SOUTH AFRICA . TOUR BEGINS

Mood status: Exhausted but in high spirits

Location: Camping grounds, (near) Kruger National Park

I've been through a few 6am starts, but this one was particularly rude. All bleary-eyed we loaded our truck, which we were told that we couldn’t call a bus, and started the 600km journey to the top of South Africa. We were making a bee-line to the famous Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in all of Africa to catch the Big 5 the next day at the crack of dawn. Can't say much for the journey except for that it was bumpy, long, lacked air-conditioning and accustomed us well to the next 28 days of overland travelling.

We got to all know each other well though, bonding over card games and our mutual love for adventure. There's about a 50 - 50 split of Germans and Australians, plus 1 American guy and 2 British girls all around the same age. We discussed our first few days in Africa, and all agreed that Johannesburg was nothing like what we had expected were told. The people there were overly friendly everywhere we went and the infrastructure was more reminiscent of a developed country’s than that of a typical 3^rd world’s. Nevertheless, the city is still "transitioning" its many slums into proper suburbs. *Delete few sentences on town planning stuff that no one wants to read about*.

Upon arriving at the camp grounds, we expertly set up our tents, scoffed down dinner and then participated in an evening display of the Shangaan culture by members nearby. This group was formed by the youth who were committed to building a different lifestyle for their communities by cutting out temptations such as alcohol, drugs and gang violence, and replacing this with dance, song and strong sense of pride. The show was simply fantastic, with the group pulling up people from the crowd to join in dance with them. I was one of the lucky ones - or some would say unlucky – who involuntarily made an absolute d*ck of myself by not being able to stomp / shuffle / wiggle with the same expertise as they could.

Just about to head to my tent to snuggle up in my sleeping bag. The temperature has dropped and it's pretty cold so it’s making this camping thing all the more scarier for my novice ass. Wish me luck!