German couple... and dubbed them 'The Good Germans.'
Dinner was a watermelon/feta salad followed by kudu with thyme polenta - it was the best dinner of our stay at Figtree.
After dinner we finished our wine and had tea on a couch on the veranda. The Good Germans joined us (Marcel and Mareen) and we had a brief conversation before returning to the cabin for bed.
No photos for John this evening as the sky clouded up.
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