Our vacation in South Africa

A few years ago I went to Africa on vacation with my girlfriend. I don't usually take a lot of vacations, and I was very tired after three continuous years of uninterrupted work; so I decided to take some time for us.

Why Africa?

I decided that we would go to Africa because I wanted some sun, and given the climate we have in the UK, it is normal that we always look for warm climates. However, I think I went a bit too far, because we went on a trip to South Africa, and boy how hot it was. It is a vast and beautiful territory, with a lot of fauna and vegetation everywhere, but the heat was overwhelming us.

In any case, the first impact we had with the weather was too strong for my liking. My girlfriend and I started sweating a lot and personally I think my blood pressure went up because of it. I don't know, but in any case, the weather was stressful for me at first, because although I expected the weather to be very hot, it was one thing to know, and quite another to experience it firsthand; especially for people like us, who are from the UK.

Luckily, I had online booked a room in a luxury hotel in the area, so we were guaranteed air conditioning, enjoyment and good service as soon as we arrived at the hotel.

So we went to the hotel

Although the first day we wanted to go see the wildlife of Africa, our bodily reaction to the first contact with the climate there made us prefer to go to the hotel first and leave the excursion and watch the wildlife for later.

So we went to the hotel, I won't say their name, because I don't need or want to advertise them; but my girlfriend and I stayed at one of the best resorts in South Africa; and the experience was unique. Fortunately for them, because for the price it cost me each hotel night, I think I could have bought property in certain parts of South Africa (no, just kidding, I think I'm exaggerating a bit ;)).

The food at the hotel was nothing less than excellent, everything was exquisite, and in this sense, the dish that I liked the most of all the ones I had the opportunity to try on this trip, was one called Braai; which is basically a grilled meat with various vegetables. My girlfriend didn't want to try anything new, so she just ordered a pizza, but I'm not criticizing her, she loves pizza more than anyone and she didn't want to risk trying anything typical...

I must also say that the attention was spectacular. My girlfriend and I spent three whole days without leaving the hotel, basically spending all of that time alternating between the room, the pool area, and the restaurant. We enjoyed every moment we spent at the hotel, and I was able to really relax and unwind from all the stress that comes with my job as a surgeon.

And we never left the hotel?

Well, even though the weather was terrible for us, my girlfriend and I literally forced ourselves to leave the hotel and go on a hike, because you can't go to Africa just to stay in a hotel all the time, right?. Also, I had recently bought a professional camera, and I was excited to be able to use it for the first time on this trip.

So, we went to the Kruger National Park, a large nature reserve in South Africa. There we were able to see many wild animals, and although we were with a guide by our side, basically, I was scared by the big cats (tigers and lions) that roamed the area, so I didn't take too many photos of the animals.

Basically, I took photos of some zebras (which I accidentally deleted while checking the camera on the return trip); and I took pictures of the elephants and giraffes, among others. A pleasant surprise was realizing that in my camera's arsenal of lenses, I carried a wide angle lens that helped me take photos from long distances.

The photos were probably not the best in the world, but I had little time with the camera, so no way, they came out as they should, given the quality of the photographer ;).

By the way, initially I shared in this post some photos of animals and the hotel where we stayed and the food, but I clarify that they were not mine, and I clarify it better, because it leads to confusion; they were images taken randomly from the Internet). Because I accidentally lost all of my photos due to mishandling of the camera. That is why at one point in the post I said that next time I would take them with my smartphone. My apologies for not having clarified it better before, but thanks to the clarification of other users of the platform, I have removed them from the post. My apologies to the community and to all who can concerned about it.

The overall travel experience

My girlfriend and I agreed at the end of the trip that this was an excellent destination to visit. The weather, as I already told you, made us suffer a bit, but for the rest, the trip was an ungettable, enriching and positive experience that I recommend to anyone with an adventurous spirit, or simply who wants to have a different vacation.

Unfortunately, by accident, I deleted not only photos of zebras and other animals (as I already told you), but all the photos that I took on this travel. I guess it was because of my inexperience in handling the camera. And most of the other photos that I was able to save, I gave to a friend of mine who works in microstock and therefore I can't show them to him. I think next time I'll take photos with my smartphone, just in case.

By the way: I would have liked to show all of you the photos taken by me, but as I already told you, I lost them all.

South Africa is a tourist destination like few others, unique, wild, and I must say that I really liked this trip a lot. But from then on, I paid more attention to the temperature level of the destinations I choose to vacation. In any case, I recommend you visit South Africa one day, if you can afford it.

So, we'll see each other when we see each other!