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Our Last Day at Kruger National Park–Sixth and Seventh Safari Drives

Jul14

Saturday, July 11, 2015:

Skukuza-Johannesburg-London

Our Sixth Safari Drive:

            Waking up at 5. 30 am has become routine by now and we know the drill.  Wake up Call, hasty washing and dressing and racing off to Lodge Lobby for milky coffee and rusks, a quick clamber into the cruiser—and off we go!

            This morning, our tracker Dee is a Man On A Mission—he is determined to show us rhinos (live ones—not the dead poached variety that we have seen on two occasions being scavenged on). We are ebullient in spirits. We are keen to tick off all five of the Big Five from our To See List!

            The morning is glorious as all mornings in the Bush are. We set out in darkness, but within a half hour, color tinges the eastern horizon and we stop to take pictures of the lovely Bush sunrises—each slightly different from the one that went before. Fierce debate follows: are sunrises or sunsets prettier in the Bush? We agree that sunrises are better in the morning, sunsets better in the evening! You see—we are a wisecracking group!

            But while we joke and quip, Dee is hard at work. Ever the vigilant tracker, he stops frequently to examine poop on the side of the road. And footprints. Where our eyes see the merging of many, he is able to distinguish one set from the next. He informs us that a leopard went past a few hours ago. Or that hippos ambled along in a certain patch before disappearing into the undergrowth. By this stage in the game (pun unintended!), we have become familiar with and freely use terms like “fresh catch”, “fresh kill”, “fresh prints”, “fresh dung”.  Dee explains that hippos tend to use man-made asphalt and mud roads in the Bush but that they skitter off at the slightest sign of humans approaching as they now associate vehicles with poachers who carry AK 47s—dangerous Kalishnikovs that aim to kill. Rhino horn now fetches $60,000 per kilo in the international market—and each horn on an average weighs 4-5 kgs. Which is why rhinos’ heads are always weighed down! Attempting to end poaching, South Africa and Kruger National Park have banned the use of walkie-talkies and other forms of GPS signaling to alert trackers to rhino sightings—as these messages are intercepted by poachers who then arrive at the scene, do the dirty deed and make off with the booty. It is simply disgusting. Whereas the rhino population in Kruger used to be several thousands, it is estimated that today there are no more than 6,000 in the wild. We are horrified. These statistics make the sighting of rhinos a very rare occurrence today and although Dee is optimistic that he will not send us home disappointed (today is our last day in the Bush!), we are beginning to lose hope.

            And then there they are! We come upon them so suddenly that they seem like a mirage—a mother rhino with her young one. In other words, we see not just that rarity—one rhino—but two! Our excitement knows no bounds. They are a shy couple and they hide for cover behind a bush. Fortunately, the bush is stripped of its usual summer foliage and this winter sighting makes it easy for us to zoom in with our cameras and take pictures. The mother is clearly protective of her baby—she keeps him determinedly behind her and her girth provides very effective cover. Still, we are thrilled. Dee is exulting in his seat, his hand thrown high in the air as he says, “Rhinos, Guys. I give you rhinos!” We showered him with praise. He has come through splendidly and his sense of fulfillment at tracking rhinos (through footprints and dung) and finding them knows no bounds. We are now ready to return to our banal lives back in the States for we have ticked off the Big Five from our List. The sense of triumph in the car is palpable. Five minutes later, the mother rhino has bundled off her young and gone far away from the road leaving us to admire the pictures we took and the video footage we shot.

            The rest of our drive is pretty uneventful by comparison. We see them all: elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras and, of course, the lesser desirable ones such as kudu, bush buck, water buck and countless impala. We stop for morning coffee as the picnic table is deftly set up. We nibble on rusks and sip our warming coffee as we photograph the sunrise.

            And then just when it seems as if nothing can get better for us, Dee receives word about the sighting of a leopard really close to our Lodge. He bundles us all back in the cruiser and the chase begins, in earnest. Messages fly fast and furious on the radio systems and within fifteen minutes, Dee is at the scene. Imagine if you can what sort of mood and sentiment existed in our vehicle as we slowly went “off road” (permissible within Hamiltons’ concession) and skirted slowly around  the most gorgeous leopard—a young chap nicknamed Wabaeeza or The Naughty One by the local population of Kruger. Dee stops merely three feet away from the animal who crouches in the shrubbery. He is hungry. He has reportedly been stalking impala in the area and has been unsuccessful. We are afraid he will mistake us for his next meal. Dee is confident he will behave. He informs us that trackers at Kruger have worked for months to get Wabaeeza accustomed to the sound of vehicles and their revving and their close approach and stopping. He is now conditioned enough not to get agitated, to attack or to slink off into the undergrowth when cruisers approach. Ralph, Hamiltons’ other tracker, is also on the scene in a vehicle with his charges. Dee warns us not to make a sound—there is pin-drop silence in our cruiser. He warns us not to move—we are petrified statues! The leopard is still only three feet away from us on the ground. One more vehicle approaches—driven by Sean, another Hamiltons’ tracker, who has a couple of visitors in his vehicle. Wabaeeza is not too perturbed, but he chooses to show off his moves—he gets up and stretches lazily. Then he takes a stroll right behind our vehicle, much to our combined fear and delight. A few feet later, he stops again, finds himself a more comfortable spot and squats down. Dee loses no time. He revs up the engine of our cruiser and makes a quick half circle around a bush before bringing us face to face with the leopard, about three feet away from us. Once again, we cannot believe our luck. We have seen a total of three leopards—that most elusive of creatures—on this safari and it seems as if our cup runneth over.

