It’s our 2 year anniversary today = )
As a gift, Drew did stand-up sandboarding w/ me. The novelty of boarding down however was replaced by the awfulness of climbing back up the dunes wearing boarding shoes whilst carrying your board in the 80 degree heat. So, we stopped boarding after the 4th time and tried our hand at lie-down sandboarding. Drew went first and the speed gun clocked him at 68 kmph. I went after and my tumble (check my facebook) clocked in at 70 kmph. Never one to back down, I went again a 2nd time after Jazz the dog looked at me, barked at me and then proceeded to run down the dune. Seeing as Jazz obviously had a fun time going down the slope, I did the same thing and had a perfectly great 2nd run w/out any tumbles = )
After this am adventure, we went to the other side of the road to try our hand at quad biking. While there, we saw signed pics of Brangelina on the wall. As it turns out, Angelina gave birth to Shiloh here in Swakopmund. With this bit of info, I expect everyone to now know the answer to the trivia question: in what country is Swakopmund in? A: Namibia!
Quad biking was just a-m-a-z-i-n-g and a tad scary at the same time. There are these moves called roller coasters and what you do is go up the side of a dune and do a sharp 180 to go back down. When you make the turn, it feels like you’ll fall off first to the side, then forward as you change your bikes course. Every couple of adrenalin runs, we would stop and take a look at the area’s resident chameleons whose colors would change from vibrant multi-colored hues to bland sandy hues as it would camouflage itself during the group ‘show and tell’. We also stopped for picture taking and it was surreal to have this vast expanse of nothingness spread before you from all angles.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Sept. 3/Day 7: Swakopmund
Sept 2/Day 6: Mirabib - Swakopmund
We headed towards Swakopmund today where we would be sleeping in A-style German framed bungalows. Right next door to the bungalows was laundry service **Walking on air, can things get any better??!!**
Today was a chillaxed day. The only thing mildly stressful was figuring out which activities Drew and I should sign up for the following day: Sandboarding? Quadbiking? Paragliding? Township tours?
Once that decision was made, it was time for a night out in town and we all headed to a restaurant. The only thing was, with everyone having made proper use of their private bathroom at the bungalows, it was difficult to recognize anyone. Everyone smelled good and looked clean and pretty – the ladies wore make-up and jewelry, the guys all wore clean clothes and smelled of aftershave.
September 1/Day 5: Sesriem to Mirabib Bushcamp
Today, we woke at 4:30 to catch the sunrise at Dune 45. Though a long, difficult, trek to the sandy top, the views were absolutely rewarding. As the sun continued its ascent, the khaki ocean went from a dull blackish brown to magnificent shades of red as the dunes sparkled, illuminated by the sun’s rays.
After the sunrise, Richard and I raced down the dune together. The poor guy was in need of a good laugh as one of his sandals got stolen by a jackal at the camp we stayed at last night. Several miles away from Dune 45 was our next destination, Sousevlei National Park, where we had the most amazing, most entertaining, most informative simply the B-E-S-T-E-S-T guide ever: Frans. We learned a lot from Frans like how the dunes don’t move because at their base are tree roots that keep them in place. Using a magnet, Frans also demonstrated that the black sand corrupting the vibrant red color of the dunes was iron. We also walked to a petrified dead forest where we tried our hand at being Ansel Adams by trying to capture the eerie beauty of trees defeated by their harsh waterless environment
Frans also found for us all sorts of bugs, lizards and spiders that were hiding in the sand to escape the strong heat of the sun. He also taught us how to catch lizards so that if any of us were voted off the bus to stay in the desert, we would have an instant source of food and water. In addition to the fact that there are plenty of lizards in the dessert, Frans also stressed that out of all the sand crawlers, lizards easily beat ants and spiders in the raw taste department!
After the hike, we settled down in the cool shade of a tree to learn about Frans culture. Frans, like the titular character in the fantastic ‘The Gods Must be Crazy’ movie, is a Bushman. For the benefit of all the (still) single guys in the group, Frans explained the winning Bushman way of marrying a woman. First, he had to go in the desert to hunt for an Oryx, a large male antelope with 2 long, straight vertical horns. Once the deed was done, he had to cut the Oryx’s tail as proof and bring this to the father and mother. The father and other male relatives would then go to the Oryx to inspect the animal to check if 1) he hunted on his own and 2) if the Oryx was strong, powerful, young. If all was well, the whole village would celebrate, the oryx would be prepared and eaten, and the man and woman would marry and live happily ever after. If there were 2 men competing for the same woman, the two would first perform a special dance and then go out and capture an oryx. Whoever caught an oryx first would take the woman and then live happily like in the movies. To ensure this joyous union would last, Frans also doled out the Bushman’s key to happiness to us married females (myself and 60 y/o Sue). This advice was to stay sweet, keep smiling, and keep the talking to a minimum. We all share a hearty laugh at the novelty of the idea.
