Its a Guide's Life for me

Started at Wilderness Pafuri Camp in the Makuleke concession on 27th April and never has the phrase "thrown in at the deep end" been so  apt!! Wilderness were short of a guide and had an over booked lodge for the weekend so instead of a 2 week long induction shadowing guides and learning the ropes i arrive on the the friday night and i had 9 guests arriving on the saturday lunchtime ready for an afternoon drive. Lets just say quick learning and a thick skin was needed as most of the staff were less than friendly and not willing to show me anything more than here is the "kitchen and your room is down that walk way some where". It was pretty daunting as my first guiding job but there was nothing to do but get on with it! No time to worry or ask questions. We have a saying here which is "make a plan" you can pretty much apply this phrase to any situation you are unsure of or any problem you need to fix! I made a plan and fast!

Anyways my guests arrived and were a group of 9 americans all over the age of 50 and for the majority of them it was their first time on safari which really made my job a whole lot easier! We stopped at every single impala for the first 2 hours with as many ooohhs and ahhhhhhs as at a magicians show! (impala are a very common antelope for those of you non african bush go-ers!) It was a great first drive, i had a lot of fun showing them all the small things and the big things, highlight was having sundowners over looking the Luhvuvu river as a huge breeding herd of elephant crossed in front of us! Needless to say job done on day one and the guests had no idea it was my first real safari guide drive with paying guests! The elephant that charged us on the way back to camp in the dark was a little more unexpected and slightly less professional! haha

The next 3 days with the same guests went well and I have really got into the swing of it now, my average day is: up at 5am, wake up guests at 5.30am, tea at 6 and out of the lodge on morning drive by 6.30am, back at 10am for brunch and then clean the car, report the sightings, empty the drinks box, sleep for an hour and then start the process again, out on drive at 3.30pm back at 7.30pm eat dinner with guests in bed by 10am repeat repeat repeat for the next 6 weeks!!! 

Its full on and barely anytime to chill or socialise with anyone but your guests, but its awesome i have no complaints and i totally love my job and don't even feel like i am working! Which is what i have always wanted in life to do a job but not feel like i have worked for a single day!

This evening I found my first Leopard, driving back to the lodge thought i would just swing by the airstrip to see if there was anything going there. Within minutes of entering the area I caught sight of the most beautiful female leopard, we disturbed her and she ran off, managed to find her again and this time she was crouched down and in the stalking position.........not only had I found my first Leopard but a leopard hunting at night =  big jackpot!!! After a bit of bashing through the bush and driving off road we followed her as she chased after impala unfortunately she didn't make a kill but no doubt she is sitting with a full belly now!

Totally awesome evening and very happy i found my first leopard, rounded the evening off with a beer bought for me by the manager to congratulate me on finding my first leopard and on my 3rd night of my guiding career which is apparently a first for wilderness pafuri camp!

All in all a great start to an awesome job and a career I just know I am going to love!