 Back to Camp for Breakfast:

            There is heightened elation as we return to Camp for breakfast—beautifully laid out and enticing. We start with freshly squeezed orange juice. I have fallen hard for the muesli concocted by Abel. I eat it with mango yoghurt. I cannot get enough of it. When I praise Abel for his handiwork, he offers to give me the recipe and then sends me home with a small package of the mixture. I intend to try it out when I get back to the States.

            We are informed that the cooked Breakfast Special is Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes served on Toast. I opt for it and everyone else does too. It is delicious. There are cold cuts and croissants, freshly-baked muffins and preserves, fruit and cheese on the buffet table. We have eaten well and enormously for the past three days and have been pampered hand and foot by the attentive staff at this five-star resort. We are loath to return to our packing and the rest of our lives.

            But go we must. We return to our rooms to do last-minute packing because most of us were clever enough to pack the previous evening.  We take last-minute pictures of the place and its people. We want to etch in our memories this glorious vacation which we all agree ranks at the very top of the amazing travels we have done in our lifetime. The staff is present all around to sing us off—they dance, they clap, they encircle us. Harold, the manager, is the ring leader. He is a large man with a lovely happy smile. He takes pictures of us in front of the spreading baobab tree and later presents it in a souvenir folder to each of us. How marvelous!

            Finally, after tipping our staff and saying goodbye to Dee, who has been a tracker and guide par excellence, our luggage is loaded in the trailer that follows our cruiser. Kruger and the Lodges have it all done to an art form—five-star living while retaining the unspoiled natural feeling of being in the wild. With a last regretful look behind and a final wave at the staff that have assembled on the porch—in the style of Downtown Abbey but with an African Bush twist–we are sent off in right royal style. It has been lovely and while some of us say that it is unlikely we will return as the world is too large and we have much of it left to explore and discover, others say they will return for they have had the time of their lives.        

Our Seventh and Last Safari Drive:                

            By this stage in the game, we had expected to have a few animal sightings on our long drive through the Bush to Skukuza airport. And indeed we did see plenty—but most were of the pedestrian variety—impala and kudu and bush buck. Some excitement was generated when we came across zebras and giraffes. And then in the distance, we paused because we ran into a long line of Cape Buffalo heading off somewhere to the left of us. Photo ops galore were presented to us and we clicked quickly or watched their progress through our binoculars. A little later, our driver pointed out a herd of hippos to us—at least a dozen of them, lying prostrate in a dry river bed. And then, again quite suddenly, our driver stopped to point out two more rhinos to us—again, a mother and baby. Perhaps the same ones we had seen that morning? Possible but also unlikely as we were a long way away from the site of our morning’s sighting. How ironic that Dee had to do so much careful and skillful tracking to find us two rhinos and then, without any such training to credit him, our driver calmly pointed out two more! One cannot control nature and one cannot predict what the quality of sightings will be like in the wild. We had met many visitors who had wonderful stories to tell of animals they had encountered—but almost invariably, there was something missing. One mother and daughter traveling together had never managed to find a leopard. Samantha and Becca had seen everything except a male lion. We had seen it all! How lucky were we!        

Departure from Skukuza to Johannesburg and from Johannesburg to London:

            We arrived eventually at Skukuza airport that serves Kruger National Park. We went through formalities with no hassles at all and boarded the cutest little toy plane in a toy airport. We picked up souvenirs from the airport stall and charged our phones at the ultra-modern, ultra- convenient airport and then we were off. It was a very short flight to Johannesburg and before we quite knew it, we were in Johannesburg airport looking for our respective connecting flights. Our friends said goodbye to us after we’d each purchased Amarula crème liqueurs from the duty free shops and then Llew and I were off to a pizzeria to enjoy pizzas and lattes before boarding our 8. 10 pm flight to London.

            This time round, we did not get seats in a row to enable us to stretch out, but we each managed about four hours’ sleep on a red eye flight and looked forward to touching down on the morrow at Heathrow.

            Our African safari had come to an end. It had been the trip of a lifetime and we had not been disappointed.

            Until tomorrow, when we hope to awake in London, cheerio!

Seeking and Finding Big Cats and a Spectacular Show of Elephants

Jul13

Friday, July 10, 2015:

Hamiltons Tented Camp, Skukuza:

Our Fourth Safari Drive:

            Our day began at 5. 30 am with a Wake-Up Call from the Camp lobby. It had been a fairly restful night punctuated only by a noisy quarrel among the baboons outside our tent. We

washed and dressed swiftly and joined our friends in the lobby for coffee/tea and rusks before pushing off  with Dee, our guide, on our third safari drive. This involved a long drive “north” to look for big cats. Dee was confident that we would find them. We were also keen to get to a dam up north where it was likely we would see Cape Buffalo who love to wallow in water. The southern part of Kruger, where we were based, had turned dry and many animals had migrated up north in search of water. If we wished to spot them, that was where we ought to head, we were told.

            Within a half hour, the sun came up in the eastern sky–a lovely translucent pink sphere that tinted the clouds around it in pearly shades of peach, pink and blue. When we did not come upon any animals immediately, Dee pointed out birds to us. His knowledge was prodigious and he rattled off the names of these creatures and told us about their habitat, their habits, etc. We often stopped to take pictures. Apart from vultures that were everywhere, we saw lots of Ground Hornbills—great big black birds with vivid red bills that strutted right in front of our cruiser. Dee informed us that they are one of the largest ground birds in the world that are also capable of flying. One of them was in the process of eating a land snail and was using its beak to smash its shell against the ground. Another bird that we grew familiar with is the Lilac Breasted Roller, the most-photographed bird in the world. To say that this bird is stunning would be an understatement. Its plumage is made up of a kaleidoscope of colors—startling pink and purple and turquoise blue. And when it flies off, its wing span with its turquoise-black coloring is truly breathtaking. It was easy to see why every photographer loves it. 

