Peter and I were thinking of going on a special holiday. I had to attend a clinic at our local hospital and saw on the front page of a magazine called 'able' there was an article about safari holidays for the disabled.
I took the magazine with me and I could not believe what I was reading about Epic Enabled safari holidays in South Africa. Peter read the article and we both knew this was what we anted to do, so we booked it.
We flew out in April and Alfie, who organises it all, met us at Johannesburg and took us to Willow Park for a night. Alfie picked us up early the next morning and drove to the kruger national park getting there late in the afternoon, even as we drove to the camp site that evening we saw three of the big five. The next three days were absolutely brilliant seeing all of the animals in their natural habitat. We went out twice a day, sometimes we saw only a few animals and on other drives we saw many different species, in all we saw over thirty different animals including the big five.
I would just mention that before moving on to the game reserve Alfie told me we would be walking with lions and cheetahs, I said nothing as I thought he was joking.
When we got to the game reserve for our last three days and I saw the jeep they were going to use for the game drives I did not think I would be able to get on it. But Alfie had it all sorted out. They lifted me up in my wheelchair using Alfies truck lift and I just slid across onto the seat in the jeep. There seemed to be nothing that had not been thought about. Agaian the drives in the game reserve were very exciting but the highlights were, yes, the walks with the lions and cheetahs. I felt very priviledged especially being so close and able to stroke the cheetahs.
And then just as we thought it could not get any better we were off to see Jessica. Initially we thought it was a long way to go to see a hippo, but once there and so close, well I cannot describe how I felt. Then I was invited to feed Jessica, my immediate reaction was, oh no, I can't do this but I did, and then I was given a large coca cola bottle with weak rooibos tea in it to give to Jessica, it was unbelievable how quickly she drank it. Then back to the game reserve for our last night. The next day back to johannesburgh and then we flew to Port Elizabeth from where we drove along the coast to Cape Town. The highlight there was seeing the penguins at boulders beach. The whole holiday was fantastic and the safari went so smoothly and I have just had all my photos back, nearly 200 of them. It was certainly the holiday of a lifetime, I had never thought in my wildest dreams that I, in a wheelchair, would be able to go on a safari holiday and if there is anybody out there who thinks they can't do it because they are in a wheelchair think again, you can. Alfie and his wife sabine have made it possible for us to do this and I just want to say a huge thank-you to you both.
love Joyce
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