I woke up so early this morning, nervous and excited! I eventually got N up, we got dressed and off we went. The Cryobank couldn't be any further away. Usually I think it would be about 20 min drive but the traffic was ridiculous so it took longer. Once there it all went so quickly, I told him the donor number, he prepared it the swimmers (our gynae wanted it defrosted), we paid and left. It was a mad rush to the gynae's office and took us about 40 min. I was panicked about the temperature of the swimmers, we were told to keep the tube between our breast but seriously we are not gifted at all in that department so N had to keep it under her arm where it stayed nice and warm. Once we got there we practically ran to the office, asked for the nurse, sat for a few minutes in the waiting room and then went through to the exam room.
When he came in he got started quickly. He took a look at the sperm and was impressed that the quantity was good, he then filled the long siringe thing and got rid of the air bubbles. He inserted this thing to open up enough to get the swimmers to the right position, put the siringe in place and let the swimmers free. It wasn't really painful just a bit uncomfortable.
He said to do a progesterone blood test on Tuesday but other than that he just said to test two days after AF is suppposed to start. So now we wait the long wait!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Follicle Scan
I went for my follicle scan this afternoon and I have one very good one. Its 23mm big which means that I should be ovulating tomorrow, with the follicle size being 25mm. Tomorrow will be CD13 and usually my cycle is a bit longer than 28 days (I think) so its a bit early.
N has taken tomorrow off so in the morning we'll quickly go to the Cryobank to get our little swimmers then off to the gynae to put them in where they need to be.
I'm nervous, very nervous. I'm scared this doesn't work and then we'll have to skip next month because of the Cryobank being closed for December so things will be delayed even more.
N has taken tomorrow off so in the morning we'll quickly go to the Cryobank to get our little swimmers then off to the gynae to put them in where they need to be.
I'm nervous, very nervous. I'm scared this doesn't work and then we'll have to skip next month because of the Cryobank being closed for December so things will be delayed even more.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Spoilt for choice
Our second bedroom is currently home to the treadmill, an old chest of drawers, our huge suit cases and a ton of wedding stuff. I'm gradually sorting it all out but it takes time. I don't know what to do with all the wedding things, there's candles, favour boxes, glass jars, paper, packets, craft supplies, you name it its there in boxes. I'll somehow have to find something to do with it. The whole point of it is to sort the room out, preferably for the baby but if not then for an office-type room.
We've already ordered a dark mahogany six draw chest of drawers, which will work equally well for either a baby's room or an office (we have dark mahogany furniture throughout the house and we don't plan on changing it). So the next step is to paint. I've wanted to paint this room for a while now as its currently white and a bit stark. I've seen so many pictures of gorgeously serene rooms painted in a light sage / mint kind of colour, so that's what we're going with.
I went to the hardware store to get some of those paint sample card thingies (whatever they're called) to check which colour we'd want. Its ridiculous, there's far too much of a variety, so I just took a bunch and hoped for the best.
We eventually chose the bottom colour called Grecian Garland, not too bright and not too white. And its a good colour for either a boy or a girl ..... or an office-type room.
I can't wait to get started, not sure though when that may be!
We've already ordered a dark mahogany six draw chest of drawers, which will work equally well for either a baby's room or an office (we have dark mahogany furniture throughout the house and we don't plan on changing it). So the next step is to paint. I've wanted to paint this room for a while now as its currently white and a bit stark. I've seen so many pictures of gorgeously serene rooms painted in a light sage / mint kind of colour, so that's what we're going with.
I went to the hardware store to get some of those paint sample card thingies (whatever they're called) to check which colour we'd want. Its ridiculous, there's far too much of a variety, so I just took a bunch and hoped for the best.
We eventually chose the bottom colour called Grecian Garland, not too bright and not too white. And its a good colour for either a boy or a girl ..... or an office-type room.
