A Jolly Good Trip

Kruger National Park . . . Shocking!

From Maun, Botswana, we drove a long 10 hours skirting the semi-arid Kalahari desert, over the Botswana/South Africa border at Martin’s Drift, to a village called “Allways”. There, we found a quaint, 10-hut lodge called “Motopi” where we were relieved to find a hut (private bath, air-con, and a bathtub!!! – my first hot bath since Uyuni, Bolivia back in October!), for only $30 U.S. Needless to say, it was just getting dark and we were both ready for a few “Castles” to say the least.

The lodge was a real gathering hole for South Africans residing in the area and we ended up talking to some real interesting locals. We first spoke with the manager in charge of drilling at South Africa’s largest diamond mine (Caroline – one karat, H quality, is worth $3,000 U.S.), a white vegetable farmer who employs 6 illegal workers from Zimbabwe (pays them $60 U.S per month and says they are happy and relieved to be there), a game guide who takes tourists out (mostly Spaniards) to shoot wild game on private reserves (he even tells them which particular animal to shoot and when), plus the South African mother and daughter team that rent Motopi. All very friendly and happy in their chosen occupations.

We departed early the next morning and what we thought would be a 2 hour drive to the Punda Maria Camp in Kruger Park, ended up being a 4 hour drive since we drove through many small towns and villages that weren’t even on the map. We were surprised at how populated the area was enroute to the northern part of the Park. The area appeared very poor with most residing in mud huts with a thatch roof. This appears to be a predominantly poor area of South Africa compared to the areas we saw in Cape Town and north through the Clanwilliam area where we’ve been a month earlier.

Kruger Park borders Mozambique to the east and is about 350 km long and averages 65 km across. All the “Big Five” game can be found in the park (African bufflao, elephant, lion, leopoard, and black rhino). They are supposedly known as the “Big Five” because they are the most dangerous animals to hunt, with the clever African buffalo being the most dangerous. It attacks without warning and will circle around and take a hunter from behind.

On arrival at Kruger, we entered the park ($28 U.S for 2 plus the vehicle), and went to the Punda Maria Camp. Here, we stayed in a concrete casita (private bath, air-con, fridge) for only $48 U.S (much cheaper than staying at a private game reserve outside of the park). It was very clean, quiet, and had a decent restaurant and shop. Also, a big pool in a natural setting surrounded by playful, vervet monkeys.

We went on a night safari ($17.50 U.S each), and were accompanied by 6 “birders” who were on a quest to spot an elusive type of nighthawk. We stayed at one spot for over half and hour, out of the vehicle, while we waited for these birds to fly in. Just before dark, we spotted them and were told to get back inside the jeep for “safety reasons”. Even though the guide had his rifle at the ready, he was not prepared to take any chances. I had asked him earlier before we left if he had had any encounters with wild game. He most certainly had and has had to fire his rifle at game on more than once occasion while conducting walking safaris.

Since I was sitting in the “spotlight seat”, I shone the light for 3 hours as we drove around in search of wildlife. Most exciting were the herd of 100 – 200 African buffalo, the amusing, bouncing springhare (which bound just like a kangaroo only they are the size of a rabbit with a long tail), a bushbaby (large cat with a bushy tail), and a chameleon that somehow the guide spotted. We also saw some kudu, greysbok, steenbok, and duikers (all belonging to the deer-like, hooved family).

The next morning, we drove for another 4 hours to the next camp at Letaba. Even though it was only 178 km, the strict 50 km/hr speed limit (with frequent stops to admire game) made the journey that much longer. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised with our accommodation (private hut, with bath and air-con, fridge, screened in porch, overlooking the river) for only $50. We enjoyed another excellent meal overlooking the Letaba River (less than $30 for both of us)

After watching an informative one-hour National Geographic Video on the African Elephant inside the Elephant Museum at the Letaba Rest Camp, we had a “sundowner” on the park bench overlooking the river. I noticed a Waterbuck alongside the river and motioned for Fred to come and see. As he was admiring the Waterbuck, he couldn’t help himself but had to “touch” the wire fencing in front of him. It was 10-strands of wire, and every-other strand had an insulator so I knew it was an electric fence. I warned Fred not to touch it, that it was electric, but he said “No it isn’t, see.” As he touched one wire, nothing happened . . . then . . .the big ZAP! You should have heard the snap – Fred sure felt it! He had his laugh at my reaction to the mock-charge of the elephant in Namibia, well, I had my laugh at his reaction to getting zapped on the fence! It was definitely a stronger current than our horse fence!

