On the first of April, a little over a week since I last talked to Hannes, I wrote out the final check for the safari.  Although there are still expenses to come, after this check is deposited the bulk of the cost will have been paid.  The airline tickets have long since been paid for, and today's check for $1,850 covers the balance of my daily rate and my trophy fees.

We are well past the no-turning-back point, but even so I felt a little better once I had placed the check in the mail.  I'll still have to pay the fees to dip and pack my animals for transport to America, and then of course there are the shipping costs to think about.  The biggest thing left however is going to be the taxidermy bill, but fortunately that will more than likely be spread out over a couple of years.