kruger national park as traversed by Jane, Ethan, Jennifer and Jim

Jennifer and I were honored to have Jane and Ethan visit us in South Africa.  So honored that we made them fly round trip to Joberg, drive up to Kruger National Park (5 hours) and camp without sleeping pads for two nights, before making the return drive and two massive return flights that must have amounted to at least 36 hours of travel.  I did hear that they are alive and well after the trip and we are very excited about that because we are really looking forward to their wedding in a few weeks!

We had two great mornings exchanging drivers and co-pilots and eventually meandering the minivan back towards camp without running it into the brush of too many acacia trees (we were able to cover up the minor damage by slicking some water and soap over them at a gas station, then letting extra dirt stick to the car while driving (that happens as a consequence of normal driving) :).

We would also go out for afternoon game drives and were lucky enough to spend the evening with our friend Taryn, who we met playing ultimate frizbee.  Taryn has spent at least 3 years studying in Kruger National Park and went there most years of her childhood.  There is actually a whole village in Kruger that helps support park staff and researchers--they just fence their houses.  At night the call of bushbaby's and impala can be heard on the local and majestic golf course.  Taryn brought us to two excellent places for the sunset--one overlooking a dam resevoir (for the town) that was full of grunting hippos and a variety of birds.  The next night we stood atop a kopjie (large granitic rock outcropping or big hill) to look out over the savanna and right below us down the steep slope of rock at a white rhino perusing through the underbrush.

Jane asked Taryn, "what if the rhino tries to come up here?" Taryn laughed and said, "I'd really like to see it try".  That pretty much encapsulated how common sense it was for us to feel safe on the kopjie.  Yet, Taryn followed up that warm feeling with a story about how they had to close the hill for a period of time because rangers saw a leopard stalking them on that spot one night as the leopard was figuring out that easy prey gathered at the same time and same place every night.  Pretty sure that leopard wasn't too close when we were there :).

Check out the pictures!

OK, Mom (Betsy) this is the start of your identification challenge.

augrabies falls, 3-day hike (northern cape, south africa, april 2015)

As the final activity on our final trip in southern Africa (for now), we decided to explore the Northern Cape and a fairly remote park called Augrabies Falls. We were super impressed with how well-run and popular this park is, and were really happy we decided to do a three-day hike along the Orange River and the canyon that runs through the park. 

The hike was beautiful (also hot), through desert landscape for the first day, then down into the river canyon on the second day, and back out and over the desert again on the third day. We saw klipspringer (small deer), two giant jet-black snakes, each about 5-6 feet long (we think they were Cape Cobras), a monitor lizard, the tracks of a clawless otter, and some beautiful birds. 

The river itself and the waterfalls were also stunning. 

Sunset at camp the night before we head out.

Starting things off well! About an hour in to the hike, we got to detour to this beautiful spot on the canyon. Hundreds of swallows were flying back and forth across the water eating insects. It was an incredibly peaceful place (until you looked down!)

Hiking across a ravine with a deep hole.

We also got treated to a visit from a vervet monkey family! They galloped and played around us for 5-10 minutes. Very cute.

the richtersveld (northern cape, south africa, march 2015)

This is the beginning of a 10 day trip into the Northern part of South Africa.  This is the place where Afrikaners fled to when Britain decreed that all slaves would become free people in 1830.  The Afrikaners refer to this mass-movement as the Great Migration.  Essentially thousands of black slaves carried Dutch settlers' stuff out into a narrowly hospitable climate (to be generous).

Our adventure was quiet at first as we needed to travel 950 km to our first campsite.  The final 48 km took longer than the first 250 km to put the remoteness of our exploration in perspective.

The single best event of the trip occurred when setting up camp after driving for 12 hours with the final 2.5 hours being the 48 km through a rugged two-track.  Needless to say we were tired, cranky, and hungry.  Accomplishing tasks such as putting up a tent, starting a fire, and preparing food in this sort of atmosphere is something that Jennifer and I do way too much on vacation.   Needless to say the situation was rife for disaster.

