Monday 4th to Sunday 10th November 2013

In the week off I didn’t get anywhere near the amount of revision done that I had planned for the FGASA finals at the end of November. I did, however, pass my drivers theory test which was a great relief. This was despite thinking that I was going to mess it up again as some of the questions were non-sensical.

What really was non-sensical was that I couldn’t book my actual driving test there and then. At the moment they will only take bookings for a future date on the 15th November. That means that I’ll have to try and get time off from my tracking course, hire a car and drive into town.

I was told that this is how they do things and that was that. I then spoke to the manager who simply just walked off. This is an amazing country but the admin and attitude around it is shocking.

Being out of big five bush meant that I could do lots of running without fear of being predated. I started off running in the bush behind the resort, great scenery with the mountains, river and lots of animals including wildebeest, kudo, vervet, baboons, duikers, bushbuck and warthogs.

Towards the end of the week I discovered that the main loop around the resort was 1.8k, that meant that I could organise the Swadini half marathon. Which I did and won. Not that there was much competition as I was the only participant. It was a tough run as I chose to start at 11.30 in the morning and by the time I’d finished the temperature was 37 degrees.

Ben left Ulrica and I for twenty-four hours as he’d arranged to visit the LEO conservation project back at Selati. If he liked it he would do his placement there. When he left he was all dressed up in his khaki, it was like we were sending him off for his first day at school.

Ulrica and I went over to the laundry – a washing machine is a real luxury – to put a load. I nipped back for the washing powder and as I rounded the corner to the stable style back door a huge male baboon launched itself out of the kitchen and over my right shoulder. In what could only have been a minute or so he’d been through the bin, opened and eaten Ben’s marshmallows and left a stink in the house.

When the weekend came the resort filled up and the tranquillity that we enjoyed was broken by lots of screaming kids. The only screams I enjoyed was when a little annoying boy was being chased by a troop of vervets after he had been harassing just one individual.