(Sorry folks but I have not had access to Internet since August 10.)
August 10 2007
There is a low sitting over the area and we are seeing squalls of rain and hail. It’s time for a wine tasting. We head for Glen Carlou and their ZEN restaurant. We have a lunch reservation for 1PM. Before lunch, we opt for the full tasting: 3 whites and 5 reds. We then have lunch WITH wine. We’re bad.
With the weather not letting up, we decide on a movie, hot chocolate and cookies in our room. We choose OUT OF AFRICA with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford…how appropriate. The movie dates from 1985, the year before Alex was born. Remember, “I haahd aah faahrm een Aahfrikaah…”.? This was just the right film to get us into the mood for the next leg of our trip.
August 11, 2007
We arrive in Port Elizabeth where we are met by Etienne le Roux, the guy who will fly us to Kwandwe private game reserve on the Great Fish River. The plane is a 6-seater Piper Seneca that looks a little worse for wear. We soon find out though that the pilot is no slouch. During the flight, Etienne hands us a copy of Aviation Magazine in which an article describes him as “dentist, entrepreneur, raconteur and bush pilot”. Turns out he was the pilot who did all the flying in the film “Blood Diamond”. There are photos of him in full “rough, tough guy” makeup and beard standing with Leonardo DiCaprio. Cool.
The 25-minute flight ends with a remarkably smooth landing on a crude dirt runway. Etienne tells us that the previous week, he had to abort the landing because there was a rhino on the runway. “Indy!!!!”
We are driven to a colonial era homestead that serves as the reception area. There is a huge spread of food laid out for us in case we’re hungry. We’re not really hungry but we eat anyway because the offerings are so inviting: roasted vegetables, biltong, fresh bread, fruits and champagne all laid out in a rustic safari style.
We are asked if we would like to go out on a safari even before seeing our accommodation and we agree. One of the guides is located and we are driven out to him. The safari vehicle is an amazingly tough Land Cruiser that appears indestructible. Out first drive into the African wild is unbelievable. Within half an hour, we start seeing some of the animals we came here to see: cheetah, kudu, springbok, impala, and caracal.
It is 6:30PM and the sun has dipped below the horizon. Phil, our guide and the tracker, Dali, find a safe place to stop (Beats me how they can consider it safe when we’ve just been observing a pride of lions but I guess these guys know what they’re doing.) In no time at all, they set up a small table complete with white linen. It’s cocktail time! Scotch, gin and tonic, white and red wine and savory snacks all served-up in near pitch darkness with only the stars to give us light. Fantastic!
We finally get into camp at 7:30PM. The mercury has plummeted down to 45° F and we are frozen. The staff welcomes us and we are shown to our huts, #1 for the kids and #2 for us. Now get this: 30 meters separate our huts and we are 500 meters from the main house. We are told in no uncertain terms that under no circumstance are we to venture outside our huts after dark. If for any reason we need to go from one hut to the other of from a hut to the main house, we must call for a security guard to accompany us, no exceptions. One day prior to our arrival, a pride of lions strolled across the deck of the kids’ hut! We’ll be following the rules.
Here’s the daily routine: A security guard knocks on our door for a 6AM wake-up. Shower, dress warmly and get the camera gear ready. The head ranger walks the path from the main house to the huts and gives the all clear. At 6:30AM, we walk to the main house as a family with the gross misconception that there is safety in numbers. Quick coffee and plan the strategy for the morning’s safari. In the vehicle at 7AM. We stop in the bush at 9:30 or 10AM for a coffee or hot chocolate. Continue on safari until about 11:30AM when its time for brunch at the main house. After brunch, read, sleep, download photos. Then, shower in the outdoor shower…great feeling except that you always have to keep a lookout for monkeys or worse. Meet up at the main house at 2:30PM for tea, coffee and sweets. Leave for afternoon safari. Stop at 6:30 for scary drinks in the dark. Get back to camp at 7:00PM and get escorted to hut by security guard. Escort back to main house for drinks at 7:30PM followed by dinner at 8PM. Escort back to hut at 10:30. Sleep like a log.
August 12 - 13 2007
Same routine with lots of animal sightings (photos follow).
I do have to mention this one incident, thought, that we won’t soon forget. Phil beat the guide at the old Afrikaans game of Bokdrol Spoeg. Yup, a Bermudian teenager beats a born and bred South African safari guide at his own game. Impressed? Oh, that’s right, you probably don’t know what the hell Bokdrol Spoeg is right? Well it’s a simple game all the boys and men out here play out in the bush. It goes like this: you’re walking along in the bush when you come upon a kudu midden, you know, a pile of kudu shit. Now these little droppings are firm and black and look very much like chocolate-coated peanuts. Now you carefully select a very firm and perfectly shaped one and your opponent does likewise. You then draw a line in the sand, stand behind the line, pop the dropping into your mouth and have a dung-spitting contest. I kid you not. Phil the guide challenged our Phil who was man enough to take him on. Phil won! We’re so proud of him…and he didn’t puke! Actually, the droppings contain only grass since kudu are vegetarian. Phil says they’re tasteless. We’re all taking his word for it.
Try filling in the blanks here. I’ll give you the first one.
A pride of lions
A _____ rhinoceroses.
A _______ of giraffes.
A ____ of elephants.
A ____ of hyena.
A _____ of warthogs.
A ________ of ducks.
A ______ of wild dog pups.
A ______ of crows.
A ______ of zebra.
A ______ of frogs.
A _____ of baboon.
A ____ of snipe.
A ____ of turtles.
A _______ of ants.
A _____ of foxes.
A ____ of hippo.
A ______ of locusts.
A ____ of leopards.
A __________ of owls.
A ____ of buffalo.
The answers: crash, journey, herd, clan, drift, paddling, litter, murder, dazzle, chorus, troop, walk, bale, colony, skulk, raft, plague, leap, parliament, herd. Our guide knew most of them.
Here are some photos:
One last early morning game drive where we finally see giraffe and more elephant.
Pack-up and get driven to the landing strip where Etienne le Roux and his Piper twin-engine are waiting for us. It’s a beautiful day with perfect flying conditions. It’s Alex’s turn to be in the copilot seat. We make a perfect take-off and level off at 5,000 feet. It’s only at that point that we notice Alex is at the controls! Etienne is keeping a close eye on her of course but Alex is flying the bloody plane! Phil who is a little nervous about flying anyway freaks-out. Alex does well, though, and manages to keep the plane on a steady course. However, when Port Elizabeth Airport comes into view, we realize that Etienne intends Alex to stay at the helm for landing. He’s there all the time helping her but Alex brings down the plane without incident. But there is an incident. As we taxi along the runway, the right tire blows out and the plane comes to an awkward stop. We have a tight connection and we find ourselves in the middle of the runway with our luggage. With help from Etienne, we lug everything to the terminal and make our flight.
We now spent 2 nights at Cybele Forest Lodge and Spa near White River in Mpumalanga province. We’re here to rest between the 2 safaris but we can’t resist doing a little visiting in our 4-wheel-drive vehicle. We visit Blyde River Canyon in the lowveld. When the girls get fed up, we drop them off at the lodge and Phil and I go off in the vehicle and try to get into trouble on some rough logging roads. Phil now not only knows how to drive standard but can also hill-climb.
Joseph Froncioni
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