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Sat May 31 2003 (Hartbeespoort Dam & Pilanesburg)

Up early, quick breakfast, shoved some snacks in bag and on road by 8.15am. Guy in petrol station had given me directions yesterday. Through souvenir market, down motorway and onto road to Sun City. Got to Sun City around half nine, paid for day entry and caught shuttle bus to welcome centre. Paid for tour, then onto tour truck, our guide & driver was Robert, funny bloke. Pretty cold, wish I'd worn trousers. Spent couple hours driving round, chasing animals that had been spotted by other tours. Managed to see herd of about 20 elephant including calves, 3 white rhino sleeping at side of road, lion in distance, leopard at side of truck, several hippo, giraffe, zebra, impala, kudu, eland, gnu (black wildebeest), red hartebeest, water buck, baboon, vervet monkey, mating warthogs. Behind me on truck was bloke from Southampton (Liverpool fan) who was over for the England game. He started in Durban, then Cape Town, then onto Joburg, had been in Sun City a few days. Wishes he'd spent more time in Sun City. Back to car and went back into reserve to drive around myself. Solitary elephant. Mongoose? Saw much of same again but nice to stop when I wanted to. Drove back to the Dam just before sundown, bought a load of firewood from Spar, had a huge fire, lovely and warm. Watched Wayne's World with a few beers. Photos from today