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Published: April 3rd 2019
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Hi,
I started writing this back in Joburg after an amazing trip to Kruger. I could write a book about our five nights there but I will have to pick out the highlights for you.
Chris's choice of accommodation at Foxy Crocodile Bush retreat was fabulous and we let the owners Mark and Gail organise us, I know that is pretty hard to do but they were good at it. The cottage was great, we chilled in the pool after our activities and loved having food cooked for us. A lovely lady called Gracie works with them and she exudes Grace, she is well named.
Wednesday we drove into the nearest town and walked in the street and did some shopping for drinks and lunches and breakfasts. We needed just to chill after the drive from Joburg.
Our first activity was the sunset drive, organised by our hosts, and we just drove to Crocodile Bridge and joined a safari run by the Kruger park. Our first encounter with wildlife was astonishing, as we entered the park, we couldn't get a across the bridge as a lioness was stalking impala. Our guide Andy was very knowledgeable, amusing in
a South African way and we had about 3 hours of safari. While it was light we saw porcupine, a black striped jackal, a white rhino and its young,warthog, gnu, kudzu and the highlight two huge bull elephants coming down to the river to drink. The bird life is amazing too but most people we pretty uninterested. We spotted fish eagles, a martial eagle, vultures and yellow storks and European rollers, which apparently appear in Murcia where we live in Spain. Once it got dark we were looking with searchlights and the highlight was a cheetah with four young adults.
We got back to Foxy and showered off the safari dust and Mark cooked us the most amazing steak. People who know me well will tell you I am not a big meat eater, yes I enjoy it (lamb is my favourite), but it's not the be all and end all. There was 1.5kg of t bone between us and it had been marinating for 2 days as it had been postponed from the previous night. In South Africa they cook on a braai an Afrikaans word for barbeque, they use wood and it got to an amazing heat.
The taste was awesome and we ate it with a delicious fresh salad. I could not manage all of mine so saved it for lunch the next day.
Thursday we were up and ready at 4.45 to go on our private safari with 4 other guests from Foxy. We were in a 10 seater jeep so everyone had a window seat. We got to the park gate at 5.15AM and dawn was just breaking as our guide Jan set off. We had been driving 5 minutes when he got a message from another guide to say there were lions on the road. At this time of year the grass is long and it makes spotting the animals harder but in the morning when it is damp the lions prefer to walk on the road. Sure enough there were 8 lions on the road just chilling and ignoring the cars. Unlike our safari in Sri Lanka there were not too many vehicles and no Chinese tourists making so much noise it chased the animals away.
We spent 5-6 hours in the park and saw cheetahs close up on the road, giraffes looking majestic, hippos peeping out of the water
and an amazing family of elephants, including a 3 month old baby. It wasn't just about the big stuff either, Jan spotted a small tortoise and a funky chameleon and while we ate breakfast colourful red bishops were dotting around the reeds but too small and too fast to get a photo.
In the evening Gracie made us a traditional African meal of pap, tomato sauce , baby marrow and chicken. Pap is made from mealy mealy, ground corn and boiled up like polenta and you make small bowl shaped pieces to use to eat the food. Finger food at its best, very simple but so tasty.
Friday was another early start, 6.30 am for a fishing trip. Chris has enjoyed trying to catch fish on a couple of our trips and usually goes alone. As there were also bird watching opportunities I went too. Our expert was a lovely guy called Anton a high school engineering teacher and his son Adriaan. We were joined by a family from Joburg, Mark and his two sons Michael and AJ, who were real pros! Mark has a list of fish he wants to catch and tiger fish on the Komati
river was on the list. He worked in banking and was definitely wired. As you can imagine we were not popular, I landed the first fish, a big catfish and Chris got the last and biggest tiger fish! To be honest I got bored after the first hour and just sat and enjoyed the views on a beautiful stretch of river, the tiny Jacana were stunning. The locals call them Jesus birds as they look like they are walking on water.
Friday was an emotional day for Chris as the sale of Aunty Pat's house was completed and all of his work to do with her estate just about finished too. Although the next steps are about securing property for us and the each of his sons. In the evening had delicious food in a local restaurant, booked by Mark and we were well looked after by the manager Emma.
Saturday we decided to walk along Crocodile river and enjoyed the fabulous views, the birds, wild flowers and butterflies. We ended much further away from the main road than we thought and it was very hot and sticky but two strokes of luck or serendipity saves the day.
I asked a lady the way and she dropped her friend off and came back and gave us a lift to the Marloth shops. We misjudged the distance back to Foxy, 5km in 25°, so we had a cold drink and decided to try and hitch a lift. Who should be passing but Mark, problem solved.
We had an early meal of fish and fabulous vegetable bake and the set off for our last game drive, the night drive. Our guide was Jacob and after a it of trouble with the vehicle and the searchlights we set off for a two hour journey searching for animals. We were not disappointed and within 5 minutes we were right next to a pride of eight lions, closely followed by a small herd of elephants, three rhinos chilling in the grass and hippos, giraffes and gnus. Jacob spotted elephants bathing in a pool and it was great to watch. He got a call to say there had been a lion kill but by we got there a jackal and two hyenas were hewing on the impala bones. We had a scary moment as we left the park, about 15-20 elephants either side
of the road and a mum and baby in front of the jeep. There was some noise from the elephants and they moved closer but Jacob switched all the lights off and once the baby was off the road we moved on. Phew!
Sunday we reluctantly left Kruger and drove back to Joburg, to a different guesthouse which was much better, lean, comfy and spacious and with organised breakfasts. Its not much to ask! Monday we took the car back, did a bit of shopping ready for the train to Cape Town. By we got back to the guesthouse Chris had a message to say the train was cancelled. Plan B and I organised a flight and Chris booked an extra night in Cape Town. The train was 25 hours and an overnight sleeper and we would have got to see great swathes of the countryside, the upside and extra day in Cape Town. A cheap and cheerful ribs and salad meal was the end of our Joburg adventure.
Tuesday we flew here to Cape Town and what a difference, it feels like being released from prison. We are by the sea and it is safe to walk
around. We settled into our new guesthouse and had a wander and ate Portuguese food for dinner.
There is loads to see here but more of that next time, hope you enjoyed reading this.
Norma x
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