Next up on the one man F show was “How to catch your lover cheating.” First, Frans directed our attention to his bare feet and the sandy landscape. Now, if a man suspects his wife is being unfaithful, he can easily catch her by tracing her footsteps. Bushman, you see, are feet signature experts and they can easily distinguish their father’s, mother’s, wife’s, son’s, daughter’s, uncle’s, auntie’s (get the picture) footprints in the sand. They can even identify if a person is young or old based on the distance between steps and the depth of the imprint on the sand.
The best part about this tour however, was hearing Frans speak in his native language: the 4 click clicking (as opposed to the 7 click which Frans doesn’t understand whatsoever). It was crazy how they use clicks in between sounds to communicate. Afterwards, everyone tried to call everyone in 4 click (albeit incorrectly) and all you could hear on the bus was *click click click E click click click click VETTE* and so forth.
After the tour, we were back on the road to our next camp, Big Rock bushcamp in Mirabib. For the uninitiated, bush camping = no running water so no toilets & no showers. For the Aussies, English & Irish in the group, bush camping = no bar. And so before we got to camp, we made an emergency pit stop at a grocery store to stock up on a couple of essentials like the following: 12 6-packs, 1 Amarula, 1 Vodka, 4 5-litre wine casks and the odd single bottle of wine for the non-drinkers. Did I mention the bushcamp was just for one night??? Lol.
Camp that night was absolutely gorgeous. We were out in the middle of nowhere with nary a person in sight. For dinner, we all huddled around the fire underneath a massive slab of rock overhang. For storytelling, we listened to Matt talk about the glory days of overlanding in Africa. Like how in the late 80s, they used to camp right by the Ebola River or how a whole group once ended up in a Zimbabwean jail in the 90s because one of the guys took a picture of Mugabe’s front gate. Now, except for the bribery, everything is tameish. Take our bushcamp for example, p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y safe. In the old days, there were few and far campsites in between and camping at bushcamps were done out of necessity, not novelty. These camps were not always safe. For example, Matt has been w/ groups where drunk locals shot poisoned arrows at the group for fun. Most of the time, the locals’ drunkenness meant the arrows always missed. Once however, the result was deadly as an arrow landed on a guy’s leg. The group ended up traveling w/ a corpse (and a lot of ice) for 3 days (they sent his ashes home *so sad*). Drunken locals w/ poisoned arrows aside, even mosquitoes are no match for today’s (properly taken) anti-malarial tablets. In the early 90s, someone always came down w/ malaria and half of the African experience was the ‘will I get it?’ anxiety + the ‘we gotta hustle to the hospital before someone dies’ clamor.
August 31/Day 4: Fish River Canyon to Sesriem
We drove north through the Namibian desert towards Sesriem today. An interesting tidbit was that to our west lay the vast Namibian diamond mines owned by De Beers. It was crazy to think that for 10 straight hours, just 50 miles west of us were security guards armed w/ current AK 47 bullets guarding an area teeming with my best friends: diamonds = )
Anyways, the long drive day meant another day of card games. This day belonged to the Aussies however as Scott, the 40 y.o. fun loving beer guy from Down Under, taught us how to play Yuka 500. It was nice having something new to play but as the game had a lot of variables, the other Aussies kept quipping about the version that they knew and played, complicating things just a bit. Or was the confusion because of the constant beer o’clock hour? Hmmm.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
August 30/Day 3: Orange River to Fish River Canyon
This morning, the group split in two as half took a canoe ride on the Orange River while the other half lazed about the campground. We were in the latter group and Emily taught me how to keep accounts. It was pretty easy. Basically, every dollar spent needs to be tracked. This includes: groceries, camp site expenses, tour expenses, etc. Not a bad job for someone who already tracks money on a daily basis. And considering I’m an excel pro, I promptly created a worksheet that did all the calculations from giving me daily running balances to calculating foreign exchange rates for the S. African Rand, Namibian Dollar, Botswana Kwacha and Zambian Kwacha. Because I’m a nerd, the worksheet also broke down expenses by category: accommodation, food, tours, etc.
