African Skyscrapers and The Hunt For the Big 5

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Day 1

Finally! For the first time ever, I was greeted by a man with a sign at the airport...how exciting!?! I arrived early Thursday morning in Johannesburg and after changing my Dollars to Rands, I set off with my chatty driver (he gave me a thorough introduction to South Africa) towards Pretoria where I would be staying with friends. My first impression of Africa was of the landscape. Now is the tail end of their winter/dry season so the earth is a dusty red-orange color and the sky was vast and bright, crisp, blue. The contrast was gorgeous and I stared out the window for the entire hour and a half drive. Adding to the beauty is the flame tree with its bursts of red-colored flowers on the otherwise naked branches. I got the feeling that this visit to South Africa would be a far cry from the cramped, bustling, urban condition of my previous life in South Korea.

Getting into Pretoria, I unloaded my luggage at the house and then my friend’s husband took me for a drive around the town. I saw that many of the homes are surrounded by razor wire and electric fences to fend of any would-be intruders. We drove past the government building, what I decided must be the equivalent of the U.S. Capitol Building and then we made our first stop at the Voortrekkers Monument. The site was dedicated to the Dutch settlers who “trekked” from the coast near Cape Town, inland towards Pretoria, Johannesburg, and spread through the rest of the country. It was also where I saw my first wildebeest, impala, and African oxen! The monument had a wonderful museum on the lower level and I was able to see Zulu artifacts as well as toys, tapestries, and everyday items used by the pioneers. The main level has a beautiful stone carving that wraps around the entire room, portraying the history of the Dutch in South Africa including the now infamous “Blood River Battle.” The battle is perhaps the most well-known in the country’s history and it was when 300 pioneers defeated 30,000 Zulu warriors and to this day, many believe that it was only because of divine intervention that the pioneers not only were victorious but that they lost not a single man nor suffered a single injury during the ordeal. From the top of the memorial I was able to see over Pretoria and the surrounding area and even noticed the University of South Africa with its soccer ball tower. Our excursion concluded with my first taste of Wimpy’s, the African equivalent of a Steak n’ Shake mixed with a Denny’s. My first taste of real Western food in a year was delicious!

After my nearly 30-hour journey from Busan, South Korea to Pretoria, South Africa with a long stopover in Hong Kong, I was glad to settle into a hot bath with a good book and some bush tea. I also managed to squeeze in a short nap before my friend came home and then it was time to head back to the airport for the second time that day, to pick up my cousin. At the day’s end all I could think about was the adventure that lay ahead, so I fell asleep with images of the lions and zebras I hoped to see on our safari floating through my mind.

Days 2, 3, & 4

The Safari!
We woke up early, packed a cooler and our backpacks, and then set off on a 3.5 hour drive to Kruger National Park where we would be going on safari for the weekend. Along the way we made many stops to admire the scenery of the Drakensburg Mountains, we even saw monkeys along the side of the road (and one not so fortunate monkey in the road...it was really unsettling seeing something that resembled a small child, as road kill.) Several hours into our road trip, we stopped for lunch and to peek into the caves at Sudwala. School is still in session here and so we noticed many kids in vans, blasting party music, and headed into the bush for a literal field trip. Not quite the same as visiting the museums back home! Our accommodations for the weekend were at a lodge in White River, just about 20 minutes from the Numbi gate of Kruger and because our lodge was self-catering, we hit up the grocery store for some fixings and had an evening of cheap wine and an authentic S. African BBQ! People here like their beef, almost as much as I imagine people in Texas do, so we had steaks, corn on the cob, a traditional sausage that they make here, and some pap which is a grain that tastes and has a consistency similar to dry grits back home. While we were grilling, I was able to take advantage of a whole new set of stars and with a little guidance I was even able to locate the Southern Cross! Hard as it may be to believe, it is actually winter here so that means it’s chilly! The winter here feels about the same as fall back in Chicago but coming from a place that was about 90 degrees and about as humid, it has been quite a shock to the system!

We finished our meal under the watchful eyes of a local dog who wandered over, probably to investigate the BBQ and collect snacks...which we ultimately handed over. Once inside, I fell asleep wrapped in about 4 heavy blankets and slept like a baby. At least until 6am the next morning.

The next morning was an early one but I couldn’t gripe because I was too eager to get to the park! We packed up the car with our chicken lunch and I had a quick cup of cocoa to sustain me, before we set off in the direction of Kruger. Numbi was the entrance nearest to our lodge and that is where we entered. Within minutes of passing through the gate, we spotted our first of the “Big 5” (an elite group of animals: the Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, Rhino, and Leopard...to see all 5 is extremely rare,) the buffalo! Not just one, but 5 or 6 massive buffalo stood on either side of the road, one even crossing right in front of us, grazing on the dry grasses that covered the terrain. We immediately began shooting pictures as quickly as we could, swapping lenses when necessary, leaning out the windows to get the best shots. The animals seemed unfazed by our “rapid fire” photography and continued to enjoy their breakfast, safe in the knowledge that they had survived to see another day. The day continued with us driving through the park at about 15 mph, spotting all kinds of animals and birds, and stopping to lean out the window for photo ops. Giraffes, zebras, hippos, monkeys, crocodiles, impalas, kudu, ostriches, mongooses, warthogs, elephants, rhinos, baboons, monkeys, hyenas, vultures, and even lions, were all impressive when viewed in their natural environment. There was something about the way they carried themselves, as if they knew we were on their turf and they were just allowing people to observe them. It was completely unlike any zoo experience and much more amazing. One couldn’t help but be astounded by the sheer height of the giraffes and I made our car stop every single time I saw one calmly grazing on a tree or just crossing the road; they were without a doubt the most easy to photograph animals with the most spectacular results.