As Jennifer and I were trying to set up the tent we realized there was a layer of rock that would prevent our spikes from reaching far enough into the ground.  Considering the brisk wind that was blowing this meant we would likely lose our tent unless we found a new location.  So, I explored for a more suitable spot and found a good one (in my opinion, but not Jennifer's) about 10 meters away.  While I was searching for a new spot and sticking my spike into the ground, Jennifer was holding onto the tent to keep it from blowing away.

After finding my spot I thought it best to stand still while Jennifer carry the tent over--bad mistake.  Fatefully, the wind picked up and pulled the tent out of Jennifer's hands as she started to move towards the less-than-ideal new spot.  As the tent carried a few feet into the air, it moved just outside of Jennifer's grasp and began to tumble towards the rock field that ran next to the river (tent location and river indicated in pictures below).  The boulders that occupied the area within 50 meters or so of the river were large, sometimes sharp, and essentially not navigable at fast speeds.  

Jennifer was wearing two-strap sandals, so she took off after the tent.  I was barefoot, but quickly decided that should the tent be faster than Jennifer I would be best served downstream if the tent managed to lodge itself in the river.  I took off downstream to cross the rock field in a different place where the river narrowed to a deep section next to a protruding and tall rock that I could use as a spotting location.  

As I was working my way, not so quickly, across the rocks I could hear Jennifer begin to move into histerics.  Some crying, some shouting, general exasperation.  I just remember shouting to be careful crossing the rocks as I didn't want her to get her ankle twisted or hurt herself in a mad fury to reach the tent.  

When I arrived at the river's edge I was in position to talk to Jennifer so I called up stream, "Did the tent go in the river?", then "Yes".  "Did it sink", then "Yes".  "Can you see it", then "No, it hit and sank and went away and now its gone, I can't see it!"

So, I waited for a brief moment on my rock, thinking that the tent may be deep in the water as the river looked like it could be 20+ feet deep in the section below my post.  However, in a few seconds I could see the ghostly shape of the tent under the water--mostly thanks to the orange pieces.  As it was 30 minutes past sunset and we were still discussing the likelihood of the river having crocodiles (forgot to ask at reception 2.5 hours before) it was quite a scary moment for me.  But, to lose the tent when it was clearly within grasp would have been inexcusable.  

Upon jumping into the fast-moving and deep current, I found that moving the tent was much like trying to pick up 500 pounds, or move a hot-air balloon around with a rope on a windy day.  It was essentially impossible to move and pulling itself deeper into the water with the current.  To solve this problem, I pulled myself under water with the tent and began taking it apart to reduce its drag.  A sheet underwater will produce very little drag, so holding my breath for a few seconds I packed the tent down and began to swim it towards the surface/shore.  Thankfully, I was able to get myself into a counter-current eddy that formed below my big rock outcropping and the current actually pushed me back up against the rocks.  Tent saved!  Adventure had!

The climate was so hot and dry that even without the sun the tent dried in a matter of minutes.  Following this episode we had lots of laughs and decided to keep heavy rocks in the tent at all times.

The rest of the trip was not as interesting, thank goodness, but we did have good fun exploring the desert wilderness.

The rolling, smooth hills are formed by gneiss intrusions--a form of granite that penetrated into the crust of the African and South American crustal plates as they separated ~130 million years ago.

This is not the dirt 2-track mentioned above--it is road through mining areas heading into the Richtersveld.

road tripping and city living (durban and sodwana bay, kwaZulu-natal)

We had a great time breaking up our time in the wild with a little stopover in Durban on our road trip. Durban has a huge Indian community, so the food is awesome. We had great curries every night and spent afternoons walking the city beaches. 

From Durban we headed north up the coast to Sodwana Bay, a beautiful place a bit south of the border of Mozambique. Jennifer got her scuba certification, and Jim got an advanced open water certification. We only got to dive together a couple of times :) but managed to see some beautiful water life - green turtles, moray eels, giant potato bass (as big as Jennifer!!), and amazing live corals. Aside from vomiting at the end of every dive waiting for the boat to head back to shore (Jennifer gets very seasick!!) it was an amazing week at scuba camp. 

A camera shot back towards the city of Durban.

Beers on a big pier over the Durban Waterfront after a long morning beach walk.

Hanging out on the beach!