I can't wait to get started, not sure though when that may be!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Another Monday
I've been a bit sick since Thursday but feeling much better today. N looked after me so well, giving me foot massages, making me slushy cold drinks, making me food, loving me more and more - she'd make such a perfect mother. On Friday when she got home from work she took me to the pharmacy and got some medicine then we went home and she made dinner while I lazed on the sofa.
On Saturday I felt terrible but we had invited N's best friend and his pregnant girlfriend over for a braai so I took loads of tablets and we entertained for the afternoon, luckily they didn't stay too long. I loved having a pregnant woman over, I had so many questions to ask about her pregnancy so far. She's 5 months and they're having a girl that they're going to name Madison. I only found out afterwards that she is actually 39 years old - amazing! This woman doesn't look a day over 30 / 32 max, so it shows how pregnancy makes some woman really glow. I was a little jealous of her, being pregnant, she looked so content and so happy knowing that she has this little life inside of her. I long for that feeling!
I went to the library today (I'm so impressed with their selection) and got a bunch of books, one being a book on conception, pregnancy and birth. Although I have done quite a bit of research on conception via IUI, I didn't realize there were so many seemingly small things that could prevent you from getting pregnant. Its quite scary and I'm nervous that I might take forever to conceive. This book gives valuable advise on lifestyle changes and nutrients / vitamins that you should be taking at least three months prior to conception to ensure a healthy pregnancy. The more I read the more excited and nervous I get. Excited because we can't wait to welcome a new life into our little family and nervous because I don't know how long it will take or if I'll even get pregnant, its making me very anxious!
On Saturday I felt terrible but we had invited N's best friend and his pregnant girlfriend over for a braai so I took loads of tablets and we entertained for the afternoon, luckily they didn't stay too long. I loved having a pregnant woman over, I had so many questions to ask about her pregnancy so far. She's 5 months and they're having a girl that they're going to name Madison. I only found out afterwards that she is actually 39 years old - amazing! This woman doesn't look a day over 30 / 32 max, so it shows how pregnancy makes some woman really glow. I was a little jealous of her, being pregnant, she looked so content and so happy knowing that she has this little life inside of her. I long for that feeling!
I went to the library today (I'm so impressed with their selection) and got a bunch of books, one being a book on conception, pregnancy and birth. Although I have done quite a bit of research on conception via IUI, I didn't realize there were so many seemingly small things that could prevent you from getting pregnant. Its quite scary and I'm nervous that I might take forever to conceive. This book gives valuable advise on lifestyle changes and nutrients / vitamins that you should be taking at least three months prior to conception to ensure a healthy pregnancy. The more I read the more excited and nervous I get. Excited because we can't wait to welcome a new life into our little family and nervous because I don't know how long it will take or if I'll even get pregnant, its making me very anxious!
Friday, November 13, 2009
The count begins....
Today is CD2, so I called and made my appointment for the follicle scan / sonar (whatever its called) for Monday, 23 November. N won't join me for this as I don't want her to take too much time off work but she'll definitely be there for the insemination.
I made a couple of calls and spoke to the sister at our OB/GYN's office and she said we could try using another sperm bank if we found a suitable one with the certain criteria that she gave me. So from what I found out there are two other sperm banks in our province. The one only uses their sperm for the clients of their fertility clinic and the other, Medfem Clinic, will only use for their clients of their fertility clinic and a selected few doctors patients in Sandton. This would mean we'd have to change our doc and there is also a significant price difference (it would cost more than double of what we're now going to pay). But I still wanted to keep my options open so one of the very friendly staff at Medfem sent me their caucasian donor list. Their list consists of 15 donors but in all honesty their donors are not all that great. As I mentioned before here in SA we are legally only allowed a very small amount of info on the donor, so we've concentrated on the complexion, height, weight, hair & eye colour and their education / career. Now looking at this criteria they don't have much more to offer than the other sperm bank which we're going with, so its really not going to be worth all the extra money.
