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Published: January 14th 2006
The drive to the Kruger National Park was uneventful. Tom had bought a couple of shortwave walkie-talkies so that we could keep in touch as we were driving along. Great idea. The scenery en route was spectacular as we passed through the northern end of the Drakensburg Mountains. We dropped down from the mountains and when we stopped to buy some fruit we could feel the difference in the temperature. It was already getting quite hot.
On arrival at Orpen Gate we went straight to the tented camp and found that a tent can be quite luxurious. Fortunately our tent was one of the more modern ones and so had electricity, complete with fridge, outdoor kitchen, ceiling fan and a fully functional bathroom. The fan helped to move the hot air around so that the 38 degree heat was almost tolerable. We quickly unpacked and then headed off to Tom's brother's (Richard) place nearby. We attracted some strange looks from other campers because we were heading out of the camp at about 18:15 when everyone else was coming in for the night. The camp gates are locked at 18:30 to keep the animals out and to stop stupid people roaming
Our tent
The openair kitchen.about the park at night when it is really dangerous. We arrived at Richard's house and met the rest of Tom's family who were all staying with Richard and his wife (Theresa) for Christmas. After our first South African braai (BBQ) and a very pleasant evening we were escorted back to our camp by Richard and Tom. Good job there was no one else on the road (including animals) because we had all had a bit to drink!
The next day was Christmas Eve and we were back at Richard's bright and early. We all piled into the land rovers and set off into the bush for breakfast. Bacon, sausage and egg in the bush tastes exceptionally good. After breakfast we were looking at the scenery - we were by a water hole or dam, complete with hippopotamus, when we spotted 3 buffalo heading for the water. As we were out of the vehicles it was a bit scary as buffalos are notoriously dangerous. Richard got his rifle and went to investigate. He came back and told us all to crouch down and be very quiet because he had spotted some lions following the buffalo, one of which was
Buffalo alert
3 buffalo heading for the waterhole injured. Even more scary. The lions were very difficult to see because they merge with the vegetation - so no photos of them. 2 males were hidden in the bush and they were looking at us. The females stalking the buffalo did not seem to know we were there. Richard then lined up all the garden chairs so that we could sit in comfort while we watched the goings on. Unfortunately, as soon as the lions came out into the open one of Richard's dogs whimpered and the lions were off like a shot (not in our direction thank god!).
After a lazy afternoon by the pool we went out with Tom and Sarah to see if we could find some elephants. Considering the elephant population in the Kruger is supposed to be out of control, they were surprisingly hard to find. In the end we only spotted a couple in the distance. But on the return journey we came across a white rhino right by the road. What a find. We also saw giraffe and deer of various sorts. Christmas dinner was almost ready when we arrived back. There were 2 turkeys that had been cooked on the
Christmas dinner table
The wearing of the hats was optional! braai. We ate on the verandah liberally covered with insect repellant. Needless to say only one or two people could tolerate wearing the father Christmas hats for very long because of the heat. It was a very different type of Christmas for us, but we enjoyed it enormously and cannot thank Tom and his family enough for their kind and welcoming hospitality.
On Christmas Day we opened our presents in the morning with Sarah and Tom and the rest of the family. Then we headed off to a private game reserve ......see next blog
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