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Published: March 8th 2012
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Blyde River Canyon It took six hours of driving to get from Johannesburg to Balule Plains, a private game reserve less than an hour from the Kruger National Park. I was taken on a night time game drive on the first evening, and I can't say that I particularly enjoyed the experience. Being on safari at sunrise or in the middle of the day is one thing, but being on safari in the pitch black is something else entirely. The guide at the front of the safari truck has a big flashlight, which he constantly shines from side to side to reflect the eyes of any animals nearby. But not being able to properly see your surroundings, not knowing if there's a leopard in the tree above you or a pride of lions just feet away, is pretty unnerving. Oh, it's a good adrenaline rush. But my nerves felt shot to pieces by the time we got back to the lodge, and in fact, I was actually glad that the game drive had ended. As it happened, we didn't see much on that drive, just some wildebeest and impala...but I'm sure there were plenty of eyes watching us that the flashlight didn't catch.
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Sunrise Early the following day - and I mean early - I set out on a morning game drive with a few other visitors to the lodge where I was staying. I took a couple of Lemsip capsules before heading out. I could feel the onset of a sore throat, but aside from wondering how I could pick up a cold in Africa, I didn't think much of it. It was annoying, but bearable. Anyway, the drive got off to an eventful start when the guides realised we had a flat tyre. They had it changed in about fifteen minutes, whilst I and the other passengers stood outside of the truck and kept a look out for animals. Early morning is prime hunting time for many predators, and I played a game with myself where I tried to figure out just how badly the situation could go downhill. I decided that the worst scenario was being trampled by an elephant, partially eaten by a lion and then scavenged by hyenas and jackals.
We didn't even see a zebra.
The purpose of the early morning game drive was to do a bush walk, where you try and find animals on
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Old lion drinking. foot. I was impressed by the tracking skills of the guides. Just by looking at footprints and dung, they were able to take us on the same route that a herd of buffalo had taken over the course of two days. When the guides deduced that we were close enough to leave the vehicle and walk the rest of the way, we set off into the bush in single file, with one armed guide at the front and another at the rear. It took about half an hour of walking, but eventually we came across the herd. It wasn't a good photo opportunity, because we had to hide behind a big bush and peek out through gaps in the foliage - apparently the buffalo might have charged us if they had seen us or caught our scent - but it was exciting to be so close to them without the relative protection of a getaway Jeep.
Just before we were due to head back to the lodge, the guides heard over their radio that a few lions had been spotted quite close by. We set out to find them, and a few lions turned out to be a pride
of twelve lions with two cubs. Although I saw plenty of lions in the Masai Mara and the Ngorongoro Crater, I just can't get enough of them. It was especially exciting this time because it was the first time I had ever seen cubs, not just in the wild but at all. The head of the pride is seventeen years old, and it was clear how frail and tired he looked compared to the others, lagging behind and catching up to them only when they stopped. Our guide explained that although this lion's sons submit to him for now, it likely won't be long before one of them challenges him and takes over. It was sad to see him looking so depressed and world-weary, but so easy to imagine what he must have looked like in his prime. These animals and their social structure really fascinate me, and I can't wait to get up close and personal to them when my volunteer placement starts.
But that's skipping ahead.
After a second far less eventful game drive in the Balule Plains, I transferred to a different safari lodge, this one closer to the Kruger National Park, where I would
stay for the next two nights. Getting to my permanent tent was a bit of a marathon. It was a good ten minute walk from the lodge reception and bar, through a wooded area open to various members of the antelope family as well as rhino and, apparently, a leopard. I didn't see the rhino or the leopard, but there were plenty of impala milling about. There were also plenty of spiders hanging about. And I mean big spiders. Some of my friends might remember the spiders I've adopted over the years. Noodle, Delilah and Tyson. Well, Noodle et al were little specks compared to these bad boys. Honestly, I've never seen spiders so big. One of the staff informed me that the webs are particularly sticky, and if you walk into one, you need to take a shower to wash it all off. And the problem with these webs is that you need to be looking ever so closely in order to avoid them. Not so difficult during the daytime. But at night...it's a nightmare. What should be a ten minute jaunt takes thirty minutes, as you take baby steps and swing your arms in front of you and
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Lion cub :-) silently hope that that twig you just heard cracking was a gazelle and not the leopard.
I went to bed that first night in the tent feeling ill (I had started to get a sore throat, for those of you who weren't paying attention) and I woke up the next morning feeling eight times worse. I was pretty disappointed. At that point, I felt as though I could drag myself through a full day of game driving, but I knew that I wouldn't enjoy a minute of it. Still, I decided that I'd go. The whole reason for coming on this safari was the Kruger, and I had paid a fair amount of money for the trip.
Unfortunately, it became clear within forty-five minutes that there was no way I could spend nine hours on a Jeep with eight other people when all I wanted to do every time I swallowed was burst into tears. One of the drivers from the lodge took me to a clinic in the nearest town and the doctor there gave me a course of antibiotics. I should also add that I used my phone to check my email whilst waiting to see
the doctor, and found that my flight to Cape Town in three days had been cancelled by the airline because of an ongoing dispute with their fuel provider. That combined with the illness and a problem with my bank, the details of which are too complicated to go into, meant that I did an awful lot of crying - probably more than I would have done if I hadn't been travelling by myself. Everything seems worse when you're abroad, never mind when you're abroad and you're alone.
I'm still disappointed that I never actually made it inside the Kruger. I've wanted to go there ever since I first saw the amateur video 'Battle at Kruger', eight minute long footage of an epic battle between a crocodile, some hunting lions, and a herd of buffalo trying to get their baby back unharmed. Oh, well. I guess I now have another reason to return to South Africa in the not too distant future.
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Anna Kendall
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Beautiful
What a beautifully framed photo with wonderful colours - spectacular. xxxxx