As far as physical attributes go we're looking for a donor with similarities to N (obviously), which are green eyes, dark blond hair, medium complexion, medium build and not too tall. And as far as hobbies are concerned they must be sporty, and lastly they need to have some really good educational background or career (I haven't seen one that doesn't have or isn't busy with a university degree). Not all of our criteria can be met precisely but we'll go with the closest match.
I made a couple of calls and spoke to the sister at our OB/GYN's office and she said we could try using another sperm bank if we found a suitable one with the certain criteria that she gave me. So from what I found out there are two other sperm banks in our province. The one only uses their sperm for the clients of their fertility clinic and the other, Medfem Clinic, will only use for their clients of their fertility clinic and a selected few doctors patients in Sandton. This would mean we'd have to change our doc and there is also a significant price difference (it would cost more than double of what we're now going to pay). But I still wanted to keep my options open so one of the very friendly staff at Medfem sent me their caucasian donor list. Their list consists of 15 donors but in all honesty their donors are not all that great. As I mentioned before here in SA we are legally only allowed a very small amount of info on the donor, so we've concentrated on the complexion, height, weight, hair & eye colour and their education / career. Now looking at this criteria they don't have much more to offer than the other sperm bank which we're going with, so its really not going to be worth all the extra money.
As far as physical attributes go we're looking for a donor with similarities to N (obviously), which are green eyes, dark blond hair, medium complexion, medium build and not too tall. And as far as hobbies are concerned they must be sporty, and lastly they need to have some really good educational background or career (I haven't seen one that doesn't have or isn't busy with a university degree). Not all of our criteria can be met precisely but we'll go with the closest match.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Finally!
Our photographer emailed me this morning to let us know that our wedding photo book and disk full of photo's are ready. So we're going to see him next Wednesday, I'm so excited to see them. We're getting the square, 30cm x 30cm photo book which was included in our package, I hope it looks good.
Last week our officiant / minister let us know that our marriage was finally registered on the Home Affair's system. So this morning we went to the Home Affair's Department to get a printed copy of our marriage certificate, its so good to see that our marriage is official! Because N took my surname she had to change her ID book and all her details at the bank. Next is her work (for her salary) and a few other little things (like clothing store cards). Then its all done, and we can live our married lives happily together.
Last week our officiant / minister let us know that our marriage was finally registered on the Home Affair's system. So this morning we went to the Home Affair's Department to get a printed copy of our marriage certificate, its so good to see that our marriage is official! Because N took my surname she had to change her ID book and all her details at the bank. Next is her work (for her salary) and a few other little things (like clothing store cards). Then its all done, and we can live our married lives happily together.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Keeping record
My mom doesn't know that N and I are going to be TTC (and nor does anyone else for that matter) but long ago I remember her telling me that she kept a detailed record (almost like a scrapbook) of her pregnancy with me and my first year of life.
When I read it I couldn't help but get all teared up. She wrote about how much she was looking forward to meeting her new baby girl and how she's so lucky that she's going to have a girl as that's what her and my dad were hoping for. She also wrote about how she felt during the pregnancy and took pictures of her tummy as the months went by. During the first year she wrote of the progress which I was making and the things that I liked to do (like sucking the water out of my wash cloth during my bath). She said I loved my dad so much that I used to scream if he walked past me without picking me up, such a daddy's girl! There was a photo of my Dad holding me when I had just had a bath, he was so proud of his baby girl, you could just tell. I miss him too much for words, and it saddens me so much that our child will never know him, such a wonderful father, such a wonderful person.
I want that, I want our child to look back one day and see how much we wanted him/her and how much we treasured every moment of them growing up.
