Life at Mashatu - Africa #2

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Remember to click on first photo then watch as a slide show, using arrows to progress and to scroll down to notes.

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Photos

Cosy Tent
Our large tent had two beds and ample furniture & electric lights. The outer, heavy fly 'door' was good to have the night a leopard was in the area!

Outdoor 'Bathroom'
A protective wooden wall led us out to a thatched roof toilet, a wash basin (shown) and to the right a shower area.

Roofless Shower Tree
Actually a great shower attached to the trunk of a huge shade tree - concrete floor - plenty of hot water.

Elephant Parade
On morning two's drive we came out of the scrub to be confronted by a herd of elephant filing their way to the local water course. Wow!

Family Group
Although they almost ignored us it was still evident that older ones 'protected' the young as they passed close to our vehicles.

Impala at the Hide
Mashatu had a camoflaged hide that we could access unseen by the animals - it was infront of a water hole giving us a close up view.

Cheetah
It took some skilful tracking and eyesight to spot these cheetah from a distance. Beautiful, elegant animals that basically ignored us. Another wow!

Don't look at me like that!
It's hard to describe the feeling you have when a lioness walks towards your vehicle, seemingly with its gaze on you! And, the driver just sits there smiling!

Those Eyes!
Our first encounter with lions found a small group relaxing in the afternoon sun - not hungry, we hoped. This one walked straight past, but really eyed us off.

Leopard
To finish a great day of big cat encounters - leopard! A call from another vehicle on the radio & we were there in minutes - awesome under spotlight (knew where she was)

What, why park here?
The strategy, like with the elephant, was to park in the deduced path of the animals. This shot shows 3 lions about to squeeze their way past this 4WD - some nervous occupants!

Better than a Zoo
Day 3 with the elephants - on a feeding wander this time - parked in front of them and they just wandered around us. This young one came to within 4 metres of our vehicle, despite the excited chat.

Zebra
To Jan's delight we spotted a small group of zebra on day 3. They were very flighty at most sightings so it was great to get close to this group.

Warthog
Out on the drives the warthogs fled at the first sight of our vehicles. This big male wandered around our Boma while we were having brunch & didn't flinch at the sudden crowd of viewers.

Outdoor Dining
A horse-shoe of candle lit tables in a brush enclosure with open front, looking out onto scrub lit by spotlight. Lovely local food & cooking styles. Plus an extra few lights because what we thought were the grunts of warthog were a leopard on the prowl ... !!!

Comments

[Chris Woodham]

Will tell your Mum about both blogs
Garry - I am so glad that I checked my emails before seeing your mum today - Easter Saturday. Also, a blog was received from your brother, Ian. From your photographs and descriptions, Africa certainly appears to be a land of contrasts. Please keep up the good work in reporting your round-the-world tour. Yvonne and I can't wait to see all of your photographs when you return to Sydney. Your envious cousin - Chris

[Maria Adams]

Easter Greetings
Wishing you both and your families a very Happy Easter. What a fabulous experience this trip is for you.Seeing the photos makes it so much closer to reality. The photos you have taken are amazing. Keep safe and enjoying yourselves . Hugs X

[Dave and Jenny Blizard]

Africa
Hi Guys Looks like a interesting place to visit. Great Pics. Not sure about the accomodation but yeh, in are in Africa! Keep sending through the blogs, and enjoy yourselves. Luv Jenny and Dave

[Gordon]

Bathroom
Bet the ladies had never seen a bathroom like this before! Can't see the hair dryer?

[Gordon]

The Adventure
Looks like you guys are having the adventure of a lifetime. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.

[Debbie]

Closeness
Can't believe how close you are to wild (dangerous) animals. Keep having fun (& staqy safe).