Once the group came back, we headed towards Fish River Canyon. The drive today was blissfully quiet as 90% of the group was recovering from yesterday’s hangover. With everyone sleeping, the miles of empty road stretched further than usual, the only distraction coming from the huge nests of the weaver birds. Camp today was out in the dusty dirty desert amongst baboons. For those washing clothes, those baboons meant being creative with knots on the clothesline. It was at this time, while talking to Stephanie who was doing some washing that I found out that Dragoman actually imposed an 18kg weight limit. As Stephanie, an Australian 60+ female, was overlanding through Africa through 2010, she decided to bring a lot less and clocked in at 15kg! Amazing! Good thing the crew didn’t enforce that rule on us as each of our bags weighed 24kg+.
Given that bags came out every night and got put back in the following morning, we did spare the back locker people by just using our 3rd smallish luggage. Well, that and another plastic bag that held our sleeping bags and sleeping mats. Speaking of sleeping mats btw, I discovered that the secret to a good night’s rest is having 3 sleeping mats. Even w/ grass coverage, I had a sleepless 1st night using just my personal mat and my Drago one. However on the 2nd night, I spied an extra mat and quickly and stealthily threw that under the tent on top of my 1st mat. Let me tell you, that extra inch of foam padding made all the difference.
Anyways, while I was chatting with Steph, Drew was with another group by the pool area. Like all outdoor pools in the winter, the water in this one was bone chilling. Nevertheless, whether it was last night’s drinks still talking, the thick layer of dirt on skin after a long day of driving through the desert, or just plain wackiness, the hung overed decided to jump in the water. I heard their screams from afar and taunting them with my tea a little later, saw the effects of the cold on their purple lips.
Later that day, we drove a short distance to Fish River Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world. As the sun crept downwards, we sat in silence admiring the magnificent, desolate beauty of the epic contours of the canyon.
August 29/Day 2: Citrusdal to Noordewer/Orange River
We also crossed into Namibia today and passed through the worst customs official. The guy was an absolute jerk and made rude comments and off color remarks to everyone. It took our group an hour to pass through and that’s not including the time we had already spent exiting out of S. Africa.
We had another nice campground today. Actually, this campground is my favorite out of all the campgrounds. There was grass everywhere, the bathrooms were spacious, the bar was nice and the dining area was also great. That night, Andrew tried to teach Richard, Paul and the English family how to take pictures in the dark w/out using flash.
After that lesson, Drew & I went to bed but the majority of the group had a bonding experience over Jaeger Bombs in the Camp Bar. Actually, I should write that the Arsenal fans had to drown their sorrows while the Man U fans drank their happiness as Man U won a controversial 1-0 game. To repeat the endless conversations, “Offside, what do you mean offside? What the heck does that stupid referee know about offside from that angle?”
August 28/Day 1: Cape Town to Citrusdal
Our first night Overlanding, originally uploaded by Andrew & Yvette's world travel.
Before we head for breakfast, Drew & I bring our bags down to the back locker/luggage container. It’s basically an empty box rectangular in shape and fitting 19 people’s luggages and miscellaneous items is like the game Jenga with muscles.
When we head out, we sit at the back by the tables and first meet Jeanine and Wayne, a couple from Australia. They’ve been together for 8 years and it’s been Jeanine’s lifetime dream to come to Africa. They will be vacationing for 2 months and are also doing the Gorilla Loop.
Our first stop on this trip is Cape of Good Hope. While most in the group take the hike to the light house, we decide to do the Beach Hike along with some others who have also already visited the nature reserve. Our group for the hike is Richard, a vegetarian on a year long vacation throughout Africa, Paul, a retired nurse from Australia who is on the same itinerary as Richard, Grace, the Irish version of Marcia Cross who is on a career break and is traveling from Cape Town to Istanbul and Gerry, Grace’s partner who is just on a 3 week vacation. We all have a good getting-to-know-you chat.
