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This blog has taken a bit longer than we had expected as we have been without Internet access for a week while we have been in Kruger National Park area so there is a bit to catch up on. Buckle in for a long read or skip to the pictures.
Spent Sunday just lazing around the Garden Court Hotel in Johannesburg catching up an bit of sleep which we had lost to jet lag and talking to an Aussie couple who we met at the hotel.
Monday morning we were picked up by a safari company to drive us to Kruger National Park and headed north across the high veldt. It took about 6 hours to get to our lodge which was on the edge of the park. As soon as we arrived we headed out for a 3 hr evening/night game drive. The night rolled in real quick and the only way that you could see anything was with a spot light which was being held in one hand by our driver as she steered with the other. This normally wouldn't be a problem on tar seal roads but we were bumping over rutted dirt tracks
looking for animals...and they think we have a problem in NZ with using cell phones while you drive!
At one point we arrived at a reservoir which a small herd of elephants was drinking at so we sat and watched them by spot light for sometime. They were only about 10 meters at the most away from us and it was amazing to hear all the rumbling noises as the talked to each other. A little baby elephant did a mock charge at one stage and ran away very dejected when greeted by laughter from the jeep. It was a fantastic evening and a great start to our trip
Tuesday morning we went on a four hour walking safari with two guides. When I say guides I really mean to say guards cause both were carrying 303 rifles and were very particular when giving us a safety briefing about the dangers of walking safaris. It was a little concerning when one kept making sure we had all signed an indemnity form. We we're lucky enough to walk to within about 50 metres of 5 giraffe who didn't seem too perturbed by us. We also walked beside
a river and saw a large pod if hippos doing whatever hippos do. The walk was a great experience just being at the same level as the animals and knowing that you were in their territory.
That evening we headed to our new accommodation for the next 4 days "Marc's treehouse camp" which is just what it's say's as our house in up on stilts and in amongst the trees overlooking a river. The place is a local style built place with walls made of reeds which is all very well if you don't mind the wind and cold and don't mind the local monkeys having access to your possessions via the large spacious glassless windows. This place also has antelope wandering around the area, as there is no fence between it and the National Park, which again is all very nice unless you happen to come across a cape buffalo when you are walking to dinner. They tell you in the books not to run! But I don't know who wrote those books but obviously someone with a stronger constitution than Steph and I.
The next day we visited Kruger National Park and spent a
full day looking for different animals. Top of the wish list was a leopard which are extremely elusive (and after the full day drive still are). We had a great day driving and looking at animals of all sorts including giraffe, wildebeest, cape buffalo and other antelope varieties. We saw rhino in the distance and one about 100 metres away and towards the end of the day sat and watched 5 lion relaxing in the afternoon sun. It was a great first day of game drives with many more to come.
We next visited the Moholoholo animal rehabilitation centre for animals with bad drug and alcohol addictions...nah it's actually for animals who have been saved from snares and traps etc or animals which have been injured. It was a fantastic to see the work done with them. We got to get in a cage with some of Africa's biggest eagles and I got to feed a caped vulture while it sat on my gloved hand. We also got to see rescued wild dog, lion, leopard and cheetah real close and we even got to pat a cheetah called bullet. The owner of the rehab clinic was a what we
would describe as passionate/eccentric who was excited to show us where two honey badgers had just escaped from an escape proof cage. They had just caught one but the other was still on the run. Don't let the nice name fool you these guys are nasty and when confronted by large animals will take them on and not back down. One of their favourite attack modes is to bite the attacker by the family jewels and rip them off. The guy told us how one had killed a full grown lion by ripping and tearing bits and pieces off him. The reassuring part is that one was still on the run around the centre somewhere. I suspect that the resident lions will sleep with one eye open for a while.
The following day was our second trip into Kruger NP to try again for the elusive leopard amongst others. We had a great start to the day doing our best to imitate David Attenborough with two giraffe who were play fighting by swinging necks into each other and spent time videoing them in action. We moved through the park seeing some amazing animals but by the time
we were heading for the gate we still had not seen any big cats during the day so a little disappointed. Then about three kms from the gate we spotted (no pun intended) three cheetahs just to the side of the road. We spent the next half hour following them as they obliged us by walking alongside the road in the late afternoon sun probably looking for dinner, however with half the western world looking on here was no chance there. When we got about 2 kms from the gate there in the middle of the road was the elusive leopard just waiting for us to pop by! So we spent 5 mins watching him until he disappeared into the bush. To say that we were elated is probably an understatement - we were extremely thrilled having seen one of the most hard to see big cats in Africa, so we left the main gate feeling very happy with ourselves. But the best was yet to come because 500 metres before we left the park there on the side of the road was another leopard lying down. So all in all our Kruger experience was very satisfying.
As we send this we have arrived back in Joburg safe and sound and looking forward to the next adventure which is Zimbabwe.
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Caitlin
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Hi all of those animals looked really AWSOME my favourite was the zebra I miss you. From Caitlin