When I read it I couldn't help but get all teared up. She wrote about how much she was looking forward to meeting her new baby girl and how she's so lucky that she's going to have a girl as that's what her and my dad were hoping for. She also wrote about how she felt during the pregnancy and took pictures of her tummy as the months went by. During the first year she wrote of the progress which I was making and the things that I liked to do (like sucking the water out of my wash cloth during my bath). She said I loved my dad so much that I used to scream if he walked past me without picking me up, such a daddy's girl! There was a photo of my Dad holding me when I had just had a bath, he was so proud of his baby girl, you could just tell. I miss him too much for words, and it saddens me so much that our child will never know him, such a wonderful father, such a wonderful person.
I want that, I want our child to look back one day and see how much we wanted him/her and how much we treasured every moment of them growing up.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Potential donors
My OB/GYN called me bright and early this morning to give me the results of the progesterone test. He says my levels are high enough so no meds will be necessary. He told me which Cryobank they use and said that on CD12 I should come in to check my follicle size and depending on the outcome we'll schedule the insemination anything from one to a couple of days time.
I called the Cryobank and got a printout of the donor database. I was quite dissapointed when I saw it. They only have five caucasian donors, I really thought there would be so many more to choose from. Basically they tell you their height, weight, complexion, colour of eyes, colour of hair, hobbies, career / education, blood type and ofcourse their race. When N gets home we'll look at it together but so far I've narrowed it down to two possible donors, both sound intellegant and sporty. It makes me wonder though how honest the donors are, do you really know what kind of sperm you're getting.
I called the Cryobank and got a printout of the donor database. I was quite dissapointed when I saw it. They only have five caucasian donors, I really thought there would be so many more to choose from. Basically they tell you their height, weight, complexion, colour of eyes, colour of hair, hobbies, career / education, blood type and ofcourse their race. When N gets home we'll look at it together but so far I've narrowed it down to two possible donors, both sound intellegant and sporty. It makes me wonder though how honest the donors are, do you really know what kind of sperm you're getting.
This blog
I gave my blog a little make-over as you can see. I considered getting a totally new blog in light of our new venture but I decided against it. This was never a wedding blog, it was a blog about our lives which happened to include wedding planning. That being said this will remain a blog about our lives together, as a newlywed couple.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ah the twists and turns
I mentioned sometime ago that the reason that I haven't been updating this blog much is due to us being so busy and simply not having time to. That is true and is one of the reasons but the main reason is we've had a big change of heart regarding something very major. I had not wanted to talk about it until we had discussed it thoroughly and taken considerable time to absorb both our fears, feelings and reasons for our change in "direction".
I had had this feeling for months, I knew it was what I wanted to do, what I was supposed to do. When I lost my job due to the retrenchment in June / July I got to spend more time at home and more time with my mom and I remember feeling more and more that what I had been considering was right for me, for N & I.
I posted before on how I couldn't see myself as a mother and how I wasn't sure if I ever wanted children but boy have things changed!! Its like a switch went off and I can't think of much else. We agreed that we'd start TTC next year. So I called my gynecologists office to make an appointment, usually there's a three to four month waiting list but suddenly we were in luck and got an appointment for November 5th. Of course to me this was a very positive sign (sign no. 1).
N and I went to the appointment and the three of us discussed everything from my cycle to how the IUI procedure would work. He did the internal exam and showed me where everything was and where everything would go during the insemination. He also did a pap smear and a progesterone blood test, for which I am still awaiting the results. When we were done he said "So we'll be trying for your next cycle will we?". I was shocked and hadn't considered doing it this soon but I took it as another positive sign (sign no. 2).
How its going to work is my first AF day I'll call and make the appointment for 14 days time. They'll give me the names of the sperm banks which they recommend and I'll contact them and set up an appointment. If need be I'll be put on Clomid for a short time. On the insemination day I'll collect the sperm (or it will be delivered) and go to the gyne's office where he'll perform the procedure.
He said that he'll do IUI up to six times before resorting to further investigation if I don't fall pregnant. He said there's a less than 25% (if my memory serves me correctly) chance of falling pregnant each time as the sperm is not as good a quality, due to being frozen and defrosted, as "fresh" sperm.