 There were impala galore and lots of kudu and water buck and bush buck. We became so familiar with these creatures that it was not long before we began to ignore them altogether! We adored the giraffes, however, with their graceful movements, their carefree lopping off into the distance or their inquisitive snuffling about our vehicle really close to the road. We usually saw them solo but occasionally they were seen in pairs or in trios. One of the highlights of our drives was finding a group of almost seven of them together—and when that happened, we were simply elated. We discovered that although the basic coat of a giraffe may be dappled in shades of yellow and brown/maroon, some of them are lighter than others. The darker ones are particularly attractive. We used the few pairs of binoculars that we shared among us to look at the detail of these animals—their long tongues as they fed on young leaves high up in the trees. Similarly, we adored the “dazzles” of zebras we saw—rarely alone, mostly in groups of no less than six. We were particularly fascinated by their gentle movements, their frequent crossing of the road right in front of our vehicle and the manner in which they seemed oblivious to our presence. Most of the animals have become habituated to human vehicular traffic in the parks and they seem not to flinch in the slightest in our presence.    

            About a half hour into our drive, sudden interest was generated when Dee received news on his walkie-talkie from another ranger, that there was a cheetah in the vicinity. Then began the thrill of the chase. He raced his vehicle around the sand roads and, after a good twenty minutes, reached the thicket where the cheetah had been found lurking. A few of us caught a faint glimpse of the big cat on the far horizon. I clearly saw it stride sideways in profile—but only for a few seconds. It was much too far away and in almost no time at all, the cheetah disappeared below the ridge leaving us deeply disappointed at having barely caught a glimpse of him. 

            We also ran into elephants on this drive—some of them solitary, others in couples, some distant, others not too far from us at all. And then Dee received word that there was a lion sighting. We became deeply animated once again—none of us had seen a lion and we were keen to tick another one of the Big Five off our list! Using tracking techniques and the radio signals he received, Dee drove us to the spot where lions had reportedly been seen feasting on fresh kill. So you can imagine our shock and our fear and our fascination when we found a young male lion sitting a foot away from the main road to the left of our cruiser, utterly unperturbed by the number of vehicles that had lined up alongside him to take in the view. He had clearly fed recently and well—his muzzle was dark: an indication of remnant blood stains from his hearty meal. We had the opportunity to take pictures to our heart’s content from such close quarters. Warned by Dee to stay quiet and not to make any sudden movements, we complied meticulously as none of the viewers at the spot wanted to see the lion move away. In the thicket, not fifteen feet away from us, was the carcass of a freshly-poached rhino. The lion had eaten well and since he felt satiated and had sauntered away from the carcass to lie close to the road, the lionesses felt entitled to feed off the same carcass. We saw at least three lionesses on the carcass. Just when we felt as if we could not have been more fortunate, one of the drivers of another cruiser guided his vehicle off the road merely a couple of feet from the young male seated almost on the side of the road less than a foot from his vehicle. We were aghast and expected a full-blown attack from the animal! The lion did not seem annoyed—just unwilling to be scrutinized from such close quarters. He got up slowly and majestically and haughtily walked off from his position—not even bothering to express his displeasure at the intrusion on his space–and joined the pride that was still engaged in the act of feeding. Needless to say, we were all so angry that the driver had disturbed the animal and has been so inconsiderate of other viewers. In taking his car so close, he spoiled the view for all of us. However, that said, we had already had our fill of the scene and felt as if we had completely received our money’s worth. Our hearts stopped hammering in our chests and we attained a sense of equilibrium again.

            Another ten minutes after this sighting occurred, we saw two large Cape Buffalo ambling across the thicket. They too were one of the Big Five! Our safari was getting better by the minute. With cameras already taking still pictures and video recordings and with our binoculars poised to take in their size and movements, we remained transfixed. Then, imagine how awed we were when they decided to cross the road right in front of our van. Now these buffalo are among the most dangerous of creatures in the Bush and they are known to charge a vehicle with very little warning. Yet here they were—a pair of them, not a few feet away from our cruiser. They walked slowly and langorously and even cast a glimpse at us as we watched in stunned silence. This was another highlight in a morning that was getting more amazing by the minute.

            Then, just when we thought things could not possibly get better, Dee got word from fellow-trackers about a leopard sighting. That was it! The excitement in our car was palpable! It was as if we had hit the jackpot—Four of the Big Five about to be sighted on a single drive! It was simply awesome!

            Some more frantic driving followed—the true thrill of the chase. This is exactly what is meant by the phrase that we use so loosely sometimes. Dee found the spot where a leopard had been sighted—and then there he was! Up in a tree, draped sensually on a branch, one of its legs dangling down as did its thick and gorgeous tail, the lovely spotted cat was taking a nap. Its eyes were tightly shut and it was in such a relaxed position that it was hard for us to believe that we were looking at one of the rarest creatures in the wild. And here again, he was a mere ten to twelve feet on a tree branch above us. I mean how lucky could we possibly get? We took loads of pictures because we simply could not get enough of the scene.

            About twenty minutes later, we drove off and then, five minutes down the road, we met a fellow tracker in his vehicle with some more visitors to the park. The two vehicles stopped and Dee was asked where the leopard was to be found. He volunteered to lead the driver to the spot as it would have been impossible for the other driver to find the exact tree. By the time we got back to the spot, the leopard had awoken, much to our excitement, and we were able to get a fresh batch of pictures with him holding his head regally up for our viewing pleasure. He continued to remain on the branch seemingly in no hurry to get anywhere. After we’d had our fill of photo opportunities, we drive off for snacks.

