It all started with a drive of 180km to Sun City north of Johannesburg where we stayed in a timeshare appartment with Basil and Penny. The first day we spent wandering around the lush oasis with its opulent hotels, golf courses, swimming pools and lakes. It was 37C every day we were there but a very dry heat and thus quite bearable in the shade. We wandered in to the Palace of the Lost City and saw this amazing statue of Shabu a bull elephant that died in the park aged 80 yrs.
Then we were up at 5am the next day for a dawn game drive through Pilanesberg National Park which is based inside a huge ancient volcano.
We saw lots of elephants bathing in the river and wallowing in the mud. There were white rhino around every corner. Giraffes and Zebra mingled with impala, springbok, kudu and many other species of antelope.
We saw hippos grazing along the edge of lakes and a large eagle with a snake in its mouth. It was very hot and there were 6 of us and and a 3 month old baby in Basil and Penny's 4x4 which was luckily airconditioned. We drove for about 6 hours before returning to the appartment for lunch and a rest. 
Then later in the afternoon we went out again and saw more elephants and rhino. The elephants were browsing on the road and we had to wait a long time for them to finish and move away. One elephant didn't like how close we were and decided to charge us so we backed away quickly. 
The next day was even hotter so we went down the fantastic Valley of the Waves where there is a wave pool that generates 2m high waves to surf on.
It was very crowded with young kids as you can imagine. In the evening we went on a night safari with a tour operator and had the highlight of our African adventure.At first we saw only a few lone bull elephants in the distance but then we stumbled on a herd of elephants on the road and one particular one called 'Steroids' took an exception to us and charged us. Luckily we were near an electrified hide and we took shelter there until he moved away sufficiently for us to break out at high speed. Then shortly afterwards we came across two very large male lions sauntering down the road. We stopped and one went one side of the safari vehicle and the other brushed past us on the other side before disappearing. And then if that was not enough a few minutes later we spotted a leopard crossing the road ahead of us. Our guide told us he had not seen a leopard for 6 months and on the last night drive he had done they only saw impala.
On the way back we were held up by a white rhino grazing on the road and then the guide spotted a spotted genet (a medium sized cat) in a tree. So we had three cats in the safari and our guide told us it was the best night drive he had ever done.
Then it was alas back to Jo'burg to catch our flight to Sydney where David's cousin Cyndy was waiting to meet us and then onto NZ and the end of a great holiday and adventure.
And that our friends is the end. The end of a great adventure through Eastern and Central Europe and South Africa. We will be back again in 2009 when we will head south into Belgium and into France winding by river and canal to Strasbourg and then follow the Rhine and the River Main through Bavaria and down to the Blue Danube before returning down the Rhine to Ossenzijl. If any of you will be in Europe next year then get in touch with Wendy and I, because we would love to see you, and show you the beauty of the European waterways from the decks of Le Fabuleux.
Until next year this is David and Wendy signing off.