The rest of the day was filled with spectacular scenes from the bush and a few truly unforgettable moments. Fairly early in our day, perhaps 10 a.m. or so, we came across an old giraffe that had died from what looked like natural causes. The whole thing looked like a clip from Hitchcock’s “The Birds” because the animal was completely covered in vultures that were making the most horrendous sounds as they tore away at the flesh. Meanwhile, there were no vacant tree branches in a 100-yard radius as they were occupied by still more vultures that looked on with envy. Not long after that vivid scene we came across a tribe of baboons, with their young ones in tow, running right down the road. There couldn’t have been fewer than twenty baboons and they all seemed utterly at ease traveling down the road together, leading a line of cars to follow them. After such an eventful morning, it was hard to imagine what we were in store for after our lunch break!

Lunch was picnic-style at a camp where they had picnic benches and lodges for those who chose to stay in the park overnight. The site had gorgeous views of the old railroad bridge that had once carried trains through what is now Kruger National Park. While we ate I imagined what it must have been like to be an early European settler coming to such an extreme place; seeing lions or elephants for the first time, perhaps ever, and how they might have described these animals in letters to loved ones back home. It was all so surreal even to me, in this age of computers, where within seconds I can pull up an image of any creature I can think of, just to witness the reality, to see an ostrich stand still as a board and listen for danger, it was all too magnificent!

We continued on and admired elephants in various activities: a mother leading her baby across the road, one splashing himself with water, and two playing near a watering hole, they were all so entertaining! I wanted, very badly, to get a good African sunset picture so as the day seemed to wind down, we began searching for a prime sunset spot. We passed open veld (the Afrikaans word for “field”) and thick bush, we crossed over dried up river beds and hills, and finally we found our spot. As the sun set the sky afire, we began snapping our last shots of the day. Once it had set we replaced our lens caps, and packed the cameras in our bags. We didn’t expect that the biggest moment of the day was just moments away. With one shot left on his camera, I heard Michael say “Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is...!” RHINO!!! We had seen elephants and buffalo but the rhinos, lions, and leopards remained elusive. Way back from the road, under the cover of dusk, stood two rhinos having a leisure supper. Unfortunately, by the time we got our cameras out they had disappeared further into the bush, leaving us with what looks like landscape pictures, but we know better!

At this point you would think we kept our cameras out until we had officially departed the park. False. We made a rookie mistake and packed up yet again only to come up on two lionesses sitting casually in the road. I scrambled with my camera, again, all the while getting the distinct feeling the even the cats were mocking me. They looked at me as if to say “Really? Really? You think we sit in the middle of the road for our health? We’re posed perfectly in the middle of the road for you, so are you going to take the picture or not?” The pressure was not helping me, as I fumbled with my lens cap, and in the end I came away with two things: 1) the knowledge that you shouldn’t pack up too early because that’s when all the good stuff will happen and 2) a picture of the backside of a lion walking off into the bush. Lesson learned.

That night we grabbed a pizza for dinner and then stopped to take another stab at capturing the Southern Cross on film. Back at the lodge you can probably guess how long I managed to stay awake...

Bright and early we left for day two in Kruger but decided to make a stop at a place called God’s Window where, on a clear day, you can see all the way to Mozambique! The view was impressive and I enjoyed driving through all the little South African towns and villages along the way but I kept my mind on the prize: seeing the Big 5 in Kruger! After our last minute success yesterday, we were only short the notoriously shy, very elusive leopard. I also thought another rhino sighting and perhaps a closer encounter with a lion would just be the icing on the cake! We had another successful day filled with many of the animals we’d seen the day before but somehow they seemed no less impressive. I even managed to see several lilac-breasted rollers, a most colorful bird that flashes turquoise under its wings when it takes flight. You might have guessed this was far and away my favorite bird! Seeing the Big 5 is not an easy task, probably because of the leopards and their impeccable camouflage. I’ll set the stage. We were driving down the road and I had been feeling lucky all day, from the moment I woke up, and I was praying for some cats. Cheetahs, lions, or leopards, I was desperate for any of them. Then in the distance, we all noticed a gaggle of Volkswagens and BMW’s and we were all seething with excitement! As we pulled up I prayed that it would be a cat, at best I was thinking lions. Then we found a prime opening and pulled right up to a tree with an impala hanging from a branch. LEOPARD!!!! I couldn’t wait! I took a few pictures of the kill up in the tree and then scanned the bush for the offender. It was hard to see anything but then the predator emerged from the bush (and like I said, the camouflage was impeccable!) He stood proud and looked around as if to make sure no one was watching him, eyeing his prize. After he realized the coast was clear, he climbed up the tree with ease, and stood guarding his dinner. It was incredible! My South African friends who were with us had lived there a lifetime and had never seen what we had been able to see in just 2 days! The Big 5! We’d only been in Africa a few days and it was hard to imagine topping that moment. On the way out, true to form, we also caught another glimpse of two lionesses sitting up on a ridge far of in the distance. I knew how lucky we had been and I smiled knowing that my premonition about the day had been right. The entire drive home we gushed about that incredible leopard and our second chance with the lions.

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Photos

Optical Illusion
Inside the Voortrekker Monument.

Pretoria Ablaze!
The "Flame Tree" at its peak.

On the Road
En route to Kruger N.P.

Going on Safari!
At the Numbi Gate of Kruger Nat'l Park.

African Buffalo...No.1!
On a mission to find the "Big 5!"

Awwww...
This little guy was taking a midday break.

Just another day...
Kruger N.P.

African Skyscraper!
Giraffes were one of the most impressive animals at the park.

Baboon-palooza!
These guys ran alongside our vehicle!