World South Africa Mpumalanga

Sarah's Gap Year Sarah's Gap Year

Djuma Vutayela Sep 29, 2011

I feel like a queen! This morning I had tea on the deck with the girls and then they drove me to Djuma Vuyatela, where they work and where I am staying for the next three nights. Today I have a day off to just relax and enjoy myself, and tomorrow Texan is taking me into Dixie. There were no other guests in the morning, but later in the day a mom and her two girls (6 and 9) and an older couple joined me. The lodge is going to be very quite while I’m here… another reason I’m so lucky. They have given me a room that would usually be for a paying guest, but I get to stay here for free because of the Dixie Water Project. The room is huge with a private deck that over looks the bush and has it’s own personal mini-pool as well as a personal lounge were I can sit and drink tea and what not. When I leave my room I am directly across from the spa and I am very close to the Lodge center where there is a huge kitchen/dining room, a library, a gym, a gift shop, a lounge, and a campfire all over looking a huge water hole. It is absolutely beautiful. As if I’m not lucky enough, because I am not really a guest, Nicci and Jessie have given me access to the kitchen where I can grab any food/drinks I want and I am also able to come hang with Nicci in the office. I feel so pampered and lucky to be here! On top of that, because there are not very many guests, I will be able to join the game drives! So I get safaris every day! My first game drive was today at four and it was fantastic. We saw elephant, hippo, giraffe, lion, buffalo, and impala. We also got to experience the lions roaring! We were between two of them and could feel the whole floor shaking. On the drive the two girls decided I was their new best friend and kept pointing out the animals to me. When we got back, the girls and I played a board game until dinner. Our five course meal was no less that delectable and definitely didn’t make me feel like a non-paying volunteer. Overall, it was an amazing day. Even though I didn’t do much until the game drive, it’s just so great to be back in this environment. I forgot how much I love it here and it feels so right to be back where I belong!

Advertisement