After the hike, we get back on Helena where we have a couple hours of driving ahead of us. As we drive through S. Africa, I am surprised and amazed at how green, how developed, and how pretty the country is. During the drive, Andrew, always the loud one, asks whoever is around who knows how to play Pusoy Dos. No one?! How about Vietnamese Poker? Well, no one’s been to Vietnam but quite a few know how to play poker. Andrew goes through the rules of the game and for the next several hours, various people join in the game. The afternoon goes by quickly and we soon arrive at our 1st campsite: Felix United in Citrusdal.
The campsite is nicer than I anticipated. Actually, it’s not a campsite but someone’s front lawn and backyard. The co-ed bathrooms are also nice but w/ only 3 toilets and 3 showers, it doesn’t stay that way for very long.
At the campsite, Emily and Matt also go over a couple things with us: 1) How to set up and pack a tent, 2) cooking groups and 3) responsibilities. The tent set up I leave for Andrew as this is his idea. For cooking groups, Drew is in group 5 and I am in group 6 with Gerry and Johnnie. Being on the last cook group is great as this means I’m only on cooking duty twice for the whole of the trip = ) Another great surprise for me is the fact that I have been assigned to do the kitty. This means I am the trip accountant and responsible for $12,616 USD. Drew’s job: table cleaning/set-up 3x day.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
August 27: Briefing Night
Our Overland ITIN from Capetown to Livingston - 22 days, originally uploaded by Andrew & Yvette's world travel.
We check out of the Protea Hotel and into Saasveld Lodge. Strike 1. The hotel is . . . not the nicest. In addition, we’re on the 3rd floor and the Lodge has no elevators.
We meet our group later that night and everyone joins in sizing the others up. There are 19 passengers: some are couples, most are single, a few are young, some are old, others look gay?, none are butch. There are also 3 crew, Emily, Matt and Charles, and 1 supermodel truck/bus, Helena.
August 24-26: Cape Town
We arrive in Cape Town and plan for activities that we missed the first time we were here. However, shark season ended early this year and so our plans for cage shark diving are canceled. Table Mountain is also shrouded in fog so we decide against taking the cable car. So, we laze around the city once more driving around and buying miscellaneous items needed for our 45 Day Overland Journey/Participatory Camping experience.
August 23: 6th Day – AM Drive (10th game drive)
Our final game drive day = (
After seeing so much, we really didn’t know what else we wanted to see. Having come without any expectations, we were definitely overwhelmed with all the sightings we’d been able to see. What would today yield? Wild dogs to complete our sighting of the Magnificent Seven?? Sadly, we didn’t get to see any of them. We were however, able to see the hyenas again. Despite gnawing the elephant bones raw, these creatures had not yet figured out the need to go looking for leftovers elsewhere.
Later that morning, we had another leopard sighting and took another hundred pictures. At this point, my head is actually pounding thinking about all the pictures and video we have to go through. Between the two of us, Drew and I are filling 12MB of memories per game drive!
Alas, the drive ends and we tearfully say goodbye to Ashleigh and Dollom who have made our first ever safari the most amazing experience ever. We have breakfast and we also say goodbye to the fabulous head chef who has fed us so well to the tune of 1+ kilo each for our weeks stay.
Right before we leave, a warthog strays to our suite and oinks goodbye. Yes, it’s been a fantastic trip.
August 22: 5th Night – Dinner
August 22: 5th Day – PM Drive (9th game drive)
We had the Land Rover all to ourselves for this game drive! As a treat, the Sabi Sabi management decided against pairing us with new guests and so we had free reign on what we wanted to see. And what did we want to see most? The fat, stuffed lions! Specifically, the alpha male whose lazy bum we had not yet captured awake in the daytime as he was always hogging the shade whilst sleeping. The lions were spotted over a vast area earlier in the morning so we had a difficult time tracking them. After an hour of looking and with no footprints in sight on the road, Ashleigh and Dollom parked the car and tracked on foot. While we waited, a noise suddenly thundered in the distance. Drew and I looked at each other and then had a very calm conversation eliminating the dangers that could have been associated with that noise, ie, a gunshot as A & D were ambushed by lions, elephants on a stampede as re-energized female lions go on another hunt, rhinos roaring?! It’s funny how these safaris can teach you so much and so little . . . like not being able to identify noise and not knowing how to call for help. Anyways, A & D come back w/ a smile on their face which can only mean one thing. They spotted the lions, not the other way around – always a good thing. We go off on a drive and we ask Ashleigh about the rumble in the air: elephants bringing down trees.
