The Trip

With winter fast approaching, it is now possible to spend more than 10 min outside without having to dodge those pesky ultra-violets. So after a weekend of honing our bush skills in Codys room, surviving on our instincts and microwave lasagne alone, we decided some bird watching would be a good way to test our newfound prowess.

Planning was essential, as the African bush can be a harsh place if you are not properly prepared. I got Codys backpack out and started to pack the essentials needed for a day out in the bush. Water, a snakebite kit, GPS, and a bucket of sunscreen were some of the items I laid out on the bed. It was at this point that Cody walked in and asked, “what u doing?” After a thorough explanation of why we needed all these things, Cody, without saying a word, left me alone to pack for our little adventure. With all the important stuff packed I called to Cody to get ready. “I’m getting some stuff for the trip” came his reply.
“Well bring them here so I can pack them. We need to get going.”

So he did. The first item he brought was his torch. This proved he understood the realities and dangers facing us in the wilds of Africa. His next contribution was his entire DVD collection. All 86 of them were dumped on the bed. I asked why we needed DVDs on a hike, to which he responded, “So we don’t get bored”. I explained that we needed stuff that could help us if things went wrong. I could see the penny drop. So he cleared all the DVDs up and put them back in his room, returning with 4 DVDs and proudly handing them to me. “What are these?” I inquired, “Helping DVDs” he answered. The DVDs he had selected were, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Brother Bear, Madagascar and The Wild. So in they went. I`m sure they could come in handy on our morning hike. He then brought flippers for swimming across rivers, a tennis ball so we could play with the animals, sticky tape to stick things with and an extra pair of undies. The undies I could understand, after all the bush could be a scary place.

Now with all our stuff packed we got into the car, ready to go. Luckily living in Africa puts you slap bang in the middle of a huge variety of natural wonders. So I decided to give Cody the choice of where to go. The forest, bushveld, coastal dunes or the mangroves. We were spoilt for choice. I could see him processing all the options. After a long silence came his answer, “Lets go to the lounge, I want to watch Tom and Jerry