            With the practiced ease of a pro, Dee set up our folding table for hot coffee that he made on a primus stove in a moka, tea with hot milk in a thermos flask and a variety of muffins—corn and blueberry. We also had a bathroom break at this point as our excursion was a particularly lengthy one.

            We continued to scour the Bush and that was when we found another sighting based on the number of vehicles that had stopped by the side of the road to enjoy the sight. About five hundred meters from us were two young lionesses and a male lion seated in a sideways pose staring out into the thicket. We were not sure exactly what they were up to but suddenly they began to play with each other as they rolled on their backs, their bellies in the air as if begging for a tummy rub! It was a very cool sight. Imagine having seen a total of eight lions in a single day! It was simply unfathomable. 

            Later that morning, we made our way up to the dam where the water levels had fallen considerably. There was a hippo, far in the distance, that was actually asleep on the dry river

bed—a rather rare sight as hippos spend most of the day wallowing in water. It was at this dam that we saw at least six huge crocodiles almost stationary as they lounged in the sun. There were no Cape Buffalo there but having seen them earlier that day, we were not in the slightest bit disheartened.

            In the final analysis, it had been wise to make the long drive up north. It had been wise to prolong our drive until we were contented about the quality and number of animals we spotted. It was one of the most fulfilling drives we had undertaken so far and we could not have been happier—or hungrier as we marched back into our Lodge quite faint with delight at the lovely brunch set up for us by the exemplary staff. 

Brunch at the Camp:

            None of us even wanted to get to our rooms to freshen up. Scouring the horizon and taking in the sightings had been exciting but we were ready to chow down. We found a number of scrumptious offerings on the buffet table: a chicken and mushroom quiche, feta cheese pancakes that were as soft as pillows, bobotie—ground beef in African style topped with grated Cheddar cheese–smoked salmon, croissants, fresh fruit, muesli with mango and plain yoghurt, sliced ham and a variety of cheeses. There were also fresh fruit juices (all of us were particularly keen on the freshly-squeezed orange juice). The tea and coffee were also excellent and we could not have been happier by our meal. Just when it seemed as if we could not eat another morsel, along came a waiter named ‘Silence’, to take our order for eggs. We were most amused! Needless to say, we declined his very kind offer and adjourned to our respective rooms to chill.

The Changing Panorama from the Terrace of our Tent:

            Cheri-Anne chose to get a head massage. The teenagers in our company went off to their tents to switch off the intercom so that they could take a nap. Llew went in for a shower. I sat on the balcony of our tent overlooking the waterhole with my laptop on my knee to do a bit of journaling and to take in the ever-changing drama of animal life beneath me. In short, every few minutes, groups of animals came to the water-hole—either for a drink or water or a bath. Some came singly—a lone kudu, for instance—others came in pairs, as did the Water buck. Zebras came in dazzles—whole groups of a dozen at a time. There were regular pairs of wart hogs who snuffled about in the mud. Rarely was the waterhole devoid of action: when no desirable animals were around, there were always the impala. Loads of them came in regular droves. The best sightings were of a number of different animals drinking together in various parts of the waterhole. Impala jumped deftly and gracefully over the banks, kudu would rush through the water to get to the other side. Two lovely silver eagles—the kind that mate for life—were perched high above the branches watching the changing panorama below—looking as if they were clad in brown trousers with spotless white shirts.

Viewing Elephant Bathing Rituals from Our Terrace:

            All the while I typed as Llew showered in the shower cubicle that was open to the sky. And then just at the point when he finished his shower, I spied them—a huge bull elephant and two smaller ones came in a group. The bull walked the entire length of the river beneath us and parked himself just under our window. He was massive. Once in his spot, he used his great big front paws to dig into the soft sand of the river bed to divine water and a few minutes later, he hit the cleanest water.

            Meanwhile, the other two elephants made their way directly to the water hole. Llew got on the intercom and alerted every member of our party that elephants had arrived at the water hole. One by one, all our friends found their way to our terrace. In amazed silence, we watched as the elephants went through their bathing ritual, one at a time. Each of them first had a mud bath—they scooped up shovels full of sand and mud in their trunks and threw it over their backs. This went on for at least fifteen minutes. Then, while the smaller one continued with the mud bath, the bigger one approached the water. Before our stunned eyes, it waded for about three feet and then realizing that the water was not very deep, it actually sank gradually into the river to remain seated in the water. The idea was to wash off all the mud and sand from its body. In order to achieve this, it sank further and further down until only its trunk was above water. It then turned over on one side in order to get that side of its body completely submerged. Then, it turned over on its other side and submerged that side as well. It was simply astonishing. When it had finished its bathing rituals—which took another few minutes—it waded out of the water, its entire body gleaming grey and shiny as it emerged.