We awoke the next morning to a cloudy, cool day. We decided to see how far we could get towards our next destination – Mozambique. As we drove through the park, given the cool temperatures, this was the best game viewing day yet in the park. We saw a several spotted hyaenas walking down the road, giraffe, zebra, hippo, a small croc, warthogs, elephants sparring in the middle of the road where we had to wait for about 15 minutes while the two bulls challenged each other for dominance, almost backing into our car, and most excitedly – a few lions circling, then running down a small herd of African buffalo. This was amazing to see, and after a big kick by a buffalo, the lion backed off and the buffalo crossed the road behind our car. Just a typical day in Kruger!

After another 10-hour drive, crossing the chaotic border from South Africa into Mozambique (took us about an hour – we needed visas, third party insurance, etc), we made it just before dark to Casa Lisa Lodge (recommended by Greenwood Accommodations – private hut with bath, no fan/air con, no electricity – for $55 U.S). We were relieved to find the place before nightfall as we hadn’t seen any other lodges/hotel accommodations north of Maputo. Because of heavy rains earlier in the day, the Maputo roadway was a washout, with huge potholes and water up to the wheelwells on the car. We couldn’t believe the number of people out and about, operating their “stores” right alongside the roadway. After travelling through the Western Cape of South Africa, through Namibia, and Botswana, Mozambique definitely appears to be a third-world country.

Luckily, a delicious chicken dinner was prepared for us, savoured with a couple of glasses of South African Shiraz (dinner for two with drinks for under $30). We had another early night since we were mobile again in the morning – destination: Tofo.

Cheers,

Lisa n Fred

Well, after all the researching and reading we’ve been doing, we have our white, Nissan car (with air-con, but stickshift), and we’re beginning our southern Africa adventure tomorrow. The plan – a 6 to 8 week (flexible) driving adventure around southern Africa. Destinations include Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho (crime permitting). The car was only $28 U.S. per day, but when we factor the cost of the country permits ($100 each to enter Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Swaziland) it comes to $38 U.S. per day. Which is still a very good deal. We spoke with a couple of German guys who are in the room next to us and they had rented a similar car to ours and drove around South Africa for 3 weeks without any problems.

We took the car for a “test drive” today, about an hour and a half drive down to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Although Fred has driven all over Europe, Asia, and in South America, it still takes a little adjusting to get used to shifting gears with your left hand, using the clutch with your left foot, and driving on the left hand side, but we made out just fine, and at least all the signs are in English 🙂

After eating a delicious cheeseburger in paradise on the waterfront at Bertha’s (Simon’s Point), and listening to a live African calypso band playing Christmas songs, we drove to Boulder’s Beach (False Bay) to see the “African Penguins”. Hundreds of penguins were wandering freely on the beach, some were nesting in holes in the sand. From just two breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3 000 in this protected environment.

The African Penguins

Here are some fast facts about the African Penguins:

– the African penguin is listed in the Red Data Book as a vulnerable species
of the 1.5 million African Penguin population estimated in 1910, only some 10% remained at the end of the 20th century. The uncontrolled harvesting of the penguin eggs (as a source of food) nearly drove the species to extinction.
– Because of their donkey-like braying call (and we got to listen to them), they were previously named the Jackass Penguin.
– Their diet consists mainly of squid and shoal fish such as pilchards and anchovy
they can swim at an average speed of 7 km/hr and they can stay submerged for up to 2 minutes
– their enemies in the ocean include sharks, Cape fur seals and, on occasion, killer whales (Orca). Land based enemies include mongoose, genet, domestic cats and dogs, and the kelp Gulls which steal their eggs and new born chicks
– their distinctive black and white colouring is a vital form of camouflage (white for underwater predators looking upwards and black for predators looking down onto the water)
– the main breeding season is in February and they are a monogamous species. The lifelong partners take turns to incubate their eggs and to feed their young

