The Anniversary Trip Part 3

Sun City’s motto is ‘one destination … a million thrills’. I had seen that over and over again when I researched the resort before we got there. I thought it was just one of those sales gimmicks, but there really are a million thrills here! Of the million thrills, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine of them are dangerous adventures. So how do we cram all these thrills into our 3-day stay?

Day one we spent wondering around the resort assessing what we would actually do and what we would just gape at. I wanted to go on the hot air balloon ride, hubby wanted to do the safari tour. In my opinion, a hot air balloon ride is by far safer, don’t you think? What’s the worst that can happen? You probably fall off and the parachute thingy activates abi? And if it doesn’t then you crash to the floor break a few bones and then…

But the safari tour takes you into almost touching distance of SA’s big 5 – the Rhino, the Buffalo, the Tiger, the Lion and the Elephant. You think say na lie? I will post some pictures tomorrow.  What do you think would happen if you got into the path of a lion? Or elephant for that matter? Wait for the pictures and see.

So that’s how we settled for the quad bike ride (see profile pics), we each had our own bikes and were taken into the bush with a female guide. There I was whizzing around on a bike and finally understanding why the bike fad is gaining ground in naija. And the guide in front of me stops abruptly… ‘turn around quickly, we have to go back’

‘Why?’ I am trying to calculate the time, is our one hour up already?

‘There are 4 rhinos blocking the path and they are headed this way!’

Talk about adrenaline. My head is pounding, my hands are shaking. I can’t find the reverse stick on the bike. I can’t move and the rhinos are in my view. Crazy…. In 5 seconds I have wondered who will care for our children. When I get to heaven what would I tell Jesus that I was doing in the South African bush when I should be spreading the gospel somewhere.

‘Oh Lord, help me, forgive me, I will serve you forever, just get me out’

Then as if that was not bad enough, the guide takes off leaving us there to go check out another route. We are all alone in the bush in the direct path of a family of rhinos, as large as can be. I know I wanted some adventure, but I didn’t want to die in the adventure. Surely, this is madness!!!

I don’t know how I turned, but somehow I did turn the bike and we retreated to another part of the bush and the guide came back to say there were more rhinos behind, we were hemmed in. ‘Oh God, did you not hear my earlier cry? Please help!’

And a few minutes later, she said we could go through, they had gone back into the bush. So do we crawl by? Do we throttle past? What if the noise of the bikes brings them out of the bushes again? Aah, confusion is indeed a curse.

I just throttled full speed after the guide. When I looked back, hubby was not there…