            It was at this moment that we heard a loud and thundering noise. It was the trumpeting of a large number of bull elephants combined with their gigantic heavy legs as they blundered down the hill in a long single file. We were simply speechless. Just when we hoped the entire herd would head towards the water hole, they turned in the opposite direction and seemed to disappear in the distance. We were a trifle disappointed. However, the smaller elephant continued with the mud bath. But then, quite suddenly, about five minutes later, the herd turned direction and the whole lot of them very slowly and gingerly made their way to the water. By this time, we were all recording the rituals or clicking still pictures with our cameras. This was simply the jackpot and we had hit it! One by one, the elephants slid down the slope towards the water, bringing the cutest little calves with them. These little ones were sandwiches between the taller, bigger ones, who seemed to be offering them protection. At one point, we counted 21 elephants in that herd—of every possible size and height. This was simply too much to take in. The two original elephants left the hole and walked away as if to make way for the troupe that had arrived after them. Then, after ten minutes, quite as suddenly as they had appeared, the whole herd seemed to have been alerted to something and in unison, they made a right about turn and with loud trumpeting, they ran up the hill leaving their little ones who had been burrowing in the shallow sand pools to catch up with them. Within a few seconds, they disappeared behind the thickets and it was as if they had never been there. A good ten minutes later, the bull elephant who had stood beneath our balcony all the time, finished his own bathing rituals which had involved spouting water from the sand hole around his head and back and, as unhurriedly as he had arrived, he left the scene and make his way along the river bed to disappear into the thicket with the rest of the herd. When we asked Dee later what might have caused them to disappear in that fashion, he said they had probably been alerted to the presence or the arrival of another elephant herd, felt threatened and decided it was best to leave.

            Having viewed this entire spectacle, you can imagine that we were loath to leave the scene for a cup of tea. How astonished we were, after having just finished brunch, to find a royal repast awaiting us for Afternoon Tea: Greek spanakopita in phyllo pastry cups, spring rolls with a tangy sauce, ground beef filled croissants, cinnamon apple cupcakes. But, sadly, there was simply no time to do justice to Abel’s offerings. I grabbed a phyllo cup and an apple cupcake and raced off to the cruiser for, exactly at 3. 30 pm, Dee was waiting to take us on our next drive—our fifth!             

Our Fifth Safari Drive:

            After all the action and excitement of our morning and afternoon, it was simply too much to expect that the next drive would be just as fulfilling. And indeed, for the most part, it was rather humdrum. We had no major sightings and so were quite pleased when Dee stopped under the most splendid baobab tree in the Park to enable us to admire it and learn a bit about it. Just a little later, at another spot, we stopped for sundowners. In a trice, Dee set out our white and red wines and Cokes. He offered a different selection of nibbles and as we shot the breeze while the sun sank into the west, he taught us a new game. He brought us shiny black pellets that looked like little beans and introduced us to what he called a “popular Bush game”. He drew a line in the sand and showed us to how to hold the pellets between our lips and blow hard towards the line. The aim was to get the pellet as far as possible down the road. Of course, it was only after we’d have a good time trying to outdo each other that he revealed that the black pellets were hardened impala poop! You can imagine how some of us cringed! 

            After we had finished sipping our tipples and nibbling on our snacks, Dee put away the portable picnic table and its accoutrements and got us all back in the cruiser again. On the way back, we did not see much except for a Bush Baby—the smallest primate in the Bush and a steenbok—a very small brown deer-like creature.

Revisiting the Rhino Carcass:

            It was Dee’s idea that we should stop briefly by the original rhino carcass that we had seen on our first drive surrounded by Hyenas and vultures. He thought it would be good to see what had happened to the carcass after three days. And what a sight greeted us! The hyenas and vultures had fed to their heart’s content. The fallen rhino had been reduced to a skeleton and we could so clearly discern its entire rib cage. We alighted from the vehicle and walked to the back of the creature only to find that all of his insides had been consumed. Not a single organ was left. Indeed the bones had been picked clean and this sad skeleton would remain in this state until the maggots had finished their work on it as well.  

Bursting Into Song:

            Despite our waning luck on the last drive, we were all so elated by the successes of the day and our many phenomenal sightings. It was little wonder that Cheri-Anne suggested that we sing along the way home and we belted out a bunch of numbers in the darkness, in the Bush, much to the amusement of Dee who began to think of us as a truly sporting lot. By this time, we had gotten really comfortable with each other and were pulling each others’ legs with abandon.  

We started off with some Beatles’ numbers, then moved on to classics of community singing and finally finished with some typical Bombay songs. Dee requested us to sing “Bombay Meri Hai” on our entry into the camp and we were pleased to oblige. The staff that usually awaited our arrival and greeted us at the entrance with cold towels and glasses of sherry, were most amused by our singing and were all smiles as we entered the place. They too had grown fond of us. This was the beauty of having chosen a tiny boutique lodge to camp in. It was small, intimate and very personalized. With just 6 tents, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves and we loved the privacy of it. 

Dinner at Camp:

            All that was left was for us to sit down directly at the beautifully laid out table and enjoy dinner. Most of us had the excellent Broccoli Soup while others had the Grilled Eggplant Salad. For Mains, I chose the Duck Breast and Llew had the Beef Steak. The sauces in both were outstanding. Mashed Potatoes for me and Rice Pilaf for Llew were our accompaniments as were the superbly roasted vegetables that we also enjoyed. Dessert was either a Chocolate Pudding or a Crème Brulee and since we had each chosen one, we had a chance to taste both of them.

            The next day would also be the day of our departure and since we had one more game drive at 6.00 pm, we adjourned to our respective tents to pack up and get organized. Llew and Raghu enjoyed a glass of wine on our terrace while I continued packing. They heard a very loud and strange noise after a while which they were told were baboons again. But, by 10.00 pm, Raghu returned to his tent with an escort (as no one is allowed to walk in the lodge grounds without a staff member).

            It had been an incredible day. Nothing would disappoint us anymore, we thought, as he secretly hoped that the morrow would bring the sighting of a rhinoceros—the last of the Big Five—and one we all hoped not to leave without seeing.

            Little did we know what the morrow would bring…

            Until tomorrow, cheerio! 

