Mabula to Johannesburg, South Africa

The animals were active during our safari drive on our final morning in Mabula, but elephants remained elusive.

We found plenty of zebras and a few giraffes, which I think most of us learned to identify by the time we could read picture books or had eaten Animal Crackers.

Dung Beetles, which another guest asked to stop to see.

Look close to find the head of a crocodile whose body is submerged.

We saw no lions or cheetahs this day. 

Cheetahs are the only one of the Big Five that are not currently residing in Mabula Game Reserve.  Not long ago, other wild felines killed Mabula's last cheetah.  I assume Mabula management might find a new pair to re-balance their reserve's eco-system in the not-too-distant future.

While those cheetahs were not poached, Mabula employs a team of armed game wardens to discourage and disrupt poachers.  Rhinos in particular are at risk because of the value of their horns on the black market.  Even the number of rhinoceros in Mabula is kept secret.

Julie and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this Game Lodge.  I would say everyone in our group left with cheerful attitudes and fond memories about Mabula and our guides.

Zebras seemed to be plentiful on our final morning in Mabula.

Many in our group would be continuing from here to Victoria Falls, a 3-day add-on that would've doubled the price.  A few would head to Chobe National Park after Victoria Falls. Their up-close and personal photos of the Big Five at Chobe looked quite enticing.  Julie and I hope to return to do a trip to that part of Africa. 

After another great breakfast, we were driving to Johannesburg.  As it turned out, we saw elephants off the side of the road as we drove, so we could check that animal off the list of the Big Five spotted.

We made an extended stop at a gift shop with cafe, where prices were modest.

I showed Julie a scarf that I thought she should get, and she brought a hat to me.  We didn't buy either.

Julie found a pair of socks for our granddaughter that we bought.

Bird at Rest Stop

We had a bag of chips and a soda just before our scheduled departure time.

A black cat wandered over and sat by us, which I declared to be a cheetah with one giant spot, so that we could claim we had seen the Big Five.

We report, you decide.

Of course, someone ordered a hot sandwich at the last minute, so we all were waiting a a few minutes longer than planned, which may or may not have resulted in us finding heavier traffic going into the big city of Johannesburg.

On the bus ride, Anni presented each of the women with a loverly scarf (Julie's has elephants on it) and the men with South Africa souvenir camouflage ball caps.  That was a very nice gesture that made me wonder if she had watched Julie and me shopping in the store.

We dropped some of our group at the airport for flights home, or in the case of one couple to fly to Dubai and another to Istanbul to continue their vacations.  Either seems a good choice to break up the long flights with fascinating enroute stays.

As it turned out, the part of our group continuing on to Victoria Falls and beyond were staying at the same hotel as Julie and me, the Radisson.  We had independently selected the Radisson because it looked to be a very nice property with a free airport shuttle and a good value.

Anni offered even more alarmist advice regarding the area around our hotel than she had rendered in Cape Town.  She said to stay within "the compound," meaning to enjoy the pool, lounges, gym, restaurants and comfortable rooms, but don't stray from the property for any reason.

The reason we had booked our one-night stay in Johannesburg had not been to see the city but rather because we didn't want to do a morning safari, then board a bus, and then board a plane for long flights home.  We were just planning to chill out in a luxurious hotel in the same way we had in Cairo after cruising the Nile and touring Egypt, which is exactly what we did.

Julie and I had paid the extra $15 to go with an Executive upgrade, and that was well worth it.

The exclusive Executive Lounge had complimentary light snacks and cappuccinos for us when we arrived, a free happy hour with wine, beer and tapas, and breakfast in the morning.

The gentleman working there when we arrived went out of his way to make our time in the lounge very special.

The panoramic views of the surrounding area were lovely, especially at sunset.

Our flight didn't depart until evening, so we first requested a late checkout, then checked our bags with the Concierge while we lounged by the swimming pool for our final afternoon in South Africa.

More cats were hanging out by the pool, including some tabbies who looked sort of like tigers.  Any animal spotting points for that?

The shuttle driver took us to the airport in a friendly, timely manner, earning a tip.  The flight home went smoothly.

I often comment on movies I watch on flights. This time, the airline featured a lot of Academy Award nominees, and most to me seemed to have terrible concepts and, upon watching just a few minutes, executions.

The only movie from this trip (an another a few weeks later) that I enjoyed was a little-known New Zealand film called Bookworm, which had far more true surprise and movie magic than any of the Award winners.

I also started watching two Paramount series, Tulsa King and Lioness, both of which I continued watching for weeks upon returning home.  They are much coarser than that PG movie that I enjoyed during one of our flights, but they're captivating in their own ways.