I've been reading tons of TTC blogs and am totally aware that this might be a very long journey. I've read of some couples trying for two years without any luck, I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle that disappointment time and time again, but I'm definitely willing to try.
So with that our TTC journey begins.....
I had had this feeling for months, I knew it was what I wanted to do, what I was supposed to do. When I lost my job due to the retrenchment in June / July I got to spend more time at home and more time with my mom and I remember feeling more and more that what I had been considering was right for me, for N & I.
I posted before on how I couldn't see myself as a mother and how I wasn't sure if I ever wanted children but boy have things changed!! Its like a switch went off and I can't think of much else. We agreed that we'd start TTC next year. So I called my gynecologists office to make an appointment, usually there's a three to four month waiting list but suddenly we were in luck and got an appointment for November 5th. Of course to me this was a very positive sign (sign no. 1).
N and I went to the appointment and the three of us discussed everything from my cycle to how the IUI procedure would work. He did the internal exam and showed me where everything was and where everything would go during the insemination. He also did a pap smear and a progesterone blood test, for which I am still awaiting the results. When we were done he said "So we'll be trying for your next cycle will we?". I was shocked and hadn't considered doing it this soon but I took it as another positive sign (sign no. 2).
How its going to work is my first AF day I'll call and make the appointment for 14 days time. They'll give me the names of the sperm banks which they recommend and I'll contact them and set up an appointment. If need be I'll be put on Clomid for a short time. On the insemination day I'll collect the sperm (or it will be delivered) and go to the gyne's office where he'll perform the procedure.
He said that he'll do IUI up to six times before resorting to further investigation if I don't fall pregnant. He said there's a less than 25% (if my memory serves me correctly) chance of falling pregnant each time as the sperm is not as good a quality, due to being frozen and defrosted, as "fresh" sperm.
I've been reading tons of TTC blogs and am totally aware that this might be a very long journey. I've read of some couples trying for two years without any luck, I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle that disappointment time and time again, but I'm definitely willing to try.
So with that our TTC journey begins.....
Honeymoon Part 4
Our last destination was Umdloti, further down the north coast. There we stayed for three nights, two nights at one apartment and one at another. Both places were luxury beach apartments which were superb! The apartments were on the beach front but this didn't make much difference as the weather was terrible the entire stay. Both apartments gave us champagne and sherry, which was perfect for the weather.
Apartment 1
The view
Apartment 2
From day one it was overcast and rainy but we did get to walk on the beach and even got to see dolphins (N was hoping for whales since it was whale season but we weren't in luck).
The weather
Umdloti Beach
Umhlanga Beach
Sand art on Umhlanga Beach
The lighthouse
All in all we had the most brilliant honeymoon and I could not have asked for more!
Apartment 1
The view
Apartment 2
From day one it was overcast and rainy but we did get to walk on the beach and even got to see dolphins (N was hoping for whales since it was whale season but we weren't in luck).
The weather
Umdloti Beach
Umhlanga Beach
Sand art on Umhlanga Beach
The lighthouse
All in all we had the most brilliant honeymoon and I could not have asked for more!
Honeymoon Part 3
Our next stop was St. Lucia, where we stayed at Seasands Lodge for two nights. St. Lucia is small town, visited by fisherman and tourists, and known mainly for being mostly surrounded by water. On the one side is the ocean and on the other is the estuary. If you go to the right places you'll discover that St. Lucia is a stunning destination. The estuary is really quite shallow (just over a 1.5mtr deep in parts) and is home to crocodiles, hippos and tons of bird life.
Our accommodation
On our first day we went on a boat trip up the estuary and got to see loads of hippos and a crocodile, and a gorgeous sunset.
