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Published: July 15th 2015
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So here we are, as every year, I'm running late on writing the summer holidays blogs....but that's just because, we are way too busy away from any computer....and when the kids are too busy all day long away from their computer, I'm simply an happy Dad!
So we drove all the way from Tiffindell to Queenstown. Tiffindell you can understand if you read the last blog. But seriously, driving to Queenstown....it should be for a burger and more skiing, I can already hear Jo laughing...but sorry, wrong Queenstown, this is Queenstown South Africa. You have never heard of the place...you may have driven through it...but let be honest...why would you stop here. Well, we are on our way to the South and what should be warmer weather....and I don't intend to drive a lot after 5pm when it gets dark on this trip...so a stop in Queenstown, KZN, it is! We are staying in a self-catering. I know, this needs some translation....for 45usd a night, we have a three bedrooms apartment, with a fully equipped kitchen, a washing machine, and even wifi....but that's it! And that's exactly what we need!
At 7.30am we are up...at
9am, we are on the first tee of the internationally well-known Queenstown Golf Course...well, I may already over-react here. We didn't see an other player that day. Tiffany play her 9 holes with us, than followed us to complete the 18 holes. It was nice and cheap....20usd for 3 of us...and we were ready to drive south, four more hours to Addo Elephant National Park just north of Port Elizabeth.
We have booked a "backpacker" for two nights. This is basically a youth hostel. You know my rules, my kids need to learn to be as comfortable in a palace as in a youth hostel....so for the next week...no palace ahead of us! We are staying at the Addo Orange Elephant Backpacker. The place is basic, nice and cheap. I had book with them a full day safari. It was not cheap, but I'd rather let somebody drive and spot for me in a proper safari car. Early morning, I'm learning that a lot of the "tracks" in the park are actually paved roads, or just drivable dirt roads. Slight disappointment on my face. Than the owner of Addo Orange shows me his car, a basic SUV...Am
I really going to pay such a premium for this? Well, John was pretty amazing and understood my face straight on and told me...don't worry, just go with the kids with your own car. I truly appreciate people like John, who will put honest service before their own pocket...so just for this...stay at Addo Orange!
The entrance to the park cost us 45usd for three of us for the day. The park is pretty huge...and as it is named Addo Elephant National Park...we were not looking for monkeys! I p realized pretty fast that most of the park is basically heavy bushes...chance to see a leopard or a rhino today...truly slim...chance to see a lion, pretty slim too....we saw neither, but heard of some sighting of lions by others. We didn't see any giraffe, are they have none in the park! But 30 minutes into the safari, a single elephant showed up on the dirt track just short of 100 meters ahead of us. And he smoothly walked to us...with from time to time his big ears out. I know the sign. So it's on the rear gear....slowly. Well, this lasted for a good 20 minutes, and
I had to drive back a good 500 meters....as nicely, and smoothly, but pretty decided....the elephant was more than happy to follow us! That's an experience!
What we saw a lot, were elephants (you can smile!), buffalos, zebras, kudus, and many others...the last safari I did with the kids was 5 years ago in Sri Lanka, and 1 hour in the safari they lost all searching...they were simply too young. So the question was...are they ready now? Well, they seem to be...the spotting game was fun, and lasted all day long till after sunset!
This was my first self-drive safari....I've done the leopards/elephants in Sri Lanka, but also a very private reserve in South Africa, the Serengeti and NgoroNgoro in Tanzania, the Gorillas on Uganda, and the very nice Okavango Delta. Most of them, in pretty luxurious conditions. So how do you rate a one day, self drive Corolla safari experience sleeping in a backpacker. Well, it is cheap for sure, and you have a lot for your money...so I guess, I will keep doing the very cheap one with the kids....and the very seriously ones...without them...
So no proper lions
in the wild for this time. Next morning, we drove the 50km to the Daniell Cheetah rehabilitation center. There, you can walk a cheetah on a leash....no thanks....are they kidding, no they are not! But you can also spend an hour touring few cages with some interesting comments on how they save all those wild cats, mainly brought in by local farmers. At the end of the tour, you enter the encloser of a tame Cheetah for few minutes. Being 3 meters from the big cat, she raised....and came to cuddle us on her own....like any cute cat, expect that this one is a very different type of cat! It was interesting for me to witness how Leslie is at ease with sharks...but not with big cats!
And this was it for our safari and our drive inland South Africa...as next stop, we are on for more sun, some more cloudy skies too...some chilly temperatures...and some truly fun moments! Coming soon...
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Bonne Mamy
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le nom de cet animal...
C'est un phacochère...