Staying at Moditlo Private Game Lodge was a new experience
for everyone. They had never been to a 4
star property where every luxury from soaker tubs in the room, butler service and
spa treatments were at your disposal while in an unfenced hotel literally open to
the wilderness.
We had been warned that when at the room, or sitting on the
deck, to keep windows and doors closed so as not to encourage unwanted
visitors. Baboons, it seems love to
forage in unsuspecting guests suitcases, dashing off with everything from
glasses to cameras and cellphones. Chuckling about this, I visualized a cheeky
monkey wandering off into the bush with someone’s underwear on their head!
Fortunately, we were not bothered by them. One did attempt to steal some fruit off the breakfast
table one morning. The solution? A staff
member placed a cushion with the image of a lion on it facing outside. This was enough to scare the baboon away! Who knew? The occasional quiet antelope would be found
munching beside the path, but unlike other guests who claimed to have had a
pride of lions near their doorway, we did not see anything menacing.
During the daytime, it’s safe to walk between the guest
rooms and main lodge providing you stick to the boardwalk that has been
constructed along the river embankment and is elevated across the river itself
to the main buildings. It’s a dry creek bed
so no water is around, and elephants, baboons, antelope and the occasional buffalo can be seen walking
along the creek.
Nighttime, as I mentioned in a previous post, is another
story. Everyone in the camp is under
strict instructions to be escorted to and from their rooms by one of the staff
members.
We had returned from our evening game drive elated at having
seen the last of the Big Five – a herd of rhinocerous at a distant watering hole
on the property beneath the breathtaking backdrop of the Drakensberg Mountains
and a setting sun.
Charles, one of the porters walked us back to our rooms in
the dark and we told him the time we wanted to be picked up again after
freshening up. I asked him to come for
me at 7:30 pm, giving me about 40 minutes to get ready. Some of the others in the group went straight
to the bar to enjoy a drink or two before dinner at 8:00 pm.
I was ready at 7:25pm, so opened the louvered blinds on the door to
be able to see out when he was coming. I’d
been given a nice bottle of wine as a gift for my birthday, and decided to take
it with me to have with everyone at dinner.
At 7:30 pm, I glanced outside. Pitch black, except for my little deck
light. I waited. At 7:35 pm I carefully opened my door and
stepped on to the porch, eyes darting through the underbrush to see if there
was anything out there, shadowy shapes, bright eyes staring back at me, listening
for sounds. All I could hear was the
occasional laughter and merriment of people enjoying cocktail hour across the
bridge in the lounge!
By 7:40 pm I was pacing.
Why was no one coming for me?
What a ridiculous system! It’s
obvious now they have forgotten to come for me.
What do I do? I could brave it,
and run down the path in hope nothing was out there, but what if there was? I
could open my bottle of wine……
I didn’t want to use the Emergency Buzzer, after all, it
wasn’t a real emergency. But I was
missing valuable time with my friends!
Damn it, where is Charles?
I stepped out on the porch again, wielding my bottle of
Merlot like a weapon, in case something surprised me. I paced under the little light, feeling
really annoyed now.
I gingerly stepped down a few steps to the pathway to see if
I saw a bobbing flashlight with Charles coming toward me. Darkness.
And more laughter from the lodge!
“HELP! Is anyone coming to get me?” I
yelled out into the wilderness in the direction of the lodge. Feeling brave now, I yelled it again.
A rustle in the bush.
I jumped, and scurried back to my room, fumbling with the lock on the door.
I stood inside, watching out the window, willing someone to come.
It was now 7:50. I
was really mad now. Frustrated at not
knowing how to get someone’s attention,
I was just about ready to push the Emergency button when I saw a bobbing
light. It was Charles, practically
running down the pathway towards my room.
“Charles” I yelled. “What
happened? did you forget to pick me up?”
“Yes Madam” said Charles, smiling. “I was asked to do something in the kitchen
and forgot the time”. “Not to worry”, he
said, “you haven’t missed dinner. Your
friends are waiting for you”.
When I arrived at the dining room, still seething, Grant said
he had asked Donald, our butler nearly half an hour ago, to send someone to
fetch me. Seems, something had occurred
in the kitchen that required attention.
As all the staff do multiple jobs around the lodge, they jumped to attention
when asked and in so doing, forgot their guest was still in the room.
Oh well, it is Africa.
Everyone was smiling. It just
meant I had some catching up to do…….
Post script
In my report after the trip was finished, I put in a
suggestion to management regarding retrieving guests after dark from their
rooms. Hopefully it is taken seriously!