Now that we’ve been in Kruger for several days, we finally see (and hear) the reason for the culling of 8000 elephants. Overpopulated with these massive mammals, Kruger Park is slowly dying as these creatures consume 225kg of plants on a daily basis. And since that kind of appetite just can’t be supported, herds of elephants need to be eliminated for the greater good of the wild community. So sad = (
Anyways, we arrive at the lions resting place and OMG it stinks like crazy. The buffalo carcass is nowhere to be seen but the sleeping lions are having a go farting and belching. Though I can’t quite see it, I am convinced there is a cloud of gas hanging over them. The lions have clearly eaten well as evidenced by the fact that our presence goes largely unnoticed. The first time we saw them sleeping, they were alert and bidding their time till hunting hour. This time around, they were in lion heaven and their bellies were stuck to the floor. Nowhere was this more evident than in the male lion who was sleeping in his private area. His stomach had filled up by about 25 kilos and there was clearly no way we were going to get a shot of him moving around. Had Ashleigh not been there, Drew and I reckoned we could have thrown rocks on his head and he wouldn’t have paid much attention.
After getting our dose of eau de buffalo, we decided to head back to the lodge early so that we could prepare for our special dinner.
August 22: 5th Day – AM Drive (8th game drive)
Red Billed hornbill aka Zazu from the Lion King, originally uploaded by Andrew & Yvette's world travel.
After the scene that unfolded before us last night we feel a bit spent. We saw lions hunt the 1st night, saw a massive herd of elephants and leopards feeding on the 2nd day, spent an hour w/ the cheetah on the 3rd day, and then we saw lions feast on buffalos yesterday. All this in only 7 game drives!
The 1st half of our morning starts off tame with just the usual sightings of elephants, hippos, antelopes, birds, etc. It’s funny how one can be so blasé about such sightings after only 5 days of such close encounters. During our morning tea, we had a visitor: Zasu’s cousin: a yellow billed horn bill. This bird spent his time w/ us jumping from one place to the next picking at our leftover Madeline and granola crumbs.
The 2nd half of our drive was spent tracking down a male leopard. Our search excites us as we have just realized we have not yet had a ‘proper’ leopard sighting, ie, in full view in daylight. Yes, now that we have been spoiled, we’re now picky re: our sightings. = )
On the way to see him, we passed by a dry riverbed where Ashleigh told us the story of a female leopard who used the rock enclosures as a den. She had given birth to two cubs twice but all 4 cubs had been killed. The 2nd set had been killed by a male leopard. We were surprised to hear of this but apparently, males kill cubs that are not his own as he views them as competition.
We arrive at the place where the leopard has been hunting for an anteater. He is on top of a termite mound and it is incredibly hard to spot him amid all the trees, bushes, and long grass. In fact, leopards are more common than you might realize but, using expert camouflage to stay hidden, it is one of the hardest creatures to track. We stay in our high vantage point waiting and trying to display the same patience leopards use when stalking a prey. As we wait, Drew and I quietly debate if there really is a leopard somewhere down there. Eye straining minutes later, the wind moves in the right direction and binoculars finally reveal leopard spots. Ashleigh takes a chance and decides to take us closer. Although we make a lot of noise bushwacking, the leopard seems unperturbed and doesn’t move. Parked right by the termite mound, we are now less than 5 feet away from the leopard. And still we have a hard time looking for him! Finally, he raises his head ever so slightly, careful not to rise above the grass. His face is amazing: muscular, cute, and sleepy?! When he raises his body, his face suddenly transforms as his eyes survey the surroundings intensely. He decides to leave the mound but heads straight towards heavy bush territory. He settles in this shady area and gives us a butt view to which we must content ourselves with.
August 21: 4th Day - PM Drive (7th game drive)
Finally, 16:00. We can’t wait to track down the lions but Ashley decides against tracking them this early in the afternoon. And so, we look instead for zebras. We haven’t seen any yet and Ashleigh explains that just like the wildebeests, the zebras are in danger of becoming endangered in Kruger due to the lions, leopards and crocodiles (wet season only). Our search for zebras takes us to a completely different area of the park: near the private airport. We take our sunset drinks by the landing strip and Ashleigh explains that all tarmacs in the Greater Kruger are being re-asphalted w/ special chemicals. Apparently, lions had been chasing and steering giraffes onto the tarmac where the giraffes would then slip and fall due to the smooth surface. The lions would then descend on their fallen prey.
