Wednesday 5th February 2014

Wien went out with the EcoQuest guests for a walk which meant that Jomi and I were free to do the rubbish run. This is as horrible as it sounds, all the wet waste and recycling have to be loaded up onto the Landy and trailer along with empty petrol and diesel jerry cans. However, there is definitely a silver lining and that’s mobile signal strong enough to download and send emails.

Our destination for absolutely everything is a coal mine. I do mean this quite literally, we opened the gates ourselves and drove straight into the middle of the mine complex, I don’t think this would/could happen back home in the UK.

Unloading and sorting the rubbish is a mucky job, then its onto the one shop to pick up any mail and odds and ends that Dee has asked us to buy. Whilst the jerry cans are being filled we have the opportunity to do some shopping, download emails and have an ice cream.

Overall the trip takes about four hours in an open topped Landy. I’d put plenty of sun cream on but forgot my knees, I won’t be making that mistake again.

After a days break fitness returned for our small group of three Back Ups and Bruce. After lunch we headed out for a game drive with a guest student that will be with us today and tomorrow to do his Level One exam and a birding practical. It was a long drive, just under five hours and I learnt lots. But it did make me realise how well we’ve been trained by EcoTraining, this chap has years of experience and a lot of knowledge. However, some of the basic skills that we’ve been taught were missing, these would have added a lot to the drive.