Page 105 - Ath Airport Profile
P. 105
Fat beads of sweat pour down an enormous female elephant’s forehead as she
bashes her head into a tree in rabid fury. Surrounded by mountains of grey flesh,
we watch the negotiations between the herd leader and Deirdre from our Land
Rover with bated breath. Thankfully for us, the tough ranger guiding us on
our afternoon safari through Kruger National Park, gracefully allocated by the
Singita Lebombo luxury lodge, remains cool, calm and collected. The elephant
seems irritated by something while she, with the composure of a family member,
responds in soft, soothing cries. My wife Evgnosia, an American couple and
I, with my bulky photography equipment, obediently shrink back from the
windows avoiding movements or noises that might cause further upset. I feel
as if someone had picked me up from Athens and thrown me into a wildlife
documentary on elephants. Less than 50 hours earlier I had boarded Etihad’s
state-of-the-art Airbus A330-200 to Johannesburg with, as it turned out, a
greatly romanticised idea about my first trip to the Dark Continent. I had
read all relevant articles, guides and narratives in travel magazines and online
while I had watched as many documentaries on South Africa as I could get
my hands on. I got my vaccinations, booked my tickets, packed everything
Singita Lebombo Lodge advised – I was confident I was well prepared. But
now, with the oppressive heat, the unbearable squeeze in the car and, mainly,
Special thanks to Singita Lebombo Lodge, Saskia Brown and Etihad Airlines
Θερμές ευχαριστίες στο Singita Lebombo, τη Saskia Brown και την Etihad Airlines
105
bashes her head into a tree in rabid fury. Surrounded by mountains of grey flesh,
we watch the negotiations between the herd leader and Deirdre from our Land
Rover with bated breath. Thankfully for us, the tough ranger guiding us on
our afternoon safari through Kruger National Park, gracefully allocated by the
Singita Lebombo luxury lodge, remains cool, calm and collected. The elephant
seems irritated by something while she, with the composure of a family member,
responds in soft, soothing cries. My wife Evgnosia, an American couple and
I, with my bulky photography equipment, obediently shrink back from the
windows avoiding movements or noises that might cause further upset. I feel
as if someone had picked me up from Athens and thrown me into a wildlife
documentary on elephants. Less than 50 hours earlier I had boarded Etihad’s
state-of-the-art Airbus A330-200 to Johannesburg with, as it turned out, a
greatly romanticised idea about my first trip to the Dark Continent. I had
read all relevant articles, guides and narratives in travel magazines and online
while I had watched as many documentaries on South Africa as I could get
my hands on. I got my vaccinations, booked my tickets, packed everything
Singita Lebombo Lodge advised – I was confident I was well prepared. But
now, with the oppressive heat, the unbearable squeeze in the car and, mainly,
Special thanks to Singita Lebombo Lodge, Saskia Brown and Etihad Airlines
Θερμές ευχαριστίες στο Singita Lebombo, τη Saskia Brown και την Etihad Airlines
105
