Lions, Rhinos and Giraffes, OH MY!
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Deon (my guide for the Safari) picked me up from my ’backpackers’ in Jo’burg. The tour consisted of a 4night/3day safari in Kruger National Park….and from the point of pick-up, I should have known it would be an interesting Safari! Upon entering the mini-van, Deon made it clear he did not like Americans and ESPECIALLY the ones who were associated with any volunteer organizations from the states. So, prior to taking my seat in the van I had to confirm I was not part of any such organization! I made my way to vacant seat in the back of the van with six other people who signed up for the Safari (who were not Americans). The drive to the park would be about twelve hours from Jo’burg, but included a few stops along the way. So, I sat back in my seat for the journey that lay ahead.
The first thing I noticed about Deon was he wore no shoes and had very, very cracked feet (later on I learned, Deon has not worn a pair of shoes since his wedding day five years prior….apparently he didn’t even own a pair of shoes). Deon was a very sarcastic thirty-four year old Namibian man……who loved red meat for all three meals and three or more glasses of whisky to wash the meat down with. During the drive to Kruger i began to understand, appreciate and even relate to Deon’s sense of humor……the brutally honest side, the chauvinistic side and the disgusting and vulgar side. Before the trip ended, my nickname was the “American” and anything that went wrong during the course of the trip was blamed on the ”American”. I would like to think Deon came to like me, the “American” who got and understood all his chauvinistic and vulgar jokes……and the “American” who was not associated with any volunteer organizations from the states.
First, I must preface….a Safari is not as glamours as it seems. You begin by waking up at 5am in the morning (mind you in the freezing cold). You load up into a jeep, wrap your entire body and head in wool blankets and sit back for the next four hours (until breakfast)….waiting, waiting and waiting some more, until your guide spots an animal…if you are lucky maybe one of the ‘big five’ (rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard) will be spotted. Once you drive around for four hours, you make breakfast and then you continue driving around for four more hours until lunch and then after lunch you continue to drive around until dusk….about four more hours (it was winter in South Africa, which means it gets dark very early!). However, all this driving around waiting to spot the big five is definitely worth it, especially when you come upon a lion hunting a Springbok, catching the Springbok and then eating it right in front of your jeep. It is just like National Geographic, but in real life. Seeing such a sight makes the entire trip……even if it is the only sight you see on the Safari!
Out of the ‘big five’, I saw four, the only animal I did not see was the leopard. Apparently, the leopard is the hardest of all animals to see, as they don’t show themselves too often. I also saw elephants, giraffes, hippos, monkeys and many species of birds. And Deon was fantastic at spotting animals…..he has been a guide for twelve years
On my way out of Kruger Park, i saw a very disturbing sight…..far more disturbing than seeing a lion tear apart a Springbok limb by limb……..a lady was jogging in Kruger Park and her husband was following behind her in his truck………now that would have been a sight for the tourists to see….a lion making her dinner, rather than a Springbok!
Tags: South Africa