Who needs an ocean when there is a gigantic pool that is 2 feet deep?  This was a spectacle to behold!

A Durban beach two days before Christmas.  There are certain sections of the beach for swimming that are about 100 meters wide and tightly policed by lifeguards.  Kids from all around pack into those 100 meters to get their chance at diving and jumping into the waves.

Body surfing!

monks cowl and didima gorge (drakensberg mountains, kwaZulu-natal)

The Drakensberg Mountains are a stunning wilderness that has protected and provided for thousands upon thousands of generations of humans.  They functioned as a boundary for the Basutu people who were defending themselves from an encroaching and militaristic Zulu population and later the encroaching and militaristic Boers, not to mention the English.  Before this recent history they were home to Khoi Khoi or Khoi San people.  The evidence of the Khoi Khoi can be found in really cool rock art--some of which we found and is pictured below.  

Finding hidden caves is probably one of the coolest aspects of the Drakensberg.  They are on maps, but that does not mean you are going to find them.  We hiked far and wide to find two caves and spent the night happily tucked away behind a waterfall for one night.  The cave was so protective and peaceful that we spent about 20 hours hanging out, eating, and sleeping before moving on.  

The grass is stunning--more recently burned sections actually look greener.

There are plentiful streams and waterfalls as it is the rainy season.  Getting caught in one thunderstorm taught us how quickly the waters can rise.  We ended up saving a German couple from possible demise after a particularly powerful thunderstorm brought streams from 5 cm deep, to 1 meter deep in a matter of minutes after pelting us with marble-sized hail.  If you're wondering what the hell we were doing we were too.  That was our last hike up the big mountain.  Until next time!

Disclaimer:  The pictures are not in chronological order--maybe I'll take the time to rearrange them later.

This is one of a few of the Ranger Cabins.  So, don't think they're used very much anymore.  This is called the Ranger Station on the map.  Gives you a good idea of the politics in the region.  If someone builds a public building near you that means you are allowed to harvest anything valuable from that structure...including its roof.

This nearly hidden road through a swamp reminded me of Frodo walking through the swamp of the ancient battlefield where there were dead elves and orcs.  The Drakensberg was also an area that inspired curiosity and imagination in a young JRR Tolkien.

children's home in komga with jon, mike, jim, amy, mark, the volunteers, aunties, uncles, and the kids!

Our last stop in Komga was very important to all of us--we wanted to see all of the good work that Amy and Mark Rolfes were up to at the Children's Home.  We met some great people--five volunteers that had just graduated from Notre Dame, Aunties and Uncles who keep the kids in order, and of course the kids!

We had a fun morning hanging out with the kids who didn't go home during the school holiday that was happening when we were there.  Jon and I were able to secure a piece of metal from one of the tennis court stands that looked in danger of causing multiple wounds this year as kids were pedaling their bikes past it at top speed.  We were bending metal right and left, but eventually prevailed in moving the nuts that hadn't been spun in 20+ years.  Meantime, the kids were drawing pictures of me on the tennis court with rocks.  Each drawing surpassed the one before it until I was a long-haired caricature with huge breasts and a skirt, ha ha!  I was impressed with the playful creativity of the kids, but needless to say Mike was VERY impressed to the point that he had trouble keeping himself from laughing to tears.

Mark and Amy put us up for the night at a local lodge and we had some great Kudu lasagna that reminded me of all the times I ate my Dad's venison tomale pie.

This time in Komga sealed a great trip and ended our great adventure into the Eastern Cape of South Africa.  We then spent a whole day at the pool, playing tennis, and doing nothing at the mansion to make sure the boys were recovered for their long trip home.

Thanks a ton for coming down here Mike and Jon!  It made the whole South African experience more real for Amy & Mark and me & Jennifer--it is a long ways away from the people we care about and it means a lot!

Below is a joke to start the post, "continue the joke"

This is Mike's form of manual zoom--screenshot, zoom, screenshot, zoom, screenshot.  Killer look from the Dossie!

        

  

Jon preparing some extra food to bring to the Komga Children's Home.  If only we hadn't decided it was best to consolidate the fries into one of the trays, the salad into another, and the pies into another.  We could have just left them all in their trays!  Mike and I enjoyed watching Jon try to close these trays--the task was meant for more nimble fingers.