The next day was the best! We packed lots of drinks and a picnic basket and spent the day at Cape Vidal. Cape Vidal is a game reserve with the best of both worlds. There is wildlife (rhinos, buck, buffalo, leopard and so much more), with the estuary on one side and beautiful beaches on the other side. Our first stop was a lookout point to see all the beauty of this wetland, then Mission Rocks (part of Cape Vidal). After quite a long drive we arrived at the beach area. This beach stretches as far as the eye can see. The long white beach was gorgeous and perfect for snorkeling, except that the sea was a bit rough that day so our hired snorkeling gear was unused. We lay on the beach for a while then had a quick swim and off we went for the rest of the drive. We saw rhino, warthogs and monkeys on the way back. When we left Cape Vidal we went to St. Lucia beach and saw where the ocean met the estuary, and also got a very close up look at the playful hippos (they were just 10 mtr away from us with no fences).
Mission rocks
The estuary from Cape Vidal
Cape Vidal Beach
The rhino
Where the ocean and estuary meet
The hippos in the estuary
St. Lucia Beach
Our accommodation
On our first day we went on a boat trip up the estuary and got to see loads of hippos and a crocodile, and a gorgeous sunset.
The next day was the best! We packed lots of drinks and a picnic basket and spent the day at Cape Vidal. Cape Vidal is a game reserve with the best of both worlds. There is wildlife (rhinos, buck, buffalo, leopard and so much more), with the estuary on one side and beautiful beaches on the other side. Our first stop was a lookout point to see all the beauty of this wetland, then Mission Rocks (part of Cape Vidal). After quite a long drive we arrived at the beach area. This beach stretches as far as the eye can see. The long white beach was gorgeous and perfect for snorkeling, except that the sea was a bit rough that day so our hired snorkeling gear was unused. We lay on the beach for a while then had a quick swim and off we went for the rest of the drive. We saw rhino, warthogs and monkeys on the way back. When we left Cape Vidal we went to St. Lucia beach and saw where the ocean met the estuary, and also got a very close up look at the playful hippos (they were just 10 mtr away from us with no fences).
Mission rocks
The estuary from Cape Vidal
Cape Vidal Beach
The rhino
Where the ocean and estuary meet
The hippos in the estuary
St. Lucia Beach
Monday, November 2, 2009
Honeymoon Part 2
This part was definitely our favourite part of the honeymoon. We stayed at Thula Thula Private Game Reserve for three nights. We could not have asked for a more indulgent stay!
On the Saturday we left from Blythedale Beach and made our way up to Thula Thula. It was about a three hour drive. Once we arrived we parked our car and were collected by our game ranger and our tracker. They took us through to our chalet and showed us where everything was and got settled in.
Here's our ranger, David and our tracker, Promise. And my lovely N of course!
The lodge has no fences so the animals are free to roam wherever they want. The gardens consisted of huge high trees, long bright green lawns, all surrounded by thick lush bush. The tranquility of this place was incredible!
Here's some pic's of the place
This what a normal day at Thula Thula consists of:
Early morning game drive (with a stop half way for hot chocolate, Amarula and rusks)
Gourmet breakfast
Bush walk
Gourmet lunch
Iced tea / iced coffee at 16:00
Late afternoon / Early evening game drive (with a stop half way for sundowners and snacks)
Gourmet dinner
We took full advantage of having the entire lodge to ourselves for almost our whole stay. This meant that we had exclusivity to our game ranger and tracker, so could do whatever we wanted and whenever we wanted.
On our very first game drive we were charged by a over protective male elephant, Mabula. This was the highlight of our trip! Having this massive animal charge your vehicle knowing that it could very well kill you was such an experience. We didn't realise the severity of the situation until we sped away from the heard and got told by the ranger how dangerous it actually was. There were many babies in the heard and the young male was hoping to be the next in charge, so he was trying to show he could very well be in charge.
We returned to the lodge and had a boma dinner. The food at Thula is spectacular to say the least. Everything is 5 star! Breakfast is a three course meal as well as lunch, but dinner is a four course meal. We opted for variety in the settings in which we ate. Our first nights dinner was in the boma with the fire, second was a private dinner and third was at the luxury tented camp for something a little less rich.