Getting Accustomed to Camp Life on Safari–Our First Day

Jul13

Thursday, July 9. 2015:

Hamiltons Tented Camp, Skukuza:

Our Second Safari Drive:

            The day began for Llew and me at the crack of dawn–at 5. 30 am to be precise, when we set our alarms and received a wake-up call from the Camp staff. In 15 minutes, we were striding down the walkway from our Tent No. 1 to the Camp lobby in the darkness. We joined our friends for morning coffee/tea and rusks—a little something to keep us going until breakfast, later in the morning.

             Because we had been invited to do so the previous evening, Llew and I joined the new friends we made at our Camp, Samantha and Becca Jones from Washington DC and Stamford, Connecticut, respectively, in their cruiser with their tracker/guide Ralph. They were doing their last safari drive having already cracked sightings of the Big Five which is every visitor’s dream. The Term ‘Big Five’ refers not to the largest, but to the most dangerous animals in the Bush: Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros and Cape Buffalo. All they hoped to find was a male lion having already spotted four lionesses and two cubs on a previous drive.

            Ralph was truly a dream tracker. He kept up a steady commentary as he pointed out vegetation, flowers, small animals and birds, even animal dung, to us. He had an IPad with him and each time he came upon an interesting bird, he pulled it up on his I-Pad and played the bird’s call to us so that we got to know what it sounded like. In his company, we spotted our big catch of the day—a leopard seated in the distance on a rock. We were stunned and completely fascinated. The magnificently-spotted animal lay in profile stretched out with its head on its forepaws. It was such a brilliant find that we simply could not believe our luck. Leopards are extremely hard to find and to come up on one on our second drive was just so thrilling. And what’s more, he lay there for the longest time—at least a full 20 minutes–which allowed us to take pictures of him without any stress. About twenty minutes later, he got off the rock and stretched slowly as he began to spray the ground to mark his territory. We got even more glimpses of him as he sat down and then slowly began to slink away deeper behind the little heightened ridge in the distance. So there we had it—the highlight of this drive and the third animal on the Big Five List to be ticked off (after elephant and rhino).More animals on our drive included more impala. Water buck, kudu, duiker and elephants, giraffe and zebra were also plentiful and we saw virtually herds of them—many even crossing right in front of our vehicle.    

            It was wonderful of Ralph to have stopped half-way through our drive to set up morning coffee/tea for us with really delicious corn muffins and rusks. It was fascinating just to watch the the way he masterminded the entire operation: a folding table and table cloth, a very neat but very sophisticated camp stove over which he placed an Italian moka to make coffee.  There was milk in a thermos and sugar and in a typical Indian stainless steel tiffin carrier with four stacked containers were our muffins and rusks. It is clear that these guys have the science and art of Camp life down to the last detail and that they attend to their duties with joy and willingness. Ralph was also very humorous and at every turn he cracked a joke or a quip or a wise crack that make us laugh. We thoroughly enjoyed his company.  

 

First Breakfast at Camp:   

            Back at Camp at exactly 9. 30am, we sat down for breakfast—there were muffins, rolls, delicious muesli and other cereals to be eaten with mango yogurt or plain yoghurt, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit. There was also freshly-squeezed orange juice and a tropical juice (a mixture of guava and mango juice). And just in case one felt there was not enough food to go around, a waiter came forward to take our orders for a cooked breakfast: eggs any style with a number of fixin’s that included sausages, bacon, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, hash browns. I chose scrambled eggs with a number of delicious meats. Washed down with decaff coffee, this was simply a stupendous meal and we had the best time.

 A Bush Walk with Dee:

            At 10. 15 am, we left for an hour-long Bush Walk with Dee for he could take a group of no more than four people with him on foot—so Ian, Jenny-Lou, Llew and I set out with him. For the next hour, he made us walk behind him in single file. It was a bit weird to see him striding ahead of us with a loaded rifle in his hand, but he carried it as a security precaution to ensure a line of defense in case we were attacked.

            Dee pointed out all sorts of interesting things to us. He showed us a pile of rhino ‘midden’—a hole used for defecation by rhinos. He showed us a whole lot of crap—if you get my meaning. Impala crap—tiny black pellets that differ in color depending on what the animal has eaten. Rhino crap which indicates that they are entirely herbivorous; freshly dropped elephant dung, etc. He showed us what happened to tree trunks when animals use the sides to sharpen their horns or to rid themselves of ticks and mites that are often found in the mud and accumulated after they take mud baths to clean themselves. He showed us several different animal skulls. We were able to touch a giraffe skull. I did not realize that the horns were pure calcium—consisting entirely of bone. He showed us what a leopard-shelled tortoise looks like based on the broken-up shell left behind by a predator.  As we walked through the Bush, we ran into herd of water buck and impala, but they just parted and let us go through. It was a hugely interesting experience because you have encounters with Bush phenomena that you would never have from the comfort and safety of the back seat of a cruiser.          

 

            An hour later, we were back in our rooms only to find that our balcony was mobbed ny the teenaged members of our group—and quite naturally too. For it offered the most prized location in the Camp: our balcony overlooked the water hole which had seen non-stop action all day. The kids in our group, Neil, Carl and Kristen, had spent the entire hour watching as hundreds of animals came in turn to drink and then slowly leave. When we joined them, we saw wart hogs, kudu, zebra (a whole marvelous herd of them), countless impala, loads of water buck and Bush buck make their way to the hole. They drank and they left and then more arrived. It was a joy to pass time merely seated on the comfortable striped easy chairs on our balcony watching the changing natural phenomenon right beneath us. How fortunate were we in the allocation of our room!

