Safari & Sun City resort

The time is counting down until my return! Only about 2 more weeks to go. For me, this fact officially sunk in about 2 weeks ago. I realized that I have been in this beautiful country for about 4 months and really haven't gone outside of Jo'burg to see the sights. So when a few other Canadians mentioned going on a day trip to game reserve and lavish resort, I couldn't resist.

We left Johannesburg about 6am for the 2 hour trip. We stopped over in Pretoria to pick up two other Canadian girls. As soon as we were about 15 minutes outside of Pretoria, the scenary completely changed from big city to rural Africa. This was very exciting as it was a lot more what I was expecting from the country. The houses got smaller, the mountains taller, and everything was much more laid back. We arrived in Pilanesburg at about 10am. The reserve itself was in a huge mountain range and it's incredibly beautiful. We entered the park and immediatly saw a family of warthogs. Over the 6 hours we were there, we saw everything including zebra, elephants, giraffes, deer, springbok, impalas, rhino, hippos, turtles.

It was really such a relaxing experience and I even got to drive around the park....my first time on the left side of the road!

Another feature of this area is a resort called Sun City. In the beginning, we were'nt sure if we were going to go because it was getting a bit late. However, I think we were all completely amazed by this lavish place. When you drive in there are rock walls on either side. As we looked around, we noticed the buildings were a very popular attraction for monkeys. There were monkeys everywhere! In the distance, we could see an extravigant castle. This castle is know as The Palace. This is a very appropriate name because it is truely grand. On either side of the palace are lakes being fed by waterfalls. When you enter there are huge fountains welcoming you. Unfortunatley, entrance was only allowed to guests and tours, so we had to bask from the outside. We then went back to where they call the entertainment centre. Here they have gaming, international food court, gift shops, an arcade, movie theatre, and conference center. On the opposite side of the entertainment centre is the Bridge of Time. It is basically a long bridge with elephant statues on either side acting like sentinals. In the mountains surrounding the bridge there are carvings of elepants, monkeys, and lions. Apparently during the day, there is a simulated volcano under the bridge that pretty impressive. Unfortunatly, or fortunately, we were there in the evening. Everything was lit by torch light, which added a certain magic to the area. In the distance, the palace was also illuminated by torch light. We walked to the end of the bridge and found that it over-looked the Valley of the Waves, which is a simulated ocean where people can lie on the beach, swim, and even surf.

We all decided that was all we could take for the day. We all left feeling like we had really experienced something incredible. All the pictures I took are available on my site and there will be more to come!