Here's one days menu:
Breakfast
Freshly baked croissants and muffins, cheese, jam
Fruit salad
Potato rosti topped w/ spinach, tomato, mozzarella and scrambled egg.
Lunch
Smoked salmon and couscous salad
Chicken and spinach roulade w/ pumpkin dish
Trio of chocolate tarts
Dinner
Curried courgette soup
Fried aubergine and roast pepper salad w/ yoghurt and cucumber dressing
Grilled sweet chili chicken breasts on a sweet potato cake with chili chocolate sauce
Amarula creme brule w/ nougatine ice cream
In the following few days we ate like kings, went on game drives, game walks, drank great wine and relaxed. We saw loads of animals - elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, nyala, impala, kudu, a Mozambican spitting cobra and lots more. We even had the heard of elephant by the lodge. It was too good to be true to be eating lunch and watching the elephants come closer and closer to us. I would go back in a heart beat, I never expected to have such an attachment to a place! I was so sad to leave. Pure luxury in nature at its best.
On the Saturday we left from Blythedale Beach and made our way up to Thula Thula. It was about a three hour drive. Once we arrived we parked our car and were collected by our game ranger and our tracker. They took us through to our chalet and showed us where everything was and got settled in.
Here's our ranger, David and our tracker, Promise. And my lovely N of course!
The lodge has no fences so the animals are free to roam wherever they want. The gardens consisted of huge high trees, long bright green lawns, all surrounded by thick lush bush. The tranquility of this place was incredible!
Here's some pic's of the place
This what a normal day at Thula Thula consists of:
Early morning game drive (with a stop half way for hot chocolate, Amarula and rusks)
Gourmet breakfast
Bush walk
Gourmet lunch
Iced tea / iced coffee at 16:00
Late afternoon / Early evening game drive (with a stop half way for sundowners and snacks)
Gourmet dinner
We took full advantage of having the entire lodge to ourselves for almost our whole stay. This meant that we had exclusivity to our game ranger and tracker, so could do whatever we wanted and whenever we wanted.
On our very first game drive we were charged by a over protective male elephant, Mabula. This was the highlight of our trip! Having this massive animal charge your vehicle knowing that it could very well kill you was such an experience. We didn't realise the severity of the situation until we sped away from the heard and got told by the ranger how dangerous it actually was. There were many babies in the heard and the young male was hoping to be the next in charge, so he was trying to show he could very well be in charge.
We returned to the lodge and had a boma dinner. The food at Thula is spectacular to say the least. Everything is 5 star! Breakfast is a three course meal as well as lunch, but dinner is a four course meal. We opted for variety in the settings in which we ate. Our first nights dinner was in the boma with the fire, second was a private dinner and third was at the luxury tented camp for something a little less rich.
Here's one days menu:
Breakfast
Freshly baked croissants and muffins, cheese, jam
Fruit salad
Potato rosti topped w/ spinach, tomato, mozzarella and scrambled egg.
Lunch
Smoked salmon and couscous salad
Chicken and spinach roulade w/ pumpkin dish
Trio of chocolate tarts
Dinner
Curried courgette soup
Fried aubergine and roast pepper salad w/ yoghurt and cucumber dressing
Grilled sweet chili chicken breasts on a sweet potato cake with chili chocolate sauce
Amarula creme brule w/ nougatine ice cream
In the following few days we ate like kings, went on game drives, game walks, drank great wine and relaxed. We saw loads of animals - elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, nyala, impala, kudu, a Mozambican spitting cobra and lots more. We even had the heard of elephant by the lodge. It was too good to be true to be eating lunch and watching the elephants come closer and closer to us. I would go back in a heart beat, I never expected to have such an attachment to a place! I was so sad to leave. Pure luxury in nature at its best.
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