            Llew and I both took showers—another truly interesting experience for the showers were wooden cabins in the open air attached to our tent just outside our very fancy old-world 1930s style-British bathrooms with a claw-footed tub and a high back rest—but the shower had no ceiling and was open on the third side. Llew reports that he showered as the kudus watched him! A little later, I had a similar shower–it was hot and very refreshing but a little bizarre! This Camp is the last word in luxury and there are a variety of fragrant toiletries available for our use as well as springs of a natural bush called magic zuari with which the staff decorated our beds and our bedside tables.

            The entire party was on our balcony for the entire morning and it was simply superb to watch the swiftly changing scene. There was rarely a point when there was no action at all—animals came and went and jumped skillfully over the banks or tried to ford them. They had the grace of gazelles and it was simply an indescribable joy to sit back and watch the changing natural scene.

 

Lunch on the Terrace:

            At  2. 30 pm, we assembled on the terrace to enjoy luncheon ably prepared by the South African Camp chef, Abel. There was grilled impala sheesh kebabs with pieces of red, green and yellow peppers strung through the skewer. There was a lovely green salad, corn fritters, bread rolls with butter and preserves, mushroom and spinach pin wheels made with puff pastry, onion and olive crostini that was crisp and really scrumptious. All this was consumed with tea or coffee or juices and we had a fabulous meal. 

 Our Third Safari Drive:

At 3. 30 pm, it was time for us to leave on our third safari with Dee. This was perhaps the least successful of our drives. Apart from the animals we had seen already, there was nothing of interest to note. Occasionally we drove for long spells and did not come across any animals at all. This was deeply disappointing. Meanwhile, not to let us feel completely disheartened, Dee stopped for sundowners to allow us to enjoy the sight over the Bush as the sun sank in the form of a salmon pink orb. We were treated to a bottle of excellent red Pinotage with white wine or beer for those who preferred it and Cokes for the kids. The selection of snacks was also different: roasted peanuts, biltong (pieces of dried beef), dried mango slices and dried, sweetened, sliced bananas. Again, we were struck by how much eating and drinking we seemed to be doing.

Just as it seemed as if we would be returning home in low spirits, we started the drive back in utter darkness. Dee shone a very powerful spotlight in the road and in no time at all we came upon one of the smallest carnivorous owls in the Bush—the Fiery-Necked Night Jar (a very small owl, no bigger than a blackbird). Dee offered to pick it up for us so that we could inspect it closer and I offered to shine the spotlight upon him as he did so. We were told to keep very still as he approached the bird and then swooped down to pick it up in his palm. He brought the owl over to us so that we could take a good look at it and take pictures. It had a really huge mouth which, Dee explained, is useful for tearing apart and devouring its prey.

So there it was: The Highlight of our third drive was catching the Owl, studying it and then allowing it to flap off eagerly into the wild without feeling too distressed.  

Dinner at Camp:

            We ate well as we sat down for dinner. We had been offered two choices at each of three courses: For starters, Llew and I chose the Sweet Corn Soup which was simply divine. For our Mains, we both chose the Kudu Steak which was served with Potatoes Au Gratin and Roasted Vegetables. Our other choice was a Roasted Chicken Breast with Rice Pilaf and Roasted Veg and Ian, who ordered it, proclaimed it one of the best chicken dishes he had ever had. Dessert was a toss between an Orange Panna Cotta which I had and which was delicious or Sticky Toffee Pudding which Llew had and which was also nice. While we were eating, we were regaled with a series of jokes from one of the wait staff called Ronnie who had a really delightful manner and a very child-like intonation. It made for a wonderful meal. It is grand to be able to sit in the soft light of Petromax lanterns admiring the leaf and pod designs worked on the table by the staff whose attention to detail is simply staggering.

            Then, because all good things must come to an end, we said goodnight to each other and made our way back to our room. We had hoped to see some nocturnal animals such as big cats at our water hole but though we took a big spotlight with us to our room and shone it on the water hole from our balcony, there was no action at all.

It was time to turn off the light and go to sleep.

Until tomorrow, when we hope we will have better luck at spotting cats, I say Cheerio! 

Arrival at Skukuza and Hamiltons Tented Camp–First Safari Drive

Jul13

Wednesday, July 8, 2015:

Cape Town to Skukuza

 

            My birthday was brought in by our friends at the breakfast table of the hotel when they burst into song—literally. Over muesli and yogurt and then a cooked breakfast of Spanish Omelette with sparkling white wine to toast my birthday, we sighed over the fact that Table Mountain was completely hidden by the infamous ‘Tablecloth’—thick cloud cover.

            By 8. 30 am, we were all assembled in the lobby ready to get off in our respective vehicles to be dropped off at the airport for our 10. 35 am South African Airlines flight to Skukuza which is the base for Kruger National Park. Our flight was on schedule and within 2 hours, we were flying right above the wilderness that stretched off for miles below us.

 Our Introduction to Kruger National Park:

            We had a driver with a ‘cruiser’ waiting for us at Skukuza Airport—the cutest little airport in the world. We did not realize the ride to our camp would take two and half hours. And we did not realize that we would see so many animals on our way to the camp. But within three minutes of leaving the airport, we ran into a herd of impala—a type of antelope that we later referred to as the “squirrels’ of the park as there were simply thousands of them. By the time we got to our camp, we saw zebras, giraffes, niyala, duiker (a type of skittish deer), water buck, Bush buck, wildebeest and kudu. We could not have asked for a better introduction to the camp.