Speaking of lions and their wily hunting habits, we head straight towards them right after finishing our drink. Along the way, we spot a side striped jackal from afar. Although we would have loved a closer look, we are not allowed to go off-roading and we must content ourselves to spotting it through Ashleigh’s powerful binoculars.
We continue our drive and minutes before the last rays of sun disappear, we arrive at the open plains where we spot the lions forming a wide circle surrounding the buffalos. Too quickly, the sun sets and we are immersed in total darkness. Before our eyes can get used to the dark, Dollom’s voice pierces the night air. Forgetting protocol, he screams at Ashleigh in panic and in English yells to her, “Back Up, back up, back up! Hurry! Back Up!” The LR jolts screeching backwards and I fall off my seat to the floor. Moments later I hear and feel the source of Dollom’s panic. Unbeknownst to us in the dark, we had parked ourselves right next to the buffalos. As the lions edged in for a kill, the buffalos went on a stampede straight towards us. It was nerve wrecking being tossed about and still being able to hear the din of the buffalos above the roar of our LR. When our backward maneuvering finally stopped, the ground was still trembling as the buffalos continued their run for safety.
A minute or so later, there was a sudden stillness followed by a horrific, tortured howl. We turn the LR lights back on. To our right are the herd of buffalos who are baying and walking in agitation. In front of them is a lone lion. We continue our gaze around and then we see it, the kill: A baby buffalo on its back, a lioness and her fangs clamping down on the buffalo’s neck, a cub using his paw to slap the buffalo’s kicking foot as it tries in vain to prevent its asphyxiation. We see one or two more lions descend on the kill. But where is the rest of the pride? We hear our answer when another cry fills the charged air. Africa’s most feared predators have made two kills.
Soon, every member of the pride comes towards the 1st kill. It seems the alpha male will have the 2nd kill all to himself. Before eating his share though, the alpha male comes to the sight of the 1st kill and marks his territory. Before long, the scene turns savage as the 14 lions roar and fight for eating space. Equipped with teeth that tear effortlessly through bone and tendon, the gnawing and tearing of the flesh commences. It doesn’t take long for the lions’ mouths and paws to turn bloody. Suddenly, a noise stuns us: a long, agonized, tormented cry. The 2nd buffalo is still alive. The alpha male has not bothered to suffocate it. The 2nd buffalo is being torn asunder and being eaten alive.
August 21: 4th Day – Afternoon Tea
August 21: 4th Day – 2nd Bushwalk
We did our 2nd bushwalk in an open area of the park today and learnt more about our surroundings. We also identified animal tracks and Ashleigh was able to show us the leopard tracks around the property from the leopard we tried to track just yesterday morning. She also showed us a tree whose branches locals still use as a toothbrush.
The highlight of our walk though was spotting 2 giraffes. We actually had a staring competition with one of them. Although there’s nothing to fear from giraffes ie, they don’t attack and if they do they’re easy to spot and don’t run very fast, they were still a bit intimidating as we were out in the open instead of sitting inside our LR. Nevertheless, we won the staring competition and within minutes, one of the giraffes took off and ran across the open plain. Our pictures captured the run on camera and in one of the frames, the giraffe looks like it is doing a ballet as all 4 of its’ legs meet in the centre midair = )
August 21: 4th Day – AM Drive (6th game drive)
We saw the cheetah again today! *woohoo* but we only saw it for 3 minutes. We saw it from afar, then it came within a foot towards our car, and then a minute later it was gone. It went into thick brush where we couldn’t follow = (
Afterwards, we saw the wildebeests again. We saw them up close today and we have to say they are quite ugly and apparently pretty dumb as well. Ashleigh joked saying when the wildebeests were created, they were created from leftover pieces.
After the wildebeests, we drove some distance and then found a huge herd of buffalos. Thirty seconds later and less than 100 meters away, we found the pride of hungry lions. *yeah* Although we hadn’t given up hope, we were starting to think that our 1st lion sighting would also be our last. When we arrived, most in the pride were sleeping, such as the alpha male who was sprawled underneath the shade and another who slept with his 4 paws all up in the air. The sleeping ones looked cute and harmless and I wished we could step out and pet them. The others who were awake though, looked anything but friendly. They kept sniffing the air showing their razor sharp fangs, and despite the heat of the sun that would normally render them lazy, they looked ready to pounce.