Jon and Amy under the Acacia Tree.

Mike using the universal tourist symbol.

Curious gazes from Jon, Amy, and Mike.

This is the ravine next to the lodge where we stayed in Komga. 

Looking out away from the ravine.

Must be a typical scene at the Children's Home.

addo elephant park with mike, jon, and jim

Rule number one on game drives:  don't get out of the vehicle.  Most tempting rule to break when one needs to find something in the back of the car:  Rule number one.  We had a good time breaking this rule when I was looking for the talisman Mike brought along to give us good luck.  We were having a relatively crappy game drive (nothing but zebras, kudus, and warthogs) up until this point and really wanted to see some lions--so the effort was to recover our lucky talisman, then we would begin seeing big game.  After a fruitless search I climbed back in the car and began driving around the bend...about 200 meters until we saw a pride of lions relaxing next to the road.  Yikes!  That is why you don't get out of the car, ha ha.

We had a blast seeing the animals, cruising around the park, and saving two German fraulines from a gigantic spider.  Good thing our ladies have us disciplined--we recovered the spider and left immediately to recline to a chapter from World War Z--the zombie epic that we were reading to each other in the car.

One of Mike's best sitings was a hare, sitting next to the road just behind a hill so that oncoming traffic could not see us.  We had time to pause for a picture, then get out of the way!

Other fantastic sitings included rhinos, elephants, leopard tortoises, kudus, and of course--the lions.

This makes me wan to eat a salad.

Or be a tortoise

Not a dung beetle though.

Imagine the scene in Money Python... "Run away!  Run away! Clip clop, clip clop, clip clop" 

shark diving and the tsitsikamma national park with jon, mike, and jim (jennifer was with the sharks too!)

These pictures of sharks top the charts on excitement during our vacation.  All  four of us--Jon, Mike, Jennifer, and Jim had a blast in the shark tank.  At one time Jennifer pinned herself against the back of the cage as a big great white shark came within 6 inches of the front of the cage--moving straight towards us!  Jon and Mike were allowed to go back in the cage for a second dive, but said most of the excitement was when we were all in the cage together.  There is one picture in particular, of a sham about to attack the bait from straight below that stuns me every time I look at it. These creatures were amazing to watch and we were so thankful to have a bit of good steel between us and them!

The second set of pictures covers our hike along the coastline in the Tsitsikamma National Park.  We hiked over many boulder fields, through dens jungle with vines all around, and past huge caves that once housed some of the first homo sapiens over 70,000 years ago.  We ended the hike at a 150 foot cascading waterfall that dumped it's brown, tannin-stained water into the ocean.  The mist, jumping schools of dolphins, rock pools to swim in, and the inescapable feeling of being a pirate about to bury treasure made the hike a great adventure.  

The next step of the journey took us to the mighty South African bush that is conserved as Addo Elephant National Park.

This was one of the smaller sharks if you can imagine that. 

That white belly gives them their name--the Great White Shark! 

This was not one of the smaller ones...

You an see that the wood is scarred from battle--there were a few sharks that dragged this fake seal under.  The bait guy would have to let the shark take the line until they realized they were eating wood.  I wanted to check the wood for teeth, but apparently they don't get stuck too often.

This is the picture that I couldn't believe.  The shark is perfectly positioned to attack from below.

magical elandsbaai (west coast, south africa)

A few weeks back, Jim and I spent a weekend at Eland's Bay (Elandsbaai in Afrikaans), a small town on the west coast about three hours north of Cape Town. Our friend Tina had promised a magical, mystical place, and it truly was. We stayed at an old farmstead, Uithoek, which means something like "Out-of-the-way corner" in a cottage called Langhuis (Long House), with no electric lights, a thatched roof and a view of a vlei (lake) and a koppjie (smallish mountain).

We had a sportive weekend - Tina's husband Chris practices archery, and gave us all a try. Jim also got in a good few hours of fishing, with two lovely sardines to show for his work. We fried them up and ate them with lemon juice as a pre-dinner snack one night.

My first time shooting :)

Jim is an old hand.