Arrival at Hamiltons Tented Camp

            At Hamiltons Tented Camp, which appeared like an apparition in the midst of the wilderness, we were introduced to the gracious staff, including the manager Ben, who was, unfortunately, leaving later that day on vacation. Harold took his place and in his care, we were shown around the lobby and its restrooms, and made to sign disclaimers as we enjoyed a very tasty home-made iced tea studded with fresh fruit in tall crystal glasses and an ice-cold towel. A few minutes later, our keys were distributed to us and we were also introduced to a pair of sisters, Samantha and Rebecca Jones, who would occupy the 6^th tent—the rest of the five were occupied by our party. Llew and I and Cheri-Anne and Raghu were placed in Tents 1 and 2 respectively—which we were delighted to discover overlooked the water hole on the property—while the rest of the members of our party were in Tents 3, 4 and 5.

However, we merely had the time to drop our suitcases off into our room and use the restroom when we had to climb back into the cruiser for our first safari which began at 3. 30 pm and would go on till 6. 30—by which time we would return to base camp for dinner. None of us could resist taking our pick from the offerings on the Tea table—mini pizzas, mushroom vol au vents, corn muffins and a fabulous gingered nut tart cut into small squares—all served with tea or coffee. It became clear that we would eat like royalty at this establishment—and we looked forward to every meal.

Our First Safari Drive:

            I suppose when you go out on seven safaris drives in three days , they start to merge into each other—so I guess the best way to give an account of them would be to describe a highlight. Because sooner or later you realize that there are some animals you will see repeatedly and in herds—baboons, kudu, water buck, zebras, and tons and tons of impala. So for us the highlight of our very first safari was being taken to a spot by our tracker Dee where a rhino that had died of natural causes (probably after getting into a fight with another more powerful animal) was being fed on by a pack of hyenas and a flock of vultures.

            Long before we got to the rhino, we could smell its decaying carcass. Dozens of vultures were in the trees that surrounded the dead animal patiently awaiting their turn in the pecking order—indeed we understood where that term ‘pecking order’ originates. The rhino lay on its side—its horn had been carved out by the park’s anti-poaching squad (to prevent illegal poachers from stealing up on it and carving it off for the international aphrodisiac market). The brown-spotted hyenas—at least six of them—were all around the carcass feasting upon it with abandon. One of them had started to gnaw on the rhino’s rib cage bones in order to create a cave that would enable it to get into the animal’s entrails. Another managed to get a hold of a portion of the insides and was swinging it from side to side before devouring it. We were horrified and fascinated at the same time. The hyenas watched us cautiously as we approached but when they realized we intended no harm, they relaxed and went back to feeding. Needless to say, we took dozens of pictures and simply could not tear ourselves away from the sight.

            A little later, our guide Dee stopped for “sundowners’ under a sheltering tree as the sun sank in a fiery orange ball over the horizon silhouetting thorny leafless trees in the process. As it is winter in Africa, foliage is sparse and the trees are starkly bare—which makes it much easier to stalk animals for sightings. Within seconds, Dee skillfully assembled a folding table, a table cloth, two hampers and a tiffin carrier from which he produced red and white wine, beer, Cokes with ice (no less) and an array of nibbles—dried beef jerky, dried fruit, a variety of nuts, savory pizza slices. It was almost unreal—a scene straight Out Of Africa. We had to pinch ourselves to believe that we were on safari in Africa—something for which we have waited for so long.

            About fifteen minutes into our sundowners, our friend Jenny-Lou went dizzy and had a minor ‘passing out’ incident which caused us to get into our vehicle and head straight for camp. Fortunately, she recovered quickly enough and was as good as new just a couple of hours later.

Before we assembled for dinner that evening, we discovered an elephant very close to our tents. Our wait staff shone a massive spot light on it and we could clearly see it lurking on our very property. That was No. 1 of the Big Five that we hoped to see before we left Kruger.

 A Birthday Dinner to Remember:

            All that was left was for us to get ready for dinner that would be served on the vast wooden deck of our camp. Orders for our choices had been taken earlier—for starters, a choice of Carpaccio of Springbok (a form of venison) or Butternut Squash Soup. Entrees were a choice between Salmon with Pilaf and Roasted Veg or Lamb Chops with Mashed Potato and Roasted Veg. Dessert was either Malwa Pudding (a sort of bread pudding with a marshmallow sauce) or Cinnamon Poached Pears. I personally chose the soup, lamb and pears—and truly they were all fabulous. We could not fathom how such a superlative meal had been conjured up in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Those chefs produce mini-miracles in their kitchens!

            And just when we thought our meal had come to a delightful end, a waiter put champagne flutes in front of each of our places and then, to our enormous surprise, a troop of wait staff, all attired in spotless white with maroon sashes and African sola topees marched out in a crocodile singing an African version of “Happy Birthday To You”. The first chap had a chocolate cake in his hand that was lit with a single candle. There was clapping and singing and dancing as they encircled our table and then placed the cake in front of me. Meanwhile, another waiter popped the bottle of champagne and began to fill our glasses with the bubbly. It was so charming because it was so unexpected! What an incredible moment—to be in the middle of the African Bush on a safari and to be celebrating a birthday with some of our closest friends. That was simply the highlight of my day for I felt thoroughly pampered and spoiled. Of course, we took many pictures and some fine video as the cake was cut, sliced, served and eaten.

            The next morning, we were told, we would get Wake Up calls at 5. 30 am for the 6.00 am safari departure. There was no point in lingering as we could not wait to get back to our room to unwind and get ready for bed. As if the excitement of my birthday celebration was inadequate, both Llew and I were woken up during the night by the loud roaring of lions at the waterhole beneath our balcony! Just imagine, if you can, how that made us feel! It was simply too exciting and chilling for words.

            What a day! What a birthday! This was certainly one to remember!  

 

             Until tomorrow, Cheerio!