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Only one full day left of the month in the bush. It’s amazing how time flies when you’ve got loads to do and lots of fun. I came here a bit worried about the length, thinking that this will be a long time to spend in the bush. But it has just flown by and it’s with a bit of sadness that I’m writing this last post from Selati.

Assessments done and over with

All assessments are now done and over with and there are quite a few newly certified guides that I believe will be a great addition to the industry.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride from day one. We’ve all shared a lot here. Laughter’s, disappointments, achievement’s, happiness, it’s all been shared and close friendship’s has been made. I’m sure we’ll all feel at bit of sorrow tomorrow when it is time to say good bye to each other.

A changed man

The plain thought of the amount of information that has been passed on to us all, and the amount of knowledge that we’ve got is hard to come to terms with. One whole month of continuous new information…It’s been hard to grasp it all, but I’m sure that in due time as things have sunk in a bit, I’ll know I’ve learned a lot here, besides the fact of just being in the bush and reconnecting with Nature.

Question now I guess, is to ask myself if the course and time in the bush has changed me at all and have I been reconnected with Nature as I wanted to?

The saying that you’ll never be the same man as you were before a long journey is fully justified here.

I’ve changed a fair bit in my views and values to the better I believe. Seeing Nature as the complex, magnificent and epical living form it is, you can’t deny the fact that Nature is what control us all and it is what flow through us.

Reconnected with Nature

The feeble attempts from mankind to try to harness and control Nature, only to see it slip through their hands, show us all that we mustn’t try to control it, but to listen to it, to learn from it and to follow the way it shows us. I’m not going philosophical here but it is hard to keep something that grand, simple.

We don’t need to go all Thoreau here or do the full Into the Wild journey to reconnect with Nature. Doing the month in the bush with EcoTraining is something that I believe everyone should try on if time allows. It provides a wealth of knowledge and understandings with the option to do a full certification. Or you could do it for a full two weeks with all the interaction and experience, but without the tests and certifications. A small interest at least in Nature is a plus, but for the average novice “Nature-dweller” it isn’t a need, it’s just a bonus. You’ll learn to love it. I can guarantee it.

This is the first big step on a journey into the wild that will reconnect you to Nature.

Thanks to the gang

I want to take this time to dedicate a few thoughts to new found friends in the group that I might not meet any more after tomorrow.

Ash, the crazy Brit/Swiss/Sefrican cowboy that has given this group the humor, uplift and energy at all times. Without you it would indeed have been a lot harder. Thanks for believing in me and seeing my Petonq qualities, making me raise to World Champ! Hope to share a few beers with you again in the future mate!

Charlie, the Aussie I had to spend my nights with. This young raging bull straight out of the Australian island, that almost trampled me to death at times in our tent. Good times mate, but I’m not going to miss your smelly feet!

Lindsey, the feisty sheila from Down Under with a very strong opinion. The talks in front of the fire, the friendly banters, the effortless tries to teach me trees and the constant reminder of me being old. Will miss it all and best of luck back home in Oz!

Justin, the South African equivalent of Crocodile Dundee, the Brahma bull with his everlasting energy and alpha male bare chest with techno music pounding from the earphones. Good luck with the birds buddy and e

Souqi – The global child that I still haven’t figured out which country she actually belong to. I’ve never seen a human being consume those amounts of coffee on a daily basis.

Nick – the other half of the South African young guns together with Justin. The biggest drink bill in a week in EcoTraining’s history. Respect mate!

Ralph and MJ – The place wasn’t the same after your departure. We’ll be in touch!

My journey continues tomorrow to Botswana for a few days followed by a few more days in Cape Town before going home.

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Today was meant to be our first day off in two weeks’ time, which meant a full day to do whatever we like. The majority decided to head in to Hoedspruit for a change of scenery, to stock up on things and to just get away for a while. All were ready to go and pack the cars to take off. Unfortunately as we picked up our wallets and cash we realized that there’d been a break in and thousands of rand had been taken out of our wallets.

Stuck with the cops

The money was gone and so was the day off, as we had to wait for the cops to come and do their magic…

Therefore the day turned from a pleasant day off, to an ordeal filled with police investigations while we attuned ourselves into lectures instead of sipping on cold lagers from the tap in a sun-drenched Hoedspruit.

It wasn’t all happy faces in the lecture room, but these things happen and we just got on with the day and normal procedures.

Driving in the bush

A few days ago we started to change the drives a bit, where we the students took place as drivers, to practice handling the big and powerful monsters – the safari jeeps.

It’s quite a difference driving one of them bad boys, compared to a regular car. Comparing the drive here with a Sunday drive through Stockholm? Yeah it is very different!

Don’t drive too fast as you’ll might miss the game. Think about the passengers…Is it the proper speed for them? Make it as smooth as possible – lowest gear going down those bumpy hills. Keep an eye out for animals, birds and trees and once you’ve spotted them, make sure to stop in the right position for the perfect camera shot. And of course safety…What if there’s an elephant lurking about just around the next turn?

A bit different than the Stockholm traffic

It was my turn to take the driver seat, grabbing hold of the heavy steering wheel, and take it for a spin in the bush. With the hot afternoon late summer soon slowly moving closer to the horizon I pulled out of camp to guide the rest towards a good game drive.

It took a while to get used to the car, the gearbox and power, but I’m quite satisfied, spotting a whole herd of impalas that allowed us to enjoy their grazing at close range, four giraffes that also were pretty relaxed about our presence and some kudus.

No major errors to report in terms of the driving and it proved to be a better end of the day than the way it all started as we spotted two well fed female lions resting in the evening breeze by the river.

It cost us a bit but…it was a good day after all!

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This is the End