Sure enough, when the buffalos made a low grumbling noise, we saw 15 heads pop up immediately and look towards the direction of the buffalos. The lions sure weren’t being discreet and they sure made it known to the buffalos that they wanted them for dinner. The buffalos, aware of the lions’ intentions, were also on the defensive as they put the young, old and injured in the middle of the group. As we said our goodbyes to both groups of animals, we wondered who would come out victorious tonight. Would the buffalos be able to escape the lions as the wildebeests had done 3 nights ago? Could the lions go another hungry night? We left in a state of heightened rush as we eagerly awaited the night’s decision.
August 20: 3rd Day - PM Drive (5th game drive)
We meet our new LR companions and Drew and I are a bit upset. They are a family of 5, seemingly wealthy but obnoxious and arrogant.
Tonight we spot some more antelopes, giraffes, hippos, birds, leopard and hyena. We saw the leopard around the same area we found him in yesterday. We spotted him go up a tree (where he had the kill), down the tree, and then off into the bushes. So, no super cool stories as by the time we spotted both the leopard and hyena, it was already dark and we couldn’t track them.
One thing to note about this drive though was our stop for sundowner drinks. Before this, we had not been able to stop for morning tea nor sunset drinks as there was just too much cool stuff going on. We sincerely hoped that our good spotting days were not yet over.
August 20: 3rd Day – Afternoon
As Andrew and I relaxed on the deck overlooking the watering hole, we had a pleasant interruption to our lounging. There in the open grassy plain in front of us was a lone giraffe who had come in to drink some water. Though we had seen plenty of giraffes by then, it was our first time to see one drink. It approached the pan cautiously and once it thought that all was well, it bent its two front legs and then brought down its enormous neck to drink some water. After every couple of seconds though, it would suddenly stop and stand up. At first we thought it was because it was being alert and cautious. However, it was later explained to us that when giraffes bend down to drink water, blood from their head comes rushing down. So that they don’t get hurt, they only drink for 30 seconds at a time.
August 20: 3rd Day – AM Drive (4th game drive)
Ashleigh begins the day by asking us what we would like to see today. We scream, “CATS!” Our choice though is narrowed to tracking down leopards as the lions have left the property = ( We ask about tracking down cheetahs but these beautiful creatures are sadly endangered in Kruger; there are only 80-90 left in a park that is the size of the UK. Apparently, they are losing to the healthy lion and leopard population in Kruger.
And so we are off to look for leopards. Our chances are looking good as 30 minutes into the hunt, the Lodge raises an alarm. They have had a leopard sighting. We move closer to the Lodge and soon come upon 2 other LR also looking for leopards. Minutes later, Dollom catches leopard tracks on the ground. Ashleigh parks the LR and grabbing her rifle, steps out of the vehicle w/ Dollom. They will track the leopard on foot. They come back minutes later with glum faces. The leopard is within a specific enclosure but has camouflaged itself too well. The other rangers and trackers have not been able to spot it either. We are all defeated. We ask about last night’s spot but Ash replies that those leopards have left. However, all signs point to another successful hunt by the mum.
We then leave the area and drive around spotting more antelopes along the way: nyalas, bushbacks, kudus, duikers, waterbucks. Cute as they are, we are all a bit glum. Then Ashleigh gets a call on her cv radio. After the coded conversation, she turns to us and asks us are we ready for a drive? Our hopes shoot up. She tells us to strap in. We’re a long way off from a very special sighting and she needs to slash a 30 minute drive into 15. We give a ‘Hurray’ and off we go. Along the way, she tells us all to dare to dream. Immediately, Chrissie and Andrew scream for a cheetah sighting while I yell for a baby baby leopard and baby baby lion sighting. After hearing our bursts of excited responses, she smiled a mysterious, excited smile. And then she gave the annoying ranger line, “I can’t guarantee it’ll still be there when we arrive.” *GrRrRrR* After a tortuous drive in which we kept pleading with Ashleigh to go faster, we finally made it to the sight. We train our eyes on the landscape and soon spot something moving. That something moving is a cheetah. I am in tears. ‘Dare to dream.’ Who dares dream to spot a cheetah in the wild???
