Miss Rhead writes...
Today started with a rendezvous at 0630. By some miracle, all boys were present and correct with warm clothing and the ultimate tour accessory, a freshly filled hot water bottle. We were also given blankets to keep us warm as we headed back out in the jeeps.
Our first stop was back to the cheetahs. We found them quite quickly, and got to enjoy these amazing felines at close proximity. One student asked if they could do us harm. The short answer was 'yes', because they associate humans with food, but our ranger said this was rare. Next stop were the elephants, which we hadn't managed to see yesterday. We caught them enjoying their breakfast and again got incredibly close. We also saw blue wildebeast and a herd of buffalo. Then it was off to see the rhinos, and again, we were very fortunate to see the female, calf and male at very close range. On our way back to the accommodation, we stopped by the lake in the hope that we might see the hippos - we did, but only from a distance because they were on the far side of the lake near the bushes.
Having thawed out by a roaring fire, we were able to enjoy another hearty breakfast before the familiar room checks and the three hour trip back to Cape Town. This afternoon's activity was a self guided tour of the Spring Bok Experience which contained several interactive exhibits as well as memorabilia, facts and artefacts. There was then a couple of hours to enjoy all that the waterfront has to offer - shopping, street performers, people watching etc.
Today's finale was our end of tour dinner at The City Grill where the majority of players and staff tucked into various meats including zebra, ostrich, crocodile and venison. After a lovely evening, we headed back to the hotel for a quieter environment to listen to Mr Gibbs' speech where there were prizes awarded to Ben, for capturing so many of the special highlights on camera, Theo, as the team Captain, James, for being named the Players' player and, finally, the Temple Award for giving 100% in everything was awarded to Tom D. Theo then took to the floor to offer his thoughts about the tour and to thank the staff for their respective roles in making this tour possible.
Setting off from Clayesmore ten days ago seems like a distant memory and over the course of the tour we have all experienced so much. Talking to the boys about their highlights and memories has been fascinating, as well as getting to know them better. As this was their pre season, I am looking forward to seeing how they continue to grow and develop both individually and as a team over the coming season.