Their peak moulting season is December, after which they head out to sea to feed (since they do not feed during moulting), so we were very lucky to be able to see them on the beach. Most of them had moulted except for a few that were still losing their feathers. They return again in January to mate and begin nesting from about February to August. Tourists are warned that penguins have very sharp beaks and can cause serious injury if they bite or lunge. We were able to get so close to them that we could have pet them. Afterwards, we watched some footage of “City Slickers”, a story about a penguin named Henry and his life. It is very well done so I picked up a DVD (53 minutes) to show my Grade 4 students as part of their Science Unit on Habitats and Adaptations 🙂

We continued south and entered the Table Mountain National Park, “Cape of Good Hope”. I remember first learning about this famous location in Grade 6 (Famous Explorers Unit) that is still taught today. Finally, I could add a vivid image to my mental schema (pre-existing background knowledge) – hahaha, just thought I’d throw in some teacher-talk! It was just as I imagined – crashing waves, white caps, and gale force winds. What I hadn’t visioned was the dozens of Japanese tourists and seeing wildlife. We saw a family of baboons (wow, they look mean), and an ostrich grazing by the ocean. Apparently there are also zebras but we didn’t see any.

Baboon crossing

Here are some fast facts about the baboons we saw:

the Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus troops on the Cape Peninsula are the only protected population of this species in Africa
they subsist on fruits, roots, honey, bulbs, insects and scorpions
during low tide, they may be seen roaming on the beaches, feeding on sand hoppers and shellfish, behaviour believed to be unusual in primates
baboons are dangerous and are attracted by food (visitors must not feed or tease them)
baboons that have been conditioned to receive food from humans may have to be destroyed

The landscape reminded me of the Snowden Mountain region of Wales – rocky, scrub grass, and very hilly/mountainous. The Cape lies between two major ocean currents, the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans. Apparently, there is a difference of marine life between the two major ocean currents, due to the differing sea temperatures.

Cape of Good Hope

After three VERY windy days (southeasterlies called the Cape Doctor here), we are ready to begin our overland adventure. We have spent the last few days getting ready for the next leg of our journey. Fred was able to get his Canadian eye prescription filled for replacement eye/sunglasses/contacts (from when his daypack got stolen at the bus terminal in Tumbes, Peru) and we’ve also stocked up on toiletries, and other supplies (have still to hit a music store to pickup some CDs for some very long drives ahead). I also went to a Kodak store and had our 500+ photos on the camera put onto a DVD (only $2) and did some shopping (I bought 3 Billabong swim suits, 2 light weight tank tops (Viscose/Spandex), and a cotton pullover for a swimsuit, plus, 2 folding, small beach chairs), getting our hair cut/highlighted (I absolutely must recommend “Scar” hairdressing salon), taking our clothes to the landromat, and watching a movie at the cinema (in English “Body of Lies” starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo di Caprio – excellent). We also purchased a couple of “buffs” (National Geographic theme), which are made of a lightweight, breathable material which are used over your head/ears/nose/mouth to protect you from high winds, sun, and sandstorms.

Today, we are heading 200 km east to a fishing village called Gansbaai, on the Indian Ocean. Fred and I will be engaging in our first, hopefully of many, “extreme” adventures here in AFRICA 🙂

Stay tuned,

Lisa n Fred

Greetings from South Africa! Fred and I flew direct from Buenos Aires to Cape Town on a Malaysian Airlines 747 jumbo jet (7 hours direct) on December 4th. We took the Backpacker Bus ($10 each) to Cape Town Backpacker Hostel ... [Continue reading this entry]