The cheetah is soon moving and we are thankful we’ve spotted him in a nice open landscape. We track him and soon he comes upon a tree. Andrew whispers, “Please climb the tree, please climb the tree”. The cheetah listens and climbs up. He looks around and then sits down majestically. All the while, his head is turning this way and that. A few seconds later, perhaps finding that all is well, he lies down. After a couple of seconds, we notice his head his still looking this way and that and we get the feeling he is still at a state of unease. Sure enough, he gets up soon thereafter and steps down the tree. He walks away and we’re glad he pursues a path that allows us to continue to follow him. He weaves in and out of dry grass and as he does so we note the grace of his walk and the strength of his shoulders. Soon, he comes upon a watering hole and with a collective thought, we will it to drink water. Though he doesn’t drink, he does pick a spot and settles in. Despite the long grass that could have camouflaged his presence, we are once again close enough to the cheetah not to need any binoculars. It’s amazing to be less than 10 feet away from such a wild creature and not have any barriers of glass nor fence. Soon he is up and walking again. He comes upon another tree and we watch as he investigates and decides what action to take. He decides against the climb and next comes upon a shaded mound. Once again, he looks over his surroundings. This is not the spot either and we leave the area with him. Finally, he comes upon another mound with some tree cover and it is here that he finally rests. But it is not a relaxed rest. He is skittish, constantly looking around, as if he is expecting an attack of sorts.
I believe we were able to be with the cheetah for an hour and long as that sounds, it still wasn’t enough time. However, with such a rare and precious sighting, we must give up our turn and allow another LR to take our place. That’s one of the great things about being in a private reserve. There are never more than 3 LR at any sighting so the moment doesn’t get spoiled. Anyhow, as we head back, we notice Ashleigh’s camera and humongous lens. She too had joined in punctuating the quiet morning air with bursts of camera clicks. With this sighting, we are truly having the dream safari experience as there hasn’t been a cheetah sighting at Sabi Sands in the past 8 months.
As we head back, Ashleigh also tells us the story of this particular cheetah. The reason it was so skittish and vigilant was it had just gotten in a fight with the mama leopard from the previous night. The cheetah, having been drawn to the smell of the fresh kill, had wandered to the leopards territory. A fight ensued wherein the cheetah lost and was forced to flee. That was why she was constantly looking around, specially towards the direction she had come from. She was afraid of another attack by the leopard. It was a good thing a LR had decided to check out last night’s leopard sighting. If not, they wouldn’t have heard the fight and seen the cheetah running away.
At this point, it is also time to say goodbye to our 3 British friends. They are moving to the fabulous Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge. We’ll surely miss them, especially Chrissie, who entertained us with her non stop banter. Tonight, we will have new people join us in the LR.
August 19: 2nd Day - PM Drive (3rd game drive)
We start our PM drive in high hopes as our drives so far have been spectacular. It doesn’t take long when Ashleigh stops the car and asks us a question. ‘Are we willing to drive 30 minutes to see something that might not be there when we arrive?’ We’re all of one accord and the 5 of us agree immediately. To what, Ashleigh wouldn’t say. Thirty bumpy minutes later, we’re off the main roads. We spot a clump of trees ahead and the LR heads towards it going over bushes and trampling over trees showing us what off-roading is all about. Ashleigh then cuts the engines and directs our gaze to a spot in the middle of the trees. It takes our eyes a couple of seconds but soon we spot a mama leopard eating a mama bushback. We’re beside ourselves again. How many people are witness to such acts??!! As we continue our mesmerized gaze, we notice the look of intense concentration on the leopard’s eyes. This concentration is also mirrored on the 2 year old male leopard that is still with its mum. As it pries its prey open, the baby leopard too is forever looking around ever alert to the sounds of hyenas and other predators that could be lurking in the bushes. As it turns out, the only thing in the bushes is the baby bushback who has returned to look for its mum. As the mama leopard hears the alarm calls of the baby bushback, she leaves her cub behind and goes on the hunt. The cub continues to eat and soon its whiskers and paws are stained with blood as he rips through skin exposing intestines, liver and all other manners of bloody body parts.
After an hour or so of watching, it is time to leave the cub behind (his mum is still out hunting) and head back to our lodge. Drew and I are in a state of bliss. In addition to the Big 5--buffalos, rhinos, elephants, lions and leopards-- we’ve seen and learnt so much about a plethora of birds, antelopes, giraffes, insects, etc. We feel like we are on a National Geographic Expedition! How many times have we both dreamt of being wildlife photographers?
