South Africa Solo Diaries
Claudine Vandenabeele
HI
Well, I am sorry for answering so late to your mail, but this is just because I am so busy that I hardly have the time to consult my mails!
I am having a great time here at Garonga. The team is fantastic, the lodge is stunning and I get to do a lot of different things. I definitely feel part as the G team now.
I have no complaints, no problems whatsoever. Everything is going very smoothly and time is indeed flying. I hope that you had some positive feedback from Bernie last week at the show in London!
When the sun comes back (today is grey and cold), I'll take some pictures and will send them to you.
My solo placement at Garonga Safari Camp has been an amazing experience. First of all, because of the place itself, a wonderful lodge in the middle of a wild environment, with a fantastic atmosphere. Secondly, because of the people I worked with. Bernie and his staff welcomed me as part of the team and made me feel at home.
It was a real pleasure to help wherever and whenever I could. During these 3 months I learned a lot about the hospitality industry and discovered new skills. It is an experience that I will value in my future professional life.' Thanks Claudine
Louise Hill
hey, everything is great here having a fantastic time here things couldn’t be better! I’m totally spoilt with my accommodation having my own room sharing a house with one other girl we have our own kitchen bathroom shower room patio and bbq... what more could you want! met some really cool people.
student programe is running here at the moment and have met loads of people around my age which is great and some i am going to meet up with when we get home.i have been moving around the camp the past three weeks just familiarising myself with faces and responsibilities. i have been working a few days in the kitchen which is fun, preparing for afternoon tea and dinner.
I have been in charge of housekeeping over the last couple of weeks because margie has been on leave, i have hosted a couple of dinners on my own, and loads with vanessa. i am also learning to drive properly and am now confidently driving myself to and from the logde... clever me!! vanessa goes on leave in a couple of weeks and i will be then taking over her role as general manager until she gets back which will be a great experience for me and a great challenge, so i am really looking forward to that!
it has been a great first few weeks couldnt ask for any more! the experience is amazing and worlds away from anything i would get at home! missing home a little but know when im home a week and told everyone what i have been doing, and seen everyone i will just want to be back here.hope everything is fine with you? louise x
Jess Donald
Dear Guy,
We finally are in cape town with as much time as we wish to sit and chat on the internet, so we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to fill you in on our last 3 months at kwa Madwala. . .Firstly, thank you so much for finding us such a great lodge, it really was stunning and Conrad was fantastic. Our days passed extremely quickly, it was incredibly scary how fast it all went.
Each day we would work an 8 hour shift and then have the rest of the day off to join in on the gap yr programme or relax by the pool. Examples of things we did with the gap students were tracking lions and hyenas with 2 experts who came to visit and going on game drives and bush walks.
Conrad was extremely kind and helpful, allowing us quite a lot of time off to accompany the students on all kinds of trips-from day trips to those lasting 10 days. For example we went with them to a crocodile farm, went caving and to the mines. Conrad was also willing to let us go to Sabie for 10 days, which was awesome, it was an action packed few days, filled with abseiling, bridge jumping and white water rafting!
Our last trip was too Mozambique, during the last week of march, actually over Jess' birthday, which was amazing! We stayed right on the edge of a lagoon, which was gorgeous-white sand, clear blue water etc and with the Indian ocean crashing on the shore just over the sand bar. All the trips were amazing and we're very grateful to Conrad for allowing us the time to do them.Overall our time at kwa madwala was an incredible experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We hope this is a satisfactory update on all our going ons over the last 3 months.
Thank you so much once again, everything you did is much appreciated, we had such fun. Hope you and Charlotte are well, happy belated Easter. All our love, Jess and Bells